Whoosh! Whoosh!
In southern Britannia, two blurred figures, one black and one purple, chased each other at terrifying speed.
Two passing gales swept across wasteland, tore through dense forests, crossed mountain streams, and startled countless birds and beasts along the way.
From day to night, then from night back into day, the chase lasted a full three days and three nights.
Seeing the dark-golden streak behind her closing in, the dreamlike colors only a few meters ahead scattered into flying petals. Carried by the breeze, they drifted down toward the small town below.
The pretty big sister with white hair and pointed ears stood amid the unaware crowd, holding her wand and smiling as she breathed in the air of the human world, clearly enjoying the trip.
A moment later, a handsome blond man with vertical pupils, wearing a hood and a blue-white cloak while carrying a sheathed longsword, walked out from a dim alley nearby. He looked at his companion waving at him from the crowd, smiled freely, and his gaze was clear.
"Forget it. Let's call a truce."
"Sure."
On the long street, the atmosphere between them was friendly, their smiles warm.
One stepped forward, and the other stepped back.
"I said I wouldn't hold it against you. Why are you running?"
"Then why is your hand on your sword hilt?"
They stopped amid the crowd, glanced at each other, and showed awkward yet polite smiles before lowering their guard.
The man kept his right hand behind his back and elegantly took a few steps closer. The woman's smile remained unchanged as she retreated the exact same distance.
Mm. A perfect casting range.
"With this many people on the street, why are you secretly chanting in fairy language?"
"Then could you stop drawing the Rune symbols behind your back first?"
The two evenly matched opponents looked at each other in silence for a long while.
"Tsk. Business comes first. I can't be bothered to argue with you. We'll settle this later."
Seeing that he could not trick this woman, who was even more rotten than he was, Samael's mouth twitched. In the end, he gave up helplessly and turned toward the tavern beside them.
"Boss, one cup of hot mead, one serving of mashed potatoes, two pieces of dark bread, and a stew..."
After placing his order with the bearded uncle at the tavern counter, the Ancient Serpent habitually sat in a corner, waiting for the food while quietly listening to the guests' varied conversations.
Since the War of the Covenant, the distorted world had been put back on track.
At present, Britannia was in the fifth century. Limited by the era, information among the lower classes was naturally blocked off.
So what reached his ears was mostly family trivia and gossip about nobles.
Still, because travelers came and went, and wandering minstrels appeared from time to time, Samael did manage to hear some news about the aftermath of the Battle of Badon.
After the battle, the Knights of the Round Table advanced with unstoppable momentum, practically wiping out Vortigern's forces in the north. The Saxon barbarians, beaten back again and again, withdrew and begged for peace.
In theory, the legitimate southern realm led by the Holy City of Camelot had basically completed the unification of Britannia.
But probably because that rotten woman Mari had interfered, the decisive battle that should have settled everything in one stroke still ended with a flaw.
The gravely wounded Vile King Vortigern had vanished without a trace, becoming a hidden threat lurking in the dark.
That damned dream demon.
Thinking of this, Samael's face darkened.
"Ahaha, were you thinking about big sister? So passionate. You're making me blush."
Yet just as the Ancient Serpent was silently cursing a certain rotten woman, a smiling white-haired head popped up. Carrying a wooden tray, she sat down as if this were the most natural thing in the world, a faint, intoxicating blush spreading across her beautiful face.
Her dreamlike violet eyes overflowed with the coquettish charm of a maiden in love.
"Stop. Act normal, I'm scared."
Knowing this woman's true nature far too well, Samael immediately felt a chill crawl over him, and goosebumps rose across every inch of exposed skin.
Compared with the great sage Merlin, who seemed unreliable but was quite dependable at critical moments, the Lake Fairy Mari, the other side of the [King's Mentor], was even more "inhuman."
Although this woman gave a very gentle impression on the surface, she openly admitted that she did not care about humanity as a group. She only approached humans out of curiosity toward witnessing their evolution, and even voluntarily shut off her Clairvoyance to avoid spoilers.
Also, although they were both [Great Mother]-class fairies, Mari felt even more uncontrollable to him than Aurora, the former Fairy Queen of the Wind Clan.
Aurora simply wanted to be loved. Shallow, but genuine. To monopolize that attention, she would not blink at inciting her companions to kill each other or poisoning the Horned God Cernunnos. She could do any stupid thing for that purpose, consequences be damned.
Back then, Samael had relied on that very point, using both kindness and pressure to trick Aurora into obediently forging the Holy Sword of the Planet for him, making her the most beloved savior among the fairies.
But even now, he could not tell what this rotten woman Mari was really thinking.
Because of the fairies' awful nature, she lacked empathy, and it was hard to say whether she had any real emotions.
Therefore, whatever Mari did was guided by "fun comes first." That made it difficult to restrain her through missions or duty, and no one should expect her to do anything decent.
The incident at Mount Badon last time was a perfect example.
Tsk. Gaia could have sent anyone, so why dump this trouble on him?
Samael glanced at the woman across from him, who had shamelessly sat down and was now sampling the food with great interest, and his head began to ache.
Food? Right, why hasn't my food arrived yet?
The Ancient Serpent came back to himself, stood up, and went to the counter to ask.
The bearded tavern owner looked at the traveler in surprise.
"It's already been sent over, hasn't it?"
"Huh?"
"Isn't your wife eating it?"
Samael followed the direction of the owner's hairy hand and stiffly turned his head. In his eyes appeared a glaring tuft of white hair.
"Human food is quite interesting. Want some?"
At the table, the Lake Fairy seemed to sense his gaze. She lifted the half-ruined meal and waved with a smile, acting as if they were very close.
You damned...
Samael's blood pressure shot up, and his fists clenched.
It was hard.
His fists were hard.
If it were not for Mari's special dream demon constitution, which meant she basically would not die no matter what future came, he really would have chopped this rotten woman into pieces on the spot.
Hah...
Samael did his best to steady his breathing and calm down, then ordered the same meal again to ease the knot in his chest.
Don't get angry. Don't get angry. There's still a long road ahead. No need to act now...
"Boss, another cup of this drink!"
Seeing that the victim's emotions were stable and his reaction was unexpectedly calm, Mari, having lost her fun, felt a little bored. She immediately shifted her attention to the food that interested her more and unceremoniously raised her cup for a refill.
"Put it on his tab!"
Faced with this brazen freeloading, Samael did not take offense. Instead, a faint smile appeared on his face.
"I heard the great sage Merlin left behind a very unique pastry here, called Stargazy pie. Bring her one."
"Right away!"
The owner nodded, then looked at the beautiful white-haired lady beside him, who seemed quite curious, with a hint of awe and pity.