After the onset of summer, Londinium had settled back into its usual rhythm following the end of the campaign, returning to its steady production and prosperity.
Taking advantage of this time of peace, Shiomi and Aesc delegated the city's affairs to Baobhan Sith for supervision. After assigning Totorot and Grímr to assist her, they set out westward with their personal guard, beginning an inspection tour to the Oxford territory of the Fang Clan.
Officially, this journey was merely a routine inspection—Shiomi and Aesc's visit to observe Oxford's condition and purge the lingering remnants of Moss and other calamities. It was also preparation to eventually entrust the land to the Fang's Sub-Bell, Wryneck.
After Londinium's rise, only a small portion of the Fang Fairies chose to follow Wryneck and join the city. The majority of them were not unwilling to submit to Shiomi, but rather too proud to coexist alongside humans.
These Fang Clans now formed the backbone of the anti-Londinium forces, one of the major obstacles to Shiomi and Aesc's unification of Britannia. Yet precisely because Oxford lay too close to Londinium, the Fang Fairies had completely abandoned it after the decisive battle there seven centuries earlier. They retreated west to Salisbury and northward, aligning with other rebellious clans.
The battle-scarred Oxford never again became a battlefield. After seven centuries of wind, rain, and calamity, its ruins stood in silence—like markers of history, wordlessly telling their tale.
"It really is... quite the desolate sight."
After clearing away the Moss and Black Dogs that still roamed the ruins, Aesc gently removed her hood and looked around.
The Royal Guard stood in orderly formation at each street and crossroads, on constant watch for any calamities that might resurface. Under Shiomi's training, Londinium's Round Table Army had developed into a force capable of large-scale operations, able to handle most disasters on their own—
Except, of course, for the millennial calamities that only Shiomi and Aesc themselves could suppress.
"After all, Wryneck and the Fang Fairies who entered Londinium have integrated well into the city, treating it as their second home," Shiomi said.
After surveying the area, he and Aesc began walking toward Oxford's Bell Tower.
"As expected, without fairies or humans, even a thriving city eventually becomes ruins," Aesc remarked calmly.
Compared to the sight of her homeland, Orkney, this was merely another manifestation of the same truth.
She was composed enough, and cold enough toward her own kind, to wield her staff with violence when necessary—but lacked the true cruelty needed to become a ruthless Magus.
"No need to dwell on it. This place will be rebuilt eventually—or perhaps it will remain as it is," Shiomi said.
He raised a hand, and vines sprouted from the ground, pushing aside the rubble blocking their path.
"I've already struck five of the Pilgrim's Bells. It's strange that before opposing Londinium, the Fang Clan never thought to destroy this place," Aesc said, gazing at the shattered remains of the bell tower with quiet reflection.
"When the Battle of Oxford began, I was the first to seize control of the bell tower area," Shiomi explained. "Perhaps Wryneck never told the Fang Clan about the true nature of this bone bell—or perhaps they simply didn't care. Either way—"
"It went very smoothly?" Aesc laughed, recalling the events of that decisive battle.
After assuming the title of Lady of Londinium, Aesc had spent most of her time overseeing operations from the rear. The Battle of Oxford had been one of the few major conflicts where she personally led troops on the front lines.
She had done so for two reasons: to test her ability as a battlefield commander, and to gain firsthand combat experience.
"Exactly," Shiomi said with a nod.
Every conflict in Britannia defied ordinary logic.
When a single presence on the field could sway the entire course of battle, there was only one principle left to follow—"conquer with order, win through the unexpected."
It meant deploying one's forces with precision, shifting tactics fluidly to meet the changing conditions of war—turning what could have been a simple victory through overwhelming power into a triumph shaped by their leadership and strategy.
"It's been over three hundred years since our last campaign, hasn't it?" Aesc said.
"You mean that ridiculous battle at the River of Tears?" Shiomi's expression turned faintly amused. "The anti-Londinium forces gathered there, intending to use the mana of the river to lure our troops into the water…"
For fairies, it was indeed a cunning—perhaps even cruel—strategy. The only flaw was that the rebels had forgotten just how long Shiomi and Aesc had lived in Britannia, how deeply they understood its land and its people. The River of Tears, no matter how mysterious it sounded, was no exception.
"So my husband cast a Rune upon the entire army, blinding them to the River of Tears. The enemy, certain of victory, panicked and retreated—only to drown themselves in the river." Aesc smiled faintly. "That battle was truly absurd."
Both armies had been evenly matched in strength, and Aesc had personally gone to the front lines for that very reason. Yet the outcome had been that farcical scene.
"Heaven's timing, earth's advantage, and human will," Shiomi said, shaking his head. "All three are vital on the battlefield. In that war, the timing was balanced, the enemy held the terrain, and our troops had the advantage in spirit."
What remained was to take away the enemy's advantage of terrain. Under those conditions, ordering the entire army to ignore the River of Tears—to avoid stepping into the fairy domain and resist the temptation of the drifting lures—was simply impossible. The only correct solution was to use Magecraft to alter perception.
"In the end, the battlefield is never as interesting as people think." Shiomi stopped before the steps of the Bell Tower, turning to meet Aesc's clear, sky-blue eyes. "At least now, I don't have to worry that these eyes of yours will grow tainted after seeing too much blood."
"And what about you?" Aesc asked, shaking her head. Her fairy eyes could still perceive truth beyond illusion—but at the cost of Shiomi's long centuries spent purifying them for her. "Your eyes always burn with a cold flame. Even if that fire never touches me, it will still consume you."
"Why assume it would burn me, and not what I see before me?" Shiomi turned his gaze toward the ruins of Oxford. "I've long been accustomed to slaughter. At this point, Aesc, there's no need for you to worry about me."
A trace of melancholy flickered in Aesc's eyes.
"Even so—"
She knew that long before she ever met him, her husband had already possessed an indomitable heart. He never pursued hollow hopes, nor did he yield to despair. Yet even the hottest blood eventually cools.
"Even so," she said softly, "we still have to do what must be done."
Shiomi took her hand as they began to climb the steps toward the Bell Tower.
...
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