"So, tell me, Beruel... after hearing all of that, aren't you dying of curiosity?" Kuzon smiled, turning his focus to the dazed Fairy King.
"W-what...?"
The old Fairy was trying his hardest to hide it, but how could he deny the deep impression that Ana had made on him?
She was unlike any other.
"Don't you want to see how she'll go about improving your current condition? Even better... don't you want to see what she'll be able to achieve? The limits she'll be able to exceed, especially with your assistance?"
Beruel couldn't deny the prospects.
Ana was still young—she barely looked anything like a teenager, but Beruel didn't think she was a child either.
There was a lot of room for growth.
'Especially in some... proportions.'
"H-hey! What are you looking at? Why are you squinting your eyes? What's taking you so long to think about it? I answered your question, right? Make your choice already!"
Beruel still wasn't accustomed to being yelled at by a woman. In fact, he found it irritating and condescending.
He was a male! He was superior! He was in charge!
Well, Beruel just found the second female whom he didn't mind was being unbelievably rude to him.
First had been Jane, and now, Ana.
"I see... so that's how it is." Beruel chuckled throatily.
Of course, this was followed by a violent cough.
"Geez, don't push yourself. How long do you have to live anyway?" Ana's face displayed worry.
The way she was seeing things, it seemed he would pass out at any moment. His sickly body seemed unbelievably weak.
'I wouldn't want him to die before he gives me his answer.' Her thoughts trailed.
"Hmmm... let's say a few more decades or so..."
Ana's eyes widened in surprise, and an "Eh?" leaked out of her lips.
"If I'm lucky, maybe fifty more years? That's only assuming I don't exert myself any more than I already have."
Ana hadn't expected so much vitality to be left in the Fairy King's body. It actually made no sense to her whatsoever.
"Ah, I have a question. Why is your body large, like a human's? Shouldn't it be small like a normal Fairy?"
Beruel nodded at Ana and gave a tired sigh.
"It's to slow down the ageing process. The larger the mass, the slower the degeneration process is. If I had a smaller body, I'd grow old faster, due to my mass being smaller. Besides, our size is simply a result of evolution and setting. We can undo it if we really try."
"Eh?" It was the first time she had heard such reasoning, but Ana chalked it down to Fairy Biology.
'A smaller body means fewer nutrients to keep it active, though. I have to assume that his body is slowly decomposing and his cells are dying one after the other with barely any regeneration. If that's the case, then it makes sense that a bigger body would be more useful.'
"As for your proposal, human... I have decided to accept it."
Beruel's words instantly pierced through Ana's bubble of thought, causing her to grin with excitement.
"Perfect!"
"But, before that, there's something I have to ask from my future... partner..." He murmured hesitantly.
"Hm? What is it?"
"Y-your name? What is your name?"
Beruel was unsure of whether he had heard it before or not, but he simply didn't have any recollection of it.
For a moment, an awkward air of silence permeated the air, as he waited for Ana to speak.
Then—
"Pfft. Hahaha... hahaha!"
—Yeah, Ana burst into an amused round of laughter.
Beruel was mortified, but he kept his cool. If this was how he would always be treated, though, the Fairy King had to reconsider his position.
"My name is Anabelle Frederick! My friends call me Ana, and soon... this world will know me as the Greatest Sage!"
The girl burst into more laughter—albeit a confident one.
Beruel couldn't help but be charmed by her childlike and dreamy personality. He never had a real family or offspring, but... he felt like he wouldn't mind having a child like Ana.
A child that resembled Jane so well.
"Very well, Anabelle Frede—"
"What are you doing?" Ana's words cut him short.
"Calling your name...?"
"I said my friends call me Ana. From now on, we'll be partners—though I'm the senior partner—so we're automatically friends!"
Beruel couldn't understand her line of thought, so he simply chalked it down to naiveté. How could a female of her calibre demand his friendship?
Still...
"F-fine, Ana..."
... He didn't make any complaints. None at all.
"... I accept your terms and conditions. I'll dedicate twenty years of my life to helping you out with your projects and I'll not attack the Fairy Sanctuary. In exchange, you'll save me from this dying body and also convince your friend to resurrect my subordinates."
"Perfect! It's all recorded here!"
Right in front of Beruel was a Magic Contract Parchment, and it glowed the moment Ana revealed it.
That meant their agreement was recorded, and she had a means of enforcing it.
"That is of no concern to me. I'm a man of my word." Beruel shrugged. "Now, let's see what you can do, Ana."
The Fairy King was staring at her with a smile, and Kuzon was also doing the same.
Both men were curious about what she would do, and an air of suspense hung in the air.
"I'll use this."
Summoned from a ring of hers was a white ball.
The ball was as large as a human's head. It was round and smooth. However, and most importantly, it felt fresh and alive
"This is the refined lump I was able to harvest from Lydia's body. It's full of 'Aether' energy, as you call it, and it's fully organic, so it'll make for a perfect vessel for you."
Beruel's eyes popped wide open. Even from where he sat, he could sense the quality of the body.
It was perfect.
"Since the amount is small, you'll only be able to assume your small Fairy form—or any kind of form you desire, really. As long as the size remains within budget."
Thanks to the heteromorphic quality of the material, Beruel could assume whatever shape he wanted.
It was simply the most optimal choice.
Only one question remained.
"How do we transfer Beruel's soul to the new body?"
