As the next morning came, after a night of uninterrupted rest, Riezel’s group, with their spirits and condition fully restored, set out early and left the fortress-like tower, continuing their journey toward Norwich.
Thanks to the various means Riezel employed to speed up their travel, it took them only about two and a half hours to reach Norwich.
Norwich, as the only port city in Faerie Britain, was located on the southeastern coast. Not only was it a city of smelting, but it was also a major hub for maritime transport.
Here, ships were built and sent out to sail the seas.
Even though they could not leave this Lostbelt to find a second country beyond Britain, these ships could reach any coast within Britain, greatly reducing travel time.
As a result, Norwich did have a trade and transport business, but compared to the ironworks of this city, it was not very remarkable.
A city like this was, unsurprisingly, vivacious and bustling, with the most common sight being the blacksmiths of the Earth Clan, followed by merchants from all over Faerie Britain.
Yet, for such a noisy and vibrant city, when Riezel and the others arrived, the first thing they saw was a sky shrouded in darkness.
"Is that the so-called ’Calamity Pool’?"
Da Vinci poked her head out from the carriage, gazing at the dark sky with a grave expression.
In that instant, the rest of the group also looked up.
Some wore heavy expressions, some furrowed their brows, and others seemed lost in thought—their reactions varied.
In Faerie Britain, the sky was usually tinged with dusk, while a black sky was truly rare.
Though rain would always darken the sky, the clouds gathered above Norwich were clearly not ordinary rain clouds.
They were thick and oppressive, not spreading like normal storm clouds, but instead swirling slowly over Norwich like a vortex, as if something terrible was being nurtured within, making everyone who saw it feel a deep sense of depression.
Because of the vortex’s presence, the area around Norwich was shrouded in darkness, with strong winds howling endlessly. It looked as if rain would pour at any moment, yet it never did, which only made the mood even heavier.
"The Moss... aren’t going to fall from up there all of a sudden, right?"
Artoria muttered quietly, but the others still heard her.
"We’re not sure if they will fall from above, but once a Calamity erupts, the Moss are sure to appear."
Oberon stated with certainty.
Mash and Tristan both frowned deeply at his words, clearly troubled.
Even though they had only just arrived, after Oberon’s explanations, they already understood what the so-called Moss was.
And they had also experienced just how troublesome those things could be on the very first day they landed.
"By the way, what exactly is this so-called Calamity?"
Da Vinci became curious, turning to ask Riezel and the others.
"According to what you all have said, Calamity is a phenomenon that has always existed in Faerie Britain, stretching back to ancient times. But it’s obvious this phenomenon isn’t just some simple natural disaster, right?"
"If the Moss is what becomes of a fairy who has been cursed, a lost soul stripped of its name, radiance, and meaning, then why do large numbers of Moss appear whenever a Calamity breaks out?"
"It feels like there must be some crucial link between Calamities and the Moss. Has no one in this Lostbelt tried to uncover the truth about this?"
Da Vinci’s questions and curiosity were met with a shrug from Oberon, who looked somewhat helpless.
"You have to understand, fairies are different from humans, madam."
Oberon spoke while shaking his head.
"Yes, there are some clever ones among fairies, but in this country, being clever isn’t exactly a prized quality."
"Fairies are the kind of folk who never worry about the future, nor are they the type to stay vigilant even in peace. What they want most is to play, to enjoy themselves, to satisfy their desires for fun every single day."
"On top of that, fairies in this country are even more wary of the Moss and dread the coming of the Calamity than you think, so normally, no one would investigate such things."
Oberon paused for a moment before continuing.
"At present, there’s only one widely held belief in Faerie Britain, and that is: Calamity will inevitably break out at regular intervals."
"Every hundred years, there is a Lesser Calamity."
"Every thousand years, there is a Great Calamity."
"And ever since Morgan’s ascension and coronation as queen, two thousand years have passed in Faerie Britain."
"In other words, the second Great Calamity is about to arrive, so all the fairies are living in fear that this Calamity will be the once-in-a-millennium Great Calamity."
A Great Calamity was truly a terrifying event.
If a Lesser Calamity affected only a region or a single city, then a Great Calamity would impact all of Faerie Britain.
In other words, if a Great Calamity occurred and things went badly, Faerie Britain itself could be destroyed.
Naturally, fairies could not help but worry about the arrival of the Great Calamity.
"So, how was the last Great Calamity resolved?"
Da Vinci turned to Oberon with this question.
Since Morgan had reigned for 2,000 years, it meant that a Great Calamity had also appeared in Faerie Britain 1,000 years ago.
Da Vinci wanted to know what caused the previous Great Calamity to disappear.
However, it was not Oberon who answered, but Artoria.
"Back then, it was the head of the Fang Clan, Woodwose, who resolved it."
Indeed, the last Great Calamity had been resolved by Woodwose.
At that time, when the Great Calamity rampaged throughout Faerie Britain, causing massive casualties, the previous head of the Fang Clan, under Morgan’s orders, set out to defeat the King of the Moss, who had sparked the Moss tide, but ended up being slain by the King of the Moss instead, failing in the attempt.
At that critical moment, the descendant of the slain Fang Clan head was born.
He inherited the title of Grand Duke from the previous clan head, and from birth, he carried the purest blood of the A-Rei, and had even undergone atavism to become an A-Rei himself, making his strength surpass that of the aging former head of the Fang Clan.
In that way, Woodwose hunted down the King of the Moss, suppressed the Moss tide, and successfully resolved the Great Calamity that had ravaged all of Britain.
Thanks to that, Woodwose became the hero of Faerie Britain, regarded as the sharpest sword under Morgan’s command. It was not until recent centuries, when the Fairy Knights began to rise in power, that the aging Woodwose gradually lost his influence and was no longer as authoritative as before.
Before the emergence of the Fairy Knights, Woodwose could be said to have been the most favored fairy in Faerie Britain, second only to Morgan herself.
Because of that, Woodwose harbored deep resentment toward the fairy knights, as their rise caused him to gradually lose power and favor, until he became, in the eyes of many fairies, just an old relic retired from the front lines.
To regain Morgan’s attention and once again draw her gaze, Woodwose even concealed his true nature and acted like a gentleman—something truly laughable.
"A Returned A-Rei, huh...?" Da Vinci remarked in awe. "So, he’s comparable to the pure fairies born from the Inner Sea of the Planet..."
"Indeed..." Tristan chimed in gravely. "Even in the era when I lived, there were very few fairies of that level, and every one of them held a very high status in Britain."
"King of the Moss..." Mash focused on another matter, gazing worriedly at the vortex of dark clouds in the sky and speaking cautiously. "Could it be that a King of the Moss is being born inside that vortex?"
Everyone fell silent.
What Mash said truly was a possibility no one could deny.
Only Riezel, who had been watching the vortex in the sky ever since stepping out of the carriage, finally spoke up.
"No, that vortex probably has nothing to do with the Calamity."
Hearing this statement, the entire group was stunned.
"Nothing to do with the Calamity?"
Artoria, Mash, Da Vinci, and Tristan all looked at him in surprise.
"No way?"
Oberon gazed at Riezel with a skeptical expression.
"According to the information I have, ever since the Moss appeared in large numbers and the amount of cursed magical energy in this land increased, that vortex showed up as well.
"So, many fairies believe that the vortex is the source of the Calamity being accumulated. Some, just like Mash said, have long suspected that a King of the Moss is being born inside."
"Everything points to it being closely related to the Calamity."
It was precisely because the vortex looked like a whirlpool on water that it had been named the ’Calamity Pool.’
However, Riezel replied indifferently.
"But the problem is, not only did I not sense any cursed magical energy from it, I actually felt an astonishing magical energy."
No cursed magical energy?
An astonishing magical energy?
Everyone exchanged glances, and some even looked completely lost.
"...It seems things in Norwich are far more complicated than they appear."
Da Vinci spoke with a sigh.
"What exactly is going on, Riezel?"
Artoria pressed closer to Riezel, her concern plain in her voice.
Riezel did not answer and instead changed the subject.
"Let us go see the head of the Earth Clan first."
For now, the matter of the Calamity was not urgent.
Riezel, who knew the original work well, understood that it would not amount to much.
Instead, it was that vortex in the sky, the power gathering inside, that might be closely tied to him.
However, before dealing with that, he had to help Artoria ring the Bell of Pilgrimage in Norwich first.
Otherwise, he might not get another chance to help Artoria complete this pilgrimage.