"Sir Drooml, why didn't you start with the fact that she's a newborn fae!? They are so rare!"
"Th-they are…?"
Rotsard reached his hand towards Oliver's fae but did not actually touch her. Instead, he turned his head to the boy and said, making Oliver blink repeatedly and ask in confusion.
Since when low-rank anything was considered rare…?
Well, that approach was misguided because of how things normally worked, though.
"Of course they are! Normally, when a fae suffers enough damage to have its physical form destroyed, it ends up regenerating somewhere else without its memories but with all its tendencies and characteristics intact, continuing its existence perpetually. Nature remains in balance with the constant number of faefolk. The thing is, there is one type of being that can actually kill a fae… A deofol. Deofol's gedwyld pollutes a fae and is able to completely erase its existence. But nature must remain in balance, so a brand new fae is born."
"..."
While Rotsard explained, Oliver's fae ended up interested in his hand and closed the rest of the distance that was left between them, touching the bleached-blond-haired youth's palm with her nose.
"What a good girl~!"
"~!"
That momentarily distracted Rotsard as he laughed and started petting the creature, patting its head and neck.
"The newborn faes are… different from the rest. They are actually good beings that are like clean slates. As her first master, you are the one to name her, and if you treat her well, you will have the most fateful lifelong companion... What a pretty girl you are~!"
Rotsard added, glancing over at the stunned Oliver, before continuing to fawn over the horse-like fae.
"P-pardon me being nosy, Young Lord, but…it is surprising to hear all of that coming from... well... You…"
Oliver blinked a few times before he managed to speak up, slightly more nervous than before.
"..."
That made Rotsard raise his head and freeze up for a moment…
"...my mother, even though she was favored by faefolk, has ever come in contact with only a single newborn fae…"
The bleached-blond-haired youth took a deep breath and spoke up.
"Fenri was a nature element wolfdog. She was completely different from all the other faefolk. Playful and yet extremely protective over the three of us. Even though she was weak, she would self-summon to our side without hesitation the moment she sensed we were in even the slightest danger. But that was the problem. One time, when my mother and I were traveling without my father, a gedwyld-corrupted monster attacked us, Fenri showed up and lunged at it before any of our escorts could even react. She managed to win, but barely. Her wounds got polluted by gedwyld, and… and it was decided that it was better to finish her off, at least giving her a chance at regenerating before the gedwyld would destroy her…. Because, apparently, that's a thing that can be done, although even with destroying their physical form with other means, the gedwyld's corrosion could affect the fae's looks and behavior after the regeneration... or so it is said. Although, that might be just a rumor or wishful thinking, and it really just completely kills them regardless of the degree of pollution."
While gently patting the horse-like fae, Rotsard's expression clouded, and his beastly yellow eyes filled with sadness.
"...if Fenri was alive, my mother would not have… haaa…"
"N-pshh…!"
Rotsard lowered his head and muttered, and Oliver's contracted fae lowered her head too and delicately nudged his side with her nose while letting out a worried snort.
"Oh! Sorry, sorry. See? I'm fine~ Such a good girl you are~!"
Rotsard flinched, raising his brows as if taken by complete surprise, before shaking his head and smiling brightly at the fae and continuing to pet her.
"...but I guess I can't really stay too long, It is already my turn, after all… Sir Oliver, you should try to practice sending her away and resummoning her to your side… I mean… seriously, she'll get scared of what's about to happen, so it's better for her to not be here for my turn."
"...pardon…?"
"Pshh…?"
But the next moment, Rotsard stepped away from the horse-like fae and said, cursing Oliver to let out a baffled gasp while even his fae kicked the ground with its front hoof and voiced her confusion.
"I'm being serious."
"???"
But instead of explaining, Rotsard shrugged his shoulders and declared with a grim expression, leaving Oliver and his fae behind and walking towards the prepared podium.
On his way, he overheard a fair share of angry voices of the students complaining about the supposed special treatment that he was receiving…
…which was pretty ironic as from Rotsard's perspective, everyone else was receiving special treatment from him…