The fae girl greeted me with a very affectionate face.
To be more precise, she charged at me like a wild boar.
"Stop."
If Mélusine hadn't stopped her in the middle, three or four of my ribs would have been easily broken.
"Don't interfere."
"I was protecting you. Well, it might be hard to believe."
"What do you mean by that?"
Instead of answering the fae girl, Mélusine looked back at me.
She had a triumphant expression, as if to say, 'How was that, I did well, right?'
She did do well, but I think I need to start answering the fae girl's questions.
"Hey! I have ears too, you know? Tell me quickly! Our clan!"
"What a pain..."
If I got hurt, it was clear that Morgan would personally step in to punish the fae girl.
Mélusine protected the fae girl because she knew of Morgan's anger.
But the fae girl doesn't know this. What kind of relationship I have with Morgan.
And the moment I tell her about that relationship, it will be almost impossible to continue living with the fae girl as I do now.
'Do. Not. Say. It.'
I am enjoying my little escapade.
It turned out that I was deceiving the fae girl, but I didn't want to tell her the truth just yet.
Please, understand my heart!
"...It's one of those things."
Thank you, Mélusine...!
Hiding one's true feelings is a painful thing.
"Do you live here too, mister?"
"Well. That would depend on the orders of my wife... no, my master."
"...I see. Humans are tiring."
"Not as much as you, my dear."
I claim to be a slave while living like a master,
And the fae girl is a fae living no different from a human slave.
...I need to save her quickly.
"Then why did you come?"
"To deliver something you forgot. Here, take it."
"Ah! My staff!"
A smile blossomed on the fae girl's face in an instant.
"Wow! I thought I'd never see it again! How did you find it? Did the fae give it to you willingly?"
"They gave it to me when I asked."
Half true and half false.
It's true they gave it to me when I asked.
But it was Barghest who went to ask.
-I hear there's a white staff. Bring it.
Would there be any hero who wouldn't hand it over when Barghest, in her full-body armor, was growling?
At least, there were none among the fae living in Tintagel.
"Really? That's... a little enviable."
A shadow fell over the fae girl's face.
How should I comfort her? As I was thinking, I remembered the way I used to do it for Baobhan Sith.
She looks like a fae of the same age, so it should be okay, right?
I placed my hand on the fae girl's head and slowly moved my arm as if stroking a puppy.
"...Wha-what is this all of a sudden?!"
"Don't worry too much. They're people you won't be seeing anymore."
The fae girl, who had jumped up almost like a spring, twisted the hair my hand had touched and got angry.
"You scared me!"
"My apologies."
She doesn't have to hate it that much.
This is a little hurtful.
Just as I resolved never to do it again, the fae girl suddenly changed her mood and approached me.
"No, it's not that I hate it a lot. Sometimes... if you tell me before you do it, it's not like I wouldn't accept it. Yeah..."
She talks a lot.
Is the blush on her cheeks because of shyness?
A smile unknowingly escaped me, and the fae girl bared her teeth and got angry once more.
"Cute."
"...It's this kind of thing! You're really something, mister!"
Mélusine, wearing her visor, turned to me before leaving and said.
"So? Who should I go get?"
"You say that as if I'm definitely looking for someone."
"Your Majesty always needs someone by your side. Because you're weak, weak... and incredibly weak."
There's a bone in those words.
I take back what I said in my head about being grateful earlier.
"I really don't need it anymore."
What's left is something I have to solve with my own strength.
According to the plan, I don't need anyone's help.
I said it with confidence, but Mélusine took a slightly crooked posture.
"Really? You'll regret it."
"What's with that meaningful remark? Can I consider this an act of impiety?"
"Just this once, Your Majesty. I had no bad intentions."
"Does a person who asks for forgiveness stick their tongue out..."
Mélusine is all about pranks.
Is it because she's too strong? It's a feeling I'll never experience in my life.
"That's enough. Just go."
"Oh? Really? What if Your Majesty cries because you miss me?"
"That won't happen."
It was so absurd that I could only let out a hollow laugh.
Now satisfied with her pranks, Mélusine also lowered the corners of her mouth and returned to her Fairy Knight mode.
And yet, she didn't forget her words of caution.
"Alright. But please avoid getting hurt. I don't like it when Her Majesty Morgan gets angry either."
"So there was something you disliked. I understand for now. I'll try."
"Okay."
The blue meteor streaked across the red sky, soaring high, very high.
"The mister has gone off somewhere again. He's so weak, but he's so fast at running away."
Artoria grumbled, looking at the wall.
The spare blanket she had prepared just in case was in the same shape as before she went to sleep.
"It's not fair. He's always so selfish."
Artoria picked up a stone and threw it at the wall. With a thud, the stone came back to her.
"He suddenly shows up and does things I could never do in my life, and then leaves again. He said he came to return my staff, but he really just gave me the staff and left."
The more she muttered to herself, the more Artoria felt strange emotions bubbling up inside her.
The emotions, which she couldn't define and had never experienced before in her life, brought Artoria confusion and annoyance.
"Isn't he a fool? Why does he go looking for trouble? He's a human weaker than me, who can't even handle mystery."
Artoria buried her head in her knees.
She didn't want to curse the man.
But Artoria didn't know how to resolve these feelings.
"I miss him."
Words spoken without realizing.
A few dozen seconds later, Artoria realized the meaning of her own words and let out a silent scream.
If she made a sound, Ector, who was sleeping downstairs, would get angry.
Having calmed down a little, Artoria spewed out excuses like a machine gun, not knowing to whom she was making them.
"No, no. It's okay to miss someone! The mister is the first friend I've ever made. That's why. Yeah."
Right?
That must be it.
Artoria turned her face away.
Ector's house was nice.
There were no holes in the walls, so there was no need for someone with warm clothes to block the cold for her.
Small sounds didn't echo loudly, so she could hide her injuries. No, in the first place, she didn't get hurt at all.
Ector knew Artoria's level, so he didn't give her unreasonable tasks.
What Artoria did were just chores.
The days of being bullied by the fae were over. Artoria no longer had to live like a slave.
"I should be happy, but it's strange."
Her chest ached.
"...I think I just heard something I shouldn't have."
Should I not have put a magic spell on the staff?
I ended up eavesdropping by chance.
"What did you say? Tell me too!"
"It's nothing, Baobhan Sith."
"You're lying. Father, you're always lying!"
No matter how much I apologized, Baobhan Sith wouldn't let go of my right arm.
It hurts. It hurts so much it feels like my arm is going to be pulled off.
She must have thought she was controlling her strength, but it seems you need to try a little harder, my daughter!
"When have I ever only lied."
"You were supposed to go to the Glasgow auction with me, but you didn't!"
"That was because I had to be fully recovered to go..."
"You're fully recovered now! But you left me and went to play all by yourself, Father!"
That's...!
I have nothing to say.
I had completely forgotten.
Of course, if I were to make excuses, I could make plenty.
For example, the body I'm always suffering from. And there's also the memory problem.
The memory problem is probably an incurable disease. If it were a curable disease, Morgan would have cured it a long time ago.
Even Baobhan Sith knows about my condition, so she can't argue.
But in this situation, pulling out a cheat card like that is too cowardly.
"So, Father, you're going to shop with me all day today! Okay?"
"Alright. If my daughter wants to, I'll do anything for her."
"Let's go right away! Over there, from over there!"
I got caught up in Baobhan Sith's shopping spree.
This wasn't the original plan...?
I'm supposed to be the magician dwelling in the staff right now, teaching the fae girl.
"Try this on! It's called a coat. The fae tried to create it based on what you told them once, Father!"
"Oh. A fur coat. There are no tigers in this land, are there? This pattern..."
"Ah, that? It's leather made from modifying humans. As you know, Father, fae disappear not long after they die, so they used humans."
Ah, I see.
They recreated the skin of a beast with human skin.
That's possible.
"Hmm... something too flashy doesn't suit you, Father. Should we go with the suit you wore when you married Mother?"
"I don't remember which wedding it was."
"It was the 20th. Father, really. How could you forget something like this!"
"I'm sorry."
"As a sign of apology, you're going to buy a gift for Mother, right? I've seen a perfume..."
Baobhan Sith had it all planned out.
Many days passed, and I was finally able to start the fae girl's education.
I approached the fae girl naturally, calling myself the fae dwelling in the staff.
The fae girl, whether because she was lonely or because she believed me, surprisingly didn't doubt my strange concept.
"Mr. Fae of the Staff. What are you going to teach me today?"
"Hmm. What did I teach you last time?"
"The magic of picking locks."
Magic (not).
A fae girl who can't handle mystery and a human who can't use magic.
Then what can I teach?
Technology.
Lock picking, walking without making a sound, how to quickly make a fire in the wild, etc...
You ask if I'm a fraud for a fae teaching only miscellaneous skills?
If you just add 'magic' at the end, it becomes magic, not technology.
The fae girl has never seen real magic, so she believes me if I say it's magic.
"This time, let's learn the magic of quickly knocking out an enemy."
"Okay!"
"What's important is speed and accuracy. The vital points are weaknesses that can cause great damage even with a small impact..."
Anyway, the education is going smoothly.
"Adam's apple! Back of the head! Back of the knee!"
"That's right!"
There was no mercy in the hands of the fae girl as she cheerfully beat the wooden doll with her staff.
Her combinations of striking the head, upper body, and lower body in succession were relentless.
Her power and technique were so perfect.
It was to the point where I wondered if her goal was to stand at the pinnacle of martial arts.
"Alright. That's enough for today.
"Phew~! I'm tired."
"Excellent. It looks like you'll master this magic soon."
"Really? Do I... have a talent for it?"
That's right. You have a talent for beating people up.
"You'll be able to become the greatest magician."
"...Do you think I can become a greater magician than Her Majesty Morgan?"
"That would be difficult."
Praise is important, but sometimes you have to tell them the reality.
Surpassing Morgan is practically impossible.
"I see~. I guess so. Since she's the queen."
"Don't worry. I'll teach you all the techniques I know... no, magic. You won't be inferior to the mysteries of the fae."
"Okay! I'll do my best!"
The fae girl's passion was endless.
During the day, she helped Ector with his chores as a servant, and at night, she learned magic from me.
"Good work today."
"Phew! Today was fun too!"
The fae girl, who had thrown herself onto the grassy field, calmly looked up at the sky.
I was watching her through the staff and asked a question that suddenly came to mind.
"Come to think of it, I've never asked. Why are you trying so hard?"
"Me? Hmm..."
The fae girl, unlike usual, maintained a long silence.
Her inability to answer easily was all too familiar.
That was the look of someone hiding something.
"Aha. I see. I'll guess. It's something like a purpose as a fae, right? Then you don't have to tell me."
I created a way out for her, but the fae girl didn't take it.
"...No. I'll tell you. I was planning on telling Mr. Fae of the Staff someday anyway. The order was just a little later."
"Order?"
"Yeah. There was someone I wanted to tell first. But it's okay. Mr. Staff is my precious friend too."
The fae girl raised her staff high.
The girl's green pupils slowly turned blue.
"I am the Fae of the Lake. Would it be easier to understand if I say I am the child of prophecy, born to overthrow Queen Morgan?"
What?
I really didn't know.
What should I do?
The child of prophecy is a fae who will not only overthrow Morgan but also destroy Britain.
And Britain is a land that Morgan truly cherishes.
So much so that Morgan, who was originally born as the child of prophecy, abandoned that mission.
My feeling upon hearing that the fae girl was that very child of prophecy was,
'I'm doomed.'
I had half lost my mind.
I had been teaching all the techniques I knew to Morgan's enemy all this time.
It was no different from pleading with her to burn down the land my wife loves the most.
Of course, it wasn't intentional.
I just wanted to help a poor fae.
It was just a coincidence that she was the child of prophecy.
Right.
It's not my fault.
"Mr. Staff? Mr. Staff? That's strange. Why aren't you talking?"
I'm troubled. So troubled.
I think I need to see Morgan's face once.
"You have the face of a Wing Clan member who has fallen into water, my husband. Have you enjoyed your amusement enough?"
"Uh. Well. It was so-so."
"I see."
It was hard to meet Morgan's eyes.
Instead of Morgan, who was sitting on the throne and looking through various papers, I ended up just staring at the window beyond her or the floor that was clean without a single speck of dust.
I'm just watching Morgan's reaction, and Morgan is quiet as it is in her nature not to say unnecessary things.
Rustle.
I don't know why the sound of Morgan turning the pages is so hard to hear.
"Come to think of it."
"Hmm?"
"I heard you visited Gloucester with Baobhan Sith."
"That's right. I called the Fairy Knights occasionally while I was on vacation, and because of that, Baobhan Sith noticed something was strange and came to find me. We played all day."
"Yes. It was fun."
Not 'it must have been fun,' but 'it was fun.'
Morgan is not one to speak carelessly.
The meaning behind those words... is probably to confess, right?
"You were watching everything?"
"That is correct."
"...Sorry. It just turned out that way."
It's unfair, but that doesn't erase what I've done.
In any case, I did raise the child of prophecy.
It would have been better for Morgan if I had just let the fae girl die in Tintagel.
Will she be angry, or will she be expressionless?
I imagined Morgan's expression, but neither was the correct answer.
"You have done well."
"......Huh?"
"I said you have done well, my husband."
Rustle. Another page was turned.
Morgan was smiling.
It wasn't the bright smile the fae girl often showed, but a faint smile with only the corners of her mouth slightly raised.
But maybe it's because they're both Fae of the Lake.
Their expressions were different, but their faces were very similar.
"The child of prophecy is also an individual in the end. If she were to see the true nature of the fae, she would have broken down much faster, but... then an unexpected variable would have arisen."
"Variable?"
Morgan said lightly.
"I am saying there was a possibility that a very small insect would have set its eyes on her."
"I don't think you would have just left a bug like that alone, would you?"
"That is correct, my husband. I have already cleared away anything that would be a hindrance to Britain."
She has cleared away everything that would be a hindrance.
So the child of prophecy is not a problem?
"Did I understand that correctly?"
"That is correct."
Morgan put down the last page of the paper she had been reading without a break.
At the same time, a bombshell.
"You may continue what you were doing. The child of prophecy? Please feel free to raise her to your heart's content."
"...Are you serious? The child of prophecy is your enemy, isn't she?"
"Do you think I will be defeated?"
"No."
I can't even imagine Morgan losing.
Still, isn't it dangerous?
Morgan, with a calm face, held out the documents she had been looking at until a moment ago.
The documents that left her hand automatically shrank in size and were bound.
By the time they reached my hand, a single book had been completed.
"Please take it."
"What is this book?"
The title of the book was this.
"Magic Starting from the Basics. Even Children Can Learn Easily. Revised Edition...?"
I know this title.
"Isn't this what you used to teach Baobhan Sith?"
"That is correct. But since the teacher and student to be taught are different, I have made additional revisions."
I quickly skimmed through the book. As befits the name 'revised edition', there were significant differences in the detailed content.
When Baobhan Sith was learning magic, there were many descriptions of how to handle curses.
This revised edition also had a curse magic section, but it wasn't the main focus.
As if all of magic had been compiled and crammed in, there were even various other schools of magic written down.
Most of the densely written theories were also deleted.
What took their place were only intuitive explanations that even someone who doesn't know magic could understand.
"I have added explanations and footnotes to make it easier to understand, and I have also described how to explain well."
"Th...anks?"
Certainly, if I teach the fae girl based on this book, her magic skills will improve rapidly.
But, why?
"I was just thinking that it's about time Baobhan Sith had a rival."
Aha.
Certainly, Baobhan Sith has no friends.
Even though she's a fae, she detests other fae, and she rejects humans as humans.
Since she has no friends she gets along with, she clings to Morgan and me, her only two human relationships.
However, Morgan is too busy to play with Baobhan Sith, and I can't wake up for months once I fall asleep.
The idea of making a friend for the increasingly isolated Baobhan Sith. As expected of Morgan.
"But do you think Baobhan Sith can become friends with this girl?"
"It will be possible with Artoria. She does not show the malice that ordinary fae possess."
"The kid is certainly nice."
More importantly, how does Morgan know the fae girl's name?
"Her name was Artoria? You've never told me before."
"That was her name in the Proper Human History. It must be the same here."
"Aha."
I carefully placed the book in my bosom.
"Your student is Baobhan Sith. My student is Artoria. The battle between the two can be seen as our battle."
"So it is. Do you think you can defeat me and Baobhan Sith?"
"I'm not sure, but... I'll have to teach her hard. It's been a while since I've felt this passionate."
"Fufu. I will be looking forward to it."
I've got a legal chance to beat my wife!