As the sun dipped below the horizon, Finn concluded his task of clearing the creature corpses strewn outside. The house's mana points illuminated various parts of the building with the glow of light bulbs. In celebration of their hard-fought victory, Finn and the pixies gathered around the dining table for a feast, despite its singular offering—water salamander meat. Seated together at the dining table, Moonlight occupied the head seat
Despite the lack of accompanying drinks, Creambell had worked his culinary magic by adding some special powder to regular water, transforming it into a fizzy alcoholic beverage.
The pixies didn't seem fazed by Creambell's creation, but Finn couldn't contain his amazement. "Did you just change water into wine?" he asked, his voice brimming with curiosity, and his eyes widening with excitement.
"I can convert it to wine, but I thought beer might be more suitable for this occasion," explained Creambell with a smile.
"Even better," Finn exclaimed with heightened excitement. "I wish I had a physical body right now, just to taste a sip of that beer."
Butterbell lifted his glass and took a sip of beer. "You wish, hehe," he taunted, not even bothering to glance at Finn.
"Butterbell, could you please show some respect to Finn? He's already done so much for us," Moonlight chided gently, her voice raised slightly but lacking any harshness.
"Sorry, Your Highness," Butterbell responded nonchalantly, then resumed eating his meal.
Moonlight turned her attention to Finn, offering an apologetic smile. "Please excuse him, Finn. He takes his bodyguard role a bit too seriously."
However, Butterbell interjected, his head still lowered as he continued eating. "Being a bodyguard is a serious job," he muttered under his breath.
Moonlight glanced at Butterbell in disbelief, while Finn chuckled and spoke with a warm smile, "No worries, I didn't mind. In fact, I'm quite delighted to have some company on this island, especially such an interesting one."
Finn then turned his gaze to Creambell, curiosity gleaming in his eyes. "So, Creambell, where did you come across the powder that turns water into beer in an instant?" he inquired, the question nagging at him.
Creambell paused in his meal and directed a smile at Finn. "I actually made it myself," he disclosed.
"That's incredible," Finn commended, his voice and expression laced with excitement and admiration. "Now I'm really feeling the need for this skill," he added with a smile.
Creambell quickly clarified, "It's not an ability I possess; it's the knowledge I've obtained from books and people."
Finn was surprised. "What kind of knowledge?" he asked, his voice filled with curiosity.
"I spent my childhood working alongside a great herb alchemist," Creambell began. "During those years, I often read the books he authored because there wasn't much else to do. Thanks to the alchemist's written books and the incredible lab he had, my understanding of herbs expanded. With the knowledge I gained there, I'm now capable of crafting various items using herbs."
"Guess I will have to call you to whip up some beer, whenever I'll get a body of flesh and bone," Finn said with a chuckle, and Creambell chuckled along.
Moonlight was also smiling as she looked at them chuckle. She chimed in, asking, "By the way, Finn. What're we going to do about the dead bodies lying outside?"
"Nothing. I've already taken care of that," Finn confirmed.
"Taken care of that!" Moonlight exclaimed, her brows furrowed. Butterbell and Creambell also ceased eating for a moment and looked at Finn in surprise.
"All of it?" asked Butterbell in disbelief.
"Yes, all of it," replied Finn with a smile.
Hearing that, Butterbell quickly got out of his seat, went to the window, and looked outside. To his surprise, there were indeed no corpses. Still not entirely convinced, he made his way to the main door. Just as he was about to grab the handle, Finn said with a serious tone, "I wouldn't do that."
Butterbell turned around and looked at Finn, his curiosity barely concealed. "Why?" he asked, his tone cautious.
"I've seen a creature residing on the other side of the lake," Finn explained, his voice taking on a more ominous tone. "It had flaming eyes, sword-like teeth, and it was massive. Every night, it fixates on the house from across the lake. But for some reason, it's never ventured into the water, even when the lake froze over. Whenever I caught sight of it, an unsettling feeling crept over me. I definitely don't want it anywhere near here."
Looking at Finn's serious face and hearing the terrifying tale, a shiver ran down Butterbell's spine. Though he didn't openly display his fear, he decided against going outside. "Alright. Since it could put our queen in danger, I won't go outside," Butterbell declared, attempting to maintain a facade of toughness. He then walked back to the dining table and took his seat.
"Could it be that the creature you're talking about killed that wyvern?" Moonlight asked openly, her curiosity piqued.
To which, Butterbell replied, "I don't think so. The wyvern already had a threat level A, and any creature below that threat level stands no chance against it. Even if we assume that the creature you're talking about is also threat level A, it's still exceptionally challenging to kill a level A flying monster. Moreover, it's exceedingly rare for two level A creatures to engage in combat."
"Then what could have killed it?" asked Creambell, his curiosity growing.
"Maybe it was Orochi after all," replied Finn.
"The giant eight-headed serpent, the one who rules the Serpent Forest?" said Butterbell, raising his eyebrows out of disbelief.
"Even I think it could've been Orochi all along," Moonlight chimed in, her voice filled with a mix of excitement and fear. "Finn told me that he saw two huge red eyes when he was trying to explore the depths of the lake."
"Pardon me for not agreeing with you, Your Highness," Butterbell interjected, "but if Orochi were actually here, then we would have been dead by now just for trespassing its territory."
There was a moment of silence as they all grappled with the fear of encountering an entity they couldn't even dream of defeating. Sensing the grim atmosphere, Moonlight clapped her hands with a forced smile on her face and said, "Chill out, guys. We're here to celebrate, so why bother about any monsters right now?"
"You're right, Your Highness," said Butterbell. Then he looked at Finn, and asked, "Hey ghost, do you have any musical instrument here?"
"You can play musical instruments?" asked Finn in surprise.
"All kinds," replied Butterbell with a smirk, expressing his pride.
Finn said, "Well, I don't have any instruments..." Butterbell began to chuckle, thinking he had outsmarted Finn. But then Finn finished with a smirk on his face, "for your size."
Instantly, Butterbell was consumed by anger, causing him to climb onto the table and charge at Finn. He unleashed a flurry of punches, but each one passed right through Finn's ethereal body. Finn remained in his spot, a serene smile on his face, while Butterbell's fists swung fruitlessly through the air.
Even though Finn didn't seem bothered, Moonlight certainly was. She abruptly stood up, pushing her chair back, and slammed her closed fist onto the table. "ENOUGH!" she shouted, her voice ringing out in the room.
Upon hearing her angry voice, Butterbell swiftly turned his attention toward his queen. Despite still being perched atop the table, he bowed his head and bent his knees in a show of deference. "Forgive me, Your Highness," he humbly pleaded.
"Get off the table at once and finish your meal. I don't need to listen to any musical instrument," Moonlight ordered with evident anger in her voice.
Without hesitation, Butterbell promptly descended from the table and returned to his seat, resuming his meal as instructed by his queen.
As time passed, the pixies enjoyed a hearty meal of salamander meat and indulged in several servings of beer. After satisfying their hunger and engaging in some conversation, the exhaustion from the day's battle and the hearty feast compelled them to drift into slumber.
The bedroom's moss-ridden bed prompted Butterbell and Creambell to prepare a cleaner resting place for their queen in the hall. Moonlight slept soundly on the makeshift bed while her loyal guards positioned themselves on either side, ready for their night watch, but they eventually fell asleep, leaving Finn Darkling of the Nightmare in the guard role.
The pixies enjoyed a restful night's sleep, but upon waking, they were met with a new problem. Butterbell lay on the floor, writhing in pain. Concerned, Creambell and Moonlight hurried to move him onto the bed originally prepared for the queen. Creambell then examined Butterbell and discovered that his body was burning with fever. Further examination revealed the potential root cause of Butterbell's illness.
"Oh no," Creambell exclaimed with deep concern, his gaze fixed on the bite marks on Butterbell's right hand.
Moonlight, her voice and expression laden with worry, inquired, "What happened?"
Creambell met Moonlight's gaze and replied with a troubled tone, "I believe Butterbell was bitten by that puppeteer rat when he attempted to kill it. It's the rat's poison that has triggered this fever."
Moonlight's eyes welled up with tears as she contemplated Butterbell's condition. With a quavering voice, she asked, "Do you have the antidote for it?"
Creambell explained, "No, we don't have the antidote, but I think we might be able to find it in the forest. I've heard that puppeteer rats consume a special plant called Rugu when they're sick, and this sickness is usually caused by their toxic saliva. Rugu naturally grows in areas where these rats are native."
Finn interjected with a question, "Do you think you'll be able to find this plant in that heavily snow-covered forest?"
Creambell responded, "It's possible. Rugu is a thorny shrub that can survive in winter conditions."
Moonlight, determined to find the antidote for Butterbell's ailment, stood up and wiped away the tears that had welled up in her eyes. "Then let's go," she said.
However, Creambell, expressing concern for her safety, said, "Don't get me wrong, your highness, but we are talking about the Serpent Forest here. This place is far too dangerous to stroll around. Let me go by myself."
Surprisingly, Finn interjected, "I will go with you." Both Moonlight and Creambell looked at him in astonishment.
Moonlight, her curiosity piqued, asked, "But didn't you say you can't leave this island?"
"Yesterday, I acquired a new skill from the rat that Butterbell killed. I haven't tried it yet, but I think I can control any inanimate object now," informed Finn.
Creambell and Moonlight watched, still puzzled, as Finn suddenly teleported and returned with a plain, 3-foot-tall wooden doll. The doll had a simplistic appearance, with two legs, two hands, a torso, and a head featuring a painted demon's face.
Finn, eager to demonstrate his newfound ability, declared, "Let me show you." He activated the Dead Control ability he had acquired after consuming the puppeteer rat.
In the next moment, Finn vanished, causing the doll to topple onto the floor, which startled Moonlight. She and Creambell watched the doll closely as it lay on the ground. They waited for a minute, but the doll remained still. Concerned, Moonlight looked around and called out in a raised voice, "Finn, are you here?"
Just as she began to worry, the doll suddenly moved, emitting a wooden sound that once again startled Moonlight. Slowly but surely, the doll managed to stand on both of its wooden legs, leaving Moonlight and Creambell utterly speechless.