Time flashed by. In the blink of an eye, Orkney's Pilgrimage Bell seemed to have traversed millions of years of history and reappeared before them.
Toneriko shook her head, realizing the scenes of her home and parents were just illusions—yet they felt so real, tears welled in her eyes.
Melusine, worried, used the sleeve of her new dress to wipe Toneriko's tears, trying to share her sadness.
"Trust Aoko," Artoria placed a reassuring hand on Toneriko's shoulder. "As a magus, you understand better than I what a Magician can achieve, right?"
The emotional shock from the Fifth Magic faded with Artoria's support. Toneriko turned her gaze back to Aoko, sensing that, even through Avalon's protection, Aoko's magic was dangerous.
As a Paradise fairy from the Star's Inner Sea, Toneriko's intuition screamed that the Lostbelt—this closed miniature universe—was accelerating toward death.
As her heart pounded and she hesitated to stop Aoko, the spell finally ended—and the scenery transformed.
Where there had been ruins, now a sea of pale flowers blanketed Orkney. The yellow sky became a starry night. All the words Toneriko wanted to say were stuck in her throat.
Aoko's red hair glowed faintly, a bright contrast to the white flower field. She caressed the bell, checked it, then smiled and waved them over.
"It's done," Aoko said cheerfully. "You can ring Orkney's Pilgrimage Bell now, without worrying about the Paradise mission."
Hearing this, Artoria lifted Avalon's protection and gave Toneriko an encouraging look.
Melusine was worried but trusted Artoria and Aoko and didn't try to stop Toneriko.
Gripping her wooden staff, Toneriko approached the bell, forged from one of the Six Great Fairies. Her heart surged with emotion.
But she calmed herself—after all, she'd fought for this world for thousands of years, and if she'd used the Magician's help to cheat a bit, it was only fair.
The vague voices from the Star's Inner Sea that she sometimes sensed were now gone. In this Fifth Magic-created space-time, she was free.
There was no special bell striker, but she instinctively knew how to ring it. The guardian fairy spirit that should have been here was nowhere to be seen.
Was it because she knew Toneriko? Aoko didn't know but understood the Rain Clan had always awaited this day. They were perhaps the only clan who wished to atone for the sins of their ancestors.
Snow began to fall. Toneriko gazed into the distance as her former home faded like a dream. She closed her eyes, raised her staff, and willed her mana to form a wooden mallet in midair, striking the bell hard.
[Paradise's Song, Inner Sea's Chant.]
The bell's sound echoed through Orkney's streets.
[For the chosen, the judged, the corrected.]
[The original bone bell, shows the way to lost children—grant them forgiveness!]
A dazzling light illuminated the tower. The endless peal of bells swept across all Fairy Britain. Even far-off Pepe in Norwich turned north in alarm, and fairies everywhere felt a sudden unease, as if something terrible was about to happen.
A beautiful fairy in Salisbury smiled as if the promised hour had come. What expression would that fairy, that person, show? How exciting.
Elsewhere, the Clan Leader of the Mirror Clan, Ainsel, widened her eyes in surprise—the only time in her life she'd been shocked. She'd known this bell couldn't be rung at this time. What had happened?
"Mira, dear Mira," Ainsel called out to another fairy. "Did you see? Something outside prophecy has occurred—someone outside prophecy has arrived."
"Will something interesting happen?" Mira replied nonchalantly. "We'll all die anyway, so who cares?"
"No, it's different," Ainsel stood, pacing excitedly. "That person was never supposed to ring Orkney's bell. Never! So something none of us have foreseen must have happened. Is it the Human Proper History's interference, or…?"
In a deep pit unknown to all, a being full of hatred listened to the bell, gazing silently at the night sky. Though plans had changed, his goal of destroying all of Britain was unchanged. The day was near. This time, the wretched fairies and humans would not escape—even the Paradise fairy could not—
"My Spirit Foundation just increased!" Toneriko marveled, feeling the surging mana within. "My strength and magic power have both grown so much!"
"That's the real purpose of the Paradise Bell," Aoko explained, holding up a finger. "The Star's Inner Sea gives you the goal of correcting errors. And what's Fairy Britain's error? Not forging the Holy Sword."
"But even if the sword is forged, there's no enemy left to fight. It's pointless," Aoko continued. "Even if Artoria helps you solve the Curse Calamity in the future, the land itself is doomed. It will end in destruction."
"So, I've thrown the bell's meaningless mission into the infinite future, with the cost paid by this closed universe's lifespan," Aoko said easily. "Eat the sugar, throw away the poison—that's always been my way!"
"So next… should we ring the other bells too?" Artoria mused. "The more power, the better, right?"
"No," Aoko shook her head. "Not yet. If we ring most of the bells now, the Fantasy Tree won't hold, and there'll be no Queen's Calendar in the future."
"In other words, we need to wait until the Fantasy Tree's mana is fully absorbed, until this Lostbelt becomes a full Lost World, before harvesting the remaining bells."
Hearing this, Toneriko fell silent. She felt her newfound strength and recalled the Round Table army who had fought with her. Her heart was full of regret.
But she was too tired. This coronation would be her final attempt—the last trial for Fairy Britain's fairies and humans before the great disaster.