"This is where Aurora and I first met."
Melusine had considered simply fleeing with Aurora and hiding in some deserted place, but Jiang You had already anticipated and blocked that escape route. Forced to accept the outcome, Melusine said, "Whatever her motives at the time, to me she was a ray of salvation, the reason Melusine exists."
"So you're just going to leave her here?"
Jiang You gazed at the skeletal remains of Albion. Even after millennia, the residual aura of the mighty Dragon Race still compelled all living creatures to keep their distance. Not even mosquitoes dared approach. By leaving Aurora here, Melusine at least ensured she would be safe from the swamp's beasts and venomous insects.
"For you, this place may hold lifelong significance, but it's unlikely to be the same for her. When she awakens, she'll undoubtedly resent you."
"...It doesn't matter."
The light had long since faded from Melusine's eyes. She had resolved to fulfill Aurora's wishes, but now found herself utterly powerless to help.
"She never truly liked me from the start. There was nothing to miss. Since she wasn't allowed to take her own life, this place must be her best possible end. She reached out to me back then... Do you think anyone would ever extend a hand to her now?"
"Even if someone did, wouldn't she just drag them into the swamp? Could she bear anyone seeing her like this?"
Fairy Tristan's conditions essentially transformed Aurora into a swamp monster. Jiang You understood perfectly what Melusine was implying: she wanted him to feel some pity and grant Aurora a swift end. But facing this matter, Jiang You felt nothing. He abruptly changed the subject.
"Speaking of which, this used to be the territory of the Mirror Clan, right? I think I just saw some wandering spirits. Should we go say hello?"
Ever since Jiang You stepped into this swamp, these semi-transparent creatures had been peering out, their heads bobbing curiously. Logically, the Mirror Clan's temperament was absurdly Buddhist—they could even laugh and chat with the one who annihilated their entire race. They shouldn't be showing such curiosity; they were practically dying of it.
"Them? Sure, why not?"
Even though Jiang You didn't use a commanding tone this time, Melusine didn't refuse. As the mastermind behind the Mirror Clan's destruction, she believed they must hate her intensely. Driven by a self-destructive impulse, she asked, "Do I need to atone?"
"Theoretically, you should. But the parties involved don't seem to think so."
As mentioned earlier, the Mirror Clan's Buddhist detachment was absurd. From birth, they knew their life's trajectory, likely understanding from the start that they would die at Melusine's hands. After centuries of preparation, they had long reconciled with this fate. Upon meeting Melusine, they even felt like joking.
Besides, to Jiang You, Melusine was already his possession. There was no reason to hand her over.
"He's coming! He's coming!"
Seeing Jiang You approach, the ghosts scattered in a panic, darting into hiding.
"Hey, why are you running away?" Jiang You lunged forward, grabbed one of the ghosts by its spine, and yanked it back. In a sense, a servant's body was somewhat similar to that of the undead, making contact with ghosts entirely logical.
"We weren't prepared! This is the first time we've encountered something that never appeared in the future!" The ghost, realizing escape was impossible, reluctantly explained.
"Every action you take is unpredictable—it's truly miraculous! This experience has made me so excited I can't even think straight! Even the future of this world is starting to blur."
Well, duh, Jiang You thought. The Game System can't predict what players will do. I could even go to a bar and order stir-fried noodles if I wanted to.
The other Mirror Clan ghosts had calmed down by now and gathered around him.
"What exactly are you? How did you do this? Do you know how crushing it was to realize that when we were alive, we couldn't even taste the first thing we ever ate?"
"And there was no escaping the awful taste—we were doomed to swallow it down."
"There's no excitement in being alive anymore. Even when I pick up a book, I already know the entire plot... No matter what I choose, it's all predetermined—I've seen it all before!"
The ghosts chattered endlessly about the inconveniences of being Prophecy Fairies. Jiang You finally understood why they seemed so indifferent to their own deaths.
"That's why your arrival is so novel! Do you realize, prophecy has become completely useless now? It's a pity our Clan Leader isn't here; he would have been overjoyed!"
The Clan Leader of the Mirror Clan had once tried to break free from their predetermined fate, but tragically failed.
"So, does this mean I can finally taste flavors I've never known before and read books with plots I'm completely unaware of?!"
"Can you even taste anything in your current state...?"
Jiang You finally found an opportunity to speak. These ghosts were entirely different from the kind he'd encountered with Eresh—they seemed almost lively.
"That's not important. What exactly are you? Your appearance seems to have severed all possible futures."
The ghosts began circling Jiang You, their skull faces etched with confusion.
"Don't make me sound like some Demon Lord."
Cutting off the future... I've heard that's what the final boss in Fate/Grand Order would do.
"I mean, by all appearances, I should be human, right?"
"Human?"
One of the ghosts spoke up, causing the others to quiet slightly. Judging by their reaction, this ghost must have been a high-ranking member of the Mirror Clan in life.
"Perhaps you are, but your rules are fundamentally incompatible with this world, causing problems with its operation. Don't be confused—this is our clan's innate talent. In that sense, you're more like a visitor from beyond the stars. Are you not very familiar with your own existence?"
The Mirror Fairy Ghost's reminder made Jiang You recall a Unique Skill on his heroic spirit panel. The skill had been pushed down the list due to the panel's expanding content and required scrolling to view.
Existence Outside the Domain?
As proof of his Foreigner status from Fate/Grand Order, the skill had always remained at an indeterminate "? Rank." After their prompting, Jiang You decided it was time to shift his Spirit Origin and take a look. If he could even manifest a Beast state, shouldn't this skill also reflect the Foreigner Class?
My residual magical power... that shouldn't be happening...
Just then, the Ghost's body began to fade, becoming even more ethereal, as if it were about to vanish completely.
"My time is running out. I'm sorry for speaking so strangely. I was just so curious about you. The future we see isn't a pleasant one, and we're truly delighted by your appearance. So... if you ever need anything, you can always summon us, the dead. The unknowable future truly fascinates us."