Splash, splash, splash.
Waves surged relentlessly, leaving no place to escape.
In a haze of unconsciousness, it seemed he had a dream—one filled with stumbling and turmoil.
The contents of the dream were no longer clear, but he remembered it as a long journey, like an epic of heroes that stirred the soul.
Yet the only thing that remained from the dream was a faint sense of regret and sorrow.
Splash, splash, splash.
Amidst the endless sound of the waves, he absentmindedly rowed his oars.
Like a formless spirit, he drifted aimlessly across the vast sea, chasing the fleeting shadow from his dream.
But he had long lost sight of the far shore.
Because the person who once accompanied him was long gone.
He no longer even remembered her appearance.
Splash, splash, splash.
The waves guided his direction as he searched for a new dawn.
He steered the boat of fate toward the distant horizon, and soon, land appeared ahead.
At the far end of that dream, there was a city dressed in silver, warm yet strangely comforting.
At the edge of the waves, someone was waiting for him with anticipation.
A quiet girl who loved books, patiently awaiting his arrival.
...
The dream ended there.
Rubbing his temples, "Guinevere" groggily awoke.
There was still a lingering scent in his nostrils, something nostalgic, as if the owner of that scent had just passed by.
But he had long forgotten where that scent came from.
It smelled faintly of rainwater, mixed with the woody fragrance of book pages.
It felt like a very vivid dream—strange and chaotic.
Though the details were unclear, it was a dream that seemed quite marvelous.
Because, even now, a faint sense of melancholy lingered in his heart, but one conclusion had already taken root there.
No matter what, it had been an extraordinary journey.
"...Ah, the simulation is still ongoing."
Guinevere yawned lightly and turned his gaze to the floating screen in front of him.
[To test the strength of the Prophecy Child, the Sage Grim has launched an attack.]
[After a battle that wasn't too difficult, you quickly reduced Grim to begging for mercy.]
"Pain, pain, pain! Alright! Alright! Stop already! Quit hitting me! Is this how you welcome new allies?!"
When Guinevere took over the simulator, he saw Cú Chulainn getting beaten up.
What's going on? Why is the Sorcerer Dog here? And why is his ID showing as Grim? Have we already reached Orkney? How much plot did I miss while I was sleeping?
Guinevere was completely confused.
However, the Guinevere in the simulation already had his fists the size of sandbags, responding to Cú Chulainn's complaints:
"Does it hurt? It should! I'm hitting the Riddler! Always going on with riddles, do you think you're funny?"
On the other side, though not as vocal as Guinevere, Artoria couldn't be bothered to figure out what was going on.
After all, whoever Guinevere was beating, she'd follow along—especially since this time it was clearly the enemy who had provoked them.
"Alright! I get your attitude! I won't entertain this brutal Prophecy Child! Go away! I won't tell you where the Prophecy Bell is!"
"Now that I think about it, the Riddler isn't so unforgivable."
Guinevere suddenly stopped Artoria and motioned for her to halt. Seeing this, Grim finally let out a breath of relief.
After all, it was mostly Artoria who had been hammering away at him.
"Okay, okay, I'll be honest. I didn't want the Riddler; there's just some things, if you know them in advance, the timeline or sequence gets really tricky... though it might not be too complicated, since time and space are so ambiguous. If there's a contradiction, it would likely be forcefully corrected."
"But trust me, for heroes it's fine, but for humans, encountering a time-space correction is no small matter. Your memories might get scrambled, and some things that happened to you could turn into a hazy dream. When you wake up, you'll forget everything."
"So, don't ask about it anymore, for your own good."
"...Is that so?"
Guinevere thought about it for a moment, but ultimately accepted this explanation and stopped asking further.
"Since that's the case, I'll end the side talk here. From our previous exchange, I've confirmed the identity of the Prophecy Child. Please allow me to introduce myself again."
After letting out a sigh of relief, Grim spoke again:
"I am Sage Grim, but my true name is Cú Chulainn. I am a Heroic Spirit from the greater human history. But please don't call me that, it would drastically reduce my spiritual output."
"The version from over 6,000 years ago was Odin, who, in order to assist the Fairy Queen in the ancient garden, took possession of a fairy and served as a pseudo-servant. Now, as Odin's agent, I've been summoned here for a year to serve as a night watchman—but since you've arrived, it means I can finally show my true abilities."
"Heroic Spirits, spiritual output, gods, Odin... Though many of these terms are unfamiliar, from what you're saying, I take it we'll be allies from now on? It's a pleasure to meet you!"
Artoria greeted Grim seriously.
"Oh, quite the response. You're a direct girl, huh?"
In response, Grim smiled warmly.
...It's no surprise, Artoria, though she didn't understand much, could still accept it so calmly.
Looking at the scene, Guinevere couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head.
However, it was only then that he noticed the surroundings of where he had arrived in the simulation.
At the end of the silver-draped shore, the gray, silent sea stretched as far as the eye could see. In the distance, an island covered in snow was barely visible.
Yet, by now, the once-silver-clad warm city that had stood here was gone, leaving only empty ruins, as if still whispering something.
...Unexpectedly, there was a strange sense of familiarity.
"Guinevere? What's happening? Are you alright?"
He was suddenly surrounded by the concerned gazes of his companions.
Confused, he asked, "I'm fine. What's wrong?"
"But... why have you been crying since just now?"
Guinevere froze.
Not only the Guinevere in the simulation, but the real Guinevere also raised his hand, only to find that his face had long been damp with tears, though he didn't even know when it had happened.
But why? There was no reason for it, he didn't feel sad, yet the tears just wouldn't stop.
Artoria, too, wore a perplexed expression.
Out of concern for Guinevere, she tried using her Fairy Eye to examine his condition, wanting to know if he was hiding something because he didn't want everyone to worry.
But she couldn't see anything.
[You suddenly realize your Fairy Eye can't penetrate Guinevere's thoughts.]
Normally, the Fairy Eye would be unshut, causing her great pain, but now, when she truly needed it, it failed to work on the one person she desperately wanted to understand.
"What's going on?"
What happened? Why couldn't her Fairy Eye affect Guinevere?
"Artoria" stared wide-eyed in confusion.
But none of their questions would be answered. The simulation continued.
[After standing still for a long time, your tears finally stopped on their own.]
[Artoria, worried about your condition, suggested resting, but you refused.]
"Well, since we've rested, let's not delay further. You came to ring the Prophecy Bell, right? If so, let me take the lead. From now on, you can trust me as a reliable ally."
[Then, Sage Grim, as the guide, leads you towards the Prophecy Bell.]
[Sage Grim has joined your party.]
"Look, there's a collapsed castle ahead. The bell tower is at the top of the rooftop."
As they walked, Grim spoke.
"Be careful. The fog is coming. There's a special barrier inside. Though the bell tower seems close, there are hidden dangers."
[As you continue, a strange, dense fog envelops you completely.]
"Inside the barrier, many shadow servants will test you. These beings are undead, remnants of previous Prophecy Children and heroes who followed the Savior Ash. You must defeat them to reach the bell tower."
"I see," Guinevere said thoughtfully, "This sounds like the fairy undead we encountered in Norwich."
"However, the fairy undead we encountered back then was weak, easily dealt with."
As Artoria cautiously observed Guinevere, she tried to lighten the mood, forcing a smile.
"Now that Grim has joined, it'll be much easier for us to fight."
"Ha, hahahaha!"
However, after hearing her words, Grim suddenly burst out laughing.
"Huh, what's so funny?" Artoria blinked in confusion.
"It's nothing, just that the young have a fearless spirit, it's amusing," Grim said mysteriously. "Want to guess why I'm guarding here?"
"Why?" Percival asked instinctively.
"The upcoming tests are too difficult, so I want to reduce the intensity as much as possible, at least to a level where you might pass."
"Helping you pass the upcoming tests is the reason I'm here."
"Alright, you probably don't feel it now, but follow me and keep going."
After hearing another riddle from Grim, Guinevere thought for a moment.
Even he knew that the Savior Ash was Morgan Le Fay's name in the Fairy Age.
Could it be that Grim took this so seriously because Morgan, as the Savior, was too powerful?
[As you proceed, many shadow-like undead appear from the fog to test you.]
[Though each shadow is strong, some even rival Percival, you quickly defeat them and continue forward.]
[Soon, you reach the end of the stairs, the bell tower's peak just ahead.]
[At the end of the stairs, a much denser fog door blocks your path.]
"Alright, we're almost there. Before the final battle, gather around, and I'll give you a blessing."
Saying this, Grim took out a small bell from his chest and, as everyone gathered, he raised it and gently shook it.
As the bell rang, faint light appeared on each person, like tiny flames that didn't dissipate.
"What's this? It feels like magic... But looking closely, it seems like a completely different system?" Artoria asked.
"Even if you ask, I'm not sure," Grim shook his head lightly. "This is part of the message left by the previous generation. It seems like some advanced magic. This is the first time I'm using it. As for the effect... after taking a fatal blow, it can reverse time and let the target escape death once."
"Wow! That's amazing!" Artoria said, glancing at Guinevere, and expressed her astonishment. "Reversing time... Can magic really do that? Incredible—what do you think, Guinevere?"
"Uh?" Guinevere blinked, nodding blankly. "Yeah, that's impressive..."
"There's so much magic can do, little girl. Nothing to be surprised about. Didn't Morgan also have the water mirror magic that can cross space?"
He said this casually, but seeing Artoria's awe, Grim clearly enjoyed the praise.
"Anyway, this is magic left by the previous generation. That guy was the main god, so it's not surprising that there's such odd magic."
"Emmm..."
Looking at Grim's smug expression, Guinevere glanced at the dense fog door ahead, then at the bell Grim held, and the "flame" on his own body. There was an odd sense of déjà vu.
"Either way, this is really powerful magic," Percival nodded in agreement. "With your help, we're far stronger than any army."
"Whoosh, whoosh, though this magic is indeed impressive, didn't Grim just underestimate us a little?"
At this moment, Redra Bit couldn't help but comment:
"Clearly acting like an old expert, talking about how tough the upcoming battles will be, but those shadows we encountered before weren't that impressive, were they?"
"Heh heh."
In response, Grim simply shook his head:
"Not impressive? Well, indeed, those guys just now were nothing but appetizers."
"Don't misunderstand the intention behind me casting this life-saving magic. The only reason I'm giving you this magic is that the situations you'll face ahead could easily be fatal."
"The next couple, they're the real challenge."
"After all, they're the legendary couple even the former main god Grim would shake his head at."
"A couple?" Percival suddenly remembered something. "Wait, if one of them is the previous Prophecy Child, the Savior Ash... then the other one is...?"
"Just as you guessed," Grim laughed heartily, reached into the fog door, and with a wave, dispersed it.
"Let's go. It's time to face the legendary duo who even the gods praise."
"The last and strongest human knight in the Fairy Age, the blade of the Rain Witch, whose shadow still lingers in this world, lies ahead."
"His name is—the Knight of Ash, Yusse."