Crazy Britain:They’re All Raising Me

Was it really necessary to go this far?

As she once again locked onto their location from the sky, that thought flickered briefly through Melusine's mind before she descended.

But even that fleeting hesitation was quickly cast aside.

—It had to be done.

Both Bavanzi and Gawain had to die.

She had never liked Morgan's daughter.

Foolish. Arrogant. Ignorant. Reckless. Addicted to bloodshed.

Previously, Bavanzi's madness was at most limited to slaying a few ministers during court or stirring up chaos within her own territory—things like her so-called "National Theatre of Slaughter." These antics had never truly affected Melusine, and for Morgan's sake, she'd always turned a blind eye.

But after Morgan went missing, this idiot with no one to rein her in had only grown more lawless.

Twice now, Melusine had watched her plunge all of Britain into the abyss. Twice, she'd witnessed mass slaughters sweeping the entire land, cities reduced to mountains of corpses and rivers of blood. She could no longer stand idly by.

According to what Morgan once told her, Uther—her beloved—would return in 2400 years. She didn't know what form he would take upon his return. Would he be reborn as a new human on some human farm? Would he be fragile at first? Vulnerable to any number of disasters?

Humans were pathetically frail like that. They often died in silence, in places you never thought to look.

And the catastrophes those two executioners kept unleashing could easily drag Uther into their wake, getting him killed again… She'd already witnessed Britain reduced to scorched earth twice. No matter how hard she searched, she couldn't find a trace of Uther among the handful of survivors.

She would not lose her beloved again. She couldn't.

That's why both Bavanzi and Gawain had to die.

Granted, Gawain was an exceptional human. If he were to complete the pilgrimage with the Child of Prophecy and become Britain's new king, he could indeed replace the missing Morgan and restore order to the ever-chaotic Fairy Kingdom…

But precisely because he was so exceptional, Melusine found him intolerable.

His growth was far too rapid—so fast it unnerved even her. In just one year, he'd risen from a nameless commoner to someone she couldn't defeat even after forsaking her knighthood and reverting to her monstrous dragon form.

And that wasn't even the scariest part.

From high in the sky, when she'd seen the forest ravaged by the Guardian, and then watched as Gawain defeated that creature—what she felt was a deep chill in her heart.

It had only been two days since she last saw him—and already he'd grown this much stronger? Faster even than the "Blood Tyrant" in that other timeline. As if the laws of the world held no meaning for him at all.

Such terrifying talent and speed of growth… though she hated to admit it, he might even surpass her dear Uther.

She'd even considered the possibility that this human called Gawain was Uther, reborn in Britain. But they were far too different—appearance, build, hair color, even the unique aura of their souls—completely unrelated.

And even with the eyes that were meant to see the future, she couldn't glimpse any connection between him and herself—no shared past, no shared destiny.

Of course he wasn't Uther.

So, to ensure that the disasters he might trigger wouldn't touch Uther, Melusine had to eliminate him first.

Yes, he was currently traveling with the Child of Prophecy and Bavanzi. There was a chance—however slim—that he might be guided down the right path in the future…

But Melusine couldn't afford to gamble.

She couldn't sit by and let him become a monster she couldn't stop, only to watch him choose later whether to rule or annihilate.

Bavanzi had said more than once that this Gawain despised fairies and loathed the current Fairy Kingdom.

In that case, for the sake of the kingdom—for the sake of making this a place where Uther could grow up in peace—she would eliminate every threat.

With that resolve, Melusine raised her twin scabbards and swung them down. Cloaked in brilliant blue mana, they became blades of terrifying sharpness as they slashed toward Gawain.

No mercy. Her intent was clear: kill.

But this time—unexpectedly—her strike was blocked.

Just barely, but blocked nonetheless. Gawain immediately retreated, and with a spinning motion of his sword, he parried the blow. He had defended himself.

Impossible.

Melusine's eyes widened in disbelief.

He'd grown again in just this short time?

While she stood there stunned, attacks from Artoria and Bavanzi rained down. A magic bomb flew in, followed immediately by a crimson mana arrow that detonated it. The resulting explosion hurled Melusine's body backward.

On the other side, Gawain too stood stunned. He could feel it—power flowing through his limbs far greater than anything he'd felt before.

What the hell… Why do I suddenly feel so much stronger?

Dazed, he quickly pulled up his status window:

Player ID: Gawain

Active Buffs:

March of Valor: Grow Stronger Against the Strong

Blessing of the Sword Fairy

March of Valor: Grow Stronger Against the Strong — You have encountered a foe far stronger than yourself. This passive is activated. All combat stats +1 rank. Additionally, due to the overwhelming difference in Endurance and Mana, those stats are boosted by an extra +1 rank.

Blessing of the Sword Fairy — From your ally, Artoria Cast, Luck +1 rank.

Current Stats:

Strength: C

Agility: B

Endurance: C

Mana: C

Luck: A

Gawain's eyes popped wide open.

Holy crap, that's how it works?

He'd thought this "March of Valor" was just flavor text—a growth buff with no real in-combat effect. But it actually granted boosts? Six full ranks across multiple stats?

A Gallic spearman would've nodded in approval—clever design.

In that case…

Gawain straightened his back with newfound confidence.

Don't underestimate his ten thousand rounds of sparring with Faelan! The moment her waist twisted, Gawain could already tell what move she'd use next.

He used to lose simply because of the overwhelming stat gap… but now that gap had narrowed, and with endless practice behind him—how could he not rise to the occasion?

He swiped his hand across his broken sword. Flames roared to life, and a fiery projection of a new blade took shape—black, red, and white, interwoven into one massive greatsword.

Sure, the original was shattered—but that didn't matter. Now that his Heavenly Flame Judgment projection was at Rank A, any blade could serve as its vessel. The sword's power would not falter.

"Come then—Fairy Knight Lancelot," Gawain said coldly.

"Let me witness the valor of Britain's strongest fairy!"

"..."

But in response to Gawain's challenge, Melusine did not answer.

Instead, she murmured to herself, inaudible to anyone else:

"He's stronger again…"

"How can this be… How can he grow so fast?"

Then she clenched her teeth hard.

"No—this has to end."

She would abandon her pride as a dragon. Discard her arrogance in her strength. She would now unleash everything—even the power that was not her own.

A streak of blazing energy—she surged forward like a meteor.

At the same time, Fairy Lancelot raised her hand to the sky and grasped at the air.

"By the name of the ancient dragons, I summon lightning—

Let it form a blade."

As her hand clenched, crimson lightning twisted and coiled around itself, like chaotic strands forcibly bound together by invisible might. That fierce, violent lightning became a massive sword, high above her.

"O thunder, smite my foes!"

"Lightning Blade of Lance-Sancs!"

Noble Phantasm: Lightning Blade of Lance-Sancs

"Vic… Vic, why won't you answer me?"

Rank: B

Type: Anti-Army Noble Phantasm

In the next instant, the colossal blade of lightning split the earth.

Unlike the restrained strike she'd used before to avoid collapsing the prison, this time Melusine unleashed its full force—true to its anti-army classification.

Crimson lightning howled, crawling across the ground like a thousand thorned vines. The soil and rock it passed shattered into dust.

And that was just the aftershock. The full force of the strike—

The massive blade—ten meters at least—fell like a judgment to cleave heaven and earth. Everyone watching held their breath.

But Gawain did not panic.

He believed in Artoria. Believed in her creation.

With full force, he hurled his shield like a hammering throw. It flew straight toward the monstrous thunder blade.

At the moment of impact, blinding light consumed the battlefield. A thunderclap erupted—loud enough to burst eardrums. Dust exploded everywhere. The shield was blasted sky-high…

But so too was the lightning blade shattered—gone without a trace.

Gawain barely had time to exhale when—

From the swirling dust, Fairy Lancelot shot toward him like a meteor again. Arms crossed, clearly preparing to unleash a devastating "X" slash upon arrival.

But her wide-open stance—obvious and overcommitted—was a massive opening for someone like Gawain, now a true master of the sword.

Without wasting a single motion, Gawain adopted the basic plow guard, holding centerline. As Lancelot closed in, he drove his blade forward—aiming directly for her face.

A longer weapon always had the edge. His sword was longer. That meant, if perfectly timed, he could stab her before she got close enough to strike.

But just as his blade lunged forward—

He heard an all-too-familiar shout from Lancelot:

"Ha, seya!"

A golden light flared from her body. Above it floated the words: "Invincible."

Gawain's sword sliced straight through her—but as if through air. She passed through completely unscathed.

A second later, the two figures crossed paths.

"Goddamn it. She popped it," Gawain muttered under his breath.

And then—blood sprayed from his chest.

A large, fresh wound in the shape of an "X".