Chapter 1019: I Like People Who Work Hard
After receiving Eiji's affirmative answer and setting their itinerary, Tonelico's smile grew even brighter.
Under her direction, the magical beast beneath their feet immediately quickened its pace, rushing toward the great cave without delay.
Ector wore a broad, doting smile.
Though paired with his full beard, it looked particularly lecherous.
"Mr. Eiji, you're surprisingly kind to Miss Tonelico."
Mash appeared beside Eiji, carefully steering the magical beast—a sight that looked utterly adorable.
"Do I usually seem like a bad person?"
Eiji raised an eyebrow.
His tone turned displeased.
"Of course not! It's just... how should I put it..."
Sensing his rising irritation, Mash quickly shook her head.
"Although Mr. Eiji is kind to others too, that's just an innate gentleness. On the surface, you always enjoy teasing people and making fun of them."
Thinking about it carefully, Mash, Ritsuka, Da Vinci, Grimm, Muramasa, and even Habenyan and Artoria had all been teased by him at some point.
Only Tristan, Gareth, and Oberon, who had spent less time with him, had managed to avoid it.
As for Mr. Pepe, he seemed to have a way of restraining Mr. Eiji—not only was he never teased, but Eiji didn't even approach him.
It couldn't help but make one sigh: there really is always someone who can keep another in check.
"But when it comes to Miss Tonelico, for some reason, Mr. Eiji is exceptionally tolerant!"
After pondering for a long time, Mash finally found the most fitting description.
Exceptionally tolerant toward Tonelico.
Hearing this, Eiji also fell into thought.
Was that really the case?
He hadn't even realized it himself.
"Mr. Eiji, you've met Miss Tonelico before, haven't you?"
Mash looked at Eiji with curiosity.
"Otherwise, you wouldn't have said something like 'I'm your future husband' earlier!"
And that tolerance was truly extraordinary.
This piqued Mash's interest.
What was the reason that made Mr. Eiji, who couldn't live without seeking amusement, act like a completely different person?
"You little eggplant, you're gossiping now! Tell me, who taught you that?"
"Huh? Ah, no, no one taught me!"
Mash felt frustrated.
Why did Mr. Eiji know about the nickname "eggplant" she used to be called?
"How should I put it..."
After teasing her enough, Eiji began to ponder.
He connected all his impressions of Tonelico in his mind and vaguely understood something.
"It's probably because... I really like people who work hard. That's the reason!"
After reflecting on himself, Eiji found the answer.
"You like people who work hard?"
Mash tilted her head, finding this even more unbelievable.
"Is that all? If we're talking about hardworking people, shouldn't everyone like them?"
"You're thinking too simplistically, Mash. There are plenty of people in this world who can't stand seeing others do well."
Eiji clicked his tongue twice and shook his head.
"I'm different from ordinary people—I especially like those who work hard!"
"Don't let my lively appearance fool you now, but I've actually been through a lot of hardships in the past. When I was little, even moving a muscle could break my bones and tendons. I was bedridden for a full fourteen years..."
Even now, looking back, it remains a deeply unpleasant memory.
That said, from another perspective, it was undoubtedly a form of wealth.
Had he not experienced such a miserable childhood, he likely wouldn't have reached his current heights.
It was precisely because he gained that incredibly rich spiritual wealth that he could now desperately lift his head high and muster all his strength to advance toward the summit of the world!
"Perhaps I saw my own shadow in Cernunnos."
Eiji sighed with emotion.
For over three thousand years of struggle, that persistence, that foolish devotion—so unwavering that even Eiji felt he couldn't match it—left him in awe.
When looking at Cernunnos, Eiji felt as if he were gazing into a mirror, seeing another version of himself reflected back.
Naturally, Eiji could empathize deeply with her circumstances.
"Mash, I've always believed that it's unforgivable when hardworking people don't receive their due rewards."
Eiji spoke to Mash with great seriousness.
"That's why I cannot forgive this Britain for allowing Cernunnos to meet such an end."
Such an end?
Mash was somewhat puzzled.
But then, a realization dawned on her.
So, Eiji-san really did know Cernunnos from 2400 years later?
That's why he was so indignant about her fate.
"Did Eiji-san come back to this era to change Cernunnos's outcome?"
Mash felt she was beginning to understand.
When that Water Mirror spell struck, she had been forced into it while trying to push her senior out of harm's way, but Eiji-san had actively charged into it.
Could it be that he wanted to use this opportunity to alter the ending that so enraged him?
"——"
Wait.
Water Mirror?
Queen Morgan's spell is called Water Mirror?
"I came here because I sensed a spell similar to my 'Mirror Series' magecraft."
"Cernunnos's end was that she went to the Land's End Orkney, drained the Fantasy Tree of its mana, and then disappeared to who knows where."
"The queen traveled south from Land's End Orkney, overwhelming the four clans with an unstoppable force and became the ruler who dominated Britain for over 2000 years."
Fragments of earlier information flashed through her mind.
Astonishingly, they connected into a coherent line!
Could it be—
"I am actually this country's queen consort!"
Back at the Mike Tavern in Salisbury, everyone had dismissed Eiji-san's teasing of Artoria as a joke and brushed it off.
So it was true after all!
"How could that be? I'm not a god; how could I know what era the Water Mirror would transport us to?"
Eiji spread his hands, making a meme-like expression.
"Even Morgan herself can't control it accurately, so of course, I couldn't have predicted the current situation."
"The reason I charged into the Water Mirror was partly because you got dragged into it, and I had to take responsibility to bring you back, and partly because I just wanted to see what Cernunnos was like in the past."
Eiji let out a sigh.
"However... now that I think about it, after arriving in this era, this final era, my thoughts have changed again—"
Eiji lifted his head and gazed at Cernunnos's back as she walked ahead.
Despite its slender appearance, that back stood like a pillar holding up the sky, bearing the weight of the Fairy Kingdom's 6000-year destiny.
If there were even the slightest possibility of changing her past, wouldn't that be a form of salvation?
"After all, I'm someone who never gives up before giving it my all."
Eiji murmured these words in his heart.
"So, Mr. Eiji, when do you plan to return?"
"In about six months."
Mash's inquiry pulled Eiji out of his deep contemplation.
"Once the coronation ceremony is concluded, we can return."
If he were to go back now...
Eiji could guarantee that he would regret it in the future.