"What's wrong? Standing out here in the wind all alone? Did Gilgamesh beat the confidence out of you?"
Jiang You found Fairy Tristan brooding alone on the terrace. It was late at night, but the feast showed no signs of stopping. Heroic Spirits from different eras always found something to talk about, and several martial arts spars had already taken place. Even Minamoto no Raikou had sought out Tiamat to ask for advice on motherhood.
Though Jiang You doubted Tiamat could teach her anything useful. Tiamat's values were beyond human comprehension.
"Him?"
Fairy Tristan scoffed. "So what if he's stronger than me now? I can already injure him. Like you said, we fairies have long lives, while he's already in his twilight years! Even as a Heroic Spirit, his potential is capped. He's nothing to fear!"
Jiang You was tempted to point out that, according to the original storyline, her death star was already shining brightly in the sky, meaning she probably had only about a year left to live. But considering how his presence had completely derailed the plot, he decided to keep his mouth shut.
"Then why do you look so miserable, staring into the wind like that?"
"Look down there."
Fairy Tristan didn't get angry. Instead, she pointed below. Down in the courtyard were the warriors and support staff who had chosen to remain in Ur. Because they had stayed, they were also enjoying the blessings of the feast, with food, drink, and entertainment far beyond what the ordinary people on Ebihu Mountain could ever dream of. Freed from the threat of survival and with their quality of life drastically improved, how could they not be happy?
"They're smiling so happily," she murmured. "And when they see me, they don't avoid me with looks of fear and disgust like the people and fairies in New Darlington. They genuinely call me 'Her Majesty the Queen.' But back there... even the nobles who flatter me to my face... I know what they call me behind my back. This scene... it actually makes me... a little happy."
Her uncharacteristic behavior prompted Jiang You to instinctively place his palm on her forehead, then touch his own to compare their temperatures. "You don't have a fever."
"You bastard!"
Fairy Tristan stomped on Jiang You's instep. Unlike Illya, her heel was incredibly sharp, piercing straight through his foot.
"Weren't you the one who wanted me to become a proper Lord?! Can't you just speak to me properly?!"
"Fine."
Jiang You grabbed Fairy Tristan's leg and pulled her heel out of his instep. He could only thank the pain percentage adjustment feature; otherwise, he'd be writhing on the ground in agony right now.
"But it's only been a short time. How did your attitude change so drastically?"
"That's what I'm saying! You could at least pay a little attention to what I've been doing!"
Fairy Tristan raised her foot to stomp again, but Jiang You quickly dodged.
"Have you ever brought me into a single battle since you dragged me here? No! You just left me here to be some nominal queen! While you've been running around everywhere, who do you think has been handling everything? I've been working hard, you know! I've managed resource allocation and personnel deployment! Look! This is the development plan for the future! If I had more time, it would be even more detailed!"
Jiang You peeled the blueprint Fairy Tristan had slapped onto his face. He silently thanked himself for forcing Gilgamesh and Siduri to start using paper. Otherwise, the object plastered to his face would have been a clay tablet, and it was doubtful even ten percent of its contents would have survived.
The paper detailed a redesigned city layout. Jiang You didn't understand the specifics, but the densely packed, repeatedly revised lines clearly showed that Fairy Tristan had agonized over it for a long time. The number of words on this single sheet probably surpassed everything she had written during her decades, even centuries, of Faerie Governance.
"That guy is annoying, but the things he taught were somewhat useful. This way, I can properly help Mother, right?"
As Fairy Tristan spoke, she suddenly grew shy. "Actually... I've realized that... this is pretty nice too. Better than making people fear me."
It seemed Fairy Tristan's memories from her previous life were awakening, causing her to suppress her murderous urges. In truth, her bloodthirsty nature had been cultivated by Morgan. Otherwise, how could a "sweet and naive" girl across nine lifetimes suddenly transform into a mentally unstable, dark, and cruel figure?
Morgan's teaching ability could only be described as pathetic.
"Is this something to be ashamed of? You should puff out your chest with pride."
Jiang You applauded Fairy Tristan encouragingly. If this girl could become a wise and benevolent lord, he thought, then Morgan's damned Faerie Governance would surely last for a thousand generations. "But if you're happy, why do you look so sad?"
"It's precisely because I'm happy that I feel sad..."
Fairy Tristan gazed down at the celebrating crowd below, leaning on the railing with her chin cupped in her hands. The sharp corners of her eyes softened slightly.
"This Singularity will be repaired soon, won't it? I saw Tiamat give the Holy Grail to that orange-haired girl... My city will vanish from history, and I can't help but feel reluctant to let it go."
Jiang You understood her feelings. It was like a first love—the first time is always the most special. Even if Fairy Tristan had a complete territory in that Lostbelt, this was the first place she had truly been accepted. It was only natural for her to be reluctant to leave.
"All good things must come to an end..."
Jiang You started to offer some grand wisdom but stopped when he saw Fairy Tristan's expression.
The best thing to do right now would probably be to hug her and say, "Let's create a scene like this again together!" Jiang You dismissed the tempting thought and began searching for a practical solution. If I follow the rules of Yu-Gi-Oh!, maybe I can turn this Faerie Realm (Pseudo) into a card too.
Just as he had this thought, a red dot suddenly appeared on his inventory icon. Jiang You tapped it and saw his Blank Card glowing with white light.
This thing had been with him since the very first scenario without showing any function. It seemed it was finally time for it to be useful.
Jiang You pulled out a Blank Card, and a pop-up window immediately appeared above it.
[Do you wish to record "Ur Faerie Realm (Pseudo)" as a Field Spell Card? YES or NO]
Below this, another message appeared: [Associated cards will be generated based on related elements.]
How could I not try a new feature?
Jiang You decisively chose YES.
The next moment, the entirety of Ur was enveloped by an unknown law. All the Heroic Spirits present felt it—this area seemed to have been completely plucked from the timeline, becoming an independent existence.
Jiang You looked at the card floating before him, [Ur Faerie Realm (Pseudo)], and nodded in satisfaction.