"After all, they are fairies. To them, their purpose is more important than life itself. That is the nature of fairies."

Faced with Tristan's remark, Bedivere casually responded thus.

At the same time, he picked up his longbow and began firing arrows at the fairies.

His archery was far inferior to Tristan's, but among ordinary men, he could still be considered quite skilled.

Bedivere's arrow flew true, striking a warrior of the Fang Clan amidst the crowd.

Instant death.

Tristan continued loosing arrows as he spoke:

"It's a shame. If only these fairies' purpose were something noble. Ah~, thinking about it really is quite sorrowful."

"Indeed."

Bedivere nodded.

"But since these fairies have made their choice, they must now pay the price for it."

"Yes."

Tristan and Bedivere kept shooting.

After firing several more arrows, Tristan turned to Bedivere and asked:

"By the way, we arrived here about seven or eight days early, didn't we? Calculating the time, the main force should be arriving soon."

"I've already received word from the main army. At the earliest, tomorrow at the latest, the day after Her Majesty Morgan will arrive with the troops."

"Huh? Her Majesty Morgan? What about His Majesty Lot?"

"Who knows? Perhaps he's secretly up to something again."

"Hah, that sounds about right."

As they spoke, the two continued their assault on the fairies below.

Through battle, Tristan and Bedivere's friendship had grown stronger.

Their coordination was seamless.

Tristan led the archers in volleys, while Bedivere took command of the other soldiers, preparing boiling water, rolling stones, and even resorting to "golden soup" a tactic so vile that even Lot found it disgusting and avoided using it unless absolutely necessary. Yet Bedivere employed it without hesitation.

The Fang Clan members were still flesh and blood. They felt pain when struck, let alone when faced with rolling boulders and the like.

Thanks to Bedivere's command, the Fang Clan's forces were unable to successfully breach the walls of Orkney Castle.

"We can't keep attacking like this."

The acting chieftain of the Fang Clan thought to himself.

For days now, he had led his clan's fairies in relentless assaults on the castle. But the prolonged fighting had cost the Fang Clan dearly.

If this continued, their losses would become unsustainable.

The Fang Clan was one of the six great clans, and their standing relied on their strength.

Excessive losses were unacceptable.

So...

The acting chieftain turned to the equally indignant chieftain of the Earth Clan, who stood nearby.

"We'll need your clan's assistance for the next phase of the battle. We can't keep charging blindly. It's time for the Earth Clan's expertise in siege engineering."

He addressed the Earth Clan's chieftain directly.

"Understood. You can count on us."

Hearing this, the Earth Clan's chieftain thumped his chest in assurance.

After days of battle, he had carefully observed Orkney Castle's defenses.

Puffing out his chest, he declared to the Fang Clan's acting chieftain:

"Leave it to us. With our methods, breaching this castle will be child's play."

His expression was one of smug confidence, as if he could already see the castle's fall.

"That would be most welcome."

Watching his demeanor, the Fang Clan's acting chieftain smirked inwardly though outwardly, he maintained a solemn tone of gratitude.

The Earth Clan's chieftain basked in the acknowledgment.

He even added:

"Well then, stop sending your men to their deaths. Our fairy numbers aren't limitless every loss is one less of us."

Naturally, the Fang Clan's acting chieftain had no desire to see his forces decimated.

With the Earth Clan's chieftain offering this advice, he promptly ordered his warriors to withdraw.

Thus,

Today's assault ended in yet another failure.

From the castle walls, Tristan and Bedivere watched the retreat and sighed in relief.

Good.

Now, they only needed to wait for the arrival of the king and his army.

Below, aside from the Earth Clan's chieftain and the Fang Clan's acting chieftain, the leaders of the other four clans were also present nearby.

However, their fairies were not particularly combat-effective, so they had not joined the fray.

They were content to idle.

Especially since, among these four, there was a certain traitor in their midst.

"It seems the Fang Clan and Earth Clan are about to make their move. Should we join them to ensure everything proceeds smoothly?"

The Mirror Clan's chieftain suggested.

"As comrades, we should trust in their abilities."

The Wind Clan's chieftain countered.

Yet her expression was inscrutable, as if she harbored ulterior motives.

[We absolutely cannot trust a word you say!]

The other three chieftains thought in unison.

The Wing Clan and Rain Clan's leaders, witnessing this exchange, remained silent observers.

The difference was that the Wing Clan's chieftain was genuinely indifferent, while the Rain Clan's chieftain was quietly recalling the orders Lot had previously given her:

"Play along with the Wind Clan's schemes. Let her think she's succeeded."

After completing his preparations, the Earth Clan's chieftain returned to his camp to rest.

Along the way, the Fang Clan's acting chieftain even invited him to dine together.

But he refused, citing differences in culinary preferences.

"Hmph. Even if we're allies for now, those lot aren't to be trusted."

The Earth Clan's chieftain snorted coldly.

No sooner had he spoken than a deep, resonant voice called out to him.

"Exactly! Senior Brother, you're absolutely right. The other fairies are utterly untrustworthy!"

The Earth Clan's chieftain turned to see Kaa the same fairy who had once accompanied Lot and later realized he had been deceived approaching him.

Furious, Kaa stormed up to him, waving his arms wildly.

"Senior Brother! We've been deceived! The other fairies have tricked us!"

The Earth Clan's chieftain had always trusted this junior, who had once studied alongside him. Seeing Kaa's agitated state, he couldn't help but ask:

"Deceived? How have we been deceived? And how did you even get here?"