(Spy-so wn does not let me move chapters to other volumes unless I delete the chapter bc i forgot to make this volume, so volume 6 starts late but im sure everyone can tell)
Prompted by Fairy Tristan's question, the Fairy Noble finally recalled that fleeting, final glimpse. Even having seen the culprit with his own eyes, he could hardly believe it. Aurora was the very embodiment of beauty here, in both appearance and spirit. How could she possibly do such a thing?
But seeing is believing. The Fairy Noble, who had nearly been erased from existence, had no intention of protecting Aurora. He pointed directly at her, who was feigning nonchalance.
"It was Aurora, the Clan Leader of the Wind Clan! She stabbed something into my neck, and after that, I don't remember anything. That must be how I contracted Mors' Curse!"
"Lady Aurora?" Fairy Tristan wore an expression of utter disbelief. The accusation had come from someone else; she herself had shown no signs of targeting Aurora. "Are you certain you didn't see wrong?"
"I'm certain!" the Fairy Noble replied firmly. He would never forget the smile on Aurora's face in his final moments.
Fairy Tristan glanced at Morgan. After receiving a nod of approval from the Queen, she commanded the Queen's Knights to surround Aurora.
"Chief of the Wind Clan, please explain yourself." Fairy Tristan blocked Aurora's path, cutting off any escape.
"There must be some misunderstanding," Aurora said, scanning the crowd for Melusine—her only remaining escape route. But Melusine was nowhere to be found. Logically, after completing her tasks, Melusine should have returned to her side immediately.
"You must remember that Mors' Curse erodes a Fairy's mind," Aurora continued, trying to sow doubt. "With symptoms that make us forget even our own names, memory confusion is perfectly normal."
"She's lying!" the Fairy Noble, who had just died, shouted in rebuttal. He had just returned from death's door. "Search her! The device that spreads the curse must still be on her person!"
Aurora grew agitated. Her luck today was abysmal. Every move she made had been noticed. The device was indeed still on her, and being searched would be extremely troublesome. She had to find a way to divert their attention. Though this would surely draw Morgan's scrutiny, her immediate priority was to survive this crisis. If all else failed, she could have that "flesh-lump" help her escape. With the persona she had cultivated over many years and her value as the Lord of the Wind Clan, the Northern Fairies would likely take her in.
"Why are you so certain it was me?" Aurora pointed toward the hidden door. "Couldn't our esteemed Savior be staging this whole thing herself?"
She had paid special attention to the setup below—it was clearly some kind of Magic Workshop. At the very least, Fairy Tristan had genuinely conducted experiments with Mors' Curse here. Who initiated it didn't matter; what mattered was that this was Fairy Tristan's theater, and there was a one-thousand-percent chance she couldn't completely clear her name.
"You can't possibly be unaware of the evil magical power emanating from below, can you? Have you forgotten what this area was once used for? The source of the curse's spread is obviously down there. Otherwise, how could a curse that slowly erodes our Soul Cores suddenly erupt like this?"
If this were the old Fairy Tristan, she would have already lost her composure, appearing utterly flustered. But the current Fairy Tristan had studied under Gilgamesh. Though her academic progress wasn't exactly stellar, she had still learned a few things—like how to be thick-skinned.
"Since you claim to be innocent, you must not have anything related to the curse on you, right?" Fairy Tristan retorted. "Then let's start with you before we inspect what's downstairs!"
Fairy Tristan didn't need to prove her own innocence. Right now, Aurora couldn't prove hers either. At worst, they'd remain at a stalemate. Aurora demanded they inspect the lower level first; Fairy Tristan demanded they search Aurora first. Since neither of them was clean, who was afraid of whom?
Not to mention, Morgan would absolutely side with Fairy Tristan.
While the two wicked Fairies clashed, Woodworth drew the cards he needed. Two Spell Cards, both depicting his future.
One was [Dead End]. It showed him being struck by a powerful curse from Fairy Tristan, who was laughing maniacally while he wore an expression of disbelieving agony.
The other was [Malicious Guidance]. The image showed a severely wounded Woodworth, with Aurora whispering in his ear. The content of her words was displayed in a speech bubble in the top-right corner: a chibi version of himself being abandoned like a stray dog.
He couldn't be certain of the order of the three cards, but one thing was clear: the Trap Card [Malicious Guidance] came before the card depicting him killing Morgan. This was the only way to explain why he would commit such an act—Aurora had deceived him into believing his loyalty had been betrayed.
Thank goodness for these cards forged from the future. They had revealed the truth. Though he didn't know the specific reasons, Aurora was definitely the problem.
As for the future where Fairy Tristan used Curse Magic against him, he simply assumed it was because he had harmed Morgan. As the Princess, it was only natural for Fairy Tristan to avenge Her Majesty by dealing him a harsh blow.
With a long roar, Woodworth drew everyone's attention. Like a beast, he let out a low, threatening growl at Aurora.
"The culprit is definitely that madwoman, Aurora! The cards of the future have shown me her treacherous ambition! She is deeply dissatisfied with Her Majesty Morgan's rule! That's why she must defame Tristan's status as the Child of Prophecy! Don't be fooled by her—she masterminded the entire Mors Curse incident!"
Woodworth took a deep breath, resolving himself to confess everything to Morgan.
To prove his words, Woodworth revealed his two cards to everyone, showing their faces but concealing their effects. All present saw the history these two cards represented.
Combined with Woodworth's resolute character and Fairy Tristan's miraculous ability, the fairies were ninety percent convinced. Their gazes toward Aurora now held a mixture of disgust and disdain, though some fairies also showed expressions of understanding and even admiration.
Aurora's face turned grim. This was indeed something she would do.
"Your Majesty Morgan," Woodworth began, bowing his head to her. "I will later come before you to atone for my sins. Even if I was manipulated by this woman, the fault is still mine. Having already betrayed you, I am no longer fit to be the Lord of Oxford."
He prostrated himself before Morgan. "I beg you to punish me!"
"Punish my subject for something that has yet to happen? Do you truly think me so severe?"
For once, Morgan spoke like a reasonable person. It seemed Jiang You's earlier conversation had had some effect after all.
"The Faerie Realm is prophesied to fall in the future. Does that mean I should simply accept it? Lift your head. If you believe you have erred, then go and correct it!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Having received his Master's reply, Woodworth wagged his tail like an electric fan.