I Thought It Was a Fairy Tale but the Genre Is Strange

Episode 12 – Peter Pan (6)

Something unimaginable had happened. Peter Pan was not just a mere rascal. He was a pure villain, beyond my comprehension. Why did he need so many children? Why did he take them away? Where did the magic powder come from?

All the clues were unraveled.

That giant flower turned the children into magic powder, using them as nutrients. The children’s bones became powder, and their belongings were preserved and now revealed to the world again. I couldn’t continue my thoughts or move my body, unable to believe what had happened.

How would Captain Hook react if he knew this? That his daughter had been eaten by a carnivorous plant and turned into magic powder.

I looked at Tinker Bell with bewildered eyes. Tinker Bell, clutching her torn wings, was crying. Her eyes showed no sign of remorse. Instead, they were filled with anger and disgust. She was full of indignation at the audacity of what had been done.

“Now you understand, don’t you? I wasn’t lying! The children who defied Peter Pan were honored to become magic powder for Neverland!”

“Honor? You call that honor?”

Cassandra stood up abruptly, her eyes unfocused. The murderous intent emanating from her made my skin tingle. It was then that I realized how much a person could change when consumed by evil.

Tinker Bell, not grasping the gravity of the situation, sneered at Cassandra.

“Yes, honor! Those bad children were best used as magic powder to help Peter Pan! Cassandra, don’t worry. Your brother is still being used for Neverland and Peter Pan!”

“How dare you…”

Thud. Cassandra approached Tinkerbell with a grotesque twist of her body. Tinkerbell flinched and began to back away, cold sweat dripping down her face.

“What, what are you trying to do?”

“How dare you insult my sister with that filthy mouth of yours?”

Crack. A strange sound came from Cassandra’s neck. She twisted her neck back and forth, moving in a bizarre manner as if possessed by a ghost.

In an instant, she grabbed Tinkerbell’s body. With no wings and no way to escape, Tinkerbell grimaced and struggled against Cassandra’s grip.

“Ow! It hurts! Let, let go of me!”

“How dare, how dare, how dare, how dare, how dare!!! My sister!!! Trash like you dare to insult my sister!! Die!!!!”

Cassandra screamed in front of Tinkerbell, her voice loud enough to burst her eardrums. The sight of Cassandra, exuding a murderous frenzy, made Tinkerbell finally realize the gravity of the situation. She, who had always been in a position of power next to Peter Pan, now faced the serious possibility of being killed.

“Demons in human disguise! I hate you! I am furious at your vile atrocities! I despise the past ten foolish years I spent breathing the same air and listening to your words!! Foolishly, so foolishly, I have been playing the role of a wretched mother to the ones who killed my sister. I want to cut my past self into pieces and kill her!”

“W-wait. Ca-Cassandra. Calm down! Wh-what are you trying to do now?”

Cassandra, still gripping Tinkerbell tightly, headed towards the flower bud. The flower bud moved its massive body, sniffing as if it were a living animal.

Rip. The bud opened. Inside, countless sharp teeth like saw blades were embedded in the petals. Between the teeth, traces of flesh and bone fragments from previous victims were visible.

Seeing the scene that only victims had witnessed, Tinkerbell’s face turned pale as she pleaded.

“P-please! Don’t do this! P-please! I’m begging you! It wasn’t my idea!

Therefore, I stood by and watched her take her revenge. Tinkerbell and Peter Pan. How many people have fallen victim to these two children? Neverland seemed like a place where today’s juvenile delinquents could harm peaceful people and live without any punishment, just like watching them live without a care in the world.

They were trashy brats, smiling brightly and acting as they pleased, claiming they were children who didn’t need to take responsibility, literally wearing the mask of a devil.

The flower bud devoured Tinkerbell, who was the size of my fist, and then returned to its original form. It wriggled and moved like a pump, then spewed out a small amount of magical powder from its mouth. The amount was so minuscule that it was less than a handful.

Cassandra stomped on the powder and muttered.

“All this, just for this…”

I didn’t know what words of comfort to offer or how to act. Everything was just terrible, pitiful, and confusing.

This world was more cruel than I had imagined.

“Wow~ there were rats hiding here.”

At that moment, a familiar voice was heard from the entrance. Cassandra and I flinched and looked back at the entrance, where Peter Pan, who had stolen a shiny new bicycle, was standing with a smirk on his lips.

“I wondered who had invaded my castle, and it turned out to be Mom and Siyu? Just like Wendy last time, why do moms always do this? And Siyu, who committed such bad deeds as soon as she arrived, is also a mess.”

“The mess is you, Peter Pan. How could you do such a thing? Don’t you have any sense of guilt?”

Peter Pan no longer appeared to be just a proud, young boy to me. He had transformed into a cruel murderer who killed people without a second thought.

Peter Pan shrugged.

“Guilt? Why would I? I’m a child, aren’t I? Just like you said, a child who doesn’t take responsibility~ Are you angry? Huh? Puhahahaha!”

The way he spoke made me want to cut off his tongue. But it was dangerous to act rashly now. If we fought him, we would surely end up like Tinkerbell.

I swallowed hard as I looked at the magical powder at Cassandra’s feet.

“Peter Pan-!”

Suddenly, Cassandra, with her eyes turned upside down, charged at Peter Pan.

“No!”

I tried to stop her, but Cassandra had already rushed right up to Peter Pan. Peter Pan sneered and leisurely kicked Cassandra in the abdomen.

“Ugh!”

Cassandra flew backward, clutching her abdomen, unable to even scream, letting out a painful, feeble groan as she rolled on the floor. But her eyes were still filled with venom. The venom of wanting to kill that detestable Peter Pan.

“How dare you challenge the king of Neverland~ huh? I guess I’ll have to change your mother again.”

“Ugh. Because of someone like you, Aeris, my sister!”

“Ugh~ I hate emotional serious types! Why are you making such a fuss over nothing? You’ve been living well here without aging all this time~ Ugh~”

“You… you wretch!!!”

Unable to contain her anger, thick tears flowed from Cassandra’s eyes. Was it the lighting of the carnivorous plants subtly illuminating the darkness? Somehow, her tears looked like blood tears.

“By the way, where is Tinkerbell? The only one who knows this place is Tinkerbell.”

I quietly spoke to Peter Pan, who had unknowingly stepped on the powder, as I approached him.

“Under your feet.”

“Huh? Under my feet?”

Peter Pan lifted his foot in confusion. Then, Tinkerbell’s magic powder fell in a flurry. Peter Pan’s face hardened.

“No way. Tinkerbell… these damn b*stards dared to kill Tinkerbell!!”

Peter Pan, extremely agitated, screamed at the top of his lungs in a voice that hadn’t yet hit puberty.

I frowned at Peter Pan’s hypocritical behavior, not caring about others but unable to tolerate his friend turning into magic powder.

“I’ll kill you all! You’re all sentenced to death! I’ll turn you all into magic powder right now!”

Peter Pan gritted his teeth and took angry steps toward us.

This is the decisive moment. If we fail here, it’s all over. There’s no Alice here. I have to go forward alone. I looked Peter Pan straight in the eyes, trying to hide my trembling heart, and spoke.

“Hey, Peter Pan. I formally challenge you for the throne.”

“What!? A challenge? And for the throne!? Are you out of your mind?”

“Scared?”

At my words, Peter Pan’s body, which had been moving with anger, froze.

“What?”

“I asked if you were scared. Pfft. You acted all tough, but you got scared? You went around claiming to be the king of Neverland, but in reality, you’re just a coward? You said you could do anything you wanted here? I said I wanted to challenge you to become the king, and you immediately tucked your tail and ran away?”

“…No! I’m not scared at all! Fine, I accept your challenge! Right here, right now!”

“But without using the magic powder.”

At my words, Peter Pan’s body froze once again. The confusion was clearly visible on his face.

“Ma-magic powder?”

“Scared? Scared? Ah~ If you’re a coward like Peter Pan, you’d think you need to use magic powder to win~ Instead of fighting fair and square, you’d use the cowardly magic powder!”

“Nonsense! I can beat someone like you without the magic powder! Fine! I’ll defeat you in front of everyone today and turn you into magic powder with Cassandra!”

It worked. Without the magic powder, he’s just a cowardly brat with nothing but pride. I looked at Cassandra, who was filled with pain and anger, and made a vow.

I will definitely teach that damn brat a lesson.