Miss Lika the Paladin, Fairy Tales Aren't Lies

(One heroine + adventure + Western fantasy + true love + swords and magic)

When the System left, it told Fantasy, “Go create a fairy tale.” But he didn’t create one. He lied.

He told Lika, the most gullible girl in the whole world, stories about dragons and knights.

She believed that even dragons didn’t have to be defeated, and that Mr. Fantasy was a kind, gentle man.

Fantasy couldn’t bring himself to tell her the truth.

And so the lies began.

On the night goblins slaughtered her village, Lika watched helplessly as her friend died before her eyes.

Fantasy told her, “It’s all part of the script. She’s just acting. She’ll wake up soon.”

Lika said, “I believe you, Mr. Fantasy.”

So he kept lying.

As long as she still believed this world had fairy tales,

he would always be the gentle Fantasy who told her stories beneath the elm tree.

The fairy tale was a lie.

What she never said aloud was this:

She had known all along that it was all fake.

But the person protecting the fairy tale was real.

So she kept smiling, and kept playing the innocent, naive little girl who was so well protected.

What Lika didn’t know was this:

She didn’t know that when Fantasy locked goblins inside an iron maiden, he would stand outside the door and listen quietly.

In front of her, he would always be Mr. Fantasy, coaxing her with the clumsiest lies to make her happy.

“Fantasy is the kindest person in the world.”

The goblins: ...?

When she said those words, goblin bones were still buried beneath the ruins.

Some had died in the iron maiden.

Some had died in the red shoes.

They would never contradict her again.