At the airport entrance, Rita stood poised with a neat little sign that bore Otto's name. A short distance away, Durandal lingered, taking a brief pause from her vacation to help welcome the overseer to London. Kouga loitered beside them, hands in his pockets, mostly just along for the ride.
Their collective attention shifted toward the northern stretch of the terminal as Otto Apocalypse approached—calm, composed, a small brown suitcase swinging lightly at his side, and a wide, self-satisfied smile spread across his face. Trailing behind him was a small crowd of women, each angling for even the briefest acknowledgement from him.
Otto gently set his suitcase onto a nearby chair before turning to address the crowd. He gave each admirer just enough attention—a nod here, a word there—to send them floating away in starry-eyed bliss. The last straggler, an older woman who insisted on giving him a piece of hard candy and pinching his cheek, finally toddled off. Only then did he turn back to his group. Kouga was waiting with a smug, lopsided grin; Rita and Durandal were visibly fighting not to burst into laughter.
"I see my… predicament has provided you all with entertainment," Otto remarked dryly as he retrieved his suitcase. "Let's hope the reminder of our actual objective lingers."
"My apologies, Lord Otto," Rita replied once she got her composure under control. "Still, it might be wise to have a few more guards on hand next time. If you were ever swarmed again, Schicksal might collapse before we could pry your admirers off you."
Otto exhaled sharply. "Rita, you of all people know I rarely leave headquarters. A security detail would only make me more conspicuous. Hardly worth the fuss over something so trivial."He drifted over to Durandal, who greeted him with a crisp salute. "Bianka, your vacation isn't over. Go, enjoy yourself. These three should be more than capable of handling what remains."
Durandal nodded, let her arm drop, and departed. Once she was far enough away, Kouga's brow furrowed as he turned to Otto.
"Bianka? Seriously?"
"That is her actual name," Otto replied, equally perplexed. "Surely you didn't think she was legally named 'Durandal'?"
"You'd be surprised how many people I've met who only go by a single name—usually something like, I don't know… a random object."
Otto rubbed his chin, eyes drifting upward. "The cosmos remains deeply strange." He shook the thought off. "Regardless, we should continue. I assume we're due to meet the museum director?"
Rita dipped her head politely. "She'll be coming to our hotel. While she gathers whatever data the museum still has, we'll be investigating potential sites the Second Divine might be hidden."
Otto faltered mid-step. "O-Oh. Yes. Right. That makes sense. She must be collecting every scrap of information she can."
"Exactly," Rita replied as she led them toward the nearest exit. "If you're ready, Lord Otto, we should begin. As you reminded us, we have a mission to complete."
They had barely taken a few steps before Otto raised a hand to stop them.
"Actually… before we head out, there are a few things I need to discuss with the three of you."
At the Royal National Hotel, once they reached Rita's room, everyone immediately buried themselves in the mountain of documents waiting on the coffee table. They were all prior excavation records—every dig Schicksal had carried out across the British Isles during its five centuries of influence. Otto had been the one to suggest reviewing them, claiming that since he personally led the original operations and combed nearly every inch of the islands, the artifact they sought must lie far deeper than any previous attempt had reached.
It shocked absolutely no one when Otto became the first to abandon the work and request refreshments. While Rita stepped away to fetch her tea set, Kouga kept digging through the material. Roughly thirty minutes later—during which Otto sipped tea at a pace slow enough to be considered theatrical—the doorbell rang. Rita answered it, ushering Catherine into the room. The director barely made it three steps inside before spotting Otto lounging on the lime-green couch, and immediately stiffened.
"O-Oh! H-Hello, Lord Otto! I didn't know you were… H-How are you doing this fine day?"
"At ease, my beautiful director," Otto replied smoothly, taking another leisurely sip of his tea. "I've come to assist in the search for the Arthurian relics. Please—join us and share what you've uncovered."
"A-Absolutely!" Catherine squeaked, scurrying to the table. She opened her laptop and immediately began typing with determined energy.
Rita approached and asked, "Director Catherine, is there a place you'd recommend to start our search? Hmm, British soil is literally covered with places closely linked to the Arthurian legends."
"Well, I suppose I can recommend a few places to look at first. There's Tintagel Castle, the birthplace of Arthur. Or maybe Mount Snowdon, where the king was said to have defeated a giant. Perhaps we can start with Glastonbury, a place that many believe to be Avalon. All these locations are famous due to their connections to King Arthur," Catherine explained while her fingers danced across the keyboard.
Rita poured her a cup of tea. "Ceylon with a sprinkling of Earl Grey."
"That's so very nice of you," Catherine said gratefully.
"It's a pleasure to serve," Rita replied with a gentle smile.
Otto cupped his chin, eyes narrowing thoughtfully at the mass of papers. "... Is it possible to limit the number further? Perhaps to places more directly tied to the divine sword Arthur gained, instead of the king himself."
"Then Glastonbury Tor is most likely the place you would want," Catherine answered immediately, still typing. "Glastonbury Tor has long been regarded as the portal to Avalon, the land of the fae. According to legend, the divine sword that Merlin gave to Arthur was forged by the fae as well. Since the sword is linked to Avalon, I believe we can choose Glastonbury as our first stop."
Otto's lips curled into a faint smile—something Catherine definitely noticed, judging from the sudden blush she tried to hide by turning away. "Thank you, my dear director. We now have a highly valuable starting point."
"A-Anytime, sir," Catherine managed, finally pulling herself together. "Though you should be aware that Glastonbury is at least a two-hour drive from here."
"Ah." Otto's smile evaporated instantly. Kouga snorted under his breath. Otto ignored the reaction. "Surely there would be reliable transportation to get us there, right?"
"There's a train that can take us to Glastonbury, but we'll have to walk the rest of the way," Catherine answered, pushing her glasses up—light catching the lenses and hiding her eyes. "... I could also try to convince the museum's board of trustees to lend some vehicles to our aid. It would be labeled under 'potential discovery' for discretion."
"That's something we'll have to take," Otto said, regaining his composure as his smile reappeared. "Thank you for your support, my dear director."
Kouga, thoroughly done with Otto's over-the-top flattery, set the document he was reading back onto the pile and headed for the door. His hand was already on the handle when Rita spoke up.
"Now, where would you be going?" she asked, leaning back in her lime-green chair and tilting her head just enough to give him a sideways look. Kouga glanced back at the group—each wearing some degree of confusion—and answered plainly:
"I'm going to Glastonbury Tor."He opened the door and stepped out. "Try to keep up."
His exit left behind three Valkyries collectively sighing, one highly amused overseer, and a director who looked utterly lost.
"I must have misheard him. Surely, he doesn't plan on getting there on foot."
"I suggest you hurry on trying to convince the board, my dear director," Otto said briskly as he stood, casually pouring himself more tea. "Seems we're already starting on the lower end of this play."
"H-Huh?!"
At the Royal National Hotel, once they reached Rita's room, everyone immediately buried themselves in the mountain of documents waiting on the coffee table. They were all prior excavation records—every dig Schicksal had carried out across the British Isles during its five centuries of influence. Otto had been the one to suggest reviewing them, claiming that since he personally led the original operations and combed nearly every inch of the islands, the artifact they sought must lie far deeper than any previous attempt had reached.
It shocked absolutely no one when Otto became the first to abandon the work and request refreshments. While Rita stepped away to fetch her tea set, Kouga kept digging through the material. Roughly thirty minutes later—during which Otto sipped tea at a pace slow enough to be considered theatrical—the doorbell rang. Rita answered it, ushering Catherine into the room. The director barely made it three steps inside before spotting Otto lounging on the lime-green couch, and immediately stiffened.
"O-Oh! H-Hello, Lord Otto! I didn't know you were… H-How are you doing this fine day?"
"At ease, my beautiful director," Otto replied smoothly, taking another leisurely sip of his tea. "I've come to assist in the search for the Arthurian relics. Please—join us and share what you've uncovered."
"A-Absolutely!" Catherine squeaked, scurrying to the table. She opened her laptop and immediately began typing with determined energy.
Rita approached and asked, "Director Catherine, is there a place you'd recommend to start our search? Hmm, British soil is literally covered with places closely linked to the Arthurian legends."
"Well, I suppose I can recommend a few places to look at first. There's Tintagel Castle, the birthplace of Arthur. Or maybe Mount Snowdon, where the king was said to have defeated a giant. Perhaps we can start with Glastonbury, a place that many believe to be Avalon. All these locations are famous due to their connections to King Arthur," Catherine explained while her fingers danced across the keyboard.
Rita poured her a cup of tea. "Ceylon with a sprinkling of Earl Grey."
"That's so very nice of you," Catherine said gratefully.
"It's a pleasure to serve," Rita replied with a gentle smile.
Otto cupped his chin, eyes narrowing thoughtfully at the mass of papers. "... Is it possible to limit the number further? Perhaps to places more directly tied to the divine sword Arthur gained, instead of the king himself."
"Then Glastonbury Tor is most likely the place you would want," Catherine answered immediately, still typing. "Glastonbury Tor has long been regarded as the portal to Avalon, the land of the fae. According to legend, the divine sword that Merlin gave to Arthur was forged by the fae as well. Since the sword is linked to Avalon, I believe we can choose Glastonbury as our first stop."
Otto's lips curled into a faint smile—something Catherine definitely noticed, judging from the sudden blush she tried to hide by turning away. "Thank you, my dear director. We now have a highly valuable starting point."
"A-Anytime, sir," Catherine managed, finally pulling herself together. "Though you should be aware that Glastonbury is a few hour drive from here."
"Ah." Otto's smile evaporated instantly. Kouga snorted under his breath. Otto ignored the reaction. "Surely there would be reliable transportation to get us there, right?"
"There's a train that can take us to Glastonbury, but we'll have to walk the rest of the way," Catherine answered, pushing her glasses up—light catching the lenses and hiding her eyes. "... I could also try to convince the museum's board of trustees to lend some vehicles to our aid. It would be labeled under 'potential discovery' for discretion."
"That's something we'll have to take," Otto said, regaining his composure as his smile reappeared. "Thank you for your support, my dear director."
Kouga, thoroughly done with Otto's over-the-top flattery, set the document he was reading back onto the pile and headed for the door. His hand was already on the handle when Rita spoke up.
"Now, where would you be going?" she asked, leaning back in her lime-green chair and tilting her head just enough to give him a sideways look. Kouga glanced back at the group—each wearing some degree of confusion—and answered plainly:
"I'm going to Glastonbury Tor."He opened the door and stepped out. "Try to keep up."
His exit left behind two sighing Valkyries , one highly amused overseer, and a director who looked utterly lost.
"I must have misheard him. Surely, he doesn't plan on getting there on foot."
"I suggest you hurry on trying to convince the board, my dear director," Otto said briskly as he stood, casually pouring himself more tea. "Seems we're already starting on the lower end of this play."
"H-Huh?!"