To Become a King and a Magician 801-805

Title: In Short, First Learn How to Take a Hit and Run Away

After breakfast, Aesc left first to handle her tasks. Meanwhile, Naoki—after leaving a bowl of porridge for Totorot—quickly left the house too.

Aesc had various matters to attend to; naturally, Naoki had his own.

At the training ground near Londinium’s coast.

“Huu—!”

When Naoki arrived, he saw Uther swinging a sword.

Despite his childlike appearance, Uther’s swings were standard and stable. His posture didn’t waver.

(Not bad… Far better than the Clock Tower Magus. At least he’s no coward.)

Thinking this, Naoki approached Uther. “Yo, Uther.”

“Brother Merlin?”

Uther turned, sheathed his sword, and ran over. “Good morning. Are we starting combat training? If possible, wait a bit—I need to finish my daily basics first.”

“You do these swings every day?”

“Yes. Master told me to. She said, [No matter how strong a warrior, without solid fundamentals, they’ll never truly be strong.]”

(Aesc said that, huh… Probably from Morgan’s knowledge. For teaching beginners, it’s perfect. And it’s true.)

Strong foundations make learning advanced techniques faster.

“Alright, continue. I’ll watch from the side.”

“Thank you.”

Nodding gratefully, Uther ran back and resumed swinging. While he did, Naoki observed Aesc’s disciple again.

From yesterday’s brief contact, Naoki knew Uther had decent-quality Magic Circuits.

In this Fairy Nation, there were no Magus families. Humans didn’t reproduce naturally—no lineages. Each was produced individually. Thus, every human with Magic Circuits was a First-Generation Magus.

Uther was no exception.

As a First-Generation Magus, his Circuits naturally weren’t exceptional. Naoki’s “decent” was relative to that level—he himself didn’t count. After becoming an Elemental Spirit, his Circuits had changed quality. Who knew what they were now.

If explained, they weren’t even Magic Circuits anymore—more like an Age of Gods return, like Arcueid’s.

Setting that aside, focus stayed on Uther.

Besides decent Circuits for a First-Generation Magus, years of training gave him good fitness and steady breathing… Uther had most qualities a warrior needed.

If he grew normally, he’d likely become an above-average knight.

(But that’s not enough.)

Though a guess, Naoki roughly knew what Aesc wanted him to teach.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

About an hour later.

“Huu~~~~~”

Exhaling deeply, Uther looked at Naoki. “Sorry for the wait, Brother Merlin. I’m done.”

“Yeah, good work…”

Rising from the sofa he’d made with Imaginary Manifestation, Naoki crouched, scooped a handful of pebbles, and weighed them. “This should do… Alright, Uther—while your body’s fully warmed up, let me test you a bit.”

“A test?”

“Aesc asked me to teach you combat—to become a knight. But without knowing your current level, I don’t know where to start. So, let me test your basics first.”

“Meaning… fight you?” Uther swallowed nervously. “I understand.”

Naoki laughed. “Relax, don’t overthink. Use full strength. Don’t worry about hurting me—that’s impossible even if you trained ten thousand years.”

“Alright! Here I come!”

Taking a deep breath, Uther raised his sword and charged, slashing with all his might.

Of course, it missed. But Uther didn’t give up, swinging repeatedly at Naoki.

(As expected…)

Casually dodging, Naoki confirmed his suspicion.

“Uther, have you… ever fought an enemy?”

“N-No!”

In his haste, Uther’s answer wavered.

“Then real combat experience? Fighting another person?”

“Also… no.”

“Until now, Aesc only taught you Magecraft and training methods?”

Uther nodded.

Sighing slightly, Naoki stopped dodging. He lightly parried the wooden sword, then flicked a pebble with his free hand—striking Uther’s forehead precisely.

“Okay, I win.”

Placing a hand on Uther’s shoulder, Naoki scratched his head in frustration. “Looks like I’ll have to teach you from scratch.”

“From scratch?”

“Yes. Because you’ve never fought at all.”

In other words, everything Uther learned was theoretical. He studied formulas but never practiced problems. Zero combat experience. Though he’d swung a sword for years, in real battle, he was a complete novice.

It showed in his movements. He didn’t apply daily training. Like a child, he swung wildly with raw strength—only slightly better than one.

“I’ll teach you combat from zero, Uther. So now—we start with pebble-throwing.”

“Eh?”

Uther—braced for seriousness after Naoki’s words—froze at the second sentence.

Pebble-throwing?

Tossing a pebble, Naoki explained with a laugh. “Uther, do you know the most important thing to consider in battle?”

“Winning?”

“Wrong. Survival.” Naoki tapped Uther’s forehead. “First, survive—then think about winning. Dying before victory is impossible. Winning by sacrificing yourself is meaningless—at least to me.”

“Humans are fragile. Dead, nothing remains. Sacrificing for grand ideals is extreme. Normally, your life is the top priority in battle. Only by surviving can you do anything else.”

“For that, learn to endure and evade.”

Naoki raised a small pebble. “I’ll limit my physical ability to human level and throw these at you. The arena is this training ground. Block with your wooden sword, roll to dodge, or find cover.”

“Basically, do your best to survive ten minutes without me hitting your head or chest—or hitting you three times.”

“That’s the first thing you need to learn. We’ll discuss the rest after you pass this.”

(So this is training to survive in real battles later?)

Uther quickly grasped it.

“I understand, Brother Merlin. Please start—”

*PLAK!*

A pebble hit Uther’s head.

“Okay, you’re dead.” Naoki said, tapping it. “In battle, enemies won’t wait for you to be ready. Always be mentally prepared for a sneak attack.”

“Got it!”

“Then, try again.”

“Got it!”

*PLAK!*

Another pebble struck Uther’s forehead.

(This kid… has a lot to learn.)

-

Title: The Person Who Needs My Help

Training time flew by.

The session, starting around 9 a.m., was halted by Aesc’s arrival at noon. They’d spent a full three hours on evasion and endurance drills.

Seeing Uther covered in pebble marks from Naoki’s throws, Aesc narrowed her eyes and stared silently at Naoki.

(Killing intent!)

In an instant, Naoki felt a knife at his throat.

“I didn’t hit hard. I used normal human strength.” Naoki raised both hands in explanation.

“I know.”

Otherwise, she wouldn’t just glare.

Sighing softly, Aesc placed her hand on Uther. After tracing a few runes with her fingers, Uther—once filthy—became spotless, as if Naoki’s training never happened.

“That’s enough. Go rest. I brought roasted potatoes and water from the dining hall. Eat well, rest, then we’ll start Magecraft training.”

“Yes, Master!”

Bowing slightly to Aesc and Naoki, Uther ran to the training ground’s rest area.

Then Aesc turned to Naoki. “How’s Uther?”

“Well, in four or five years, he’ll be fine.”

“That long?”

“You handed me a complete novice who doesn’t know how to fight. His foundation is solid—no worries there—but Uther has zero combat sense and experience. I have to teach from scratch.”

Naoki explained, “In one morning, his movements got a bit sharper. I only used human-level strength. To make him strong enough to lead humans against fairies, there’s a long road ahead.”

“Thank you for your help.”

“No problem—it’s your request. By the way, have you had lunch?”

Aesc nodded. “Yes, before coming here.”

“What did you eat?”

*GRR—*

Hearing no answer and the growl from her stomach, Naoki knew she hadn’t eaten at all.

No—she probably nibbled. Aesc said she went to the dining hall. With her reputation among humans, they’d prepare food for her. She must’ve taken one or two bites, right?

But after a proper breakfast, switching back to livestock feed would be hard to swallow.

“You… Come on, let’s head back for a bit. I’ll make you something. I’m hungry too, conveniently.”

“Is that okay? …No, no—it’s too much trouble. Besides, I’m a fairy. Eating isn’t that important. I can hold out—”

Before Aesc finished, Naoki grabbed her wrist and pulled her through his room’s door.

Meanwhile, nearby, Uther—eating during his break—looked up.

“Huh? Where’d Master and Brother Merlin go?”

Why did they vanish so fast?

Back at Aesc, Naoki, and Totorot’s house, after half-forcing Aesc to sit at the table, Naoki rolled up his sleeves. “Wait there. I’ll make something simple.”

“Naoki, really—you don’t have to go through this trouble…”

“Just think I made too much and can’t finish it alone, so you’re helping me eat some.”

“Hmm…”

With Naoki putting it that way, Aesc couldn’t argue—and it made sense.

Human food—basically livestock feed—was hard for Naoki to stomach. He could only cook if he wanted to eat, and leftovers couldn’t be wasted.

Aesc felt she could help prevent that.

“Then… I’ll trouble you, Naoki. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

As he spoke, Naoki handled the morning’s leftover ingredients and started cooking. With limited supplies, options were few.

(Since Aesc teaches Uther this afternoon, I should go out for more ingredients then. I remember wild animals in this Fairy Nation, right?)

Though they might be Phantasmal Species like Divine Beasts, meat was still meat. He’d also need edible plants.

(Why am I turning into Shennong?)

Naoki thought, stirring the pot.

Meanwhile, watching Naoki’s back, Aesc recalled some of Morgan’s memories.

She received them 3,600 years ago. So much time blurred the details, but seeing Naoki brought the hazy parts back.

At the same time, Aesc realized something she hadn’t felt in ages.

She was being taken care of by Naoki.

The last time was her childhood, lovingly cared for by the long-gone Rain Clan. After their annihilation, Aesc—starting her journey as Savior and pilgrimage—never had anyone care for her again.

Instead, she always cared for others—fairies, Britain, this world.

Her status and power as Savior meant no one needed to care for her, and no one thought to.

But before Naoki…

“Naoki.”

“Yes? What’s up?”

“This might be sudden… How do you see me?”

His hands paused. Naoki turned. “Why ask that all of a sudden?”

“Your attitude toward me is something I’ve never experienced. For someone meeting you for the first time, I want to know why you trust me unconditionally and do all this. It must be because of your impression of me, right?”

“Ah, that…”

Naoki turned back.

“The person who needs my help.”

“Just that?”

“How else do you want me to see you?” Naoki counted on his fingers. “When we met, you asked for my help. I carried you home drunk last night. I made you breakfast, and now lunch—Basically, I’m always helping you.”

“To others, you might be the worshiped Savior, the invincible strongest Paradise Fairy—but to me, you’re just a woman who needs my help.”

*PLAK!*

Placing a rice bowl before Aesc, Naoki sat across from her. “There, eat. This afternoon I’ll scout for more ingredients. Look forward to dinner.”

Aesc was certain.

In Naoki’s eyes, she wasn’t the Savior or the mission-bearing Paradise Fairy.

To him, she was just an ordinary woman who needed his help.

“Yes. I’m looking forward to it. Thank you, Naoki.”

-

Title: A Call from the North

The supply shortage in Britain was just as Naoki had imagined.

After all, the entire Isle of Britain was piled atop fairy corpses. The original continent had long been annihilated by Sefar. Naturally, no species from that world remained.

On this Isle of Britain, there were no living creatures Naoki recognized.

At least not yet.

“In the end, this is all I managed to harvest.”

In a forest far from Londinium, Naoki leaned against a crate stuffed with edible plants, sighing softly.

After lunch with Aesc—who was inexplicably in a good mood—he’d gone hunting. Yet after nearly half the afternoon, this was his haul. Though he knew improving food supplies couldn’t happen in a day, he was still shocked at how scarce Britain’s wild resources were.

Not a single wild animal!

Sefar’s execution back then wasn’t just civilization’s destruction—it was a mass extinction of all life on Earth! And the fairies had truly survived on fruits alone for over ten thousand years?

(Come to think of it, the “food” humans eat in Londinium is just ground grains mixed together. The proudest thing is wine… This world is truly steeped in despair in a way.)

Fairies didn’t need to eat, so they never thought to make tasty food or seek edible options.

Humans were mere tools—infinitely producible parts. No need to give them good food. Discard the dead, produce new ones.

As a result of all this, Britain had become a food desert… No, an utterly undeveloped region. Not even edible meat!

“Sigh… Luckily, various grains still exist. Wild vegetables could be cultivated into agriculture. Going forward, I need to promote vegetables more.”

“As for the most important meat…”

Even Imaginary Manifestation couldn’t create animals from nothing. This was one of the few things Naoki couldn’t do.

The Fairy Nation had originally become a Singularity. But Naoki figured it was likely due to Aesc burning the Fantasy Tree’s Mana, turning the Lostbelt into a Singularity and connecting it to Pan-Human History—triggering the change.

This Lostbelt no longer had a Fantasy Tree.

“Haaah… I’ll think of something else later. If that fails, I’ll just make grains or something mimic meat texture. For now, I should bring these back.”

Thinking this, Naoki patted the crate beside him. He lifted it with wind and flew into the sky with it.

At altitude, Naoki surveyed the Isle of Britain below. The first thing he saw was the massive hole in the island’s center, far away.

“Cernunnos…”

The Celtic Horned God, poisoned by the six primordial fairies. His remains now lay deep in that great pit, continuously emanating a powerful curse.

In fact, the Calamities every hundred years and Great Calamities every thousand were results of Cernunnos’s curse.

Poisoned by the six fairies, his shamans slain by them too, Cernunnos—furious and duty-bound—continued cursing the fairies to this day.

“A curse… Yet you still protect the fairies, Cernunnos.”

Naoki knew that beneath the pit where Cernunnos lay—deeper still—lurked a greater disaster always seeking to destroy Britain: the Hellworm.

Or as it could be called, Vortigern.

In the Sixth Singularity, Naoki had faced a parallel Arthur-world Vortigern. It was Britain’s self-destruct mechanism—born with Britain, the final individual fated to bring its ruin.

Naoki and Aesc’s greatest enemy.

As long as they wanted to save this island, they absolutely could not let the Hellworm escape from the pit’s depths. The most direct way was to keep Cernunnos’s corpse pinning it down.

Or—

“Go destroy the Hellworm right now.”

If the target was set as the curse-filled Cernunnos and Britain-destroying Hellworm, the Holy Sword should unleash at maximum power.

However… If Naoki remembered correctly, even a simultaneous strike from twelve Holy Swords forged by Altria Caster’s sacrifice only managed to gouge a massive hole in Cernunnos’s body.

Whether his sword could annihilate both Cernunnos and the Hellworm together was hard to say.

“Forget it. There shouldn’t be issues now. No need to disrupt this stable situation.”

With that thought, Naoki prepared to return to Londinium with the large crate—when a strange sensation suddenly came from afar.

It was farther than the great pit, from the north of Britain—a resonance-like feeling.

It wasn’t strong—faint, even. Unnoticeable unless focused on. Had its intensity not suddenly spiked, Naoki wouldn’t have sensed it.

“That direction, if I’m not mistaken… the Lake District?”

Focusing Mana into his eyes, drastically enhancing his vision, Naoki immediately saw the lake area near Britain’s northern tip. Aside from the farther-north Orkney Isles, the Lake District was essentially Britain’s northernmost point.

And speaking of the Lake District in this Fairy Nation, what came to mind was—

“The remnants of Dragon Albion, the Mirror Clan based there, and… the King Clan.”

The sensation was too faint for Naoki to pinpoint exactly. From the direction, all three mentioned were possible.

After gazing at the distant north and back at his crate, Naoki sighed.

“I should bring these back first. I’ll be here a long time anyway. I can go there sooner or later—but food in Londinium can’t wait.”

At the very least, for Aesc’s sake, Naoki didn’t want her reverting to livestock feed just because he was late.

-

Title: Heading North? A Trip for Two!

Naoki returned to Londinium at dusk, as the sun nearly dipped below the sea horizon.

Landing at the city gate with a large crate of wild edibles, under the astonished gazes of many humans, Naoki was about to carry it inside when Aesc ran to the gate.

Seeing Naoki with the big crate, Aesc paused slightly. “That’s the food you found outside?”

“Yes. I’ve tasted everything—it’s all edible. I’ll teach the dining hall folks how to process it later. But unfortunately, no wild animals in Britain at all. For meat, we’ll need another way.”

Most of what Naoki brought were mushrooms, fruits, and wild vegetables. Though differing from Pan-Human History, items like mushrooms, tomatoes, beans, bamboo shoots, and such were available. Wild greens too.

“Thank you for your hard work, Merlin.”

“No problem. Speaking of, weren’t you teaching Uther Magecraft this afternoon? Why are you here?”

“I just felt you were almost back, so I came to see. I gave Uther some tasks—he’ll finish around evening.” Aesc explained. “Need help carrying those?”

“No, I’ve got it.”

Naoki lifted the crate and walked into Londinium. Aesc quickly followed.

Behind them, humans near the gate—and inside the city—froze in place.

“That’s… the Savior and the guy she brought back yesterday, right?”

“The Savior said he’s her new comrade.”

“Like the Fairy Knight?”

“Is he a fairy?”

“By the way, the vibe between the Savior and that guy feels kinda weird, huh?”

“Yeah. Like you can’t butt in. I even wanted to talk to the Savior about some stuff earlier.”

Various human voices echoed behind Naoki and Aesc.

Hearing them, Naoki couldn’t help frowning. “The vibe between us seems weird?”

“Really?” Aesc looked a bit puzzled. “I think how I interact with you is normal. Isn’t this how we act privately?”

“True… Then what’s weird about it?”

“I don’t know either.”

Aesc shook her head.

But she might have a slight idea.

In Morgan’s memories, there were experiences traveling with Naoki.

Memories of Naoki and a parallel-world Arthur visiting Morgan in Glastonbury. The three—plus Mordred—strolling around.

The atmosphere then felt similar to now. A familiar sense in her recollections.

After reaching the dining hall, handing the two-person-tall crate to the manager, and explaining processing and cooking methods one by one—

“Aesc, got free time now?” Naoki asked. “A few things to discuss. About the Great Pit and the northern region.”

The Great Pit.

The North.

To Aesc, these were unignorable keys. She dropped her somewhat relaxed expression. “Let’s go home. Better not discuss this outside.”

“Alright.”

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

Inside the house.

Living room.

Upon return, Naoki briefly explained the Great Pit situation and the faint mysterious resonance from the north.

By the way, Totorot was there too.

Unlike Naoki and Aesc, Totorot had lounged at home all day. According to her, Naoki’s new house is too comfy. This thing called a sofa—I sink in and don’t wanna leave!

Since she usually traveled outside, and this was a rare return, Aesc let Totorot do as she pleased.

After Naoki’s explanation, Aesc fell silent briefly.

“I agree with your view on the Great Pit, Cernunnos, and the Hellworm.”

Morgan’s memories covered this. As a major Fairy Britain issue, Aesc remembered clearly. At this stage, her thoughts aligned with Naoki’s. With the Hellworm suppressed by Cernunnos and unable to rampage, keep it stable for now.

Solve minor issues first, then tackle this seriously.

Currently, that meant waiting until the human-fairy war ended and achieving equal coexistence.

“As for the northern resonance you mentioned… I don’t know anything about it.”

“I see. Then I’ll make time to investigate there myself.”

Whether Albion Dragon remnants, the Mirror Clan’s Lake District, or the King Clan’s Edinburgh—Naoki felt he had to go.

After all, a meteor dragon lingered in Albion’s remains. Though early, knowing it, Naoki had no reason not to extract it—preventing that bitch Aurora from stealing it later.

If Melusine fairy was kidnapped now, the Mirror Clan might avoid the Rain Clan’s fate of annihilation. Plus, a clan that could all predict the future—who knows what key info he’d get.

As for the King Clan…

“Aesc, do you think we need to involve the King Clan… Edinburgh in the human-fairy war?” Naoki asked. “From my memory, it’s the only region basically achieving human-fairy coexistence? They even fall in love.”

“True.” Aesc nodded slightly. “But that was about 1,600 years ago. I don’t know Edinburgh’s current state. Whether to intervene can only be decided after going… I think at least one or two months from now.”

Londinium had many matters. Just developments needed time.

Naoki smiled. “No problem. Aesc, follow your plans. I’m not rushing. Just letting you know.”

“After your affairs are done, we’ll head north.”

“Yes.”

-

Title: Half a Year

After that, Naoki’s life in the Fairy Nation gradually stabilized.

Every morning, he trained Uther in combat—starting from basics, slowly turning him into a warrior.

In the afternoons, after handing off to Aesc, he acted as Londinium’s Chief Logistics Officer. With high mobility, he flew outside to forage edible ingredients.

Of course, not daily—basically once a week. On off-days, he stayed with the cooking staff, teaching Pan-Human History culinary knowledge to the locals.

Long dominated by fairies, humans in this Lostbelt had no cooking concept. Roasting over fire or boiling in water was their “cooking.” Luckily, they knew basic tools like pots and spatulas.

To change this and improve Londinium’s food, Naoki became a cooking instructor. On non-foraging afternoons, he taught in the grand kitchen.

No spices existed here. Fortunately, raw spice-like materials from Pan-Human History were available. After two dedicated days searching outside, Naoki prepared basic seasonings.

Thanks to this, Londinium’s food standards rose almost daily. From initial grain mush akin to livestock feed, it now neared normal large-portion meals. Still lacking, but at least the minimum for normal humans.

It was like building a primitive tribe in another world while farming!

Yet despite Londinium’s rapid food improvements, Naoki personally prepared three meals for Aesc, Totorot, and Hector—especially Aesc.

She’d appear at the communal hall, try the day’s food, then return home for Naoki’s portions.

Between Ordinary and Delicious, Aesc followed her body’s preferences.

Mornings training Uther, afternoons teaching cooking or foraging, evenings finding something to do—this was Naoki’s routine in Londinium.

Time passed swiftly.

Unknowingly, Naoki had lived in Londinium for half a year.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

“Haa!”

Morning at the breezy training ground.

Wooden sword in hand, Uther sparred with Naoki as usual.

Unlike the inexperienced child half a year ago, Uther had been forged by Naoki—from initial evasion drills to enduring hits, now attacking practice.

Though Naoki used only human-level strength, Uther’s training was grueling. Covered in pebble marks, beaten immobile in endurance sessions, toyed with in attacks unable to land effectively…

For Uther, this half-year was likely the toughest ever. The result: he was utterly different now.

Naoki once had human knights spar Uther—he won one in ten matches. Past Uther wouldn’t win any. Plus, at twelve, his future was long.

*PLAK!*

Blocking Uther’s strike with his wooden sword, Naoki raised a hand to stop. “Alright, that’s it for today.”

“Huu~~~~”

Sighing in relief, Uther sheathed his sword. “Thank you for today’s guidance, Brother Merlin. Please continue tomorrow.”

“Ah… Tomorrow might not work. Or for about a month. I’m heading far with Aesc.”

“Eh?”

Uther was surprised. “So sudden? Leaving tomorrow?”

Naoki shook his head. “No, today. After lunch soon, Aesc and I depart. Heading north this time.”

North.

Uther had never been. He’d heard bits from Aesc, but southern and northern fairies never got along—plus the King Clan clashed with the five southern great clans—little info circulated.

“So far. What for?”

“The human-fairy war heats up, but only against the five southern clans. The northern King Clan hasn’t stated a stance. Aesc plans to check and negotiate.”

Naoki explained.

“As for me, I want the Lake District. Curious things there, and the Mirror Clan… Well, you wouldn’t understand if I explained.”

Ruffling Uther’s head, Naoki smiled. “Anyway, today’s training done. Aesc and I leave this afternoon, so afternoon Magecraft is canceled. Stay disciplined while we’re gone. Don’t slack. If I return and you’re weaker…”

*PLAK!*

Feeling Naoki’s firm grip on his shoulder, Uther nodded quickly. “Got it, Brother Merlin! I’ll train seriously!”

“Good. Go eat. I need to prepare lunch for Aesc, Totorot, and Hector. See you in a month, maybe.”

“Yes. Safe travels, Brother Merlin.”

Uther hurried off the training ground.

Soon after, Aesc appeared before Naoki.

“Where’s Uther?”

“Just left for lunch. All your affairs settled?”

Aesc nodded. “Yes, arranged big and small for the next month. Appointed a deputy. Londinium internals should be fine till we return.”

“Great. Let’s head home. I’ll make you lunch. After eating, when Hector’s back from the workshop, we’ll depart for the Lake District. Fairy horse carriage, or should I fly us?”

“About that…” Aesc paused. “Considering Londinium’s defense, I want Totorot and Hector to stay.”

“So… just us two?”

“Yes.”