Having eaten their fill and finished all preparations, the group was ready to depart.
Just as they were about to set out for the Great Cathedral, however, something unexpected happened.
"You two... are staying here?"
"Yeah. Dale and I wouldn't be much help anyway, so there's no point in coming along and getting in your way."
At the entrance, the young slave couple held hands tightly and exchanged a glance before apologetically bidding everyone farewell.
Samael quietly asked, "You mean permanently?"
Nock hesitated for a moment before slowly nodding.
"...Yes."
Samael glanced toward the smiling Wing Clan Chief waving goodbye from the doorway, his brow furrowing slightly.
"This is your own decision? You should know what fairies are..."
Nock nodded with a faint smile. Looking up at the sky veiled in white mist, he murmured,
"My lord, you know better than anyone. Sometimes, people can be far more frightening than beasts..."
Morgan stepped forward, frowning slightly as she reminded them,
"If you're willing to return to Camelot with me, I can pardon you of your slave status and grant you freedom and land."
Nock gently shook his head and politely declined.
"Thank you for your generosity, but there's no need. Muryan-sama has allowed us to cultivate land, given us a house, and treated us very well. We can live a good life here."
Samael stopped Morgan before she could say anything more and smiled in farewell.
"All right, then. Since you've made up your minds, I won't force you. Take care of yourselves."
Afterward, the Ancient Serpent spoke privately with Muryan for a few moments before decisively setting out.
Perhaps because she had finally obtained humans of her own, Muryan was extremely generous with their supplies. She also tacitly allowed Freya and Habetrot to join Samael's group.
On the road, Morgan sat inside the carriage with her brow tightly furrowed, repeatedly looking back at the fairy city gradually disappearing from view.
"What's wrong? Still can't understand their choice?"
Samael brought over a cup of hot tea, handed it to his employer, and asked with a faint smile.
"Mm. They clearly know..."
Morgan accepted the cup and took a sip. Gazing at the curling steam, she hesitated, deep confusion filling her eyes.
That couple clearly understood that fairies were nowhere near as kind and innocent as they appeared. Their fascination with humans was closer to the desire to possess some rare and precious toy.
Samael set down his own cup, his tone carrying a deeper meaning.
"So what? Sometimes humans are far more frightening than fairies. No matter how dangerous this place is, it may still be better than the world outside..."
Morgan froze at his words.
"How do you think so many humans ended up at the Great Cathedral? Oppressive rule is worse than a tiger..."
Samael blew aside the dried flower petals floating on the surface of his tea and sighed.
As he slowly recounted a story from a distant Eastern land, Morgan sank into thought, deeply affected by its meaning.
Ever since the fall of the Roman Empire, Britannia had been dragged into nearly a century of darkness.
Then came the north-south confrontation between King Uther and the Usurper King, followed in succession by the twelve dynastic wars led by the King of Knights, Artoria.
Throughout that period, the great lords had constantly levied excessive taxes and tribute in order to secure their rule. Even the highly disciplined Knights of the Round Table had been forced to requisition grain from nearby villages whenever war broke out.
Now, just as unification was finally within reach, the insect plague, beast plague, dragon plague, and Mad Hunt had begun ravaging the land without end.
The nobility naturally never had to worry about food or clothing.
But how many of those privileged people were truly willing to lower themselves and look at how the commoners actually lived?
Nock and Dale were in an even worse position. They were fugitive slaves.
Even if they left the Nameless Forest, gained their freedom, and placed themselves under another lord, there was no guarantee their lives would be any better than they were now.
Compared to lords who devised endless ways to squeeze their subjects dry, along with the constant wars and disasters, fairies who merely wanted entertainment actually seemed more reliable.
After all, humans were a rare resource.
Fairies would at least take care of their precious toys.
But the thought that her own country had driven its subjects to flee into the Nameless Forest and seek protection from fairies caused doubt to rise within Morgan, not only toward the nation itself, but even toward her own mission.
The sacred domain of the Round Table...
The pure White Wall City...
The Eternal King who protects the nation and its people...
Perhaps the bones beneath a great general's glory were an unavoidable sacrifice.
But the bones beneath the throne had once belonged to your own people...
Morgan gave a faint, mocking smile.
Her feelings for this land stirred countless emotions within her.
"You should be happy for them instead. At least they won't wake up every day to nothing but a pitch-black mine. They won't have to spend day after day, year after year, digging through stone that never seems to run out. From childhood to adulthood, from youth to old age, from old age until death, generation after generation, forever repeating the same life..."
Samael comforted her, then added confidently,
"Don't worry. As long as Muryan isn't an idiot, she'll treat those two well."
Of course, Samael was so certain because he knew another use humans had for fairies.
Fairies originated from more than just branches of the planet's Divided Spirit.
Some were formed from Divine Spirits that had fallen in rank, others from the resentment of humans or animals, and still others took shape using human legends as their shells.
So on this land, the existence of humans did more than increase the happiness fairies gained from their amusements.
Under the influence of human emotions and beliefs, a fairy's power could also increase dramatically.
Just like the Divine Spirits of old, who had strengthened themselves through faith.
Before leaving, Samael had revealed this secret to Muryan.
The Wing Clan was currently weak and frequently harassed by the Fang Clan. Even Muryan herself had nearly ended up roasted alive.
And Muryan was certainly no fool.
From the beginning, it was precisely because she wanted humans of her own to strengthen her clan's ability to defend itself that she had wisely bypassed Samael and the other outsiders, who were clearly never going to stay, and repeatedly approached Nock and his wife instead.
Now, aside from the Wind Clan, which controlled ownership of humans and leased out the right to live with them, the Wing Clan finally possessed humans of its own.
Faced with the threat of the Fang Clan, they would certainly take excellent care of the precious humans they had gone to such lengths to keep.
The devotion Nock and Dale showed each other had stirred a sense of warmth Samael had not felt in quite some time.
For that reason alone, he did not mind helping them.
With her doubts resolved, Morgan finally accepted the couple's decision.
They were all adults.
Everyone had their own way of living, and everyone had to bear the consequences of their own choices.
"Now that the trail has gone cold, I have no idea how we're supposed to find the Earth Clan Chief..."
Morgan gathered her thoughts and turned to their next problem, only for another headache to settle in.
They had already lost three days.
At most, they had another two.
If they still found nothing by then, they would have no choice but to head for Darlington and personally face those endless swarms of caterpillars.
"If we can't find him, then we can make him come find us."
To her surprise, the companion beside her answered with complete confidence and a smile.
"You mean...?"
Morgan blinked, instinctively pressing for an explanation.
"Before we left, Muryan reminded me of something. The Earth Clan Chief might be timid and afraid of trouble, but he inherited the traits of dwarf-like creatures. He's greedy for wealth, and more importantly, he's obsessed with forging..."
Samael spoke quietly as he slowly drew the Star-Forged Holy Sword from his waist and flicked the blade with one finger.
His serpentine pupils were dark and unfathomable, carrying a meaningful gleam.
Muryan might be another rotten fairy, but at least she knew how to play along.
She had been unable to offer any concrete help, but this information was enough to make up for her rather outrageous attempt to poach people behind his back.
Otherwise, Samael would have had to give Muryan a lesson of her own and teach her the meaning of gratitude.
The Great Cathedral... the auction?
Of course!
Morgan immediately understood.
The frustration and impatience that had been building inside her over the past few days disappeared at once.
Her eyes filled with approval and relief as she turned toward the companion who always seemed capable of bringing her unexpected solutions and surprises.
Once this calamity is dealt with, how should I reward him?
Everything is much easier with him around.
Sending him to the Round Table would be such a waste.
Wouldn't it be better to keep him by my side?
Let me think...
What am I still missing...?
Morgan glanced toward the other carriage, where her two adopted daughters were happily playing together.
Her gaze lingered for a moment before she turned away, quietly thinking to herself.
A... Guardian Knight, perhaps... probably...
***
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