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(Fate) Chapter 273: He's back
🕑 Added 2025-01-28 19:28:54 +0000 UTCWhen the girl finished her words with a lighthearted smile, she was met with Promise’s slightly disdainful gaze.
Tilting her head, she girl looked at Promise, then at Clotho, who still had her head down and seemed utterly indifferent.
With a quick glance back at Promise, she chuckled and said, "I’m really not Merlin, but if you want, you can call me Merry(Marin)."
Promise ignored her theatrics and, as he stood up from Clotho’s lap, cast a questioning look at the goddess.
Clotho, ever calm and composed, stood quietly and answered softly, "They don’t trust you... because, if you wish, you could rewrite the fate of the Lostbelt entirely."
Hearing this, Promise suddenly understood many things—like why he had been able to return to the Fate Temple, why Clotho had been allowed to manifest here, and why she was accompanying him on this journey through the Lostbelt.
And, of course, why this white haired succubus was here.
It was clear the Fates had struck some sort of deal with the Counter Force.
As for Merry, she likely found the situation entertaining and came along—conveniently taking up a supervisory role.
"Yeah, when I first found out I’d been given such a troublesome task, I was really conflicted," Merry interjected, not waiting for Promise to respond. She pretended to frown and sighed dramatically.
"After all, I wouldn’t want to get hunted down by your entourage of goddesses and Greek heroes for stopping you... But luckily, that’s not a problem anymore."
"Speaking of which, since there’s no problem now, I guess I don’t need to stay here, right? Can I leave now?"
Clearly aware of what Promise intended to do, she said this cheerfully and even began to turn around to leave.
But before she could, Promise grabbed her.
"Let me see if I remember correctly," He said with a sly smile. "Forging the Holy Sword that can end this Lostbelt requires a sacrifice, doesn’t it?"
As he grabbed Merry, Promise turned to Clotho for confirmation.
Indeed, this was the mission of the paradise fairies.
The fairy who rang all the bells of atonement would become the Holy Sword itself, sacrificing their own existence to transform into the sword in the Sea of Stars.
Clotho nodded calmly.
Unlike Athena, who always liked to speak in riddles, she always answered Promise’s questions truthfully.
"Wait, hold on—what do you mean by that, little brother?!"
Merry exclaimed, breaking free from Promise’s weak grip as she wrapped her arms protectively around herself and took two exaggerated steps back in fear.
"Oh, nothing much," Promise said with a smile. "I just realized it’s been a while since I wrote someone’s name in my little grudge book... and carried out some pleasant revenge."
The moment Promise mentioned his "grudge book" and "revenge," Merry’s smile froze, and her mouth twitched slightly.
That infamous grudge book had become something akin to a death note among many—especially for mischievous types like Merry, whose personality was similar to Hermes.
Once someone’s name was written in it, they could expect to be relentlessly hunted by gods and heroes alike.
Thinking of this, Merry, for once, felt a rare headache.
Her expression turned sour, and she reluctantly walked back with a defeated look.
At the same time, she belatedly realized something: this time, she’d accepted the supervisory task just for fun, thinking it would be amusing.
But now, it seemed she’d genuinely stumbled into trouble.
After all, the last person who had tried to enjoy the "show" with Promise was a major god—and they’d ended up being hunted for three days and nights without rest by every god of their pantheon.
"Hmm... So if I’m not careful, I’ll end up as the entertainment instead?"
Finally, Merry snapped out of her daze with a shocked expression, as if the sky had just fallen.
Promise, noticing her exaggerated reaction, was puzzled but chose to ignore it.
Instead, he turned his gaze back to Clotho.
While Promise hesitated for a wh8le, deliberating whether to voice the doubts lingering in his heart, Clotho, who knew him better than anyone, spoke up gently, offering an explanation before he could ask.
"I’m worried about you... Even though the one standing here isn’t your true self, I still don’t want to see you in danger."
"And I’m also happy. I’m happy you still need me. Plus... I’ve always looked forward to traveling with you."
Although Clotho’s tone seemed calm and steady, Merry, with her sharp eyes, noticed the faint blush spreading across Clotho’s ears.
As for Promise, he found himself at a loss.
Clotho’s straightforwardness and sincerity during this reunion left him a bit overwhelmed and he didn't know how to react.
Because Clotho, who had always been adorable, was now so overwhelmingly cute that it was almost too much to handle.
"It’s my honor,"
Promise finally replied after a brief moment of stunned silence as he stepped forward and gently took Clotho’s hand in his.
Clotho, ever so composed, allowed her small hand to rest in his and even revealed a rare, flawless smile.
Watching this exchange, Merry glanced left, then right, and sighed inwardly as she came to a conclusion:
Here, she truly felt like an unnecessary third wheel.
Before long, the three of them left the ancient forest.
The goddess of fate guided Promise, showing him the path to his destination.
She also concealed his presence, ensuring that Morgan, who was tirelessly casting spell after spell from within Fairy Camelot, couldn’t detect even a trace of him.
Thus, after three days, Promise finally stood before another fairy from the Sea of Stars—one who had taken on the mission left behind by Vivian, who had abandoned it to become the Winter Queen Morgan.
Her name was Artoria Caster.
.
.
.
Now now..
The Lostbelt, Over 2,000 Years Ago
With the help of Lady Avalon, Merry, who was secretly summoned by the Counter Force to keep an eye on Promise, returned to the place with Promise.
At the same time, the goddess of fate, Clotho, used her authority over destiny to conceal Promise's thread of fate, just as she had done in the ancient Greek Age of Gods.
This made it impossible for Morgan to detect his presence in the past.
Thus, Promise once again appeared before her—the fairy Vivian, who bore the mission from Avalon within the Sea of Stars.
In the remote library of the Rain Clan Kingdom.
It was dim and lonely.
The sky outside was overcast, thick clouds looming as if rain was imminent.
Inside the quiet, shadowy library, Vivian sat alone by the window.
Her ethereal beauty made her look dreamlike, yet at this moment, she seemed utterly solitary.
"Promise... where did you go?"
Vivian whispered softly, her eyes revealing confusion and a bleak look as if she had been abandoned.
The Rain Clan, which had once been destined for destruction, had now been saved.
Meanwhile, the Dragon Fairy, the strongest fairy knight, Melusine—had been awakened thousands of years early and now lived in Vivian's home under her care.
However, the one who had accomplished all this, the only human who had reached out to save her—had disappeared as suddenly as he arrived.
What’s more, traces of his existence had vanished entirely overnight.
When Vivian awoke, she was shocked to find that every remnant of Promise’s presence had been erased.
Even Melusine believed that it was Vivian herself who had awakened her and granted her sentience.
No one but Vivian remembered Promise.
It was as if he had never existed—as though everything had been nothing but a fleeting dream.
The reason for this was simple: when Morgan had taken Promise, she cast a spell to erase any evidence of his presence to prevent any major discrepancies in the past.
However, Morgan did not erase Vivian’s memories.
She knew it would be pointless—after all, Vivian and Morgan were one and the same.
Vivian was the past version of Morgan, and any magic cast upon her would eventually be learned by her future self.
The hidden memories would inevitably resurface one day.
More importantly, Morgan believed that her past self would eventually embark on the journey of salvation, taking on the alias "Ash" and fulfilling the mission that Vivian was originally meant to carry out.
This mission had been the final wish of the queen of the Rain Clan.
In the original history, one of the reasons the later immensely powerful Vivian didn’t choose to take revenge on those who slaughtered the fairies of the Rain Clan was the queen of the Rain Clan’s final wish before Vivian’s escape.
The queen, who raised Vivian like her own daughter, entrusted her with the hope of creating a peaceful fairy kingdom on the fairy Britannia continent, free from conflict.
With this resolution, Vivian endured the relentless pursuit of the fairies of this land while resolving one calamity after another.
To seek even a brief moment of peace, she would put herself into slumber after each task as a savior, awaiting the next catastrophe.
In the end, after enduring betrayal, deceit, and disappointment countless times, she fell into utter despair toward the fairies.
This despair transformed her into the iron-blooded, ruthless Winter Queen Morgan, who suppressed and enslaved the fairies with absolute dominance, treating them as tools.
This was the path Vivian was destined to take in the future.
Morgan’s prediction was not wrong. Even if the Rain Clan still existed, even if Vivian now had the assistance of the strongest fairy knight, Melusine, she would still walk down this path.
Morgan wouldn’t intervene in this matter, as her future self deeply understood the nature of this wretched world and the vile personalities of the fairies.
The fairies would inevitably push Vivian, step by step, into becoming Morgan of the future.
This was her fated destiny—inescapable, unavoidable.
Unless...
He existed.
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.
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"Vivian, what are you looking at?”
The gentle, elegant voice, laced with a hint of laughter, rang out in the silent library.
The faint glow of a lantern lit up the dim room.
Hearing that familiar yet distant voice, Vivian instinctively turned her head without thinking.
The silhouette of a young man entered her view, and her eyes met his clear, star-like emerald gaze.
The confusion in her eyes vanished, replaced by shock and disbelief.
Then, all those emotions transformed into uncontainable joy.
She stood up, her expression filled with excitement but tinged with fear, as if afraid the figure before her was just a fleeting dream, fragile as a bubble that could burst at any moment.
"...Promise?"
