Crazy Britain:They’re All Raising Me

"I, I..."

Under the relentless barrage of questions from Morgan, Mellyuqina took two steps back, at a loss for words.

As she gradually began to doubt herself, Morgan added,

"Well then, Mellyuqina, after spending so much time with Yuse, have you discovered any of his shining qualities worth loving?"

"I..." Mellyuqina was left speechless.

"Of course, you haven't. You're just a bird obsessed with sneaking around and sticking close to him. The feelings you have for Yuse are less about love and more about simple gratitude."

"You don't care who the person you love is. Whether they are someone like Yuse, kind-hearted and noble, or a foolish, vile person; whether they saved you like Yuse, or just picked you up from the swamp for selfish reasons; whether they see you as a precious partner like Yuse, or simply as a useful tool... no matter what, you'll cling to them without hesitation."

"Because that's what you are—a sad, foolish person whose love is so shallow it's buried in the dust, unable to discern the intentions behind the actions of others. You're just blindly pursuing love, and that obsession blinds you to everything else."

"You've had so many chances before... but that blindness and obsession covered your eyes. Do you really think that's love? How laughable."

"You're always like this: blind, obsessed, foolish, unscrupulous, only thinking of yourself, never considering how others feel, and that's why you repeatedly make grave mistakes."

At this point, Morgan's voice became harsher, her words more biting:

"And I really wonder, how dare you come here and question me? How dare you blame me for your actions towards Guiniwell? What's the meaning of this? If he wasn't Yuse, and just someone Ba Wansi liked, would you have tried to kill him and Ba Wansi before he even did anything? Do you even see me, the Queen?"

"Someone like you has the audacity to talk about love? You have no right to love the same person as me."

At this, Morgan leaned forward slightly, her tone sharp:

"If it weren't for Yuse genuinely seeing you as a precious companion, I would have already kicked you out of here, no—kicked you out of the entire Fairy Kingdom."

"I..."

For some reason, even though Morgan didn't release any magical fluctuations, Mellyuqina felt as if a mountain was pressing down on her, making it hard to breathe. She involuntarily took a few steps back.

Every word from Morgan was like a sharp knife, piercing deep into her heart.

She had no way to refute.

She even began to question her feelings for Yuse.

Yes, if what Morgan said was true... Can the feelings she had for her teammate Yuse really be called love?

Should these feelings be called love, or just gratitude?

She didn't know.

She didn't know.

She had never thought about it... and when she did, it felt suffocating.

But... but...

No matter what, the image that always shone in her memory, the one where someone reached out to her with a smile in that dark swamp, treating her like a precious treasure... that gentle smile that made everything else in the world seem dull in comparison... no matter how many years passed, she could never forget.

It was because before this, the terrifying memories in the filthy corpses were so frightening, but at that moment, their first meeting was so beautiful, so dazzling, that... no matter what, that scene would always be etched in her memory, lighting up the rest of her thousands of years of life.

The fairy Mellyuqina was born because of this. In that instant, she gained a heart, gained a form, learned of the heart, of admiration, of unshakable, unescapable love.

And the name Fairy Knight Lancelot came from her yearning to become a knight like Yuse, which was why she wanted to, and was willing to become one.

"...I too, have discovered something special about Yuse..."

After a long silence, Mellyuqina suddenly spoke:

"As someone born from impurity and hatred, my original form, and the place where the dragon remains gave birth to me... were so ugly and ominous, but... Yuse didn't care about those things."

"Even when faced with such an ugly me, even when faced with me struggling like a piece of meat in the dim swamp, when he saw me trying to be born, he still unhesitatingly reached out his hand to me. At that moment, the compassion and kindness he showed were something none of the humans or fairies that passed through the Fairy Kingdom in the past could compare to."

"He's always like that. No matter who it is, as long as he sees that they aren't a truly irredeemable person, if they need help and he can provide it, he will naturally reach out his hand."

"His kindness, his compassion... it's something I've never seen in the Fairy Kingdom in all these years."

"He is truly one of a kind."

Mellyuqina said slowly.

"...Well, that counts as one," Morgan nodded lightly. "Since that's the case, go ahead and continue. Tell me what other shining qualities you've discovered in him over the years."

"He..." At the sound of this, Mellyuqina instinctively wanted to continue speaking, but she quickly realized what was happening and shook her head hard. "No... why should I be drawn into your rhythm? Are you really the one who's correct?"

"Mm?" Morgan raised an eyebrow.

Then, she heard Mellyuqina ask,

"By your logic, doesn't it mean that if someone fulfills all the qualities you've mentioned, you would love them, even if they're not Yuse?"

Mellyuqina raised her head, asking seriously,

"But is that really the case? Would you really fall in love with someone just because of those qualities?"

"..." Behind the veil, Morgan lowered her eyelids but didn't immediately respond.

Predicting her silence, Mellyuqina quickly continued,

"That's not it, right? You love Yuse, not just because of those qualities. While those qualities are enough to make you like someone, they aren't enough for you to love him this deeply."

"You love him because he's not just someone with those qualities. He's someone who walked with you through so many roads and has such a compassionate soul."

"You love his heart, but you don't just love his heart—you love the heart that walked with you through all the storms!"

"Only through experience and qualities together can you truly love someone—am I right?"

At this point, Mellyuqina's confidence grew, and even her eyes seemed to shine again:

"So, if that's the case, what's wrong with me? I love Yuse because he pulled me out of that swamp. What's wrong with that?"

Seeing her speak these words and glare at her fiercely while slowly catching her breath, Morgan paused for a few seconds before finally saying,

"Oh, I'm surprised... you occasionally say something with a bit of intelligence in it."

"But don't think that this means you've convinced me... I know exactly what kind of person you are. I still stand by what I said: if the person who pulled you out of that swamp had been a shiny, but morally ugly guy, you would have still loved him. You're just that kind of blind person."

"However, you are starting to think now, which is a bit of progress."

With that, Morgan leaned back in her throne, lightly crossed her legs, and sighed.

"Since that's the case, just keep acting according to your thoughts... I also want to see what kind of person you'll become."

"Although you've made grave mistakes in the past... fortunately, those were just simulations."

"Though they felt like real dreams... but a dream is just a dream. It doesn't replace reality... well, sometimes it might, but the conditions for that are still a mystery."

"Mm? You don't know?" Mellyuqina was suddenly startled. "Wasn't the Queen Simulator something you created?"

"?" Morgan furrowed her brow in confusion. "What are you thinking?"

"Just by looking at the simulator's current capabilities, it includes perfect calculations and simulations of all things in the world. This ability, though similar to clairvoyance, is much more terrifying. Moreover, it has abilities like world travel, turning illusion into reality, soul implantation, and more... Even with the combined power of the five great laws, it still couldn't do this... If I had this ability, I would have already taken control of the world. Why would I need to be a judge for this broken simulation?"

"I'm just the first player chosen by this simulator... If I'm different from you, it's simply because I got this qualification much earlier than you."

Saying this, Morgan's gaze shifted slightly to her system interface, looking at the initial message that appeared when the simulator reappeared:

["Queen Simulator · Eternal Fairy Paradise 1.0 Official Version" has been loaded.]

[Welcome back, Player ID 001, ID: Morgan]

She remembered... when she first accessed the simulator, the message that appeared wasn't "Welcome back."

And this version, "Eternal Fairy Paradise"... heh, it was ironic.

This so-called simulator... perhaps, it was a forbidden gift.

Though it seemed omnipotent, guiding everyone down the right path to happiness... no one knew what the final outcome would be.

At least, the bitter ending that came when the simulator appeared last time, she didn't want to see again.

—Even if that was through another version of herself's eyes.

"You still have a chance, Mellyuqina. You can still redeem yourself... Although Guiniwell really dislikes you now, with your shameless personality, you'll find a way to pursue him even if he dislikes you."

"If it were any other woman, your actions would only disgust her... but Guiniwell is soft-hearted, so you might really have a chance to make him forgive you."

With a hint of resignation in her voice, Morgan said:

"Go ahead, Mellyuqina. I'll be watching your every move."

"Then just keep watching. I'll show you how I'll take Yuse back... No, his real name is Guiniwell, right? I didn't know that before."

Mellyuqina murmured, then turned and walked towards the door.

But after walking a few steps, she suddenly turned back and looked at Morgan again:

"But before I leave, I have one more question, Morgan."

"What?"

"Why is it that you never participate in the simulation?" Mellyuqina asked. "If the simulator wasn't created by you, why is it that in the simulation, you always manage to do nothing, even when the Fairy Kingdom is destroyed, even when Ba Wansi and Guiniwell die, you remain indifferent?"

"Clearly, in the later stages of the simulation, characters automatically act according to their personalities and the situations formed earlier in the simulation. Many times, even we can't interfere with our own actions in the simulation, right?"

Morgan's expression remained calm, clearly unsurprised by her question:

"...Didn't I tell you? Everything that happens in the simulation is an illusion, like a dream."

"Although these dream-like experiences give us real memories, and the existence of the simulator's heroic spirits can turn the people in those dreams into reality, they are ultimately false... At least, that's how it is for us in this world."

"So, knowing that everything in the simulation is a dream, you can control your actions in the simulation from beginning to end."

"That's why I'm certain that everything in the simulation is false."

"However... even so," Mellyuqina hesitated but still asked, "When you accept those memories, it must still be painful, right?"

"Indeed," Morgan nodded gently. "Accepting those simulated memories is painful."

"Did you refuse the transmission of those memories?" Mellyuqina suddenly thought of something and asked.

"...No, I accepted them."

With a sigh, Morgan said softly:

"Even though those simulations are all fake dreams... we must still take responsibility for our choices. This is something Guiniwell always said, so I still accept the painful memories."

"Then why do you seem so... calm?" Mellyuqina asked.

Thinking back to the painful experience she had when she accepted the simulation memories last time, Mellyuqina felt a chill.

"...Do you think," Morgan whispered, "how many times have I experienced something like this?"

"——"

Mellyuqina was immediately silenced.

"The reason I don't participate in your matters, and why I don't claim Guiniwell for myself, is because of one reason."

Morgan spoke softly:

"Because I've simulated it so many times, I know... if I were with him, he would never have a happy ending, no matter how many times. I think, maybe I'm the root cause of his misfortune."

At this point, Morgan's mind flashed with many images.

These images didn't belong to her memories, but belonged to another version of her. In the past two thousand years, they had turned over countless times in her mind.

The two figures lingering in Orkney were enough to explain everything.

These memories came from the one known as the Demon Empress, the infamous her.

And in those images, there were loyal ministers who had worked themselves to death, brave generals who died on the battlefield, vicious criminals sent to the gallows, young nobles who died young, and kings stabbed to death by traitors on their thrones.

All these people had the same face.

Though their appearances changed with time and experience, they all had the face of Guiniwell.

And the last image in her memory was of a twisted monster hunched on the throne, its appearance distorted like a demon.

Even though she had died hundreds or even thousands of years ago, he still clung to his obsession for her, even more mad and extreme than the crazed, twisted Demon Empress herself.

He was called the "Tyrant of Evil" by those who feared him.

The thoughts stopped there.

"Sometimes, even those false memories, after accumulating enough, will change a person, just like that heartless and detestable woman."

Morgan gently shifted her gaze, then lowered her eyelids, letting out a soft sigh.

It was unclear whether this was said to herself or someone else.

"She thinks, maybe she's the one who brought misfortune to that person."

"As long as he's with her, no matter how many times, that person will never have a good ending."

"He's like a moth to a flame, knowing full well the outcome but never hesitating or retreating."

"He's dazzling, but also heartbreaking."

"So, perhaps, the greatest help she can offer him is to never meet him again, to redeem herself through that."

With a hint of self-mockery about her fate, Morgan slowly said:

"I used to think I was special, that I would be different from her."

"But Yuse died."

"Even though he was stronger than anyone else, even if all enemies combined couldn't defeat him, he still died on the day he was supposed to become king."

"So I think, for me, real love is knowing when to let go."

"——"

While Morgan reminisced, speaking those soliloquies, Mellyuqina remained silent.

Although she didn't know what other simulations Morgan had gone through, aside from the eleven she had experienced, the sudden heaviness of time and years made her feel a bit lonely.

"Mellyuqina,"

She heard Morgan say in the end,

"I look forward to your next actions."

"Don't disappoint me."

"Mm, I understand."

Slowly and earnestly, Mellyuqina nodded and turned toward the door.

—Then turned back again.

"What's wrong?" Seeing her turn again, Morgan furrowed her brow, her sorrow interrupted. "Do you still have a question?"

"No, it's just that I broke the door at the entrance, I can't get through," Mellyuqina scratched her head. "I think I'll have to fly out through the big hole."

"..."

At this, Morgan fell silent for a few seconds.

Finally, she shook her head and said grumpily:

"The cost of repairing the palace will be added to your monthly tribute."

"Now, get out of my palace."