Drawn Mochi Volume 6 Chapter 12.1: Fairy Patisserie*3

Support the translator on lazytranslations.com

　I immediately started drawing Ms. Croix’s summoned beast.

　…What I’m drawing is a big butterfly.

　Well, I vaguely remember that there was a butterfly called Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing. I have heard that it is a very big butterfly. [T/N: s.n. Ornithoptera alexandrae an 8-9 in or 20-25 cm wingspan butterfly.]

　So, I’m going to have that butterfly be a little bit bigger. …You see, there is a big robin, so I think there should be a big Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing.

　The way it works is that Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing will cling tightly to Ms. Croix’s back, and then use its wings to help Ms. Croix fly.

　Since the Houou can support my weight, I decided to draw a butterfly like this that would also allow Ms. Croix to fly.

　… But I’ve never seen a Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing butterfly, so I didn’t really know what kind of wings they had or what they looked like.

　I thought it might look like a swallowtail butterfly, so I made the wing shape similar to that.

　Also, I had heard that it was a greenish butterfly, so I thought I’d make the wings green… But then a thought occurred to me, “Come to think of it, there was a gemstone with a name that sounded like the Alexandra swallowtail butterfly.”

　…And so, this butterfly became a butterfly with a body like goldwork and jewel-like wings.

　This butterfly’s body has a goldwork-like texture and the body is small in relation to the wings. I went ahead and painted it, thinking that if I painted it with the same enthusiasm as when I painted the shield of Laocles, the gold would look like magical steel. This way, I think the gold will probably be strong enough.

　And the butterfly wings are Alexandrite. Yes. That’s right. Alexandrite. Its name is Alexandrite Butterfly.

　I had also seen this gemstone in an illustrated book at Teacher’s house. It’s a mysterious gemstone that turns green in sunlight and red under an indoor light.

　In other words, the butterfly’s wings are made of a gemstone that turns a refreshing deep green in the sunlight of the forest and a bright burgundy under the chandelier at the party. I think it is perfect for Ms. Croix, who looks completely different when she is in the forest and when she is at the party venue.

　…So, I tried to paint them with magic painting. For some reason, I wanted to paint the Alexandrite Butterfly made of gold and jewels with magic painting rather than with watercolors or oils.

　I also wanted to depict a living creature, not just a piece of jewelry. I was very, very particular about that.

　However, as I continued to paint in the textures of the jewels and gold, the Alexandrite Butterfly began to look less and less like a life form… originally, butterflies themselves are not very lifelike creatures, so perhaps this is even more so.

　So, I decided to draw an Alexandrite Butterfly sucking nectar from a flower. It’s a gigantic butterfly, so the flowers are too small for it to suck the nectar from… well, so I drew it perched in front of pancakes covered in fairy nectar, sucking the nectar from the pancakes, lit by a candle on the table and the sunlight streaming in through the window.

　How should I put it? I think it gives it a bit of a living, life-like feel.

　And the Alexandrite Butterfly, which I had spent about half a day painting, including the background… came out of the canvas safely and began to fly through the forest, flapping its wings.

“Um… is this thing alive?” (Croix)

　Thinking that it would be a problem if I drew something that was unclear as to whether it was alive or not, I called out to the butterfly, and the butterfly looked at me, tilted its gold head slightly, and fluttered its large alexandrite eyes.

　…Well, this is definitely not a butterfly, but it looks like a living thing. Yep. Probably a success. Absolutely.

“Ms. Croix!” (Tougo)

“Oh, Tougo, what’s the matter… Oh my!” (Croix)

　Ms. Croix was inside her house processing edamame, but when he saw the Alexandrite Butterfly I had brought home, she stopped what she was doing and ran over to me. She stopped and ran over to see the alexandrite butterfly I had brought home.

“Wow… is this child alive?” (Croix)

“Yep. It’s a living being.” (Tougo)

　Ms. Croix timidly touched the gold-work-like body, and the Alexandrite Butterfly began to flutter its wings in a ticklish motion.

“…It’s beautiful. To be this beautiful and still be alive… It’s bewildering.” (Croix)

　As Ms. Croix said this, she twirled around me, gazing at the butterfly… At that moment, the Alexandrite Butterfly fluttered away from me and began to hover in front of Ms. Croix.

　Then, they extended their golden straw-like mouth and lightly touched Ms. Croix’s cheek. Umm, maybe it was an affectionate kiss.

“…My, I thought you were a beautiful child, but you’re not just beautiful, you’re adorable too.” (Croix)

　Ms. Croix chuckled and reached out towards the Alexandrite Butterfly, which then landed on Ms. Croix’s arm and began to rest its wings.

　…What can I say, what an amazing sight. If I don’t look like a human, then so does Croix. A fairy queen with a jeweled butterfly at her side.

“Umm, Ms. Croix. Here.” (Tougo)

　After Croix had finished playing with the alexandrite butterfly, I handed her a present.

　It’s a necklace made with a large Alexandrite. I brought out a number of gemstones and asked the Alexandrite Butterfly to choose the one it liked best and made it using that.

“……are you sure?” (Croix)

“Yep. Um, if you don’t like the design, I’ll remake it…” (Tougo)

“No, don’t change it. I love it.” (Croix)

　She gently took the necklace from my hand and quickly put it on. The way she fastened the clasp at the back of her neck was quick, and I vaguely thought, “Oh, she’s used to this kind of thing.”

“Does it suit me?” (Croix)

　And then Ms. Croix smiles brightly. …Yup. She really is an enchanting person.

　When Ms. Croix put on the necklace, the Alexandrite Butterfly looked at me and Ms. Croix as if to asking, “Is it okay?” When Ms, Croix and I nodded, it fluttered up and flew off, then floated into the gemstone of the pendant.

　…A little while later, the Alexandrite Butterfly emerged from the gem again, this time going behind Ms. Croix and embracing her from behind.

　And.

“…Kyaa!” (Croix)

　Ms. Croix floated gently.

“Oh, I’m flying…?” (Croix)

　Once Ms. Croix was able to steady her position in the air, the Alexandrite Butterfly was able to fly in unison.

　How should I put it… it looks as if Ms. Croix has grown butterfly wings and is flying. A great success.

“Hey, Tougo! What do you think?” (Croix)

　In the blink of an eye, Ms. Croix was flying freely through the air and smiling down at me from the sky.

　…Yup. Truly a queen of the fairy kingdom.

　Thus, there birthed a Ms. Croix who looks like the Fairy Queen. Now that she can freely cross the wall… I’m going to do my work as the Forest Spirit.

　…Recently, since the forest in my head has become clearer, I feel like the forest’s boundaries are also becoming clearer.

　The barrier used to protect the forest vaguely around the forest, but now, they are changing to protect the forest firmly along the wall. Maybe the wall makes it easier for the barrier to keep its shape and increase its strength.

　So… there is actually a barrier on top of the wall, even though it looks like there is nothing there. The barrier is spread out like a domed roof, the forest completely covered.

　So, I modified the barrier a bit so that the newly born Alexandrite Butterfly could also pass through it… I was a bit tired, so I decided to take a short rest in the forest ruins before heading home.

　I somehow feel at ease inside the ruins. This place, deep in the forest, at the heart of the forest, somehow feels more like my place than my home, or rather… like it’s deep within myself… well, it’s difficult to explain, but for now, it feels comfortable. Yep.

　It has been three days since Ms. Croix started flying with her butterfly wings.

　Ange, the fairies, Lian who ended up helping out as well, and Lila who no longer had to do any farm work after the farmers arrived, were all working together to create a menu for the Fairy Patisserie.

　Fairy cookies are already familiar to us. They decided to make and prepare several flavors. In addition to that, they decided to put the madeleines and candies that they had made for me before on the menu.

　As for the candies, they wanted to imitate the ones in glass jars that I brought back as a souvenir from the Royal Capital, so that’s what they did. They put various flavors of candy in glass jars and sold them by weight. The candies are a bit small for us, about the size of a fairy’s two hands, but the fruit and flower-scented candies are quite tasty.

…And in the glass showcase, cakes are lined up.