After Riezel revealed the true names and origins of Chaldea’s members, the situation did not undergo any decisive change.
Due to their memory loss, even when Riezel exposed their true identities, the members of Chaldea seemed largely unaffected—instead, they appeared even more confused.
Mash, having gone through some preparation and being rather simple-minded, mustered up her courage and tried talking to Ritsuka and the others, who ought to have been her companions.
Ritsuka seemed as though he wanted to say something several times, but every time he was about to speak, he stopped himself, ultimately saying nothing.
Tristan, on the other hand, did respond to Riezel and the others a few times, but Riezel and the others could still tell that this Knight of the Round Table was still observing them, unlike Mash, who had directly trusted them as companions.
As for Da Vinci, although she appeared to be a young girl, she was probably the most intelligent among everyone present, yet she remained surprisingly silent.
Under these circumstances, even though Oberon explained the current situation to Chaldea’s group and expressed that they held no hostility, the matter still made no real progress.
At the very least, the silent Da Vinci finally spoke up with one sentence.
"We need a little time to sort out our thoughts."
In the end, Riezel and Oberon, to avoid suspicion, temporarily left the cave and went outside.
Meanwhile, Artoria took a long look at Ritsuka before also turning to leave.
"What do you think?"
As soon as they stepped outside, Oberon immediately asked Riezel.
"What do I think about what?" Riezel pretended not to understand.
"Don’t play dumb." Oberon replied impatiently. "I don’t believe you didn’t notice—they’re being wary of us."
Hearing this, Artoria perked up and listened.
Riezel glanced at Artoria before finally answering Oberon’s question.
"To be more precise, it’s not all of them who are wary of us, but her."
Needless to say, the one Riezel referred to was none other than Da Vinci.
"Mash is simple-minded. Ever since I saved her, she’s never doubted me. Although this is quite dangerous, at least she isn’t guarding against me at all."
"Tristan has been observing us the whole time, probably still judging the situation."
"Fujimaru Ritsuka, I’d guess, is like Mash—he doesn’t really doubt our identities, which is why he wanted to speak to us several times, but in the end, it was Leonardo Da Vinci who stopped him."
Yes, the reason Ritsuka repeatedly tried and failed to speak was not because he suspected Riezel and the others, nor because he was unwilling to interact with them, but because someone was holding him back, and that someone was none other than Da Vinci.
Da Vinci, although she seemed silent, was actually gathering information, trying to see through Riezel and the others, while also secretly looking after Ritsuka as the Master, making sure he didn’t recklessly approach any suspicious Lostbelt natives before he had sorted out what was going on.
In other words...
"Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others aside, Leonardo Da Vinci has probably already regained her memory—or perhaps never lost it in the first place."
Riezel pointed this out calmly, which surprised Artoria, while Oberon nodded in understanding.
"Hmm, so my feeling was right after all..."
It was clear Oberon had also noticed Da Vinci’s situation.
"But why?" Artoria asked in confusion. "Why is it that only that little girl hasn’t lost her memory?"
In fact, the reason was quite simple.
"It’s probably because this Leonardo Da Vinci isn’t a normal Servant, but an artificial Servant, right?"
Oberon offered his guess and looked to Riezel for confirmation.
"Most likely."
Riezel did not hesitate and nodded directly.
It should be noted that the current Da Vinci was a homunculus—a replica created by the true Da Vinci.
She originally had no memories at all, but after the true Da Vinci sacrificed herself and transferred her memories to her homunculus, the homunculus Da Vinci gained both the true Da Vinci’s memory and personality.
In other words, her memories were a kind of backup.
Perhaps for this reason, Da Vinci avoided the effects that would have disrupted her memories.
In the original work, when Ritsuka, Mash, and Tristan landed in the Nameless Forest, all three lost their memories. Only Da Vinci appeared with a perfect memory from the very start, proving that the Nameless Forest had little to no effect on her.
Because of that, she was naturally the only one in Chaldea’s group who could quickly grasp the situation and provide support for Ritsuka as the Master without any hesitation.
"Right now, she’s probably sharing all the information she has observed and gathered with Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others." Riezel said with complete certainty.
"Do you think she’ll trust us and work with us?" Oberon asked thoughtfully.
"What about you?" Riezel didn’t answer directly, but asked instead. "If you were in her place, with all your companions having lost their memories, isolated and needing to take care of several people, would you easily refuse help from a group of people who might be allies?"
Upon hearing this, Oberon understood.
"Yeah, if it were me, I’d definitely choose to wait and see for now—gather as much information as possible under someone’s guidance, and then make plans for what to do next."
Oberon stroked his chin and continued.
"After all, this land is still a strange, foreign place to them. Even Tristan, who once fought in Proper Human History’s Britain, can’t say he understands this environment, especially when he’s lost their memories."
Faerie Britain was certainly different from Proper Human History.
If nothing else, the national circumstances alone, with this being a fairy-dominated Lostbelt, were completely different from the Britain Tristan remembered as the one saved by King Arthur.
Under these conditions, even if Tristan recovered his memories, he wouldn’t be able to act freely within this Lostbelt.
Da Vinci was in the same situation.
With little knowledge of Faerie Britain and running into such a major problem right after landing, no matter how much of a genius she was, she couldn’t get by without help from the locals.
So...
"They really don’t have many options." Riezel glanced back at the cave and said calmly. "Rather than worrying about them, we should be thinking about how the other side will react."
""The other side?""
Artoria and Oberon were both momentarily stunned, but quickly realized what he meant.
"You mean... Morgan?" Artoria said, sounding a little unsure.
Riezel did not answer—he only looked up in the direction of Camelot.
===
Camelot, Royal Palace, Throne Room.
No one knew what kind of magecraft had been used, but after only a few days, the throne room, almost reduced to ruins by Artoria’s bomb, had been restored to its original state.
At this moment, Morgan sat alone on the throne, eyes closed as if dozing.
"Your Majesty."
Before long, a respectful voice rang out from below the throne. It belonged to a fairy guard with a horse’s head and a human body.
"What is it?"
Morgan did not even open her eyes as she asked.
"A message has come from the observatory." The fairy guard reported respectfully. "They say there are unusual fluctuations in the bounded field on the far side of the sea."
Upon hearing this, Morgan opened her eyes.
"I see..." Morgan narrowed her eyes and muttered to herself. "They have finally come, the tools of Proper Human History."
She had known for a long time that people from Proper Human History would come to stop her, to defeat her, to overthrow her.
After all, no matter how one looked at it, there was no way Proper Human History would just sit and wait for death.
"Chaldea, the organization that has restored countless Singularities and eliminated the anchors of five Lostbelts."
"You have indeed, just as Beryl Gut said, arrived in my Britain."
"But my Britain does not need you, and there is no place for you here."
As she spoke, Morgan cast a disdainful gaze at the kneeling fairy guard below.
"Relay this message to all clan heads and the Fairy Knights on missions outside. Tell them a new enemy has appeared."
"Now, the Child of Prophecy and the foreign traveler have most likely joined forces and are acting together."
"Tell the clan heads and the Fairy Knights the location of the unusual fluctuations and have them go there."
"Except for my husband, all others may be eliminated on sight."
Morgan’s cold orders were swiftly relayed by the fairy guard, and as a result, the Fairy Knights and all the clan heads quickly received the message.
===
Salisbury, Cathedral of the Ash Tree.
"We’ve already been discovered?"
Inside the lord’s chambers, Aurora, having received Morgan’s order, fell into thought.
After a while, Aurora instructed Coral at her side.
"Pass the message to Oberon as quickly as possible."
Coral immediately bowed and left the room to carry out the order.
===
Oxford, Lord’s Residence.
"Hmph, they actually went to the area near the Nameless Forest?"
As soon as Woodwose received Morgan’s order, he called for his adjutant without hesitation.
"Get the army ready! Two hours—no! We march in one hour!"
Woodwose’s urgent words only made his adjutant more anxious.
"But Lord Woodwose, what about Oxford?"
Oxford still needed to protect the Bell of Pilgrimage guarded by the Fang Clan. If the army moved out now, Oxford’s defenses would be greatly weakened.
If that happened, the adjutant was worried that the enemy might take advantage of the situation, but Woodwose had no patience for such concerns.
"You want me to just watch those lowly creatures escape again?" Woodwose’s bloodshot eyes stared at his adjutant as he growled. "I’ve finally tracked down that bastard—there’s no way I’m letting him go this time!"
As for the Bell of Pilgrimage, if something really happened to it, Woodwose did not care anymore.
After all, it was just one Bell of Pilgrimage.
Even if the Bell of Pilgrimage in Oxford was rung, and the Child of Prophecy rang that bell, that would only make two, and there were still four Bells of Pilgrimage waiting to be rung.
As long as all six Bells of Pilgrimage were not rung, the Child of Prophecy’s pilgrimage could not be completed, so he still had time.
’Don’t think that defeating Gawain means you can relax, Riezel Brynhart.’
Murderous intent filled Woodwose’s bloodshot eyes.
’As long as I, Woodwose, the Archduke of Exhaust Heat, remain in Britain, don’t even think about running wild on this land!’
About fifty minutes later, an elite unit of fairies from the Fang Clan rushed out of Oxford.
Woodwose led his army out of Oxford, marching straight for the Nameless Forest.
===
Norwich, Lord’s Residence.
In a lavish, golden room, Spriggan also received Morgan’s orders.
"It seems they will not have an easy time coming here to Norwich..."
Spriggan wore a fearless smile, as if watching a grand play about to unfold, muttering as though the matter had nothing to do with him.
"Child of Prophecy and foreign traveler, will they be able to fulfill your expectations and drag the witch down from her throne?"
"Let me enjoy the show."
"Aurora..."
Murmuring to himself, Spriggan took no action.
He was waiting.
He was waiting for those people to arrive, and also waiting to see whether the ’Calamity’ outside this city would destroy everything before they did.
===
Gloucester, Lord’s Residence.
"Oh, the Child of Prophecy and the foreign traveler have met up?"
Muryan, a small purple-haired fairy who had never left her city, laughed at Morgan’s order.
"Foreign traveler, huh? So, those people you were waiting for have finally arrived?"
Muryan’s gaze fell toward the corner of the room, where a figure slowly stepped out.
"Yes, they’ve finally arrived, Chaldea."
It was a sweet voice, charming like candied fruit.
More importantly, the owner of the voice was an exceptionally beautiful and mature woman.
She had a graceful figure, full and alluring, with the body proportions of a world-class model—yet the air and beauty she exuded far surpassed any model. Even in a military uniform, not the slightest bit of her beauty was concealed.
Her looks could no longer be described as merely delicate, nor could the word ’beautiful’ possibly sum her up.
If one had to describe her, it would only be like this—
A beauty capable of toppling a nation.
Unparalleled under the heavens.
Peerless elegance.
Unrivaled allure.
She was a woman whose beauty left people breathless, yet behind such beauty, her gaze faintly revealed a touch of seduction—a danger like deadly poison.
"Here you are, my friend Koyanskaya."
Muryan greeted the bewitching and dangerous woman with excessive familiarity.
"So, did you find any goods that suit your tastes?"
Hearing this, the woman named Koyanskaya revealed a bright, genuine smile.
"Well, I can’t say it’s exactly what I wanted, but coming here wasn’t a waste." Koyanskaya smiled. "Of course, the new products haven’t been tested yet, so I’ll have to see how they perform next."
"Is that so?" Muryan immediately understood Koyanskaya’s meaning, her smile gradually syncing with Koyanskaya’s. "Then, why not take the noisy Fairy Knight and her lover, who’ve been making a fuss at the door, and go together? Honestly, I’m starting to get annoyed with them too."
"No problem!"
Koyanskaya’s smile grew even deeper, to the point her eyes narrowed, and within them, there seemed to flicker a light and color that no human should possess—even her pupils changed slightly, causing this stunning woman in a military uniform to exude an aura even fiercer than a Returned A-Rei like Woodwose.
’I’ve waited so long. It’s time to see if you’re still as naive and fragile as before.’
Koyanskaya thought with a smile, gazing out the window.
’Don’t disappoint me, okay?’
’Everyone from Chaldea~’