Chapter 1021: What Is a Fairy of Paradise?
"It is said that in the very beginning, this fairy kingdom was extremely small."
In the evening, by the campfire, Cnoc na Riabh began explaining the past history of the fairy kingdom to Eiji and Mash.
"The reason it has become so large now is that for over ten thousand years, fairies have been dying every moment. After their deaths, their bodies decay into rotten wood, which becomes the material for the island's expansion."
"So, to prevent the island of Britain from remaining so small, I didn't intervene in every conflict from the start. I only appeared when there was a great calamity—a crisis that would annihilate the entire island. It wasn't until a thousand years later that I began striving to establish a peaceful and prosperous era..."
I see.
Eiji recalled.
Yesterday, when they were transported by the water mirror, he and Mash had landed on the coast of Norwich.
But that coastline was vastly different from the Norwich coast 2,400 years later—much smaller in comparison. He had thought it might be due to tectonic movements or similar changes, but it turned out the island itself was expanding.
"You fought alone for a thousand years?"
However, Eiji was more concerned about this part of Cnoc na Riabh's story.
"Yes."
Cnoc na Riabh poked the campfire, her delicate face tinged orange-red by the flames.
As if lost in memories, she let out a soft sigh.
"I was born 3,600 years ago—according to your calculations, that would be the year 4000 of the Fairy Calendar. At first, I only dealt with calamities. After resolving each one, I would return to my coffin to sleep and recover my magical energy. It wasn't until around the year 3000 of the Fairy Calendar that I began intervening in conflicts between the clans. Summoning Grim, and becoming companions with Totorot and Ector, also happened around that time..."
So that's why Ector said Cnoc na Riabh had been fighting for over three thousand years.
"Though it may sound clumsy, I truly believe Miss Cnoc na Riabh is remarkable!"
Mash earnestly expressed her thoughts.
"Though I'm only 18 years old and still quite naive about many things, even I understand the weight of time. For Miss Cnoc na Riabh to spend over three thousand years solely to protect this island of Britain—I truly find that remarkable!"
Especially when compared to her 2,400 years later, that sense of admiration and heartache would well up uncontrollably from the depths of her heart!
Ector cast an approving glance.
The young lady might be a bit too sweet, but she certainly knows how to speak well!
"You're exaggerating, Mash."
In response to her praise, Cnoc na Riabh merely smiled indifferently.
"I have nothing to do with words like 'remarkable.'"
Her eyes lowered, devoid of any emotion.
She felt no resonance with being praised as "remarkable."
"By the way, Cnoc na Riabh, I've been meaning to ask you since this morning."
Eiji suddenly remembered something crucial.
"What kind of fairy is a Fairy of Paradise?"
As soon as he spoke these words.
Cnoc na Riabh and the other two were stunned.
"Seriously, young man?"
Ector's mouth fell open.
"If you're Cnoc na Riabh's husband, how could you not know something like that?"
Habbycat also couldn't help but look speechless.
"Does Miss Habbycat know?"
Mash curiously turned to Habbycat.
"I forgot!"
"...I see."
"You foolish winged fairy, what exactly can you remember?!"
Ektor glared at her with frustration.
"A fairy of paradise..."
Even Mash was taken aback, her gaze toward Eiji filled with peculiarity.
Logically speaking, since they would become husband and wife in the future, there shouldn't be any need to hide such matters from him, right?
That's right.
Mash didn't doubt her future relationship with Eiji—after all, the fairy eye was no trivial ability.
She simply thought that her future self might have kept secrets, given the many mysteries surrounding her.
It clearly never crossed her mind to question how long they had been married or what their marital relationship was like.
Mash hesitated.
Should she tell him here?
If her future self hadn't told him, was there a special reason?
And if she told him now, would it disrupt her future self's plans?
At this thought, Mash felt as if her lips had been sewn shut with needle and thread, overwhelmed by a sense of closure toward Eiji—a feeling that she "must not tell him anything."
However.
"Does a husband need a reason to help his wife?"
As she hesitated, those words Eiji had blurted out this morning flashed inexplicably through her mind.
Devoid of any shadows, ulterior motives, or hidden agendas—just a pure will to help her.
Under the fairy eye, it had been laid bare!
"Fairies of paradise are distinct from the six great clans of fairies."
Mash sighed.
She knew her actions were highly irrational, but the moment she recalled his words, she couldn't help but blurt out the answer. For an instant, it felt as if her mind was no longer under her control.
But since she had already spoken, she might as well see it through!
After all, it would be her future self who'd have to deal with the consequences!
With her mind made up, Mash began to reveal the secrets of the fairies of paradise one by one.
"Whether they are southern fairies or northern fairies, their essence lies in being beings born on the surface of the planet. Fairies of paradise, as the name implies, are fairies born from paradise—that is, the Inner Sea of the Planet!"
Eiji's breath hitched.
Fairies born from the Inner Sea of the Planet?
Could such fairies truly exist?
Mash... and Artoria—could they both have such incredible origins?
The Inner Sea of the Planet, as the name suggests, is the Earth's core, a world located at the planet's center.
It is an ideal world free from pain, sorrow, conflict, birth, aging, sickness, and death—also known as "Avalon"!
It is said that in the post-Age of Gods, as mystery gradually faded, the phantasmal species that were once commonplace in ancient times were mostly rejected by human laws and thus returned to the Inner Sea of the Planet, with only a few remaining on the surface.
Therefore, it is also a fantastical world teeming with phantasmal species, inaccessible to ordinary people!
"The reason fairies of paradise are born is that they are assigned by paradise to descend to the surface world and fulfill a mission."
"Is that mission to protect Britain?"
"...More or less."
Mash silently averted her gaze.
Eiji, meanwhile, fell into thoughtful contemplation.
"However, fairies of paradise are not welcomed by surface fairies. They even subconsciously reject fairies of paradise."
Mash changed the subject, her expression downcast as she forced a faint smile.
"That's why, after resolving conflicts each time, I return to my coffin to sleep. Otherwise, everyone would come to subjugate me..."
Ektor clicked his tongue and fell into silence.
"Such a thing exists?"
Eiji suddenly thought of Artoria.
Artoria, who looked exactly like Cnoc, probably shared the same origins as her. Could the persecution she suffered from the fairies of Tintagel during her childhood also be due to her origins?
"Why do the earthly fairies despise the fairy of paradise?"
Mash's willow-leaf eyebrows furrowed, feeling somewhat indignant on Cnoc's behalf.
"Hasn't Miss Cnoc always been dedicated to protecting Britain and bringing peace to everyone? She shouldn't have done anything to wrong the earthly fairies, right?"
"This... I'm not sure either..."
Cnoc averted her gaze once more.
She was hiding something.
Eiji could tell.
"Alright, do you have any other questions? If not, rest well tonight. We may have a tough battle ahead tomorrow!"