"Hello, excuse me—do you happen to know someone named Guinevere? He's supposed to be a guard here in Salisbury, like you."
"No, I don't think so… Well, he only just arrived in Salisbury not long ago, so it's normal I don't know him. Sorry for bothering you; I'll ask someone else."
"You know him? That's great—do you know where he's on duty? I need to talk to him…"
"Um, you want to know why?… Right, it's his lover—no, not lover, his would-be lover… That sounds too arrogant. Let's just say someone admires him and wants to meet him."
"Oh? He's not on duty today? That's a shame. Sorry to bother you…"
This is awful. Totally awful.
Clutching her chosen staff, Altria dashed around Salisbury, asking every guard where Guinevere might be. She'd been so absorbed in that dreamlike story unfolding in the simulator that she hadn't slept all night. Only when the sun was almost up and the simulator went into maintenance did she collapse into bed—then naturally overslept. By the time she woke, it was already after noon, heading into afternoon. She'd never been so late before; missing her chance to meet Guinevere would be disastrous! This might be the most important turning point in her short life so far—she'd messed up so many things before, but this was one thing she absolutely could not miss!
Thinking that, Altria didn't even bother fixing her appearance. She grabbed her luggage and hurried off to Salisbury. But he was nowhere to be found. Unlike in so many simulations, this time she couldn't locate Guinevere on duty.
Panicking, she tried to figure out how to salvage the situation. Just then, she overheard the guard she'd just asked muttering something.
"Wait—what did you say just now? That useless excuse for a guard only deserves someone worthless like that faerie… Retract that! I won't object if you call me useless, but I won't let anyone slander him!"
Altria spun around and glared at the guard. Come to think of it, in the fourth simulation she'd stirred up a ruckus by hitting a Salisbury guard, and Guinevere had rushed over to intervene. Maybe this time she should cause a scene again!
Her staff twitched, ready to smite the guard.
"That country faerie really dares to talk back. Like I said, Guinevere's garbage—"
Before he finished, Altria's staff cracked down, knocking him flat on his back, his face swelling. Fellow guards jeered; clearly no one intended to help this "Todd," just enjoying the spectacle.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"
Todd rolled to his feet, face contorted, about to draw his sword. Just then, a hand grabbed his shoulder and a young man's face appeared close:
"Oh, isn't that Todd? Why's your face all swollen? What happened? Calm down, don't be hasty!"
Todd saw who it was and cooled off immediately:
"Oberon? You're here in Salisbury?"
"Just popping in for afternoon tea with Lady Aurora. She asked for some interesting gossip, so I'm gathering stories. Or did you want your defeat-by-girl moment to be part of her entertainment today?"
With Oberon intervening and invoking Lady Aurora's name, Todd could only suppress his anger and slink back to his post, clutching his bruised face under mocking stares. Oberon then turned to Altria:
"Well, that was bold. First thing in Salisbury, you punch a guard. Should I admire your spirit or call you reckless like a wild boar? Planning war on Salisbury, Seer?"
Altria instinctively shrank back and protested quietly:
"But… but Oberon, he was insulting Guinevere!"
Oberon raised an eyebrow:
"So… who's Guinevere?"
"…Ah." Only then did Altria realize this person wasn't the Oberon she'd known in all those simulations. In reality, they didn't know each other, and he didn't know Guinevere at all. But the simulator-memory made her overlook that.
"How do you know my name? I haven't introduced myself," Altria asked.
Oberon grinned awkwardly:
"You didn't? Uh… that guard called my name just now…"
Altria stammered, "And well, you're the famous 'Loan King' Oberon—I've heard of you…"
Oberon blushed a bit:
"Is my reputation that widespread? Anyway, let's drop that. We have business: I'm here to help you start your journey, Seer."
"Oh!" Altria slapped her forehead. "I remember now! I know where Guinevere lives. Oberon, come with me to his place—I have to invite him into my party."
"…So again, who is Guinevere?" Oberon asked.
Meanwhile, Guinevere was on his way to the Great Cathedral. This time, he truly intended to run away.
Having finally accepted his own limits—and knowing Altria would soon arrive in Salisbury—he decided he had to leave. The simulator's value showed here: it let you see the future outcome of choices so you could avoid unsuitable paths. Guinevere's choice was to avoid meeting Altria from the start. He'd already walked that journey in the sim and knew its tragic end.
—It was terrible. Letting Altria sacrifice herself to forge the holy sword for those faeries was awful. That girl, after being cruelly treated by that worthless faerie race for years and despising them and this kingdom deep in her heart… still chose to give everything to save their doomed nation—all just so he could live safely. What was that?
The sim's final summary—"You were her irreplaceable support," "You witnessed her final fate"—felt like a knife in his gut. He couldn't accept Altria dying for those faeries. From his perspective, the only fitting solution would be to slaughter them all; this race was full of sinful souls, unworthy of life except for rare exceptions. But in the simulator, by late stages many choices became unplayer-controlled. At the end, after Merlin's persuasion in the sim, Guinevere wanted to curse and slaughter the faeries, but the sim insisted his character had to save them. Ridiculous—he'd have been kicked from the "Play Guinevere" contest for OOC behavior. But despite frustration, he knew: once everything was laid out and he bore her final wish, he truly couldn't go against her to destroy the faerie kingdom.
So he reluctantly accepted it. He now knew his true nature: an ordinary mortal. On reflection, he spotted a bug in the sim: those hellish trials (like "Star-Chasing Knight") relied on the player overriding pain. In reality, no higher-world Guinevere would step in to let him avoid agony. He'd never endure that torture. So why not abandon that impossible, awful path from the start? Even though that meant giving up meeting Altria, he wouldn't change that choice. Better she focus on her own wish without worrying about Guinevere's fate.
Practically, he still needed his guard job. Life goes on. After hiding for a few days until Altria left Salisbury on her journey, he'd return and resume his post. Before running away, he had to request leave—people need to eat.
So he braced himself and went to the Great Cathedral to find his superior. But in Captain Coral's office, he found another faerie: a pink-haired Wind Clan faerie.
"Human… you want leave from Salisbury? Reason?" she asked.
"Um… a childhood friend, very close, fell seriously ill. I must leave Salisbury to care for him in Gloucester… I hope Lady Coral will grant my request," Guinevere said carefully, bowing. He vaguely remembered her—in the sim's chaotic Salisbury raid, he'd kicked her aside when storming toward Aurora's place—but real-life he lacked the strength or cheek. In front of this powerful faerie, he treaded lightly.
After eyeing him, Coral frowned:
"You're the Guinevere Lady Tristan asked for? You're requesting leave to run away?"
Coral recalled earlier that morning Fairy Knight Tristan had come looking for Guinevere by name. Her brow tightened as she considered his answer…