Traveling from eastern Britannia to the western battlefield took a full day and night at full speed. Skipping rest would make it faster.
Even if Shiomi and Aesc could go without sleep, Totorot and Baobhan Sith could not. Fairies also grew weary and needed rest. Especially under the looming clouds of war, mental strain could not be ignored.
All life born of this planet shared that truth, even if their nature differed from humans. Shiomi knew there was no point in rushing, yet Grímr's ravens arrived almost every half day, with Huginn and Muninn taking turns delivering messages.
The Windwing Alliance in Manchester had collapsed almost instantly. Lacking real understanding of war, the fairies were driven apart by the Northern Fairy army. In just half a day, Manchester fell.
Some fairies surrendered, while others fled south. Mab's army occupied the city, using it as a temporary base to rest before advancing further south. As a result, the Mirror Clan, who lived in the northern lake region, was completely cut off from the southern fairy clans.
"Can't sleep?"
Aesc lifted a flask and handed it to Shiomi. "A sip might help you rest."
Shiomi gave a small, bitter smile. "Who ever got drunk on their own brew…"
"It's still better than staring at the fire," Aesc said, sitting beside him. "Totorot and Baobhan Sith are already asleep."
Through the firelight and the bushes, Shiomi could faintly make out their tents and bedding.
"I'm just surprised…" Shiomi took a small sip. "According to Grímr's reports, there are a lot of humans in the Northern Fairy army."
"Mab trained human soldiers to make up for her numbers?" Aesc asked, still not quite understanding. The last time she had traveled to Edinburgh was seventy years ago.
"Why not think the other way around?" Shiomi said. "Maybe Mab realized the difference between humans and fairies—and the unique strength humans possess. I'd guess that this surprise assault across the northern mountains only succeeded because humans were involved."
Unlike plains or forests, the eastern mountains were nearly impassable. That alone explained why fairies rarely ventured there. Aside from a few who loved the mountains, no one—human or fairy—had ever crossed that terrain.
"True… Setting aside my husband, I've met many humans over the years. How to put it…" Aesc's expression turned thoughtful. "They have an aura completely different from ours."
Though they knew their lives lasted only about thirty years—nothing compared to fairies who lived for centuries or millennia—those short-lived humans never despaired over the unfairness. Instead, they lived each in their own way, with vivid determination.
"Even when kept by the fairies, even when treated as mere tools by them, they possess something uniquely their own." Aesc tilted her head, leaning against Shiomi's shoulder.
"Their eyes... always shimmer with a light like stars."
"Mm." Shiomi nodded softly.
"Then what exactly is it?" Aesc asked.
"The power of the human heart. Divine power is the radiance of the stars; fairy power stems from all things in nature." Shiomi pointed to his own chest. "But human power lies here."
"The heart..." Aesc placed her hand over her own chest. "Do... I have that kind of power too?"
"Of course." Shiomi clasped her hand.
"But I'm a fairy too?" Aesc teased softly.
"The heart isn't exclusive to humans. Fairies possess one too. It's just that most fairies don't pay it much mind." Shiomi shook his head.
Aesc felt her heart skip a beat. She recalled those earliest days, so many years ago. That elusive, unsettling emotion—neither here nor there—might have been her heart gradually taking shape.
"A fairy with a human-like fairy heart," Aesc murmured, unable to suppress a smile, though it didn't feel awkward.
Shiomi nodded softly. "Yes. That's why I think…"
"Think what?"
"Never mind. Let's talk about it after the war ends."
Shiomi suddenly embraced Aesc, gently laying her down on the soft mattress. "For now, let's just think about simpler things."
Aesc pushed his shoulders softly, her gaze darting around nervously as she whispered, "This isn't the right time... We're not alone. Totorot and Baobhan Sith are sleeping right over there."
"But I can't sleep." Shiomi whispered into her ear, his breath faint.
Her ears instantly burned, her body twisting involuntarily as she tried to suppress the flame ignited within her.
"So... I told you no... Uh..."
Aesc's heart raced. Even when suppressing the Great Calamity, she hadn't felt this tense. Whispering sweet nothings and tangling in passionate embrace—she'd done that countless times before. She wasn't the type to lose her composure over something like this.
The real problem was the snoring of Totorot, fast asleep just beyond the bushes, and the occasional mutterings of Baobhan Sith in her dreams. She dreaded accidentally waking them, knowing she'd never be able to face them afterward.
"It's okay," Shiomi murmured, his voice tinged with pleading. "I'll be quiet. Just try not to make a sound. If it gets too loud, I'll cover your mouth."
"Honestly… I should've just stayed away from you tonight and gone to bed early with them." Aesc frowned reproachfully, yet found her voice utterly devoid of the required emotion.
Amidst their ambiguous entanglement, their clothes gradually slipped away. Their bare chests pressed together, burning hotter than the campfire beside them.
Aesc knew she hadn't refused him. Had she pushed him away firmly, nothing would have happened next. Yet she also wanted to deny that this slightly reckless intimacy stirred something curious in her. She could only desperately suppress the sounds rising in her throat.
Only after it ended did she wrap her arms around Shiomi's head in a sort of retaliation, tugging hard at his hair to express her displeasure.
"Are you angry?" Shiomi asked, leaning close to her face, a hint of pain in his voice.
"If I am angry... could you even touch me?" Aesc murmured, her face flushed and breath ragged.
"Are you uncomfortable?" Shiomi asked, concern in his voice.
Aesc immediately turned her face away, pressing the back of her hand to her mouth, hiding her expression in the shadows beyond the campfire's light. "No."
"That's good." Shiomi lay down, pulling her into his embrace.
"Are you planning to sleep like this?" Aesc asked in surprise, her voice muffled. "They'll wake up before us tomorrow. Won't everything be exposed?"
"Just hold me a little longer. I'll help you get dressed later." Shiomi stroked her soft cheek.
"You're impossible."
Aesc murmured again, basking in the lingering warmth.