[Because you helped rescue Norich, the reputation of Fairy Knight Tristan among Norich's citizens has improved greatly.]
[And the sword you struck at the critical moment to save Norich has made you their savior in everyone's eyes.]
[Your renown across Britain has skyrocketed, and in Norich your fame has reached its maximum.]
[Wherever you go, crowds of residents surround you, cheering and praising; you can feel countless grateful and admiring gazes upon you.]
[In this situation, even moving to the arena took extraordinary effort—you had to don a simple disguise just to make it there.]
After Oberon explained what had happened, Guinevere, still bewildered, followed them to Norich's arena—and saw the two young ladies waiting gravely on the platform.
Artoria was as before in her blue ceremonial dress—serious yet touched by the liveliness of youth.
But Fairy Knight Tristan had changed into an entirely different outfit.
Yes, it was startlingly revealing. It might as well have been a bikini: nearly all of Tristan's pale, almost bluish-white skin was bared. Aside from coverage where absolutely necessary, she wore only two leg garters, a leather collar around her throat like a bondage harness, long black leather gloves, and a nun‐like headpiece trailing cloth behind her. The overall impression was heavy on S\&M undertones.
If Guinevere weren't wary of some inscrutable higher power, she could have written a two-thousand-word commentary on this ensemble right here. For a moment, she even felt like cheering Tristan on—but quickly slapped that thought away.
Stop it, Guinevere—lust is a blade above the head. This woman really wants to kill you; remember her curse last time. If she gets her hands on you again, you won't survive.
[At the start of the duel, Tristan's superior base stats gave her a swift lead.]
[Seeing this, you cheered loudly for Artoria from the stands.]
[Your support bolstered Artoria's fighting spirit and simultaneously rattled Tristan's composure.]
"?"
Though you didn't understand why mere words could so unsettle Tristan, since she clearly had a fragile ego, you redoubled your cheers—and couldn't resist taunting the fairy knight opposite you.
[Tristan's hatred toward you has increased.]
Guinevere instinctively drew in her head, feeling a chill at the back of her neck.
She began to wonder if she'd gone too far—if she offended Tristan too deeply, and Tristan captured her later, she'd be in real trouble.
[Thanks to your support, Artoria gradually clawed back the disadvantage: the azure magic pillar steadily suppressed Tristan's crimson magic arrows.]
[Your loud cheers from the stands drew Tristan's resentful gaze.]
"This one's got the smallest heart ever. I admit I shouldn't have taunted you earlier, but I'm just cheering for my wife—how does that raise my hatred with you? You really can't handle a joke." Guinevere muttered under her breath.
"I can hear you."
Tristan suddenly said, bluntly. Guinevere snapped her mouth shut.
[Drawing on her richer combat experience, once Artoria seized the upper hand, she pressed it all the way to victory, never allowing Tristan another chance.]
[Finally, Artoria won the duel.]
"Just as expected—she still lost."
Kneeling in the arena, Tristan panted heavily, sweat glistening on her brow.
But surprisingly, despite losing to someone she'd sworn never to lose to, Tristan felt an unexpected calm.
"Good fight. That was a fine duel."
At that moment, a hand appeared before her. Tristan looked up to see Artoria smiling at her, guard completely down.
"Sometimes you only know someone after you fight them. Can we be friends?"
Tristan blinked, reflexively grasped Artoria's hand—then realized what she'd done and jerked it away, standing.
"Hmph. You're just a lucky country elf; how dare you strike that victorious pose."
Tristan said coldly:
"This was just a brief advantage. Don't get cocky—the battle between us has only just begun. Next time, I'll turn the tables. Just you wait."
With that, she swiftly strode off the platform. Her fearsome reputation cleared a path for her exit, and she vanished among the crowd.
"…Honestly, can Fairy Knight Tristan really leave so gracefully after a loss?"
Guinevere wondered. If she remembered correctly, last time Tristan lost, she'd thrown a major tantrum. Had she misremembered? But there was no time to ponder now.
"Guinevere," Artoria appeared beside her, eyes locked on her.
"You—you were staring at her the whole time, weren't you?"
"Ah, uh…"
…Meanwhile, in a gloomy castle far away, a certain rose-tinted fairy closed the holo-screen before her and fell into thought.
"If I recall, the last time I saw that brat was in Salisbury…"
"And didn't he infiltrate my camp wearing a common soldier's uniform?"
An idea slowly took shape in her mind—but she still had other matters to attend to first.
Just thinking of the wretch still in her castle made her teeth grind in anger.
No, wait—she had to stay calm. She still needed to test his other contingencies, prepare further, and ensure her chances of eliminating him. Then she'd return for revenge.
…
[After this duel, you began reaping the rewards of victory as expected.]
[With Lord Spriggan's death, Norich is now leaderless.]
[The fairies and humans of Norich hope the Chosen One who saved them can become their new lord.]
"As you are destined to become Britain's king, it's only fitting you rule Norich first."
A fairy representative addressed Artoria.
This news thrilled Guinevere: lordship over Norich alone meant enormous wealth. Just Spriggan's inheritance was at least five billion moebonds—she could scarcely imagine spending so much.
"I feel like I'll never worry about paying for meals again."
Guinevere said happily.
"Indeed—then the Round Table's funding is secure."
Oberon said with satisfaction.
"Everything's looking up!" Gareth cheered.
"Hold on—is something off?" Guinevere suddenly said.
[Ding! Player Artoria has used simulation currency to boost your attributes.]
[Your Strength rose to B, Agility to B, Endurance to B.]
[Your skill "Morning Star" upgraded to B.]
"Holy—!" Guinevere leapt up. She'd felt uneasy since earlier—and now she realized Artoria had slipped into Spriggan's treasury to bolster her.
If she remembered right, boosting an attribute to B cost an astronomical sum…
…
[You accessed the vault and emptied Spriggan's long-accumulated fortune.]
[After excluding non-liquid assets, you obtained two-point-one billion moebonds.]
[Purchase premium currency pack?]
"Of course!"
Artoria didn't hesitate. Why wouldn't she buy it? Her "Guinevere" had proven worth every moebond!
Even if Oberon slapped her afterward, she wouldn't regret it.
Because without Guinevere stepping up in the calamity, they wouldn't have won.
Artoria's eyes gleamed across the in-game store. Soon:
[You spent 1.98 billion moebonds on the Advanced Membership Pack.]
[It contains 398 Bond Crystals and the new "Skill Enhancement" feature.]
[Unlocking Skill Enhancement lets you spend crystals equal to an attribute-upgrade cost to boost a skill—for example, 100 crystals to raise one skill from C to B.]
…
After gaining the 398 crystals, plus her remaining 12, Artoria had 410 total.
[Use Bond Crystals to empower Guinevere?]
"Yes!"
She spent 300 crystals raising Guinevere's three melee attributes to B, then opened his skill-upgrade interface.
As Guinevere leveled up, more skills unlocked—Artoria immediately picked her favorite:
[Inherent Skill: Morning Star C]
[Your actions better inspire others; when you lead a faction or hold management rights, your allies gain a small buff.]
She enhanced it to B.
The specific effect mattered less than the name—"Morning Star" perfectly echoed "the little starlight he cherishes" from the Exiled Knight description. It made her happier than upgrading her own skills.
She imagined Guinevere cutting through enemies on the battlefield—she, Artoria, was the master investor. No one used resources more efficiently!
But the greatest reward awaited:
[Guinevere's advanced spirit attire unlocked…]
Before she could read more, the vault door behind her was kicked open.
"Ah…"
Artoria turned to see Oberon in the doorway, mace in hand, smiling.
"Artoria, care to explain yourself now?"
"Um…"
Artoria raised a hand weakly:
"Maybe we switch back to the feather duster?"