"Slander! That's slander!"
Even after Morgan had left, Artoria was still puffed up with anger:
"What does she mean by 'Boar Princess'? I just act a little more straightforward, that's all!"
"Well… all I can say is, everyone saw it with their own eyes. If everyone around you thinks you act like a boar, then maybe you really should reflect on whether you're a little bit of a boar." Bavanzi couldn't help but retort.
To everyone's surprise, when Morgan left, Bavanzi didn't leave with her, but stayed behind.
"Mother cares a lot about the final battle with the Lion King. If you can't even force the Lion King to use Rhongomyniad, or can't even reach him, wouldn't Mother's painstaking efforts go to waste? So I decided to stay and lend you a hand!"
That was what she said when asked.
But Artoria felt this person had stayed behind simply to get on her nerves.
"But wait—Grandpa Ector once served as Queen Morgan's guard, didn't he? And he said Morgan is from the Demon Boar clan too! Then why does she get to call me the Boar Princess?!" Artoria shot back at Bavanzi.
"Nonsense! Mother is so graceful, how could she possibly be related to any demon boars? That's just your one-sided claim, who would believe that! That's defamation, do you understand? You're slandering her!" Bavanzi flared up.
"You weren't saying that just now!" Artoria immediately countered. "Can you at least keep your double standards within limits?!"
And so, the two of them quickly started quarreling again.
"Enough already! Are you two children? Do you really have to fight over everything every single day?" Noknare finally couldn't stand watching the childish bickering and scolded them.
"What do you mean childish! You're not exactly mature when you argue with me either! Don't act all high and mighty—we've known you long enough!"
With that, both Artoria and Bavanzi turned on Noknare.
"Oh, but speaking of which—Noknare, when Mother left, she seemed to speak to you for a moment… so, what exactly did she say to you?"
Mid-argument, Bavanzi suddenly stopped and asked cautiously.
When she asked, there was clear tension in her voice. The moment she saw Mother approach Noknare, her heart had leapt into her throat, terrified that Morgan might lash out at her as she had with Fujimaru.
After all, Chaldea might not be Fairy Britain's friend in the future—but that was the future. For now, Noknare was the kingdom's most notorious rebel.
Bavanzi honestly didn't care much if Morgan acted against Chaldea. Even though she had fought alongside them in past simulations, that had always been only for Guinivere's sake. Deep down, she never felt particularly close to Chaldea. But Noknare was different—she had truly fought as a comrade alongside her in several simulations, and Bavanzi still retained those memories.
Granted, she despised how Noknare always ended up becoming queen in those simulations, even using that power to forcibly take Guinivere for herself. Just thinking about it made her grit her teeth. If she ever had the chance to throw Noknare in a dungeon and bully her, she absolutely would—and she'd even drag Guinivere there to flaunt it. But still… she didn't want Noknare dead.
Annoying as she was, she was still a comrade.
So she truly feared that Mother had given Noknare an ultimatum—surrender within three days or be annihilated. And knowing Noknare's nature, there was no way she would compromise.
The more Bavanzi thought about it, the more anxious she became.
"Oh, you mean what Morgan said to me?" Noknare raised an eyebrow and casually answered, not giving it much thought:
"She just suddenly came over and said I really do look exactly like Mab, that seeing me reminded her of the old days with Mab."
"?" Both Bavanzi and Artoria popped question marks over their heads.
"Her Majesty came over just to say that?"
"Well, not just that. The rest was a bit more irritating… and the more I think about it, the more off it feels."
Noknare crossed her arms, her expression darkening with irritation.
Seeing this, Bavanzi's heart skipped a beat.
"She went on to say she had agreed with Mab long ago—that when she could no longer rule as queen, Mab's descendants would inherit the throne. And she said she didn't really mind abdicating now…"
"What?!" Both Bavanzi and Artoria's eyes went wide. But then Noknare continued:
"…But since every simulation so far had disappointed her—except for that one time when Bavanzi was queen, which she thought was somewhat decent—she decided she'd better rule herself. And that I should just wait another hundred years before trying to be queen again."
"Seriously?! And let's be honest—Bavanzi, hand on heart, when you were queen, did you do anything besides kill, kill, and kill? How can that compare to me, the Eternal Queen? Do you know how much weight a 98-point score in the Eternal Queen system carries? And she's still not satisfied? She's just nitpicking!"
"Actually…" Artoria interjected, "to correct you, even then it wasn't Bavanzi doing the killing—it was all Guinivere. She was just AFK."
Noknare got more and more worked up, resentment boiling over:
"Ugh, it's infuriating! If Morgan never intended to abdicate, then why say she didn't mind stepping down? Acting like Mab's bosom friend, adopting that elder's condescending tone, telling me to wait a hundred years—she just came over to disgust me, didn't she? I—wait, Bavanzi, why aren't you arguing back this time?"
It struck her as odd—usually, Bavanzi would leap at the first chance to blindly defend Morgan's every word. Why was she suddenly quiet?
But when she looked at Bavanzi, she saw her staring off in a daze, grinning foolishly to herself:
"Hehe… Mother thinks I was the best one…"
Noknare: "…"
Artoria: "…"
"Wait a sec," Bavanzi suddenly blinked, snapping back to reality. "Did I just hear someone badmouthing Mother? Who was it?! Step forward!"
"I've had enough of this," Noknare rolled her eyes. "There's no point talking to this blockhead. I'm going to find Guinivere and Hundred Faces. There's still room to refine our siege strategy."
"Hey, wait! I'm not done talking!" Bavanzi suddenly called after her.
"What?" Noknare turned back, impatient. "Spit it out."
"When we return to reality… what will you do?" Bavanzi asked hesitantly. "Will you consider… Mother's proposal to wait a hundred years?"
"Hmph, as if."
Noknare scoffed and said flatly:
"If I don't seize the throne with my own hands, then what meaning would it have? Besides…"
She glanced at Guinivere, confidence and defiance flashing across her face—the aura of a Northern Queen once more.
"I have Mab's wish to fulfill, and my own dreams to realize… my dreams don't have a hundred years to wait."
"You—!"
Bavanzi tried to say more, but Noknare had already turned away, waving dismissively:
"If we meet again on the battlefield, show me what you're really made of."
"——"
Bavanzi froze.
Even Artoria seemed to realize something, standing silently, dumbfounded.
"Artoria," Bavanzi suddenly said, "what about you? In reality, the normal simulations are over, and Mother has already decided to return and rule Britain again…"
She turned, unease flickering in her eyes as she looked at Artoria.
She had worried for Noknare before, and now she worried for Artoria too. From Morgan's earlier complaints, she understood that Mother didn't truly dislike this younger fairy—but only so long as Artoria didn't continue resisting her.
While Morgan was absent, that hadn't mattered. But now she was back, and the Pilgrimage of the Prophesied Child itself was an act of rebellion.
So Bavanzi asked:
"What about you? Do you still plan to continue your pilgrimage, to defy Mother?"
Under Bavanzi's serious gaze, Artoria scratched her head awkwardly, hesitated, then smiled sheepishly:
"I haven't decided yet."
Bavanzi was silent for a few seconds before she couldn't hold back:
"…Are you an idiot?"
"Wha—why say it like that?!" Artoria shrank her neck, then suddenly straightened, glaring back:
"It's a tough choice, okay?! Isn't it abnormal to be as unshakable as Noknare? And of all people, I don't want you calling me an idiot!"
"Besides! We don't even know how Guinivere will react yet! Why rush to decide now?"
She sneaked a glance at Bavanzi, who was still glaring, and muttered resentfully:
"Or is it that you just can't wait to be my enemy?"
"I am not—!"
The words slipped out instinctively, but midway, Bavanzi realized her slip and quickly turned away:
"It's just… if I don't know your plans, how do I know if we'll stay friends or become enemies?"
"But if I do continue the pilgrimage… does that really mean we can't still be friends?" Artoria asked softly.
Bavanzi froze.
"T-That's…"
She stumbled over her words. She knew that if they became enemies, then of course they couldn't remain friends. Even she understood that much. But she didn't want to say it outright.
"Can't you just stop with that stupid pilgrimage?" Bavanzi blurted.
"But I was born for it. If I don't, then what else can I do?"
"You could join me—uh, I mean, join the official side."
Bavanzi said without thinking, then awkwardly corrected herself:
"With your skills, I could even ask Mother to give you a lordship. Then the two of us could run wild together, bullying those nasty fairies. Wouldn't that be fun?"
Artoria tilted her head, considering. That future didn't sound so bad.
But then—
Images flashed in her mind: a village burning in the night, a dwarf's voice fading into silence. She lowered her head.
"But so many people are counting on me to complete the pilgrimage…"
"Ugh, troublesome…" Bavanzi sighed, hands on hips. "Fine. Anyway, we'll only decide once this simulation ends. So for now—"
She suddenly clapped Artoria's shoulder.
"No matter what happens in the future, at least right now, we're still friends, right?"
Artoria blinked.
Then she smiled:
"Yeah. At least for now, we are still friends."
"Hmph." Bavanzi snorted. Then, glancing at the shorter Artoria, she suddenly felt playful. Wrapping her arm around Artoria's neck, she grinned:
"But even if you insist on that pilgrimage, if I catch you, I'll beg Mother to let me drag you out of prison and make you my servant. But at that point, don't even dream of stealing Guinivere from me!"
"Get lost!" Artoria jabbed her in the waist. "And seriously, use your brain! Once we're out of this simulation, where do you think we'll be?"
Bavanzi blinked.
"…In Londinium, duh."
"Exactly, you idiot." Artoria smirked. "That's the rebel headquarters. If I just shout, the Round Table army will come and pin you down. If anyone's ending up in chains unable to chase Guinivere, it's you."
"…Oh. Right."
Bavanzi blinked again, finally realizing.