"First, Gawain attacks Fairy Tristan! It might sting a bit, so hang in there."
To defeat Beryl with Tristan and deliver the final blow, Fairy Tristan's Life Points needed to be lowered first.
"Anyway... I can't feel my body anymore."
Gawain's Holy Sword pierced Fairy Tristan's heart, sending her paralyzed form to the Graveyard.
Fairy Tristan's Life Points: 4000 → 1500.
Fairy Tristan returned to the Main Battle Zone, the damage from the battle instantly reflecting on her. The scorching heat from Gawain's Holy Sword seared her flesh, inflicting excruciating burning pain.
"Hisss—that hurts! Is your Noble Phantasm some kind of torture device?"
Still, she couldn't help but feel relieved to be back in her normal body. If there's a next time, I'll never experience this Spell Card's effects again, she vowed. She couldn't imagine the suffering her future self would endure. And would Mother grieve for me?
"Good. Let him feel the same pain. Scribe, what are you waiting for? Get on with it!"
Fairy Tristan addressed Jiang You by his title, indicating a slight acceptance of his position.
"Then let's settle this. Tristan, attack Beryl!"
"Lord Jiang You, what exactly did this man do to make this 'me' look so heartbroken?"
Though Tristan appeared to have his eyes closed, he was actually observing Fairy Tristan's expression the entire time. After all, who wouldn't be curious about a servant who shared their name?
"To put it simply, Tristan fell in love with Guinevere. She deceived him with sweet words to get what she wanted, then had his hamstrings severed and left him bedridden to die alone. Afterward, she went to confess her love to Galahad."
In reality, Beryl's role was more akin to Morgan's, while Fairy Tristan's was more like Mordred's. However, since Morgan herself was present, Jiang You framed the story from Morgan's perspective.
"Do you think Tristan should hate Guinevere?"
"This sounds like you're talking about Lancelot... If possible, please refrain from using the King's affairs as examples. It's rather disrespectful."
Gawain, watching the spectacle, covered his face, likely having understood what Jiang You was implying. He had already sensed Morgan's presence, making him suspect this was another version of Britain, distinct from Pan-Human History. While the relationships within the Round Table Knights were already complicated, they weren't quite this abstract.
"This... this is far too tragic," Gawain murmured.
In truth, Tristan hadn't grasped any of it, unable to imagine what this version of himself had endured.
"Forbidden love truly drives one mad. But those who betray a young girl's feelings are unforgivable! Now, cry out, Phantom Concerto!"
The intertwining piano chords ensnared Beryl, then, with the sharpness of a blade, sliced him into pieces.
Fairy Tristan LP: 1500 → 0!
Before the Duel Space vanished, Morgan nodded at Jiang You. At least he had succeeded in making Fairy Tristan recognize Beryl for who he truly was.
"Baobhan Sith is in your care now." The 6000-point attack sent Fairy Tristan flying, shattering the opulent bed and leaving her sprawled amidst the wreckage in a most undignified heap. Even her high heels were mostly destroyed by the impact.
"You bastard!"
The searing pain, the loss of her precious collections, and the bitter sting of Beryl's betrayal drove Fairy Tristan into a frenzy. She tried to rise and pummel Jiang You, but the weakness from her defeat left her powerless, forcing her to lie there, seething in impotent rage.
"I warned you it would hurt. Though Beryl also felt the 6,000 points of direct damage, you were the Main Battler, so the backlash still hit you harder."
"That's not what I'm angry about! It took me years to collect all these shoes! How are you going to compensate me?!"
Fairy Tristan looked like she'd chop off Jiang You's feet if he didn't make things right. However, given Morgan's attitude toward him, she wouldn't dare carry out such a threat.
"Oh, you mean this?"
Jiang You surveyed the floor strewn with various high heels. The fairies certainly had an eye for aesthetics, but their lack of creativity meant their sense of beauty was monotonous and uniform.
"This is easy to fix, but there are more pressing matters. From this moment on, I'm your guardian and mentor... Well, feel free to be proud. Morgan's own 'Merlin' is personally guiding her heir. Mordred next door must be green with envy."
"Don't think I don't know who Merlin is! Be—Anyway, that bastard told me stories about the Knights of the Round Table. You, 'Merlin'?"
Fairy Tristan sneered. As a servant, her magical power was B-rank, a full tier above Jiang You's C-rank. "You can't even beat me! What makes you think you can lecture me?!"
"You must have seen my 'Prophecy,' so why are you acting like it doesn't matter?"
Jiang You lifted Fairy Tristan by the scruff of her neck and tossed her onto the sofa, preventing her from speaking to him while bending over.
"Furthermore, I won't teach you how to slaughter other fairies more cruelly. You'll have to shut down that National Slaughter Theater of yours."
"Why?"
This was one of Fairy Tristan's favorite programs, where she could revel in bloodshed and savor the screams of the dying.
"Even Mother agreed! How dare you question her decision?"
"Since Morgan entrusted you to me, you'll follow my orders. The only thing I'll teach you is how to be a proper Princess."
In truth, Morgan only wanted Fairy Tristan to survive and avoid being bullied by other fairies. Fairy Tristan, on the other hand, desperately craved Morgan's approval. These two desires were not mutually exclusive.
"This way, even Morgan would smile with satisfaction, don't you think?"
"So, will you do it?"
Jiang You extended his hand to Fairy Tristan with a smile, inviting her to accept.
Fairy Tristan stared at his hand, deeply tempted by his proposal. But instead of agreeing, she countered with a question: "Can you really make Mother praise me? After all these years, no matter how hard I've tried, I've never succeeded."
Morgan likely didn't even know what she wanted Fairy Tristan to achieve. Her demands had dwindled to a mere word: "Survive." Only after Fairy Tristan committed a bloody massacre would Morgan finally smile with satisfaction, signaling that the fairy would no longer be vulnerable to harm from others of her kind. This twisted upbringing was the root cause of Fairy Tristan's warped nature.
In short, Morgan's communication style was utterly disastrous.
Jiang You: "Morgan is entirely to blame (hot take)."
"As a princess and lord, it's only natural that you should share the queen's burdens."
Jiang You had already devised a plan, which explained his confidence. With him by her side, Fairy Tristan would be safe. "If you could solve the Mors problem, do you think Morgan would be pleased?"
"Mors? How could any fairy in Britain not know about that?"
"You can solve it? Impossible! Even the Fang Clan couldn't!"
"Their failure doesn't mean I can't succeed. Have you ever heard of—"
Jiang You had been waiting for this moment for a long time. He enunciated each word deliberately:
"—the Shadow Game?"