"'The Song of the Garden, the Voice of the Inland Sea, born to be chosen, judged, and corrected. The Bone Bell of Origin, guiding the lost child home. —Forgive their sins.'"
Standing before the Pilgrim's Bell, Aesc Shiomi quietly recited the familiar invocation under Shiomi's watchful gaze and protection.
Eighteen centuries later, the bell that had rung five times before once again proclaimed the sounding of a certain voice, its echoes spreading across all of Britannia.
Yet the world had changed beyond recognition. Britannia was no longer the land of eighteen centuries past, once moving steadily yet hopefully toward a union of clans. The rise of human power and Londinium's dominance was steering the island toward a future no fairy could have imagined—whether they accepted it or not.
Though it was midsummer, a fierce wind swept across Britannia, strong enough to make one sway. Even Shiomi had to brace himself slightly against it. The gust lasted only moments before softening into a gentle breeze once more.
"How is it? After striking the final Pilgrim's Bell, do you feel any change within yourself?" Shiomi asked, his voice calm and gentle.
Aesc lowered her eyelids, as if deep in contemplation—or perhaps feeling the power that belonged to the fairies of the Garden.
With the final restriction upon her body now lifted, she finally possessed her full power. The world before her eyes became incomparably vivid. Whether it was True Ether, the four great elements, or things beyond their realm, all of it unfolded before her in crystalline detail.
She now knew with certainty that no matter what Magecraft Shiomi might use, she could perceive its essence in an instant—and reproduce it with her own hands.
Yet… there was no surge of wild joy.
Aesc slowly raised her head and gazed at the man before her—her husband, who had stood beside her unwaveringly for thousands of years.
"It seems… even after ringing all the bells, I still can't let go of you to fulfill my own destiny." Aesc smiled, both shy and conflicted. "This power has renewed my understanding of the world, and it has renewed my heart. But the part of it that belongs to you remains as dazzling and warm as ever."
"See? I told you it would be fine." Shiomi couldn't help but laugh softly.
Aesc closed one eye playfully. "Aside from that Reality Marble born of inner landscape, which can't be replicated, I've mastered every Magecraft my husband has ever studied or inherited."
"I already knew that." Shiomi shrugged. "You're the kind of genius that even makes me want to feel jealous, yet I can't bring myself to be."
With a soft laugh, she let the wind carry her into his arms, gently embracing the warmth and scent she knew so well.
"I still love you, after all. So much that I can't fulfill my own duty."
"And I am no different," Shiomi murmured, wrapping his arm around her waist and whispering close to her ear.
Then Aesc's tone shifted, turning serious.
"Truthfully, I sensed doubts within my mission the moment I struck the Bell of Orkney. That's why I didn't speak of it then. Now… perhaps it's time to tell you everything."
"'Correct Britannia's mistake'—it is indeed a vague phrase," Shiomi said, understanding dawning. "I imagine that when Paradise sent you to the surface, they set supplementary clues corresponding to the Pilgrim's Bells."
Aesc lifted her head from his chest. "You once said that, in your history, long ago, the White Titan ravaged the land until he was repelled by the Star Holy Sword."
"Mm. So I theorized that in this world, for some reason, the Star Holy Sword was never forged—allowing the white giants to complete their consumption of the planet," Shiomi replied.
"Your deductions are remarkably close to the truth," Aesc said. "The exact cause remains unclear, but the six-winged primordial angel Sub-Bell, who was tasked with forging the Star Holy Sword, failed to complete her mission. That is why I was given the 'mission' to correct this 'error.'"
Shiomi's hand, hidden within his sleeve, clenched into a fist. "You mean—the forging of the Holy Sword."
"Yes. And having rung all the Pilgrim's Bells, I have become the ideal material for forging the Star Holy Sword." Aesc spoke the truth with calm acceptance. "Or rather, that was the purpose for which the fairies of the Garden were sent to Britannia in the first place."
"So what?" Shiomi's voice trembled with barely contained fury.
Over the centuries of his investigations, he had long suspected the shape of Aesc's fate. Yet when it was laid bare before him, presented as immutable fact, he could not suppress his rage.
Aesc knew well that anger was not directed at her—but at that so-called promised land known as "Paradise."
"My husband..." Aesc reached out, grasping his hand beneath his sleeve, trying to still the trembling born of anger.
"I will not allow you to carry out this senseless mission," Shiomi said, his gaze locked fiercely on hers. "Whether it concerns the essence of fairies or the meaning of existence—it doesn't matter. Even if you come to hate me, scold me, or blame me, I will stop you from accepting that fate."
He tightened his grip on her hand. "Even if... it means turning you into a canary trapped in a gilded cage... I still—"
"Calm down." Aesc's eyes shimmered faintly with tears. "A mission is nothing more than something bestowed upon us. Correcting Britannia's mistakes, forging the unfinished Holy Sword—now, I believe that's only one possible answer."
"Aesc... no, Morgan." Shiomi's lips pressed into a thin, hard line.
"After coming all this way, how could I abandon you? How could I ever bear to leave you?" Aesc smiled softly. "But seeing you so furious for my sake... that alone makes me happy—truly happy."
"These are only natural feelings," Shiomi muttered, a bit flustered by her words.
"But I can't treat them as natural." Aesc raised her hand, gently smoothing the crease between his brows. "Let the sound of this Pilgrim's Bell of Oxford be the prelude that heralds the dawn of a new era for Britannia."
As she spoke, the two of them turned together to gaze northward, toward the distant lands.
...
[History]
In the summer of the 400th year of the Fairy Calendar, the Pilgrim's Bell rang for the sixth time, its sound resounding throughout Britannia. The fairies, who had nearly forgotten its tone, once more heard the song that stirred their very souls.
That autumn, the Lord and Lady of Londinium waged the "Autumn War" on the northern plains of Britannia against the gathered remnants of the anti-Londinium faction. The last vestiges of those forces were completely annihilated in the conflict.
Neither the Mirror Clan nor the King Clan desired further war, and both successively declared their submission. The King Clan—whose power remained the most intact and formidable—was permitted to retain Queen Mab as its leader, in recognition of her sincerity.
That winter, the long-anticipated coronation of the King of Britannia was set to take place in Londinium. Fairies from all across the island began to flock to the kingdom's most prosperous city.
...