Chapter 976: You're Not Even as Good as Barghest
And it's that Aurora we're talking about?
The Aurora who gets jealous of others from time to time, who would wither away if she didn't eliminate her rivals—how did she manage to live for so long?
By keeping simps around?
Could it be that she once had a simp on the same level as Melusine?
"Then why?"
"Aurora's purpose is tenacious, but the influence you've had on her is equally intense... So now, she's at a point where her purpose is about to change, yet remnants of her past obsessions remain. In other words, her purpose has become disordered."
I see.
So, a fairy of Aurora's caliber has some resistance to Eiji's charm, but when that resistance will fail is anyone's guess.
That's pretty much it.
Inevitably, even in this disordered state, if Eiji were to hold her accountable, it would still affect her. She wouldn't immediately degenerate into a Mors, but the radiance around her would surely diminish greatly, and Morsification would only be a matter of time.
"I understand."
Having grasped the whole picture, Eiji's expression cleared, as if a weight had been lifted.
Yet another mystery had been resolved without him even realizing it.
"If you want to take Aurora's punishment in her place, I won't stop you."
Emotionally speaking, Eiji considered Aurora nothing but pure trouble!
A single moment of her caprice had led to the annihilation of the entire Mirror Clan's fairies!
Who knows how many other atrocities she had committed in the past.
A woman like her, if she existed in Proper Human History, would have been dealt with long ago.
But for now, he still had use for her and genuinely didn't want anything to happen to her.
At least not right now.
"Whatever punishment you have in mind, as long as you don't inflict it on Aurora, I'll accept it all."
Melusine had already steeled herself, speaking calmly and resolutely.
"Even if you demand my body, as long as Aurora is protected, I won't utter a single complaint."
She was well aware of her own allure.
Though she hadn't made a point of understanding it, there was no shortage of humans and fairies in Britain who desired her. However, her reticent nature made her seem aloof to the fairies, and her frequent comings and goings made her unapproachable, leaving her in peace.
To men, her presence was like a potent elixir.
"Not interested."
But Eiji merely glanced at her before looking away, utterly disinterested.
"...!"
Melusine's face twisted in shock.
"You are indeed more beautiful than Aurora, but I have no interest in wooden boards. I'd rather go for Barghest than you."
"!!!"
Melusine's expression turned even more stunned, as if her entire worldview had been shattered.
"What does that mean? Am I not even as good as Barghest?!"
That kind of physique—wasn't it only the fang fairies who liked that?
Melusine's mouth twisted into a displeased "he" shape, clearly furious!
"Be serious. I'm discussing your punishment with you. Don't think cozying up to me will get you out of it!"
Eiji frowned and glared at her.
Who the hell wanted to talk about such lewd things with a washboard like her? Utterly pointless!
"...Sorry, I'm not very good at gauging social distance."
Melusine paused, then schooled her expression.
After a moment's thought, she adopted a poker face.
What's with this woman?
She looks all cold and aloof, but is she actually a natural airhead?
"Never mind. As for punishment, I can't think of anything I need you to do right now."
Eiji racked his brains for a good while but still couldn't come up with anything.
If there was something to be done, he could handle it himself.
If it were Aurora, he could just solve it with a good pounding... Wait, wouldn't that be a reward?
"For now, let's put the punishment on hold. I'll let you know when I think of something. That's it for now."
With that, Eiji promptly took off on his sword.
Melusine hovered in midair, stunned for a long moment, before sighing and slowly flying back toward Salisbury.
As she passed over a river, she paused and descended to the bank.
"Aurora is the most beautiful. It's only natural he'd prefer her... But still, am I really not even as good as Barghest?"
She removed her mask and studied her reflection in the water.
She could accept being inferior to Aurora, but he'd rather have Barghest than her?
Hmm...
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. What now?
...
At Mike's Bar, the Chaldea team was preparing to set out for Norwich to deal with the Calamity lurking there.
Though Aurora had retracted her condition of "solve the Calamity in Norwich before ringing the bell," allowing them to ring it whenever they pleased, resolving the Calamity would still significantly boost the Child of Prophecy's reputation.
Moreover, according to the prophecy, the first bell to be rung should be Norwich's.
But before that...
"Everyone, bad news!"
Oberon's sudden return sent the group into a frenzy.
"Oberon? Weren't you out gathering intel?"
"That's exactly why I'm back—I got some shocking news!"
Oberon looked gravely at the assembled group.
"A new Child of Prophecy has appeared in the fashion capital, Gloucester!"
"Wha—?!!"
The bombshell announcement left everyone reeling.
"A new Child of Prophecy... Not Mash? So another one has appeared?"
Da Vinci-chan looked utterly bewildered.
Mash, who had been caught up in the Sheffield incident, had briefly been pushed into the role of the Child of Prophecy and was still wanted by the Queen's army, unable to show her face freely.
And neither Mash nor Castoria had been taken to Gloucester, as far as they knew.
"Most likely a fake Child of Prophecy."
Oberon nodded, his lips quirking.
"Over the years, many places have presented 'Children of Prophecy' to the Queen in hopes of rewards, but none were real—and those places were wiped out by the Queen's army... But this time is different. Rumor has it this fake Child of Prophecy is a fairy who uses iron weapons and is even being auctioned off!"
"Really?"
Da Vinci-chan's interest was instantly piqued.
Fairies couldn't wield iron weapons—iron was poisonous to them. Even the fang fairies, with their highest resistance, would suffer excruciating pain from wounds inflicted by iron weapons.
Thus, while fairies adored iron household items, they despised iron weapons. Even the fangs rarely equipped them, and the notoriously fastidious wind clan outright loathed them.
A fairy armed with iron weapons certainly stood out—it did sound like something a Child of Prophecy might do.
After all, the Child of Prophecy ought to be unique in some way, right?
"I'm so sorry for being so weak..."
Artoria forced a laugh, hanging her head so low it nearly touched her chest.
Her only unique trait was her extraordinary weakness!
Despite being the genuine Child of Prophecy, wielding the Staff of Selection and accompanied by "foreign travelers," her magical energy was only at the level of a lower-class fairy—below average, in fact. Even Mike the barkeep had more magical energy than her!
Artoria was supremely confident in one thing: her own weakness.