Jiang You's face darkened. Using the Curse Medium developed by Beryl to infect Fairies, then having Fairy Tristan showcase her "Savior" abilities to create hype—this had indeed been a plan they'd discussed. But the goal was to perform miracles before an audience. Now, with no spectators, targeting the Queen's Knight closest to her seemed rather inappropriate. Even worse, letting her subordinates discover her involvement was utterly absurd.
While Fairy Tristan was certainly eccentric, she couldn't possibly be this foolish.
For Barghest, however, Fairy Tristan was indeed capable of such reckless actions. Fairy Tristan's reputation had sunk so low that even the fairies despised her. However, Jiang You's earlier mention of Fairy Tristan suggested a connection to this incident. She glanced at Jiang You, waiting for him to speak.
"Did you see the Princess act with your own eyes?"
Jiang You felt something was off. If Fairy Tristan had truly been the one to infect him, saving him now would expose her entire scheme.
"...No, I didn't. But there's a Magic Workshop in the theater's basement for experiments related to the Mors."
The Queen's Knight considered his words carefully. Since he was certain that Jiang You and Gawain had saved him, he decided to tell them everything. "But I saw Tristan messing with those things with my own eyes!"
Fairy Tristan is so careless, Jiang You thought. How could she let someone see her doing something like that?
Jiang You planned to pin the entire Magic Workshop affair on Beryl (which wasn't far from the truth, though Fairy Tristan had tacitly approved). This revelation was supposed to coincide with the announcement that Fairy Tristan was the Child of Prophecy. This Queen's Knight shouldn't have known the inner details. "I'm aware of that. After Beryl was executed, that area was sealed off. To avoid panic, everything inside was scheduled for destruction... How did you come to suspect the Princess was involved?"
"It wasn't me."
The Queen's Knight shook his head, his fragmented memories now mostly restored. "A guest attending the ceremony discovered her. Curious about what Tristan was secretly doing, she followed her. As a knight, protecting and attending to guests is my duty, so I followed as well. After witnessing the scene, we both retreated. Just as I was about to report the matter to Her Majesty Morgan, my memories abruptly cut off..."
"Who was that guest?" Jiang You felt he was closing in on the truth. Fairy Tristan likely hadn't detected the Queen's Knight; otherwise, even at the cost of his life, he wouldn't have become Mors—Fairy Tristan would have undoubtedly dealt with the matter directly. But if the guest had taken action...
Barghest seemed to have grasped the implications as well. If Fairy Tristan had intervened, the knight shouldn't be here now—he would either have been killed outright or left at the scene.
"The Lord of Salisbury, Clan Leader of the Wind Clan: Lady Aurora!"
"!"
Barghest's expression shifted slightly. Aurora had always enjoyed an excellent reputation; she couldn't fathom why she would do such a thing.
Jiang You, however, wore a look that said, I knew it. If Morgan had learned of this immediately, the matter would have been swiftly suppressed. This Queen's Knight would have been secretly dealt with, causing no ripples whatsoever.
But if it was Aurora... everything made sense. In the original plot, when Morgan died and the new King ascended, Aurora had offered poisoned wine, giving the crumbling Britain a final, fatal push.
By stopping the Queen's Knight from reporting, she could manipulate the situation, blowing it out of proportion until Fairy Tristan became a universally reviled public enemy. Morgan would undoubtedly protect Fairy Tristan, planting another explosive seed of resentment in the hearts of the fairies already chafing under her rule. When that bomb detonated, the explosion would be even more violent—it might even go off on the spot. It perfectly matched her twisted aesthetics.
As long as everyone else is trampled into the bloody mud, she will be the most beautiful one.
Still, for Jiang You, this wasn't entirely bad news. Aurora had inadvertently given him an opportunity—a chance to get closer to Melusine. Perhaps he could even trigger that part of the plot ahead of schedule.
Jiang You pulled a notepad and pen from his Inventory. Since his Inventory was large enough, he could retrieve almost any strange item, as long as it wasn't too obscure. He wrote down the detailed situation and his own plans, wanting to at least keep Morgan informed. If anything unexpected happened, she could serve as a backstop.
"Barghest, take this man to Morgan and have him report the situation. But remind Morgan to read this note before making any decisions... No need to be so formal; you can read it too. In fact, it's better if you understand what's going on. Speaking of which, I really need to find a more convenient way to communicate."
With Jiang You's permission, Barghest unfolded the note.
"Jiang You... are you certain the Wind Clan Leader's goal is truly this? I'm willing to trust you, but Aurora's reputation, built over so many years, is formidable. Moreover, Fairy Knight Lancelot is completely loyal to her. As much as I hate to admit it, Lancelot is indeed the strongest of the Fairy Knights."
"Frankly, I'm more surprised that Aurora has managed to hide her true nature for so long."
As an Upper Observer, Jiang You was certain of Aurora's true nature.
"Besides, Melusine's loyalty isn't actually to Aurora the person," he added. "We might have a chance to make her our ally."
"?"
Barghest, of course, had no idea what Jiang You was talking about. But her personality wasn't one to pry. As someone who considered herself weak, she would completely obey the strong individuals she acknowledged. She chose to follow Jiang You's orders.
"Then please be careful. I'll return to rendezvous with you soon."
With that, Barghest grabbed the Queen's Knight and began sprinting toward the Royal City of Camelot. Despite her appearance as a strength-based Hero, her Servant stats included an A-rank Agility, and in an instant, only her receding figure remained.
Jiang You, feeling exasperated, quickly summoned Barghest back. "...Morgan is in New Darlington right now. You're running in the wrong direction."
-
New Darlington, City Lord's Residence.
"That bastard! He really just abandoned me!"
Fairy Tristan furiously smashed the glass in her hand. She had waited for three whole days, yet Jiang You had truly never shown up.
"It's come to this... Hmph, I can handle this just fine on my own!"
Fairy Tristan calmed herself and smoothed out the wrinkles on her dress, which had formed from her agitated movements. This was her first day appearing as the Child of Prophecy; she had to maintain her image.
"But secretly infecting the fairies with the curse is still tricky," she muttered. "Jiang You said to find someone to covertly inject the curse, but where would I find trustworthy subordinates for that? If I just grab anyone, they'll definitely expose me! Luckily, I'm skilled in Curse Magic. I'll just have to do it myself!"