I Raised Snow White!

‘An artificial human…?’

Frankenstein, who had introduced herself as an artificial human, nodded slightly with a somewhat melancholy expression. Although her face remained expressionless, there was something about her demeanor. Surprisingly, she was a girl who expressed emotions through her actions.

The word “artificial human” made something eerie flash through my mind. Come to think of it, Sylph had referred to Aurora, who had become a Leannán Sidhe, as an “artificial fairy.” Could it be related to that?

Feeling a strange sense of worry, I unconsciously tightened my grip on the Princess’s hand. At that, the Princess puffed out her cheeks and tapped the back of my hand, complaining that her hand hurt.

“My hand hurts.”

“…Oh. S-sorry, my dear.”

Only then did I relax my grip, looking at the Princess’s hand. Thankfully, her hand was only slightly red, so I gently rubbed it, then turned my head slightly to glance at the “Witch Frankenstein.”

She continued to watch us intently, expressionless, as if she were a doll. With her constant lack of expression, I had no idea what she could be thinking.

As I stared at Frankenstein as if I were scrutinizing her, the Princess, remembering Frankenstein’s introduction, looked up at me with wide eyes and asked if this person was the doctor who would treat Ainsel.

“Your Majesty the Queen, will Ainsel get better now? Does that mean she won’t hurt anymore?”

“Well, that is…”

Then I remembered—I had told the Princess that Ainsel was meeting with a doctor, which was actually a lie. Now that I’d finally gained some trust, if she found out it was a lie…

As I stood there, speechless and unsure of what to say, Frankenstein approached, looking at me and the Princess intently. She then crouched down to the Princess’s eye level.

“Yes, Ainsel is currently in the final stage of treatment. Very soon, Ainsel will be able to meet you in perfect condition, Your Highness.”

“R-really…?”

Frankenstein nodded with an unchanging, emotionless expression. Her rigid face and the concept of “artificial human” led me to expect her to feel mechanical, but there seemed to be something different about her.

I nodded along with Frankenstein’s words.

“Yes, that’s right. Ainsel will recover and return to you, so… would you go over there and play with Sylph for a bit? I’d like to speak with the doctor alone for a moment.”

-Huh? Are you suggesting that I look after the child…?

“I’ll give you two candies if you’ll help me out for just a moment.”

-…It isn’t good to keep ordering fairies around, you know. Just this once, I suppose.

Sylph, fluttering her wings, flew around the Princess a few times before settling on the bed to entertain her. Watching this, I let out a short sigh of relief.

“…Thank you, Frankenstein… uh, Miss?”

“Please call me ‘Frann.’ There’s no need for formalities, Vivian.”

“Alright, I’ll count on you, Frann.”

When I extended my hand to greet her, Frann stared at it blankly for a moment before carefully shaking my hand up and down.

Thinking there would be something distinctly different about her, I was surprised to find her hand felt warm, just like anyone else’s.

“Now, may I see Ainsel’s ‘main body’? I will begin the diagnosis promptly.”

When I lifted Ainsel’s main body from the wall and handed it to Frann, she quickly sat down and started examining it.

She ran her hand over the mirror’s surface, which rippled slightly before settling again. After thoroughly inspecting it up and down, Frann nodded as if she understood, and turned to look at me.

“…I see. As Sylph mentioned, it appears to be a ‘rebound’ effect from the contract. It’s a common ailment among fairies. I can treat it swiftly.”

“Hah… Thank goodness.”

Relieved by Frann’s assurance that she could heal Ainsel quickly, I let out a deep sigh. Once Ainsel regained consciousness, I’d have to warn her not to do anything so reckless under the guise of taking responsibility.

As I calmed myself, Frann began looking at me intently with her unchanging, emotionless face, her blue eyes fixed on me in a way I still wasn’t used to.

“Frann…? Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing is wrong. However, Ainsel’s treatment will take a little time. Meanwhile, I’d like to hear about that ‘incident’ you wrote about in the letter.”

Ah… Now that I thought of it, she had asked to hear more details about my experience. Sharing it should be fine, but…

I glanced at the Princess, who was playing house with Sylph on the bed.

Noticing my gaze, Frann snapped her fingers with a crisp sound. A translucent dome suddenly formed around us.

“I’ve soundproofed our surroundings. This way, no one will overhear our conversation.”

Curious, I tried to touch the dome, but my hand simply passed through it—it seemed it only blocked sound, not touch.

‘When will I ever be able to use magic like this?’

All I’d managed to learn from Ainsel was basic spells, like making small flames or spraying water. Even these required intense focus, making it difficult to use properly.

As I marveled at the magic, Frann looked at me, urging me with her eyes to start talking. Clearing my throat, I began recounting what I’d experienced.

By the time I mentioned that the First Queen had transformed into a Leannán Sidhe and killed the King—

For the first time, an expression crossed Frann’s face. She raised one eyebrow, covering her mouth as if finding something odd.

Frann tapped her fingers against the table, contemplating something, before looking at me sideways and beginning to explain her delayed arrival.

“The truth is, the reason I arrived late is that, before coming here, I witnessed an incident that closely resembled the ‘case’ mentioned in your letter. Handling the aftermath took some time.”

“…What?”

“A witch from the Coven, who was in charge of that case, urgently called for help, insisting that they needed someone like me—the ‘doctor’—for assistance.”

An incident similar to the one at the royal palace…?

Could it be that someone else had turned into a Leannán Sidhe and started devouring people? Just as I was thinking this, Frann began to tell an even more startling story.

“Are you familiar with the existence of mermaids?”

“Mermaids…?”

The mermaids Frann described in this world were remarkably similar to the “Little Mermaid” I knew from fairy tales.

A human upper body with a fish’s tail.

They were “fairies” with beautiful looks who lured sailors with their songs. And, it was said that one of these “mermaid” princesses fell in love with a person strolling along the beach.

Love between fairies and humans was fairly common, so at the time, no one thought much of it. The mermaids’ witch told the “Little Mermaid” who had fallen for a human to give up, but…

The Little Mermaid didn’t give up and yearned for love.

Saying she loved that person, that she wanted to have that person.

And finally,

she said she wanted “to become one with that person.”

Hearing up to this point, chills ran down my spine. Just hearing the story made me think of “Aurora,” who had drained her husband’s blood, saying she wanted to become one with him.

What kind of reasoning leads to wanting to become one with the one you love? Could that even be called love? I couldn’t understand it at all.

When the Little Mermaid stopped coming every day to ask for the “potion to become human,” the mermaids’ witch thought she’d finally lost interest and paid her no more attention.

A few days after the Little Mermaid stopped seeking the witch, the incident finally happened—a horrific and dreadful incident much like what occurred in this palace.

The “Little Mermaid” that was found then had legs.

Her originally red hair had become an even deeper crimson, stained by the blood of her beloved, resembling the beautiful red coral blooming under the sea.

On the shore where waves crashed, as she devoured the corpse of her beloved, she sang. A horribly beautiful, horribly repulsive song.

“What do you think? Doesn’t it resemble the ‘similar incident’ at the palace?”

Frann explained the reason for her late arrival with an unfeeling expression.

Indeed, the incident she described was so similar that it felt identical to the one here.

Could it be the work of that “someone” Aurora spoke of? Just as I was wondering that, Frann, as if reading my mind, began explaining the follow-up to the incident she had witnessed.

“The Coven considers this incident to be the work of ‘someone’ and is pursuing the culprit. Even the Coven’s ‘Great Witch’ has begun investigating.”

“…I see. Is there anything I can help with?”

“That won’t be necessary. The Coven is not weak enough to need the help of a witch who isn’t even an apprentice like you.”

Snap!

With a snap of her fingers, the translucent dome surrounding Frann and me vanished. As if she had nothing more to say, Frann gently stroked Ainsel’s main body, resting on the desk.

Then, a ripple slowly spread across the mirror’s surface, and Vivian’s face began to emerge gradually. Ainsel, even letting out a moaning sound.

When I quickly picked up Ainsel’s main body, she grimaced, as if still unconscious, looking just like a child who had just woken up.

“My goodness…!”

“For me, this treatment is quite simple. However, as Ainsel still needs to stabilize, I recommend leaving her as she is for now.”

Hearing my surprised exclamation, the Princess, who had been playing on the bed, rushed over and stared at Ainsel. Seeing her groan as she tried to wake up, the Princess looked suspiciously at Frann.

“She still looks like she’s hurting…”

To the Princess, Ainsel still looked to be in pain.

The Princess frowned deeply and glared at Frann. But Frann, unfazed by her expression, simply looked at the Princess with her usual expressionless face.

I assumed she would say something reassuring to soothe the Princess, like that she’d wake up soon—

“My apologies. The operation ended in failure.”

“…!!!!!”

At Frann’s lie, the Princess’s mouth dropped open in shock. As she stood there speechless with her mouth agape, Frann backtracked, as if teasing.

“I was lying.”

“…!!!!!!!!!”

Unable to tell what was true anymore, the Princess clutched her head with both hands. What was real and what was a lie? The Princess shouted at Frann.

“Lies are bad!!!”

“And why is that?”

“Because… lies are bad, aren’t they? A-and witches shouldn’t lie! Her Majesty the Queen said liars eat a thousand needles!! Don’t lie!!”

Frann gave me a questioning look as if to ask what that meant, then crouched down to meet the Princess’s gaze, who was huffing in frustration. Then, opening her mouth wide in front of the Princess, she—

“Bwahhh-”

Whirr-

Though not needles, countless pieces of metal, like screws and cogs, poured from Frann’s mouth. Surprised, I widened my eyes, but the Princess’s reaction was far more dramatic.

She inhaled deeply, as if she might faint on the spot—

“Ahh! Aaaaaaah!!!!!”

In the end, she screamed and burst into tears in fright.

The Princess, who had fled from Frann, clung to the hem of my skirt and sank to the floor. As I knelt to embrace and comfort the sobbing Princess, she started wailing even more pitifully.

“Hueeeng!! Hwaaahhh!!!”

When I looked at Frann with an exasperated expression, she wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and, looking oddly triumphant, held up her fingers in a V-sign towards me.

“This is Frann’s exclusive artificial-human joke. V for victory.”