The Harvest Mouse Exits the Fairytale Together with Cinderella-Chapter 119

"You two... don’t get along very well, do you?"

Elodie asked cautiously.

Of course, she wasn’t oblivious.

She could tell that they didn’t like each other.

But still, it was a little sad.

The two people who had saved her and given her a new life... hated each other.

She couldn’t control other people’s emotions, but—

Karon stroked his chin and muttered, "I’m trying."

"No, don’t try at all."

"If you don’t like ‘sister,’ what should I call you?"

"Don’t call me anything."

"This is a bit troubling."

He said this while leisurely following behind them, his expression completely unconcerned.

‘So that’s what he’s selling with that business smile—himself.’

And yet, the strangest thing was that he looked at Sera like she was just a rock.

If he wanted to impress her, shouldn’t he at least look at her properly?

Sera ground her teeth, then leaned down to whisper in Elodie’s ear.

"Don’t worry, Elodie. Someday, I’ll get rid of that snake."

No, I said to get along.

He’s the fairy godmother who turned back time to undo all tragedies.

And I did make every wish for Sera come true.

But there was no point in bringing up a past that had already been erased.

The king’s ears are donkey’s ears...

"Sera, Karon can’t survive if I don’t treat him regularly."

Feeling like this was getting out of hand, Elodie explained why he had to stay close to her.

She subtly hinted that if she didn’t make him immune to all poisons, he wouldn’t just lose his life—it would cause a catastrophe.

"Ugh."

Sera let out a short groan.

"So once he’s immune, he won’t have to be around you anymore?"

"That’s right."

"Fine. I’ll put up with him until then."

She said it like she was making a huge concession.

‘Hmm...’

Elodie recalled countless stories about how Black Mambas never let go of something once they set their sights on it.

Not that she intended to push the fairy godmother away, either.

The only thing she could do was hope that the two of them would grow closer on their own.

They walked about fifty paces like that.

Before they knew it, they had arrived at the Grand Temple.

Elodie popped back into her harvest mouse form and entered the temple.

"Dad!"

"What is it."

Maximilian turned his head away as he responded.

As if he had no intention of speaking to her.

But despite that, his reply had come instantly, without hesitation.

"I have to go to the Holy Kingdom with these two. Please give us permission."

Currently, only those who had been branded with the official seal could enter the Holy Kingdom.

And only Maximilian, the High Priest, had the authority to grant that permission.

Harvest mice could come and go freely, but—

"Oh, and the representative from House Valkyrisen needs permission too. That makes three of us."

"......."

Elodie only thought to mention that at the last minute.

But Maximilian was no longer listening to her.

He was staring out the window at the massive figure outside.

Then he spoke.

"So which one is it?"

"...Huh?"

Which one what?

Elodie blinked in confusion, having no idea what he was asking.

Maximilian repeated his question.

"Which one are you planning to marry?"

"...Neither."

"And yet, if I don’t arrange a marriage, you’ll throw yourself on the floor and refuse to eat—"

"Stop bringing up things I don’t even remember!"

Hadn’t there been some young noble of the harvest mice, Daniel or something, whom she’d chased around, begging him to marry her?

Elodie’s face turned red as the embarrassing memory surfaced.

"Babies don’t know anything, so they fixate on weird things."

"If you’d only done it as a baby, I wouldn’t say anything. But the moment your curse was lifted, you ran off to live in human lands with your benefactor—"

"Sure, I liked Sera and wanted to be with her. But honestly, I was scheming to get into House Valkyrisen."

Even back then, she had already suspected the curse on the Ratson family.

As she added that last part, Maximilian’s mustache trembled slightly.

Judging by his expression, that reasoning wasn’t much better in his eyes.

"You're still a baby to me."

Well, «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» of course, in his eyes.

Elodie admitted it to herself.

Earlier, she had been in denial because she was worried he wouldn’t let her go to the Holy Kingdom.

But to a parent, a child would always be a baby.

Especially a daughter he had lost when she was three.

Elodie stepped closer to him.

In her human form, she was small, but right now, she was even smaller—she had to look up at him.

"Dad, I’m proud of you."

"......."

"You probably wanted me to stay ignorant and do nothing. But if it weren’t for you, I would have gone through a lot of really sad things."

She wasn’t just saying that to comfort him.

She meant it.

If he hadn’t written those books on basic healing techniques, hoping for the day she would return—

She would never have been able to read anything in the Temple of Healing.

And she wouldn’t have been recognized by the Fire Spirit.

And then...

‘If I had turned back time, knowing exactly what was to come, but had still been powerless to change anything...’

That would have been hell on earth.

Of course, if it had actually happened, she would have struggled, looking for another way, doing her best.

‘But I can’t guarantee I would have achieved what I have now.’

Maybe she wouldn’t have been able to stop anything.

Maybe everything would have ended the same way.

And maybe she would have thought that dying back then would have been better.

Elodie shook off those grim thoughts and spoke.

“Mom told me... that you think you never did anything for me.”

“......”

“But how could that be? Everything I have now, both of you gave me. You even sent me so much allowance that I could probably buy a castle with what I saved up.”

“I wanted to give you everything once you came back. Like before...”

Elodie hummed in thought for a moment, then cheerfully replied.

“Then just do that after I break the curse!”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

When other people thought about filial duty, she would leech off her family and eat for free.

Well, if she could lift the curse and stop the war, she figured she was entitled to that much.

“...What kind of reasoning is that?”

Maximilian muttered, exasperated, but in the end, he let out a resigned sigh.

“No matter what I say, you’re going to go, aren’t you? You’ve been stubborn since you were a child.”

Ahem.

Can’t he just forget about her childhood already?

‘It’s probably better if he never remembers my past.’

Honestly, maybe she hadn’t lost her memories because of the curse—maybe she had just wanted to forget.

Elodie cleared her throat and stretched out her hand.

“Let’s go.”

With a sigh of resignation, the High Priest followed her.

Outside the Grand Temple, Sera and Karon, who had been waiting patiently, greeted him in unison.

“Hello, Father.”

“WHO’S YOUR FATHER?!”

Holy—!

Elodie clutched her pounding heart as Maximilian suddenly roared.

Wait a second.

Déjà vu?

She could swear this had happened before.

Elodie thought about making a comment but just shook her head instead.

In hindsight, this was all her own fault.

When she was younger—though she didn’t remember it—she had apparently chased after some noble brat named Daniel, begging him to marry her.

Then she had disappeared for two years, only to return and immediately declare that she would devote herself to making her benefactor happy for the rest of their life.

To Maximilian, his daughter probably seemed like the kind of love-crazed fool who would throw her heart and soul into whoever caught her fancy.

‘I don’t care about that Daniel guy, but Cinderella and the fairy godmother? Those had actual reasons...’

Never mind.

Elodie accepted her fate.

The next day.

The harvest mice had gathered in front of Elodie.

“All right, let’s go!”

“Squeak!”

Elodie packed all the harvest mice traveling to the Holy Kingdom into a single custom-made carriage.

The vehicle was packed with compartments from floor to ceiling, with each section assigned to a single harvest mouse.

Since the inside of the compartments was quite spacious for a harvest mouse, they wouldn’t feel cramped.

‘We’re transporting this many people at once, and we only need one carriage?’

No need to worry about luggage.

And today’s escort, Edmund, handed out sunflower seeds to the mice stacked neatly inside as he spoke.

“I will ensure your safe arrival.”

He looked absolutely delighted.

***

Meanwhile.

“I think it’s time to be honest.”

After hearing the full extent of the plan, the queen finally spoke.

Nyx Basilisk replied.

—About what, exactly?

The queen’s eyes narrowed.

He must have understood her meaning immediately.

And yet, he was playing dumb.

“You claim that this was all part of some carefully calculated plan, but to me, it doesn’t look that way.”

—......

“You say you experimented to determine the limits of divine intervention. Fine, I understand that. But out of all possible methods, you chose a curse that turned people into mice?”

That didn’t add up.

The queen muttered those words, then lifted her gaze sharply.

“You also said that the choice of experiment was dictated by your employer’s will.”

Nyx remained silent.

But she continued without hesitation.

“So tell me—what reason does His Majesty the Emperor have to harbor such malice toward the High Priest of Animallia?”

—You truly believe him to be the Emperor of Terranolia?

What, was he not?

The mastermind behind a scheme of this scale.

The one pulling the strings of so many powerful figures.

If it wasn’t the Emperor, then who else could it be?

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Nyx seemed lost in thought for a moment.

Then, after deciding that this much could be revealed, he twisted his lips into a smirk and answered.

—The greatest threat is always the one hidden within.

Neither rat nor crow will see it coming.