Chapter 883
What's frustrating is that this work has become a popular classic that has been passed down through generations.
Therefore, when people mention fairies now, they think of "Puck the Mischievous" and "King Oberon the Narrow-Minded."
Therefore... in a sense, I am indeed the most famous fairy in the world.
Artoria blinked. "So Oberon is a fictional fairy?"
As expected of a fairy world-renowned for human drama, they seem to have a special connection with our Theater Company!
"Ha ha..."
Oberon gave a wry smile.
The prophesied Child of Salvation and the "foreigners" from the outside world have actually teamed up to form a traveling Theater Company...
Are you kidding me? Are you deliberately mocking me?
"Speaking of which, can a character who only exists in a story become Servant? Their identities are so ambiguous."
Shirou shook his head. "No, Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' is indeed a masterpiece that has gone down in the history of drama..."
However, the legend of "Fae King Oberon" is a tradition that has been passed down in Europe since ancient times.
Even before Shakespeare's time, in the 15th century, he was hailed as "the fairy king who could grant any wish with True Magic."
Oberon glanced at Shirou: "Is that so? I didn't know that."
In short, both images have prototypes.
And that original prototype... the original scripture transformed into Servant. That must be me.
It's really just a chicken-or-egg problem.
Shirou looked at him and asked meaningfully, "I see... What about Titania?"
Oberon replied without hesitation, "That's entirely Shakespeare's creation."
There is no record of this name in the history of fairies.
Is Titania... a variant of Titan? It's probably a creation based on Greek Mythology.
After all, Oberon in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is quite capricious.
Girls who can tolerate this about him really only exist in fictional works.
Shirou wanted to ask something more, but a town appeared at the end of their road.
Salisbury is located on the plains of south-central Britain.
This is the first town that Shirou and Artoria arrived at after leaving the Nameless Forest.
This is also the most suitable place for humans to live among all the regular cities in the Fae Kingdom.
The lord who governs the city is Aurora, the clan chief of the Wind Clan.
According to rumors, she is a kind, gentle, loving, and peace-loving beautiful fairy.
However, Shirou heard a different version of the story from Tristan.
"That woman is a vile fairy from the Fae Kingdom; all she does is fake a smile all day."
Although the child's words were subjective and biased, Shirou would still take them into consideration for the time being.
However, judging from the overall atmosphere of the city, Salisbury is undoubtedly a stable and peaceful city.
This at least demonstrates that Aurora was quite capable as a lord.
Thanks to Oberon's connections, Shirou and his fairies were able to enter Salisbury without any trouble.
Oberon already toured Britain performing plays, so when the city guards heard that he had brought a new traveling Theater Company, they naturally didn't suspect anything.
A day later, Shirou's Theater Company held its first performance in Salisbury and achieved a huge success that exceeded expectations.
The first performance caused a sensation, and by the time of the second performance, fairies from nearby villages had already made a special trip to Salisbury to watch it.
In a sense, this is a natural outcome.
Lacking the ability to develop culture, the fairies have been able to create entertainment by imitating humans for thousands of years.
For the past decade, the fairies of Salisbury have tirelessly performed their original play, "The Child of Prophecy Overthrows the Fae Queen," thousands of times.
No matter how popular it becomes, audiences are already tired of it.
In contrast, the repertoire offered by Shirou consists of classic works that have gone down in Human History. The difference between the two is like heaven and earth, a pure case of being outclassed.
Furthermore, Shirou's judgment of character was indeed correct— Hope possessed a latent talent for theatrical performance.
She possesses exceptional expressiveness and charisma; she is a natural-born performing genius, making her the face of the Theater Company the most correct choice.
Hope's talent blossomed, while the Child of Prophecy's son paled in comparison.
"I really can't do anything right..."
"H-How could this be? Artoria's portrayal of the stepmother was so good!"
"No need to comfort me, Hope... I know my abilities are limited... I just misremembered my lines today."
"Next time, I'll give Artoria a Prince role, "Shirou thought to himself.
Today's performance has successfully concluded.
Today's program is not a Shakespeare play or an Andersen fairy tale, but a re-adaptation of the original Fae Kingdom play "The Child of Prophecy and the Fae Queen".
The fairies of Salisbury were eagerly anticipating the popular Theater Company's return performance, resulting in a record-breaking turnout.
The story originally performed by the fairies was very straightforward, just a simple retelling of a script based on Ainsel's prophecy.
Shirou added more character development to it.
The image of the "Child of Prophecy" is no longer that of a mechanical, emotionless tool, but rather a more flesh-and-blood, sympathetic young girl.
The image of the "Fae Queen" is no longer that of an evil witch who is wicked, stupid, and incompetent, but has become a villain with a more complex character.
Shirou's play, adapted from the story of the Child of Prophecy, was unsurprisingly a huge success and won thunderous applause.
The lead actress Hope and the fairies of the Nameless Village seemed quite happy while working; the only one who wasn't too pleased was probably Artoria...
"Why does it have to be me playing Morgan...?"
The Paradise Fae murmured, utterly despondent.
She was wearing light blue lip gloss, and her Staff of Prophecy was wrapped in black cloth to disguise it as Queen's scepter.
That's because you all look exactly alike.
Shirou thought to himself, "Blame the guy who created your mass-produced pretty face."
"Hmm? Did you not perform very well today? That monologue on the throne at the end almost moved me to tears!"
"Even if people say Morgan acted well, I won't be happy! Think about other people's feelings, you idiot Shirou!"
Artoria fled with a complicated expression.
Although she seemed to be sulking, she was actually happy inside...
Because of today's performance, the "Child of Prophecy" seems to have gained wider acceptance among the fairies.
This is a good trend, Shirou thought.
As the band members busily tidied up the stage, Oberon walked up to him.
"Hey, Shirou. I 'Instinct I needed to have a serious talk with you."
He smiled and said, "I know you're busy, but since Artoria and Hope are both away right now, could you spare a little time?"
He delivered his lines with a completely shameless attitude, though it's unclear how much of it was genuine.
"He's definitely a suspicious guy, "Shirou thought to himself.
However, Shirou officially entered the world of Magecraft after graduating from high school, has encountered all sorts of strange people over the years.
He had already established his own method of dealing with such situations, which was to treat the other party's words as both a lie and the truth.
The key is to take the other person seriously, but never let their words or actions sway your judgment and actions.
Okay, let's strike first.
"How's the destruction of Britain going, Oberon?"
Shirou's words, spoken in the tone of a London asking about the weather, left the Fairy King speechless.
Shirou sensed something was amiss the moment he saw Oberon.
This man could not possibly be as simple as Heroic Spirit from Pan-Human History.
Despite his best efforts to conceal it, he would still inadvertently reveal his hatred and disgust for the country in his daily life, which Shirou noticed.
"I see, you are indeed very interesting."
Oberon observed Shirou's reaction and muttered under his breath, "What a troublesome guy."
"To be praised in this way by the legendary Fairy King is truly an honor."
Shirou responded with a smile, and Oberon also gave a flippant laugh.
"You can feel honored. Because of you, I'm going to get serious."
As Oberon said this, the flippant look on his face completely disappeared.
However, even his apparent "seriousness" and "hostility" cannot definitively determine whether it is a lie or the truth.
It wasn't appropriate to talk standing up, so Shirou and Oberon sat facing each other at the table inside the tent.
"You really are a scary guy. After watching the Theater Company's performance, I got a little creeped out."
Oberon paused for a moment before speaking.
"However, I can somewhat understand that you don't intend to destroy this country immediately."
Although I'm a little confused, I don't know whether to describe you as too gentle, or... as arrogant.
This is not an observation of the fairy species from a human perspective.
The judgment of the Fae Kingdom is not made from the king's perspective.
Oberon felt that Shirou was standing from God's perspective—judging the world from a superior position.
"Although I still don't know where your final destination is, you really are... testing the possibilities of fairies."
Shirou made no attempt to hide it.
"Yes, I want to reach the end in my own way."
In the past life of the Fae Kingdom, Shirou could not overcome fate and died on the eve of his coronation.
This time, he still wants to stick to his own path.
And at the same time... this is also for the Queen--
Give an explanation to the girl who has watched over the Fae Kingdom for 2000 years.
"..."
Upon hearing Shirou's answer, a glint seemed to flash deep within Oberon's eyes.
The aura emanating from Shirou was accurately conveyed to Oberon.
Yes, this is a declaration of war.
Oberon--
It is not you who will bring about the end of this world, but me.
"I'm speechless."
Oberon grinned wickedly.
His eyes were calm, but a hint of anticipation and amusement was visible.
"Because Oberon and I were accomplices in one sense, and rivals in another."
Shirou and Oberon are accomplices in bringing about the end of this Fae Kingdom, and rivals vying for the means to achieve that end.
They confirmed each other's thoughts.