At last, the skies ceased raining down Princes, Princesses, or any other bizarre oddities.
Yu Sheng silently withdrew his gaze from the heavens, turning his attention instead to the open clearing ahead, where figures once frenzied now sat in quiet rest or hushed conversation.
Around them, the land—once choked by rose thorns, cannon fire, and raging infernos—had been wholly restored to the barren form of the Sheltering Wasteland. The twisted remnants of Nightmare’s brief incursion had left no trace in this place of sanctuary.
A tabby Cat, radiating regal pride, strutted between the gathered crowd, as though on a grand inspection tour. At its side, armored, robed, and leather-clad “guards” wielding various weapons flanked it with solemn vigilance. Only upon arriving at Yu Sheng’s side did it give a curt nod and rub its head against his leg.
“Mm. I am satisfied, meow.”
Yu Sheng’s eyes drifted toward the CatKing’s entourage. These so-called Adventurers, dressed like textbook examples of classic fantasy tales, appeared eerily Human—though their expressions were stiff, and when he met their eyes, they returned his gaze with grim nods of acknowledgment.
“We are the blades of the King!” boomed a warrior clad in medieval plate armor.
Irene flinched, muttering quietly, “…They look alive.”
“We are the blades of the King!” echoed the leather-armored female archer, loud and robotic.
“Hello!” the robed Mage bellowed. “We are the blades of the King!”
Apparently, that was their entire script.
With regal poise, the CatKing continued its proud patrol across the wasteland, leading its band of Adventurers. Behind them, Yu Sheng heard footsteps approaching and turned to find Little Red Riding Hood making her way toward him.
“The King can Summon all sorts of guards. Adventurers are just one formation. Sometimes it’ll summon the Royal Guard Knights or even the Inner Court Wardens. All of them pack a serious punch,” Little Red Riding Hood said, casually watching the tabby Cat fade into the distance.
“As for how many combinations it can conjure… not even it seems to know. The weirdest one I’ve seen? It once Summoned a whole squad of wrinkly old men ready to keel over.”
Yu Sheng blinked in disbelief. “Huh? A bunch of old geezers? What use is that?”
“They’re ‘Sycophants.’ Temporarily, they can fulfill nearly any request the King makes—like a living wish machine.”
Yu Sheng was floored. “…Holy crap, that’s insane.”
“But all the King ever wants from them is a mountain of dried fish snacks… then it kicks them away.”
“…Holy crap, that’s even more insane.”
Little Red Riding Hood gave him a peculiar smile. “Starting to think our powers are pretty interesting after all?” Together, they watched their companions rest.
“This is the first time I’ve ever seen everyone land in one place . Total chaos… but kind of fun.”
Yu Sheng paused, unsure what to say.
If you ignored the danger and corruption behind it all, the Fairy Tale Organization… really was kind of a fairy tale.
“Come on. As the ‘host’ here, it’s time for you to show your face,” said Little Red Riding Hood, giving Yu Sheng a playful smack on the arm before tugging him toward the others.
As they approached, the teenagers lounging on the grass instantly quieted, their eyes turning to him. The members of the Fairy Tale Organization rose, bowing silently in respect. Even the ever-prideful tabby Cat had somehow returned to the group, now offering a dignified nod.
“Uh, hey everyone,” Yu Sheng began nervously. Despite the group being mostly sixteen or seventeen, some even younger—not counting the Cat—he found himself fumbling under their attentive stares.
“…I won’t go through introductions, you all know me by now. Anyway, this is the place I told you about—the Sheltering Wasteland. You’re safe now. Rest up. That’s it, really.”
A ripple of chuckles spread through the crowd, followed by scattered, playful applause.
This marked the first congregation of the Fairy Tale Organization upon the vast, desolate expanse known as the Sheltering Wasteland.
Yu Sheng stepped back and dropped to the ground, sitting beside Little Red Riding Hood, who mumbled, “That opening speech of yours was seriously lame.”
“I’m not exactly great at this,” Yu Sheng replied offhandedly, his gaze sweeping the surroundings. “We’re not all here, are we?”
Little Red Riding Hood nodded. “Mhm. Counting everyone but ‘King,’ we currently have sixteen Guardians in Fairy Tale, and only nine are present.”
“Some are still on Night Patrol in the real world. Some probably didn’t get a Dream Entry today. And a few… might’ve won their fight today,” she muttered. “We’ll have to confirm everything at the morning debrief. But there’s nothing to worry about, I think.”
Yu Sheng nodded thoughtfully, when Irene—suspended mid-air in her oil-painted frame—suddenly interjected, “You can win in there?”
“Of course we can!” Little Red Riding Hood snapped back. “It’s not like every Nightmare Entry is a beatdown. Sometimes we do get the upper hand. Sure, the nightmares usually gain overwhelming strength by the end, but even at my level, we pull off wins now and then!”
Irene tilted in the air, frame swaying. “Oh… just haven’t seen you win.”
Veins throbbed on Little Red Riding Hood’s forehead like they were trying to burst out.
Seeing this, Yu Sheng quickly intervened, “Don’t mind her. She’s got a real talent for getting under your skin.”
And before the Doll could talk more nonsense, he shifted gears. “Alright, the Sheltering Protocol is confirmed effective, so let’s get serious. I’ve got things to tell you—about the Squirrel, and the Dark Angel named Anka Aila.”
At that, Little Red Riding Hood’s expression turned immediately grave. Even Irene, who had been preparing to unleash another verbal nuke, solemnly descended and stood like a memorial portrait between them.
Yu Sheng didn’t waste time and shared all the intelligence he’d received from the Squirrel.
Halfway through, Snow White had wandered over, sitting beside them to listen. Then King appeared, their Cat-face shadowed with concern, squatting on the grass.
Little Red Riding Hood’s brows furrowed deeply.
Of them all, she’d known the Squirrel the longest, understood it best.
The Squirrel served as the guide for every version of Little Red Riding Hood, her only “friend” within the Black Forest. She had always been curious about that—she’d asked questions. But only today did she finally understand… why a mysterious Squirrel existed in the Black Forest at all.
And now she also knew how the winding paths, the lanterns, the hearths, and the flickering candlelight had come to be.
“Do the other ‘Subsets’ show this kind of progressive evolution?” Yu Sheng asked, intrigued.
“Every Subset undergoes gradual change and refinement,” Snow White affirmed with a nod. “That’s not unique to the Black Forest. Each one scales in ‘intensity’ along with the Characters’ growth—just like the Evil Wolf does. That lunatic from the Bloodstained Court wasn’t always so strong either.” She paused, shifting tone. “But the Squirrel—that’s exclusive to the Black Forest. You won’t find anything like it in the Bloodstained Court or Eternal Masquerade.”
Yu Sheng nodded again, his expression thoughtful.
As more clues and intelligence accumulated, the peculiarities of the Black Forest became more pronounced in his mind.
The Squirrel was trapped within the Black Forest. The Hunter that emerged after the Deep Dive Squad breached the shell of Fairy Tale seventy years ago had also landed in the Black Forest. And based on his encounters with other Fairy Tale members, the way Black Forest mutated felt… distinct. The pairing of Forest and Evil Wolf didn’t seem as wildly unbalanced as the other Subsets. In fact, it hinted at some kind of stability…
It made Yu Sheng wonder—what caused the Black Forest’s unusual traits?
…Could it be linked to the Fairy Tale Book the Squirrel once handed to Anka Aila? Was the Little Red Riding Hood chapter somehow a special entry?
After a moment’s reflection, Yu Sheng broke the silence again. “When you get back, scour that Orphanage. Focus on the basement and the oldest parts of the buildings.”
Little Red Riding Hood instantly caught his drift. “…You think Anka Aila might have left traces in the real world—still hidden in the Orphanage?”
“I wouldn’t rule it out. It’s been a long time, and the buildings have gone through renovations. But the traces of a Dark Angel don’t necessarily fade with time. Some things might’ve ‘imprinted’ themselves onto the world,” Yu Sheng mused aloud. “The Squirrel remembered that the glowing object once merged with the courtyard’s center. Didn’t you once see some strange thorny shadows on a wall near that courtyard?”
Little Red Riding Hood recalled those sinister shadows instantly. Her expression turned grim.
“I understand,” she said, nodding solemnly. “We’ll organize a team to investigate as soon as we return.”
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation