[You have departed Gloucester.]
[During your stay in Gloucester, news of your defeat of Lancelot gradually spread, and your reputation in Britain soared.]
[Since you fought as the Chief Knight of the Child of Prophecy, the name of the Child of Prophecy, Artoria, likewise spread far and wide with this battle.]
[The Prophecy Bell that Artoria rang resounded across all of Britain; every fairy in Britain now knew that the Child of Prophecy had appeared and struck the first bell.]
[Before heading to Norwich, Oberon suggested a detour to visit his home in Wales.]
[Both you and Artoria agreed to his suggestion.]
[On the way to Wales, Artoria's condition seemed somewhat off.]
[You asked Artoria about it.]
"...I really don't want to worry Guinevere, but how can I explain... I've had a very unsettling premonition... It's as if someone is watching us."
Artoria's expression grew very serious:
"Also, it feels like in about five seconds, the carriage will overturn."
No sooner had she finished speaking than Ridra Bitt—the horse pulling the carriage—suddenly burst into laughter:
"Ha ha ha! You must be joking. I am Ridra Bitt, a noble fairy stallion of the Wind Clan; there is absolutely no way the carriage pulling these guests of mine would overturn—pfft—?!"
\[For reasons unknown, your carriage did indeed overturn.]
"Wha—what is it, 'Speak it and it happens'? Is the wheel leaking milk?" Guinevere exclaimed in alarm. "And Ludong's owner was supposed to be Lü Bu, wasn't he? So why is he laughing like he works for Cao Cao?!"
"What's going on? An enemy ambush?" Oberon vaulted off the carriage, roaring.
"No—the carriage itself wasn't attacked. That sensation just now must have been the wheel hitting something."
Artoria climbed out of the carriage, shaking her head as she spoke.
"Huh? Is the road really that bad? Ridra?!" Oberon called.
"Well... um..." Ridra's voice sounded awkward. "I was looking up at the sky, composing poetry, and didn't notice the large number of fairies lying in the road."
"I'm not sure what happened, but six fairies were lying in the road."
That didn't even need Ridra to report—those six fairies had already scrambled upright and swooped over at high speed, showing no sign of having been hit by the carriage just moments ago. This reminded Guinevere once more of the astounding physical resilience of fairies. Then he remembered something else:
"Couldn't they be trying to scam us for compensation?" Guinevere tensed. "Ridra, do you have a dashcam?"
"A dash—what's that?" Ridra asked blankly.
Meanwhile, the six fairies, wearing strange grins, approached and began speaking directly to them:
"Heh heh... we're still alive... we're still alive..."
"Save us... hee hee hee... please save us..."
"Our cargo... suddenly went berserk... and attacked us... ho ho..."
"Really?" Guinevere eyed them skeptically. "But I don't see any injuries on you. It even looked like when the carriage hit you, you remained completely unharmed."
"That doesn't matter... we were unhurt... but one of our companions was taken away... dragged to the other side of that hill, into a remote cave..."
The six fairies babbled in unison:
"Please... could you find a way to rescue him? You must be kind big-spenders—fairies, right?"
Wait, did he just hear something important? Guinevere's eye twitched.
Just as he was about to decisively refuse this odd request, Artoria spoke first:
"I understand. It's that hill, right? Very well! Let's go immediately, everyone. We must not waste time."
[Leaving those words behind, Artoria swiftly headed toward the direction the six fairies indicated.]
"Hey, hey, hey—this sounds sketchy!" Guinevere called after her.
Although he wanted to stop her, she had already dashed forward, so Guinevere had no choice but to follow.
"Well, isn't that fine? It's just an ambush by these fairies, right?" Oberon jogged alongside. "It'll be good for Artoria to learn about the world's dangers and grow as a result."
[You quickly catch up with Artoria and head toward the cave the fairies mentioned.]
[You encounter no ambush and smoothly rescue the six fairies' companion.]
[The fairies express gratitude to you.]
"This..." Guinevere's eyes widened. "So they really did get into trouble?"
"Although they were indeed suspicious, it was wrong of us to jump to the conclusion they were evil—definitely something to reflect on." Oberon nodded.
At that moment, the rescued fairy was bowing repeatedly before Guinevere's party:
"We are a septet of fairies, linked as one. If even one of us perishes, the others will suffer ill fortune. You rescuing me truly saved us all... By the way, you're incredible—I've never seen anyone as formidable as you before."
Hearing their praise, Artoria scratched her head and smiled sheepishly:
"Ha ha, not really, it's just a little..."
"No, no, no— I'm talking about that black-haired young man. Seeing him whirl his sword like a meat grinder is something I've never witnessed." The fairy wiped sweat from his brow and continued: "As for you, Miss, you're fierce in a different way—boom, boom, triggering explosions. I almost died along with the enemy."
"Ah, that..." Artoria's gaze began to wander.
"Going berserk is one thing, but you need to pay attention to your surroundings— especially when there are hostages present. If it had been anyone but me, you'd have been sued by now, you know?"
"Th-That's true..." Caught amid the fairy's lecture, Artoria blushed scarlet, nearly on the verge of tears:
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm so useless, I'm so sorry. I caused you trouble!"
Seeing her in this embarrassing state, Guinevere stepped forward:
"Um, well, Artoria is admittedly clumsy... but she did try her best. After all, she was the first one who insisted on coming to rescue you."
"Mm, in that sense, she truly is a good fairy. At least her heart is pure. I'll cheer for you—look forward to your growth, little lady!"
Artoria blinked in surprise, then nodded happily:
"All right!"
[Thanks to the fairies' gratitude, Artoria's Morale rises.]
[After solemnly thanking you and offering a reward, the seven fairies depart.]
[Oberon immediately confiscates that reward from Artoria.]
"In any case, from now on you are strictly forbidden from touching any of the party's travel funds!" Oberon thundered.
"Ah... but Oberon..." Artoria weakly protested, "That was only a little money—hardly enough for the minimum infusion to enhance Guinevere's strength."
"So you're proud of that?" Oberon roared, yanking on Artoria's ear. "I see your spending habits are quite problematic, Artoria!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I was wrong! Guinevere, help—"
Watching these two goofballs, Guinevere couldn't help but laugh.
However, after two chuckles, his laughter suddenly ceased.
He remembered the origin of all this trouble: Artoria had said she felt a faint sense of being watched, as though someone were surveilling them, and then predicted the carriage would overturn in five seconds.
Now that the carriage indeed had overturned, could that first premonition have also been correct?
[You start searching for suspicious signs or good vantage points for a watcher to hide.]
[You discover a location with an excellent field of vision.]
[You pretend to stroll about and, when you near the vantage point, suddenly dash forward.]
[You find a fairy who has been tracking you.]
"Got you! Suspicious one! You were sneaking up on us—what do you intend?!" Guinevere leaped over the hillside, sword in hand, and bellowed at the stealthy follower.
To his surprise, the fairy being accused grew even more agitated:
"What? Suspicious one? Where?!"
Waving the great spear in her hand, she looked around vigilantly:
"Where is the suspicious one? Is it the Mortos? Hand it over to me! I won't let it harm Miss Artoria!"
Her reaction completely threw Guinevere off.
"What's wrong with this one?" he muttered.
At that moment, Oberon also arrived, puzzled:
"I don't know either," Guinevere whispered back, "but she seems entirely clueless about what's happening... Though she doesn't look hostile, with a face that innocent."
After all, this fairy was someone he recognized—Fairy Gares, who had heard of the Child of Prophecy during the second simulation and come to see her in person. She had a harmless, round face and a careless personality, much like Artoria, so Guinevere instinctively felt close to her and found it hard to treat her as an enemy.
Moreover, Gares's premonition seemed uncannily accurate; last time, she precisely predicted that Guinevere would die in Norwich.
"I'm sorry! Is it my eyesight? I didn't see any trace of a suspicious individual, Senior Guinevere! Could you tell me where to look?!"
Only now did Gares clearly notice that something was amiss. She turned to Guinevere, still bewildered. Guinevere and Oberon exchanged helpless glances.
"Here," Guinevere pointed to Gares's own position, sighing.
Then he watched Gares turn around, glance at empty air in puzzlement, and turn back:
"Senior Guinevere, there's nothing over there."
Guinevere slowly covered his face with his hand.
"Ah!" Only then did Gares seem to realize something. She lifted a finger toward herself and stared blankly:
"Wait—Senior Guinevere, are you saying that the suspicious person is me?!"
"Is that girl entirely dim-witted?" Oberon whispered to Guinevere.
"Who knows? Probably. Her simple-mindedness rivals Artoria's." Guinevere replied under his breath.
"Hey! You two! Don't start badmouthing me as soon as you're out of earshot!"
At that moment, Artoria's fierce face suddenly popped up between Guinevere and Oberon. She grabbed both their shoulders and shoved them aside, clearing a path for herself.
"You two are always on time when it counts," Oberon grumbled.
"Not necessarily," Guinevere chimed in. "She's never absent when large sums of money are involved, either."
"That's true," Oberon nodded. "And when it's time to blow money, she always leaps forward as well."
"I can't hear—I can't hear—I can't hear!" Covering her ears, Artoria softly repeated, "Not listening, not listening," and then made a face at the two of them before striding toward Gares.
"Hello, hello! May I ask your name?"
"Ah! It's Miss Artoria!" Gares saluted earnestly as Artoria approached.
"Fairy Gares! Reporting for duty!"
"I am Fairy Gares, the drifting reed without roots, hoping to become Miss Artoria's attendant! I hope to be of service to you all!"
"Hey, is this really a good idea?" Oberon once again whispered to Guinevere. "I feel like the number of people dragging us down is subtly increasing."
"Hey! Oberon! We're not deaf! We can hear you!" Artoria protested, shaking her fist at him.
At his remark, Oberon rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue.
"You know, it's not all bad."
Guinevere smiled. "With her along, our upcoming travels will likely get even louder and more chaotic."
"And a journey like that should leave us with some good memories, right?"
"Ah," Oberon paused, then also smiled. "You really know how to throw out those inexplicable—but lovely—words sometimes!"