Chapter 999: Let Me Give You Some Advice
To be honest, with Eiji's current firepower, he could at most hold his own against it. Without being able to locate the mastermind behind it all, even he felt immense pressure!
He was the ultimate humanoid combat specialist. In a one-on-one fight, even a god would be cut down by him!
But when facing this kind of area-of-effect firepower coverage, he found himself somewhat overwhelmed.
It was a pity he hadn't obtained the power of the Fourth True Ancestor yet.
Otherwise, just by standing there doing nothing, he could shatter that rain cloud with a single strike!
"The 'ash' forming that rain cloud should be the dust left behind after the Mors die, right?"
Eiji pondered as he asked.
Rather than confronting the Great Calamity head-on, he preferred to find the mastermind behind it.
"Where does that ash actually come from?"
If they could figure that out, they might be able to locate the source of the calamity!
"I'm very curious about that too!"
Little Da Vinci's eyes lit up; she hadn't considered that angle.
"Wouldn't dealing with the source of the ash be much more efficient than dealing with the Great Calamity itself?"
Everyone nodded in agreement upon hearing this.
"Hardly anyone knows about this... but thanks to my excellent connections, I did learn a highly plausible theory from the lord of Gloucester—Lady Muramasa!"
Pepe's brows relaxed as she smiled slightly.
"The answer is the Great Pit."
"That massive crater next to Camelot has been spewing black ash for millennia, seemingly without end, spreading continuously for thousands of years. That is the true form of the 'ash' covering Britain!"
"..."
Eiji remained silent for a long time before finally speaking with a laugh.
"Let's get back to discussing the Great Calamity!"
"Right, it's more practical to deal with the immediate problem first!"
Pepe agreed with a smile, then turned her gaze to Eiji.
"By the way, it's very safe here. Why don't you take off your sunglasses and mask?"
"Th-That won't be necessary... I'm ugly and don't want to scare anyone! Right, Ahoge?"
"Huh?"
Artoria was taken aback for a moment before glaring at him with clear displeasure.
"That's right, he's an unparalleled ugly freak. Absolutely don't let him show his face and scare people!"
For this one moment.
Eiji felt grateful for Artoria's insults!
"Come now, don't say that!"
The more he refused, the more enthusiastic Pepe became, looking at him with great warmth.
"Everyone here is clearly kind-hearted! They would never laugh at you. No matter your past, this place will surely become your warm home☆!"
What is home?
Why does it feel like there's a hidden meaning in your words?
I'd rather die than consider this place home!
"Ah, I just remembered some crucial intel about Spriggan!"
Seeing even Gudao's eyes growing eager, Eiji had a sudden inspiration and quickly changed the subject.
...
"Phew, that was close!"
Eiji wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
His dignity was almost compromised!
The intelligence-sharing meeting had concluded.
With the calamity showing no signs of erupting yet, everyone decided to take this opportunity to relax properly. After traveling for so many days in a row, balancing work and rest was essential.
Muramasa went to the forge, while Artoria and Gudako went shopping together.
Eiji, however, went out alone to clear his mind.
He had a feeling that if he stayed in the mansion any longer, his chastity would definitely be targeted!
Stay away from me, you homos!
With nothing else to do, Eiji wandered around aimlessly. The city's atmosphere was completely different from Salisbury and Camelot, so he took quite a few photos.
"A tooth fairy?"
In a fleeting glance, Eiji spotted a somewhat familiar figure.
The other person seemed sneaky, as if hiding some unspeakable secret, avoiding the gazes of passersby.
Suddenly remembering something, Eiji quietly followed them.
The tooth fairy bypassed the main road and entered a narrow alley, stopping in front of a small courtyard at the very end.
After knocking on the courtyard gate, they were soon let inside.
"How did it go?"
Inside the room of the small courtyard sat a burly figure.
"Sir!"
The tooth fairy knelt respectfully.
"Spriggan is heading to the Count's manor! They say it's because suspicious individuals have entered the Count's estate!"
"What suspicious individuals?"
"Forgive me, sir, I haven't been able to find out yet."
"Never mind, it's not your fault."
The fairy shook his head, his snow-white fur swaying.
"Given Spriggan's nature of never acting without personal gain, for him to leave the Treasury City just before the Calamity erupts, it must be either for immense profit or due to pressure forcing him to act!"
"Pressure? Forgive my ignorance, but Spriggan is a lord—what kind of pressure could he possibly face?"
"Fool! Can't you connect it to the prophecy?"
He stood up.
Dressed in a suit, his body was wrapped in white bandages, and his aura seemed somewhat weakened, as if he hadn't fully recovered from serious injuries.
Yet the expression on his face remained as sarcastic and arrogant as ever.
"When the iron town and the coal sea repel the Calamity, the pilgrimage shall be welcomed."
He revealed a confident smile.
"By my estimation, the Child of Prophecy should arrive in Norwich within the next couple of days, right? And if the Child of Prophecy shows up, but Spriggan doesn't capture them, the Queen will surely punish him! That's the pressure he's facing!"
"Oh, right!"
Hearing this, the tooth fairy suddenly understood.
"Should we go help, then?"
"Help whom, exactly?"
The lion-like man glared at him strangely.
"Of course, the Child of Prophecy's side! Lady Mash has shown us kindness—how can we stand by and let Spriggan capture her?"
The tooth fairy declared righteously.
"Idiot! The Child of Prophecy I'm referring to is the real one, not Mash! In fact, if it were Mash, we wouldn't need to help at all!"
The man scolded him furiously, exasperated by his incompetence.
"Moreover, the Count is a favorite in the eyes of Aurora and Muramasa! Spriggan would have to have a death wish to cause trouble at the Count's estate!"
"Ah, so that's how it is..."
The tooth fairy wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, looking thoroughly unconvinced.
"Enough, get out! Go gather more intel. I want to know the exact route Spriggan will take when he returns to the Treasury City!"
He sighed in frustration.
"This is a rare opportunity. If we can take Spriggan down now, we can replace his incompetent self and protect Norwich!"
"Yes, sir!"
The subordinate hastily took his leave.
The man sat back in his chair, his face filled with inner turmoil.
Not only were his physical wounds tormenting him, but the exhaustion in his heart was even more overwhelming.
With his limited manpower, he had little confidence in whether he could replace Spreegan in the eyes of the Queen and the major clans to become the lord of Norwich.
"Hey, isn't that Bogart? What happened? You've fallen so far in just a few days?"
Just then, a mocking voice rang out in the small courtyard.
Bogart first started in surprise, then widened his eyes, staring at the newcomer with an expression of disbelief.
"It's you! You actually came to Norwich too?!"
"You want to take down Spreegan, right?"
The cloaked figure had appeared in the courtyard as if by magic.
"Let me give you some advice!"