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Fairy Warehouse · Chtholly's Room
Click.
As the door to Chtholly's room opened, Willem entered together with Kaito.
The room was dark, illuminated only by pale moonlight streaming through the window and spilling across the bed. Chtholly lay there quietly, her eyes closed and her expression peaceful. The witch's hat Willem had given her rested gently atop the blanket.
Willem stood silently beside the bed, staring at the sleeping girl as though afraid to look away.
"She kept her promise, didn't she?"
The soft voice broke the silence.
Sitting near the doorway with her knees hugged to her chest, Ithea looked toward Chtholly, sadness lingering in her eyes. "She survived a battlefield where death was almost guaranteed. Just so she could see you again. Just so she could come back and act spoiled around you. She held onto that tiny bit of life and returned alive."
Willem's expression trembled slightly.
"Yes... she kept her promise," he said hoarsely. "But I... I never said anything. I never did anything. Nothing at all..."
Nephren sat quietly at the foot of the bed, looking up at Willem's tear-filled eyes without saying a word.
"Chtholly..."
He softly called her name and continued watching her sleeping face.
Although the atmosphere was touching, Kaito found it unbearably heavy.
"Ahem. Even if this ruins the mood a little, I think it's important to remind everyone that I exist."
The sudden interruption drew the attention of all three.
"Who are you?" Nephren asked, tilting her head slightly. "You came back with the caretaker..."
"Yes," Ithea added as she looked him over curiously. "I've never seen you before."
Meanwhile, Willem remained standing beside the bed.
"Hehe, my name is Kaito. You can call me Kaito Nii. I'm the new caretaker."
The two girls froze.
"A new caretaker? Then what about Willem?"
"Is Willem leaving?"
Kaito quickly waved his hands. "No, no. I'm a special assignment. Willem isn't going anywhere. Besides, Willem, there's no need to look so depressed. This child is perfectly fine."
The moment those words left his mouth, Willem spun around.
"What did you say?! Chtholly is alright?"
"Of course." Kaito nodded calmly. "Her will is incredibly strong. Right now, she's just spending time with a younger child."
A golden glow flashed through Kaito's eyes, and the scenery in his vision instantly shifted to Chtholly's mental world, where Elq Hrqstn was currently leading her around while searching for something.
"A younger child?" Willem looked completely confused, while Ithea and Nephren wore equally puzzled expressions.
"Hehe. You'll understand eventually."
Kaito instantly became the exact kind of cryptic riddle-speaker he used to hate.
"Why can't you just tell us directly?" Willem pressed.
"Heavenly secrets must not be revealed."
"Mmm..." Ithea puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. "People who speak in riddles are the worst."
Kaito immediately crouched beside her and smiled. "Oh? And in what capacity are you saying that? Your own, or Ithea's?"
The moment those words reached her ears, Ithea's eyes narrowed.
She immediately turned toward him. For an instant, she felt as though he had completely seen through her.
"What exactly do you mean by that, Caretaker Kaito?" she asked, her voice noticeably more serious.
"Hehe. Nothing. Just a random comment."
Kaito laughed and refused to elaborate further.
Because he knew the story, Kaito naturally understood Ithea's situation. Golden Fairies gradually awakened memories from their previous lives, and as those memories accumulated, they slowly lost the memories of their current selves.
The current Ithea was no longer the original Ithea. She was someone who had inherited Ithea's memories and identity after awakening her past-life memories.
Fortunately, the original Ithea had left behind a diary. The current Ithea had learned everything about herself through those records and continued living as Ithea so that the girl's existence would not disappear from the world.
Complicated as it sounded, she was still a very good girl.
At that moment, Ithea watched Kaito with a grave expression as he walked over to Willem.
Stopping beside the bed, Kaito gently patted Willem's shoulder.
"Young man, you should learn to cherish good girls."
After saying that, he turned toward the two fairies. "Ladies, would you mind giving me a tour of the Fairy Warehouse?"
"Alright."
"Okay."
The two girls stood up and followed him toward the door.
Just as Kaito was about to leave, Willem suddenly called out, "Kaito-sama!"
Without turning around, Kaito simply raised a hand. "Don't worry. I wasn't lying to you. Just stay here and wait for Sleeping Beauty to wake up."
"Let's go."
With that, Kaito left the room alongside Ithea and Nephren.
Watching his departing figure, Willem felt increasingly certain that this mysterious newcomer was anything but ordinary.
"Did you really not lie to Willem?" Nephren asked expressionlessly as they walked down the corridor.
"Of course not." Kaito proudly puffed out his chest. "I'm known as the Honest Young Master. I never lie."
"Is that so..."
Nephren's expression remained completely unconvinced.
The three soon arrived in the main hall, where a woman with long pink hair dressed in a maid uniform was already waiting for them.
"Welcome, First-Class Spell Engineer Kaito-sama."
The moment he heard the title, Kaito knew Suowong Kandel had already arranged his identity. A First-Class Spell Engineer. He had instantly become Willem's superior.
"Hehe. You must be Nygglatho. I heard you really want to eat human flesh."
Nygglatho showed no embarrassment whatsoever.
"Did Caretaker Willem tell you? That's right. After all, I am a man-eater."
"Then would you like to take a bite?" Kaito pointed at himself with a grin. "I'm human too."
"What?!"
"Human?!"
"Impossible!"
The three girls immediately stared at him in shock.
Especially Nygglatho. As far as she knew, Willem should have been the last surviving human. How could another one suddenly appear?
"Caretaker Kaito..." Ithea looked at him in disbelief. "You're human too? A human just like Willem?"
"Not exactly." Kaito shook his head. "When it comes to bloodline purity, I'm even more human than he is. You could say I'm ninety-nine percent pure. A rare commodity."
He then looked toward Nygglatho with a mischievous grin.
"Well? Miss Maid? Want a taste?"
Nygglatho didn't move.
Instead, she simply continued staring at Kaito with a cautious expression, her eyes filled with suspicion and vigilance...