On the seventeenth day of the journey, Arthur and his party had completed their inspection of Camelot and parts of the neighboring countries.
So on the twentieth day, at Arthur's request to see the mythical species said to live in Britain, Merlin led everyone to a forest.
Watching the white-haired magician leading the way, Arthur asked, "Are you sure these Fantasy Species can survive in a place like this?"
Arthur's suspicion wasn't unfounded. Though the air in this forest was rich in True Aether, it was far inferior to that near Camelot. It was hard to imagine such a level of True Aether supporting the survival of Fantasy Species.
Gawain was also skeptical.
He had seen and conquered many Fantasy Species. Several known habitats of powerful fantasy creatures existed, and this forest was not one of them.
"Of course, believe me," Merlin said with a confident smile. "In front of my eyes, which see through the truth of the world, everything presents its truest side. If I say it's here, then it must be. And you also know the current situation in Britain, my king. I can assure you that the Fantasy Species you seek is here."
Of course, Merlin knew exactly what Arthur was after.
"Flying dragons, Pegasus, demon pigs, and the like all have great destructive power. Properly tamed, able to understand simple commands, they could play a significant role on the battlefield. They're indeed powerful. But those aren't the species the king is seeking. Pure destructive force isn't what the king pursues."
Exactly.
If Arthur sought mere destructive power, both Manaka and Morgan could provide it.
With the resources of this era and the magic of those two, they could create as many powerful monsters and puppets as desired.
But none of that mattered to Arthur.
Britain was too sparsely populated, and he did not want to see its people decimated by civil war. He would never do something so foolish.
To truly build his ideal kingdom, he must completely take over the British lands.
It may sound incredible, but Arthur had a plan — and Camelot's future was capable of it.
"Let's not talk about flying dragons and demon pigs, which sound like ferocious Fantasy Species. Even Pegasus isn't allowed?"
"It should have been possible."
"Then why—?"
Looking back at Merlin, who was avoiding his gaze with a bitter smile and hesitation, Arthur's eyes narrowed.
He seemed to have guessed something.
He nodded and said, "Don't worry, speak freely. Gawain is stupid but keeps his mouth shut. You've heard what Skadi said, so she won't say anything either."
Having said that, Arthur suddenly raised his hand and signaled everyone to rest.
There was no way he could keep going — he was just too tired.
Since Gawain appeared alongside Skadi that day, Arthur hadn't asked why she was there on official business, and their communication had been minimal.
But this woman with silver hair and red eyes was surprisingly proactive. When no outsiders were around, she would even hold Arthur while walking. At mealtime, she brought her prey to Arthur wordlessly.
It was as if Arthur was a fragile kitten who could die from any threat.
Skadi cared for Arthur in every possible way, yet in a way that was hard to understand — like some creature desperately trying to gather food for its young.
Such behavior always made Arthur smile.
Occasionally, during breaks, Skadi would hold Arthur in her arms like a devoted cat slave, stroking and comforting him.
Most important of all, the weakness buried deep in Arthur's DNA kept surfacing, and he was utterly powerless against this silver-haired woman with red eyes.
Woohoo~, that was the feeling.
Because her technique was so skillful, Arthur squinted his eyes in comfort. His usually furrowed brows suddenly relaxed.
Seeing this, Gawain's eyes reddened.
He had never expected that someone of his kind (?) found in a small town would compete for the king's favor — and seemed destined to lose.
Disrespectful, truly disrespectful! As a subject, Gawain hadn't dared to touch the king's head, but here was someone else doing it openly. Damn it, he was so envious!
Jealousy tore the Sun Knight apart.
Not to mention Gawain's mental meltdown, Merlin sat down on a stone with a sigh and continued explaining.
"We belong to the Celtic branch, destined to be destroyed as the Age of Gods fades. Unfortunately, the same is true for the Phantasma. The thinning True Aether causes them to gradually degenerate. The Pegasus, once able to understand human language and symbolizing oracles and favor, has now lost its intellect. Perhaps only the Terel, with a special bloodline, can be spared."
Hearing this, Arthur, who was about to fall asleep in comfort, suddenly grew gloomy.
The situation was far more serious than he had thought.
"That means, as King Arthur, once I die... no, once Camelot — the last pillar of the Age of Gods — falls, even a hybrid like you with human blood will have to leave the stage."
"So the king didn't know this. Well, big brother Merlin is very happy~!"
"What's there to be happy about? Are you pleased by my ignorance or mocking me?"
"No, how could that be? The king has always been wise — everyone agrees. But isn't it natural for me to be happy? King Arthur isn't omniscient or omnipotent. As a magician, I still have value to my king and a place to use my skills. Isn't that something to be happy about?" Merlin said with a smile.
This frivolous guy was surprisingly frank today.
"Enough, Merlin. That's not what I wanted to hear. Tell me, what is the destination of this journey? What Fantasy Species are we really looking for?"
"Haven't you guessed it in your heart? That's right. It's a fairy," Merlin said.
Arthur suddenly understood: "So you've been trying to break the Sword of the Chosen all this time?"
"What a pity that I failed. As expected of a king — you never make mistakes."
"Humph! Of course." Arthur snorted coldly, calm on the surface.
In truth, impatience welled in his heart.
Merlin guiding him to find the fairies naturally meant Arthur would become the Sword Master of the Stars and obtain the Star-made Sword.
But the fairies who had given him the Sword were not friendly.
They came from the legendary Avalon.
Gensokyo, Utopia — the land of eternal spring.
Artoria's ideal was to make Camelot an ideal place no less than Avalon.
Avalon was clearly a beautiful place.
But was it really the paradise the legends said?
Obviously not.
If it were truly a utopia where people lived carefree, how could fairies — said to love appearing in nature — all shrink inside, never emerging?
Because if they emerged, they would die.
There was no environment for fairies to survive in a world dominated by human civilization.
They had accepted humans as the most intelligent creatures and could no longer leave Avalon — their only refuge.
The failure of this operation was predictable.