Chapter 1071: Beryl Who Turned Into a Pig
"Pfft—!"
Gudako couldn't hold back a snicker, taking delight in his misfortune.
Serves you right for coveting Mash!
You got what you deserved!
Both Fairy Lancelot and Fairy Gawain involuntarily curled their lips, looking as if they wanted to laugh but found it somewhat inappropriate.
"B-Beryl Gut! He actually turned into a pig! A pig!"
"Hahaha! I can't take it, I'm dying of laughter!"
"Ouch! Seriously, what kind of trick is this! If I laugh myself to death, I'm definitely coming after you for compensation!"
In the ballroom, dozens of high-ranking fairies burst into uproarious laughter simultaneously.
The pig being mocked by everyone clenched its teeth tightly, a clear expression of irritation on its face.
Beryl was in agony.
Everyone's joy was built upon his suffering.
He'd rather be dead than end up like this!
The Queen sure knows how to have fun!
"What's so funny? Stop laughing!"
Fairy Tristan was furious.
In an instant, she flicked sharp threads from her fingernails, her blood-red hair flying like a demon's, her face filled with undisguised killing intent.
"If any of you dare laugh again, I'll cut out all your tongues, slice your bodies into ten thousand pieces, and throw them into the Great Pit!"
Stirred by her chilling murderous aura, the laughter in the hall abruptly ceased.
"Is that how the Queen instructed you, ■·■■?"
But before Fairy Tristan could relax, a voice sounded from behind her.
A figure cloaked in a hood appeared at the entrance of the ball and strode slowly into the hall.
"No matter who mocks Beryl, you are not to lose your temper—those were the Queen's exact words, weren't they?"
Even with the hood.
That figure remained all too familiar to many fairies present.
"Your Highness, the Consort!"
"The Consort is here too? What an honor for Muramasa!"
"With the Consort here, this year's competition should be a foregone conclusion!"
In just an instant.
Every high-ranking fairy in the room turned their fervent gazes toward the hooded man.
Suddenly, Beryl was left ignored, relegated to the sidelines.
"Urk...!"
Hearing this, the killing intent on Fairy Tristan's face immediately faltered.
"I'm sorry, Lord Red Beryl... I cannot disobey Mother's orders..."
She glanced helplessly at the piglet in her arms, ultimately retracting the threads.
The pig shot her a disgusted look but quickly lowered its head again.
"To think even Eiji is here!"
Da Vinci-chan immediately wore a troubled expression.
"In that case, achieving our goal of ringing the bell has become much more difficult, hasn't it?"
Exactly.
They hadn't originally planned to attend this fairy ball.
After all, this was Muramasa's territory. Even Muramasa and Grimm would be forcibly reverted to their Level 1 states. If Muramasa had any ill intentions, they could easily be wiped out entirely!
However, attending the ball wasn't entirely disadvantageous—it at least offered a genuine opportunity to ring the bell!
Hidden within Gloucester was one of the Wing Clan's pilgrimage bells!
Ringing the bell as a guest was far safer and more feasible than doing so as an enemy.
"No, I think this is actually an opportunity!"
But Gudako's eyes lit up.
"How so?"
Little Da Vinci was astonished.
"Um, well... I can't really explain it, but it's definitely a good opportunity!"
When asked for reasons, Gudako suddenly became tongue-tied.
"You think it's a good opportunity too, right, Artoria!"
Artoria has fairy eyes!
She must have seen through it long ago!
"Well..."
Artoria weakly averted her gaze.
"If we're talking about opportunities, now would be better... but honestly, I don't really want to go?"
"You've been ringing the bell for two hours, and you're still wallowing in self-pity?"
"Hehe... See? Muramasa just won't do!"
"Not only Ritsuka, but even Castoria thinks so..."
Little Da Vinci furrowed her delicate brows.
After wrestling with the decision for a long time, she finally made up her mind.
"Alright! In that case, I'll trust both of your judgments! According to the information the Count investigated, the Bell Tower is right next to the ballroom. Let's sneak over there!"
In for a penny, in for a pound!
While all the fairies were focused on Eiji, they quietly left the ballroom and arrived at the adjacent Bell Tower.
"Artoria, now's the time for your Merlin magic to shine!"
"Sorry, I already tried earlier... I can't pick this lock..."
"..."
"..."
"I'm really sorry that Merlin magic is so useless. Someone like me probably shouldn't have become the Child of Prophecy after all."
"There'll be plenty of time for your inferiority complex later. This old man has already chopped the lock off, let's hurry inside!"
"Why is it so dark?"
The four of them took advantage of the chaos to slip into the Bell Tower.
But the surrounding space was completely devoid of light, the darkness even thicker than the night sky.
A bad premonition suddenly arose in their hearts.
"Very well, allow me to solemnly introduce everyone!"
Suddenly.
The entire Bell Tower lit up brightly, servant fairies gathered all around, continuously releasing mysteriously produced light from their bodies.
Muryan, as petite as a three or four-year-old child, appeared openly in the center of the Bell Tower.
"Appearing before you now is the legendary Child of Prophecy, and her collaborators - the foreign travelers!"
Her face was filled with a brilliant smile identical to BB's.
She introduced the four intruders to the high-ranking fairies who had somehow gathered there.
"That's the Child of Prophecy?"
"Why doesn't she even have proper formal wear? How shabby!"
"Can she really defeat the Queen like the prophecy says?"
"I don't think so!"
Waves of jeers rose among the fairies.
At this moment, not a single fairy expressed trust in Artoria - all were filled with disappointment.
"These fairies dare to say such things in your presence?"
Standing at the very top of the theater-like audience seating, a petite silver-haired girl let out a delighted laugh.
"It's like they're actually expecting the Child of Prophecy to defeat the Queen! How hilarious!"
"They're not expecting the Child of Prophecy to defeat the Queen."
Eiji sneered coldly.
"They're just expecting the Child of Prophecy to bring them amusement, to provide them with entertainment and trends!"
The fairies gathered here were all high-ranking fairies.
They harbored no dissatisfaction with the Queen's rule; rather, it was precisely because of such ruthless governance that their status as high-ranking fairies remained secure!
Thus, fully embracing hedonism, none of them expected Artoria to accomplish anything.
They merely saw it as a theatrical performance, hoping to derive amusement from her.
That was all.
And such thoughts, at this very moment, were undoubtedly perceived by Artoria through her fairy eye.
"Muryan knew you wanted to ring the bell, which is why she lured you here."
Eiji stood silently, his gaze fixed intently on the four individuals below.
"The most troublesome part is that Artoria has seen the true intentions of everyone at this moment, which is a massive blow to her motivation. How will you overcome this?"