After the council concluded, all the fairies gathered in the great hall withdrew, leaving Morgan alone once more.
In the year 2000 of the Queen's Calendar, Londinium had suddenly ceased the wars that had raged without pause for two thousand years. Even Morgan herself could not discern what Shiomi was thinking.
Yet that event marked the beginning of what Britannia would later call the "Years of Peace." Since no one knew when war might break out again, the count changed year by year. This year was known as the "Seventeen Years of Peace." But instead of gratitude, the fairies under her rule, having finally caught their breath, had begun to desire the complete destruction of Londinium.
Without war or bloodshed, some fairies had grown restless with peace. The small-scale skirmishes at the borders never developed into true battles, which was why today's council had convened in the first place.
This was already the fourth time the matter had been discussed.
"What a hopeless bunch."
Leaving the throne, Morgan walked alone, muttering to herself as she paced toward the terrace behind the throne. From there, she could see the vast Great Hollow stretching into the distance.
During her brief slumber earlier, her mind had drifted back to the prophecy spoken by a priestess during the Fairy Era.
In the 400th year of the Queen's Calendar, during the war in which Camelot first fell, Morgan had not been overly concerned. The outcome unfolded exactly as she had expected. Aside from the city walls damaged by the siege, nothing within Camelot had been destroyed—only its streets stained with the blood of fairies.
It was only later, from the mouths of the survivors, that Morgan learned how Shiomi had dealt with the traitors who had opened the gates to surrender the city. The God King's army had driven those fairies to the edge of the Great Hollow, forcing them to leap to their deaths. Those who refused were beheaded on the spot.
That event later became known as the "Camelot Incident."
According to stories spread in Londinium, the God King had mockingly referred to it as the "Camelot Fairy Bungee Jumping Competition."
Morgan never quite understood what that phrase meant and could only give a bitter smile at the memory.
After that, every fall of Camelot had ended the same way.
Similarly, during the decisive battle at the River of Tears a thousand years ago, countless captured fairies had been forced to jump into the river to their deaths. Rumor had it that the God King had called that one the "River of Tears Diving Competition."
In short, it could all be summed up by something Shiomi had once said to her long ago during their travels together:
"The wicked God King delights in slaughtering fairies. Even the Queen of Winter herself is powerless to stop these tragedies."
Of course, Morgan had chosen to remain silent and let it happen.
What had truly occupied her thoughts all these years was something else entirely—
Calamity.
After the Winter War, no calamity had struck Britannia again. In its place came the God King of Londinium, who waged war after war—not for conquest, not for destruction, but for the simple purpose of killing fairies.
Morgan no longer even knew whether any fairies still lived alongside humans within Londinium's walls.
Over the sixteen centuries since the Winter War, she had visited the Great Hollow multiple times. Though she could not descend deep enough to investigate, she had noticed something missing within it.
It must have been something Shiomi had done to the remains of Cernunnos when Camelot first fell.
A seal, perhaps?
To suppress calamity—so it wouldn't interfere with his wars?
With the sudden arrival of this seventeen-year peace, Morgan had decided to test Londinium's intentions by sending someone to deliver a state letter under the guise of diplomacy.
As expected, none of her ministers had dared to volunteer—except Melusine. Morgan had no choice but to send her.
It was obvious that Melusine merely wished for an excuse to see Shiomi again. Considering what his reaction might be, Morgan chose not to object.
She only hoped Melusine would hold her tongue and not provoke Shiomi's anger.
"I heard quite a commotion earlier. Are we going to war again?" Habetrot came to find Morgan.
As her de facto companion and nominal subject, Totorot—who now went by this new name—never attended the councils before the throne. Morgan, however, had granted her the privilege to come and go from the palace freely, to visit and talk with her whenever she wished.
"It can't be helped. After just over a decade of peace, these fairies can no longer sit still." Morgan gazed out toward the Great Hollow and sighed softly. "My husband truly saw through them. No wonder he never stopped fighting..."
"I thought you two were finally going to call a truce and remarry," Habetrot teased.
Morgan shook her head. "It's not time yet. But Baobhan Sith has been doing well. He even followed my example and granted her the title of Fairy Knight Tristan. I'm quite relieved about that."
"Want me to find a way to sneak you into Londinium?" Habetrot offered.
Though she said "sneak," it would really just mean going there directly—Shiomi would no doubt handle her reception and conceal her presence.
"Well..." Morgan paused, considering whether to send Habetrot to investigate. After all, Melusine likely wouldn't bring back any useful information, and the returning letter would probably offer no clear answers either.
Just then, an odd sensation came from the southwest, drawing Morgan's attention. She turned toward that direction, a thoughtful expression forming beneath her veil.
"What's wrong?" Habetrot asked.
"Someone just crossed the 'Tower' and entered this Britannia..." Morgan murmured to herself. "Is it one of the so-called Crypters—or... Chaldea?"
Shiomi had shared with her all the intelligence he possessed regarding Proper Human History. Morgan was well aware of Chaldea. He had told her that one day, Chaldea would arrive in this anomalous world, and had warned her to prepare for the possibility of conflict. That was why she always paid special attention to the Tower anchoring this world.
"Is Chaldea the enemy?" Habetrot asked.
"...No. Not necessarily." Morgan lifted her hand and shook her head. For once, she didn't follow Shiomi's prior judgment.
If it really was Chaldea, then Shiomi's daughter and students should be among them. Truthfully, Morgan was rather curious to meet the child she had never seen.
"Then—"
"I suspect the visitors who entered this world are near the Mist Coast," Morgan said. "Habetrot, I'd like you to go investigate. Don't worry—I'll send a duplicate to accompany you. If it turns out they're not from Chaldea, or if they show signs of hostility, the duplicate will cover your retreat."
Habetrot grinned. "So, I'm your diplomatic envoy now?"
"You could say that. After all, you've been secretly handling diplomatic matters with Londinium for some time." Morgan smiled faintly—a rare sight.
To maintain the dignity of the Queen of Winter, she never smiled in front of the fairies under her rule.
"Well then," Habetrot said playfully, "I'll reluctantly agree to help Her Majesty investigate these mysterious visitors."
Morgan shook her head with a hint of resignation. "I'm counting on you. Just be careful—and don't start a fight at the first sign of trouble."
"That was the old, reckless me..."
With that, Habetrot turned and hurried off to make preparations for her journey.
Only Morgan remained, her gaze drifting toward the southeastern sky. And in that moment, a truth dawned on her.
The "Winter War" had never truly ended—it had continued for two thousand years. These seventeen years of peace were nothing more than a temporary ceasefire.