Chapter 897
As Muryan's friend, Oberon was also puzzled as to why her attitude had changed so drastically in just one day.
He gave Shirou a deep look.
Artoria murmured, "I see... I'm an unwanted demon here too..."
"Ah, I found it! I found it!"
Just then, the voices of fairies came from behind.
"Wait a moment, Child of Prophecy! You are the Child of Prophecy, aren't you!?"
They were lower-ranking fairies living in Gloucester, and they recognized Artoria.
Although the battle Child of Prophecy and the Child of the Queen was witnessed only by noble fairies, rumors of Artoria being a member of the traveling Theater Company had already spread.
She also performed at yesterday's show, which is why the fairies recognized her.
"Um, everyone, uh..."
"Please accept this, Child of Prophecy!"
The lower-ranking fairies pushed a mountain of clutter in front of Artoria.
"This... this is...?"
"The Child of Prophecy will eventually appear..."
We have been convinced of that moment for sixteen years, and it has been built up little by little since then.
Although it was all just loose change, old clothes, pebbles, tree roots, and other worthless things...
But this is all we can put together right now, and I'm sure it will come in handy.
So please accept this, I beg you!
"..."
Artoria froze on the spot as if she had been electrocuted.
Shirou smiled and gave her a push.
The girl snapped out of her daze and nodded solemnly.
"Yes, I accept it, thank you everyone."
"Very good!"
The lower-ranking fairies in Gloucester cheered with joy when they saw that Artoria was willing to accept the gift.
One of them turned to Shirou: "Hey, you better protect the Child of Prophecy!"
"Hmm... I'll leave it to you."
Shirou, who was being treated as the follower of the Child of Prophecy, didn't seem to care and nodded.
Not all fairies hate the Child of Prophecy or the Paradise Fae.
In this world, there are still many fairies who are willing to see a savior as their hope.
Just like back then, Shirou thought.
Shirou and Artoria did not stay in Gloucester for long.
The Theater Company's performances lasted only four days.
Shirou received a tip from the fairies who supported the Child of Child of Prophecy that the Queen's army was heading towards Gloucester, intending to wipe out their entire gang.
Shirou, of course, would not sit idly by and wait for his doom. He did not want to return to Camelot to see Morgan for the time being, so he ordered the fairies of the Nameless Forest to prepare to flee overnight.
The traveling Theater Company's next stop has been decided: Norwich, the forging city and settlement of the Earth Clan.
A phenomenon known as "Calamity Accumulation" has formed there.
Based on past experience, Norwich will face a once-in-a-century calamity in ten days at most.
Shirou thought that was a perfect opponent for Artoria to practice on.
And once the calamity there is defeated, Artoria can rightfully ring the bell.
Going to Norwich at this crucial moment is practically suicide.
"This is voluntary."
Shirou gathered all the fairies of the Nameless Forest and then made an announcement.
"If anyone doesn't want to go to Norwich, let's part ways here..."
I will pay you a severance package as compensation for your efforts over the past few days.
I've also asked Muryan to arrange citizenship for the remaining fairies in Gloucester.
The fairies fell silent instantly.
"A lot of people will probably leave the group," Shirou thought to himself.
But there's nothing we can do about it.
Citizenship in Gloucester was something many Britain fairies dreamed of.
The lowly fairies living like trash in the Nameless Forest could never refuse.
Moreover, the place they were about to go was no different from hell...
"I want to follow my master."
The silence was broken by Hope, the Theater Company's star actress.
She stated that even if their destination was the deepest part of the Great Cavern, she would go with Shirou.
Although he was smiling, he exuded an air of unyielding authority.
To be honest, this was within Shirou's expectations.
Lately, Hope has been showing increasing favoritism towards women in front of Shirou.
In particular, ever since she saw Tristan wearing the Shirou gave her, she has been hinting that she also wants to wear a collar...
Surprisingly, members of the Fang Clan, led by Gado, also joined Hope.
"If the captain is going, we're going too. We're the Fang Clan; calamities are nothing to us!"
It's not surprising that the Fang Clan, who subscribe to the principle of meritocracy, are the fairies who worship Shirou the most.
Considering that a certain number of people would be needed to contain Norwich's damage, Shirou agreed after a brief moment's thought.
Seeing this, the fairies from other clans also began to ask to join them.
"There's something we can do, right? Whether it's carrying luggage or anything else, we'll do it diligently, so please take us with you."
Onfamu spoke on behalf of the Earth Clan of the Nameless Forest.
Harobaromia, naturally, began making preparations for the trip.
"Since everyone is going, we'll need people who can handle administrative tasks, right?"
Seeing Harobaromia begin organizing the documents, Coral sighed and picked up a file as well.
"To go to a city that is accumulating calamities, I find that really abnormal."
However, since it's Mr. Shirou's decision, there's nothing we can do about it.
Aurora's adjutant (front) remains as arrogant as ever.
Someone... no, it was Arima who spoke Shirou's mind.
"You say that, but you've clearly been preparing for a while now. You're so dishonest, neigh."
Hearing Redra Bit's teasing, Coral glared at it fiercely, but when he noticed Shirou was also looking this way, he blushed and looked away.
With her other hand, which wasn't holding the documents, she dragged the monster horse by the ear and left.
"Of course I'll go with you. After all, I need to keep an eye on your movements, and someone will need to pull the carriage, won't they?"
Redra left these words behind as she was being dragged away.
In the end, everyone has to participate.
"It's me! "Artoria, who had been watching from the sidelines, said in a cheerful voice.
"We must be the only Theater Company that would perform in towns plagued by calamities..."
Okay, I'll go help pack. Let's go, Gareth.
Upon hearing the call of the Child of Prophecy, Gareth answered with the same cheerful and energetic spirit as a dog going for a walk.
"Yes, Miss Artoria!"
After witnessing the duel between the Child of Prophecy and the Child of the Queen, Gareth became a complete fan of Artoria.
She expressed her dream of becoming a knight and hoped to accompany the Child of Prophecy as his attendant.
Artoria, who had been a country fairy her whole life, was initially very troubled (her lips curled up in a very sharp smile).
However, after being persuaded by Shirou and Oberon, she frankly accepted Gareth.
Gareth, a "trainee knight" like him, certainly couldn't possibly miss this expedition.
And so, the Theater Company embarked on their journey once again.
The departure from Gloucester was quite lively, as the performance was a great success and many fairies were reluctant to see them go, coming to bid farewell to the Theater Company.
Although they were used to being adored on stage, this was the first time the fairies of the Nameless Forest had experienced such a situation in private, and they seemed quite bewildered.
The journey to Norwich was uneventful, except for a few encounters with Mors.
However, just as they were about to reach Norwich, a huge river blocked their way.
"This is truly astonishing. Didn't the Fae Kingdom also have such a magnificent bridge... although it's now a thing of the past."
Shirou gazed at the bridge standing on the river.
Not long ago, the Fae Kingdom entered its rainy season.
The bridge over the Taiga collapsed due to the double blow of the flood and Morrigan's rampage.
If it were just Shirou and Artoria, he could have jumped across with the Child of Prophecy in his arms; a distance of two or three hundred meters would have been nothing to him.
"This is troublesome. We were just supposed to cross that hill on the other side of the 'River of Tears' and we'd see Norwich..."
Is this river so deep that it's impossible to cross?
"That's right, it's much deeper than it looks; for some, it might even be a bottomless pit."
"For example, flying there in a fairy carriage... is that not allowed?"
After a member of the group made this suggestion, the monster horse immediately neighed in protest.
"How could it possibly fly in the sky! What do you think the ground exists for?"
Romance! We must value romance!
Even with wings, I still want to run on the ground! That's me, Redra Bitt!
"The River of Tears...! So this must be the River of Dracae!"
Artoria seemed to have heard of this river before.
"What is Dracae? I remember there were fairies with that name in Pan-Human History..."
Night Call, Dracae Night Call.
It was once known as the "Holy Grail of Water," a powerful fairy whose special ability was to "summon the treasure that person desires."
"..."
Upon hearing everyone's explanation, Shirou realized something and looked at the members who had become noisy.
"You jump into the river and never come back? That's because you're too weak!"
Make way, make way, you bunch of cowards, I'll go first!
Derakai Derakai, can you hear my inner voice?
What I want is the "Silver Axe"! I recently lost it by accident!