Chapter 992: The Concept of Birth
"Ah, thank you, Eiji! Without you, we don't know how much longer we'd have been stuck underwater!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka rubbed the back of his head, smiling sheepishly.
Drake's rules were truly terrifying!
So many Holy Grails! How many Heroic Spirits could break through their limits with those?
The moment he saw them, Fujimaru Ritsuka lost his senses. A single wave crashed over him and swept him underwater.
Then Mash, Da Vinci-chan, Gareth, and Artoria—one after another, like dumplings dropped into boiling water—were easily subdued by Drake's techniques and sank to the riverbed.
Only Habenyan stood calmly far away, looking completely detached from the situation.
"What are you two still competing for? Hurry up and rescue them!"
After scolding Muramasa and Grimm, who were still butting heads, Eiji quickly jumped into the river.
Fortunately, although Drake lured surface dwellers underwater, she also created a barrier at the riverbed that allowed breathing. Killing wasn't her goal—finding a husband was.
With Eiji and Muramasa's efforts, Drake was defeated in under three minutes, and everyone was successfully rescued and brought back to shore.
"That's strange. In Proper Human History, Drake was a fairy obsessed with having children, right?"
True to her nature as an artist, Da Vinci-chan immediately started overthinking things once ashore.
"Haven't you been to the Human Farm?"
"Ritsuka said he wanted to rescue the humans there, so we went once. But we were too late—when we arrived, someone had already breached it and rescued the humans."
"No wonder."
"Do you know something?"
"Somewhat."
Eiji sighed in frustration.
"Although the same fairy in a Lostbelt and Proper Human History is almost identical, fundamentally the civilizations are different, so their duties naturally vary. For Drake to want children, this Singularity would need to have the concept of birth in the first place."
"Birth?"
Artoria, who had been busy scolding Muramasa, overheard Eiji's words and showed a confused expression, as if wondering what they were talking about.
"?"
Seeing her inexplicable reaction, Fujimaru Ritsuka couldn't help but mentally question it too.
"Wait, are you saying this Lostbelt has no concept of birth?"
Da Vinci-chan's expression immediately changed.
"Thinking about it carefully, we really haven't seen a single pregnant woman here, nor encountered any shops or products related to childbirth..."
"Wait, isn't that strange?"
Mash couldn't help but interject.
"Fairies reproduce through renewal—it's normal for them not to have the concept of birth. But there are humans here! If humans aren't born from their mothers' wombs, then where would they—"
Mash suddenly choked on her words.
Halfway through, she realized the implication, and her face turned grim.
Seeing her expression, Fujimaru Ritsuka and Da Vinci-chan immediately understood too.
"The humans here are manufactured."
Eiji coldly stated the truth.
"Not a single one was produced from a mother's womb. Without exception, they were all born from machines in the Human Farm! Just like test-tube babies in Proper Human History, or homunculi in the magecraft world!"
The humans here were purely consumable goods.
Born in factories and dispatched to the homes of fairies, they would be discarded once their thirty-year lifespan expired.
Just like furniture bought from the market, the fairies viewed humans as mere tools!
However, the Queen controlled the production output of humans, making them seem like luxurious furniture in the eyes of the fairies.
The so-called "control of production output" meant exactly what it said.
It was truly chilling information.
Evening.
The group, having successfully crossed the river, set up camp in the wilderness.
After some scribbling and drawing, Da Vinci sent a letter via pigeon.
"Contacting headquarters?"
Eiji noticed her actions and approached to ask.
"Yes, our ship mysteriously stopped working after entering this Lostbelt. We initially thought it was because there was no human domain here, but now it doesn't seem to be the case."
Da Vinci placed her hands on her hips and let out a frustrated sigh.
"Same for me. The motorcycles and other things I prepared are all unusable. Only these small gadgets are barely functional."
Eiji shook the camera in his hand.
"I really don't know why!"
"Who says otherwise?"
The two exchanged a glance and sighed in unison.
To be honest, Eiji had also stored machine guns, RPGs, fighter jets, and the like in his imaginary pocket, but those things had also gone silent. Otherwise, they could have given the fairies a big surprise.
Don't ask where he got them—just think of them as from an American base.
"Wah! Everyone, it's bad!"
Artoria came running back, tears welling in her eyes.
"I made a mistake while setting up the barrier earlier and attracted a bunch of strange beasts!"
"Roar!"
"Awoo!"
As if echoing one another, eerie howls erupted from all around the campsite, accompanied by flashes of various magical lights!
"Didn't I say I would handle the barrier?"
Grimm stared at Artoria with a speechless expression.
"I... I..."
Artoria was at a loss for words.
"Enough. She must have felt underestimated and wanted to prove herself, only to mess up again!"
Muramasa covered his face in embarrassment.
Though they hadn't known each other for long, he inexplicably understood the personality of the Caster with the ahoge.
"Hey, old man! How about a contest?"
"Counting the number of beasts we repel? Sounds like a good warm-up before dinner!"
The two dashed off in a flash.
Simultaneously, the cries of beasts filled the air.
"Honestly, how many times has she messed up along the way?"
"Well, I haven't kept count..."
Even Da Vinci found it difficult to answer Eiji's question.
It must have been quite a few.
If it were only once or twice, it wouldn't be so hard to remember.
No wonder no one recognized her as the Child of Prophecy.
If the Child of Prophecy was like this, it was better not to believe in it!
Oberon, Gareth, and Habetrot silently watched the drama unfold from a distance.
"Come on, don't be discouraged. Your time to shine will come!"
Seeing Artoria's dejected expression, Fujimaru Ritsuka stepped forward to comfort her.
"When we reach Norwich tomorrow, it will surely be the moment for your Merlin magic to shine!"
"Merlin! Where is Merlin?"
Eiji leaped up with a roar, his face contorted in anger.
"Are you in this Lostbelt? If you are, you must be watching us! Get out here! I'll cut you down!"
The people around stared at him in horror.
"..."
Eiji fell silent for a moment.
"Ahem, my apologies. I lost my composure."
He gave an awkward laugh and quietly sat back down.
"Another victim of Merlin, I see?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka looked at Eiji with pity.
Just how much hatred does Merlin inspire?
What exactly has he done to enrage someone as seemingly carefree as Eiji to this extent?
"Wait, that sword of yours!"
At that moment, Muramasa suddenly returned from outside.