Sugar Apple Fairytale Vol 1 Chapter 4
Chapter 4. The Night at the Doctor’s Inn.
The person closing the gate was a middle aged man. He was tall and
thin, with a scraggly beard and disheveled hair streaked with gray.
However Ann could sense intelligence in his features.
“Wait, please wait! Please!”
Noticing Ann and Jonas‟s wagons coming towards him, the man
waited for them with the gate half-open.
After pulling up in front of the gate, Ann stopped the wagon and got
down from the driver‟s seat.
She was in a hurry, but she didn‟t forget to bow her head politely.
“I‟m sorry to show up like this, after it‟s already gotten so dark. Are
you the doctor who lives here?”
In response to her question, the man nodded.
“We are travelers who were planning to stay at the rest stop a bit
further ahead tonight. However we were attacked by wild crows and
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
lost time. There‟s no way we‟ll be able to make it to the rest area.
Please, let us stay here tonight.”
Even if it were called a doctor‟s inn, in the end it was still the
doctor‟s personal home. If the doctor said no, travellers couldn‟t stay
there.
Ann did her best to act properly and get the doctor to understand
their plight.
The doctor turned his eyes to Ann‟s carriage, examining it in the
dim light.
“Indeed, I can see that you were attacked by wild crows. There are
marks on the outside walls of your wagon from being pecked
repeatedly. You were lucky to get away.”
“It was because of him. He‟s a warrior fairy.”
Ann looked back at Shall, who sat on the driver‟s seat of her wagon.
The doctor followed her gaze, turning towards Shall, and then said
dreamily, “What a beautiful fairy. You don‟t usually get to see
fairies like this. He‟s a warrior fairy? Not a pet fairy?”
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
The doctor hobbled over to the driver‟s seat and looked up at Shall.
He didn‟t move for a moment, staring at Shall in a daze, as if
enchanted by him.
The area had become completely dark by now, and the far off howls
of wolves could be heard.
Ann was growing impatient, but she did her best to bear it.
However…
“Haven‟t you ever seen a fairy before, Scruffy?” Shall said in a fedup
sounding voice.
Ann paled, and almost let out a shriek.
---- Hyaaagh----!! Sha--ll----!!! What are you saying----?!!
Ann suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.
Indeed, this doctor‟s hair and beard were both as scruffy as could be.
Honestly, he was scruffy-looking.
However, if they upset him, it wouldn‟t turn out well for them.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
As if awakening from a dream, the doctor blinked several times.
Then he laughed as if ashamed of himself, and turned back to Ann.
“No, I‟m sorry, that was rude of me. Living in a place like this, it‟s
rare to see beautiful things, you see. Regardless, it seems you‟ve had
a hard time, eh? Come, spend the night here. The rate is 60 vine per
person. If that‟s fine with you, then you can bring the two wagons
and your horses inside the walls.”
“Th-thank you very much!”
Ann wiped away the cold sweat, and bowed her head low in relief.
When they drove the wagons inside walls, they saw that another
guest‟s wagon had already been brought inside.
It was clear at first glance that the paint on the wagon of the guest
who‟d arrived before them was of the highest quality. It was a bit
old, but the construction was elegant.
Jonas, who‟d pulled his wagon up next to that one, came up to Ann
and said in a small voice, “Look, Ann. This is a high-cla.s.s carriage.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
I wonder if the guest who‟s here already is someone of high social
status? If so, I‟ll be nervous.”
“We might have to be on our best behavior. Especially Shall. I‟d like
to get him to hold his tongue, but…”
While heading toward the door to the house, Ann looked up at Shall,
who walked beside her, with a severe expression on her face.
“Shall, I thought my heart was going to stop earlier. I can‟t believe
you called the doctor Scruffy.”
At this, Mythrill, who hopped along behind Ann, raised his voice in
censure.
“That‟s right, that‟s right! Rather than „Scruffy‟ you should have
called him „Tottering‟!”
“That‟s right, not „Scruffy‟ but „Tottering‟... ----Wait a minute,
that‟s not right----!!”
Ann yelled at the two fairies, “Both „Scruffy‟ and „Tottering‟ are not
okay! What will we do if you make him mad? We‟ll get kicked out!”
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
At this, Shall said calmly, “He‟s not the type of human to get mad
about something like that. You can tell just by looking at him. I
hara.s.sed all sorts of humans during my time in the fairy market, so I
have confidence in my instincts.”
“We don‟t need your strange „instincts‟! In any case, please, stop
hara.s.sing people.”
“It‟s been my habit for many years, so I don‟t have confidence in my
ability to stop now.”
At his point-blank response, Ann‟s shoulders slumped in resignation.
It seemed that if Shall said something and made someone mad, Ann
would have no choice but to bow her head and apologize with all her
might.
Opening the door, they stepped into the house.
When they pa.s.sed through the door, they entered into a large,
unpart.i.tioned room.
A medicine cabinet and a wooden examination table were set along
one wall. Three mismatched tables of varying design and made out
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
of different materials were placed along the other wall. It seemed
that this room was functioning both as an examination room and a
dining room.
There was no sign of the guest who‟d arrived before them. Perhaps
they were resting in the room that had been a.s.signed to them.
The doctor led Ann‟s group to a door on the far wall.
On the other side of the wall was a hallway running perpendicular to
the door. At one end of the hallway was a room that appeared to be
the kitchen. At the other end of the hallway was a room that
appeared to be the bathroom.
There were three doors lined up on each side of the hallway, which
seemed to be guest rooms.
Ann and Jonas were a.s.signed one room each.
There were two beds in the room a.s.signed to Ann. A clean curtain
was hung on the small window. The room was simple but
comfortable-looking.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
“After you‟ve put away your luggage and rested for a bit, come to
the dining room. If you‟re okay with a simple soup, I can serve you
some.”
The doctor returned to the dining room after saying this.
In the first place, they didn‟t have enough luggage between them to
require much time unpacking. More importantly, Ann stomach was
making gurgling noises. Jonas seemed to be the same, because he
came to Ann‟s room to complain that he was hungry.
Before long, they were hesitantly poking their faces into the dining
room.
In the dining room, the doctor had placed a large pot on one of the
tables and was ladling soup into ceramic bowls.
There were two young men sitting at a separate table from the one
where the doctor was preparing the soup.
Jonas whispered to Ann, “Those must be the guests who arrived
before us. They‟re not dressed all that fancy, but…”
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
The two young men were facing each other, playing a game of cards.
One of them was a tall, solidly built young man. He had unruly
brown hair that was sticking up in all directions. The shirt, pants and
jacket that he wore were not gaudy, but appeared to be well-made.
However, there was something wild glinting fleetingly in his brown
eyes that no amount of fine tailoring could conceal.
The other person was an exotic looking young man. He had a lean,
muscular frame and brown skin. His hair was pure white, and he had
grey eyes. Something about him called to mind a large, sinuous
feline. He was probably from one of the kingdoms on the continent.
He wore leather pants and a leather vest, and there was a gently
curved sword at his side.
A person of high social status travelling in disguise, and his
bodyguard. Ann guessed that it must be something like that.
The doctor noticed Ann‟s group and called out, “Oh, there you are.
Come, the soup is ready.”
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
At the sound of his voice, the two young men turned their gazes
towards the door from behind which Ann‟s face was peeking out.
“Sit here. I‟m not sure about the taste, but there‟s plenty to go
around. Eat as much as you like.”
“Thank you very much,” Ann replied politely, and they all entered
the dining room.
Ann and Jonas sat at the table where the doctor had placed the large
pot. That‟s when Ann noticed that Shall and Mythrill, and Kathy as
well, were moving away from the table.
Ann called out to them, “What is it, you three? If you don‟t hurry up
and sit down…”
At this, the doctor and the two young men who‟d arrived before
them looked at Ann in surprise.
“Eh? What...?”
To Ann, who faltered under the weight of those gazes, Jonas
whispered, “Ann, people don‟t usually eat with their fairies, right?”
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
“I do.”
“Normal people don‟t! Even if this is a doctor‟s inn, it‟s still an inn,
right? If you say things like that in public, people will think you
have no common sense.”
Hearing these words, Ann realized that she had done something that
deviated from the so-called „common sense.‟
However, at the same time, she felt herself getting angry. What was
so fun about putting fairies down like this?
“I don‟t need to know „common sense‟ like that. I won‟t know it.
Therefore, I want to eat with Shall and them.”
Ann looked at the doctor.
“We‟ve been eating together while traveling. I want to eat with them.
If that‟s not allowed, then I won‟t eat either.”
“I see… Personally, I‟m not the type to care about things like that,
but you see… Right now there are other guests here too….”
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
Suddenly a loud laugh rang out, seeming to erase the doctor‟s
mumbled words.
“Don‟t worry about it!! It doesn‟t bother me either!”
The person who spoke was one of the guests who‟d arrived earlier,
the brown haired young man. While laughing, he waved to Ann with
one of his large hands.
“Say, Miss. What‟s your name?”
“It‟s Ann. Ann Halford.”
“I‟m Hugh. You don‟t need to hold back on our account, Ann. Call
your fairies to the table.”
“Thank you.”
His casual att.i.tude and cheery smile eased the tense situation.
Ann beckoned to the fairies, who were unsure about what was going
on, to come to her table.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
As Ann‟s group began eating their soup, the man who‟d called
himself Hugh gathered up the cards he‟d been playing into his hands.
Then he turned towards Ann and began to speak to her from where
he sat at the table beside hers.
“Where did you guys come from? Did you say where it was you
were headed, and for what purpose you‟re crossing a dangerous
highway like this?”
“He, Jonas, is from Knoxberry village. I‟ve never stayed in one
place ever since I was born, so I can‟t really say where I‟m from.
We‟re going to Lewiston.”
Then, puffing his chest out slightly, Jonas boasted, “We‟re planning
to partic.i.p.ate in the sugar sculpture festival that‟s being held in
Lewiston. She and I are both sugar craftsmen.”
“Ohh! So you‟re sugar craftsmen, eh? But, you‟re pretty well-off for
ordinary sugar craftsmen, aren‟t you? Traveling with two labor
fairies and a pet fairy…”
Hugh stood up, grinning. He moved to Shall‟s side, and peered
down at him fixedly.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
“Hmm~~ This looks like it was expensive. Whose pet fairy is he?”
Shall had his hands cupped around the bowl of soup and was eating
quietly. For just a moment, he glanced over at Hugh with sharp eyes,
but thankfully he said nothing.
“I bought Shall. But he‟s not a pet fairy. He‟s a warrior fairy. He‟s
my guard.”
“A warrior fairy? You lie. You don‟t need to be embarra.s.sed. It‟s
only natural for a girl your age[1] to want to travel around
accompanied by a fairy that looks like this. Did you fall in love with
him at first sight? Is that why you bought him?”
Ann knew that she was being made fun of. However her
embarra.s.sment made her suddenly angry.
“It‟s not like that.”
“Don‟t blush, don‟t blush! I‟m telling you, I understand how it is, so
you don‟t need to lie.”
“It‟s not a lie!”
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
Without thinking, her voice got louder. Hugh made an amused face
and his eyes shined.
“Then shall we prove it?”
Hugh glanced over at the young man accompanying him. Then he
stepped back one step.
The young man, who up until now had been so quiet it was if he‟d
erased his presence completely, reacted to Hugh‟s signal.
Suddenly the young man grabbed the sword at his side and
unsheathed it in one smooth movement, knocking over the chair as
he did so. He looked like a hunting dog, crouching down and setting
out at a run. His sword flew towards Shall.
“Shall!”
Even before Ann let out a shriek, Shall was on his feet and leaping
back.
Before the second swing of the sword came slashing towards him, a
silvery-white sword was materializing in Shall‟s hand.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
Shall used his sword to repel the sword that was swung down at him
with all of its wielders might.
The swords clashed, and the impact pierced through the air in waves.
“Not too bad,” the brown-skinned young man muttered
expressionlessly.
The corners of Shall‟s mouth lifted in a faint smile, as he whispered
to his opponent, “Do you want to die?”
“Unfortunately, I‟m not that rusty.”
The metallic noise of swords crashing together rang out. The two of
them fought back and forth, neither backing down.
“I see… He is indeed a warrior fairy,” Hugh said with a note of
surprise, then grinned.
“That‟s enough, Salim. Lower your sword.”
As ordered, the young man who‟d been called Salim promptly
lowered his sword.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
Shall shrugged, then loosened his stance and dismissed his sword as
well.
“What on earth are you doing, you-- you huge idiot!! If there‟s so
much as a scratch on my companion, you won‟t get away with this!!”
Having come to her senses, Ann stood up and without thinking
grabbed the front of Hugh‟s shirt.
“Sorry, sorry. Come on, don‟t get so mad. I just couldn‟t believe
what a fine warrior fairy you‟ve got. I wanted to try him out and see,”
Hugh said, managing not to sound the least bit repentant.
“So, you thought it was a good idea to do something like this?!”
“No~~ Come on, that‟s why I‟m apologizing, see? To make up for
it, I‟ll pay you guys‟ lodging fees.”
“Do you really think you can get out of this that easi---- Eh…Our
lodging fees…? Really?”
Without realizing it, Ann loosened her grip on his shirtfront.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
In the past half a year, they‟d spent quite a bit on Emma‟s medical
treatment. Furthermore, Ann wasn‟t certain how much money she‟d
be able to earn by herself. They‟d already gone through most of their
savings by living off of them for the past 6 months. And Ann had
used what little was left to buy Shall.
If they paid the lodging fees here, Ann would be all but penniless.
Hugh‟s proposal was extremely appealing.
“For one, two, three… five people, at 60 vine per person, it comes
to… 3 cres, eh? That‟s quite a bit just for an apology gift…”
“What?! You‟re the one who offered in the first place, right?!”
“I guess you‟re right, but… Somehow I feel like you‟re getting the
better end of the deal. Oh, that‟s right. You guys said you were sugar
craftsmen, right? Each of you make me one sculpture. If you do that,
I‟ll pay the lodging fees for the five of you.”
“Huh?!”
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
“Just the size of your fist is fine. For sugar sculptures of that size,
the most you‟d get for two is 10 vine, right? You‟ll end up earning 3
cres for the price of 10 vine. Not too bad, right?”
His manner of speaking gave Ann the feeling that she was being
toyed with.
However, the prospect of not having to pay the lodging fees was
appealing.
Ann turned to Jonas. Jonas nodded.
“I don‟t have any objections, Ann.”
For some reason, Jonas seemed happy.
Ann turned back to Hugh, and though still a bit angry said, “Fine.
We‟ll make the sugar sculptures. In exchange, you definitely have to
pay our lodging fees.”
“If you‟d like, I‟ll get down on one knee and swear it?”
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
“I don‟t need an insincere-sounding vow like that. Anyways, just
wait a bit. We‟ll make them after we‟ve finished eating.”
After they finished dinner, Ann went with Jonas out to the wagon to
get the silver sugar. Inside the back of the wagon, barrels filled with
silver sugar were lined up along one wall.
There were five barrels.
One was empty. Another was two-thirds of the way full of silver
sugar. The remaining three were stuffed to the brim with silver sugar.
Those partic.i.p.ating in the sugar sculpture festival in Lewiston would
each submit one sugar sculpture suitable for a celebration. At the
same time, they were also required to submit three barrels of silver
sugar.
The reason why was because it was not just their skill for crafting
sugar sculptures that was being examined, but also their ability to
secure high quality sugar apples and refine them into silver sugar.
Refining sugar apples into silver sugar had been Ann‟s job since the
time she was 10 years old.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
“We can‟t use three of the barrels, but there should be enough left in
the two-thirds full barrel. Even if we were to make 10 sculptures the
size of my fist, there should be more than enough left to make the
sugar sculpture for the festival,” Ann muttered while opening the lid
to the barrel.
She filled a stone bowl with silver sugar and handed it to Jonas.
Then she filled another bowl for herself, and exited the wagon.
Ann almost couldn‟t believe her ears when Jonas said jovially as
they walked towards the house, “What are you getting so worked up
about?”
“I can‟t shake the feeling that he‟s making fun of us.”
“Even so, displaying your skills in front of others is something to be
proud of, isn‟t it?”
“I guess you‟re right…”
“Of course I am. I have confidence in my abilities. I‟ll tell you the
truth, but you‟ve got to keep it a secret. There‟s a high probability
that I will be recommended as the next leader of the Radcliffe guild.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
The current leader of the Radcliffe guild, who is a distant relative of
mine, by the way, was looking at one of my sugar sculptures. It
seems that he‟s taken an interest in me. Of course, to become the
leader of the guild I‟ll first need to become a silver sugar master,
but…”
There were three main guilds of sugar craftsmen.
The Mercury guild.
The Paige guild.
And the Radcliffe guild.
If a sugar craftsman was not part of one of these three guilds, they
would face opposition and have difficulties obtaining sugar apples,
the raw materials for making silver sugar, and selling off the sugar
sculptures they made.
That was why most sugar craftsmen belonged to a guild.
Naturally, since the guilds were in compet.i.tion with one another for
various things, there were occasional feuds.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
Ann‟s mother Emma hadn‟t belonged to a guild. Saying that she
wasn‟t fond of the guilds‟ way of doing things, she worked hard
securing her own sugar apples and selling off her sugar sculptures.
Based on the way Jonas pridefully conveyed this news, Ann got a
sense that his world view and values were complete different from
her own.
However, their desire to become silver sugar masters was the same.
“So you want to become a silver sugar master, too? Why don‟t you
partic.i.p.ate in this year‟s sugar sculpture festival?”
“No, I… I partic.i.p.ated last year, and the year before, and still
haven‟t been able to become a silver sugar master. This year I‟ll just
observe. I‟ll polish my skills a bit more, and partic.i.p.ate again next
year. But, in the long term, I definitely have to become a silver sugar
master. If I don‟t, I won‟t be able to become the leader of the
Radcliffe guild. I won‟t be able to become the Silver Sugar Viscount,
either.”
At his mention of the Silver Sugar Viscount, Ann‟s eyes widened.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
“Jonas, you want to become the Silver Sugar Viscount?”
The Silver Sugar Viscount… One person, among all of the silver
sugar masters, who was chosen by the king to be the royal family‟s
exclusive silver sugar master.
Although it was only for one generation, the silver sugar master who
was chosen would be given the t.i.tle[2] of viscount.
Each of the sugarcraft guilds had to obey the Silver Sugar
Viscount‟s orders. Disobeying his orders would be seen as
disobeying a royal decree.
Silver Sugar Viscount was the highest rank a sugar craftsmen could
possibly achieve.
“Yes, I want to. That is to say, I definitely will become the Silver
Sugar Viscount. After all, there‟s no more wonderful a dream than
that of a commoner being able to become an aristocrat, right? So,
Ann…”
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
Jonas suddenly stopped walking. Following his lead, Ann stopped as
well.
“Won‟t you marry me? I‟m going to become a silver sugar master,
and the Silver Sugar Viscount. I can promise you a happy life.”
The moon poked its face out between the clouds. Ann could see
Jonas‟s face clearly.
She should have been thrilled by these words. However, no matter
how hard she tried to imagine a happy life with him, she couldn‟t
picture it.
Even looking into Jonas‟s finely featured face and hearing him
speak these words, her heart didn‟t begin to race.
----Rather than Jonas…
The figure that suddenly rose into her thoughts was Shall‟s. Ann
herself was surprised that she‟d recalled his face at a moment like
this.
“I‟m sorry, Jonas. Let‟s leave this conversation at that for now.”
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
As they hurried into the house, Hugh was sitting at the table waiting
for them. Two chairs were lined up across from him.
Salim, the doctor and the fairies were gathered around like an
audience.
“Alright, you two. Sit in the chairs. I want you to make the sugar
sculptures in front of me.”
On the table there were two containers filled with water for each of
them, one deep and one shallow. There were also two cutting boards
that looked like they‟d been borrowed from the kitchen.
Looking at the items laid out, Ann furrowed her brows and sat in the
chair.
“There‟s no need to add color. I‟ll leave the shape of the sculptures
up to you, as well.”
“Can I ask a question first?”
Ann gazed at Hugh head-on.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
“What is it?”
“Who are you? You couldn‟t have prepared these tools without
knowing how to make sugar sculptures, right? Could it be that
you‟re also a sugar craftsman? Are you partic.i.p.ating in the sugar
sculpture festival?”
The corners of Hugh‟s mouth curled up wickedly.
“If you want me to pay your lodging fees, shut up and make the
sugar sculpture, Ann.”
“...Well, I guess it‟s fine. As long as you pay our lodging fees.”
Ann poured water from one of the containers on the table into the
stone bowl holding the silver sugar.
Beside her, Jonas began to do the same.
After adding water to the silver sugar Ann began to knead it. This
made the sugar into a soft, clay-like substance.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
Normally, she would mix color flakes into this and make various
colors. It was normal to join these together and create a sugar
sculpture that was rich in color. However, this time she wouldn‟t be
making colors.
Ann transferred the clay-like substance onto the cutting board and
continued to knead it.
Because no tools for shaping the form had been prepared, she had no
choice but to do it with her fingertips.
Silver sugar melted easily if it came into contact with heat. When
handling it, one had to cool one‟s fingers in cold water and work
quickly.
Ann cooled her fingers in the cold water set out on the table.
It was said that a sugar craftsman‟s movements were like the sleight
of hand of a street magician. They moved gently and smoothly.
----What should I make?
Ann puzzled it over as she kneaded the silver sugar.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
----I wonder what Mama would make if it were her…
If it were Emma, she‟d probably use the white color to an advantage
and make something white.
Emma liked plant motifs, so she would make a white flower.
That decided, Ann recalled the shape of the flowers Emma had often
made.
She sculpted the shape of flower petals with her fingertips, making
many of them. Joining them together, she began to form the flower.
Jonas was making a cat that could fit in the palm of his hand. It
seemed that he was trying to show off his skill with the long,
graceful curves of the cat‟s tail.
Looking at the cat taking form under Jonas‟s fingertips, Kathy
whispered, “The things Jonas-sama makes really are incredible…”
It didn‟t take long.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
Both of them stopped working and raised their faces at the same
time.
“Done? Both of you?”
At Hugh‟s question, Jonas nodded, full of confidence, and pointed a
finger at the top of the cutting board.
“It‟s done.”
“I‟m done, too.”
Ann set the item she‟d made on her cutting board as well.
Hugh pulled the cutting boards with each of their completed works
on top of them toward him.
He looked at each in turn for a few moments, but then he laughed
lightly, “Fu, fu, fu.”
“Both of you are pretty skilled. You don‟t have the feel of novice
craftsmen at all.”
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
Ann and Jonas looked at each other and smiled.
However, the very next moment… Hugh simultaneously crushed
both sculptures under his palms.
Ann and Jonas raised their voices in protest.
“Ah!!”
“What are you doing?!”
Hugh regarded them with a stern expression.
“They were painful to look at, so I broke them. Jonas, you are
skilled. But that‟s all. Just because you have a little skill you‟re
content merely with showing off-- that shows no ingenuity at all.
Ann, you were better than Jonas. But, what was that? It seemed like
you were copying exactly something someone else had made.
Monkey see monkey do. There‟s no appeal at all in a sculpture that‟s
merely pretty. Eating something like that wouldn‟t bring me luck,
nor would it extend a fairy‟s lifespan, right? If this is the best you‟d
got, becoming a silver sugar master is still a far off dream for the
two of you.”
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
Both Ann and Jonas wanted to protest, but their voices wouldn‟t
come out.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
Ann felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. He‟d precisely
hit upon something like a weakness that she‟d been unconsciously
sensing in her own sculpture.
Jonas must have felt the same. His expression became stiff.
“Well, I guess I‟ll keep these cracked pieces of sugar sculpture.
They can be my snack for tomorrow.”
Hugh put the scattered pieces of sugar sculpture into a container he
had on hand and then stood up.
“Well then, I‟m going to bed. We have to be up early tomorrow.
Come one, Salim. See you later Ann, Jonas. This was a good
diversion, I had fun.”
Followed by Salim, Hugh exited the room.
The doctor was dumbfounded.
Kathy came running up to Jonas, who stood motionless. Then she
yelled in a high-pitched voice, “What was he thinking, that man?!”
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
Jumping up onto the table, she began to stroke Jonas‟s hand.
“Jonas-sama, this is nothing to get upset over. You mustn‟t take the
words of a strange man of unknown origins seriously.”
“I guess that‟s true…”
Jonas smiled bitterly and glanced over at Ann.
“Sorry, Ann. I… I‟m going back to my room.”
Ann lifted her head suddenly.
“Me too… I‟m going back too!”
While yelling this, Ann ran off towards her room.
How mortifying. Ann was ashamed of herself.
“Hey, Shall Fen Shall! Do you really intend to go back to the room?!”
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
Watching Ann run off, Shall sighed. Then he started to walk slowly
after her, intending to return to the room himself. That was when
Mythrill shouted at his back in horror.
Turning back, he answered, “Yes.”
“I‟m telling you, you should stop!”
“What‟s wrong about going back to the room?”
“After being told things like that, Ann was really hurt and might
even be crying, you know!? If you‟re not careful, she may even
become violent! If you nonchalantly show your face in there, you‟re
going to be hated for sure.”
“I don‟t really care.”
“W-well I‟m not going. I‟ll sleep here in the dining room tonight.”
“As you like.”
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
On his way back to the room, Shall came to the conclusion that
Hugh‟s judgement was correct.
Looking at the sculpture Ann had made, Shall had felt the same way.
Ann herself probably had as well. Likely, that‟s why she was so hurt.
When he opened the door, the interior of the room was pitch black.
Ann was laying on her bed, curled up in a ball with the blanket
pulled up over her head.
Shall sat down on the bed next to Ann‟s, and gazed at the lump
under the blanket.
She looked just like a bagworm.[3]
---- Liz...
Looking at Ann in her current state, Shall unexpectedly
remembered…
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
---- Liz too, when she was young… She’d pout and cry, and often
curled up in a ball under the blankets. How old was she back then?
9, or maybe 10? When she got older she stopped doing that.
He looked at the bagworm in front of him once more.
---- Is she really 15 years old?!
Even after turning 15, Ann still had some of this immaturity
remaining. The reason why was probably because in the 15 years
until now she‟d lived happily, protected by her mother.
Thinking this, Shall got the feeling that he‟d found a last warm
flicker of lamplight. There was something charming about seeing
Ann, who was always insisting that she was „mature‟ and „an adult‟
act like a 10 year old child. In spite of himself, he chuckled lightly.
Immediately Ann sat up.
“What‟s so funny?! Do you really find other people getting
depressed that interesting?!”
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
Her eyes were bright red, and tears welled up in the corners,
threatening to spill over. They shimmered in the light of the moon
slashing in through the window. It seemed she was trying with all
her might to keep from crying.
Her face as she bit her lip, holding back the br.i.m.m.i.n.g tears, was
even more childish.
He knew he shouldn‟t, but he couldn‟t help the “Pfft!” that leaked
out. Frantically Shall covered his mouth with both hands.
“What?! Looking at people‟s faces makes you laugh?! Certainly a
scarecrow like me is an unseemly sight. My face when I‟m plunged
into grief and crying must be amusing! I‟ll be sneered at my whole
life by people like you who have beautiful faces!” Ann screamed,
then thrust her face into the pillow dramatically.
It was unforgivably rude to Ann, who was hurt and in great uproar,
but for some reason Shall‟s mood was extremely peaceful.
It seemed like he was about to remember something he‟d forgotten.
Shall stood, then sat on the bed where Ann lay in a heap.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
---- That’s right. When I first met Liz, her hair was this color. I’d
forgotten.
Unconsciously, Shall took a strand of Ann‟s hair that was spread out
on the sheets in his hand.
“You won‟t be laughed at your whole life. Humans are different
from us. Humans are always changing… After about 3 years have
pa.s.sed, you will become shockingly beautiful. This hair will turn a
pretty light blonde. At that time, where won‟t be anyone who will
call you a scarecrow. Your skill at making sugar sculptures will have
changed, as well. What Hugh said was the truth, but there‟s no need
to take it to heart.”
Doubtfully, Ann raised her head slowly from the pillow, only
showing half of her face to him.
“As for sugar sculpture making, I will polish my skills more. I‟ll
definitely improve, you‟ll see. If it‟s something I can make happen
through hard work, I‟ll find a way. But I don‟t need you to comfort
me with obvious lies like me becoming a beauty.”
“It‟s not a lie.”
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
Shall dropped his gaze to the strand of hair in his hand.
“When I was born… The first thing I saw was a human child. A 5
year old girl. She had hair this color. It seems that I was born from
that girl‟s gaze.”
This was a memory from the distant past. For some reason, he found
himself wanting to try speaking it out loud. Somewhere inside him
there was something like a fleeting hope that doing so might bring
something that was lost back to life.
Ann made a shocked-looking face as Shall began to tell this tale.
“The girl‟s name was Elizabeth… Liz. She was the daughter of an
aristocrat, and due to special circ.u.mstances she was living in
seclusion from society. She was young and knew nothing of the
world. Liz didn‟t know what a fairy was. So it seemed she
misunderstood and thought that I was her older brother. She brought
me back to her mansion and hid me there.”
Ann raised her face from the pillow and sat back up on the bed.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
The strand of hair that Shall had been holding slipped out of his
hand.
Shall lightly clenched his now empty hand. He gazed at his clenched
fist.
“After that, we were always together. After 15 years pa.s.sed, Liz‟s
hair turned blonde, and her freckles disappeared. She became a
beautiful young woman. So I know. You will also change like Liz
did.”
“What happened after that?”
At her question, Shall raised his face.
“After that, was Liz always with you? Why isn‟t she here anymore?”
Shall closed his eyes.
At this question, pain shot through his chest. Even though a hundred
years had already pa.s.sed…
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
“She died… She was murdered. The ones who killed her were
humans.”
Ann hung her head at these words.
After a moment, Ann‟s hand gently touched Shall‟s clenched fist.
“I‟m sorry…”
Shall didn‟t know what Ann was apologizing for.
Perhaps her guilt at making Shall talk about such painful memories.
Either that, or perhaps her guilt, as a fellow human, for killing Liz.
All he was certain of was the warmth in her heart.
Shall shook his head slightly, and stood up. Ann‟s hand slid off of
his fist.
He‟d said too much.
“Go to bed now, Scarecrow,” he said quietly over his shoulder.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
Memories are just memories. They don‟t come back to life
When Ann awoke the next morning, Hugh had already departed. It
seemed he had left before dawn. However, he‟d paid their lodging
fees as promised.
What was Hugh‟s true ident.i.ty?
However, Ann didn‟t think too deeply about this issue.
Additionally, the shock of Hugh‟s words had all but worn off.
More than that, the fragments of Shall‟s past that he had revealed to
her reverberated deep in Ann‟s chest.
After departing from the doctor‟s inn, three days pa.s.sed without
them being attacked by bandits or wild beasts.
That entire time, Ann did nothing but steal glances at Shall, who sat
beside her.
Shall had said that he couldn‟t be friends with a human.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
But when he was first born, he had opened his heart to a human girl.
He‟d said they‟d been together for 15 years. It was exactly as long as
the time Ann had spent with her mother.
Perhaps that girl, Liz, had been like family to Shall. And he‟d lost
her at the hands of humans. Ann‟s chest had ached seeing Shall with
his eyes closed, wearing a sad expression.
Shall had opened his heart to a human, and the ones who caused him
to freeze his heart away had also been humans.
---- I wish there were some kind of magic I could use to melt Shall’s
heart.
Ann thought of nothing but this while driving the wagon, and she
was constantly aware of Shall‟s face at the corner of her vision.
This was the 7th day since they‟d begun to cross the b.l.o.o.d.y
Highway.
They‟d made it two-thirds of the way across.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
Lowering the iron gate to the rest stop, Ann was struck by the fact
that they‟d made it two-thirds of the way there.
They entered the rest stop and quickly had dinner.
Ann had a simple soup and an apple. Jonas‟s dinner was, as always,
luxurious.
As they travelled, Jonas had continued to offer to share his food with
Ann. But Ann declined each time. It was dangerous to become
accustomed to luxury on the road. You never knew what might
happen while travelling, so it was essential to bring along as much
food as possible, and use it sparingly.
Jonas soon retreated into the back of his wagon, taking Kathy with
him.
Mythrill had finally stopped constantly insisting that she let him
„repay the favor.‟ However, he sat on the driver‟s seat during the day
wearing a matter-of-fact expression. At night he gathered gra.s.ses
which he used to make a bed for himself on the roof of the wagon
and he curled up to sleep there. Tonight as well, he diligently made
himself a bed, laid down in it, and soon he was snoring away.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
Ann still couldn‟t think up a favor to ask that would satisfy Mythrill.
He‟d probably follow her around forever until she could think one
up. Ann had already gotten used to Mythrill‟s shrill voice. It was
mysterious, but once you got used to it, Mythrill‟s arrogance was
also cute.
Ann sat around the fire with Shall, getting ready for bed.
Shall set an apple on the palm of his hand, and began eating it. First,
wrinkles started to form on the surface of the apple in his hand.
Finally, the apple imploded with a splat and, coiling up on top of his
hand, melted.
This was how fairies ate. No matter how many times she saw it, it
seemed mysterious to Ann.
“It‟s pretty cold tonight, huh? As expected, the closer we get to the
end of fall, the colder it gets. Aren‟t you cold?”
“We don‟t feel the cold like humans do.”
“Hmm, that‟s convenient!”
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
Just after answering, Ann sneezed. It really was cold.
Shall glanced over at the wagon where Jonas slept, then asked, “You
won‟t sleep inside the wagon? You should sleep in a warm place
like that guy does.”
Ann pulled a blanket out from under the driver‟s seat and shook her
head lightly while carrying it back to the fire.
“I don‟t know what Jonas‟s wagon is for, but mine is a workshop for
making sugar sculptures. It‟s a sacred place. I can‟t sleep in a place
like that. Neither mama nor I have ever once slept inside the wagon.
During the winter we‟d intentionally stay at an inn. Mama‟s motto
was, „Sugar sculptures are a sacred food. So the places and people
that make them mustn‟t be dirtied.”
Gazing into the flames, Shall said in response, “It sounds like she
was a fine craftsman, your mother.”
Hearing this, Ann recalled Emma‟s face. A feeling of overwhelming
sadness came over her.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
“Yeah, she really was.”
That night, try as she might, Ann couldn‟t fall asleep.
---- I’m lonely…
Those feelings were welling up her heart, like a countless number of
bubbles.
---- I wonder if Shall feels this way too?
Ann rolled over for the umpteenth time, and turned her gaze towards
Shall.
Shall lay five or six paces away. She wanted to shorten that distance.
---- Is he asleep? Or else maybe he’s got his eyes closed and is
thinking about something? I want to talk.
Ann was a.s.saulted by the impulse to stretch out her hand and touch
his wing, which was spread out on the gra.s.s.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
She rose slightly and began to reach out. However, she hesitated and
her hand stopped.
---- If I touch his wing while he’s sleeping, I know what’ll say.
Shall would surely be enraged if his precious remaining wing were
touched by a human.
---- Magic to melt Shall’s heart…
Just then, Ann suddenly remembered about the sugar sculpture.
She‟d promised she‟d make him one, but then Mythrill had appeared
and she‟d completely forgotten.
It didn‟t seem like she was going to be able to sleep, so Ann got up.
---- I’ll make the promised sugar sculpture.
She hoped the sweet sugar sculpture would warm Shall‟s heart, even
if just a little.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
Ann opened the doors on the back of the wagon and went inside.
The light of the moon, which was only a sliver shy of a full moon,
poured in through the windows. Relying on that, Ann slid her hand
along the cold, stone work table, touching the scales and stroking the
neatly arranged wooden spatulas.
Emma was in here. All of these things which Emma had once
touched were resting silently.
Something else entered Ann‟s ears along with the silence, sending
her heart racing.
Shaking her head, Ann turned towards the barrels of silver sugar.
“We ended up making sugar sculptures for Hugh, but there should
be plenty of silver sugar left. I can probably make two or three for
Shall.”
While whispering this, Ann opened the lid to the barrel.
“Huh?”
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
Ann was sure that the barrel she‟d opened had been more than half
full of silver sugar.
But the barrel was completely empty. Perhaps she‟d opened the
empty barrel by mistake.
Thinking this, Ann opened the lid of the barrel that she‟d thought
was the empty one. That barrel was empty too.
“Wh...why?”
Ann was astounded. Her pulse sped up.
One by one she opened the lids of the remaining barrels. The
remaining three were full of silver sugar.
Out of the five barrels, two were empty.
Only the ingredients for making a sugar sculpture to enter into the
sugar sculpture festival had completely vanished.
// Chapter 4, END
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 1 - Ginzatoushi to Kuro no Yousei.
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Notes:
[1] 年頃の女の子 - Hugh simultaneously calls Ann a „grown
woman‟ and a „girl.‟ He implies that she‟s a nubile young woman
who will only naturally be attracted to a fairy that looks like Shall.
[2] 称号 - This is a rank in the aristocracy. In the British peerage, a
viscount is above a baron but below an earl. Presumably the ranks of
the n.o.bility in this story adopt the same system.
[3] 蓑虫 - Bagworm is a species of moth. Shall thinks that Ann
curled up in a ball under the blankets looks like a moth in a coc.o.o.n.