*Whoosh!*
Across a vast grassland, a miniature sun suddenly appeared without warning, abruptly intruding upon the pleasant scenery and shattering the peaceful atmosphere.
*Whoosh—*
With a soft yet powerful gust, the flames forming the sun gradually faded, revealing Riezel standing at the center of it all.
*Click!*
Riezel first sheathed his drawn sword, then gently set down the girl he had been holding in his arms, who had yet to process what was happening.
"Should be safe here?"
Now, the overwhelming presence surrounding Riezel’s body disappeared, as if he had stepped down from the extraordinary to the ordinary.
"Even if he’s a Returned A-Rei, it’s not likely he can find us right away without knowing our location."
As Riezel spoke, he glanced at Artoria, the girl he had just put down.
"You okay?"
Riezel’s question, unfortunately, didn’t get an immediate answer.
Artoria was still staring blankly at Riezel, not snapping out of it for quite a while.
"What’s wrong?" Riezel frowned, raised his hand, and waved it in front of Artoria’s face. "Don’t tell me you got so scared you turned stupid?"
"...You’re the one who turned stupid." Artoria finally came to her senses, looking at him with a complicated expression. "Did we just escape?"
"Pretty much." Riezel felt like something was off about her tone, but since he couldn’t figure it out, he just responded calmly. "I kinda wanted to test that mutt’s abilities a bit more, but things ended up like that, so pulling back for now isn’t the worst thing."
Hearing this, the look in Artoria’s eyes grew even more complicated.
"It’s my fault..." Artoria sounded a little dejected. "If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have given up such a favorable situation and chosen to retreat..."
Riezel had clearly gained the upper hand in that fight just now, so if it had gone on, he might’ve actually won.
Defeating the head of the Fang Clan, someone hailed as a hero and the strongest warrior by the fairies of the Fairy Kingdom, would’ve been an extraordinary feat and a huge honor. But because of her, Riezel had to give up the fight and retreat instead.
Such a reality made Artoria feel pretty down.
Riezel, however, didn’t see it that way.
"I was the one who brought you onto that battlefield to begin with. If not for me, you wouldn’t have been in that danger at all, so of course it’s my responsibility to keep you safe." Riezel said calmly and evenly. "Besides, you really think if I kept going like that, I would’ve actually won?"
Hearing this question, Artoria paused.
"You wouldn’t?"
She was pretty sure she hadn’t imagined it—Riezel had definitely held the advantage in that fight. If he had just kept pushing Woodwose back like that, once Woodwose couldn’t defend anymore, he would’ve had a clean shot at winning, taking down the head of the Fang Clan.
However, she had been too naive.
"I only managed to keep that mutt suppressed for a while using the twelve sword forms of Sun Breathing in quick succession, but even if I kept that up, there was no way I was gonna win."
Riezel shook his head and explained to Artoria.
"No matter how many times I slashed him, no matter how hard I hit him, that layer of protection around him stayed perfectly intact. It didn’t budge an inch."
"In other words, I never actually hurt him at all—not even once. I couldn’t even break through his defenses."
"Besides, that kinda defense wasn’t some technique, but some Mystery that was just always there. So, unless I figure out how to counter it, the best I can do is fight him to a draw."
"Winning? Nope. Not happening."
Otherwise, Riezel would not have chosen to retreat.
Although he truly enjoyed the thrill of a tense fight, it became rather dull when he could not break through his opponent’s defenses at all. Furthermore, Artoria was clearly in no condition to remain there any longer, so he decided to withdraw and take her with him.
"If I wanna beat that mutt, I gotta figure out how to break through that layer of protection first." Riezel continued. "If not, even if we run into him again, it’s still gonna end in a stalemate."
Artoria gave a slight nod, half understanding.
"Maybe it’s some kind of divine protection at the level of a great fairy?" Artoria offered her guess. "Fairies are beings born with Mystery, and sometimes they grant divine protection to others, giving them certain special abilities."
At this, Riezel nodded.
A fairy’s divine protection wasn’t anything rare, at least not in this world.
Just look at King Arthur from British legend, known as the undefeated King of Knights, who had divine protection from the Lady of the Lake, allowing him to walk freely on water.
Artoria herself, as a Fairy of Paradise, had her own kind of divine protection—a blessing of life, a force of fate that shielded its bearer from all kinds of contamination.
Just now, this girl probably hadn’t been affected by Riezel’s time magic because of that very protection, so it made total sense that someone like Woodwose, a Returned A-Rei, would also have some kind of powerful divine protection guarding him.
’In the original work, didn’t that protection withstand even a full-power hit from that spear?’
Riezel wondered quietly.
’So, how did that protection end up getting broken in the end?’
From what he remembered, it seemed like some fairy with a special status just poked it casually, and it got pierced?
In other words, in the original work, the divine protection around Woodwose broke in a way that made no sense at all.
’How am I supposed to break through that thing?’
Riezel fell deep into thought and didn’t snap out of it until Artoria talked to him.
"Even though you didn’t win, the fact that you fought that Woodwose to a standstill is still pretty awesome!" Artoria seemed to have cheered up a bit and smiled brightly. "Maybe you’ll even outdo Lancelot too, who knows?"
"Lancelot, huh?" Riezel narrowed his eyes, clearly thinking of something, then suddenly chuckled. "If I get the chance, I’ll give it a try."
"Y-You will?" Artoria was completely thrown off.
She was just saying that casually, but he was actually thinking about going through with it?
Was he really a battle maniac?
"Forget about that mutt, I’ll figure out how to deal with him on my own." Riezel said while glancing around. "Right now, we should think about what we’re gonna do next."
Hearing this, Artoria’s smile faded a little as she also looked around.
All they saw was an endless expanse of grassland—nothing but grass as far as the eye could see.
"Where even are we?" Artoria asked with a confused look.
"No idea..." Riezel replied irresponsibly. "I just teleported us a few times in the same direction. As for where we ended up, I have no clue."
Not that it would’ve mattered anyway, since he probably wouldn’t have been able to tell.
He had just arrived in this world, so he had no idea what the layout of Faerie Britain was like, didn’t know where the cities were, and had no grasp of how the country was even structured.
"All I can tell you is that Tintagel should be in that direction."
Riezel pointed toward one side of the grassland.
"Tintagel..."
Artoria looked that way, and her expression shifted like she was picturing the village she had grown up in since childhood.
Seeing this, Riezel understood that she must have remembered the stupid infighting that had happened in Tintagel.
"Hey, you’re not seriously thinking that it’s your fault the village ended up like that, are you?"
It didn’t seem likely, but the fact that Artoria still felt attached to that kind of village made Riezel ask anyway. If she really thought that way, then he could only say she wasn’t just a pushover anymore but a full-on saint.
Thankfully, Artoria hadn’t reached that point yet.
"I was just thinking, how could people who lived together for so many years end up killing each other just like that...?"
Saying this, Artoria looked lost again.
Honestly, her dazed look did remind him of Lizbeth, so without really thinking about it, Riezel reached out and patted her head.
"I told you already, that’s just how fairies are." Riezel shrugged casually. "A normal human can’t understand how they think."
"So you’re saying I’m a normal human like you?" Artoria gave a dry laugh. "But I am a fairy too, you know..."
"Who knows if a Fairy of Paradise like you even thinks the same way as the fairies in this country?" Riezel said, squinting his eyes. "I mean, from what I’ve seen, you and another Fairy of Paradise do think differently compared to the ones here."
Upon hearing this, Artoria’s eyes went wide.
"Another Fairy of Paradise?" Artoria stared at Riezel in shock. "You mean, there’s another Fairy of Paradise besides me?"
Now, this was a pretty huge bombshell.
At Artoria’s question, Riezel replied simply.
"If you’re asking whether there is or not, then yeah, there is." Riezel answered lightly. "As for who she is, you’ll find out eventually. Telling you now would just confuse you even more."
And just like that, Riezel shifted the topic.
"Back to what we were saying before. What are you planning to do next? Are you gonna go wherever you feel like going? Or are you still sticking to the plan and going on that pilgrimage?"
If she could help it, Artoria honestly didn’t want to answer this question.
It couldn’t be helped.
She honestly had no idea what the right thing to do was anymore.
"...I used to always think, once I turned sixteen, I’d leave the village and start the pilgrimage..." Artoria said in a soft voice. "Now I’ve finally left the village, but I don’t even know if I still want to go on the pilgrimage..."
Back then, she hadn’t wanted to go on the pilgrimage because she wanted to save Britain or the Fairy Kingdom, but because everyone around her expected her to do it.
Everyone wanted her to go.
Everyone wanted her to ring the Bells of Pilgrimage as the Child of Prophecy.
Because of that, she just went along with it.
But now, all those people who pushed her toward that path were gone—disappeared with Tintagel as it burned down, so what reason did she even have to ring those bells anymore?
Artoria truly couldn’t figure it out.
Seeing the lost expression on Artoria’s face, Riezel spoke up.
"If you really don’t have a plan, why not try ringing those Bells of Pilgrimage?"
As these words left Riezel’s mouth, Artoria froze.
"Why?" Artoria asked in surprise. "Didn’t you say the fairies in this country aren’t worth saving?"
"Yeah, I did say that..." Riezel replied without changing his stance. "But ringing the Bells of Pilgrimage and saving them are two different things."
As someone familiar with the original work, he naturally knew what those Bells of Pilgrimage really were.
"Ringing the Bells of Pilgrimage is actually a ritual to unlock your power as a Fairy of Paradise."
Riezel’s words made Artoria hold her breath.
"Unlock... the power of a Fairy of Paradise...?" Artoria murmured softly.
"Yeah..."
Riezel nodded calmly and then continued.
"You weren’t born with incredible power like the other fairies. Instead, you’re more like a human—able to grow stronger with age and training."
"But that doesn’t mean training is the only way to strengthen your power."
"If you can ring the Bells of Pilgrimage, you’ll gradually unlock the power that comes with being a Fairy of Paradise."
"In truth, the Bells of Pilgrimage are items meant to help you get stronger—the more bells you ring, the stronger you’ll become."
Riezel explained the truth to Artoria.
"Are you... serious...?"
Artoria felt like her whole understanding had just been flipped upside down, but once she came back to her senses, she looked at Riezel in shock and suspicion.
"Hold on, how do you even know all this stuff?"
Now that she thought about it, this mysterious human standing before her had already revealed that he knew a lot of hidden things, hadn’t he?
Did he really know that much?
He seemed to know all about the Fairy of Paradise, the Bells of Pilgrimage, the pilgrimage itself, and the Child of Prophecy as the savior.
Why?
Without even realizing it, Artoria locked her gaze on Riezel, and her perception of him started to shift.
However, the moment she stared at him, Riezel didn’t hesitate to do something.
Do what?
Flick her forehead.
*Pa!*
Riezel’s bent finger snapped forward and smacked right into Artoria’s smooth forehead, making the girl cry out in pain.
"You know, you almost got destroyed by that pair of eyes once, but whenever you’ve got questions, you still like to stare at people with them. You know, that’s a bad habit."
Riezel rolled his eyes at Artoria, who was now clutching her forehead, eyes tearing up as she glared at him in frustration.
Ignoring her silent protest, Riezel pressed his lips together and spoke again.
"Frankly, I’m just like you. I wasn’t born in Faerie Britain either—I came from somewhere else."
Hearing this, Artoria sharply inhaled.
"Y-You’re not from Faerie Britain?"
Artoria was genuinely shocked this time.
"Right..."
Riezel nodded without hiding anything.
"That’s why I know a lot about this country, a lot about you, and honestly, a lot about the shady stuff the fairies are up to."
"Of course, just because I know all that doesn’t mean I came here because of it. My coming here has nothing to do with your mission, your identity, or even this country. It was just something that happened by chance."
"So, you don’t have to worry that I have some kind of ulterior motive. Meeting you and everything that’s happened so far... it all just happened naturally."
By saying all this, Riezel left plenty of unanswered questions hanging in the air.
However, that didn’t matter.
What mattered was that Artoria could tell he wasn’t lying.
"Do you want me to tell you more?"
Looking into Artoria’s eyes, which had turned a little more complicated but also brighter, Riezel asked with a faint smile.
"...No, that’s enough." Artoria touched her forehead and replied with a smile. "Just knowing this much is enough."
Yes, this much was enough.
"Alright."
Riezel nodded lightly and spoke again, sharing his thoughts.
"Maybe you’re still feeling a little lost right now and not sure what you’re supposed to do, which is totally normal. But no matter what you decide to do later on, building up your strength first is never the wrong choice."
"Whether you plan to save this country, defeat the Queen, or do absolutely nothing and just try to survive without being dragged down by your identity as the Child of Prophecy, you’ll need strength to make that happen."
"If you don’t have strength, even if you stay quiet and do nothing, someone like the Queen might still send people after you. Like Woodwose, for example."
"I think you could start by ringing one or two Bells of Pilgrimage. That way, you’ll gain some strength and also get to understand this country a little better. Afterward, you can decide what to do next."
"Of course, that’s just my opinion. Just a suggestion. Whatever you choose to do in the end is totally up to you."
After saying this, Riezel didn’t add anything else, just stayed silent while gazing at Artoria.
"..."
Artoria fell silent, lost in thought.
Just like that, the two of them stood quietly, face to face, but neither was looking at the other.
After a long while, Artoria finally spoke, asking Riezel something.
"What about you?" Artoria looked straight into his eyes and asked seriously. "What are you planning to do next?"
At this question, Riezel blinked, then grinned.
"Me? As long as I get to fight someone strong, I’m good."
Riezel then lifted his eyes and looked toward the distant horizon.
"If possible, I’d like to head to Camelot, to meet that Queen and those Fairy Knights."