Note: Read the last note of the chapter
_____
Chapter 21: Reward Or Punishment
______
In the morning, the moon shines brightly, and the stars twinkle in the sky. Sitting on the futon together feels peaceful.
On the smoky islands and in the clouded forests, when the mood strikes, why not venture alone with just a bamboo stick?
In the heart of the Inner Sea of Stars, Elric has been living in Avalon for a month since arriving in this world.
During this time, he spent most of his days asleep. After all, as a newly born god in this realm, his powers were still in their infancy.
Upon opening his eyes again, after a month of recuperation, he had regained a C+ rank in all attributes.
"Well, as expected. With two Beast Ranks and the power of a god, my body recovers astonishingly fast, even if I do nothing," Elric mused.
Through self-transformation, he now possessed the most strikingly handsome appearance of his youth—a fact evident from the sparkle in Vivian's eyes.
Amidst a landscape as picturesque as a painting, Elric was soaking in the finest underground hot spring in the Inner Sea of Stars.
Beside him, Vivian diligently prepared to serve her master in every way.
"Vivian," Elric spoke suddenly from within the hot spring. "I want to ask you a few questions."
Having spent a month asleep, Elric had formulated numerous ideas regarding his journey to Camelot. However, he wanted to confirm them with Vivian.
"Master, please speak," Vivian responded immediately.
Elric began, "First question: do you know Morgan le Fay?"
According to many records in the Type-Moon lore, Vivian was often depicted as the malevolent aspect of the Morgan le Fay trinity. Elric was curious about what kind of existence Vivian held in this world.
Vivian answered calmly, "Morgan le Fay? She is the daughter of King Uther and has inherited the mystical essence of Britain."
She elaborated, "In Britain, King Uther, as a Pendragon, was a king protected by the island's mysteries. But after his defeat at the hands of the humble king Vortigern, the bloodline that should have ended instead survived in his daughter, Master."
In Type-Moon's original history, Uther embodied the destiny of Britain, much like Elric's inherent fate. The Pendragon lineage was safeguarded by the island's magic.
Yet, when confronted with the humble king, the white dragon who led the Saxons to the north, King Uther ultimately fell.
As the island's mysteries began to wane, Pendragon's protection was on the verge of vanishing.
But, to everyone's astonishment, Uther's daughter, Morgan le Fay, not only inherited the island's mystery but amplified it, surpassing even her father.
"I see," Elric nodded thoughtfully before continuing. "Second question: what are your thoughts on the existence of Britain? Or more specifically, given the current situation, what is it that you want to do?"
Vivian responded without hesitation, "Do something? I don't want to do anything. I only wish to stay by my master's side."
The bond between her nature as a flower fairy and the power of her master gave Vivian, who had long been alone, a sense of purpose.
She gazed at Elric with tender affection; all she desired was to remain by his side.
"I mean... if I wasn't here, what would you do?" Elric pressed after a pause.
"Master not here?" Vivian's delicate face suddenly clouded with panic and unease, as though imagining something unbearable.
Vivian: "Master, do you think I did something wrong? Or is my presence an eyesore? Please tell me, and I will change it immediately."
Vivian: "Anyway, please don't be angry. If my presence is unnecessary, I can leave now..."
Elric: "Stop."
Realizing that Vivian had overreacted to his hypothetical scenario, Elric reached out and gently took the flower fairy into his arms, patting her back to comfort her. "I was only speaking hypothetically. I want to know how you, as a fairy, view Britain today and what you think about its current state."
In the original history of Type-Moon, while the description of the Fairy of the Lake, Vivian, was sparse, her role was undeniably significant. She had bestowed the Holy Sword upon King Arthur on multiple occasions and welcomed the vanished king into Avalon at the end of his journey.
This question lingered in Elric's mind because he wanted to understand Vivian's original perspective.
Vivian: "I see... I understand. I'm sorry, I got too excited just now, Master."
Vivian: "If you, Master, were not here, I wouldn't care about the Pendragon family. No matter what happens to them, I wouldn't be interested."
As a flower fairy, Vivian found her contentment in simply living peacefully in Avalon. Compared to the affairs of humans on land, she felt detached. After all, no matter how Britain on the surface changed, it could not affect Avalon hidden within the depths of the world.
[By the way, speaking of this, it seems that person is quite interested in humans. She hasn't come back recently. Should I tell Master about her?]
...[Forget it. Her personality is too troublesome. If she upsets Master, it will only make things worse. Better to wait until she comes back and introduce her properly then.]*
Although Elric couldn't read Vivian's mind, he could deduce the essence of her thoughts from her words. It seemed clear that he would eventually need to visit the surface world of Britain.
But for now, there was no rush. At least tonight, Elric could still enjoy the tranquility around him.
Vivian: "Master, do you have any other questions?"
Looking at him with affection, Vivian tilted her head slightly, her expression soft and patient.
Elric: "No, I've asked all the questions I wanted to for now. Anything else I want to know, you wouldn't have the answers for, so let's leave it at that."
Through the swirling mist of the hot spring, Elric observed Vivian's delicate features. Water droplets rolled off her hair, falling into the spring and creating gentle ripples on the surface.
"What's wrong?" he asked softly, noticing Vivian seemed hesitant, as if something was on her mind.
Vivian: "Master, although it is my duty to answer your questions, I..."
Vivian: "Please forgive my boldness as your family and servant. I want to receive more care and affection from you, Master."
As she spoke, Vivian leaned closer, her gaze locking onto Elric's. Her scarlet eyes shimmered with longing, and her expression grew more enamored with each passing moment.
"Master, I've answered your questions, so... can you give me a reward?"
Her scarlet eyes bore into his, and her soft, trembling voice stirred something primal within him, awakening a deep-seated desire.
"Master."
"Please grant Vivian, your greedy servant, a small, insignificant reward... or punish me in whatever way you see fit."
______
Note: Sorry, everyone, for not uploading yesterday. I got into a bit of a bike accident. While I was riding, I kid you not, a freaking truck came straight at me as if its sole mission was to isekai me into Highschool DxD (one of my favorite series). Fortunately—or unfortunately—I survived with only some injuries.
I was admitted to the hospital, but now I have access to my phone. Luckily, I had some advanced chapters prepared, so to make up for not uploading yesterday, I'll be posting five chapters today.
Let's hope I'll be able to upload again tomorrow. Thanks for your patience!
Also I hope you add this to your collection and give me some power stones as we got behind due to not posting yesterday.