Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

"Well, I like you even more now, so how about coming back to Ireland with me? I can offer double the treatment they're giving you."

Hearing this blatant attempt to poach her partner, even the usually aloof Artoria couldn't help but get angry.

"Noknare! If you're only here because you have nowhere to vent your heat, then get out of here! Now!"

Noknare?

Upon hearing this somewhat familiar yet unfamiliar name, Samael instinctively looked at Boudica beside him.

Noticing the strange gaze beside him, the secretary-general, who was sitting upright, secretly slipped a crumpled file to him.

Samael carefully opened it and quickly peeked at it a few times before he understood the true origin of the name.

Knocknarea is the name of the mountain where Queen Maeve is said to be buried, and the Queen Maeve before us was born from that tomb.

Strictly speaking, she is not the seductive and dissolute Queen Maeve of history, but a royal fairy who naturally formed in that mountain based on legend and spirit possession.

Therefore, "Maeve" is more like a surname and title indicating her origin, while "Noknare" is her real name in private.

Since Ireland and the Celts shared a common lineage during the Age of Gods, the power of the goddess of death, Morrigan, naturally extended to the lands of Ireland. Therefore, the recent Wild Hunt disaster inevitably spread to the lands of Nok'nare.

It was because Samael successfully found the root of the Wild Hunt, eradicated the calamity, and resolved the common crisis of Britain and Ireland that this meeting took place.

Legend has it that Noknare was very keen on collecting warriors, and with her charm and skill, she gathered a large number of heroes.

Out of curiosity, Samael glanced at her a few more times, and as he learned more about her, he couldn't help but marvel at the deeds of this "Queen Maeve".

Currently, thanks to Noknare's diligent efforts, Ireland's mystical power is not much weaker than that of Britain.

The Red Branch Knights and the Fiona Warriors, two elite Irish groups renowned for their heroes, both serve under her command.

As for the Red Branch Knights, since Cú Chulainn is fishing in Fuyuki City, the current Grand Master is Fergus Marc Roy, a member of the Ulster royal family, Cú Chulainn's adoptive father and friend.

Of course, the original Grand Master of the Red Branch Knights was not Fergus, but King Conchhurber of Ulster.

However, he was a tyrant in history, who not only forced Fergus's friend to his death and seized Fergus's friend's wife Deirdre, but also betrayed and killed Fergus's son.

As Conchubert's tyranny intensified, Fergus grew utterly disillusioned with his incompetent and cruel king. He eventually rose in rebellion, leading several hundred Ulster warriors to flee their homeland and seek refuge in Connaught in western Ireland, pledging allegiance to Queen Maeve. In a fit of rage, Conchubert slaughtered Fergus's entire clan remaining in Ulster.

Driven by this hatred, Fergus later led the army of Connaught to attack his homeland, Ulster.

If it weren't for the unexpected emergence of the rebellious Cú Chulainn, the Kingdom of Ulster would have been no match for the alliance between Maeve and Fergus.

And now, as if a myth is repeating itself, the spirit-summoning King Ulster and former Grand Master Conchierber has been dealt with by Fergus and Noknare in a coordinated effort.

This time, however, Cú Chulainn, who had turned the tide, was fishing in Fuyuki City, enjoying his leisurely life.

So, unsurprisingly, the former Grand Master of the Red Branch Knights met his end, and his grave is probably overgrown with grass by now.

The entire Red Knights, under Fergus's leadership, also switched allegiance to the new "Queen Maeve".

Similarly, a coup and split also broke out in the Fiona Warriors, and the current Grand Master is Gore Mona.

Historically, he was one of the two major forces of the Fiona Warriors and a leader of the Mona tribe.

Even more intriguing is the fact that Goyle had previously ordered assassins to kill Finn's father, McCool, the previous Grand Master of the Fiona Warriors.

Although he later earned Finn's forgiveness for his meritorious service and became Finn's follower, even marrying one of Finn's daughters, he chose to support the side opposing Fiona in the war between Fiona and the Royal Army.

Wang Jun.

Practice makes perfect. After his comeback, the second-in-command of the Fiona Knights successfully betrayed Grand Master Finn once again, leading the main force of the Fiona Warriors to defect to Noknare.

Faced with the alliance of the Red Branch Knights and Queen Maeve, as well as the defection of the Fiona Knights from within, Finn was defeated without any surprise.

However, compared to Conchierber, the Grand Master of the Red Branch Knights, whose misdeeds were indelible and whose reputation could not be redeemed, Finn's fate was much better.

After losing the power struggle, he was exiled from Ireland.

But it's unclear whether it's due to the charm of the newly crowned Queen Maeve, or because Finn himself has done too many bad things.

Those who were originally loyal to Finn, such as Ossiham the Fairy Warrior (Finn's son) and Oscar the most ferocious Fiona warrior (Finn's grandson), also chose to stay in Ireland and swear allegiance to the new Queen Noknare.

As a result, only Diarmuid, the first warrior who had been tricked by Finn, chose to continue following his old team down the same path.

Next, the two traveled to Tulipas, joined forces with Finn's former Master Darnic, and together they used the Holy Grail to pull off a major stunt.

But in the end, this guild leader was beaten up and became completely obedient, and is currently just lounging around in the Thousand World Tree Castle.

The second half tells the story of Samael's experiences in Tulipas.

Indeed, based on the few words and phrases described, Samael vaguely guessed that behind Noknare, there seemed to be the involvement of his old lover Scáthach, as well as the shadow of the Norse gods.

However, judging from Ireland's recent prosperity, the newly crowned Queen Maeve certainly possesses remarkable skills and governing abilities.

"Tch, fine, don't tell me then."

Seeing that her attempt to poach her boyfriend had failed, Noknare muttered a few words in annoyance. Then, her eyes lit up, and she looked at the person opposite her with a smile. She reached into the magic circle and took out a sealed bottle of fine wine. She uncorked the cork and poured the golden liquid into two stemmed glasses.

The thick, golden-amber-colored liquid slid down the glass, gathering at the bottom and forming a pile of snow-white foam. Its sweet aroma was intoxicating.

"Since it's a banquet, how can we not have fine wine? This is mead I brought from Ireland."

Noknare raised her wine glass, handed it to Samael, and spoke with a smile.

"Come, let's have a drink to celebrate the eradication of the Wild Hunt, my dear warrior."

However, before the invitee could react, a dark and sinister figure loomed over Noknare's head and spoke in a low voice.

"Noknare, do you remember what I said?"

"what?"

The pink-haired queen looked up at the Lion King Artoria, who had somehow appeared behind her, with a blank expression.

"boom!"

The next moment, a glass panel exploded with a crisp crack and shattered, and a disheveled pink-haired figure was thrown out of the reception room, tracing a graceful arc.

Immediately, the Lion King, having asserted his territorial sovereignty, unceremoniously snatched the wine glass from Samael's hand and threw it, along with the half-empty bottle of wine on the table.

【Queen's Mead】possesses the enchanting legend of the Golden Torrent. Even men from opposing sides who bathe in this wine will become intoxicated and mesmerized. With just a sip, a man will instantly become her possession and pledge allegiance to the beautiful Queen Maeve.

"If you don't want to drink, then don't drink. Why be so rude to people..."

Noknare, who had gotten up from the grass, brushed off the grass clippings and dust from her body and complained sullenly.

However, as the Queen and the Prime Minister stood before the French windows, one drew his holy sword and the other raised his wand, Noknare's expression changed, and she immediately covered her head, turned around, and ran away.

This is incredible! It seems she really managed to touch the lion's butt this time.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Samael, Your Fleet Has Arrived (4.7k)

Hinako Akuta feels like she's having a really bad day.

Because she is an immortal elf, she won't starve or die of thirst even if she doesn't eat or drink, but she still finds this method of maintaining her vital signs too uncomfortable—after all, food is the only thing in life that should not be missed.

So, the literature major, having regained her elegant demeanor, strolled along the old street near the clock tower during the quiet midday hours, hoping to find some local delicacies.

She never expected to run into the second person she least wanted to see in a dessert shop, after someone else.

"Huh? Isn't this... Oh, sorry, let me think—um, Ms. Akuta Hinako?"

Standing before her was Lydia, whom she had met that morning and who was known as a "super British beauty," who was gracefully swallowing a piece of chocolate cake.

Hinako quickly raised the book she was carrying to cover her face, but she was still caught red-handed by the sharp-eyed Lydel.

"Haha...haha...what a coincidence..."

Lydia approached with a serious expression, looking him up and down: "What a coincidence? I finally caught someone from the same plant family. We had agreed to go back to the Clock Tower together at the Karnak Mall, but you ran off early, making me wait for nothing."

The guilty-looking Hinako's lips twitched a few times. "Ah, um... I'm sorry, I... actually..."

Actually, I sneaked in.

She really wanted to say that.

"Actually, I'm leaving London soon..."

Hinako Akuta felt she hadn't lied; after all, the morning's farce had already made her...

It seems he can't keep up this act anymore.

Rather than being caught red-handed, she'd rather run away beforehand, since she'd already obtained some information she wanted from the Clock Tower.

As per her agreement with Maris Billy, after the current Mage's Association meeting, she would safely infiltrate Chaldea with Mary and the director, and she wouldn't stay here for long.

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Lydia stood up abruptly.

"This is outrageous! They were just back at the Clock Tower and they're already being sent on assignment?! Let's go!"

After saying that, she dragged Hinako all the way back to the clock tower, bypassed a series of winding corridors, and pushed open the door of an office.

"Notify each household to send one person here. I have something to say."

Lydia gave orders to the servants who came to greet her.

Before long, several magicians in uniforms sat down at the desk. Hinako sat behind Lydia, looking bewildered.

“Lydal, this is…”

Lydia ignored her and addressed the magicians seated at the table in a loud voice: "Greetings, everyone. It has been quite a while."

"Today I'd like to ask, in our plant science department, who is responsible for managing the dispatch of our students on overseas missions?"

The group looked at each other in bewilderment. After a while, the person sitting at the head of the table answered.

“Yes… Fender Wall Semberlen.”

"Where is he now?"

"Miss, he participated in the Holy Grail War in Tulifas last time and is said to have encountered some unusual things. He is currently on vacation to recuperate, so the vacant dispatch position has fallen to Miss Akuta Hinako. But there is no other way. There have been too many mysterious events recently, and there is a serious shortage of manpower. The current dispatched students are flexibly sent out according to the needs after coordination between various disciplines. In other words, each department is in charge of its own affairs, and the inside story is quite complicated."

The lead magician rubbed his temples and complained helplessly.

Lydia went through her memories for a while before finally recalling that this was a lecturer at the Clock Tower who had recently gained fame. She was reasonably competent, but her personality was careless and she seemed a bit arrogant.

Of course, more importantly, the Selberen family doesn't have any deep-rooted ties with her, so she can afford to offend them.

“This Miss Hinako Akuta is my friend,” Lydel said, gesturing to Hinako behind her. “She’s also a botany student. But she was sent abroad before she even graduated, and only just returned to London. Now she’s being sent away again in such a short time—I expect an explanation from you all. Surely no one thinks that botany is just a useless subject known for its witches, and that everyone there is weak and easily bullied?”

She spoke with an air of authority, as if she were born to be the center of attention. This made Hinako Akuta, who was standing next to Lydel, very uncomfortable and anxiously hoped that the meeting would end as soon as possible.

She preferred to hide in a quiet corner, reading a book and drinking tea, rather than being stared at by a group of people.

“I’m so sorry, Miss Archerlot!” The lead magician bowed hastily. “We certainly didn’t mean any disrespect to the Department of Botany. However, mistakes are possible. Could you please provide your enrollment year so I can check?”

Hinako caught a glimpse of a thick book he was holding, which looked like a collection of archives.

“I…” she recalled the identity Maris Billy had given her, “It was 2012, wasn’t it?”

The magician then opened the file and searched for a long time before finally finding the corresponding file among a bunch of names.

“Miss Akuta Hinako, female,” he read aloud. “For privacy reasons, her age is confidential. She was born in Japan in the Far East, but is actually Chinese. She joined the Clock Tower Plant Department of the Mage's Association in September 2012, and shortly after transferred to the Astronomy Department, all her information is blank and there is no reference available…”

"..."

Lydia frowned, a hint of hesitation creeping onto her face.

"The Department of Astrophysics? Was it the Animusfia family's doing?"

No, if you have any questions, ask Lao Ma!

"I want to shout this in my heart," Hinako Akuta thought to herself, her gaze somewhat unfocused.

But in order not to expose herself, she could only try to downplay the incident.

"Lydel, let it go. After all these years, and it involves too many things; it's not easy to handle. My departure in a few days isn't for an overseas assignment; it's for some personal matters..."

Lydia thought for a moment and nodded.

"Since it's your own decision, fine. But if anyone tries to target you, you can tell me."

Hinako, busy trying to escape, nodded repeatedly.

"By the way, please also tell the Animusfia family that they should not underestimate the Plant Family, even if the students do not come from a prestigious family."

The magicians nodded in agreement and left the house.

"If there's nothing else, I can..."

Seeing that everything had returned to calm, Hinako Akuta breathed a sigh of relief and wanted to get away from this somewhat overly enthusiastic candidate for the next monarch of the plant family as soon as possible.

After all, her identity as a plant scientist couldn't stand scrutiny, and it was inevitable that she would feel a little guilty when the imposter met the real deal.

"I almost forgot! Hurry, it's almost time to assemble!"