Aozaki Aoko Case File

After a brief tour, Aoko and her group arrived at Baobhan Sith's house. Following some washing up and rest, Baobhan Sith's condition improved significantly. At the very least, she now looked like a cute girl, though she was still somewhat weak and would need more time to fully recover.

Upon hearing about Baobhan Sith's ordeal, Toneriko immediately hugged her, apologizing with deep sorrow; if not for her helplessness in the past, Baobhan Sith should never have had to endure such pain.

But Baobhan Sith was simply overjoyed to see Toneriko again. Kind as she was, she held no resentment, or rather, she felt grateful and even admired Toneriko; after all, if not for Toneriko's help, she would have died long ago.

In the original timeline, Baobhan Sith was slaughtered by fairies generation after generation until she was adopted by Morgan, who had succeeded in conquering Britain. Morgan raised her into a willful fairy fond of killing, but at heart, Baobhan Sith remained kind. This is also why she could eventually become the priestess who enshrined the divine, for Cernunnos knew her true nature.

If Beryl hadn't existed, Baobhan Sith in the FGO timeline would have ended up a cruel but happy little fairy knight princess.

On Aoko's timeline, she had already killed Beryl in advance. If all her actions in the Fairy Calendar went smoothly, she would then use imaginary number navigation to travel to the Queen's Calendar of the Lostbelt, collect all the fairies worth gathering, and bring this world to its rightful conclusion.

Their reunion with Baobhan Sith was full of joy. The seamstress Totorot and shoe-loving Baobhan Sith hit it off instantly, soon pulling out their respective fashion magazines and sharing tips, quickly becoming good friends.

Aoko had already arranged for Totorot to have a house near Baobhan Sith, perfectly designed for a tailor's shop, which Totorot immediately loved, filling her with hope for the future.

This was all part of Aoko's open strategy: by influencing those around her, she could ultimately sway Baobhan Sith's decisions, encouraging her to give up on the cesspool that was Fairy Britain.

Still, seeing the previously gloomy Totorot so happy made Aoko truly glad for her—a spinning-fairy unable to show her talents in Fairy Britain. Aoko genuinely believed her empty world was perfect for Totorot.

After their little tour, Aoko brought everyone to the castle garden atop the mountain, where she had prepared a sumptuous feast. As they ate, they discussed plans.

"How long until Uther's coronation?" Aoko took a sip of red wine. "I need to arrange the next steps according to that timeline. Once the coronation is over, I'll take Ark World to the Queen's Calendar."

"It's about a month away…" said Toneriko, savoring some sweet corn soup. "Recently, neither the northern fairies nor the Fang Clan have caused any trouble, so this should be accurate."

"Good." Aoko thought for a moment. "During this month, let Artoria accompany you. With her strength, no fairy can defeat her now, so nothing unexpected should happen before the coronation."

Artoria, silently eating nearby, glanced at Aoko, nodded, and continued devouring her cheese and sausage lasagna.

"I have two places I want to visit," Aoko said. "First, I want to meet Wryneck of the Fang Clan. He's probably the only Fang Clan fairy I want to bring with me."

"Wryneck?" Toneriko mused, her expression complicated. "He's trustworthy and very strong, but…"

"He and Uther don't get along, right?" Ector said, finishing a can of beer in one gulp and burping. "So persuading him might be tough, plus he seems to have issues with many within his clan."

"I get it," Aoko replied. She knew about Wryneck and Uther, and about Wryneck's heroic deeds, but with Uther's impending doom, Wryneck would have no reason to refuse her invitation. "But according to my intel, Wryneck doesn't feel he belongs with the Fang Clan anymore. Rather than stay with a group he doesn't fit in with, he'd probably prefer to join us. After all, being a good person in this world is tough."

The fairies present all sighed in agreement—except for Mash, who looked puzzled.

"Um… who is this hero Wryneck? Is he one of your companions?" Mash asked.

"You could say he's an admirer," Ector stroked his beard. "He agrees with Toneriko's ways, was once defeated and impressed by her strength and ideals, and became our ally. But he's not very fond of humans—he's a powerful returnee fairy."

"He's Woodwose's predecessor and the current Fang Clan leader, but quite a loner," Aoko added. "He's easy to handle: if I go beat him up, he'll naturally change his opinion of humans."

Mash immediately understood. She'd seen plenty of single-minded people like Woodwose in Chaldea—people who trust fists and strength more than words.

However, when Aoko mentioned predecessor, the fairies' expressions (except Sith's) darkened. It meant even someone as strong as Wryneck would eventually die and be succeeded.

"Besides Wryneck, I also need to go north," Aoko said calmly. "That means I must enter the territory of the King Clan."

"Eh? Is that a good idea…?" Toneriko was suddenly nervous. She thought relations with Mab's side had only recently thawed; if a powerful fighter showed up now…?

"Don't worry," Aoko waved her hand. "My target isn't Mab, but the dragon's remains in the northern swamp."

"What's there?" Toneriko asked curiously.

"Strictly speaking, it's not a good thing—" Aoko explained, "but it's a loyal good knight for you. So after I deal with Wryneck, I'll come back for you and take you to the dragon's remains."

Toneriko's feelings grew complicated, as the dragon's remains were near her long-destroyed homeland, the former capital of the Rain Clan, Orkney.