[After a brief interaction, you believe that Oberon excels in social skills, gathering intelligence, and planning tasks, leaving no room for error. He is indeed an exceptional talent.]
[Your favorability towards Oberon has increased.]
[You also notice a significant change in Artoria's personality. Compared to the timid, obedient person she once was, Artoria has become much more decisive. While she still makes mistakes, her actions are much more resolute than before.]
[However, you've also noticed that Artoria's moral compass has shifted, becoming more flexible in her approach to achieving her goals. Although the change is small, there is a growing tendency to use any means necessary to get what she wants.]
[You believe Oberon has had a negative influence on Artoria.]
[Your favorability towards Oberon has significantly decreased.]
——————
...What's going on with this person?
Looking at Oberon, who had shown rare signs of friendly interaction with him earlier that morning, but by dinner time seemed to be glaring at him like someone who wanted to skin him alive, Guinevere was at a loss. He couldn't understand why Oberon's mood had shifted so dramatically—why was he so cold and hot with him all of a sudden?
Could it be that Oberon liked Artoria and now viewed him as a rival?
Oberon fell into thought.
Forget it. Regardless of the reason, the important thing now is to stay focused.
"Anyway, if the Chosen of Prophecy is to fulfill her mission of saving Britannia, we must first ring the six Mission Bells."
He motioned for the others to gather around the campfire as he began explaining their future plans:
"I believe the first thing we must do is meet with the clan leaders and somehow win their approval—or at least find out what conditions they require for us to access the Bell-Ringing Hall."
"We have four clan leaders we can approach at the moment: Aurora of the Wind Clan, Myrion of the Wing Clan, Woodworth of the Fang Clan, and Spriggan of the Earth Clan. As for the remaining two bells, their locations are still unknown."
"Since Woodworth of the Fang Clan is a staunch supporter of Queen Morgan, he's strongly opposed to the Chosen of Prophecy. Therefore, it's unlikely we can gain permission to enter the Bell-Ringing Hall through dialogue. We should prioritize the other three clan leaders."
"As for Salisbury, there's one bell located in the center of town, in the Great Ashen Hall, where Aurora of the Wind Clan keeps watch. If Artoria wishes to ring the bell in Salisbury, she must first gain Aurora's approval."
With a confident smile, Oberon continued:
"Fortunately, I have some rapport with Aurora. I can take Artoria to meet her. Even if we're not immediately accepted, at least Artoria's status as the Chosen will be recognized, and we can inquire about the conditions for entering the Bell-Ringing Hall."
[Oberon suggests visiting Salisbury's clan leader Aurora.]
After hearing Oberon's words, Guinevere nodded slightly.
While he already knew the condition for gaining access to the Bell-Ringing Hall in Salisbury—defeating the Norwich Disaster—it was still useful to pass on this information to Artoria.
[You and Artoria agree with Oberon's suggestion.]
[Artoria and Oberon meet with Aurora, and you, as a former subordinate of Aurora, choose to step back and resign your position. Oberon conveys your resignation on your behalf.]
[The details of the meeting are unknown, but based on the expressions of Oberon and Artoria when they returned, the meeting was not very successful.]
"That person's true nature was…."
Recalling the glamorous exterior of the Wind Clan leader, Aurora, and the stark contrast with her twisted, ugly inner world, Artoria felt a wave of disgust.
Having traveled through Britannia for so long, Artoria had encountered many different people, and the faeries' souls were rarely pleasant to look at—she had long gotten used to it.
But even so, when she saw Aurora's soul, she was still shocked.
She had never encountered such a selfish and self-serving soul before. It was as foul as a heap of rotting mud, yet somehow it radiated a dazzling, poisonous, multi-colored glow that made her stomach churn. It was a truly eye-opening experience.
After some reflection, Artoria decided not to voice her thoughts and instead gently shook her head.
But considering that Oberon seemed to have a decent relationship with Aurora, she knew that criticizing her too openly might cause him discomfort.
More importantly, she didn't want Guinevere to think that she was the type to slander beautiful women out of jealousy.
Thankfully, Oberon smoothly took over the conversation:
"Yeah, Aurora's definitely a bit too flashy. I've commented on that myself. She really likes drawing attention to herself. But that's not important. What matters is the condition she set… ridding the Norwich disaster."
"The difficulty of this task is so high that it feels like she gave us an impossible challenge just to dismiss us."
"Even though it's part of Artoria's mission in the prophecy, it's still too much for her right now, especially given her magical abilities…"
"—Sorry, but her magical power is really pretty average."
Artoria grumbled.
"…So, anyway, we'd better focus on improving the strength of our party and, along the way, try to meet with other clan leaders. What do you all think?"
[Oberon asks for your input on the next steps.]
As Guinevere started thinking, the screen before him suddenly popped up with some new information:
[Detected otherworldly energy. Triggering the special opportunity "Lost Armament from Another World."]
[For reasons unknown to you, a special weapon from another world has appeared in Faerie Britannia.]
[To avoid disrupting the natural order of this world, you must recover this special weapon.]
[Rumor has it that this weapon will be auctioned in Gloucester.]
"Special weapon?" Guinevere frowned. "It sounds like a great item… but if it's at an auction, how are we supposed to get the money to participate?"
[The player or team that successfully recovers the weapon will obtain a special Fantasy Skill, at least B-rank.]
"Hmm… that sounds tempting," Guinevere hesitated. "But no money is still no money."
[The known information about this fantasy armament is 'Famous Sword: Fate.']
"Holy crap!"
Guinevere's eyes instantly went wide with excitement. "Then I must get it, even if I have to steal it!"