69novels Page 92
Page 92
However, if she had any knowledge of modern times, she would know that a certain Grand Dollmaker had already done something similar, and Quinn possessed doll-making skills that were in no way inferior to Aozaki Touko's. In fact, if we only consider the strength of the dolls she created, Quinn was even better.
However, even if she didn't understand modern times, the fairy of the paradise had nothing to say. Since Quinn, as the person involved, didn't mind, her only choice now was to fully support him.
"Since you've said so, just tell me what you need me to do next. Although my magical skills aren't as good as Morgan's, I'm still a fairy from Paradise. It might sound a bit boastful, but compared to Morgan, who has already chosen to abandon his duties, I have the power to protect you from all kinds of filth and help you maintain your integrity. If you're ready to fight the beasts, then please come find me."
"Ah."
Having received the promise from the fairy of paradise, Quinn nodded and stopped worrying about what the fairy had been hiding from him. After all, now that all the issues had been laid bare and resolved, he still had to explain the situation to Morgan.
only……
Compared to you, who accepted your fate with equanimity, Morgan clearly found it difficult to accept this. Therefore, after you privately explained Europa II's situation to your wife, she only said one sentence to you.
"Kneel down."
Without the slightest hesitation, and with no one around, you looked at your wife, her face dark with anger, and decisively abandoned your masculine pride.
Looking at you, so shameless and persistent, Morgan grew increasingly irritated. Her mood was worse than ever before. Even though she knew you were trying to salvage everything, her emotions were no longer enough to keep her rational. Just as the fairy Lily of Paradise believed, no parent in this world could easily make the decision to kill their own child.
Even in the pan-human history, Morgan, who became a twisted witch out of jealousy, only ever treated her children as tools at her worst. But when her children betrayed her, she never actually destroyed them to vent her anger. How much less would the current Morgan be?
Even though for a time she believed your thinking was due to Europa II and harbored resentment towards him, with the passage of time and your return, that resentment has long since turned into regret. Now, talking to her about destroying Europa II would only make her feel incredibly guilty.
If I had noticed the changes in my daughter earlier, perhaps these problems wouldn't have occurred.
These thoughts haunted Morgan's mind like a nightmare, making her instinctively want to release her mental stress. So, she simply pounced on you and scratched you with her nails, trying to relieve her psychological burden by torturing you in this way.
You offered no resistance because, ultimately, the situation had come to this point partly due to your own actions. The only thing you could do was appease your wife and let her vent her frustrations on you. You could easily play the role of the punching bag, since as long as she didn't use magic, she couldn't harm you.
You waited quietly as Morgan went from her initial outburst of rage to crying and blaming you for your failures as parents, and finally curling up against your chest, sobbing softly and blaming herself for the mistakes she had made, until she was completely exhausted and finally wrapped her arms around your neck, accepting the reality.
As Britain's most accomplished magician, Morgan's vast knowledge tells her that your proposal is the best option.
[Rather than ignoring your daughter's continued reckless pursuit of the empire's irreversible path until she completely transforms into the Sixth Beast, prematurely destroying the Britannian Emperor, extracting his soul and implanting it into a puppet, at least your family's integrity can be preserved. By then, she will still have a chance to make amends.]
[So, after that, Morgan went into seclusion in the tower, frantically researching how to safely and reliably extract souls, while you focused all your energy on the Round Table, constantly contacting the Knights of the Round Table to inquire about their mission progress.]
If there's any good news amidst the recent string of bad news, it's that Agravan continues to maintain his former high efficiency.
About a month later, Agravan brought you the news you most wanted to hear.
With his and Lancelot's efforts, they have gathered information on all the A-class Masters scattered throughout Britannia. Lancelot has coordinated with his son Galahad to bring these A-class Masters together, and they are now heading towards Ireland. In a few days, these destabilizing factors for you will be delivered to Ireland.
[You know, now you can try to eliminate Europa II's power and cause some big commotion in Britannia, which has been undisturbed for nearly a thousand years.]
So you approached the red archer and gave this guardian of Alaya a task: to cause some minor trouble for your beloved daughter.
"You want to contact the Vikings? What can those pirates do?"
Chapter 211 Eliminating the Threat
Vikings?
As guardians of Alaya, the Red Archer has a thorough understanding of this group that has a place in human history. Whether from the perspective of cultural influence or historical process, the Norse Vikings have had a huge impact on Europe. However, the prosperous period of this group was limited to the 8th to 11th centuries AD.
Although the Vikings were indeed very powerful during this period, they were still too weak compared to the Britannian Empire.
Let the Norse barbarians fight against Great Britain? You might as well instigate the Arabs to fight against the Tang Dynasty; at least that would be more interesting.
Looking at the bewildered red archer on the magic projection, Quinn didn't explain much, simply telling him to do as he was told. Seeing that Quinn had made up his mind, the red archer didn't ask any more questions. He was a straightforward man; having reached a cooperation agreement with Quinn, he wouldn't betray his ally until Quinn and he had a clear disagreement.
In any case, for archers who have the skill of independent action, leaving their master's side and going to Northern Europe is not a difficult task at all.
The red archer has acted according to your plan. You see his doubts, but you have no intention of explaining, because some things, even if explained clearly, are difficult to convince others of. The reason you contacted the Vikings is also very simple.
Because Northern Europe was on the periphery of the Britannian Empire, when Europa II launched his wars to conquer all of Europe, the land of the Norsemen was too barren and was initially not included in his military plans. Even Northern Europe itself was regarded as a wasteland by Europeans at the time, and those who lived in the north were not considered part of European civilization.
The vassalage of the Nordic Islands was merely a byproduct of the growing power of the Britannian Empire. When the Vikings realized that Britannia had become a behemoth and they could no longer profit through plunder, they opted for peaceful trade as a second choice, and were subsequently incorporated into the European trade system by Europa II at the cost of becoming vassals.
As internal strife erupted in Britannia, the imperial central government gradually lost control over the empire's border regions. If Germania, which was originally an autonomous region, was a recognized hotbed of rebellion, then the existence of the Norse Vikings had long been forgotten by the central government. Only the occasional trade taxes paid proved that a group of people still existed in that barren land.
[But in reality, these forgotten pirates were the real threat that could have endangered Britannia. If you hadn't died in the war with Rome, the Norse Vikings would have been your next target after you dealt with Rome.]
[This is because, throughout British history, these people living in impoverished lands were among the few who, regardless of Britain's strength or weakness, could inflict severe embarrassment on the British. These included, but were not limited to, the Viking invasions during Alfred's reign, William I's conquest of England during the Norman dynasty, and even the Cod Wars that severely humiliated Britain in modern times.]
Such events inevitably lead one to wonder if the Vikings had some kind of special attack on Britain. But more importantly, due to the isolated nature of Northern Europe, in an era when Catholicism had largely become the dominant religion in Europe, the Vikings retained their traditional beliefs, and their gods may very well have maintained a fragile connection with these pirates.
The reason you made this guess is because Artoria is searching for the Rhine Gold, and it was Melly who persuaded her to search for this treasure.
Your guess was quickly proven correct.
[Soon after, the red archer will relay your message, informing you that the current Viking leader has agreed to meet you. He claims to have received a prophecy from the gods, knows of your existence, and has been waiting for this meeting for a long time. This Viking pirate has already set sail and will soon travel across the North Sea in his dragon ship to Ireland.]
At the same time, you have re-established contact with Chaldea and are attempting to build a temporary teleportation channel between the two worlds so that you can send the Masters of Group A away.
[This was impossible before, but now it's different. You've reached some kind of tacit understanding with Europa II. Your student is the court magician, so you can have Shiro Emiya deliver a message to him. When you told Shiro Emiya about this and asked him to pass on the message to Europa II, asking him not to stop you, your student even suspected you'd lost your mind.]
[But Shiro Emiya couldn't refute your request. She could only nervously go to Europa II and tell the emperor your request verbatim. Then, she realized that she still didn't understand you enough, nor could she comprehend the way your family thinks.]
As you suspected, your good daughter only sees you as a rival. To prove that she has far surpassed you, she generously agreed to all your requests, simply because she believes she already has a significant enough advantage. Whether you want a fair fight with her or to accumulate strength with the help of Chaldea, she will grant your wish.
And so, you quickly achieved your goal.
[After re-establishing contact with Chaldea, you quickly completed the temporary teleportation channel and verified its success with Hinako Akuta. Looking at Hinako, who had been teleported back to Chaldea, you subtly hinted to her that she had better keep your secret. Your threat was simple yet effective; Hinako cooperated perfectly, helping you with your disguise.]
However, her poor acting skills could hardly fool the monarch of the Celestial Sciences. Your partner could tell at a glance that you were hiding many things about Britannia, but he didn't delve into it because he himself had quite a few secrets. The two of you tacitly maintained this fragile but friendly relationship, neither of you questioning the other's little tricks.
As the first A-class Master was sent away, your Knights of the Round Table sent the other A-class Masters to Ireland one after another. You followed suit, sending these guys, who clearly knew your identity to some extent, back to Chaldea one by one. Once the last Master was sent away, you finally felt at ease.
[From this point on, all the destabilizing factors that have been most troubling you have been eliminated. You no longer care about your identity being exposed. As long as the matter in Britannia is resolved, even if all the magicians in the world know your secret, they will no longer pose a threat to you.]
Right now, there's only one thing you need to do.
Meet with the Viking leader, gather a sufficient army, and eradicate the legacy you bestowed upon Europa II.
Chapter 212 European Succubus
When the Viking dragonship sailed into the port of Ireland, Quinn received a message from Guinevere, exactly as the Red Archer had said: the dragonship carried the current Viking leader Ragnar Lodbrock and his brother Rollo, the future Grand Duke of Normandy.
Upon hearing these two names, Quinn knew that the Norse gods might not have fully entered the Inner Sea of Stars yet.
This is because these two brothers were practically the architects of the Vikings' most glorious period. The former was the leader of the Vikings' large-scale invasion of Europe, while the latter's descendants had an even more profound impact on the history of England and France. The famous William the Conqueror was a descendant of Rollo.
In a sense, these two were almost the chosen ones of the Norse gods, representing the last glimmer of Norse mythology.
However, when the two Viking warriors arrived at the Irish court, they showed the highest Viking respect to Guinevere, who had never achieved any great military exploits in her life. They knelt before a woman in the manner of a subordinate meeting a superior, and only after completing the entire ceremony were they granted permission to move freely in Ireland and conduct trade.
While this situation is also largely related to the Vikings' notorious reputation as pirates, in the broader history of humankind, these guys were far less polite. They were often "pioneers of free trade" who directly used force to pry open the doors of local elites' wealth, forcing the locals to voluntarily engage in trade with them.
But in Britannia, it was clear that even the fierce Vikings, under the awe of the Emperor's Earth-Shattering Fist, understood the meaning of etiquette.
Thanks to this generational deterrent, when the brothers were granted permission to enter the depths of the Irish court to meet Quinn, their attitude was remarkably reasonable.
“Our wizard has prophesied that a great upheaval will occur in Britannia. The gods have told us that a chosen king will reappear in Europe, breaking the British emperor’s rule over all of Europe. At that time, the Vikings will rise again and create legendary adventures. My brother and I have been waiting for this opportunity for a long time, but we never expected that the chosen king in the gods’ words would be a legendary adventurer like you.”
Inside the Irish palace tower, Ragnar's face showed astonishment when he first saw Quinn. As the first emperor who established the Britannian Empire, Quinn's rise to power and portrait had long been widely known as Europa II ruled all of Europe. Even the Vikings in the cold north had heard his story.
In the eyes of the Vikings, who were passionate about adventure and respected warriors, Quinn's experiences were almost a perfect fit for the tastes of these ambitious pirates. Many young Vikings even regarded him as a role model, aspiring to achieve great things with limited resources and build a nation far exceeding his status and wealth. Among them was Ragnar himself.
Faced with the enthusiastic praise of this Viking, Quinn did not take the respect he spoke of seriously. According to Norse mythology and historical records, this Ragnar was far more cunning and ambitious than the traditional image of a brave and loyal Viking warrior. It was not a good thing to be idolized by such a person.
But Quinn didn't dislike the other person because of this. He simply imitated the Vikings and communicated with him normally, talking about the purpose of his meeting.
"?"
When Quinn revealed his purpose, the Viking chieftain was visibly stunned for a few seconds, and even his brothers who had come with him looked at Quinn in astonishment, their eyes full of confusion.
"You mean, you want us to send in our troops to plunder the coastlines of Europe?"
Yes, your purpose in seeking out the Vikings is to get these pirates to resume their old ways and launch raids on various European countries with coastlines. This will create panic throughout Europe, forcing Europa II to send imperial troops to various vassal states to assist them in defending against pirate invasions. Once the number of troops originally stationed in Britain has been reduced, you can take this opportunity to directly attack London.
But faced with your objective, Ragnar and Rollo, the legendary Viking pirates, hesitated.
They looked at you hesitantly, whispering among themselves, until two or three minutes later, Ragnar reluctantly hinted that he was unlikely to grant your request. The reason was simple: even the valiant Vikings would appear vulnerable when facing the entirety of Europe.
[In the original history, the reason why the Viking invasions were so massive was that the European countries were wary of each other. While guarding against the threat of neighboring countries, they dared not go all out to fight the Vikings. And when a country began to take the Vikings seriously, even a large-scale Viking invasion would hardly be able to defeat that kingdom.]
The most typical example is the history of the battles between the British Isles and the Vikings. Initially, when the Vikings invaded, England, which had not yet achieved unification, was completely powerless to resist the Vikings' ferocity. However, once England was unified, it swiftly drove the Vikings out of Britain.
[Even a single island like England was difficult for the Vikings to conquer, let alone the current Britannian Empire. For any power on the European continent, Britannia could easily unleash its Imperial Decree, shattering a colossal nation into pieces in an instant.]
[Listening to Ragnar's reasons, you are not at all surprised. You never intended to make this Viking chieftain your subordinate and faithfully carry out your plans just through words. Therefore, you gave him an intractable reason.]
"Scandinavian Peninsula".
"what?"
"I will help you unify the entire Scandinavian Peninsula, and then bring Denmark and Sweden into your territory, so that most of the land in Northern Europe will be under your control. You can then establish a vast kingdom that has never existed in the history of Northern Europe."
Quinn casually uttered words that sent Ragnar's heart pounding. "I'm not like other Europeans who only see you as pirates. I've studied your history and customs, I know your myths and beliefs. I know that while you are ostensibly the leader of the Vikings, more accurately, the leader of the Viking fleet. You are not, in the true sense, the king and leader of all the Vikings, but..."
Like a devil tempting people to fall, Quinn uttered words that were enough to give the Pope PTSD.
"I can grant you all your desires, Ragnar the Viking. What your god Odin cannot do, I can. You know, I established Britannia, and naturally I can establish Scandinavia as well. And all you need to do is submit to a negligible price..."
"Your life belongs to me until your soul returns to Valhalla."
Chapter 213 Go, Meryl, give the locals a job.
Ragnar was tempted; no ambitious Viking could resist such an allure. However, he maintained his composure, for Quinn's words were so incomprehensible to humans that they reminded him of the legendary evil creature. Thus, he politely declined to give an answer in a couple of days, and then took his brothers and departed.
After watching the Viking chieftain leave, Mordred's figure emerged from beside Quinn. Having been observing from the sidelines in her spirit form for a long time, she pursed her lips at the departing figure.
"That's the partner you've chosen, Master? How can you be so timid?"
He will agree.
Quinn was confident. He knew that a figure who could lead the Vikings in a large-scale invasion of Europe in the original history would never accept the fate of being permanently ruled by Britannia. Moreover, the Norse gods, whose whereabouts were unknown, should not be hiding the current situation in Europe.
All he needs to do is wait, and explain.
While awaiting Ragnar's response, you regrouped those still loyal to you and explained your plans to them.
When the Knights of the Round Table heard that you intended to use the Vikings to build an army, they were conflicted. They had fought alongside you against Vortigern and the Saxons. Your actions were almost identical to those of Vortigern. If Artoria's actions were an internal rebellion in Britannia, then yours were somewhat tantamount to treason.
The one who finds this situation most difficult to accept is your son, Agravan. He believed you had the means to stop this conflict at the level of family infighting, but he didn't expect you to use this method. However, his reason also tells him that if you really want to solve Mordred's problem, you can't do it with just a few of them. If you want to successfully overthrow Europa II, you do need external assistance.
[For a time, there was constant controversy within your small group, but fortunately, Morgan supported you.] Mei Youyou, I want to think about it, empty, Lin Zaizai, not here...
Morgan no longer cares about the throne; she only wants you to resolve all the conflicts within the family, and then take all your children to live a peaceful and stable life in Pan-Human History.
With Morgan's support, the conflict between Agravan, Gareth, and Gahoris quickly subsided. Although these children were all grown up, when their parents stood firmly on the front lines, they ultimately made the same decision as Gawain—to empty their minds and obediently be good children.