Cathedral of the Ash Tree, Top Floor.
At the highest point of the cathedral stood a bell room where a massive golden bell was placed in the center, its four walls entirely open, allowing a clear view of the outside scenery.
At first glance, although it looked like an ordinary bell with nothing unusual about it, this golden bell was actually the Bell of Pilgrimage, a relic of great importance within Faerie Britain.
It had been placed in this unguarded room, quietly emanating an ancient atmosphere like a timeworn piece of art—ignored by all, yet carrying immense significance.
*Swish!*
Suddenly, the air within the bell room trembled, and two figures appeared.
Needless to say, they were none other than Riezel and Artoria.
"See? We’re in."
Riezel let go of Artoria, whom he had been carrying the whole time, and spoke with a calm expression as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
"Yeah, we really got in..."
Artoria had already given up resisting and let out a helpless sigh as she looked up, fixing her gaze on the heavy golden bell now in view.
"So, this is the Bell of Pilgrimage, huh?"
Riezel turned to Artoria, confirming with a detached tone.
"Mm, this is the Bell of Pilgrimage..." Artoria nodded slowly, her eyes fixed on the bell in a daze as she replied with a tone that carried a mix of emotion and solemnity. "I don’t really know why, but I can kind of feel something... so, I don’t think it’s a fake..."
Even though she said this, it still felt a bit unreal to her.
She couldn’t help it.
Ever since she could remember, everyone around her had told her she needed to ring the Bells of Pilgrimage. And now, one of them had appeared so easily right before her eyes, so let alone her, anyone in her shoes would’ve felt the same disbelief.
After all, she had only left the village and turned sixteen just a few days ago, yet in just a few days, she was already standing in front of one of the six Bells of Pilgrimage.
Everything was happening so fast that she could barely keep up, which made her just stand there, staring blankly at the Bell of Pilgrimage, unable to react.
Riezel, on the other hand, gave the bell a quick glance and seemed to lose interest right after, before his gaze shifted to the surroundings, even glancing toward the entrance to the bell room.
"Hmm, there should be guards stationed over there."
A faint shimmer of light flickered in Riezel’s eyes as he detected several life signals.
"They haven’t noticed anything unusual here yet, but if we stay too long, they’ll surely find out what we’re doing."
Because the Wind Clan’s fairies were extremely sensitive, even the slightest disturbance could instantly alert them. For this reason, right after teleporting into the bell room, Riezel activated two magic spells—Silence and Conceal Life.
Silence was a supportive stealth magic that erased all sounds within its area of effect without discrimination.
Conceal Life was a magic that hid life signals, allowing them to avoid detection by life-sensing abilities.
Thanks to the effects of these two magic spells, Riezel and Artoria’s intrusion had not yet been noticed by the Wind Clan’s fairies. However, fairies who were born with Mystery would definitely pick up on something if too much time passed.
"If you’re planning to ring the Bell of Pilgrimage, you better do it now." Riezel said slowly. "But only if you’re ready to let all of Britain know the Child of Prophecy has appeared here."
Hearing this, Artoria fell silent.
Once the Bell of Pilgrimage was rung, its sound would echo throughout the entire Faerie Britain. No matter how hidden or far away a place was, as long as it was on this fairy island known as Britain, every fairy would hear the sound of the Bell of Pilgrimage.
At that point, every fairy would know the bell had been rung—and know the Child of Prophecy had arrived.
Even the Queen residing deep within Camelot would know.
Others might not understand what that meant, but Riezel knew all too well.
"If you don’t ring the Bell of Pilgrimage, that Queen might not see you as an enemy, but once you ring it, no matter what, she will come after you. So you better think it through before you decide, okay?"
Riezel’s words made Artoria glare at him.
"You’re the one who dragged me here in the first place, and now you’re saying stuff like that? You’re so irresponsible."
Artoria couldn’t help but complain.
"I just wanna see what you’ll choose."
Riezel gave Artoria a soft smile.
"Besides, even if you don’t ring the bell and give up your chance to gain power, I doubt you’d find a very safe place for yourself in this country anyway."
"Even if that woman doesn’t see you as an enemy, a lot of fairies might just treat you like some kind of amusement. And there are surely going to be plenty of fairies who do see you as an enemy."
Like Woodwose—he even brought his execution squad all the way to Tintagel just for Artoria.
Was Artoria really going to expect someone like that to treat the Child of Prophecy humanely?
And then there was the whole ’Calamity’ set to break out this year in Faerie Britain—that alone was going to push things to a very serious level.
Not to mention, this world was far from as simple as it looked.
A true war was going to erupt later, one that would drag in not only all the fairies and humans of the Fairy Kingdom but even forces from the outside world.
From what he knew, that war would expose this island’s most shocking secret, and when that time came, given Artoria’s identity, even if she wanted to run away, she probably wouldn’t be able to.
With all that in mind, Riezel repeated his point.
"No matter what you’re planning to do in the future, or which path you choose to take, you’re gonna need power." Riezel’s smile faded as he looked Artoria straight in the face. "Only with power will you have a way to speak for yourself, to make your own choices, instead of following some mission or so-called fate."
Artoria gazed at Riezel, locking eyes with the one who had just said all this.
As their eyes met—one open and the other scrutinizing—neither said a word for a long while.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Riezel noticed something—a faint sound coming from the entrance that led here.
"You heard that too, didn’t you?"
Riezel silently praised the Wind Clan’s sharp ears as he turned to give Artoria one last chance to confirm her decision.
If Artoria was set on ringing the Bell of Pilgrimage, he would help her.
If she wasn’t ready, he would take her out of here.
He wasn’t going to choose for her.
Whether or not to ring the Bell of Pilgrimage was something only Artoria could decide, and no one else had a say in it.
Just as Riezel was thinking this, Artoria finally broke the silence.
fre/ew.ebnovel.c om
"I’m ringing the bell."
Artoria had made her choice in the end.
"...You sure?"
Riezel paused for a moment and asked again.
"Un!" Artoria took a deep breath and nodded hard. "I still don’t know what I’m going to do after this, but I trust you!"
Artoria, who could see the truth inside Riezel’s heart, gave her answer—the truest and most honest answer she had.
She didn’t know yet what to do from here on, but toward Riezel, who had never lied to her from the start and had always treated her with complete sincerity, she gave her full trust without question.
However—
"..."
For a split second, Artoria saw the storm again, a terrifying storm born from malice.
Even now, it still hadn’t disappeared.
However, at the heart of that storm, something new had appeared—a shining sun.
As she looked at the sun shining there, casting light as if to guide her forward, untouched by even the slightest bit of malice, Artoria smiled.
She smiled brightly toward the one standing in the center of that sun—Riezel.
"I believe in you, Riezel..."
Repeating these words, Artoria tightened her grip on the Staff of Selection and began walking toward the Bell of Pilgrimage.
As she moved, the illusion on her body faded away, causing her pointed ears and transparent, butterfly-like wings to vanish without a trace.
At the same time, the illusion cloaking Riezel’s body also began to dissolve, as if in response to the same phenomenon, peeling away bit by bit and revealing his true appearance to the open air.
Soon, Artoria arrived in front of the Bell of Pilgrimage.
She closed her eyes.
She raised her staff.
*Zing—*
Starlight began to gather around the Fairy of Paradise, Artoria Caster.
"Hymn of Paradise, Song of the Inner Sea."
A sacred chant flowed from Artoria’s lips, guiding the starlight toward the raised Staff of Selection.
"A being born for selection, judgment, and correction."
"O primal bone bell, guide the lost children home."
"Forgive their sins."
As the final word of the chant left Artoria’s mouth, the Bell of Pilgrimage in front of the fairy girl began to move.
*DONG—DONG—DONG—DONG—DONG—*
A loud bell sound echoed from the Bell of Pilgrimage, which had begun ringing despite the absence of wind, turning into a lingering resonance that spread outward.
Its sound was long and far-reaching, as if carried by the wind, ringing not only through Salisbury but also radiating in all directions, echoing above the entire Faerie Britain.
"What kind of bell sound is that?"
"Is it the noon chime or something?"
"It’s not even noon yet."
"The usual chimes don’t feel like this though."
"Yeah, I don’t know why, but this one feels... different."
"How do I put it? It makes me feel happy and kinda sad at the same time?"
"Yeah, it really tugs at your heart. Makes you feel nostalgic too."
"What’s going on?"
All across Faerie Britain, fairies were reacting with shock, confusion, and wonder—some even began crying without knowing why, which left even more fairies puzzled.
However, while some were baffled, others realized the true nature of the bell sound, and their expressions changed.
"Could this be...?"
On the eastern border of the southern grassland, in a city battered and broken, a young knight holding a holy spear stood atop a wall, gazing in the direction of Salisbury with a stirred expression.
"A Bell of Pilgrimage... rang...?"
At the same time, the heads of various clans also sensed what the bell sound truly meant—some were stunned, some furious, and others were filled with joy.
"How is this possible?"
In one of the rooms at the very top of the Cathedral of the Ash Tree, the head of the Wind Clan had just been sipping afternoon tea when she suddenly looked up in surprise, completely unaware that the figure sitting in front of her had vanished.
"Bell of Pilgrimage? No way! Aurora!"
Not long after entering Salisbury, Woodwose was struck with alarm and quickly charged toward the cathedral.
"It really rang?"
Gawain’s expression turned grim before she rushed toward the cathedral as well.
Meanwhile, far away in the royal palace of Camelot, the Queen seated on the throne suddenly opened her eyes.
A cold gleam surfaced in them.
===
"Is this the sound of the Bell of Pilgrimage?"
At the top floor of the Cathedral of the Ash Tree, inside the bell room, Riezel’s eyes flickered slightly as he looked at the golden bell that kept ringing.
"Sounds kinda nice, honestly."
To Riezel, the Bell of Pilgrimage being struck only brought about this much of a reaction, but in contrast, after the Bell of Pilgrimage was struck, Artoria underwent a dramatic transformation.
*Buzz!*
An intense burst of light radiated from Artoria’s body, releasing a wave of scorching heat that caused the temperature inside the bell room to rise rapidly.
"Wh-What’s going on?!"
Artoria opened her eyes, startled by the sudden change in her body.
"Don’t panic."
Riezel, unfazed by the light and heat coming from her, walked straight over and placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder to calm her down.
"If I’m right, this is the reward for ringing the Bell of Pilgrimage. Just take it in."
Riezel’s words quickly calmed Artoria down, and once she was calm, she began to feel it.
She felt her magical energy skyrocketing.
She felt a power unlike anything she had ever experienced.
The power that had once been far weaker than that of an average fairy was now rising at a rate visible to the naked eye.
How far did it rise?
At the very least, in Riezel’s now semi-transparent eyes, the rapidly surging power within Artoria had already reached Level 5—maybe even Level 6.
However, even at that level, Artoria’s magical energy was still climbing, as if it had no limits.
Feeling the overwhelming power within her, Artoria was left speechless in shock, but suddenly—
"Dodge!"
Riezel’s eyes suddenly sharpened, and without a second’s hesitation, he shoved Artoria away.
"Kyaaa—!"
Artoria let out a startled cry as Riezel pushed her hard into the corner of the bell room, where she slammed against the wall.
*BOOM!*
At that very moment, a loud blast rang out.
It wasn’t the sound of Artoria crashing into the bell room’s wall, nor was it an explosion, but the sound of something tearing through the air—a blasting sound caused by a white meteor that had suddenly appeared in the sky over Salisbury.
In the next instant, it accelerated past the speed of sound, ripping through the sky with a thunderous boom and leaving behind a long, glowing trail as it shot toward the Cathedral of the Ash Tree.
Its target was none other than the bell room at the very top of the cathedral.
Right before Artoria’s eyes, right in front of all the fairies in Salisbury, that meteor first smashed through one of the bell room’s stone pillars and then crashed straight into Riezel’s body.
*BOOOM!*
It was the sound of an explosion this time.
A white meteor crashed into the highest point of the cathedral, slamming into the bell room and smashing it apart on the spot.
"Riezel!"
Pushed to the corner of the wall, Artoria only felt the ceiling of the bell room being blown off by an overwhelming force as the stone pillars supporting the hall were shattered one by one, sending countless pieces of rubble crashing down, causing her to cry out again.
She saw it with her own eyes—Riezel was hit head-on by that white meteor falling from the sky. He was smashed through the stone pillars, through the walls that opened to the sky, and blasted into the air, disappearing in an instant.
"Riezel—!!!"
Artoria, now fully aware of what had happened, ignored the fact that the bell room was starting to collapse. Shielding her head, she rushed through the rain of falling debris and into the entrance corridor of the bell room.
However, just as Artoria was about to go after Riezel, a group of soldiers appeared and blocked her path.
"Is that her?"
"Intruder!"
"She’s with the Child of Prophecy!"
"She dared break into the cathedral? Unforgivable!"
Shouting one after another, the group of soldiers raised their spears and began to surround Artoria.
Behind them, a fairy who looked like a butterfly was giving orders.
"Grab her and take her to Lady Aurora."
Hearing the command given by the fairy, the soldiers charged bravely toward Artoria.
"Ugh!"
Artoria clenched her teeth and raised the Staff of Selection in her hand, drawing on the surge of magical energy that had just risen within her.
No longer just a weak little fairy fresh out of Tintagel, Artoria was finally stepping into her first battle since she had left.
Unfortunately, Riezel didn’t get to see it.
Because he had his hands full just trying to survive.
===
*BOOM!*
A deafening boom resounded as the white meteor tore through the sky—it was still streaking high above, launching a terrifyingly powerful charge.
Riezel was being pushed back by that white meteor, flying uncontrollably through the air while the clear glow in his eyes flickered wildly.
In Riezel’s hand, the sword once hailed as the divine sword, Hermit, had somehow been drawn without anyone noticing, as he held it in front of himself, blocking the impact of the white meteor.
However, as he felt the force coming from the other side of the blade, Riezel was starting to feel like he couldn’t hold out much longer.
"Huuu... Haaa..."
Right away, Riezel quickly shifted the rhythm of his breathing.
"Total Concentration - Sun Breathing..."
Flames suddenly burst from the black sword in his hand, wrapping around Riezel and turning him into a blazing sun.
"Dance!"
Riezel unleashed a slash that came down in a perfect arc, causing the flames of the sun to explode in midair.
Needless to say, a great battle was on the verge of erupting.