When the plot-skips players into the game world

If I had to pinpoint a problem... it would have to be this one.

The Ceremony of Avalon's Shadow... was there an issue, or did someone tamper with it?

"Since you've encountered the Breaker of Sieges, why not join me in meeting Her Majesty the Queen?"

Morgan extended the warm invitation, "Her Majesty the Queen is summoning us to discuss this matter."

"Her Majesty the Queen" is their term of respect for the Shadowy Celestial Marshal, after all, she claims to be the queen of the Shadow Nation.

"...I really should go."

Lancelot nodded slowly.

Something suddenly occurred to him, "Right, isn't it Merlin who maintains this ceremony?"

"No, Merlin is only responsible for constructing the ceremony. Vivian is in charge of maintaining it." Morgan shook her head.

Upon hearing his foster mother's name, Lancelot paused for a moment.

He had long since fallen out with Vivian, and now they were almost like half-enemies. Essentially, they never saw each other.

But, reminded of the problems with the Ceremony of Avalon's Shadow, in spite of the strange feeling in his heart, Lancelot persisted in asking, "Then what about Vivian? I need to discuss something with her..."

"She's disappeared."

Morgan was also surprised that Lancelot would want to find Vivian...

But she explained nonetheless, "She's been gone for a long time."

"...Disappeared as in?"

Lancelot was shocked—had Vivian been killed by someone?

Guessing what Lancelot was thinking, Morgan shook her head and clarified, "She wasn't killed by someone, she ran away on her own. Since even Her Majesty the Queen can't find her, it means she's not in the Dream Realm, nor has she appeared in reality through the temple of the Shadowy Celestial Marshal... so I think she must have reincarnated."

...Why would she suddenly reincarnate at this time?

For some reason, Lancelot suddenly thought of the problematic ceremony.

Lancelot's expression turned subtle, "...Are we certain we can't get in touch with her?"

Vivian wouldn't have run off because the ceremony encountered an insurmountable issue, right?

Over the past few decades, Lancelot had made a good brother in the Shadow Nation, who had died and come over from the Parthian Ancient Country.

According to that guy, the Curse Ritual Magicians in Parthia liked to make a big splash for no reason, as if they couldn't prove their worth without designing some grandiose ritual. Therefore, they needed to scam a lot of funding from the Benevolent Lords, and it was very possible that the ceremonies wouldn't meet the promised requirements set forth in their lofty boasts.

—Thus, there was a saying over there: it's fine as long as one of the ceremony or the ritualist can run away.

"...I'm afraid Vivian has run off, I have a bad feeling about this."

Recalling that peculiar experience, Lancelot warned, "I might have been summoned by some Pillar God into a simulated timeline just now. I experienced the Ceremony of Avalon's Shadow that exists in reality. There's definitely something wrong with that ceremony... I suspect it's capable of pulling an Angel Envoy directly into the Material Realm and killing them."

"—I suggest you go and ask the wolf pup Vivian raised. He should know where his master is."

Lancelot had no good feelings about that creature.

Whether as his foster mother or lover, the young wolf pup Vivian had reared was always displeasing to Lancelot's eyes.

"I've already looked for him."

Morgan answered without hesitation, "I've searched a long time ago—even twice. I looked for him right after she disappeared seven years ago, and last year, uneasy, I searched again. But he really doesn't know where Vivian is."

"...Then ask Merlin."

That damn Merlin might know—sometime Lancelot felt he knew everything.

"Merlin can't find her either."

Morgan gave a wry smile, "He hardly comes back to the Dream Realm, always messing around in the Material Realm. We can't bind him with rituals, so who knows where he is now. Let me tell you, I'm very familiar with the old man... If he doesn't want to see you, you're definitely not going to find him."

"I'm pretty familiar with that damn dog too—but no matter how he runs, the Great Sage must know."

Lancelot was somewhat anxious, "Or shall we entrust Gavin to ask? If you speak to Gavin, he will surely go."

"Bothering the Pillar God for such a trifling matter doesn't seem appropriate, does it? His Majesty might also be displeased..."

Morgan was still hesitating.

But Lancelot saw clearly that she simply did not want to return to the Emerald Prairie. She had several children there, and a lover who had now become the Pillar God...

That's the trouble with those on the Path of Love. Once you live long enough, all sorts of complex emotions become a tangled mess.

However, Morgan finally sighed, unable to refuse Lancelot's request, "Fine, I'll ask — but don't get your hopes up too high. Even if I can contact Merlin, he might not know where Vivian is."

"It's always worth a try."

Lancelot still cautioned, "You'd better take this seriously... I feel that the Ceremony of Avalon's Shadow has become very dangerous now, utterly different from Merlin's original design. I suspect Vivian might be plotting something."

"She wouldn't be plotting anything, rest assured."

Morgan just smiled and comforted, "I know her the best."

— Do you know her better than I do?

Lancelot thought to himself.

But he was polite and did not say it outright.

"Oh right," Lancelot remembered another name, "Do you know Aiwass Moriarty?"

"...A descendant of Mordred?"

Morgan's expression became strange, "What about him?"

Mordred was her foster son, though there was no blood relation... But the descendants of Mordred also had no blood ties. From this perspective, since Mordred could be considered an ancestor of the Moriarty Family, she could be considered one too, in a certain sense.

"I'm a bit curious about him, help me investigate... He should be quite young, a priest, very handsome."

Lancelot explained, "I can't leave the Shadow Nation, can you help me find him?"

"Sure, this will be quick. Much simpler than going to find Gavin."

Morgan grinned, "After I meet with the queen, I'll go have a look... Since he's a Moriarty, he should be living on Glass Island, right? I'll just take a stroll around Glass Island, there should be people who know him there."

As a fairy, she could briefly emerge from any lake in the Material Realm at will. And Glass Island just happened to have a large lake, so it would be quite convenient for her to get there.

Those who haphazardly throw their axes into the lakeside, they are the ones who encounter these fairies.

"Remember to carry my goodwill for him."

Lancelot instructed, "Just say that everything is well here — I have returned to the Shadow Nation, and it was a pleasure to fight alongside him. I hope we can meet again in the future. I will invite him for a drink then."

His implication was that he hoped Aiwass could ascend to the Dream Realm in the future. If that happened, Aiwass would be able to come to the Shadow Nation to find him.

To say they fought side by side... but in reality, they were two souls squeezed into one body, both beaten badly by the Breaker of Sieges.

But thanks to their mutual support, their souls were not directly crushed by the Breaker of Sieges. If it had been just one of them, they probably would have been crushed before long... Although Lancelot had lived a long time, he was not an Angel Envoy, and his soul had not been sublimated.

However, Morgan's expression became subtly complicated.

A dead man telling a living man he hopes to see him again in the future... That phrase didn't seem very auspicious.

So she changed the subject, asking, "Should I bring him some kind of token from you?"

"...I could, but I really don't have any possessions."

Lancelot pondered, "Give Aiwass a gift on my behalf, Morgan. Thank you. I will repay you later."

Lake fairies are quite wealthy.

After all, they were once witches, and even after transforming into fairies or witches, they still retained the ability to create wondrous items and magic potions. Just a few hundred years of exchanging with each other could accumulate a considerable fortune.

"No problem, I'll see to it."

Morgan was pleased with Lancelot's words and said smilingly, "I look forward to your gift as well."