In the forests beyond Londinium, the first snowfall of winter blanketed the land in white. Baobhan Sith followed close behind Shiomi as they made their way through the silent woods.
"Are there any footprints on the snow besides ours?" he asked.
"No, Father," Baobhan Sith replied in her childish voice.
"Then... what should we be watching for at a time like this?" he asked again.
Baobhan Sith lifted her head, stretching her neck to look up at the canopy, where frost shimmered under the broken sunlight. On several treetops where snow had piled high, a few patches had shifted slightly, revealing the bare branches beneath.
"The target jumped onto the trees and moved between the branches—" she answered, trying her best.
"You're observing in the right direction. Always remember—keep an eye on everything around you," Shiomi said with a gentle smile. "Use your eyes to see. If possible, never lower your gaze. Don't let others notice where your eyes fall. When you can stand on your own, you'll face many opponents who'll try to read your intentions. As long as you keep them guessing, the advantage will always be yours."
His teachings were still difficult for Baobhan Sith to fully understand, yet she tried to remember every word in detail. For one day, they would become wisdom she could rely on endlessly.
"So, Father, does that mean we should—" Baobhan Sith began, but stopped when a series of hurried footsteps crunched through the snow nearby. A figure approached, then knelt before them.
It was one of Londinium's God-King's Guards. In the past, this elite force had included both humans and a few fairies—but now, only humans remained.
"Your Majesty the God-King," the guard said, presenting a sealed report with both hands.
Shiomi raised a hand casually. The report floated from the guard's grasp and into his own under the pull of Mana. After a quick glance over its contents, he folded it away.
"Pass down my order," Shiomi said. "Summon all staff officers and every knight-ranked commander or above. Convene in the palace for council."
The guard saluted, then turned and departed, his footsteps fading as he rejoined the distant escort.
"What's happened, Father?" Baobhan Sith asked.
"The Northern Fairies and Camelot have come into conflict over the human pastures," Shiomi explained, handing her the report. "Most likely due to Queen Mab."
"So Father intends to use this chance... to march to war?" she asked, trying to guess his intentions.
Shiomi nodded. "After years of raids, the clans have grown used to Londinium's presence. They believe that as long as Camelot stands, there's nothing to fear. It's time for another war—one large enough to make them remember their place."
"Are we going to fight Mother again?" Baobhan Sith's understanding of his goals was growing, yet she still couldn't shake her reluctance toward a war between her parents.
"Shh—" Shiomi lifted a finger to his lips, feigning solemnity. "Keep that to yourself. The true reason I wage war... is something only you can know."
"...Yes, Father." Baobhan Sith hesitated, then nodded earnestly.
It was now the 400th year of the Queen's Calendar.
Ever since her father had taken her back to Londinium, the city had become a war machine—one driven by countless humans and a few remaining fairies.
This war machine had a single purpose: to annihilate the fairies of Britannia. It needed no justification, nor did it seek one.
If a reason had to be named, it was this—fairies had long since forfeited their right to surrender. From the moment Shiomi returned to Londinium and ascended as the God-King, every fairy beyond its borders no longer had any right to live.
"However, even if we take this opportunity to attack, Camelot should still have enough strength to resist our assault," Wryneck remarked.
After the Night of the Long Blades in the 400th year of the Fairy Calendar, he and the Black Knight Ector had not left Londinium. During the city lord's absence, they had done their utmost to protect the city and helped its citizens rebuild it with their own hands.
When Shiomi returned with only Baobhan Sith, neither of them asked for explanations—they simply rejoined his command.
"Even with their defenses prepared, it remains a fact that we'll be clashing with Camelot and the King Clan. Most likely, the one guarding Camelot right now is the Fairy Knight Melusine... or rather, it's more fitting to call her the Fairy Knight Lancelot now."
Not long ago, in order to stabilize Melusine's Spirit Origin, Morgan had used the information Shiomi provided from Proper Human History, selecting that of the strongest Knight of the Round Table—Lancelot—and bestowed the name upon Melusine.
Though this had diminished Melusine's raw combat power, it had also made her strength more stable. In a way, she had become even more difficult to deal with.
"Then, what are Your Majesty's orders?" Ector asked.
All the knights gathered at this military council turned their attention toward Shiomi, awaiting his command.
After all, if the God-King himself took the field, then unless Queen Morgan personally led her troops against him, even the Fairy Knight Lancelot could do nothing but defend the city rather than march out to meet him.
"As usual, I will personally lead the main force to attack Camelot. Ector, you will command a detachment to monitor the Queen's main army to the west of the city. Wryneck, you'll lead a unit to keep watch over the movements in Oxford and Salisbury to the south—many of our kin from the Fang Clan dwell there. Can you handle that?"
"Rest assured, Your Majesty," Wryneck replied at once.
...
[History]
In the 400th year of the Queen's Calendar, conflict broke out between the King Clan and Camelot over the establishment of the "Human Pastures." Seizing the opportunity, Londinium's forces marched westward, advancing straight to Camelot's gates.
Camelot, founded by Queen Morgan herself, was an impregnable fortress rivaling Londinium. Even with the God-King personally commanding the assault, the siege of Camelot dragged on for nearly a month under the unyielding defense of the Fairy Knight Lancelot.
With Queen Morgan delayed in returning and reinforcements from the clans cut off, the isolated Camelot fell into its first internal turmoil since its founding.
In desperation, some of the city's fairies secretly opened the gates to surrender—betraying the Fairy Knight Lancelot and forcing her to retreat northward with a small contingent of her loyal guards to regroup with Queen Morgan's main army.
When Queen Morgan finally returned to Camelot, the city still stood. Yet every fairy who had opened the gates, along with those who had remained within, was slaughtered without exception, their bodies cast into the Great Hollow.
The God-King's army had already withdrawn. They had not razed the city, nor had they looted its supplies.
This gruesome event would later be known as the "Camelot Incident." It revealed the true, blood-soaked nature of the God-King's army and shattered the last remnants of hope held by the fairies of Britain.
What followed was a thousand years of ceaseless, unforgiving war.
...