Ch. 1: Fairy of the Lamp
Rabia in the Land of Desert, Month of Brilliance…
Beneath the blazing sun, a ring shone brilliantly, and a young boy opened his eyes.
??: “Nn….? Who’re you?”
OO: “I’m…”
??: “I know! I know who you are! You’re the fairy from the lamp right!?”
OO: “Eh!?”
His nearly transparent blue eyes sparkled and shone.
(F-fairy…of the lamp?)
??: “You woke me up with your power, so there’s no doubt about it!”
OO: “H-hold on…”
Sharon: “I’m Sharon! Prince of Rabia in the Land of Desert! Hey, please, grant my wish!”
OO: “Um…”
Sharon: “Woo! Lucky! Finally, I get to meet the Fairy of the Lamp I’ve been searching for since I was a kid!”
(I can’t get a word in…and there’s not even anything like a lamp around here…)
Sharon: “Come on! Please!!”
Sharon’s teeth flashed beneath the blazing sun as he smiled broadly.
Ch. 2: Sharon's Wish
Sharon: “Hey, grant my wish! Come on! Please!!”
Even though I said I wasn’t a fairy from a lamp, Sharon kept going on in that way.
OO: “I’m not a fairy. And what’s a Fairy of the Lamp anyway…”
Sharon: “Ah playing dumb again! The person who meets the Fairy of the Lamp gets their wish granted! It’s a legend around here! That’s why you have to grant my wish.”
OO: Like I keep saying, I’m not this Fairy of the Lamp.
Sharon: “Don’t say that! The color of your hair, the color of your eyes, the color of your skin…it’s all just like the legend says!
(This is a problem…)
OO: “And what is your wish?”
Sharon: “Oh! You’re finally interested!”
Sharon’s whole face lit up in a smile, and he put his hands on his hips.
Sharon: “Make me super rich!”
(R-rich…?)
His eyes twinkled as he spoke, then…
??: “Well if it ain’t Sharon!”
I looked toward the voice, and a large group of camels carrying luggage, like a caravan, passed by.
Merchant Man: “Been a while! I haven’t seen ya, so I was gettin’ worried.”
Sharon: “Sorry! I just couldn’t move around for a bit.”
Merchant Man: “Then I’d like ya to be a guard again. Seems like it’ll be a long trip. You may be short, but you’ve got some good arms on ya!”
Sharon: “Don’t call me short! But I gotcha! I expect a reward ya know?”
Merchant Man: “Well now, that depends on your work. I’ll get in touch again later.”
Saying so, the man waved and left.
Sharon: “They’re a caravan group. Once in a while I work for them as a guard, and get paid for it.”
OO: “I see.”
(He works…even though he’s a prince?)
While holding onto that question, I stared at him.
Sharon: “Right, let’s go!”
Sharon suddenly grabbed my hand and started walking.
OO: “W-where are we going?”
Sharon: “The town. It’ll get dark soon.”
Looking closely, I saw a number of faded scars on Sharon’s hand and arm.
(From when he was a guard…?)
(I wonder why he has such a need for money when he’s a prince.)
As I was pulled along by his strong arm, the sun sank into the horizon and we headed towards the town.
Ch. 3: The Snake and the Fortuneteller
By the time we reached the town, the sun had set completely.
(It got cold really quickly…)
Sharon: “You OK? It can be rough if you’re not used to it.”
Saying so, Sharon put a thick cloak over my shoulders.
For an instant, it was like he was embracing me, and my heart sped up a little.
Sharon: “Wrap yourself up good.”
OO: “Thanks. But will you be alright?”
Sharon: “Of course! I’ve lived my whole life in the desert after all.”
OO: “I feel bad using your cloak. Don’t you need it?”
Sharon: “I’m good! I’m used to this after all.”
Sharon: “But let’s hurry to an inn. Even I’ll freeze if I’m outside too long.”
The desert town was incredibly silent.
The walls of the buildings were cracked, and even though the sun had only just set, there were very few people walking about.
(…this town has a rather lonely feel to it.)
As I thought that…
Sharon: “A flute?”
From a section of the town, I could hear the odd sound of a flute.
Going to take a look, there was a single man playing a flute, standing next to a vase-shaped basket.
Sharon: “What the? You a fortuneteller?”
Fortuneteller: “Indeed. Shall I tell you your fortune?”
Sharon: “Sorry, but I don’t have the money to spend on something like that.”
Fortuneteller: “Ah I see. Then I shall give you a special discount.”
Sharon: “Alright! You seem like a pretty reasonable guy.”
The fortuneteller put his lips to the strange flute, and played a disturbing tune.
Sharon: “Gyaaaaaa!!”
With a trill, the head of a large snake appeared from the basket, and upon seeing it, Sharon clung to my side.
OO: “Sh-Sharon!?
OO: “H-hey…!”
Startled, I reflexively tried to pull away from Sharon…-
Sharon: “T-that’s a snake! I hate snakes!!”
OO: “That’s…a snake!”
Surprised at the sudden appearance of the snake, without thinking, I clung to Sharon.
Sharon: “I don’t do snakes!”
Fortuneteller: “…there.”
OO: “Eh?”
Fortuneteller: “The hidden power, has yet to be unleashed.”
OO: “Um…?”
At those words, Sharon’s face lit up.
Sharon: “So that’s how it is Fairy! No wonder, I thought it was weird~! That you wouldn’t grant my wish. You shoulda just told me that’s what the problem was!”
OO: “But I said…-”
Sharon: “If I awaken the fairy’s power, I’ll get my wish granted, right!?”
Fortuneteller: “…indeed.”
(Eh…!?)
Sharon: “What do I need to do!?”
As Sharon asked, the head of the snake stretched up out of the basket and stared off into the distance.
Sharon: “Ee!”
Fortuneteller: “Go to the Eastern Oasis.”
I wasn’t sure if it was because of the fortuneteller’s low, deep voice, or the coldness of the desert night…
But a chill ran up my spine.