As expected, the inside of Norwich was bustling and lively.
Even with the arrival of the Calamity, that noise and excitement still could not be completely swept away.
All sorts of shops lined the streets of this city.
Most of them rang with the clear sound of metal striking metal, giving Riezel a strange sense of deja vu, as if he had returned to Labyrinth City Orario and entered Northeast Street.
Most of the fairies here belonged to the Earth Clan, followed by the Fang Clan, and lastly the Wind Clan.
Of course, there were also humans roaming around.
However, humans here were not like those in Salisbury, who had the right to live independently.
Nonetheless, due to the unique nature of the city’s smelting industry, Norwich welcomed merchant groups from all over Britain. Even humans would be welcomed by the lord here, as long as they could spend money, do business, or make profits in this place.
In a way, the humans here were even freer than those in Salisbury—provided they had money.
If they were penniless, the fairies wandering this city would certainly not mind gaining another ’product’ under their control, getting into the business of human trafficking.
As Riezel and the others entered Norwich and stepped onto the city’s main street, they quickly drew the attention of everyone around.
"Hey, don’t those people over there look familiar?"
"Wait, isn’t that the so-called Child of Prophecy everyone’s been talking about lately in the middle?"
"What? He came to Norwich?"
"No doubt about it—that’s the Child of Prophecy. I’ve seen his portrait—there are posters up in Camelot, Salisbury, Gloucester, and Oxford."
"Oh wow, the Child of Prophecy really did come to Norwich!"
"So the prophecy was true! He’s here to drive away the Calamity!"
"Hurry, go tell everyone!"
Just like that, the commotion quickly spread, causing the surrounding fairies to either start whispering among themselves or excitedly rush off. Anyone who didn’t know better would think a festival was about to begin as the noise and excitement in Norwich only grew stronger.
Seeing this, Mash and the others were a bit stunned.
"We just showed our faces, and it caused this much of a stir?"
"No, that’s to be expected for someone known as the Child of Prophecy."
Da Vinci murmured softly, while Mash looked just as impressed.
They had already learned from Oberon that most ordinary people in Faerie Britain currently believed Riezel was the Child of Prophecy, with no real understanding of Artoria’s existence.
Recently, there were rumors that Artoria was the ’foreign traveler’ mentioned in the prophecy—the outsider magus said to help the Child of Prophecy.
Naturally, among fairies, the Child of Prophecy was the true center of attention. As for the foreign traveler, fairies just saw them as a subordinate or an errand-runner for the Child of Prophecy.
Needless to say, this fit well with the fairies’ love for excitement, exaggeration, and controversy. For this reason, Oberon had already warned Mash and the others to be careful not to say too much and to keep Artoria’s identity hidden for now, which might not be a bad thing.
However, Mash and the others clearly did not expect that the Child of Prophecy, played by Riezel, would be so famous among the fairies.
"Ahaha..."
Artoria, the actual Child of Prophecy, could only give a dry laugh, wearing an awkward expression that seemed to say, "Sorry, but the real Child of Prophecy is just an ordinary, unremarkable person like me."
Tristan glanced at Artoria, then quickly looked away, as if he was afraid to meet her gaze.
"Is it just me, or do the fairies here seem to be really looking forward to the Child of Prophecy showing up?"
Even though his eyes remained closed, Tristan spoke as if he could see.
"Of course."
Oberon nodded and replied matter-of-factly.
"Morgan’s rule had long caused resentment among many fairies. Even though most of them just wanted to watch the show, when it came to the Child of Prophecy clashing with the Queen, that was how things were here in Norwich, too—though now it had changed."
"Morgan abandoning this city and refusing to send her army to rescue Norwich is a story that’s already spreading across Britain."
"Meanwhile, the Mirror Clan’s prophecy says the Child of Prophecy will come to Norwich and drive away the Calamity."
"Compared like this, it’s obvious which side the fairies of Norwich will support."
On one hand was the witch who abandoned her people and their city.
On the other hand was the savior in the prophecy, who would defeat the threat of Calamity and save Norwich.
It was easy to guess who the fairies would welcome—anyone could figure that out.
"It won’t be long before the whole of Norwich is talking about how the Child of Prophecy has arrived, that the true king will replace the false one and save Norwich, and that the city doesn’t need to fear being destroyed by the Calamity anymore."
Oberon spoke with confidence.
"Luckily, there aren’t any of Morgan’s people here. If there were, and we walked around so openly in the city, it’d be a miracle if they didn’t come after us."
Just as Oberon finished speaking, Riezel suddenly cut in.
"Even if Morgan’s people aren’t here, that doesn’t mean everyone in this city will welcome us."
At these words, everyone stopped in their tracks.
Thanks to the commotion Riezel’s group caused, a group of people began heading their way.
It was a group of fairies dressed like city guards—obviously Norwich’s official personnel.
However, these fairies were not all from the Earth Clan—at least, the group leader was a fairy of the Fang Clan who gave off a strong aura, making Artoria, Mash, Tristan, and Da Vinci tense up inside.
Seeing the group leader, Riezel narrowed his eyes.
He was clearly not ordinary—though not quite at Gawain or Woodwose’s level, he was much stronger than a typical fairy of the Fang Clan.
In Riezel’s estimation, he was even stronger than Albert Borley, likely only a step away from Level 7.
For fairies of this caliber, even Artoria, Tristan, or Da Vinci would have a hard time defeating him quickly if they faced him alone.
Especially Artoria and Da Vinci—one was just a rookie magus, and the other was a technical staff member. It would be difficult for either of them to win solo. Only Tristan might be able to gain the upper hand.
At this moment, the group marched straight over to them with an aggressive air, the leader’s gaze sweeping over everyone before finally settling on Riezel.
"I am Lord Spriggan’s personal guard."
Gazing at Riezel, the lord’s personal guard spoke in a rough voice.
"So you’re the Child of Prophecy? Her Majesty’s husband? Britain’s prince consort?"
As soon as these words dropped, the whole area fell silent—even Mash and the others wore expressions of shock.
"Husband?"
"Prince consort?"
Mash and Da Vinci looked at Riezel, their eyes filled with disbelief.
"...Morgan’s husband?"
Tristan even opened his eyes wide, as if he was seeing something beyond human understanding.
"Hmph!"
Artoria let out a cold snort, looking extremely annoyed.
Only Oberon was still calm.
"Well, it’s kinda complicated..." Oberon said with a wry smile. "Well, I’ll explain it to you all later."
Clearly, this fairy king had not told the people from Chaldea that Riezel and Morgan were already a married couple.
Riezel ignored everyone’s reaction and raised his eyes to look at the lord’s personal guard before him.
"Did Spriggan send you?"
He asked calmly, his voice so composed that everyone subconsciously quieted down.
Hearing the question, the lord’s personal guard withdrew his gaze, his tone turning a bit more respectful.
"Yes, Lord Spriggan has already learned of your arrival and specifically sent me to invite you to Vault Fortress."
Upon hearing this, Riezel nodded indifferently.
"Let’s go then."
As Riezel said this, he turned to Mash and the others.
"Are you all coming too?"
Mash and the others immediately exchanged glances.
"Yes, this is an important meeting with a key local figure of this Lostbelt." Da Vinci nodded seriously. "If possible, I’d like to join as well."
Clearly, she wanted to see for herself what kind of leader one of the main races of this Lostbelt was.
"Since Da Vinci is going, I’d like to go as her guard." Mash hesitated for a moment, then said decisively. "But Master hasn’t woken up yet, and there needs to be someone to guard his side."
"In that case, just leave Master to me." Tristan volunteered. "Don’t worry, I’ll keep Master safe."
"Then, Mash and Da Vinci should come with us." Oberon decided immediately. "Spriggan isn’t easy to deal with, so it’s necessary to let him see our strength for himself."
In other words, the more people, the better—to intimidate the other side.
"So... I have to go too?" Artoria sounded reluctant.
"Come on, aren’t you the protagonist here?" Oberon rolled his eyes at her.
"Alright, let’s go." Riezel shook his head. "Let’s settle this early, so we don’t have any more trouble."
Everyone nodded in agreement and didn’t say anything more.
"Please follow me."
Seeing that the group had finished discussing, the lord’s personal guard immediately led the way in front.
Riezel followed first, with the others close behind.
===
Norwich, Vault Fortress.
Vault Fortress was the residence of the Lord of Norwich and also the most heavily guarded place in the Fairy Kingdom.
It was said that Spriggan had spent an enormous fortune to build this fortress for himself. All the treasures he had gathered in Faerie Britain over many years were stored inside—it was his lifeblood.
Because of that, Spriggan valued Vault Fortress so highly and made the level of security here astonishing. Once the gates were shut, even a Fairy Knight would have a hard time breaking in.
At the very top of Vault Fortress stood the bell tower of the Bell of Pilgrimage, and the lord’s chambers were just below it.
Just like the cathedral in Salisbury, the lord’s chambers were on the highest floor.
"Welcome to Vault Fortress, Child of Prophecy."
Dressed in splendid clothes, Spriggan greeted Riezel with a formal bow as he entered.
"No, I suppose I should address you as Your Highness."
Spriggan wore a smile on his face as he spoke, though in Riezel’s eyes, that smile looked quite sinister.