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(Fate) Chapter 268: Grand Dragon, Albion's Dragon (3.8k words)
🕑 Added 2025-01-24 19:21:45 +0000 UTCIn the Lostbelt, during the 4000th year of Fairy Britain’s calendar, Promise arrived in a time untouched by catastrophe, a moment where nothing had yet begun.
The Rain Clan, one of the six fairy kingdoms, had not yet perished and was still thriving. Vivian had not yet taken on the alias "Ash" or embarked on her long journey to save this land.
That journey was far from a happy memory.
It was a path where she saved Britain countless times, only to be betrayed and assassinated by its fairies repeatedly.
Over time, her despair turned her into the iron-blooded ruler, Morgan, Queen of Winter.
Now, due to Promise’s unique nature as someone who did not belong to this time or even this world, his arrival triggered ripples in history.
Not only had the Vivian of this era noticed him, but he had also drawn the attention of Morgan, the Queen of Winter, from over two thousand years in the future.
It was a meeting that transcended time, uniting two versions of the same person: one innocent and kind, the other hardened and ruthless.
At this moment, in the tranquil room, Morgan, the Queen of Winter, with a thin veil on her face, was silent when she heard Promise smiling and talking about rewriting the fate of the genocide, as if he were talking about some casual thing.
The reason of her silence was actually simple.
Because she possessed the Fairy Eyes, Morgan could discern that Promise’s seemingly lighthearted words were spoken from the heart.
This was no lie.
"What is your reason?" Morgan finally asked in her usual calm tone.
"This matter shouldn’t concern you… Is it merely because of some oath you’ve sworn to someone?"
"Yes, that is the primary reason," Promise replied, nodding honestly. "But there is also another reason: you."
"…Me?"
Morgan was really puzzled this time.
Based on her memories, she knew they had only met a week ago.
And Vivian’s care for him came solely from the fact that Promise was a true human.
"You saved me, bought me, and made me your slave… hmm, no, your pet?… no, that’s not quite right either."
"Well, in any case, I owe you a debt of gratitude for that."
Under Morgan’s cold, unwavering blue gaze, Promise smiled and replied, "So I’m willing to help rewrite this fate."
"Beyond that, this is the sort of thing I would naturally do anyway… You should understand, right? Leaving behind traces in this world to be sung about and celebrated, eventually reaching the Throne of Heroes."
As Promise laid out his reasons, his purpose, and his intentions without much reservation before the Queen, he could clearly feel that the hostility in the eyes of the boss of the Lostbelt who came directly to block him had finally dissipated for the most part.
This method of persuasion was where Promise excelled.
At this moment, he treated the Queen of Winter, Morgan, as a semi-divine entity.
That’s right—Promise was speaking to Morgan in the same way he would negotiate with a god.
The Fairy Eyes, capable of discerning lies and peering into the essence of souls, might be a troublesome ability for others, but for Promise, it was an advantage.
After all, he had an abundance of experience dealing with such powers.
He neither feared nor avoided the Fairy Eyes.
Instead, he adeptly used his words to swiftly establish a foundation of trust with Morgan.
The truth was, once Morgan confirmed through her Fairy Eyes that Promise was being truthful and saw the sincerity in his motivations, she couldn’t help but find the situation somewhat amusing.
"You must realize that this place… is a Lostbelt, don’t you?"
"You wish to leave a legend in this Lostbelt and ascend to the Throne of Heroes?"
"Yes, I know," Promise replied with a smile. "But who ever said I couldn’t reach the Throne of Heroes in this way?"
Hearing this, even Morgan found herself unable to keep up with his unorthodox way of thinking.
She fell silent.
Time passed.
"I still don’t trust you," she finally spoke again in a calm tone. "But… I will not stop you either."
"Unless what you do truly threatens the future."
Promise smiled and nodded lightly. "Thank you."
Of course, at this time, Promise understood the underlying meaning in Morgan’s words.
She had decided to observe him further before making any definitive judgment.
At the same time, Morgan’s agreement didn’t surprise him.
Yes, she was the cold and ruthless Queen of Winter, a tyrant who ruled for over two thousand years, cursing the fairies and oppressing the world with her iron will.
But as a transmigrator, Promise knew more about her than others.
Even someone as unfeeling as Morgan had emotions buried deep within.
She had merely frozen them away.
At this moment, the reason for her tacit approval of his actions wasn’t because Promise was a true human—in fact, Morgan detested humans.
The real reason she allowed him to act was likely due to a deeply buried hope that the Rain Clan, which had once given her a beautiful chapter in her life, might survive this time.
Even if she herself wasn’t certain whether this would change the future.
Then, Morgan left.
In the blink of an eye, she disappeared from Promise’s sight, returning to the far future, over two thousand years ahead—to her throne in the Lostbelt’s Fairy Britain, Camelot.
It was a magnificent castle, but beneath the throne lay only emptiness.
The beautiful castle was eerily silent, with almost no sound of footsteps.
The entire fairy kingdom of Camelot felt quiet and… lonely.
Morgan, however, was long accustomed to this.
For over two millennia, she had almost always been alone.
No one understood her, no one blessed her, and no one acknowledged her.
She was accompanied only by curses and scorn.
Yet beneath her lofty throne, under this land, she suppressed the greatest calamity of this continent.
The god who had been sacrificed.
"Promise... is it?" Sitting on her throne, Morgan softly murmured the name, her voice so faint it was barely audible.
...
---
The Next Morning
As the first rays of dawn broke, Promise had barely rested when an urgent knock resounded at his door.
Having stayed up all night, Vivian had returned once more.
Dragging himself out of bed, Promise, with visible irritation and dark circles under his eyes, gave Vivian a look filled with reproach.
Although sleepless nights had been a regular occurrence for him in the past, back then, he had the assistance of golden apples.
But now, he was nothing more than an ordinary human—extraordinarily ordinary.
After all, the Heroic Spirit Class Card’s projection worked on his actual physical body.
And in reality, Promise was merely the most troublesome and incompetent student under Lord El-Melloi II’s tutelage.
"Promise, I thought about it all night yesterday. I think you’re right—I shouldn’t have given up from the start!"
Ignoring the reproach in Promise’s eyes and the dark circles under them, Vivian spoke anxiously, "But this isn’t something that can be changed just because we want it to. I spent all night thinking about it and still couldn’t imagine even the slightest possibility of success.
I know it’s shameless of me to say this, and I shouldn’t drag you into this, but… you’re the only one I can think of."
Vivian’s expression was frantic, and she lowered her head in fear, unable to meet Promise’s gaze, afraid of being rejected.
Seeing this, Promise couldn't help but feel a bit confused.
Are you seriously splitting personalities right now? Are you sure the queen I met last night and you are the same person?
Of course, he also knew they were indeed the same person.
Considering the events Vivian would encounter in the future, it wasn’t surprising she would transform into the Queen of Winter, Morgan—or even into an Avenger-class existence.
"So, are you asking for my help?"
Hearing Promise’s words, Vivian hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded earnestly.
Despite the visible frailty of the man before her, from the moment she first met him and decided to buy him, Vivian had always found him mysterious.
There was an inexplicable sense that nothing could truly obstruct him.
As long as he was there, she felt a strange sense of reassurance.
Seeing Vivian nod, Promise finally perked up a bit, letting out a yawn before grinning at her.
"In that case, since this is such a dangerous matter, I suppose it’s fair for me to ask for a few conditions, right?"
Vivian hesitated for a moment, then bit her lip lightly and nodded again toward Promise.
Seeing this, Promise couldn't help but roll his eyes.
'Your reaction is like I’m about to do something to you… You came here staring at me so intently, yet I wasn’t planning to visit that Throne of Heroes so soon.'
'Besides, since we’ve come all this way, I wonder if, while engraving the Heroic Spirit, we can also resolve the issues of this Lostbelt.'
With this thought in mind, Promise stood up, opened the window to let the morning sunlight stream in, stretched lazily, and said, "First of all, let’s call off our transactional relationship.
Thank you for saving me, but from now on, you’re no longer my master.”
Vivian froze for a moment, then looked at Promise’s teasing expression and couldn’t help but retort angrily, "I’ve told you, I never thought of becoming your master…"
"Alright, alright, I get it. So then... let’s formally reintroduce ourselves." Promise stepped forward, extended his hand toward Vivian, and said, "Promise... Nice to meet you, fairy of the paradise."
"...Nice to meet you, Promise."
Looking at Promise’s outstretched hand, Vivian came to her senses and gently took it.
"From now on, we’re friends."
Letting go of her hand, Promise continued with a smile.
Hearing the word “friends,” Vivian couldn't help but feel a bit dazed, murmuring the word softly to herself several times.
Gradually, a faint smile of happiness appeared at the corners of her lips.
But soon after, realizing this, she shook her head firmly, dispelling the distracting thoughts in her mind as she asked Promise, "What about the rest?”
"The rest? What rest?” The latter asked, confused.
"The terms for helping me that you promised...”
"But our vow has already been fulfilled.” Promise interrupted her, then said with a puzzled look, "Because we are friends now, helping friends is a very normal thing, so why do we need any conditions?"
...Is that so?
Vivian didn’t quite understand and looked at Promise in confusion.
“Yes, as long as you don’t end up on my little grudge list, I treat my friends very well.”
Promise chuckled, then his expression grew serious as he asked Vivian,
"How much time do we have left... before the future where everything will be slaughtered?”
Vivian looked at the serious Promise, at his beautiful emerald-green eyes shining in the morning light.
For a moment, she didn't know why she had an inexplicable urge to cry.
After all, she wasn’t yet the queen who had experienced countless trials and reigned supreme, but rather, the Vivian who still clung to fairytale-like fantasies of a kingdom.
That night, when she learned everything about the future, knowing that everyone in this kingdom who loved her would die because of her.
And the only thing she could truly do was not to betray their goodwill and simply leave.
So how could her heart not ache?
"...Three days."
After a long time, Vivian finally calmed her emotions and answered Promise, “If nothing unexpected happens, then three days from now... everyone here will die.”
"Three days, huh."
Promise murmured, then smiled softly and said to Vivian, "Time is so tight. No wonder you chose to give up right from the start… Yes, with fairies of four different races joining forces to kill you, and such a tight timeframe, there really didn’t seem to be any other choice but to flee and accept this fate."
This is the Lostbelt.
Apart from this Fairy Britain, with the gods’ physical bodies forming the land, there was no other land.
Even if the entire Rain Country’s fairies wanted to escape or migrate, it was impossible.
"But fate... is like this. Even if it’s predestined and everything looks so despairing, it doesn’t mean it can’t be changed... Let me tell you a little secret, Vivian."
As Promise spoke, he smiled, a bright and cheerful smile, and his voice was gentle as he said, "The goddess who controls fate isn’t scary at all. On the contrary, she’s actually a petite, adorable being, with a bit of a tsundere personality.
If you recklessly rewrite predestined fate, she’ll get mad at you. But if you present her with a brighter future, even though she might still scold you angrily, in her heart, she’s actually happy for you. So..."
"You don’t have to worry so much. Go ahead, defy it—defy that so-called predestined fate."
At this moment, if someone like Jason or Atalanta were present, they would undoubtedly be rolling their eyes at Promise in exasperation.
The Goddess of Fate has never condoned anyone rewriting destiny.
'Her emotions, be it joy, anger, or sadness, are not caused by the act of changing fate itself but rather because the one rewriting it is you.
Try replacing yourself with someone else and see what happens!'
Moreover, is predestined fate, something that can be easily altered.
Flawless wisdom, the world's favor, and the goodness that balances the scales—these are the true reasons why Promise has been able to rewrite fate without plunging the world into chaos.
Fate should not be altered lightly.
Its inherent unpredictability often causes rewritten destinies to turn out far worse!
Of course, Vivian could not possibly know any of this, and even Promise himself didn't know either, since no one had ever bothered to explain it to him.
Then again, given his unique circumstances, even if his tampering with fate resulted in a mess, there would always be a bunch of gods stepping in to clean up after him.
What Vivian did know was that, at this very moment, Promise looked exceptionally dazzling.
His clear emerald-green eyes were so radiant that she found herself unable to meet them directly.
And yet…
Promise seemed to know that Goddess of Fate—and know her well. Who exactly was he?
For that matter, wasn’t this a world where humans weren’t supposed to exist at all?
Now, the curious but not naive Vivian couldn’t help but let such thoughts creep into her mind.
"And to rewrite the current fate, to stop the other fairies from waging war against this place… there are actually quite a few ways to go about it."
As Promise spoke, his words left Vivian utterly stunned.
Even far away in the distant future, Morgan, who was seated on her throne in the fairy kingdom, had a subtle change in her expression beneath her veil.
In front of her floated a mirror of shimmering water, displaying the scene of Promise and Vivian conversing.
"You… have many methods?" Vivian stared at Promise with wide eyes.
"Yes." Faced with her fairy eyes, the latter didn’t hide anything as he nodded and said, "Their alliance may seem united under a common goal—to target you.
But to be honest, such a coalition is fragile, because after all, you are fairies, not humans.
Actually, humans are just as easily swayed, but as for the fairies of this continent…"
Speaking of this, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise, outlining a faint smile.
At that moment, the first to fall silent was Morgan, who was using her mirror magic from the distant future to observe the scene.
She deeply understood how ugly the fairies on this continent were, and hated them from the bottom of her heart, so naturally she understood all too well the truth behind Promise’s words.
The reason was simple:
The six original fairies poisoned and killed the god who loved them, using the god’s body to create the land.
Their reason for killing the god?
Simply because the land had not yet appeared, and they deemed the god too weak and useless, so they killed him.
This is a world woven from lies, betrayal, and bloodshed. In this world, lies and betrayal are the dominant themes.
With Promise’s experience and intelligence, if it weren't for the fact that he only had three days, which were not enough time to travel the land and lobby others—he was certain he would be able plunge the entire continent into chaos.
Everyone would be fighting each other; peace would be an impossibility.
An alliance? Forget it!
Vivian stood beside him, wanting to speak but unable to find the words.
She instinctively wanted to refute him—after all, she herself was a fairy, but deep down, she had a sense that what Promise said was true.
In fact... Vivian inexplicably felt that she should breathe a sigh of relief.
That relief came from the fact that she had managed to keep Promise within her line of sight.
If not, she had the inexplicable feeling that something truly terrifying might happen.
"But the time is too short. If I had half a month, I might give it a try. But with just three days, forget it... So, the second way to save this place is to create a common enemy."
"For example, a calamity."
Promise continued speaking with a smile. "If a calamity arrives early and sweeps across the continent, they’ll need your help and won’t attack you, for the time being. In fact, if you ask me, just wake up that god. That would settle everything…"
The latter part of his words was muttered softly.
But whether it was Vivian at the moment or Morgan in the future, the corners of their mouths could not help but twitch twice.
After all, they could tell that he was serious about what he said...
So at this moment, Morgan couldn't help but doubt whether she had made a mistake.
This man’s true nature might be far more terrifying than she had imagined!
"Could you please stop saying such scary things?!”
Vivian found herself unable to bear it.
As a fairy of paradise, she had always known the truth about this world and naturally understood the implications of Promise’s words.
"And where exactly did you learn all of this…?"
Promise shrugged, giving no answer.
Hearing such remarks, Vivian, who felt as though her mind had been doused with a bucket of ice water, unexpectedly found herself completely calm for the first time.
As she looked at Promise, her expression became increasingly strange.
Why do I have this feeling that if I don’t keep a close eye on him, he might actually destroy the world in the future… Vivian couldn’t help but think at this moment.
"If you don’t agree with the simple and effective methods I mentioned earlier, then there’s only one option left."
"...What option?" Vivian asked warily, her face full of suspicion.
From the excitement and anticipation in the beginning to worry and dread at this moment, Vivian felt like her emotions had been on a rollercoaster in just a few minutes.
At this point, she even felt that death itself wasn’t so terrifying—what was truly frightening was letting Promise out of her sight.
Promise, however, ignored Vivian’s strange gaze.
He smiled and, in a seemingly casual manner, revealed the real solution.
And this solution consisted of just one sentence:
"Vivian, do you trust me?"
As he spoke, his emerald-green eyes, as bright as starlight, gazed at her quietly as he smiled.
"To rewrite this fate, are you willing to temporarily entrust your life to me?"
In the distant future, Morgan’s brows furrowed deeply when she heard these words, her eyes flashing with anger.
To Morgan, this was utterly unreasonable.
She could not die.
If she were to die, Fairy Britain would perish with her, turning into nothingness.
Thus, Morgan instinctively believed that Vivian would refuse.
After all, Vivian had inherited memories from the future and bore the mission of saving and preserving this version of Britain.
If not for this burden, Vivian wouldn’t have fled in the first place, watching the fairies of the Rain Country be slaughtered before her eyes.
But…
"I see."
Vivian nodded and smiled softly.
Under Morgan’s incredulous gaze, she replied, "This is what you’ve been trying to say all along, isn’t it? Honestly, going around in such a big circle just to scare me…
You really didn’t need to do that. I’m willing.
Because, as you said, we… are friends."
A simple sentence, and the reason behind it.
Yet it rendered Morgan silent in that instant.
As she stared at her reflection in the mirror, at the version of herself who had never abandoned her vows, her honor, or the ability to discern truth and lies with her fairy eyes.
Her expression, for the first time, wavered slightly.
“I understand. And… I’m sorry."
Promise sincerely apologized to the girl in front of her before speaking, "I promise you, Vivian, I will help you rewrite that destined fate, and I will ensure that you do not truly get hurt.
This is our vow, and this vow...
Will be witnessed by the gods!"
The moment he spoke those words, Morgan immediately stood up.
Vivian, too, was stunned, staring at Promise in disbelief.
Because at the instant his words fell, both of them simultaneously felt the ripple of divine authority—a power that only gods could wield.
It was a gaze cast from the past or perhaps the future.
And in that moment, the gods acknowledged this vow!
Seated on her throne, Morgan watched the image of Promise in the mirror as he left the Rain Country.
She also saw her younger self, following Promise's instructions, publicly revealing her location and identity to the entire world.
This announcement led to Vivian being hunted by the fairies of the continent!
Morgan watched scenes of her past self being relentlessly pursued. Memories of those days resurfaced—back when she roamed the land as a savior, stopping calamities from happening again and again, only to face endless persecution.
But back then, Morgan had grown powerful.
Now, however, Vivian was still fragile.
She had yet to learn magic from that individual—the sage Servant she later summoned as a Heroic Spirit.
But that so-called sage, in truth, was a god. Not just any god, but the king of the Norse pantheon—Odin!
What exactly was he planning?
Morgan couldn’t help but frown at the thought.
Sensing the aura of divine authority, she chose not to act rashly or interfere with Promise.
Still, she struggled to understand how someone with a frail body like Promise’s could possibly save Vivian and simultaneously rescue the entire Rain Fairy Kingdom.
But then, she saw Promise heading into the Rain Country's Orkney marshlands, sinking deep into the swamp.
At that moment, as Morgan stared at the scene, a face surfaced in her mind, and she finally understood.
And she uttered a name...
"The Dragon of Albion!"
