Chapter 918

He consistently held Artoria to Morgan's standards.

Because you are Morgan's successor.

Because you are the Child of Prophecy who will defeat the evil Queen.

Because you will do what Shirou's beloved girl couldn't do in the past.

So--

Shirou quietly said, "Artoria, I might... dislike you."

"... Why?"

The blonde girl was stunned for a moment, then looked like she was about to cry.

Shirou consistently held Artoria to Morgan's standards, demanding the same rigorous standards.

She's just a girl who recently turned 16.

Perhaps, deep down, I'm hoping you'll abandon your mission again and find somewhere to hide again.

In that case, Shirou could openly declare, "My Morgan is the best!"

But Artoria never, not even once, gave up.

Even though the Bell of Pilgrimage was right in front of her, she couldn't ring it. Artoria never complained; she just silently improved her Magecraft.

Even though she maintained the lowest possible level of magical power throughout the entire Journey of Pilgrimage, Artoria still overcame so many difficulties.

Shirou thought with remorse.

Without me, Artoria's pilgrimage would surely have gone much more smoothly than it has now.

"That's not right."

As Shirou confronted his inner guilt, a powerful voice interrupted his thoughts.

"That's not what you're saying, it's not like that, Shirou."

The Paradise Fae placed her hand on her chest and spoke with an extremely serious and sharp expression.

"Because you are here, I can become confident."

Because I admire you, I can become stronger.

"Without Shirou, I definitely wouldn't have been able to complete my pilgrimage successfully."

"..."

Shirou wanted to retort, but seeing the unwavering look in her eyes, he finally shut his mouth.

Thank you, Shirou.

"Ah, ahh..."

Shirou felt unworthy of Artoria's thanks.

"If Shirou insists on thinking this way, then protect me until the very end, shall we?"

"Even if you hadn't said it, that's what I was planning to do."

Shirou nodded, then smiled.

"Okay, that's good... Hey!? What are you laughing at all of a sudden?"

Seeing Artoria indignantly declare, "I just said something very serious," Shirou laughed even harder.

"I see, so Artoria has always harbored feelings for me..."

"Ugh... that... that's it!"

The girl's face flushed instantly. "What you just said doesn't count! Forget about it now!!!"

The next day, Shirou looked at Artoria walking in the forest, rubbing her eyes, and sighed helplessly.

"So, didn't I tell you you should rest?"

Artoria asked curiously, "Or rather, why does Shirou look so energetic even though he hasn't slept at all?"

Because of women, Shirou has gotten used to staying up all night... He just can't bring himself to say it.

"Who do you think kept me up all night?"

Last night, in a fit of rage, Artoria fired Magic Bullet at Shirou, attempting to physically cause Shirou to lose his memory.

However, the Paradise Fae forgot that they had just rung all the Bell of Pilgrimage, and their magic was no longer what it used to be.

As a result, their campsite was directly destroyed by the Magic Bullet, and they spent the entire night searching for a new campsite before finally going to sleep at dawn.

"Terribly sorry..."

The Paradise Fae lowered her head in dejection. "I will control my magic more appropriately from now on..."

"Oh dear~ Shirou, you've kept the girl up all night again."

The surrounding scenery suddenly changed, and a languid female voice reached my ears.

Artoria raised her wand in surprise, assuming a fighting stance, but Shirou calmly turned around and said:

"Stop telling dirty jokes in front of this child. Do you want to be sent back to 'court'?"

A stunningly beautiful woman with long silver hair came into view, her face beaming with a happy smile.

"Ah! Please spare me! I've finally regained my freedom, and I don't want to be locked up in that kind of place again!"

Unlike Merlin over there, I'm Flower Magus who longs to travel~

On the road leading to the land of the Paradise Fae, waiting for the two is Merlin (♀), who has nothing to do with this world.

Incidentally, she was captured by Morgan the moment she tried to enter this world, and was imprisoned in the "garden" until recently when Shirou rescued her.

"Artoria, you can disengage from combat stance now; she is not the enemy."

However, never trust her too much, or you'll likely end up in a bad situation.

Lady Avalon dismissed Shirou's statement and laughed heartily.

"Even though I'm a heartless half-sleep demon, it still hurts to hear my beloved disciple say that to me, doesn't it?"

"You are... Shirou's master...?"

Artoria gasped, her mouth agape.

Shirou quickly stepped between her and Merlin (♀): Don't get too close, you'll catch it.

"Has Shirou been going too far with me lately!?"

Lady Avalon pouted adorably. "You were cuter when you were little, no... even 17-year-old Shirou was cuter than he is now..."

"What was Shirou like when he was little?" Artoria asked.

Do you want to know?

"Uh-huh!"

I'll tell you secretly later.

Please.

Shirou sighed helplessly.

Even if he tells them to stop, those two probably won't listen.

Never mind, the important thing is to get down to business.

"Teacher, could you show me the way?"

"Hehe, leave it to me... The Inner Sea of the Planet is like home to me."

Led by Lady Avalon, Shirou and Artoria entered Albion, the spirit cave of the Fae Kingdom.

After walking for about half an hour, Artoria couldn't help but ask.

"My feet are hurting a bit. How far are we from the ground now?"

"About 80 kilometers," Shirou replied.

The Child of Prophecy exclaimed in surprise, "Huh! It's already that deep? Why don't I feel anything at all?"

Not only was it pitch black, but there was no feeling of solid ground beneath my feet.

Lady Avalon remarked, "As expected of Paradise Fae, she's very perceptive..."

This is a world of different levels; to put it simply, it's like another dimension.

Only due to Albion's influence will a road path appear beneath the surface.

We will delve deeper into this topic further.

Albion from the Pan-Human History died at 80km, but this Lostbelt Albion opened up a real path to the paradise of Avalon.

However, the path was so narrow that it couldn't pass through on its own, so it had to perish on the surface.

"Are there such spiritual caves in Pan-Human History?" Artoria asked curiously.

"Yes, but that place is called the Spirit Tomb."

Shirou used Magecraft to light up the passage, and then proceeded while telling Artoria the story of the Pan-Human History.

On their way deeper into the cave, they saw many murals depicting scenes from within.

That is the Origin story of this Fae Kingdom.

Lady Avalon gazed expressionlessly at the mural. "You already know."

"That's right, this is the crime committed by the fairies known as the Origin, and the Origin of the Fae Kingdom."

This is an ancient story, so ancient that it couldn't be older.

When the six fairies arrived on the surface, they found that the world had turned into an ocean.

"How pitiful."

"The world has become like this."

Just then, a huge figure rose from the sea.

A huge, soft, furry body, with an animal that should no longer exist on its shoulder.

The Six Fae became friends with the gods.

An empty ocean is incredibly boring, uninhabitable, and arduous, but the gods will help shield you from the waves.

So the Six Fae had it easy.

"A calm ocean is nice, though."

"We really do miss the earth!"

The Six Fae offered their joy to the gods.

The Six Fae offered their wishes to the gods.

The Six Fae offered up the god.

The wish has been fulfilled.

The celebration has ended.

The god died after being deceived into drinking poisoned wine.

The Six Fae obtained the corpse of a god and intended to use it as their new land.

The animals that were left behind, crying out, were used very carefully.

Because there is only one human being.

Because one is not enough.

It was torn to pieces.

To tear it apart alive.

To ensure they would never die no matter what they did, they carefully used True Magic to manipulate it.