Aoko's words undoubtedly brought a tremendous shock to the fairies' side. Even for those who had already lived a second life, it was a heavy blow. Toneriko was already exhausted from the malice and long-term pursuit of these fairies, and now, knowing part of the truth behind their original sin, she felt the last remaining sense of salvation in her heart fade away.
On the human side, Pepe, who had witnessed the vicissitudes of a thousand years, felt some empathy for the paradise fairy before him.
However, since she wasn't a paradise fairy deeply attached to the land, Pepe's feelings weren't particularly strong.
As for Artoria, what pained her was Toneriko. She had no particular feelings for the fairies of Fairy Britain or this strange island. The only thing on her mind now was to ask Aoko to take away the fairies present here. As for the fate of Fairy Britain, she didn't care at all.
Toneriko thoughts were entirely focused on the inevitable failure that Aoko mentioned. No matter how she pondered, she couldn't imagine how Uther's coronation, for which she had exhausted all her efforts to prepare, could fail.
Aoko didn't reveal to her the truth that Uther might be poisoned, because no matter how she looked at it, Aoko felt there was no hope for this iteration of the world. And this person was extremely stubborn—if she didn't let Toneriko experience some cruel facts, she would never give up on Fairy Britain.
"I have a suggestion," Aoko said. "No matter what happens, this world will be destroyed. In that case, why not let me take away some valuable, kind fairies? I can guarantee their continued existence, unaffected by the disappearance of the Lostbelt. What do you think?"
After hearing Aoko's words, Toneriko stared wide-eyed at her, as if grasping a lifeline in the depths of despair. Yet this lifeline was completely contrary to the ideal in her heart.
"Totorot, you go with Miss Aoko first, and Ector too," Toneriko forced herself to smile in a relaxed manner. "Aren't you both tired of fighting by now? Leave the rest to me!"
"But, but… Didn't Aoko say there'll be danger at the coronation?" Totorot said worriedly. "Let us stay with you. Then we can all leave together..."
"That's what I was thinking," Ector's voice came out muffled through his helmet. "You can't handle this alone. Let this old man help you one last time. Those fairies can't do anything to me. Have you forgotten my title?"
Looking at these two old friends before her, Toneriko was moved again. In reality, after all these years, she no longer cared much about the lives of fairies or humans. What she truly cared about now were the companions who fought alongside her.
Or put another way, the reason she could hold on until now was her obsession. This had always made her harbor a sense of guilt deep down, as these kind and caring companions continued to sacrifice themselves for her stubbornness.
"I…"
As Toneriko hesitated over what choice to make, a muffled thunder sounded from the southwest, interrupting her thoughts.
In Fairy Britain, which hadn't changed for centuries, such a sudden loud noise was usually not a good sign. Everyone immediately rushed out of the grand cathedral and looked toward the southwestern sky, only to see a meteor fall from a huge vortex in the clouds.
Of everyone present, only three knew what that meteor was:
First, Aozaki Aoko, as a transmigrator;
Second, Odin, who could observe many parallel worlds;
And finally, Toneriko, whose expression turned strange.
Because the odd vortex in the clouds wasn't a strange weather phenomenon at all, but Queen Morgan's specialty—Water Mirror Magecraft.
Right now, Toneriko couldn't yet send people across time and space into the past, but that didn't mean she couldn't recognize her magecraft. So she immediately realized that the one causing trouble was likely a future herself. As for what had been sent back, or which self of her performed the Water Mirror Magecraft, she had no idea.
"Should we go take a look?" Aoko suggested. "If you want to, I can bring you there quickly. You won't need to spend a lot of magical energy using Water Mirror."
"Alright, I'll leave it to you, Miss Aoko," Toneriko said firmly. "No matter what has fallen, it must be something important to me."
"Though it might not be as you imagine... Well, we'll see when we get there," Aoko shrugged, then whispered to Artoria, "I'll be back soon. Be careful of that fairy called Aurora. If your instincts tell you she's a problem, kill her on the spot."
"Alright," though Artoria didn't know what was wrong with that fairy, she trusted Aoko completely, so she didn't insist on asking for a reason. "You all be careful too, and stay safe."
Aoko nodded, then grabbed Toneriko's hand, activating the prepared teleportation spell. With a flash of magical light, the two vanished from the front of Salisbury Cathedral.
Through one of the cathedral's ornate stained glass windows, a stunningly beautiful female fairy, her whole body seeming to glow, watched the people at the cathedral entrance thoughtfully, saying nothing for a long time.
...
Toneriko's vision blurred for a moment as if she saw infinite colors, but the scenery vanished as quickly as an illusion. The two appeared on a foggy coastline, where there was nothing but the sound of waves crashing on the shore and rocks.
"It should be around here," Aoko said, hands on her hips, looking around. "For some reason, the fog here seems to block my magic sensing. We might have to search for the fallen object ourselves."
"This place…" Toneriko said to Aoko, after carefully sensing the area, her tone serious, "I can smell the scent of curses in the mist. There must be a lot of Moss hiding nearby. Be careful!"
Aoko nodded, then with a gentle wave of her hand, a huge spherical Gale Barrier from the Realm of Soaring Winds enveloped them both. Although Aoko herself wouldn't be affected by the cursed mist, touching this stuff couldn't be good, so she simply used magic to isolate them from it.