Why Don’t You Just Marry Me!

The same familiar formula, the same familiar taste: the system screen dimmed like an old photograph, displaying line after line of subtitles:

[Mores swarms pour in from the sea like endless tides, forming a pitch-black ocean that surges down the streets toward Norwich.]

[By the time you receive the news, the northern district of Norwich has already fallen swiftly, and the southern district is on the brink of collapse.]

"Send the order: withdraw everyone from Norwich."

Guinevere said decisively.

"Are we really leaving now?" Artoria blinked. "Are you going to let the residents of Norwich die without aid?"

During the more than half month they'd stayed here in Norwich, Artoria and her companions had long noticed the large armies of other lords gathering around. She had assumed they were here together to confront the Calamity and save Norwich's residents—but now it seemed the situation differed from her initial belief.

"That's a strange question. Why should I save them?"

Guinevere raised an eyebrow at Artoria's question in mild surprise:

"A lord's duty is to protect their own people, right? That is Lord Spriggan's responsibility. If so, why should I help Norwich's residents resist the Calamity?"

"But if you're not going to fight the Calamity, then why have various forces brought troops here..."

"Oh, you mean Nocralae and Bogart? Perhaps those two truly came for Norwich. After all, Bogart once promised his followers that one day he would return them all to Norwich together; he originally stirred them to rebel against Queen Morgan by citing that she would let Norwich die. If he himself didn't come, his own followers' morale would crumble—so he naturally had to ally with Nocralae and ask her to assist Norwich..."

Guinevere explained lightly.

"What does that have to do with me? As Princess Banwen's vassal, I need only be responsible for Newdarlington and Salisbury. Why should I care about Norwich's residents? Even their own lord Spriggan doesn't care—why should I?"

"You—!"

Her voice rose for an instant, but after racking her brain, Artoria found no grounds to retort and quickly lost her energy. In the end, she only said with some desolation:

"You've really changed a lot, Guinevere."

"...That's a strange thing to say."

After a moment's silence, Guinevere slowly replied:

"We only spent a single day together. In such a short time, on what basis do you think you already understand me?"

"If, as the Prophecy Child, you want to use your arm to block a chariot, go ahead. The fate of Norwich's residents is none of my concern. Farewell."

With those cold words, Guinevere led Banwen and the others away swiftly—without looking back.

...............

"But I still don't understand, Guinevere."

On the road leaving the city, Banwen, who had been walking beside Guinevere, suddenly spoke.

Hearing this, Guinevere sighed inwardly. This moment had inevitably come. When he had prevented Banwen from attacking Artoria and her group, he was already prepared psychologically for Banwen's questions. Or rather, the fact that Banwen had restrained herself then and only asked now was already a better outcome for him. After much thought, unable to find any excuse, Guinevere chose to speak the truth:

"...Sorry. I must admit: though it was brief, we once were comrades. Ordering or personally killing them still feels too difficult for me."

But Banwen's response made him pause in surprise:

"—Huh? Guinevere, what are you suddenly saying... Oh, you must be mistaken! That's not what I meant at all! Where did your mind go?"

"Hm?" Guinevere's steps halted.

"I get it: Riko also said you're sentimental. If you could resolutely harm her, that'd be abnormal—only someone like Bogart would do such a thing... I don't think it's bad that you can't; it actually shows you're trustworthy, right? I think that's good about you!"

Banwen tilted her head and smiled at Guinevere. The smile held no subtlety—utter innocence. In a sense, this might be the purest smile Guinevere had seen in the Fairy Realm. Seeing her smile, his expression softened, then he offered a wry, helpless smile. Indeed, perhaps that is Banwen's nature: unlike Riko, who understands others' feelings, and unlike Artoria, who conceals her thoughts to spare others, Banwen's mind is straightforward: if she hates someone, she hates to the extreme; if she loves someone, she loves to the extreme. Her love and hate are both very pure... and she originally isn't good at thinking things through, so once she chose to trust Guinevere the first time, she never doubted again.

With Artoria, Guinevere sometimes needs to guess her thoughts, wonder if she's secretly sulking... but with Banwen, there's no need: she wears her heart on her sleeve. She's so easy to handle that you don't even need to coax her—she persuades herself. Even if her hands are stained with blood, when in love, she's the kind of fool whose mind is entirely on her beloved. Is this the so-called innocence of fairies? Yet Guinevere found it hard to like this side of Banwen... though at this point, he also couldn't bring himself to dislike her fully. So he only nodded:

"...Thank you, Banwen."

"Ah! But let me say this first: understanding is one thing, but I'm still unhappy, truly unhappy, right? You promised compensation earlier, didn't you? Don't forget!"

"All right. What compensation do you want? I will do my best." Guinevere nodded.

"Riko taught me well! You said before that touching my chest is something only lovers or spouses do, so I can't agree to that directly."

Banwen's first sentence nearly made Guinevere's eyes fall out. He hastily covered Banwen's mouth, then turned quickly—only to see their subordinates behind them looking at Guinevere with changed expressions. He himself felt his behavior now seemed conspicuously suspicious.

"...Forget it, continue."

He thought: the more one hides such matters, the darker they become. So he gave up resisting and let Banwen speak on.

"Since that's the case, Guinevere, just marry me then!"

Banwen blinked her sparkling eyes at Guinevere:

"If you marry me, you won't have to worry about these things anymore, right? Then you can touch my chest without any obstacle!"

"This... Banwen, what I said before was, um... just a joke. A joke. So you really don't need to bring up touching the chest again..." Guinevere said with a headful of black lines.

"But the compensation I want is for you to marry me?" Banwen blinked and looked at Guinevere.

"Banwen, you still don't understand what marriage really means. It's not something casual..."

"Who said I don't know!" Banwen immediately grew flustered, blinking her eyes and glaring at Guinevere in protest:

"Riko taught me thoroughly! Marriage is a sacred, irrevocable vow between two who love each other. From then on, both must love each other forever, sharing everything, never abandoning each other, right?"

"Since you know that—"

"—I can do that, right? I can share everything with you, Guinevere! And I won't abandon you! Besides..." At this point, Banwen furrowed her brow tightly, then, as if making an important resolution, she lifted her head and said to Guinevere:

"Even if Mother someday returns, if you want to be her child, that's fine by me!"

"Guinevere, you said you would fulfill my request—surely you won't renege?"

"This—"

Guinevere slapped his own face with his palm, hiding his expression... At this point, he could no longer manage his expression; he spoke somewhat collapse-prone:

"It's not that I dislike it, but this isn't something I can casually agree to... Banwen, marriage requires mutual love between both parties—"

"—But do you hate me?" Banwen quickly asked:

"I have sworn loyalty to you as my lord; how could you abandon me—"

"If that's the case, then what's the problem?" Banwen asked again.

This barrage of questions left Guinevere mentally exhausted. Fortunately at that moment, a commotion came from behind. Guinevere turned and saw that while they had successfully withdrawn from Norwich, the massive dark shape from the sea was also closing in on the docks.

"Banwen, the situation is critical now; it's not the time to discuss love matters. Let's postpone this until after we return."

With that, Guinevere bypassed Banwen's heavy question and turned to Kataly:

"How are things? Have all our people withdrawn?"

"They have, my lord," Kataly saluted respectfully. "Everyone is here; the troops outside the city have gathered here per your prior orders."

"Good. Issue orders: all stand by, do not act without my command."

Guinevere nodded, then cleared his throat and looked at Banwen:

"In any case, let me answer your initial question: why I brought the main force here... It's simple. Although we did not plan to confront the Calamity head-on, I have ambitions regarding Norwich."

Now, Guinevere dared not even glance at Banwen; he strove to mask his embarrassment as he explained:

"Lord Spriggan of Norwich spent nearly all his military budget building that vault-city. Even if not impregnable, it's virtually unassailable; a direct assault would be too costly. But the Calamity changes things: under the Calamity's assault, his vault-city's defenses will suffer greatly. Then capturing it will cost much less, allowing us to take over Norwich at minimal expense. As for the residents... we have evacuated as many worthy of preservation as possible; the remainder dying is not our concern. Besides, fairies are a species that, when they die, quickly sprout successors as if from the earth. Of course, to govern Norwich, we must still repel the Calamity—but that can wait until after we seize the vault-city. Moreover, Nocralae and Bogart will help weaken the Calamity. Thus, we only need to wait for the right moment... I admit there will be many casualties in Norwich, but what does that have to do with us? As long as it's not our own soldiers dying, I do not care."

—And if those ugly fairies die, it saves me the trouble of personally eliminating them later.

Guinevere left that unsaid, choosing instead a vantage point to observe the city's situation as much as possible.

[Nocralae's forces pour into Norwich's northern district; Bogart's into the southern district. While resisting the Mores tide, they also try to rescue fairies as much as possible.]

[After most of the Mores tide is expended, the Calamity's shadow lands from the docks and launches its first assault on Norwich.]

[Endless cursed hands descend over Norwich.]

[The docks are crushed outright by the Calamity's shadow.]

[Nocralae's and Bogart's armies, after heavy losses, barely hold off the cursed hands attacking both north and south districts.]

[Meanwhile, Norwich's guards, under Spriggan's orders, seal the city. Many cursed hands strike the vault-city gates but fail to breach them.]

[As cursed hands continue spreading across the districts, the Calamity's shadow advances directly toward the vault-city.]