123 – Bear the Weight of the Crown #4

123 – Bear the Weight of the Crown #4

There was a TV show that collectors like me loved.

It was a show where experts would determine the authenticity and value of antique items brought in.

“The object we used as a food bowl for our dog was actually a celadon from the Goryeo Dynasty…!?”

“The book we used as a pot holder was an incredible ancient manuscript…!”

The recycled items I picked up without much thought might actually be incredibly amazing things─. Any collector like me would have such imaginations, and wish to be the protagonist of such a story….

━Yingyingyaying.

“Oh oh oh! King! Ruler of pain and hunger!”

Watching the fairy Moro kneel and bow deeply in front of the strange cloud Yingying, I felt strange too.

The king of monsters?

The cotton candy cloud Yingying?

“Actually, I knew Yingying’s true identity.”

For now, I nodded appropriately.

Then, a sense of stability, as if I was orchestrating and managing this situation, surged within me.

“Everything is going according to plan.”

Somehow, the shape of the bone grave in this underground place resembled the pile of bones left after Yingying ate chicken.

There was a reason for everything.

“As expected of Hanamjin! I don’t know what’s what, but! What is that cotton ball?”

Come to think of it, this is the first time Bbangdaengi is seeing Yingying. To Bbangdaengi’s eyes, Yingying seemed to look like a cotton ball.

Of course, the more innocent Mibbang corrected, “It’s a talking cotton candy!”

However, Seogaeul, who knew Yingying well, trembled like a winter yellowtail interested in a fishing hook, as if she had many things pricking her conscience.

“…I often stepped on it or punched it when I was bored.”

“The king of monsters. It was indeed an extraordinary monster.”

It seemed that Yuyeoreum also reevaluated Yingying.

Anyway, the shocking true identity of Yingying, which no one expected or thought of, was revealed like this.

Yingying, you were more amazing than I thought.

“But doesn’t it look too cute to be the king of monsters?”

I picked up Yingying, who was eating a dragon, and stretched it left and right, or compressed it up and down.

Of course, Yingying, who was interrupted while eating, cried out as if it was really pissed off.

━Krrr…!

“What kind of attitude is that towards our king! How impudent! And our king originally boasted an incredibly magnificent appearance! Now, for some reason, it has become like this!”

Indeed, it seemed that Yingying looked different in the past.

Anyway, we were able to pass the test of the black fairies like this.

# # #

“The king has returned!”

“Even this underground world, where monsters are rampaging recklessly, will return to normal!”

“Return to normalcy!”

“Normalcy!”

The black fairies rejoiced and held a festival.

Wow, wow, wow─.

They were dancing everywhere, rattling their bone ornaments, completely absorbed in the celebration.

Thanks to that, we were able to get various foods, but Seo Ga-eul didn’t touch the food, saying, “Isn’t this monster food?”

What a picky princess!

“Han Nam-jin, stop eating those unknown things and say something.”

“Something.”

“Not that kind of something!”

“Puhiiing-!”

“Hey!”

Slap-!

Seo Ga-eul couldn’t hold back and slapped my back with her palm.

She asked me to say something, and when I did, she had so many complaints.

That’s why I like it!

Because I have a preference for beautiful women frowning at me.

In my opinion, this preference was definitely not perverted and fell within the normal range, so it wasn’t that strange.

“Is Ing-ing really the king of monsters? Did you know that?”

“Of course not. Look at Ing-ing’s face. Does it look like the face of a king? Ing-ing just likes to eat, he’s a gourmet.”

It must be true that Ing-ing’s identity was a great monster.

「Name: Cotton Candy Cloud Ing-ing

Possessions: Click to see details ☜

《???》 – Your emotional level is insufficient to view this.

《Cloud Lv.1》 – Fluffy like a cloud floating in the sky.

《Rock Lv.1》 – Can become as hard as a stone on the roadside.

《Leaf Lv.1》 – Can sprout like a new leaf in the grass.

《Sand Lv.1》 – Can scatter like the sand on the beach.

Status: 《Extremely Hungry》 – IngIngYaying

Even my eyes of truth, which can distinguish even the most basic 4th-grade concepts, still show 《???》.

It was clear that IngIng had something extraordinary about it.

The fact that IngIng started eating monsters out of sheer hunger greatly helped the fairies living in this underground world, and as a result, it was worshipped as a king.

It’s not like IngIng declared, “I will rule this underground! I can do whatever I want with you!” out of power and greed.

“Isn’t it strange?”

It was at that moment.

A female fairy, wearing glasses made in the 21st century, expressed her doubt.

She looked like the kind of student who would raise her hand and say, “Teacher, I have a question!” just five minutes before the class ended when the teacher asked, “No questions? If there are no questions, we’ll end the class early.”

“Isn’t it strange? That weird cotton ball-like thing is the king of monsters. It’s clear that the great warrior Moro is deceiving us by conspiring with outsiders.”

“Actually, I thought it was strange too…”

It’s a natural question.

No matter how you look at it, IngIng looks like a cute pet.

In novels or comics, it would be like a creature the author included to sell merchandise.

However, the acting chief Moro was furious.

“Blasphemy!”

“No, it’s a king, not a god.”

“Anyway, it’s blasphemy!”

Fairy Moro lifted IngIng high.

As if to show it to everyone.

“Behold! And listen!”

━Gyuiing.

“Oh! Is that true? The king just spoke! He said never to doubt his identity. He has returned to restore this corrupted underground world to its original state!”

“Is that really true?”

“Can the great warrior Moro understand the language of monsters?”

What a commotion.

Soon, BangDeng lightly tugged at my side.

“HanNamJin, is that strange animal really your emergency food? It’s the one you swallowed when you fought YooYeoreum in the underground waterway last time, right? Can you introduce it to my KungKung?”

BangDeng, who was secretly raising the monster KungKung, seemed very interested in my IngIng.

The important thing is that Acting Chief Moro has caught the mood.

━Gyuiiing.

“The king has just spoken! He will personally judge those who show disrespectful suspicion towards him! And he will make this Acting Chief Moro the true chief in place of Chief Nargal!”

At Moro’s shout, some of the fairies cheered.

At this point, I too became curious.

“Did Ing-Ing really say that?”

“You! Outsider! Are you doubting this Chief Moro! I am the chief of the ‘Black Fairies’! The position of chief is an honorable one, bestowed upon those who can read and understand the king’s will!”

“I don’t think Ing-Ing said that.”

“What? You scoundrels! We welcomed you as guests after you passed the test, and now you speak such nonsense! The king has just said! If you challenge his authority any further, he will send you to prison!”

“Really? I don’t think he said that. So let’s do this. Let’s see who Ing-Ing chooses between the two of us.”

“Choose?”

“Moro, if you can really talk to Ing-Ing, it should be easy to be chosen, right? Fairies, aren’t you curious if this suspicious peddler-like guy really has the qualifications of a chief?”

The black fairies’ gazes were half-believing.

However, it was clear that Moro was cornered in many ways.

It was a difficult atmosphere to refuse.

So we ended up competing for Ing-Ing’s choice.

Moro shook a rattle and dried meat, which he had brought from who knows where, from side to side.

“Come! Come here! Oh king!”

“Ing-Ing! It’s your favorite ketchup!”

I couldn’t lose, so I took out a bottle of ketchup from my charger.

Then Ing-Ing moved.

━Ing-Ing-ya-ing.

To Yoo Yeoreum!

Ing-Ing chose Yoo Yeoreum, neither me nor Moro!

“Oh really! Go away! I don’t like you!”

Ing-Ing, you crazy b*stard!

I’ve been feeding and housing you all this time, and the cost of the chicken you order every month alone is over 200,000 won, and you abandon me!

Someday, I’ll definitely catch and eat that b*stard.

As I was thinking that, the fairies shouted.

“The king has appointed a new chief!”

“Long live Yoo Yeoreum!”

“Long live Yoo Yeoreum!”

“Long live!”

And so, Yoo Yeoreum became the chief of the black fairies.

The level of political freedom is comparable to that of a 21st-century free country.

Thud-!

Moro knelt down like a collapsing sandcastle.

“Yes, I admit it. In fact, I can’t even understand the language of kings. I just… tried my best to act as chief in place of my father who left home, but it seemed like no one recognized my efforts, so I got greedy.”

Was there something I didn’t know about?

I didn’t really want to understand.

“But! That girl isn’t even from our tribe, and she’s not even a fairy! How can an outsider girl be the chief?”

Is he questioning Yoo Yeoreum’s qualifications?

She’s neither a fairy nor a tribe member, which is true.

At that moment, an elderly woman who looked quite old appeared.

“Great Shaman.”

“Did the Great Shaman come out of the tent?”

She must be an extraordinary woman.

The elderly woman sniffed around.

“I smell it. The scent of mixed fairy and outsider blood. It’s faint, but there is a half-fairy among these people.”

The fairy grandmother examined Yoo Yeoreum closely.

She checked her mouth and eyes, and Yoo Yeoreum, feeling slightly uncomfortable, asked,

“What is this? Hanamjin, what is this grandmother trying to do?”

“Eyes that can see well even in this darkness without a single ray of light. Exceptionally sensitive ears and nose. A typical hunter’s physique. Miss, your skin tans easily in the sun, doesn’t it?”

“What is she saying?”

The conversation didn’t make sense because the languages were different.

But I could answer that question.

“She says yes.”

“Usually, it’s bothersome to move, but once you do, you can move faster than anyone else.”

“That’s right. That’s exactly Yoo Yeoreum.”

“Young lady, what kind of people are your mother and father?”

“That is….”

I glanced at Yoo Yeoreum.

And I answered honestly.

“She probably doesn’t know herself.”

“Is that so? I think one of the two must be a member of our ‘Black Fairy.’ Perhaps one of the travelers who left for the surface.”

Yoo Yeoreum was actually a half-fairy?

What an unimaginable twist.

The Grand Shaman said,

“I heard you came to meet the ‘Red King.’ But it would be better for you to stay here today. The movements of the monsters are unusual since you defeated the Earth Dragon.”

If you listen closely, you could hear the monsters fighting noisily here and there.

Were they fighting for power to take the empty throne?

So what?

“We are busy people. We need to meet the ‘Red King,’ can you guide us?”

“Child, don’t worry about that. And, I can give you treasures that will help you in meeting him. I can also tell you the weaknesses of the Great Knight Hamern, who protects the royal family.”

The Great Knight Hamern.

He was a fairy stronger than Nam Wooju.

If the Red King and he attacked together, we would struggle.

It was good news for me, who had been pondering how to strategize against him.

Lucky me.

Thanks to my butt?