Chapter 1035: The Nearly Perfect Plan
"Where is this?"
Early morning on the day of the coronation.
Led by Cernunnos, Uther was brought to a shelter deep underground.
"You must remain here until the ceremony concludes."
Eiji, who had accompanied them, delivered this instruction upon hearing the question.
"Food and water have been prepared here, sufficient for at least half a month."
Seeing Uther's lingering confusion, Cernunnos proceeded to explain further.
"It took me two days to complete this shelter. I've established the strongest barrier I can create around it—one that can even block the gaze of the Counter Force."
"Are you suggesting I stay here until the ceremony ends to avoid the fate of 'being poisoned by wine'?"
Uther finally grasped their plan but grew concerned.
"But what about the ceremony? If I don't appear, the fairies might rebel on the spot!"
"You still haven't fully understood this plan!"
Eiji wagged his finger, a faint smile appearing on his face.
With a mere thought, a wisp of black mist materialized before the three of them. It writhed slowly, gradually taking the form of a young man with golden hair and blue eyes.
"This is... me?"
Uther was startled.
The young man fashioned from the black mist looked exactly like him!
No one would be able to tell the difference!
If one wondered why, it was simply because this young man was Uther himself!
"Exactly."
Eiji snapped his fingers cheerfully.
"This is a duplicate of Uther I created using dream power."
"Soon, this duplicate will attend the coronation ceremony and be publicly poisoned by the wine!"
"So I still have to die?"
Uther let out a bitter laugh.
Though it wasn't truly him dying, it was still, in essence, his own death.
"Isn't that only natural? Did you think the Counter Force would be so easily deceived?"
Eiji shot him a disdainful look.
"King Uther dies during the coronation—this way, history will continue along its destined path... And you, after the ceremony concludes, will live on with a new identity, aided by Cernunnos!"
"For instance, you could become King Uther's adopted son or brother, legitimately inheriting the kingdom!"
It was a classic stratagem of covert substitution!
Because they were within the barrier Cernunnos had set up, even the Counter Force couldn't detect that Uther had been secretly replaced.
The dream duplicate was an exact replica of the original, a perfect copy without even a ten-thousandth difference!
Even Cernunnos, without conducting tests, wouldn't be able to discern whether it was the real person or not!
They believed it should be enough to deceive the Counter Force.
As long as they could get through today, everything would turn out fine.
Theoretically, it was a nearly perfect plan.
"We will handle everything at the ceremony."
Cernunnos fixed her intense gaze on Uther.
"Listen, Uther. You have only one task! Until I come for you after the ceremony ends, you must not leave this place under any circumstances!"
Her eyes carried such pressure that Uther didn't dare utter a single word of refusal, as if he had returned to his childhood days under Cernunnos's strict tutelage, guided by her teaching rod.
This plan was devised jointly by Cernunnos and Eiji.
Only the two of them knew about this; even Grimm and Mash were completely unaware.
If history continued along its original trajectory, the world would naturally keep turning.
Even if, afterward, the world discovered that Uther had survived by changing his identity, as long as it didn't disrupt the course of history, the world wouldn't pursue Uther relentlessly.
This way, Uther could survive.
Yes.
At least Uther could survive.
The only potential failure in this plan was if Uther left the shelter on his own!
If he came into the world's line of sight, the world would do everything in its power to eliminate him!
"Stop treating me like a child—I know what's at stake!"
Uther grumbled at her attitude but still solemnly agreed.
Soon after.
Cnoc na Riabh and Eiji left the shelter with the dream version of Uther.
Eiji controlled the dream Uther, carefully molding him to match Uther's usual impression. Fortunately, Cnoc na Riabh was there to whisper cues, so no flaws were exposed.
On the way to the clock tower.
"Cnoc na Riabh, do you really think this will be enough?"
Eiji stopped walking and turned to look at her.
"…What do you mean?"
Cnoc na Riabh paused, glancing back as if surprised.
"Don't play dumb. You know what I'm talking about."
Eiji's gaze remained fixed on her.
"I knew I couldn't hide it from you."
Cnoc na Riabh's tense shoulders relaxed, and she gave a bitter smile.
"I know my ideals are destined to fail. No matter how desperately I struggle, peace isn't the true path. To achieve that ideal, the only way is…"
For a moment, Eiji saw a familiar determination in her eyes.
The will to dominate.
"You and Uther go back first. I'll go find Totrot to pick up the ceremonial robes."
Cnoc na Riabh turned and left.
Her retreating figure carried a sense of loneliness, helplessness, and sorrow.
"Cnoc na Riabh, so you already knew after all."
Eiji let out a long sigh and rubbed his temples in frustration.
They were cut from the same cloth.
Even without saying it outright, they could sense the hidden meanings in each other's words.
Meanwhile.
Inside the shelter.
"Food, water, bedding… everything's prepared, except for a chamber pot."
Uther's lips twitched in annoyance.
Fairies don't need to eat, so of course they don't need to relieve themselves.
But I'm human!
How could Cnoc na Riabh forget something so important!
I can hold it in for a while, but not forever!
"But I absolutely can't go outside now… No choice, I'll have to dig a hole."
Despite being the man about to become the next King of Britain, Uther found himself crouched in an unseen corner, miserably digging a hole to use as a makeshift chamber pot.
What a pitiful king!
"Uther, are you still in there?"
Halfway through digging, a familiar voice suddenly called from outside the door.
"Cnoc na Riabh?"
Uther jolted in surprise.
Driven by the desire not to lose face in front of her, he quickly buried the half-dug hole.
"There's something very important I need to tell you. I made sure to come while he wasn't around."
Cnoc na Riabh's voice was serious.
She deliberately avoided Eiji?
Something that important?
Uther was startled and hurriedly opened the shelter door.
...
Time gradually approached noon.
In front of Londinium's great clock tower, fairies from every clan crowded together.
The Wind Clan, universally handsome and beautiful in appearance; the Earth Clan, short in stature yet robust and capable; the Tooth Clan, standing upright like various animals with an air of arrogance; the Wing Clan, delicate and petite like floral sprites; and the Mirror Clan, who appeared profoundly mysterious.
Among the six great clans, only the King Clan was entirely absent.
"That's because the King Clan consists of just one person—Queen Mab of the North!"
Led into the clock tower as honored guests by the human guards, the group understood this exceptionally unique clan through Habetrot's explanation.
In the year 4000 of the Fairy Calendar, after the destruction of Orkney, home of the Rain Clan, the original six great clans of the southern fairies—Wind, Earth, Tooth, Wing, Mirror, and Rain—were reduced to just five.