As time passed, the sun slowly set, casting the sky in the glow of dusk and softening the sunlight that shone down on the earth, making it no longer as harsh as it had been during the daytime.
Riezel walked along the coast with Artoria, listening to the sound of the waves and feeling the pleasant sea breeze.
However, neither of them spoke or turned to look at the other as they just kept walking silently, without saying a single word. They had stayed in this state for quite a long time—or more precisely, ever since they left Ector's workshop, they had been like this.
Riezel hadn't tried to start a conversation, while Artoria didn't know what to say, so they ended up like this, and for the moment, it honestly felt like there was nothing to talk about.
Nevertheless, this silence didn't feel awkward.
In fact, it felt more like they were both seriously thinking about what to say next, like the calm before an intense debate, making it feel like some kind of energy was building up inside.
A minute of silence later, Artoria finally spoke up.
"So... you knew about the Child of Prophecy?" Artoria gave a goofy smile and laughed awkwardly. "Ahaha... I thought you saved me because you didn't know anything..."
After all that silence, this was the first topic Artoria brought up, making Riezel unsure whether to laugh or sigh at it.
"Does it matter?" Riezel responded, but he didn't look at her—he just kept his eyes on the path ahead and continued to walk. "Whether you're the Child of Prophecy or not, I would've saved you either way, so you don't need to overthink it."
He truly meant every word.
Artoria immediately saw that and couldn't help but feel a little happy inside, though she just acted nonchalant on the outside.
"Well, you're a good guy. No way you'd just sit back and watch someone die." Artoria held the Staff of Selection in both hands and followed closely behind Riezel. "But it's kind of strange... someone like you saying this country isn't worth saving..."
Yes, this was the second thing on Artoria's mind after the whole identity issue.
Honestly, she hadn't expected to hear something like that from someone.
Ever since she could remember, everyone around her kept telling her she was the Child of Prophecy and that she was fated to defeat the queen, become the true king, and save the fairies, save the country, so this was the first time someone had told her right to her face that they weren't worth saving and that she didn't need to follow some predetermined mission.
Such a talk was new to Artoria, so it left her feeling kind of strange.
Regardless, Riezel had said it anyway.
"First off, I'm not a good guy—at least, that stuff you said about me not sitting back and not being able to watch someone die? Wrong."
Riezel spoke bluntly, without even turning his head.
"I'm not the kind of person who just jumps in to help someone in trouble. Like, if I were you? I'd have no attachment at all to a place like Tintagel, especially not after being thrown into a prison by them. Unlike you, there's no way I'd stop someone from killing the fairies in that rotten village. I'm just not that kind."
Artoria knew Riezel was talking about what had happened when they ran into the fairies of the Wind Clan in the underground prison.
Back then, when Riezel had gone to draw his sword, she had used her special 'eyes' to see the killing intent and confidence in him. If he had drawn his sword, there was no doubt those Wind Clan fairies would've been killed.
With that certainty, Artoria had instinctively shouted for Riezel to stop without even thinking.
Even though she had been imprisoned by the villagers and was about to be handed over to the execution squad, she was still willing to protect them.
Riezel had made it clear—if it had been him, there was no way he could've done the same.
"What kinda good guy am I supposed to be? You're the good one, right? No, you're just a damn pushover." Riezel said straightforwardly. "Based on that, your point was wrong from the start. Got it now?"
After saying this, he stopped walking and didn't take another step forward.
"Ah!"
Artoria, who had nearly bumped into Riezel's back, let out a startled cry and quickly stopped herself just in time.
Riezel turned around and looked at Artoria.
"Second, I really don't think there's anything wrong with what I said." Riezel stared at her and said flatly. "Let me ask you, do you think this country's even worth saving?"
Riezel's question completely stumped Artoria.
Was this country worth saving?
In truth, she honestly didn't know.
Before this, she had barely ever left Tintagel—though she had seen quite a few fairies, they were almost all ones within Tintagel, so she had hardly seen any fairies from outside.
In other words, even though she knew she was in the Fairy Kingdom, what this country was truly like, she might've seen parts of it, but definitely not the whole picture.
Since she hadn't seen the whole picture and didn't know everything about the country, how could she possibly make bold claims or even judge whether this place was worth saving?
Riezel seemed to pick up on this.
"What I'm gonna say next is from my point of view—as in, from a human's perspective."
Riezel made this clear first, then continued to speak.
"To humans, fairies are honestly terrifying creatures."
It was only natural.
It wasn't just because fairies were born far more powerful than humans, and not only because humans in this country were under the rule of fairies, but from Riezel's perspective, what made fairies truly terrifying was their way of thinking.
Fairies, so different from humans, had a worldview, outlook on life, and sense of values that were completely alien to human understanding.
"Humans have their own code of conduct, their own moral bottom line, but fairies don't."
"Humans know what should be done and what shouldn't, but fairies don't."
"Humans know how to restrain themselves, but fairies don't."
"Well, the fairies I know are just like that. Probably not much different from what you've heard, right?"
In response to Riezel's question, Artoria's response was silence.
She really couldn't argue with any of it.
Indeed, the fairies she knew were exactly as Riezel described.
Just take the fairy prank incidents previously mentioned around Scotland—fairy legends from that region spoke of their usual tricks.
For example, they would make passersby lose their memories.
For example, they would lure children into the forest, and those children wouldn't return home for a whole week.
For example, they would swap newborn babies with fairy children.
Another example, they would secretly leave animal corpses at someone's doorstep to scare people.
Needless to say, to fairies, these things were just pranks, just a bit of fun—they did them purely for amusement, to entertain themselves by watching humans panic.
However, to humans, those so-called pranks were nothing less than tragedies.
Those who lost their memories forgot everyone and everything important to them, becoming walking corpses, while the children lured into the forest were often found a week later, nothing left but their remains, serving as food for wild beasts.
Meanwhile, the newborns who were taken away had their parents desperately searching for them, only to end in failure—stories like these often ended in hopeless deaths.
As for the families who found animal corpses at their doors, they were suspected of being part of some evil cult, leading to arrests, false accusations, and ultimately being forced to flee from gossip. Some were lucky enough to relocate, while others fell into depression and isolation before committing suicide.
Such was what fairies called practical jokes.
To them, it was all just a game, but to humans, it was a matter of life and death.
To them, it was harmless mischief, but to humans, it was deadly.
Fairies didn't care about gains or losses and didn't weigh the consequences because they would do something purely for the sake of enjoyment, even if it brought no benefit, just to entertain themselves.
In Riezel's eyes, the fairies in this country were no different since they didn't have the same moral compass as humans.
Sometimes, they were kind and would warmly welcome you, and other times, they were brutal, twisting off your head without hesitation.
They were moody, and their temperaments shifted constantly.
As long as they had a reason, they would even raise a sword against someone close to them without hesitation, even torture them to death.
Because they were long-lived and had strong vitality, they could survive just by existing.
Because they could do almost anything, they never felt the need to grow or try harder.
Because they didn't struggle for survival or prosperity, they didn't accumulate knowledge and only did what they found fun.
Given this, what value was there in saving these fairies or the country they lived in?
"You know it too, right? Just how damn selfish those fairies really are."
Riezel's harsh words once again left Artoria in silence.
Others might not have known, but Riezel did.
He knew exactly what this girl, seen as the Child of Prophecy, seen as the savior by those fairies, had gone through in this village called Tintagel.
Sixteen years ago, when Artoria was just a newborn baby, she drifted here along with her Staff of Selection and many treasures before being discovered and taken in by the fairies of this village.
Even though they knew Artoria was the Child of Prophecy, which made them raise her, not only did they treat her like a horse, keeping her in the stable, but they also completely took the treasure that came with her on the boat.
In fact, the fairies planned to sell Artoria to the queen once she grew up because the queen was looking for the Child of Prophecy.
Artoria lived a life of being watched, cruelly trained, and bullied—a life worse than death. A few years ago, she even lost two of her toes to frostbite because the stable she lived in was so cold.
Not only had she not been born strong and grown like a human would, but even now, she still hadn't shown any powers fitting for the Child of Prophecy.
Moreover, the treasure that had washed ashore with her had pretty much run out by now. With her nearing sixteen, close to the age when she could begin her pilgrimage, the fairies in the village had started to panic.
If Artoria didn't show powers matching the title of Child of Prophecy, her identity would be questioned. And if that identity was questioned, if people started thinking she wasn't the true Child of Prophecy, then the queen wouldn't pay a high price for her.
It was precisely because of this that the fairies had demanded Artoria kill Ector, to prove that she really was the Child of Prophecy.
However, Artoria hadn't done it, and the one who exposed her was the fairy who had grown up with her since childhood—the one who called herself her friend, her childhood friend.
"Do fairies like them really deserve to be saved?" Riezel continued indifferently, not even bothering to sneer. "Sorry, I don't think so."
As these words fell, all Artoria could offer in response was silence—and more silence.
In all honesty, she didn't find Riezel's feelings hard to understand.
If it had been someone else, getting treated like trash by fairies and then being expected to go save them and their country or whatever, that would honestly be the biggest joke in the world.
However, she herself didn't really feel much about it.
Because she had 'eyes' that could see through lies.
Because she had always known the fairies in the village never had good intentions toward her.
As a result, even if she was treated like that, she didn't feel much, since she had already known it would turn out this way.
Simply put, she had been mentally prepared for it all, so how could she still feel anything now?
It was just that—
"You're not wrong about that..."
Artoria couldn't help but blurt out what was on her mind.
"I don't really have any motivation to save the Fairy Kingdom myself either..."
Indeed, Artoria had no real desire or motivation to save the Fairy Kingdom, to save Faerie Britain.
She knew her mission was to save this country.
She knew she had come here to redeem the fairies, but knowing was one thing, and doing it was another.
She hadn't gained any good memories in this country, so she honestly didn't feel any urge to do anything for the fairies here. Up until now, she had only drifted through life, reaching this age without much direction, while the people in her village all hoped she was the Child of Prophecy.
In the end, just so she wouldn't get swallowed up by the malice hidden in those fairies' hearts, she had no choice but to play along and try her best to do things that made her look like the Child of Prophecy.
"In the end, you're lost, huh?" Riezel asked calmly. "You're not sure if you should go on this pilgrimage thing after leaving the village, or whether you're really supposed to fight for those fairies and this country."
Riezel's words struck right at the core of Artoria's heart.
"What about you...?" Artoria forced a smile, trying to hide her feelings. "You're super strong. Don't you want to do something for the humans in the Fairy Kingdom?"
In Artoria's eyes, Riezel's power surpassed even most fairies.
Even though she hadn't seen him fight, the way he could fly freely through the air and blink around like he was teleporting already made him way stronger than most fairies.
Fairies of the Wind Clan weren't as strong as the Fang Clan's, but Riezel was able to immobilize them effortlessly, which said a lot about how powerful he really was.
With that kind of strength, even if he decided to rebel against the queen for the sake of the human race, Artoria wouldn't be surprised at all.
If he did have that kind of plan, then she, who was said in the prophecy to defeat the queen, would probably be a pretty handy weapon for him, right?
Just as this thought crossed Artoria's mind, a hand suddenly shot out toward her with blinding speed.
*Pa!*
In the next second, a flick hit Artoria's forehead.
"Ouch!"
Artoria clutched her forehead, backing away as she cried out in pain.
"Wh-What are you doing?!"
With tears brimming in her eyes, Artoria glared at Riezel.
"Pretty sure I should be the one asking you that, foolish girl." Riezel casually pulled his hand back. "I might not have your Fairy Eyes that can see through lies, but I can guess pretty well that you were thinking some rude stuff just now."
"I-I was just thinking it, okay?! I didn't say anything out loud, did I? Did you really have to flick me for that?"
"Be glad I didn't spank your ass."
Saying this, Riezel glanced behind Artoria, making the girl immediately jump back in shock and instinctively cover her butt.
Only then did Riezel let out a quiet chuckle, turning around again to face away from her.
"I still haven't decided what exactly to do since I just got here, and I'm not gonna say for sure that I won't end up fighting that Queen later, but even if I do go to war with her, I'm not gonna drag a little fairy like you into it."
As Riezel said this, he calmly took a step forward and continued walking.
"If I really need to fight her, I'll just charge straight into Camelot and go a few rounds with her."
"Honestly, I'm kinda looking forward to it."
"Whether it's that Queen or those knights serving her, they've gotta be pretty strong, right?"
At this point, a flicker of fighting spirit finally surged through Riezel's body.
Artoria, who could tell that Riezel meant every word he said, could see it—he truly was looking forward to it, maybe even excited.
"A battle maniac..."
Artoria, hurrying to catch up with Riezel, muttered softly and felt a strange sense of relief for some reason.
At the very least, not a single word from this young man had been a lie.
Compared to all the people she had met so far, compared to all the malice and ugly thoughts she had felt up to this point, this human in front of her felt so real, so honest.
Understanding this, Artoria couldn't help but smile, but at that same moment, Riezel suddenly stopped again.
"What now?"
Artoria also stopped and began complaining, but Riezel simply stared in one direction in silence for a moment before finally speaking.
"Trouble's coming."