Chapter 961: Where Did Cian Go?
"So that's how it is. I thought all the fairies' future sight was Absolute Future Sight," Eiji said with sudden realization. If that were truly the case, it would be absolutely ridiculous!
Absolute Future Sight showed futures that would inevitably become reality—no amount of struggle or resistance could change them. That kind of future sight was undoubtedly the most despair-inducing.
"It's not that extreme. Although the fairies' eyes can see the future, that ability is limited to the Mirror Clan. Since that clan went extinct six years ago, there haven't been any fairies in the Fairy Kingdom who can see the future. While Pan-Human History has legends about fairies possessing Fairy Eyes that can see through people's hearts, the fairies here have reproduced for over ten thousand years, and that ability has long since degraded. Now they can only see through things like magical energy at a glance—much weaker compared to the legends..."
Through Grimm's continuous explanations and Habenyan's occasional supplements, Eiji and Mash greatly increased their understanding of the Fairy Kingdom of Britain and the fairies of each clan.
For example, fairies cannot bear children.
Fairies are always born naturally, like the planet's sense of touch. Their essence is similar to that of True Ancestors and gods—they simply don't possess the ability to reproduce. What are typically called brothers and sisters are merely fairies with similar attributes and races at birth, so they automatically refer to each other as siblings.
As for so-called "children," these refer to their successors.
Here, successors don't mean descendants but rather something similar to reincarnations.
When a fairy dies, another fairy almost completely identical to them will immediately be born somewhere in the world. This fairy inherits many of the deceased fairy's attributes and characteristics, and such a fairy is considered the "next generation" of the dead fairy.
It's less like reincarnation and more like a system of updates and replacements.
Then, is Fairy Knight Tristan also the Queen's next generation?
Remembering that cruel, simple-minded princess, Eiji couldn't help but form this conjecture.
After all, she was personally acknowledged as the Queen's daughter, making it more likely she's considered the next generation. However, the Queen hasn't died yet, and Fairy Tristan is too incompetent—Eiji found it difficult to connect such an amazing queen with such a weak daughter.
"The fairies believe the Child of Prophecy is the reincarnation of the savior 'Cian' precisely because fairies have this concept of replacement."
"So is the Child of Prophecy actually the reincarnation of the savior 'Cian'?"
"I don't know. After all, I don't know whether Cian is dead or not."
Grimm shrugged, unable to provide an answer about this matter.
Eiji didn't know what to say either.
Although he learned many past secrets from Grimm and Habenyan, this information instead raised more questions in Eiji's mind.
First, where did the savior 'Cian' go?
According to the legend's conclusion, after she became completely disillusioned with everything in the world and gave up hoping for Britain's peace, she went north to the faraway Orkney, drained the magical energy from the Fantasy Tree rooted there, and then disappeared without a trace.
Is Cian dead or not? If she's not dead, where is she now?
"Moreover, after she absorbed the Fantasy Tree's magical energy, what did she do with it? Has it already been used? Or is it stored somewhere?"
Countless other questions remained unresolved.
For instance, where exactly is the divergence point between this British Lostbelt and Pan-Human History?
What about the Calamity? When did the Winter War occur? What is the Abyssal Worm? Why do the fairies constantly wage war against each other? Why is the Queen's rule so harsh?
More importantly, where exactly is the root cause that Goetia claimed would lead to Earth's destruction?
So many questions, even Grimm and Habenyan struggled to provide answers.
Or rather, though they knew quite a bit, they hadn't shared the information for various reasons.
"There are still so many doubts left unresolved!"
Eiji sighed, feeling the weight of responsibility heavy on his shoulders.
Speaking of which, why did Goetia send only me here? Wouldn't it be better to have some help? Like Arcueid or someone - she could just come and clean house!
Night fell.
The group camped outdoors, with Grimm setting up barriers around them.
Mash had intended to search for food, but Eiji stopped her, instead pulling out numerous cans from his Imaginary Pouch. The imaginary space, having no concept of time or space, was perfect for preservation. Before departing, he had stocked up on a large amount of food stored inside.
"Here, Habenyan, I have cat food cans here!"
"Do you really think I'm a cat?!"
Habenyan flew into a rage, lifting her loom to smash it toward Eiji.
Her petite figure and the cat-ear-like hat she wore gave her the amusing appearance of a cat girl, to the point that even Mash often called her "Habenyan-nyan."
The question of why Eiji kept cat food in his Imaginary Pouch filled Mash's mind, leaving her deeply perplexed.
"I am the first-generation Fairy Knight Totrot! This loom is Cian's work - witness my power!"
"Wow, that's impressive... Wait, why Fairy Knight?"
Eiji praised teasingly before suddenly coming to his senses.
"What do you mean why?"
"Who established the Fairy Knights?"
"Of course it was Cian! It couldn't possibly be me, could it?"
"That's strange then."
Eiji immediately furrowed his brows, muttering to himself.
"If Cian created the Fairy Knights, why did the current Queen create Fairy Knights Gawain and Lancelot?"
After eighteen hundred years, did the Queen simply reuse Cian's system and restart the Fairy Knights?
It couldn't be that simple, could it?
The name Totrot doesn't exist in Pan-Human History, but Gawain and Lancelot are Heroic Spirits from the Round Table of Pan-Human History, renowned worldwide.
"Why do you care so much about that?"
Habenyan raised her loom again.
"I'm not a cat, and today I'll make sure you understand that properly!"
With her causing such a commotion, Eiji couldn't continue his train of thought.
"Fairies don't need to eat. You can have it yourselves."
After the ruckus, some of the exhaustion from traveling nonstop during the day had dissipated. Habenyan waved her hand, refusing the can Mash offered her.
"Are you sure you don't want any? This can is very sweet - it's fruit, I think it's called pear? It's food you can't find in this Britain!"
Recalling photos she'd seen during her time at Chaldea, Mash enthusiastically recommended the can to Habenyan.
"Is it really sweet?"
Habbycat pricked up her ears, showing a somewhat awkward yet curious expression.
"It's truly sweet! Probably the sweetest thing I've ever tasted besides cake!"
Seeing an opportunity, Mash quickly replied with a serious face.
"Then I'll just have a little taste... Mmmmm! It really is so sweet! I've never eaten anything like this before. Human creativity is truly amazing!"
Habbycat hesitantly took the can, and after just one bite, tears of emotion welled up in her eyes.
"Some day in 2018, sunny. Ate the canned fruit Mash gave me. It's called pear, I think. Really super delicious!"
She even hurriedly took out a pen and notebook from inside her loom, recording everything with utmost seriousness.
"Is this a diary?" Mash asked curiously.
"That's right! I'm very forgetful. I might forget today's events by tomorrow, no matter how much I remind myself. So I have to keep a diary!"
Habbycat waved her notebook, showing a somewhat dejected smile.
Eiji glanced over in this direction.