Looking Forward to Another World

Objectively speaking, Morgan, Gawain, Lancelot, Tristan, and the others were undoubtedly Riezel and Artoria’s enemies.

Even if Artoria hadn’t chosen the path of the savior, even if she hadn’t tried to save Faerie Britain, she still wouldn’t have been able to avoid being seen as a threat by Morgan’s forces.

Naturally, the same was true for Riezel.

He had already crossed paths with Morgan and the others many times, clashing in battle on several occasions, as the two sides stood opposed to each other.

Yet despite all that, Riezel couldn’t help but feel that these enemies were far better than the other fairies in more ways than he could count.

Morgan might have been a terrifying dictator—cold, cruel, and treating the lives of fairies in the Fairy Kingdom like they were worthless—but for some reason, she valued Riezel highly, and she even went so far as to grant him divine protection and plant the ’Stake’ within him.

Gawain had fought Riezel twice, both times to the brink of death, yet she was an outstanding warrior—thorough and thoughtful toward her allies, and merciless only to her enemies.

Lancelot was distant and proud, yet her personality wasn’t without a pure and innocent side—at least for now, she had treated Riezel with open, honest confrontation, never resorting to schemes, which made it hard to hate her.

Even Tristan, the brutal Fairy Knight, had a pitiful past that explained how she ended up the way she was.

Compared to these enemies, the fairies who pretended to be friendly with Riezel and Artoria might’ve been the real villains.

Take the fairies in the village of Tintagel, for example.

They had raised Artoria and, in theory, should have been the ones closest to her, but by now, there was no need to even talk about what they were really like behind the scenes.

Of course, the same went for the fairies who longed for the appearance of the Child of Prophecy, who hoped a savior would come and bring them salvation. They said all the right things and made grand speeches about welcoming the Child of Prophecy, but who knew what they were truly thinking inside?

Riezel had always believed that fairies weren’t worth saving, but those who had become his enemies had each shown a side of themselves that was far better than the rest.

When he thought about it like that, it was pretty ironic.

”Then... how should we deal with Aurora?”

Artoria, starting to understand what Riezel was thinking, asked with a complicated emotion.

Hearing the question, Riezel answered without a hint of hesitation.

”Whether she’s trustworthy or not, she does wanna overthrow Morgan’s rule—that part must be real, right?”

Hearing this, Artoria nodded without hesitation.

”Mm, she’s serious about that.” Artoria nodded. ”She really wants to bring down Morgan. She didn’t lie about that.”

Needless to say, that was exactly why, when Aurora showed up in front of Artoria and claimed she would help her rescue Riezel, Artoria didn’t hesitate much before agreeing.

Even if Aurora was hiding something, as long as her true goal was to overthrow Morgan’s rule, she wouldn’t be holding back when it came to rescuing the ’Child of Prophecy’ and would give it her all.

For that reason, Artoria accepted Aurora’s help.

”If that part’s true, then let’s not worry about her for now.” Riezel said as he kept walking forward. ”Until we reach our goal, she probably won’t do anything against us, so let’s rest up for now. If it comes to it, it’s not like we can’t accept her help. At the very least, the Wind Clan’s information network is pretty useful. With them on our side, we don’t need to worry about being in the dark.”

Even though that was what he said, his tone made it clear he didn’t care much either way.

Which made sense, didn’t it?

”She got our identities wrong, and she misunderstood our goals. She thinks we’re trying to ring the six Bells of Pilgrimage and overthrow Morgan, but what she doesn’t know is that I—or rather, you—haven’t even decided to go that far yet.”

”We can use that information gap to our advantage.”

Aurora believed Riezel and Artoria were planning to fight Morgan and topple her rule, but she had no idea her whole premise was wrong.

Riezel and Artoria had never once thought about overthrowing Morgan, so as long as Aurora kept thinking that was what they were after, whatever plans she was making would start to drift off course.

Riezel and Artoria would always have the option to say no, and that alone gave them the upper hand.

As Riezel explained, Artoria focused on something else.

”She really got your identity wrong?” Artoria asked cautiously, watching him closely. ”You’re really not a foreign magus?”

”Nope.” Riezel rolled his eyes. ”I think I get what you’re thinking, but I’ve gotta say it—who you’re talking about, that foreign magus, is someone else entirely.”

”Who?” Artoria perked up. ”Is it the one Morgan and Aurora mentioned from Proper Human History?”

At this, Riezel suddenly stopped walking, making Artoria quickly come to a halt as well.

”You caught that, huh?” Riezel turned to her, looking almost impressed. ”Guess you are way smarter than anyone would’ve thought.”

’So... I usually look dumb?’

Artoria barely resisted the urge to smack Riezel on the head with the Staff of Selection.

”So what exactly is this Proper Human History?”

Artoria glared at Riezel and pressed him for an answer.

”In short, it’s a world that’s different from this one.”

Riezel spoke in an offhanded tone, saying something that left Artoria stunned.

”Another... world...?” Artoria’s mouth fell open in shock.

”Yeah, something like that.” Riezel nodded.

At first glance, this world didn’t seem any different from the other so-called ’another world’ Riezel had been to, but that wasn’t the case, because this world was far more special than any of the other worlds he had visited.

First of all, the Faerie Britain Riezel currently stood in was not the entirety of this world, but merely one extraordinary part within an incredibly vast world structure.

And to explain all of this, one had to first understand the meaning of the term ’Proper Human History.’

Proper Human History referred to the correct history.

In this world, human history wasn’t fixed or unchanging.

Much like the competition for survival in nature, history followed a process of natural selection, where some histories flourished while others failed, and the way to distinguish which history was superior or inferior, successful or a failure, depended on whether a history could continue to exist.

If a timeline could keep progressing without suddenly being cut off or destroyed, then it was considered proper history. On the other hand, if a timeline gradually strayed in the wrong direction during its development and ended in destruction, then it was deemed a failed history.

The former was known as Proper Human History—a correct timeline, a correct foundation of humanity, while the latter was the result of a wrong choice made at a historical turning point—a history fated to collapse and be discarded, known as a ’Lostbelt.’

Lostbelts were usually pruned by the world itself, denied the chance to even become parallel worlds, and inevitably headed toward extinction. Faerie Britain was one such world—a world whose path diverged from Proper Human History and ultimately developed into a Lostbelt.

”In Proper Human History, meaning the correct version of human history, Britain did exist, but it wasn’t a nation ruled by fairies.”

Riezel continued his explanation.

”You and Morgan actually existed in the Proper Human History version of Britain too. Morgan aside, in Proper Human History, you were human—not a fairy from Paradise.”

Riezel was referring to the legend of King Arthur.

It was a body of stories centered around the mythical King Arthur—a legendary tale from the Middle Ages that described the life of Britain’s most mythic and heroic king—King Arthur.

According to the tale, King Arthur was the leader of the Knights of the Round Table, a figure almost godlike in stature, known as the Ideal King, the King of Knights, and the Eternal King.

King Arthur drew the Sword of Selection, Caliburn, and became King of Britain, and also received a holy sword from the fairy of the lake—a weapon forged within the Inner Sea of the Planet.

Throughout his life, King Arthur fought twelve battles, each ending in a near-miraculous victory, securing Britain during a time of extreme peril.

Not only was his mentor the famous legendary magus Merlin, but every knight he encountered and brought into the Round Table was a hero of unmatched fame and inhuman strength.

Meanwhile, his elder sister was Morgan—a witch who hated Arthur for becoming king and believed she was the rightful heir to Britain. Working in the shadows, she caused countless disasters, ultimately leading to his fall and the destruction of Britain.

King Arthur’s legend had already spread across Wales by the ninth century and later became widespread across Europe thanks to Geoffrey of Monmouth’s literary works.

Writers like Chretien de Troyes, Wace, Layamon, and Malory also contributed stories involving the Holy Grail, and during the Victorian era, their stories regained popularity.

Of course, that was Britain in Proper Human History—the correct version of Britain.

Faerie Britain, however, was its opposite.

It was an anomalous version, a distorted history that developed from a mistake at the source.

In this Britain, the country wasn’t ruled by humans but by fairies.

In this Lostbelt version of the world, Britain—or more accurately, this place resembling Britain—was the only remaining nation.

Morgan, who had never attained the throne and eventually descended into madness in Proper Human History, ruled here as the Queen of the Fairy Kingdom for 2,000 years.

As for Gawain, Lancelot, and Tristan—names that originally belonged to the Knights of the Round Table who served King Arthur in Proper Human History—those titles were now granted by Morgan to three Fairy Knights, and with those names came the identities and powers once held by the original knights.

And Artoria, who in Proper Human History was Morgan’s blood relative and known as King Arthur—the ruler of Britain who was supposed to leave behind grand legends and a thunderous reputation in Proper Human History—had become a Fairy of Paradise in Faerie Britain.

Moreover, she bore the identity of the Child of Prophecy, growing up in an unnoticed rural village. It was only now that she had finally stepped onto Britain’s land and been entrusted with the mission of saving Faerie Britain itself.

”In your eyes, this might seem like a completely normal thing.”

”But to those from Proper Human History, this is a strange development that has already deviated from the correct timeline—an anomalous history that wouldn’t even count as a wild tale.”

”So, Faerie Britain isn’t a normal country or a normal world, but a Lostbelt that should’ve been pruned long ago.”

Riezel explained to Artoria, enunciating each word clearly.

”What Morgan and Aurora refer to as Proper Human History is a world completely different from this Lostbelt—or rather, that world is what’s considered normal and correct.”

Needless to say, the terms ’outside world’ and ’foreign land’ that had been mentioned several times before were actually referring to Proper Human History.

Because in this Lostbelt, there was only one country, the Faerie Kingdom of Britain, and everything beyond it was nothing but an endless ocean, there were, strictly speaking, no actual foreign lands.

Consequently, in this context, ’foreign land’ and ’outside world’ usually referred to Proper Human History.

”S-So you’re saying... you’re from Proper Human History?”

Asking this, Artoria widened her eyes, looking at Riezel in utter shock.

However, Riezel shook his head.

”No, I’m not from Proper Human History. I’m from another world—one that’s even harder for you to imagine.”

Riezel had actually revealed even that much.

”A-Another world...?”

Artoria’s eyes grew even wider and she started to feel a little dizzy.

It was clear that she was now overwhelmed with information, and her worldview had taken a serious hit.

”You think this is a lot?” Riezel said with complete calm and composure. ”Honestly, this world is far bigger, far grander, and far more troublesome and dangerous than you could ever imagine. You’ll understand eventually. What I’ve told you so far—this is just child’s play, since the truly terrifying and shocking stuff comes much later.”

It went without saying that Riezel’s words struck fear into Artoria’s heart.

At this moment, Artoria quietly swallowed, feeling like she was walking a tightrope above a bottomless chasm—one misstep and she would fall to her death, body shattered beyond recognition.

”Is... this world... that terrifying...?” Artoria muttered unconsciously. ”Proper Human History... King Arthur...”

Suddenly, a wave of dizziness washed over her, and she felt like she was seeing someone.

It was someone who looked exactly like her, yet gave off a completely different impression.

She wore armor, held a holy sword, and stood atop a castle wall, facing the wind as she gazed out over a plain bathed in the setting sun.

Her face was identical to Artoria’s, but her expression was filled with strength and solemnity, and her eyes held a will like forged steel as if she were staring down a grand and noble goal.

Looking at this strange reflection of herself, Artoria somehow instinctively knew her name.

’Artoria Pendragon...’

She was King Arthur and Artoria of Proper Human History.

”Ugh...”

Artoria’s dizziness worsened, and her vision began to spin wildly.

She would’ve collapsed on the spot—if someone hadn’t caught her.

”What’s wrong with you?”

Riezel, watching as Artoria suddenly began to sway, nearly collapsing to the ground, quickly stepped forward and caught her, his face filled with surprise as he asked.

”I...”

Artoria shook her head, and only when the dizziness had eased a bit did she speak, still sounding uncomfortable.

”I-I think I saw another version of myself... one wearing armor and holding a sword...”

Hearing this, a glint flashed through Riezel’s eyes.

In the original work, Artoria had indeed dreamed of her Proper Human History self after ringing the first Bell of Pilgrimage, and after that, every time she rang one of the Bells of Pilgrimage, she would dream of something, with most of those dreams related to King Arthur from Proper Human History.

Now that Artoria was experiencing this a month late, was it because she had known nothing about the existence of Proper Human History until now? Because she hadn’t known there was another version of herself?

In the original work, Artoria had encountered the foreign magus before ringing the first Bell of Pilgrimage and then learned from the magus about Proper Human History and Lostbelt, which was probably why she immediately dreamed of her other self afterward.

Remembering that, Riezel shook his head, pushing those thoughts aside for now.

”Let’s go back to your room and rest.” Riezel said when he saw how awful Artoria looked. ”Get a good night’s sleep. You might feel a lot better when you wake up.”

Hearing this, Artoria really wanted to refuse since there were still so many things she didn’t understand.

For example, if Riezel wasn’t the foreign magus, then who was?

Someone from Proper Human History?

Would that person come to Faerie Britain to assist her?

Why?

What was their goal?

All of these were the things Artoria wanted to know, but unfortunately, Riezel didn’t give her the chance to refuse.

”Forget it, I’ll stay and make sure you fall asleep.”

Riezel could tell from Artoria’s expression that she was resisting, so he spoke in a tone that left no room for argument.

”When you wake up, if there’s anything you wanna know, just ask me then.”

As Riezel said this, he picked Artoria up, but this time, it was a princess carry—completely different from the casual way he had picked her up before.

”Where’s your room?” Riezel looked down and asked.

”T-That way...”

Once Artoria was in Riezel’s arms, she quieted down for a moment before pointing in a direction, her cheeks slightly red.

Without saying another word, Riezel headed that way with Artoria, but he didn’t notice at all that in a nearby corner, a figure was watching them intently, lost deep in thought.