The town was nestled deep within the mountains, surrounded by lush green hills, clear waters, birdsong, and the fragrance of flowers.
When Lot and the others arrived, the place was in the midst of reconstruction.
Dwarves no, more accurately, members of the Earth Clan of the fairy race were carrying logs, stone slabs, and other materials back and forth on their short but broad shoulders.
They arrived at a ruined site, cleared the debris, and then assembled the stone slabs and logs into new structures.
The entire process was smooth and efficient, completed in the shortest time possible.
Lot and his group watched, unconcerned about being detected by these fairies.
Morgan's magecraft was more than capable of ensuring their concealment.
For weaker individuals or fairies, even if Lot and Morgan walked right past them, they would remain completely unnoticed.
As for the fairies with prophetic abilities
If they could actually succeed in foreseeing anything, Merlin, that old fraud, would probably laugh himself awake from his dreams.
Lot's anti-divination measures were nothing short of torture for anyone trying to probe into him except for Morgan.
Merlin had suffered greatly from this.
In his Clairvoyance, a persistent haze obscured his vision, like an infuriating smudge on a freshly cleaned pane of glass that refused to be wiped away.
Thankfully, Merlin wasn't the obsessive type otherwise, Lot would have driven him to madness.
Or worse, he might have grabbed a sword and charged at Lot, demanding a fight to the death.
"Hmm, looking at these buildings, it really does seem like these fairies are genuinely trying to help the villagers rebuild their homes."
Watching the scene of the fairies working in the town, young Gawain spoke to Lot and Morgan.
"My dear daughter," Morgan began, adopting a lecturing tone, "sometimes, to achieve certain things, one must first pay a price. Do you think these fairies are good people?"
"No."
Though young Gawain hadn't participated in the battle against Vortigern's forces, she had sneaked out and witnessed the fairies being slaughtered on the battlefield by Lot and the others.
So, of course, she didn't believe the fairies were good.
They were all wicked creatures.
Seeing her shake her head, Morgan continued, "Then, would they really help us rebuild our homes out of the kindness of their hearts? Without demanding anything in return?"
"That's definitely impossible."
Gawain thought for a moment before firmly agreeing with Morgan's reasoning.
Then, she asked, "Then, Mother, do you know what they're actually planning?"
"I don't." Morgan pointed at the fairies. "So, I'll start by capturing a few alive to find out what they're really up to."
"Understood. Should we wait for one of them to separate from the group?"
Hearing this, Gawain clenched her fists, brimming with enthusiasm.
Morgan nodded in approval.
"Correct. We'll wait for one of them to stray from the others."
Lot's group didn't have to wait long outside.
Soon, a fairy from the Earth Clan walked toward the outskirts of the town, seemingly intending to chop wood.
Seeing this, Lot and the others immediately followed.
Once they confirmed no other fairies were nearby, Lot raised his hand.
"Go!"
Gawain charged ahead without hesitation.
The Earth Clan fairy had just raised his axe to chop a tree when he suddenly felt the sky darken above him.
Turning around, he saw a towering figure looming behind him.
Gawain stood at an imposing height of 190 cm. While not as exaggeratedly massive as some of the monstrously proportioned warriors from Lot's past life, her physique was still tall, robust, and undeniably powerful.
And this Earth Clan fairy?
He barely reached 120 cm.
Gawain's sheer presence was overwhelming as she looked down at him.
Meanwhile, the fairy had to crane his neck so far back it nearly snapped.
But seeing Gawain's aggressive stance, he immediately sensed danger and reacted.
Swinging his axe, he aimed a slash at Gawain's thigh.
Gawain, however, was prepared.
She wouldn't let him land a hit.
With a swift motion, she grabbed the fairy by the collar and lifted him into the air.
Even while suspended, the fairy refused to surrender, thrashing and swinging his axe wildly.
Gawain couldn't help but smirk.
This was exactly how she had felt when her parents had dangled her in the air for fun.
Now, she finally had the chance to do the same to someone else.
Looking at the flailing Earth Clan fairy, she raised him higher then slammed him straight into the ground.
The height wasn't extreme, but combined with Gawain's monstrous strength, the impact was devastating.
With a heavy "THUD," the fairy crashed into the dirt, his eyes rolling back as he lost consciousness.
"...Did I kill him?"
Gawain poked the fairy's limp body, relieved to find he was merely knocked out.
Scooping him up, she carried him back to where Lot and Morgan stood nearby and unceremoniously dumped him at their feet.
"Alright, now we can interrogate him."
Some time later, the Earth Clan fairy finally regained consciousness, the effects of Gawain's brutal handling wearing off.
As his vision cleared, he found himself staring up at the three figures looming over him.
"Who… who are you people?" he demanded.
"You're a prisoner. You don't have the right to ask questions," Morgan replied coolly before glancing at Gawain.
Understanding her mother's intent, Gawain immediately placed a heavy hand on the fairy's head.
"What are you doing?!"
Feeling the immense pressure bearing down on his skull, the fairy fell silent for a moment before speaking again.
"That's exactly what I want to ask you," Lot countered. "What are you fairies doing here?"
"What are we doing? We're just helping humans rebuild their homes!"
The fairy glared at Lot, his eyes burning with indignation.
Morgan scoffed.
"Rebuilding homes? Since when have your kind ever acted out of goodwill? Gawain, step aside. I'll make him talk."
She motioned for Gawain to move back, then raised her staff, weaving a spell.
As her magecraft took effect, the Earth Clan fairy let out a muffled groan.
Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as his expression twisted in pain.
Morgan was well-versed in interrogation spells.
Under the relentless agony of her magic, the fairy finally broke, howling in anguish.
Yet, despite the torment, he stubbornly insisted:
"W-we really are just helping them rebuild! That's all!"
[Generally, there are three possibilities when someone refuses to talk: First, they have an unshakable belief that compels their silence. Second, they fear that speaking will bring about something worse than their current suffering. And third they genuinely know nothing.]
Lot analyzed silently as he listened.
Following his reasoning, Morgan ruled out the first two possibilities.
Which left…
"So you really are just here for construction work?"
Morgan narrowed her eyes.
"Y-yes…"
The fairy nodded weakly, his burly, bearded dwarf-like appearance making the pitiful gesture anything but endearing.
There was no trace of sympathy to be found.
As Gawain kept watch over the other fairies, Morgan stroked her chin in thought.
"It seems the higher-ranking fairies are keeping their underlings in the dark."
"Or perhaps there's another possibility," Lot interjected.
"What do you mean?" Morgan asked immediately.
"The other fairy clans might be deliberately hiding the truth from the Earth Clan."
The fairy race was divided into multiple clans.
There were the dwarf-like Earth Clan, the humanoid Wind Clan, the beast-like Fang Clan from the battlefields, and several others.
And these were just the fairies born from the land of Britain.
Moreover, the fairies they had encountered so far were those born from human emotions grievances, rumors, and collective consciousness.
They were not true fairies in the purest sense.
The genuine fairies, those born in the Inner Sea of the Planet, were referred to as the "Great Father" or "Great Mother."
Those were the real fairies.
But for now, Lot and Morgan had encountered too few fairies to gather substantial intelligence.
Their current priority was uncovering the schemes of the fairies before them.
After a moment of contemplation, Morgan made a decision.
"Let's go. We'll investigate the remaining fairies. If this one can't tell us anything, we'll capture them all and squeeze the truth out of them."
Originally, Morgan and Lot had planned to gather information discreetly.
But now, it seemed they would have to take a more direct approach.
"This time, let me handle it."
Seeing Lot and Gawain preparing to move, Morgan stepped forward first.
During previous battles, Lot had never allowed her to fight.
Now that they were dealing with fairies, she was determined to take action.
[Well, letting Morgan stretch her limbs isn't a bad idea. Even though she's pregnant, she's not a frontline knight just using magecraft shouldn't be a problem.]
"Alright."
Lot nodded.
"What about this one?"
Gawain lifted the captured fairy, looking to Lot for instructions.
"Keep him. He'll be useful for labor later."
"Got it."
Gawain nodded before roughly binding the fairy with ropes.
Throughout the process, the fairy struggled and cursed.
"Don't think I'll ever help you! I "
Halfway through his tirade, Morgan turned her head slightly, her icy gaze locking onto him.
The fairy immediately fell silent, sensing the danger radiating from her.
"Who said anything about needing your help? I'm sending you to the mines to break rocks. Someone else will 'educate' you there."
Morgan's tone was indifferent.
The fairy opened his mouth to retort
But before he could utter a word, Gawain tore off a piece of cloth and stuffed it into his mouth.
"Shut the hell up."
Then
Morgan shot her a sharp glare.
"A lady must act like a lady," she muttered under her breath.
Lot nearly burst out laughing.
Soon after, the trio returned to the ruined town.
The fairies were still busy assisting the villagers with construction.
"Mother, are you going to make your move now?" Gawain asked.
"Not yet."
Morgan observed the near-completed structures before replying.
"We'll wait until they finish rebuilding everything. Then, we'll capture them all in one sweep making them work for us without paying them a single coin."
This time, Lot couldn't hold back his laughter.
[Truly my wife. That capitalist mindset is definitely something I taught her.]
He couldn't help but feel a sense of pride.
The once-naive Morgan had now been molded into a shrewd ruler.
Excellent.
When dealing with their own people, they would act with nobility.
But against their enemies?
They would employ every underhanded tactic necessary.
And so, the three of them waited patiently until the fairies completed their work.
Once the reconstruction was finished, Lot and Gawain moved simultaneously, blocking both exits of the town.
The sudden appearance of two armed knights sent the fairies into a panic.
But it was already too late.
Morgan had been preparing her spell for some time.
With a single motion, she unleashed her magecraft, causing every fairy and villager in the town to collapse into unconsciousness.
"Now," Morgan commanded, "tie them all up."
Lot and Gawain moved swiftly, restraining every last fairy.
Dragging them outside, Lot separated them into two groups the Wind Clan and the Earth Clan.
After interrogating the Earth Clan at length, they confirmed that the dwarves truly knew nothing.
Since the Earth Clan was useless, they turned their attention to the Wind Clan.
Now, it was time to extract the truth.