Chapter 978: Britain's Genesis Era
"You must be Percival, right?"
Eiji gazed at the long spear and spoke with understanding.
"You know me, sir?"
The man with ash-gray short hair showed a hint of confusion, his wariness unchanged.
"If I have any grievances with you anywhere, please target only me and don't involve my companions!"
This person was dressed entirely in black and had infiltrated Londinium under the cover of night—he seemed highly suspicious.
For a moment, Percival thought he might be an enemy seeking revenge or someone related to the Queen's army.
"Don't worry, I'm not here to pick a fight."
Eiji waved his hand dismissively, completely unfazed by his guarded demeanor.
"On the contrary, I'm here to assess whether you're qualified to oppose the Queen. I didn't know you before, but with such strength as a human, you must be none other than 'the Boundary of the Human Domain, the White Light—Percival.'"
Such strength?
Percival's heart tightened.
Could this person have already seen through his power in such a brief encounter?
"I see... But what do you mean by assessing our qualifications?"
Percival did not let his guard down immediately and instead probed further.
"Good vigilance."
Eiji showed no dissatisfaction and even praised him.
"In short, overthrowing the Queen's rule is also my goal. To that end, I'm searching for resilient resistance forces. I've been to Sheffield before, but unfortunately, Boggart wasn't promising material..."
"You've been to Sheffield?"
Percival's expression shifted, and he looked up in surprise.
"I heard that three Fairy Knights were dispatched by the Queen's order to jointly attack Sheffield, but a mysterious figure intervened, allowing Boggart and the Child of Prophecy to escape..."
"That was me."
Meeting Percival's doubtful gaze, Eiji admitted it openly.
A flicker of uncertainty appeared in Percival's eyes.
"Sir, forgive my boldness, but please provide proof. As the leader of the Round Table Army, I must take responsibility for my companions' safety!"
He took a deep breath, his muscles tensing as he steadily raised his spear.
Low emotional intelligence: I don't believe you!
High emotional intelligence: I must be responsible for my companions!
"—Portray."
Eiji softly chanted an ultra-short incantation.
A golden light sword materialized in his palm, exceptionally small—about the length of a finger—and utterly lacking in intimidation.
Percival raised an eyebrow, wondering if this was meant to belittle him.
No, that wasn't it.
According to legend, the mysterious figure in Sheffield had managed to stall two of the strongest Fairy Knights without even revealing himself, his power unparalleled in all of Fairy Britain!
If he truly was that mysterious figure, then this wasn't an insult—this tiny light sword was more than enough!
"Haa!!"
Percival let out a sharp cry and thrust his spear straight at Eiji!
"Clang—!"
A clear, resonant hum echoed.
Percival's eyes widened in shock—the tiny golden light sword had effortlessly blocked his thrust, tip to tip, like a needle meeting a needle's point!
He secretly increased his strength, yet couldn't budge it in the slightest.
"Hum!"
Instead, the golden light sword trembled gently, shattering all the force in his hand and sending his body stumbling backward uncontrollably for several steps.
With a flash of light before his eyes, the slender golden sword had already stopped right in front of him.
Just one more inch, and it would have pierced through his eyeball!
"...I yield."
Percival was momentarily stunned, then smiled bitterly.
To be honest, he hadn't expected the gap to be this vast. The other party hadn't even moved their true body, merely using a slender light sword to completely overwhelm him in just one or two moves!
For a moment, he even doubted whether he could truly be considered a "Boundary of the Human Domain" at all.
"Don't lose heart. It's not that you're too weak—it's just that I'm too strong."
Eiji casually offered a word of comfort.
Seeing him so disillusioned with life, it would be terrible if the leader of the Round Table Army were driven out of his wits.
"Indeed, with such strength, I believe you could hold off the Fairy Knights Gawain and Lancelot without even revealing yourself!"
Percival was utterly convinced.
He couldn't gauge just how powerful this cloaked figure was.
And precisely because of that, he believed his claim.
This kind of unfathomable strength was far more awe-inspiring than power that was plainly visible!
"You helped the leader of Sheffield and the Child of Prophecy escape, meaning you're a comrade in the fight against the Queen's rule. Welcome to Londinium!"
Percival put away his spear, approached Eiji, and extended his hand.
This seemingly unguarded demeanor appeared to place complete trust in Eiji, radiating a highly infectious sincerity.
"Comrade, huh... Let me ask you, what is your ideal?"
Eiji looked at Percival's outstretched hand but didn't immediately shake it. Instead, he pondered for a moment before posing a question in return.
"The coexistence of humans and fairies! Both humans and fairies have the right to live freely. Our enemy isn't each other—it's the system established by the Queen!"
Percival paused briefly, then smiled and gave his answer.
"That's acceptable for now. Then, let's cooperate happily."
Eiji nodded noncommittally and finally shook Percival's hand.
It would have been even better if they added something like "overthrow the high-ranking fairies and redistribute property and land."
But this was, after all, the Fairy Kingdom. Without deeper ideological influence, achieving this much was already quite commendable.
At the very least, it was far better than Bogart!
The Round Table Army's strength was undoubtedly inferior by comparison, and Percival's power didn't reach the level of a Fairy Knight. But strength could be accumulated over time—having a unifying ideal that rallied people was more important than anything else!
However.
This "Boundary of the Human Domain" likely had motives that weren't entirely pure.
Noticing Percival's momentary hesitation when answering, Eiji had a faint suspicion.
But he didn't point it out. It was only natural for people to have personal motives—as long as they could prioritize the greater good, that was enough. And Percival seemed like someone who would do just that.
"Where did this mural come from?"
After confirming their cooperative relationship, Eiji steered the conversation toward the nearby mural.
"It was brought here from Orkney, but that was over two thousand years ago."
Percival recalled what he knew.
"It's said to depict the creation period of Britain, isn't it?"
"And you just left it here like this?"
"Mainly because no one can understand it anyway, so it's meaningless."
"...What a waste of treasure."
Eiji shook his head speechlessly.
"Keep this item safe. It likely records the most primordial secrets of this world, possessing immeasurable value!"
"Really?"
Percival was startled.
He quickly called several Round Table Army soldiers to move the mural to a place sheltered from wind and rain.