Chapter 681: 527 Altoria’s concerns
Generally speaking, traveling from the Nameless Forest located in the southwestern part of Britain to the port city of Norwich would take at least three days.
Because the port city of Norwich is situated at the far eastern end of southern Britain, directly opposite the Nameless Forest, which lies at the very western end, separated by the greatest distance possible.
On the journey from the Nameless Forest to Norwich, one would pass through Salisbury, Oxford, and even come near the great caverns.
Once in that region, not only would moles frequently appear, but wild beasts and magical creatures would also become very common.
These beasts and magical creatures were much ferocious than in other places, and they would almost certainly attack if they detected any human presence.
Many fairies believed that this was due to the existence of the great caverns.
These caverns were located at the heart of Britain, with Camelot constructed to the north as if to contend against them.
It is said that the great caverns were places where inauspicious items were discarded.
Those items that were no longer needed, that could not be used up, that could not be destroyed, or that were simply in the way—such useless things were reportedly thrown there.
It sounds like a place for discarding non-combustible garbage, but in reality, it was more taboo than others might imagine.
This was because there were rumors that fairies who had offended the queen, who had violated her laws, and committed serious crimes in Fairy Country Britain, were also thrown there for execution.
Therefore, the great caverns were widely known as forbidden grounds in Fairy Country Britain, a place more feared by fairies than the Nameless Forest, one that nobody liked to mention.
Many fairies even considered it bad luck to look directly at the great caverns, leading some to believe that fairies were cursed and turned into moles because they had been near the caverns during their lives.
Of course, this was just a rumor and not a verified fact.
But one thing was certain, the closer one got to the great caverns, the more frequent the appearances of moles and the chances of encountering powerful wild beasts and magical creatures would increase, so much so that there were often rumors of fairy attacks in this area.
Morgan took this seriously and periodically deployed troops to patrol the area, systematically clearing out moles and magical creatures.
While this measure reassured the fairies, for Reiger and his companions, it was a ticking bomb.
One could imagine that if they encountered a patrol team from Camelot, with the current identities of Reiger and his companions, they would definitely be arrested.
In summary, along this route, no matter what they encountered, Reiger and his companions would likely have to fight.
In such circumstances, the time required to reach Norwich would definitely be extended. If they encountered too many battles and conflicts along the way, it might take five or six days to reach their destination.
Fortunately, after Reiger woke up, this situation was avoided.
Reiger did two things.
First, he summoned an eight-legged horse, allowing the immensely strong and enduring creature to serve as the carriage puller, significantly increasing their travel speed.
The second was to use information magic to monitor their surroundings in real time. Should enemies approach, he either used concealment magic to cover their tracks or employed a special barrier to disperse or avoid the enemies. Sometimes, he even used teleportation magic to move the galloping carriages a distance away, effectively avoiding all enemies.
If Reiger had previously been to Norwich and could accurately gauge the distance from it, he could have used a "portal" to transport everyone directly to the destination and not bother with traveling at all.
Even so, Reiger considerably shortened the travel time and increased the efficiency of their journey.
Thanks to this, after just one day, they had already passed Salisbury, Oxford, and even directly crossed the area near the great caverns, leaving only a short distance to reach Norwich.
Alberon declared after nightfall,
"At this rate, if we travel for about another three hours tomorrow morning, we should be able to reach Norwich."
That meant they could rest on the spot tonight, set up camp, and not hurry on the road.
After traveling for one day, everyone was undoubtedly exhausted.
Thus, everyone readily agreed to find a place to camp and rest well.
At this moment, Reiger stepped forward again.
"Create Fortress!"
As the tenth-tier creation magic was activated, Reiger pressed his hand on the ground, allowing Magic Power to surge out rapidly.
"Rumble..."
In an instant, the ground shook and a tower several tens of meters high rose from the ground, appearing right before everyone’s eyes, much to their astonishment.
"This... this..."
In that moment, including Alberon, everyone present was stunned.
This scene brought great reassurance to Altoria.
"I knew it, I wouldn’t be the only one amazed."
Altoria was extremely delighted.
In contrast, the others, once they understood what Reiger had done, each and every one of them marveled.
"Is this also magic?"
Matthew was surprised.
"If this is magic, then can this magic be considered at the level of a noble phantasm?"
Da Vinci was slightly taken aback.
"Speaking of which, if you’re going to build something, wouldn’t it be better to create a palace?"
This was the cheeky comment from Alberon.
"...If only we had someone who could use such magic when we were marching to war in our lifetimes, things would have been much easier."
These were Tristan’s thoughts.
As for Fujimaru Ritsuka... he was still asleep.
"It’s just a trivial little trick," Reiger said indifferently in spite of the complex expressions of the others, and added, "Come on, let’s go in and rest."
At that moment, Reiger, with a group of people wearing complex expressions, walked into the tower-shaped fortress.
Upon reaching the luxurious central hall, Reiger allowed everyone to choose rooms freely, reminding them not to be courteous to him.
To this, Alberon was the first to gladly accept.
"Since being summoned, I have never stayed in such a luxurious place. It truly shames the name of the Fairy King. I’ll take this room," he said.
Alberon chose the room in the furthest corner.
"Let’s pair up in twos—it will be easier to look out for each other."
Da Vinci suggested to Matthew and Tristan, and both nodded in agreement.
As a result, Matthew and Da Vinci moved into the same room, while Tristan and Fujimaru Ritsuka ended up in another room together.
Only Altoria was left being watched by Reiger.
"You don’t plan to sleep in the corner of the hall again, do you?"
Reiger half-squinted his eyes as he spoke.
"How how how how... how could I possibly!"
Altoria seemed quite embarrassed, whether from the disgrace in front of so many people or remembering her experience sleeping in the hall last time. Her face turned red, and she stuttered.
"I’ll take this one!"
Eventually, the fairy girl chose a room in the furthest corner, just like Alberon, unlike last time when she refused to go into a room.
"Then I’ll take this one."
Reiger finally relaxed, randomly choosing the room next to Altoria, which for some reason made Altoria sigh with relief.
Thus, everyone comfortably settled into their chosen rooms.
Perhaps they were truly exhausted, for it wasn’t long before steady breathing could be heard from each room, signaling that they had all succumbed to sleep.
Reiger had already informed everyone that the fortress’s defensive power was strong—so strong that even if someone attempted to attack, they wouldn’t be able to break in quickly. Therefore, no one volunteered to stay up to keep watch.
Reiger also comfortably took a bath and was about to go to bed when his room was knocked on.
"... It’s that girl, isn’t it?"
Without any doubt, Reiger knew that the person who would come to find him at this hour could only be one person.
That was Altoria.
True to his thoughts, when Reiger opened the door, the fairy girl who had put down her chosen staff appeared before him.
"Um... I hope I’m not disturbing your rest?"
Altoria timidly asked this question, receiving an eye roll from Reiger.
"Come in," Reiger gently tapped Altoria’s head and said, "You have something you want to discuss, don’t you?"
"... Sort of."
Altoria had a grave expression, making Reiger, who had thought Altoria came to discuss something about Chaldea, feel a bit strange.
Could it be that this girl came to see him for reasons other than Chaldea?
"Go on," Reiger led Altoria into the room and asked, "What’s on your mind?"
This made Altoria somewhat unwilling.
"Don’t make it sound like I have a lot of concerns all the time, okay?"
The fairy girl put up a small protest.
"Isn’t it true?" Reiger bluntly said, "You think too much, especially after the tolling of the pilgrimage bell and receiving the memories of your pan-human self."
Altoria did not deny this point.
"Is it still hard to face Matthew and Tristan normally?"
Reiger voiced what he believed.
In his view, Altoria harbored some thoughts of avoidance toward Matthew and Tristan, which hindered her from openly interacting with the people of Chaldea.
That’s the fate of both being Knights of the Round Table.
It’s an unavoidable circumstance.
"Just a little," Altoria sulkily responded, "I know it’s not right. After all, I am not King Arthur, not Altoria Pendragon. I should be more open with them."
"Since you are aware, I won’t rib you about it anymore," Reiger immediately smiled and then said, "Based on your demeanor, it seems you didn’t come here about that. So, what are you thinking about?"
Altoria fell silent.
Reiger didn’t rush her, quietly waiting for Altoria to speak.
After a while, Altoria lifted her eyelids to meet Reiger’s gaze.
"Do you think I really should go to Norwich?"
Why would Altoria say this?
The reason was simple.
"I’m somewhat concerned about the prophecy of the Mirror Clan."
Altoria’s whisper made Reiger first stunned, then he quickly understood.