Totorot's silk thread carried the Reinforcement Magecraft Aesc had laid on it, and it also served as a line to talk with those below. Instead of descending slowly, Shiomi leaped down, nearly using up the thread in moments. When the descent finally slowed to a stop, Aesc and the others waited at the edge of the Great Hollow.
...
As the silence stretched and Aesc started to fidget, calling down to Shiomi through the thread, the air began to roar. The ground suddenly shook for only a few seconds, like a sudden earthquake. Aesc braced herself with her wand and barely kept from falling. When the tremors eased, she saw Shiomi already back on the ground, standing beside the Great Hollow.
Aesc let out a breath, a smile slipping onto her face. Then Shiomi walked over, took her hand, and pulled her to head back.
"Husband?"
Aesc hadn't caught up yet, only noticing Shiomi's face, calm as still water and unusually serious. Behind them, Totorot and Baobhan Sith hurried to pack up and follow.
Because of the quake, the Black Knight, Wryneck, and Grímr also rushed over from other directions to regroup.
"Wait! What's down there? Why are we heading back so fast?"
Grímr called from behind. Then, without warning, four spears fell from the sky and cut off the others' path.
Two Gáe Bolgs, plus Gungnir and Longinus. Shiomi stopped, stepped back two paces, and drew Aesc behind him, wings spread to shield her.
"Grímr, come here first," Shiomi said.
"...Alright."
Grímr understood what Shiomi intended and slipped between the spears to join them.
In private, Shiomi often called him Sétanta on purpose, or teasingly "Senpai." Only in times of war did he address him as Grímr.
"What exactly happened? Why does Sage-sama look displeased?" Ector asked.
Having followed the Savior and the Sage for over a thousand years, the ever-prudent Shiomi had never shown such deep wariness toward his companions. Shiomi spread his arms slightly, mana flowing over him.
"What comes next is a serious choice. You travel with us, yet you are fairies. You need to know this and decide your road from here."
"Please instruct us, Sage-sama," Wryneck said.
He felt an unprecedented fighting spirit. As a member of the Fang Clan and a Sub-Bell, it thrilled him and sparked the urge to challenge.
But he also knew this would be a defeat more absolute than last time, with no chance of survival. After all, in that recent battle, the Sage never drew a weapon, defeating Wryneck with Magecraft alone. The four lances now barring their way were not to be taken lightly.
"Beneath the Great Hollow lie the remains of Cernunnos, the deity mentioned in Britannia's creation myth," Shiomi spoke slowly. "The anger left behind by the divine remains transformed into a grudge, cursing Britannia. The reason lies in the sin committed by your fairies' original six ancestors."
"What sin?" Totorot didn't understand.
"The act of murdering a Divine Spirit and using its remains as soil to create the land," Shiomi answered slowly.
Of course, that was only part of the truth. Shiomi was certain there was more to the story—the fairies' transgression was far more complex.
"Wait… could it be that the remains of Cernunnos my husband saw beneath the Great Hollow are the source of Britannia's calamity?" Aesc, who shared the most information with Shiomi, was the first to grasp the implication.
"Based on current evidence, that is indeed the case." Shiomi nodded in affirmation, continuing to watch their separated companions. "Our… no, my and Aesc's actions—our true purpose—is to settle this sin, one that cannot be erased no matter how many generations pass."
As the only remaining fairy companions present, Shiomi believed these four deserved the right to know and to choose. After all, any other fairy, upon learning they were to "settle a debt," would undoubtedly turn hostile. They wouldn't ponder what that 'debt' truly was, nor would they ever acknowledge it.
"Settling… a debt." Aesc gripped her wand tightly, murmuring in a voice only she could hear.
When she was first sent from the Inner Sea of the Planet to Britannia, the only voice she had heard was this: "Go to Britannia and correct the error." Her original understanding was that Britannia contained an error that must be ended. But as she grew, Aesc came to appreciate the Rain Clan's intentions and chose to seek another path—leading to this pilgrimage that had lasted more than seventeen centuries.
Shiomi had not lied. Beneath the Great Hollow, he had discovered the remains of Cernunnos. Combining this with his long-term investigations, he deduced the true nature of Britannia's "error." What Shiomi revealed now was not the purpose of "Aesc the Savior," but the mission of the "Fairy of Paradise."
After all, the day would inevitably come when Aesc's true identity would need to be revealed to their companions. Aware of this necessity, Shiomi chose this moment to test their sincerity.
"If we truly bear sins that must be atoned for, then we should atone. What the Sage and the Witch seek to do must be right."
Baobhan Sith was the first to step forward, crossing the barrier formed by the four spears. Her eyes were filled with nothing but devotion. For Baobhan Sith, who had endured so much torment, those willing to protect her and treat her as a companion were already like a faith she could continue to follow without question.
"Honestly, I don't really get this whole 'sin' thing. My memory's terrible—I forget my own stuff easily. But I'll write this down and remember. After all, I promised you I'd make a wedding dress for Aesc that she's never worn."
Totorot didn't want to think about complicated matters. She had decided that Aesc was an exceptional "bride," so whatever Aesc chose to do had to be right.
"No wonder the Sage acted thus—even more radical measures wouldn't be out of place."
The Black Knight strode unhesitatingly through the barrier, stepping up before Shiomi and the others. "I follow you two for the prosperity of the Earth Clan and the peace of Britannia. Settling our fairies' sins is part of that—it must continue."
Three fairies in succession, each in their own way, revealed their unshaken resolve. Only Wryneck still stood motionless. The suddenness of it all left his not-particularly-sharp mind unable to process what he'd just heard.
Yet the Fang Clan had always lived by one rule.
Therefore, there could only be one answer.
"If the Sage says so, it must be true. For one possessing such power as yours has no need to lie in such a place."
Unlike his companions, Wryneck knelt halfway to the ground, speaking from the position of a vassal.
"Hmph… that answer suits you well."
Shiomi showed no surprise. With a slight wave of his hand, he withdrew the four spears.