Chapter 1069 Aurora's Longing
"Dang—dang—dang—dang—!"
Clear, melodious bell chimes echoed through the church, their inexplicably sorrowful vibrations carrying across all corners of Britain, heard by countless fairies.
"The second Pilgrim Bell has been rung. Did I get stronger again?"
Artoria examined herself from head to toe, asking with evident delight.
"Indeed, you've become several times stronger than before!"
Little Da Vinci opened her magic-detecting device, showing the readings had increased severalfold.
"I feel like I could defeat Barghest single-handedly now! Alright, let's keep this pace—once all six Pilgrim Bells are rung, I'll definitely become as strong as the Queen!"
"Don't get ahead of yourself. Even now, you're at least ten times weaker than Barghest."
Muramasa abruptly poured cold water on her enthusiasm.
Artoria fumed, baring her shark-like teeth at him again.
Can't I even fantasize a little?
"But speaking of which, Norwich, Salisbury, Oxford, Gloucester... currently only these four places have Pilgrim Bells, right?"
Gudako counted on her fingers, a puzzled expression appearing on her face.
"Where are the remaining two Pilgrim Bells?"
Theoretically, each clan corresponds to one Pilgrim Bell.
So there should be six Pilgrim Bells for the six great clans, right?
But the Rain and Mirror clans have long vanished into history—where could we find the Pilgrim Bells they held?
Could it be we need to seek out the King's Clan?
But Artoria doesn't have a good relationship with her...
"About that—I've actually already found the Rain Clan's bell!"
Oberon jumped forward, hands on hips, wearing a triumphant expression.
"I'll take you there later. However, the final bell—the Mirror Clan's Pilgrim Bell—I simply couldn't locate it anywhere. Quite embarrassing for an intelligence specialist like me..."
"So we're still missing one bell?"
Muramasa showed some concern.
"Is that alright? According to the prophecy, we need to ring all six Pilgrim Bells to defeat the Queen, right?"
If something goes wrong in any part of the process, couldn't it lead to complete failure?
"I think it's fine!"
Gareth interjected cheerfully.
Her confident demeanor showed no trace of worry, almost to the point of carefree nonchalance.
"Our Master keeps getting stronger! After ringing five bells, she should be close to the Queen's level, right? By then, with all our combined strength, we'll definitely defeat the Queen!"
"But our enemies aren't just the Queen now... Eiji's strength is no less than the Queen's. If those two join forces, our current numbers don't seem to offer much chance of victory.Little Da Vinci heard this and pressed his forehead in frustration.
"Uh..."
Gudako sneakily glanced at the dazed Okita Souji standing nearby.
Noticing her gaze, Souji looked at her curiously.
"Why are you looking at me?"
"Nothing."
After some thought, Gudako decided not to bring it up.
"I don't think we need to take the prophecy so seriously."
Grimm said casually, his face showing no trace of hesitation.
"If the prophecy is flawed, then it's just that—unreliable. Relying on such an untrustworthy prophecy to defeat the Queen is impossible. If the prophecy accurately predicts our entire future, then the sixth bell will inevitably appear before us, and we will surely defeat the Queen. There's no need to worry at all."
"I see, that makes perfect sense. As expected of the God of Wisdom!"
Tristan understood his meaning and immediately praised him.
Upon hearing this, everyone had a moment of realization.
They had unconsciously fixated on the idea of relying on the prophecy to defeat the Queen, but in reality, as Grim said, whether the prophecy was accurate or not, there was no real need to dwell on it.
"Everyone, there's something I'd like to consult with you about."
After leaving the Bell Tower, a figure approached them.
Her honey-sweet golden hair, her slender yet curvaceous figure, and her compassionate, almost saintly expression already revealed her identity.
"Miss Aurora? What did you want to ask us?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka looked over in surprise.
As the clan leader who had readily opened the Bell Tower to them, Ritsuka actually held quite a favorable impression of her.
Although Habetrot and Mash believed this woman harbored ill intentions and was not a good person, that was also true.
"Well... I wanted to ask, is Her Highness the Queen not traveling with you?"
Aurora twisted her fingers nervously, her gaze shifting uncertainly, two blushes rising on her cheeks.
Her expression, full of anticipation, was almost like that of a lovestruck maiden.
"What's going on?"
Tristan whispered curiously to the others.
"Miss Aurora, this looks exactly like someone suffering from lovesickness, doesn't it?"
To be fair, Aurora was somewhat his type.
Well, at least in terms of her figure.
Surely Sir Lancelot would like her very much too!
"He's not traveling with us."
Ritsuka shook her head.
"He's already parted ways with us and returned to the royal capital."
"I see."
Aurora's face was visibly filled with disappointment.
"I thought that since you all came, I might get to see that person... but it seems it was just my wishful thinking... It's nothing, please don't mind me. This is my own matter."
"Since you've already rung the bell, please feel free to go about your business. I won't disturb you any further."
After saying this, Aurora left on her own.
Her retreating figure seemed inexplicably sorrowful, a stark contrast to her previous spirited demeanor.
"Aurora only had that one opportunity to meet Eiji, back when we first regrouped."
Da Vinci-chan wore an expression of understanding.
"Back then, the reason Aurora suddenly changed her attitude and allowed us to ring the bell was likely due to Eiji's behind-the-scenes efforts, right?"
The more she thought about it, the more regrettable it seemed.
To have such a reliable companion, yet he ended up on the opposing side!
Everyone shared the same sentiment.
Only Ritsuka and Artoria smiled without speaking.
Beside them, Gareth looked suspiciously at Okita Souji.
"Let's not dwell on this. We should hurry back to prevent the Queen from sending troops to Norwich!"
They left Salisbury.
After reuniting with Percival and the others waiting outside the city, the group hurried through the night toward Norwich.
After defeating Woodwose, they relocated the rebel headquarters to Norwich, then a portion of the group rushed to the Welsh Forest where they defeated the Fairy Knight Gawain, completely shattering her bestowed name—all without Okita Souji even needing to intervene.
Unfortunately, the Welsh Forest was utterly burned to ashes, with every single insect fairy slaughtered without exception.
Oberon suddenly became a king without a territory.
After easing their sorrow, the group detoured to Salisbury and rang the second Pilgrimage Bell.
After traveling for most of the day, they finally returned to Norwich, the easternmost port city of Britain, reuniting with the Count, Habetrot, and the others who had stayed behind.