Chapter 629: 502 ’Rumor Belt’_2
Altoria barely resisted the urge to knock Reiger on the head with the chosen staff.
"What exactly is Pan-Human History?"
Altoria glared at Reiger and posed the question.
In response, Reiger gave the following answer.
"To put it simply, it’s a world that is distinct from this one."
Reiger said this nonchalantly, startling Altoria with his words.
"Another... world...?"
Altoria opened her mouth wide in surprise.
"Exactly."
Reiger nodded.
At first glance, this world seemed no different from the otherworlds Reiger had visited, but in fact, it was not so.
This world was far more special than any of those otherworlds Reiger had previously encountered.
The Fairy Country Britannia, where Reiger now found himself, was not the entirety of this world but merely one special place within the magnificent world view that characterized it.
And to explain all this, one must first understand the meaning of the term "Pan-Human History."
Pan-Human History refers to the correct history.
In this world, human history is not unchanging but analogous to the competition of life, the natural selection of the wild, with clear distinctions of superiority, inferiority, success, and failure.
The way this superiority and failure are determined is whether a period of history can continue to extend forward.
If a period of history can endure and not be abruptly cut off or destroyed at some point during its progression, then that history is deemed the correct one.
Conversely, if a period of history gradually moves in the wrong direction and eventually leads to its own extinction, then that history is considered incorrect.
The former is what is called Pan-Human History, the correct history, the correct course of humanity.
The latter is what happens when history makes the wrong choice at a fork in its development, an unwanted phenomenon that is destined to come to an end, known as the "Folklore World."
Normally, the Folklore World would be pruned by the world itself, and thus it is a world doomed to destruction, not even allowed to develop into a parallel universe.
And Fairy Country Britannia is precisely a world that has diverged from Pan-Human History and eventually evolved into a Folklore World.
"In Pan-Human History, or the correct human history, Britannia does indeed exist, but it’s not a nation ruled by fairies."
Reiger conveyed this to Altoria.
"You and Morgan are also figures who appeared in the Britannia of Pan-Human History, but setting Morgan aside for the moment, you were a human in Pan-Human History, not a fairy from paradise."
Reiger was referring to the legend of King Arthur.
It’s a narrative centered around the legendary King Arthur of England, a medieval story filled with legend.
The story chronicles the life of the great Arthur, the most legendary king of ancient Britannia.
Legend has it that he was the leader of the Knights of the Round Table, a nearly mythological figure called the Ideal King, the King of Knights, the Eternal King.
He once pulled the sword from the stone, thus becoming the King of Britannia, and also received the holy sword forged in the Inner Sea of the Star as a gift from the Lady of the Lake. He fought in twelve battles throughout his life, each one nearly miraculous in victory, thus securing the precarious state of Britannia at the time.
His teacher was the legendary great wizard Merlin.
The Round Table Knights he encountered were all famous heroes in their own right, each possessing extraordinary strength beyond that of ordinary men.
His sister was Morgan, a witch who hated Arthur for being king, believed herself to be the rightful heir to Britannia, and caused much trouble behind the scenes, eventually leading to Arthur’s demise and the fall of Britannia.
This legend was popular in Wales by the 9th century and spread through Europe via the works of Geoffrey of Monmouth. Chretien de Troyes, Wass, Leahmen, Malory, and other authors also wrote about the related story of the Holy Grail. During the Victorian era, the theme became popular once again.
This is the Britannia of Pan-Human History, the correct Britannia from the correct history.
However, Fairy Country Britannia is an alternate, Folklore World that veered off course from the start, developing in a different direction, a distorted version of history.
In this Britannia, the nation is not governed by humans, but by fairies.
In this Folklore World, aside from the isle of Britannia, there are no other nations.
Morgan, the witch in Pan-Human History who never attained the throne and spiraled into madness, here she reigned as the queen of Fairy Country for two thousand years.
As for Gawain, Lancelot, and Tristan, these names that should belong to the Knights of the Round Table loyal to King Arthur in Pan-Human History, are now bestowed upon three Elf Knights by Morgan, granting them the status and power of the Round Table Knights from Pan-Human History.
And Altoria, this personage in Pan-Human History who was the blood relative of Morgan and heralded as Arthur, the King of Britannia.
Now, the Knight King who should have left an incredibly grand legacy and resounding fame in Pan-Human History, has become a fairy from paradise in Fairy Country Britannia, even bearing the title of the prophesied child, grew up in an obscure village unnoticed by the world, until now she emerged upon the land of Britannia and was entrusted with the mission of saving Fairy Country, saving Britannia.