Chapter 1014: Eiji's Selfishness
Night.
A campfire rose amidst the dense forest, with several people gathered around it, busy setting up camp.
To be precise, only Cnoc na Riabh and her group were occupied with the work.
"So, to conclude, we were sent to the era of the Autumn War 2400 years ago by Queen Morgan's Water Mirror magecraft?"
Mash stood at the edge of the campsite, exchanging opinions with Eiji.
"Correct."
Eiji nodded, confirming to Mash that this was no joke, much to her disbelief.
"The 'Water Mirror' magecraft she used is the result of analyzing and replicating your Chaldea's Spiritron Transfer technology."
"Such a thing is possible..."
Mash was utterly astonished.
None of their enemies thus far had been able to imitate Chaldea's Spiritron Transfer.
As a degraded magecraft similar to the Fifth Magic, this technology possessed astonishing levels of mystery. Even Mash, who had grown up in Chaldea, only knew of its existence without understanding how it was developed.
To think that the queen of this British Lostbelt could even imitate Chaldea's most fundamental technology was simply beyond belief!
"But that doesn't make sense. How would the queen know about our Chaldea's magecraft?"
"Have you forgotten? There's someone from Chaldea by the queen's side."
"...Ah, that's right! It's Mr. Beryl!"
Mash froze for a moment before coming to her senses, her expression growing somewhat complicated.
So, the queen learned about Spiritron Transfer technology through Beryl and created that absurd "Water Mirror" magecraft.
"I find it somewhat hard to understand."
Mash lowered her head, her expression tinged with confusion.
"What is?"
"Queen Morgan clearly possesses such power, yet when the Great Calamity attacked Norwich, she didn't intervene. Instead, she used the Water Mirror to send the Great Calamity to the past... Is this how a ruler of a nation should act?"
"It's no wonder you'd think that way."
Eiji understood.
Morgan could absolutely defeat the Great Calamity without any flashy methods—the "Holy Lance magecraft" that the Chaldea members had mentioned would suffice. It was said she could even project the Holy Lance across the Lostbelt. To be able to compile the Lance That Shines to the Ends of the World into magecraft—Morgan's magical talent was truly outrageous!
Yet despite this, she chose to use the Water Mirror to send the Great Calamity to the past.
This did solve the problem without bloodshed.
But it wasn't a complete solution.
The Great Calamity sent to the past would still wreak havoc, and who knew how many people from that era would be sacrificed before it could be resolved.
Viewed this way, it seemed somewhat irresponsible.
"However, that's not entirely accurate either."
"Huh?"
"Have you thought about it, Mash?"
Eiji glanced toward Cnoc na Riabh, who was setting up a barrier not far away.
Cnoc na Riabh seemed to sense his gaze, looked at him briefly, then quickly averted her eyes.
"I've said that Cnoc na Riabh isn't Artoria, and Artoria clearly isn't Cnoc na Riabh's reincarnation. Their power levels are too different... So who could Cnoc na Riabh be?"
When a fairy dies and the next generation is born, their power closely approximates that of their previous self.
The power of Cnoc na Riabh is incredibly formidable, capable of resolving even the calamities of this era. She has dealt with the Great Calamity multiple times, which is completely unmatched by Artoria's strength. It's impossible for the two of them to be related as predecessor and successor.
"Who is she...?"
Mash was momentarily bewildered.
She felt as if she had touched upon something—the truth hidden beneath a veil that could easily be lifted. Yet, her mind, overwhelmed by an excess of information, fell into a brief stagnation, unable to lift that veil.
She cast a questioning gaze toward Eiji.
"Think it through yourself."
But Eiji shook his head and did not provide her with the answer.
Mash found it somewhat incomprehensible—why would such a thing need to be concealed?
However, since Eiji had no intention of speaking, the polite young eggplant didn't press further.
"But, if that's the case, did Eiji already know that the Queen intended to use the Water Mirror to resolve the Great Calamity?"
Mash shook her head, shifting her focus.
At times like this, obsessing over a single point rarely leads to answers. It would be better to ponder it later when there's nothing else to do. Perhaps the answer would suddenly become clear. She could sense that the answer was already right before her eyes.
"Well... about that, I owe you an apology."
Hearing this, Eiji's expression stiffened, and he scratched his head.
"Originally, if I had told you about this directly, perhaps things wouldn't have been so difficult, and you wouldn't have been dragged into the Water Mirror. This is my fault. I'm sorry."
"Please don't say such things!"
Eiji apologized sincerely, but Mash grew agitated.
"If it weren't for Eiji, I might not even have been able to reunite with my senior! Moreover, from the perspective of resisting the Queen's rule, it's far more beneficial for us to defeat the Great Calamity than for the Queen to do so!"
Oh... from another angle, that's indeed true.
Now that they had defeated the Great Calamity, prophecies of the Child of Prophecy were likely spreading throughout Norwich. This meant that the task of overthrowing the Queen's rule could finally be put on the agenda.
In a way, this had indirectly helped.
"I just find it hard to understand—why would someone like Eiji choose to conceal this matter?"
Mash's raised voice drew the attention of Cnoc na Riabh and the others. She quickly cast an apologetic glance their way, lowered her voice, and looked at Eiji with confusion.
After interacting with Eiji a few times, she had come to understand his character.
Though he seemed somewhat erratic and unserious on the surface, at his core, he was straightforward, self-assured, and inherently caring.
"Well... I actually had some personal reasons."
Eiji hesitated, scratching his cheek awkwardly.
"Let's not talk about this for now. When the time is right, I'll tell you."
"I understand."
Mash agreed readily, placing her full trust in Eiji's words.
On the other side.
"Sigh..."
Cnoc na Riabh finished setting up the barrier, adjusted her skirt over her hips, and sat down by the campfire, letting out a weary sigh.
"Cnoc, is what that human said true or false?"
Habetrot, noticing this, approached her.
"Well..."
Cnoc na Riabh gave a dry laugh and averted her gaze.
"Your eyes are Fairy Eyes, capable of discerning truth and falsehood, right?"
Habetrot pressed on eagerly, "When that man said those words, you must have seen through whether he was telling the truth or lying, right?"
"...Totorot, isn't your memory supposed to be rather poor? Why do you remember this incident so clearly?"
Cnoc na Riabh covered her forehead, her face full of exasperation.
"Because it's interesting!"
Habetrot's eyes sparkled, unable to contain her excitement.
"In my heart, on the 'Most Looking Forward to Seeing Her in a Wedding Dress' ranking, Cnoc na Riabh holds the unshakable top position! To make sure I wouldn't forget, I kept repeating it all the way back from the coast! Just tell me!"
"Don't put me on such a pointless ranking!"
Cnoc na Riabh couldn't help but retort loudly.