Dawn broke.
The first rays of sunlight were like a signal, stirring the world from its nocturnal stillness back into motion.
Artoria returned to her small kingdom before the sun fully rose.
She saw the early-rising farmers and greeted these hardworking folk with a warm smile. She also spotted the logging team returning from their work... led by Sir Kay, who gave her a resentful glare, as if to say, "If you don't give me a few days off, I'm running away."
"You snuck out again last night, didn't you?"
Noticing the holy sword strapped to Artoria's back, Kay remarked suddenly.
Sometimes, Artoria wondered if her sworn brother had some kind of "Clairvoyance" Skill... or perhaps a special talent for "detecting when his sister sneaks out at night."
But really, was it necessary to use such a skill on her?
"Hmph, do I even need to ask? You're practically radiating 'I had so much fun, I can't wait to see someone again' vibes... no, wait, you didn't meet just one person last night. You met three, didn't you? Two women and… that white dragon, right?"
Kay sniffed the air lightly and made his judgment with absolute certainty.
Artoria could only marvel at his deduction.
"'Sniffing out women'… Can't you use your talents for something useful, Brother Kay?"
"Sorry, but I can't use this skill to build your kingdom... ha, you thought I'd say that? That's hilarious!"
Their usual bickering ensued, but it filled Artoria with an inexplicable warmth.
Even after she became king, Kay's sharp tongue hadn't changed one bit. It made her realize that her free-spirited brother wasn't following her for some lofty "knight's dream."
"Honestly, I do think your ideals are pretty foolish."
"But what can I do? I can't just abandon you. If I ran back home, the old man would break my legs."
Kay scratched his head, feigning exasperation.
But in the next moment, spotting something, he suddenly stood ramrod straight in a perfect knightly posture.
"Good morning, my king."
Another knight emerged from the cabin.
Clad in gleaming silver armor, his attire and bearing were the epitome of knightly etiquette, flawless to a fault.
"And Sir Kay, you've worked hard. I've instructed the kitchen to prepare some meat broth for you. You can rest a bit before it's ready."
The paragon of knighthood... Bedivere... greeted Kay with a genuinely friendly expression.
Kay, somewhat resigned, had no choice but to accept the knight's "kindness."
... Hey, wait, does this mean I have to keep working after the broth?
Damn it! Where do all these tireless workhorses come from?!
…
A new day began.
Like every day before it, this one was utterly ordinary.
Yet it was through these countless "ordinary days and nights" That this kingdom had grown, bit by bit.
That said, while the day was ordinary for some, for certain "beings." it was anything but.
"So, everything's ready?"
Alaric soared through the sky, beneath him a patchwork of black, desert-like land dotted with oases of varying sizes.
This was not the world of the living.
This was the reverse side of the world... or, in magus terms, the "back" Of the world.
It was a conceptual matter.
If the earth's surface were a sheet of paper, humans lived on its front, while fairies and other phantasmal species retreated to its back. Beyond that lay the planet's layers of soil, magma, and core.
If the concept was unclear, one could simply think of it as a different dimension, like the "spirit world" where Duel Monsters reside in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX... at least, that's how Alaric understood it.
While Artoria built her kingdom, he hadn't been idle. He ventured to this reverse side, seeking out the fairies' dwelling places, doing his utmost to "persuade" Them to join the newly formed [Holy Britannia].
Most fairies complied with Alaric's earnest request... though a few obstinate ones no longer existed.
"This is the limit…"
Alaric surveyed the world ahead.
He had claimed as much of this reverse side as he could, but two "forbidden zones" remained, untouchable even to him... now and forever.
One was an island shrouded in gray mist, surrounded by black waters. Seven towering walls encircled a city at its center.
That was the land of the dead, rejecting all living beings... and no living soul would willingly subject themselves to such a place.
The other was a region filled with black sludge, the despair and curses birthed alongside this island. No living thing would choose to fall into such filth.
"This is as far as I can expand."
"Time to head back. Vivian and the others should be ready."
Vivian, the Lady of the Lake, leader of the fairies... or at least, she used to be.
With Alaric's forceful arrival, even this elusive fairy, adept at hiding her tracks, had no choice but to emerge from her magical lake and reveal herself. She handed over treasures vital to Britain... and indeed, the entire world... to Alaric.
"Lord Dragon God, please follow me."
The barefoot Lady of the Lake walked across soft grass, leading Alaric to a tower radiating white light.
This was the first and most crucial treasure she intended to entrust to him.
The Tower of Radiance that shines at the world's end, the pillar anchoring the world's surface... Rhongomyniad.
"Please take it, Lord Dragon God."
"Only you are worthy to be its true master."
The Lady of the Lake gazed at the divine white dragon with expectant eyes, as if anticipating something momentous.
But, unfortunately.
Alaric knew exactly what she was expecting.
"Do you think I'm so easily deceived, Vivian?"
"Or perhaps I should call you... Morrígan?"
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