Chapter 526: Riezel’s Respect
Soon after a brief exchange, Da Vinci once again performed a physical examination on Riezel, but this time, the results left her amazed for quite some time.
"Your bodily functions have completely recovered. Mind response is at its peak, and your magical energy is fully restored. You can get out of bed now—honestly, you could even fight again without any issue."
It had only been one night, and yet Riezel’s body, which should have required two or three days of rest to recover, had returned to a perfect state as if nothing had happened before.
It was truly astonishing.
Even with magecraft to aid healing and recovery, such speed was almost frightening.
Because of this, the way Da Vinci looked at Riezel changed, as if she had found something exceptionally fascinating.
It went without saying that this so-called universal genius had become interested in Riezel’s body and now felt an urge to study it.
Under Da Vinci’s gaze, one that seemed intent on dissecting him, Riezel gradually felt a bit uneasy.
Fortunately, Artoria woke up just in time and, to some extent, stopped Da Vinci.
"You’re awake?! How do you feel?! Are you uncomfortable anywhere?!"
Artoria immediately rushed over to Riezel and fired off a rapid string of questions, nearly overwhelming him.
"I’m fine. Don’t worry."
Riezel could only hold down this fairy girl to calm her.
"Well, I’ll go let everyone know."
Knowing when to leave, Da Vinci excused herself to inform the others that Riezel had awakened.
Because of this, before long, the carriage pulled over, and one after another, people entered Riezel’s carriage, filling it up.
"It’s really great that you’re awake, Mr. Riezel."
Mash spoke with heartfelt relief.
"Not bad—you woke up even faster than I thought."
Oberon also spoke up with a smile.
Tristan did not come in, apparently standing guard outside and looking after the still-unconscious Ritsuka.
Riezel, ignoring the always-grinning Oberon, turned to Mash.
"Sorry for making you all worry." Riezel said with a smile. "It looks like you really got your memory back."
Compared to before, Mash seemed clearly different.
Previously, due to her lost memories, Mash had felt like a pure, unblemished blank slate. Her eyes and expressions often showed a hint of confusion, and she seemed so naive that just a few tricks could convince her of anything, giving off a distinct impression of someone inexperienced in the world.
Now, though Mash still seemed pure, she occasionally revealed a firm resolve in her eyes that let others know this girl was gentle on the outside but strong within.
Needless to say, this was the true Demi-Servant of Chaldea—Mash Kyrielight, who had already restored several Singularities and helped cut down multiple Lostbelts.
Moreover, this girl clearly had not forgotten her experiences with Riezel, as her gaze toward him now was even more trusting than Da Vinci’s.
"It’s all thanks to Mr. Riezel." Mash hurriedly bowed in gratitude, speaking sincerely. "You didn’t just save me, you saved Master and Da Vinci as well."
If not for Riezel, Ritsuka would have died, and they too would have suffered against Koyanskaya and faced annihilation, so Mash truly felt grateful to Riezel.
Of course, Riezel did not see it that way.
"Frankly, the reason I saved you all was simply because you’re our potential allies. We can help each other, so we made a point to go to the Nameless Forest to find you." Riezel said calmly. "As for that fox, if it weren’t for us, you probably wouldn’t have encountered her in the first place."
Koyanskaya had obviously come together with Baobhan Sith and Beryl Gut, and both of them had come for Riezel and Artoria.
In other words, their true target was Riezel and Artoria, not Chaldea’s group.
In the end, it was Riezel and the others who had dragged Chaldea into this, so Chaldea didn’t actually owe them anything.
However, the others did not see it that way.
"Tamamo Vitch Koyanskaya and Beryl Gut were our enemies from the start. Even if you weren’t here, they’d come after us sooner or later." Da Vinci shook her head. "Thankfully, you were with us. If it had been just us facing them, we would’ve been in real trouble."
Hearing this, even Oberon could not help but sigh.
"Who would have thought that even an Evil of Humanity would show up? Faerie Britain really is plagued with disaster, huh..."
Not only Oberon, but even Artoria could not help but speak up.
"Has Chaldea always fought against things like that?"
Recalling the terrifying monster she had seen the night before, Artoria still could not quite believe that such a being actually existed.
Even worse, according to Da Vinci and the others, that monster was only a juvenile.
If even a juvenile was already so frightening, just how terrifying would an adult be?
Artoria could not even imagine it.
Frankly speaking, compared to that terrifying being, Morgan, whom Artoria had always seen as a monstrous threat, suddenly did not seem so intimidating.
Just thinking about how Chaldea had been fighting against such beings all along made Artoria feel as if her own burdensome mission was not so bad after all.
However, Mash and Da Vinci did not feel any pride over this.
"We’ve only made it this far not just by relying on ourselves, but also thanks to the help of so many others."
Mash seemed to recall the past, her face showing a touch of sadness and nostalgia.
"Many Servants, countless heroes, all kinds of people and other beings have lent us a hand—that’s why we’ve come this far." Da Vinci smiled as she spoke. "On this journey, if even one person hadn’t helped us, or if we’d taken even a single wrong step, Chaldea would have ceased to exist."
At Mash and Da Vinci’s words, Artoria and Oberon might have remained indifferent, but Riezel, who knew the original work well, felt this sentiment deeply.
Thinking back, Chaldea’s journey had indeed always been full of hardships and difficulties. It was like walking a tightrope, except what lay below was not just an abyss, but an endless, dark abyss.
If they made even one wrong move, the result would be total annihilation—a fate where everyone would be dragged into hell together, or worse, all of Proper Human History would be pulled down with them.
Because they understood this, neither Mash nor Da Vinci ever felt proud of Chaldea’s many achievements.
They knew very well that their success was built upon countless sacrifices, endless luck, and the help of so many others—it was not just Chaldea’s own strength.
"You two shouldn’t put yourselves down like that." Riezel looked Mash and Da Vinci straight in the eye. "At the very least, I can tell you for sure—if it weren’t for you, Proper Human History would have already been wiped out long ago."
In the end, the outcome was all that mattered.
Chaldea had, again and again, saved Proper Human History, saved the world—that was an undeniable fact.
For that reason, Riezel truly respected Chaldea.
Artoria, who could sense this, grew even more curious about Chaldea, since this was her first time sensing a feeling like respect from within Riezel’s body.
In this Faerie Britain, Riezel had always looked down on most of the fairies, even showing outright contempt. Even to allies like Oberon and Aurora, his attitude toward them remained cold and indifferent.
Only toward Chaldea did Riezel show anything that could be called friendliness for the first time, which made Artoria see Chaldea in a new light as well.
On top of that, during these past two days, Artoria had never sensed any malice from Chaldea’s group, so she genuinely felt goodwill toward them and believed they were trustworthy.
At the very least, they were far more reliable than the smiling, smooth-talking Oberon, who would immediately hide at the first sign of danger.
Right then, the smooth-talking and completely unreliable Oberon spoke up at just the right moment.
"Looking at you all, it seems like we’re going to get along just fine. No need to worry about whether we can work together or not."
Oberon sounded genuinely relieved.
"Even though I’ve asked before, let me just confirm one more time. You’re both sure you want to act together with us, right?"
His question made Mash and Da Vinci exchange a glance before nodding in unison.
"Our goal is to prevent Proper Human History from collapsing, so since Morgan is the root of the collapse, we have to defeat her and become enemies of the queen who rules this Lostbelt." Da Vinci said, shrugging. "Since that’s the case, teaming up with you all, who also plan to defeat her, is naturally the best choice for us."
"Master still hasn’t woken up, but I think he wouldn’t oppose working with all of you." Mash said very seriously. "Morgan has ruled Britain for 2,000 years and is the king of this Lostbelt. She’s probably connected to the Crypters as well, which means we have to defeat her and let the true king take the throne."
As she said this, Mash glanced at Artoria.
Now that her memories had returned, Mash recognized Artoria at once.
Artoria’s appearance was truly identical to King Arthur of Proper Human History, the very same legendary king to whom Galahad, who once entrusted his power to Mash, had pledged his loyalty.
After learning of Artoria’s identity, Mash herself felt a sense of disbelief, let alone Tristan, who now didn’t even dare to face Artoria.
Mash also did not doubt that Artoria was the true king of Britain.
After all, Artoria was supposed to be the king of Britain.
"Then it’s settled!"
Oberon clapped his hands and announced with a smile.
"Chaldea will officially join us and travel with us from now on."
"For now, let’s head to the port city of Norwich and meet the lord there."
"Let’s hope we can ring the Bell of Pilgrimage there."
At Oberon’s words, everyone nodded one after another.
Only Artoria remained silent for a long time.