Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 54

<Here’s a gold coin from Sugar. So don’t tell me you can’t see me anymore.”>

“That’s not Adi, that’s a portrait.”

<Portrait? Adi’s name is not portrait. Adi’s name is Adi.>

Feeling the conversation’s direction veering oddly, I cautiously replied.

“The real Adi is dead, and her descendants have painted her in life to honor her memory.”

<What’s dead?>

I was momentarily speechless.

As a natural essence, fairies don’t die as long as the essence of this world remains.

Even though corrupted, Sugar is still a fairy.

If Sugar couldn’t comprehend human death…

“When you last met Adi, what did she say to you?”

<Adi said let’s play hide and seek. She said she had to go far away now and couldn’t meet Sugar anymore.>

“…….”

<If Sugar hides well, someday Adi’s descendants will find Sugar.>

Suddenly, a phrase engraved on Adelia’s monument in the genealogy book came to mind.

[May my sugar fairy’s long game of hide and seek someday come to an end.]

Only then could I vaguely understand why Adelia sealed Sugar underground.

‘She was worried about Sugar, who would be alone after she died.’

Thinking back to when only I could see Sugar, the condition to see Sugar must have been ‘someone awakened to the ability among the Blanche lineage’.

If Sugar had been left free, what would this small fairy have thought and done among countless people who couldn’t see her or hear her voice?

The basement I had thought was just a prison turned out to be a nest where Adelia’s concern and affection protected Sugar from loneliness.

My heart was heavy as I thought of Sugar there, alone, waiting for the one who would one day find her.

I gave Sugar a gold coin, and as she munched on it, I calmly explained Adi’s death to her.

” …… so, you won’t be able to see Adi anymore.”

<Sugar’s okay. It’s something Sugar already heard from Adi. Since the hide-and-seek game ended as Adi said, Sugar will find a new contract holder.>

But Sugar’s gaze stubbornly remained fixed on Adelia Blanche’s portrait.

“What are the conditions for a contract holder?”

<Someone who can see Sugar and feed her until she’s full!>

Food, then… talking about gold coins?

If it’s about 1 gold per day, I could afford that comfortably.

I might be overthinking, but it was time to ask if I could be the contract holder.

<Sugar eats three meals a day, plus snacks twice.>

Holding the coin, just about the size of my face, in both hands, Sugar looked up at me with sparkling eyes.

Five gold a day?

That would cost me 150 gold per month to maintain!

1800 gold in a year!

And 18000 gold in ten years!

180,000 gold in a hundred years!

The calculator in my head, which had been tirelessly working, exploded.

It’s not like I have a lot of money right now like Adelia Blanche.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a big deal if I received an initial sum, but…

That’s when it happened.

With a mischievous grin, Sugar, flapping her wings, approached me. And then…

Smooch!

She planted a solid kiss on my cheek.

My eyes widened in astonishment, and for a moment, everything went blurry, and my legs felt weak.

“……Huh?”

It felt like the magic had been sucked out of me, just like when I tamed Kao.

Suddenly, Sugar’s voice, which had been echoing in my head like I was hearing it underwater, became clearer.

“Belle is Sugar’s now!”

What? This feels like being hunted.

“Adi said. If you ever come across a descendant of mine, who finds Sugar and gives you gold coins, don’t miss the chance to hunt them down! She even told me how to make a contractual agreement!”

My bewilderment quickly turned into shock.

Soon, Sugar arrogantly crossed her arms, her voice full of confidence.

“By the way, this is a lifelong contract, descendant. Take good care of this adorable Sugar.”

“What?”

“…That’s what Adi asked to pass on to her future descendants. Hehe.”

A contract? And a lifelong one at that?

Wait, so she’s just sucked my mana and made a contractual agreement with me as she pleased?

This, this……!

“You’re like a vampire moth!”

“Bell has poor eyesight. Sugar isn’t a moth, but a fairy. “

***

By entering into a contract, Sugar, who now shares my mana, could finally reveal herself to people.

I proved that I wasn’t hallucinating by introducing Sugar.

“Let me introduce. This fairy is the ghost’s true identity. It’s the vampire moth handed down to me.”

“Hello, hello. My name is Sugar! Sugar is a fairy who blesses gold coins.”

Sugar confidently introduced herself with her hands on her hips.

Terry quickly interjected in response to her straightforwardness.

“You’re going too far, Master. What are you saying to such an innocent being?”

If she knew what kind of fairy she was, he wouldn’t say such things.

I had intended to try to raise my luck stats with Sugar’s blessing, but her shocking confession angered me.

“If you want Sugar’s blessing, you have to give gold coins.”

Separate blessings and fees for food?

This mischievous fairy?

“And Sugar’s blessings are time-limited.”

“….?”

“One gold coin per Sugar’s blessing, one hour for one gold coin.”

And then, shamelessly holding out both hands, eyes twinkling brightly, Belinda’s translator blurted out the words, “A vulture squeezing out gold coins”.

…Honestly, it felt satisfying.

Unaware of the situation, Terry cautiously reached out her finger to Sugar, treating her like a delicate dandelion seed that would crumple if touched.

“My name is Terry, and I’m the butler of this mansion.”

Sugar, staring disapprovingly at Terry’s fingernail, turned her head away.

“Bell, Sugar doesn’t like this human. Smells!”

“Smell? But I showered today.”

“From that human too!”

“…….”

Even Sir Penadel, who was beside her, was shouted down.

With puffy cheeks, Sugar’s next target was Vivian.

Vivian, who had inadvertently proven the absence of ghosts with Sugar’s presence, was very friendly towards Sugar.

In my eyes, ghosts and fairies are somewhat similar, scientifically speaking, but it seems there’s a big difference in the eyes of a magician.

“H-H-Hi, hi, Sugar, um, would you like to, um, come to my, um, lab? I have, um, lots of things I want to ask….”

Hmm, she seems quite excited for some reason.

“Your gaze towards Sugar is filthy.”

Turning her head sharply in the opposite direction this time, Sugar’s gaze landed on Cheshire.

Both of them had such charming appearances like fairies, so I secretly thought Sugar might mistake Cheshire for her comrade.

As I expected, Sugar’s eyes widened, and her tiny hand, smaller than my fingernail, pointed at Cheshire.

“The worst, the worst, the worst!”

“…….”

“Dung lump! Smells! That human is a dung lump! Dung lump!”

It was the best insult Sugar, who couldn’t swear, could muster.

“Sugar, be quiet.”

“But Bell! A very, very, very, very, very, veerrrryyy foul smell is coming from that human!”

At that moment, as if sensing something, Cheshire’s mouth twisted into a smirk.

“You say you’re a fairy, even if you’re corrupted. I wonder if you know my secret that only my master knows?”

In response to Cheshire’s leisurely whisper, Terry immediately reacted.

“What secret?”

“Well, there’s something like that, butler. Something only the master and I know.”

Hey, hey. Don’t casually talk about the dangerous secret of you being a dark sorcerer with words that could lead to misunderstandings, seriously.

Sugar’s next target was Leo.

Fearing what insult the foul-mouthed fairy might hurl at Leo, I reached out to cover her mouth, but surprisingly, Sugar bounced over to Leo first.

“I’ll allow only this little human to touch Sugar.”

Leo’s face, which had been trembling with fear, lit up.

Sugar had a sweet appearance fitting her name, like a craft made of sugar.

It was enough to pique the curiosity of young Leo.

As he cautiously reached out his hand to Sugar after wiping it on the hem of his shirt, Sugar said.

“Little human, you’re allowed to touch Sugar especially. But, every time you touch her, you have to pay 1 gold.”

Halt.

At Sugar’s words, Leo glanced surreptitiously at his piggy bank.

“If it’s 1 gold…”

Seeing Leo potentially deplete all his savings like a squirrel hoarding acorn, I firmly grasped Sugar’s head with my index finger.

“Don’t talk nonsense, you blood-sucking moth.”

“Okay, then I’ll cut 1 silver and only get 99 silver.”

“That’s a generous offer indeed.”

Muttering in disbelief, Terry’s words prompted Sugar to recoil and shout.

“If you want to praise Sugar, you might as well give gold coins!”

“…Wow, she really is a gold coin-squeezing leech.”

That’s exactly what I meant.