Chapter 1059 Marching on Londinium
From the moment the first bell in Norwich was rung, the Child of Prophecy had completely positioned herself against the Queen.
From this point on, Morgan would no longer regard Artoria as her subject, but as a criminal rebelling against her rule!
She immediately ordered Woodwose to lead the soldiers of the Fang Clan to attack Londinium.
Not Norwich, but Londinium.
Even though the rebel forces had captured Norwich, Londinium remained their main base. They wouldn't be able to relocate their headquarters there in a short time.
Once they learned Londinium was in danger, those people would surely choose to return and reinforce it.
Whether Spriggan could take the opportunity to reclaim the lost territory would be up to him.
"Is Woodwose alone enough?" Eiji pondered seriously.
He carefully considered the military strength on both sides, fully analyzing the upcoming battle from Morgan's perspective.
"The enemy has quite a few Servant-level combatants over there. It won't be easy to capture the city."
"Moreover, after ringing the bell, the Fairy of Paradise's power will increase dramatically. The current Artoria is no longer the same as before—her ability to support soldiers is definitely much stronger than it was."
Each time the Fairy of Paradise rings a bell, her power multiplies.
The reason Cnoc na Riabh became so powerful in the past, even capable of subduing the Great Calamity alone, was precisely because she rang many bells.
Eiji still didn't understand the mechanism behind this.
But the current situation clearly required more consideration.
Boggart and Pepe would likely continue defending Norwich.
Even so, the enemy still had: the easily summonable Gudao, the defense-specialist Mash, the universal genius Da Vinci-chan, the Lamenting Knight Tristan, the Sage Grimm, the god-slaying specialist Muramashi, the greatly empowered Artoria, and the Realm Boundary Breaker Percival.
Excluding the non-combatant Habenyan and the mysterious Gareth, there was also the unfathomable Oberon.
And Souji, whom he had just sent over.
Woodwose was strong—Eiji understood that.
Even before he became a True Ancestor, his chances of victory against Woodwose would have been uncertain.
But honestly, the enemy's lineup was overwhelmingly powerful.
Eiji felt that Woodwose alone might not be able to handle it.
"Woodwose is the reincarnation of Rainiac. He's a Returned A-Ring, a genuine Great Father in strength. Even a god might not be able to defeat him..."
Morgan rested her thumb on her chin, deep in thought.
"However, I'm not very familiar with their strength. Since you put it that way, let's send another reinforcement from Camelot."
...
With the support of Boggart and the Count, the rebel forces crushed Spriggan's army and successfully occupied the Treasury Castle.
On the top floor of the Treasury Castle, everyone discovered the Pilgrimage Bell belonging to the Earth Clan.
"Song of Paradise, voice of the inner sea, for the one chosen, corrected, and judged to be born, the primordial Bone Bell, guide the lost child home, forgive their sins!"
With the chant unique to the Fairy of Paradise, Artoria successfully rang the first Pilgrimage Bell.
In a dazzling burst of light, the magical energy surrounding Artoria suddenly intensified several times over, her mana capacity skyrocketing from below average to rivaling that of a high-ranking fairy!
"Fairy of Paradise—they feel less like fairies and more like humans! Or perhaps they combine the strengths of both?"
Little Da Vinci observed Artoria with great interest.
The secret of the Fairy of Paradise had already been revealed by Habenyan on the way to Camelot, so there was no need for her to hide it anymore.
In this fairy kingdom, fairies' appearances are essentially fixed from birth.
Although there are fairies whose forms change with stages, none have ever been heard of whose magical power increases.
After all, fairy patterns are innate, akin to the soul's nerves like magical circuits, with no possibility of growth or reduction.
To break such a rule—truly worthy of a fairy sent from the Inner Sea of the Planet!
How I'd love to study this more closely; dissecting her would be even better!
Feeling like a lab rat, Artoria forced an awkward smile.
"But I've become much stronger!"
Artoria was utterly astonished by her own magical power.
The astounding amount of mana gave her a refreshing sense of relief, as if all her pent-up frustrations had dissipated.
All along, she had been too weak, feeling incapable of doing anything and too afraid to act.
But now she finally possessed the capital of strength.
Her confidence surged instantly!
"Alright, let's charge all the way to Camelot!"
"Don't get carried away! You're still far from matching the Queen, not even close to the Fairy Knights!"
Artoria immediately bared her shark-like teeth at Muramasa.
"However, since we've captured Norwich, Camelot is bound to take the next move, right?"
Gudao glanced sideways at the silent Miss Okita.
"If only we could know the Queen's Army's next move~!"
Miss Okita stood idly in the corner as if nothing was wrong.
She tilted her head back, tentatively playing with the strand of ahoge on her forehead.
Pluck it off!
It grew back instantly!
How amusing!
"Why are you looking at me?"
She glared at Gudao inexplicably.
"Miss Okita knows nothing!"
Oh, please!
Gudao rolled his eyes hard.
"Everyone must be tired. Have some tea!"
After returning to the Earl's residence, Peperoncino approached with pre-prepared tea bags.
"Earl, how did the negotiations with Bogart go?"
"Quite smoothly, probably out of respect for Mr. Eiji. He agreed to an alliance until the Queen is completely defeated. Norwich will remain divided, half under our control and half under his, with further discussions after the Queen's downfall."
"It's best if we can take over Norwich peacefully."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"Everyone, a wind message has arrived from Oxford!"
As the early morning passed and the sun gradually rose, just as everyone was about to rest, a human guard hurried over.
"Woodwose, chief of the Claw Clan, has mobilized! He's heading for Londinium!"
Gudao and the others immediately turned pale.
The target being Londinium caught them completely off guard.
Without even warming their seats, they set off again without delay.
...
Londinium.
"The situation doesn't look good at all!"
Habetrot stood atop the city walls, gazing at the distant plains.
The Fang Clan was renowned for their swift marching speed. By the time the sun rose high in the sky, their army had already reached the foot of the city walls.
They seized the city gate and launched two assaults. When they failed to breach the gates, they simply gave up and set up camp right outside the entrance.
"Why do you say that?"
Gareth, fully armed, stood beside her and asked in confusion.
"Aren't we currently at a stalemate? Once everyone who went on the expedition to Norwich returns, we should be able to break the deadlock, right?"
"That's not exactly how it works..."
Habetrot shook her head.