Fairy Round Table Realm, Poem of Eternal Mist

(Where our king's sword points, that is where our hearts are set.)

Wherever our king's gaze falls, that is the battlefield for us.

Even if I am trapped in darkness, even if I am forever plunged into the abyss—

Our loyalty will never fade.

Senjimura sighed inwardly. He knew perfectly well that the girl before him, who had not yet been burdened with the king's mandate, was the very figure the original owner of this body had spent her entire life searching for. It was just that she had not yet donned that heavy crown.

Unsettling Rainstorm - Fairy Round Table Realm, Poem of Eternal Mist

The scene before them was like solidified amber. The subtle atmosphere flowing between Senko Village and Artoria made Ritsuka hesitate to speak, while Oberon and Amy were so embarrassed they almost became background figures. Finally, the Fairy King coughed lightly, breaking the suffocating silence.

"The two of you gazing at each other so affectionately makes us seem superfluous." Oberon winked mischievously. "I never expected our little Caster to have met such a handsome young man!"

"Oberon!" Artoria's cheeks flushed crimson. "I don't know Mr. Muramasa at all!" She turned to the old man in a panic. "Um... have we really met before?"

Senji Muramasa stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment, his gaze lingering on Ritsuka's bewildered face for a fleeting instant. "It must be the memories of the original owner of this body," he finally explained gently. "I can sense the connection between him and you. Since we have the honor of meeting today, please allow me to get to know you anew, Princess Artoria."

'That was a beautiful turn.' Amy chuckled as she fluttered her wings.

'But Oberon, you…' Artoria stared warily at the Fairy King, who was still chuckling, 'You must be plotting something again!'

To avoid any further complications, the group moved to a quiet alley. After confirming that no one was around, Qianzicun's expression suddenly turned serious: 'Since we've met here, you must also be here for—'

"To defeat the King of the Lostbelts," Ritsuka replied firmly, "to restore humanity and prevent Earth from being wiped clean."

"But this situation is far more serious than before," the old man sighed. "Losing Mashu's protection and severing ties with Chaldea is like a bird with broken wings."

"You want to challenge Queen Morgan?!" Oberon exclaimed in shock, and even Artoria gasped.

'Throughout history, no rebel has ever escaped.' Amy's butterfly wings trembled slightly with tension. 'Not to mention the Queen herself, those six fairy knights alone are enough to ensure your utter destruction.'

Faced with everyone's doubts, Ritsuka recounted the entire story of the alien god's arrival and the Imaginary Tree's encroachment on reality. When she mentioned that Earth was gradually turning into a blank canvas, Oberon seemed thoughtful: 'The Queen did indeed prophesy the end of the world... but with you now?'

"You recently nearly lost your life at Bedivere's hands," Artoria said worriedly, grasping Ritsuka's hand. "Don't take any more risks."

Just as Ritsuka was lost in thought, Senjimura slowly spoke: "Let me tell you the truth—not to mention Queen Morgan's unfathomable strength, just the knights under her command are..." The old man stroked the katana at his waist, a chilling glint in his eyes, "I personally experienced it not long ago."

Deep within the palace of Camelot, besides the ubiquitous bronze horse-headed soldiers and scattered human guards, the most fearsome are the six fairy knights under Queen Morgan's command. These beings, named after the Knights of the Round Table—Tristan, Gawain, Lancelot, Mordred, Gareth, and Bedivere—ostensibly protect the kingdom's peace, but in reality, they are all the queen's 'children.' Among them, the fairy knight Tristan is even the queen's own flesh and blood.

Each knight possesses a unique blessing bestowed by the Queen, a blessing unlike the fixed protection granted by the Lion King in pan-human history, capable of freely changing form according to the user's will. Just as the fairy knight Gawain demonstrated not long ago, who withstood the Thousand Muramasa's 'Mugen Kenshi' unscathed, these blessings contain unimaginable magical amplification.

'That knight withstood Grandpa's ultimate attack without a scratch?' Ritsuka's eyes widened in disbelief. 'How is this possible...?'

"Do not judge this place by the standards of general human history," said Senji Muramasa with a grave expression. "The laws here are strange and unsettling."

Oberon suddenly narrowed his eyes: 'Wait a minute, since you attempted to assassinate the Queen, how did you manage to escape unscathed?'

"That's the most puzzling part." The old man stroked the hilt of his sword. "The Queen's magic is unfathomable—not only can she instantly transfer damage inflicted upon herself, but she also displays unusual magical fluctuations during combat. But what's most concerning is that the magical chains binding me inexplicably failed on the day of my escape, and there were only two knights guarding me..."

Amy lightly touched her lips: 'You've been on the run for four days, yet you haven't seen any pursuers?'

"Indeed." Senji Muramasa frowned deeply, "It's as if the Queen intends to let me leave."

Oberon pondered: 'Release the assassins...what exactly is Her Majesty the Queen plotting?'

After Ritsuka finished recounting her experiences upon landing, Senji Muramasa suddenly laughed loudly: "In that case, I'll lend you a hand. Although you're still an apostle of the alien god, it's only natural for an elder to help a junior." His gaze inadvertently swept over Artoria, "Besides, one should always help an old friend protect an important wish."

Although the matter of defeating the queen still required careful consideration, the addition of Senji Muramasa increased their hope of finding their companions. Not long after the group left Salisbury, the sky suddenly changed color. The pink-hued sky was dyed inky black, and a fierce wind whipped up large raindrops that poured down, instantly enveloping the plain in a curtain of rain.

"Quick, find somewhere to shelter from the rain!" Artoria grabbed Ritsuka and rushed toward the giant rock.

Beneath the natural stone shelter, the girls wrung out their soaked clothes in a disheveled state. Senjimura, who had been considerately standing with his back turned, suddenly noticed something amiss: 'Where is Lord Oberon?'

'It was just beside me...' Amy nervously flapped the waterlogged butterfly wings.

Just as Ritsuka was about to shout, Senko Muramasa abruptly covered her mouth. Looking in the direction he indicated, everyone held their breath—the fairy knight Bedivere appeared in the downpour, kicking away pebbles in frustration, her curses piercing the rain:

'Damn this weather! It's been sunny for days, how could it suddenly be pouring rain?'

Gazing at the enraged fairy knight Bedivere raging in the torrential rain, Ritsuka gasped. This woman, who had brutally wounded her and her companions on the shore, now appeared before her again, bringing back a flood of bloody memories. She seemed to see Mash's shattered goggles again, hear the muffled thud of Da Vinci falling into the sea, and feel the excruciating pain of the blood-stained blade piercing her abdomen. Just as her mind was in turmoil, she accidentally stepped on a withered branch on the rocky edge.

'Snap!'

The crisp cracking sound, though masked by the torrential rain, couldn't escape the fairy knight's keen senses. Everyone's expression changed drastically as Bedivere abruptly turned, a cruel smile playing on his lips: 'Ah? Isn't that a familiar aura?'

Before the words were even finished, the raindrops suddenly coalesced into a gigantic column of water, crashing down with immense force onto the boulder where the group was hiding. With a deafening explosion, the rock shattered, the flying debris and torrential rain weaving together to create a deadly curtain. Bedivere's figure had already silently appeared before them, his scarlet cloak fluttering wildly in the downpour.

'What a tough-as-nails foreign brat.' She gently stroked the crimson water blade that had gathered at her fingertips. 'Looks like the lesson from last time wasn't severe enough.'

Ritsuka trembled as if she were in an ice cave; even in the pouring rain, cold sweat continued to stream down her forehead. Senji Muramasa stepped in front of her, his katana already subtly drawn three inches from its sheath: 'The Queen actually sent you?'

'Your Majesty?' Bedivere let out a shrill laugh. 'I merely happened to be passing by. But since we've run into each other…' She opened her arms, and the raindrops instantly froze in mid-air. 'Let this downpour be your funeral!'

Tens of thousands of raindrops transformed into gleaming silver needles, perfectly merging with the continuing downpour to form a deadly, all-encompassing net. Amy hurriedly scattered magical seeds, and thick vines sprouted from the earth, forming a heavy barrier. Just as the silver needles struck the barrier, Senji Muramasa had already appeared behind Bedivere, his katana drawing a sharp arc—

'Tch...' Bedivere's form suddenly liquefied and scattered, then reformed a short distance away. Ritsuka shouted a warning: 'Behind you!'

Senjimura parried with both hands, the blade clashing violently with the suddenly appearing blood-stained edge. Bedivere licked the raindrops from his lips: 'Fight me in this downpour? I'll show you true despair!'

As she spread her arms, the surrounding rain began to swirl wildly, and black liquid seeped from the ground, enveloping the entire area in a bizarre cube. Artoria cried out in alarm, "A Reality Marble!"

"Heavenly Prison Water Cellar—" Bedivere's declaration echoed within the barrier.

The world within the barrier had been transformed into a watery inferno. A column of water easily shattered the vine barrier, and the ground beneath Artoria's feet suddenly liquefied. An armored arm violently dragged her into the ground.

'Artoria!' Senko Mura gripped her arm tightly, but could not stop the sinking.

Amy was about to rush forward to help when she was suddenly trapped by bubbles that appeared, struggling in a water-filled cage. Before Ritsuka could react, sharp water spikes shot out from the ground, piercing her limbs and pinning her to the spot. In the excruciating pain, she saw Bedivere gracefully emerge from the curtain of water, her heels lightly tapping the rippling surface.

The icy liquid raged in her wounds, blood meandering along the transparent water chains, staining the shackles binding her a sinister crimson. Fujimaru Ritsuka watched helplessly as the silver-haired demon gracefully emerged from the water's curtain, her heart nearly shattering. Bedivere stepped across the water, creating ripples, her heels striking a deathly rhythm.

'Still struggling, little mouse?' The fairy knight leaned down, his silver hair cascading down like a waterfall. 'I love watching my prey die.'

Ritsuka bit her lower lip, the intense pain blurring her vision.

'It's painful, isn't it? It's desperate, isn't it?' Bedivere conjured ice crystals at his fingertips. 'Last time you escaped by chance, this time I'll savor you slowly—how about I take away those eyes of yours that are always in the way?'

Water elements condensed into translucent scalpels in their palms, the blades gleaming with a cold light. Just as the blades were about to fall, Ritsuka instinctively raised her hand to block—her right hand suddenly burst forth with azure light, and a crescent-shaped magic slash roared out!

"Ouch!" Bedivere was caught off guard and struck in the face, blood gushing from her left eye. "You woman—!"

The water shackles binding Ritsuka shattered instantly, and the bubbles trapping Amy burst abruptly. The mud beneath Artoria solidified again, and Senkomura hurriedly pulled her out of the ground.

"Are you alright?" the old man asked anxiously, checking if the girl was injured.

Artoria grabbed her staff and chanted an incantation, sending three magical orbs hurtling towards the wounded fairy knight. Simultaneously, Senji Muramasa appeared before Bedivere, his katana crackling with azure lightning as he slashed down: 'Take this!'

The lightning and fire slashes illuminated the dark barrier as if it were daytime, and the raging flames devoured the filthy water. The black cube standing in the torrential rain collapsed in the intense light, turning into foul-smelling torrents that scattered and surged in all directions.

Bedivere collapsed to her knees, her once exquisite face now covered in scorch marks and blood. She tried to summon a water elemental, but found that her magic was as if bound by some force and could not be gathered.

"Now's the time!" Ritsuka shouted, enduring the excruciating pain.

Senji Muramasa's blade reignited, crimson sword energy tearing through the rain. Bedivere's hastily erected wall of water cracked with a roar, finally dissolving into a shower of spray. As the old man lunged forward, she was horrified to discover that even her liquefaction ability had failed—

The moment the katana pierced through the breastplate, a cloud of blood mist bloomed like a vibrant red spider lily in the torrential rain.

"We did it!" Amy and Ritsuka cheered in unison.

Artoria frowned: 'No... this attack didn't reach the spirit core.'

Despite his fatal wound, Bedivere still managed to stagger to his feet, his blood-stained face contorted into a ferocious grin: 'Remember this... you foreign scum...'

Thick fog suddenly rolled in from all directions, and her figure gradually faded into the mist. After the storm subsided, only her venomous voice echoed in the rain: 'Next time we meet... I'll make you pay a hundredfold...'

As the downpour subsided, the fairy knight Mordred in the distance withdrew her spellcasting gestures, a satisfied smile playing on her lips: 'It seems this deliberately prepared rainstorm wasn't in vain after all.' She wiped the raindrops from her brow, her gaze lingering intently in the direction where Ritsuka and the others had disappeared, 'I hope you truly are as the prophecy foretold, the key to breaking the deadlock...'

After three days and three nights of arduous travel, the goblin caravan that had rescued Mash finally arrived at their first stop, Darlington. Their original plan to travel directly to Norwich via Oxford was temporarily changed—their superiors had urgently ordered them to proceed to Darlington first to deliver a shipment of vital supplies.

Throughout the journey, Mash remained silently leaning against the carriage door, gazing at the scenery outside the window—a landscape both unfamiliar and strangely familiar. The three goblin merchants—the buck-toothed Varg, the cloaked Winki, and the burly Rob—were already accustomed to the girl's quietness. Whenever they curiously inquired about the origins of the 'Fairy Knight Galahad,' Mash would fall into a blank state of thought, then politely end the conversation.

"Finally here!" Rob jumped off the carriage and stretched. "Wagh, come help unload the goods. If we're late for delivery, we'll get a scolding."

"What exactly is being shipped this time?" Winky sighed, looking at the mountain of containers. "It's unusually heavy."

As Mashu squeezed out of the crowded carriage, her shimmering purple armor immediately drew the attention of everyone passing by. In the Fairy Kingdom, only knights and regular soldiers were entitled to wear armor, and this girl traveling with the caravan clearly defied convention.

'It's the standard armor of the Knights of the Round Table...'

'When did the royal city acquire such a female knight?'

'I must report this to Lord Boggart immediately...'

Amidst the whispers, Mashu remained lost in her own confusion. The title that lingered in her mind, those fragmented memories, all caused her deep bewilderment about her own existence.

"Miss Mashu," Rob's call pulled her back to reality, "we need to go to the castle to deliver goods."

'You seem to be new to Lington?' Winky noticed the unfamiliar look in the girl's eyes as she surveyed her surroundings.

Darlington's unique ring-shaped city walls gleamed with rose gold in the setting sun. The castle, perched on the central high ground, retained both the majesty of a military fortress and a touch of fairytale fantasy. Led by attendants, the group met the city lord—a white lion-orc dressed in a blue-black suit. He reclined languidly on a velvet-covered throne, his amber eyes gently gazing upon the guests, yet radiating an undeniable aura of authority.

"You're too late, gentlemen," Boggart's voice trailed off with a feline purr. "Is all the cargo I requested complete?"

"Everything has been delivered to the warehouse, sir." Rob bowed respectfully.

The lion's gaze suddenly sharpened like a knife: 'Then can you explain why there was an extra "Child of Prophecy" during the transport?'

The entire hall fell silent instantly. The werewolf soldiers gripped their sword hilts, and the goblin merchants exchanged bewildered glances. Only Mashu remained standing quietly, as if this shocking accusation had nothing to do with her.

"In the Fairy Kingdom today," Boggart slowly rose, his muscles bulging beneath his suit, "every city lord, every clan is searching for the Child of Prophecy. To glimpse the future, to rewrite destiny—who wouldn't yearn for such power? According to Her Majesty the Queen, the Child of Prophecy is a purple-haired girl clad in armor, radiating magical energy not of this world."

Wag suddenly realized something and gasped.

"It seems you finally understand." Boggart waved his paw, gesturing, "Guards, take these three 'lucky' merchants to rest."

'What did we do wrong?' Winky struggled as he was held captive by the werewolf soldiers.

'To hoard the child of prophecy is a grave crime.' The city lord lazily combed his mane.

"Lord Boggart," Mash finally spoke, her voice clear as a spring, "they truly knew nothing. If not for their rescue, I would have perished in the wilderness. Please spare my benefactors."

The goblins looked at the girl who was defending them with emotion.

'Since the Son of Prophecy himself has pleaded for them…' Boggart stroked his chin thoughtfully, 'let their lives be spared for now. However—' he suddenly raised his voice, 'take them away and keep them under strict guard!'

"Why?" Mashu clenched her fists. "They're clearly good people!"

“My dear child,” the lion-orc leaned down to look her in the eye, “do you know how many powers throughout Britain are searching for the Child of Prophecy? If you were to appear in the streets, the resulting riots could destroy half a city. And among the six great clans, there are many with ulterior motives…” His tail thumped anxiously on the throne. “I must protect you. Take her to the guest room!”

Watching the girl being escorted away, Boggart sighed softly: 'I hope this decision won't lead to a terrible mistake...'

Eastern Plains of the Fairy Kingdom (West)