Connection

Arkhan smiled helplessly and gently stroked Guinevere's hair.

"I get how you felt, but in reality, she hopes even more than you do that someone will take that sword."

"..."

"Do you know why Vivian chose to dock Avalon in present-day Britain?" Arkhan asked.

Guinevere shook her head in confusion.

"Because she had to wait for someone to take Excalibur's before she could let Avalon transcend time and space." Arkhan smiled.

"Why is that?" Guinevere tilted her head in puzzlement.

"The primordial fairy foresaw the end of the world, knowing that this land would eventually face destruction. In order to avoid such an outcome, she decided to create a utopia detached from the world."

Arkhan's voice was as light as a breeze.

"But the will of this planet would never allow her to do such a thing easily."

"So, the primordial fairy made a pact with the will of the planet to assist in creating a planetary defense mechanism against external threats, which is the Holy Sword of Promised Victory named Excalibur. Then, she needed to find a suitable wielder for the sword. Only then would the will of the planet allow Avalon to depart."

"What about the rest of the inhabitants?" Guinevere asked.

"Avalon is a utopia." Arkhan's smile held a hint of helplessness. "It's as ideal as it gets, but also unreachable."

"They're deserters!" Guinevere clenched her small fist, gritting her teeth.

"Perhaps..." Arkhan said and looked out through the window at the endless azure sky. "But for them, this utopia might be another kind of doomsday."

"..."

After a long silence, Guinevere whispered, "Can Lily really pull that holy sword?"

"Haha, of course." Arkhan laughed and continued to stroke Guinevere's hair. "There's no one in this world better suited to pull out that holy sword. It's her fate."

Even though it was a little earlier, the outcome of Artoria obtaining Excalibur wouldn't change.

One could even say that she, who had not yet shouldered the burden of the ideal king, was the perfect candidate for the 'Excalibur Wielder' as Gaia needed.

Arkhan did not doubt it.

"In any case, we'll have to stay here for now until Lily pulls the sword out."

===

Arkhan gently closed the door, walked to the railing, and looked down at a section of tree trunk covered in ancient patterns, thick enough to support the sky.

It was a towering tree that seemed capable of holding up the heavens, with each leaf being as wide as a small boat.

This reminded Arkhan of a fairy tale from a past life, one involving peas, a giant, and golden eggs.

The accommodations arranged by Vivian for them were built on the trunk of this giant tree, with winding branches serving as pathways, even sturdier than concrete.

He rested his hands on the railing and gazed out at this dreamlike utopia.

"Utopia huh...?" A faint arc of disdain appeared at the corner of Arkhan's mouth. "All these beautiful appearances are just to conceal the filth beneath."

"Oh, I seem to sense a familiar aura."

A familiar voice echoed in his mind.

"Aren't you afraid of Vivian discovering you?" Arkhan's tone was calm.

"It's fine, as long as I don't communicate in front of her, she won't find me."

"Have you remembered who she is?"

"Never met her, but I sense the aura of Frey and Freya on her. She must have had a special connection with them."

Frey was the ruler of the elves in Norse mythology, and Freya was his twin sister, a goddess who governed love, beauty, and fertility.

Having a connection with the two main gods in Norse mythology strongly indicated that Vivian had indeed been active in the Norse Realms.

Arkhan pondered silently for a moment, then furrowed his brow slightly.

"What do you mean by 'familiar aura'?"

"It's this tree..." Nidhogg replied with a hint of excitement in her voice. "This tree carries the essence of Yggdrasil, most likely transformed from its branches."

'The World Tree Yggdrasil?' Arkhan raised an eyebrow and gazed up at the lush canopy above. 'So that's why this tree is so enormous.'

In its complete state, Yggdrasil could support the entire Norse Nine Realms, and though this was just a segment of its branch, it didn't seem entirely implausible for it to grow this large.

Legend had it that Odin's weapon, which 'always hits its target', known as the 'Declaration of the Great God—Gungnir' was crafted from a piece of the Yggdrasil.

Arkhan hadn't expected Vivian to be able to steal something like this from the Norse Realms.

*Gulp*

"…Did you just swallow saliva?" Arkhan raised one of his eyebrows and asked the being inside him.

"No, I didn't!" Nidhogg denied her dragon-like behavior without hesitation, but it seemed somewhat unconvincing. She then added, trying to sound haughty, "Hmph! It's just an imitation derived from a mere branch. In the past, I devoured the roots of the real Yggdrasil. How could I ever value such an inferior stuff?"

Although she spoke with conviction, after spending so much time together, Arkhan couldn't help but understand Nidhogg's tendency to say one thing while meaning another and shook his head in resignation.

"Don't even think about it. This tree is the source of all life in Avalon. If you were to devour it, Vivian would go completely mad."

"Hmph, I've told you already, even if you presented me with this third-rate stuff, I wouldn't spare it a glance." Nidhogg scoffed, but deep within, she couldn't help but lament.

To be able to see but not eat—how could the world be so cruel to her?

"That's probably for the best..." Arkhan replied noncommittally.

In reality, he wasn't particularly concerned about offending Vivian. Although she was overpowering him here, in the surface world, her strength would diminish significantly, and there was a good chance she might end up imprisoned within the Inner Sea of the Planet.

But he had no reason to do something like that. Setting aside Vivian's relationship with Scathach, the one who desired the branch of Yggdrasil was Nidhogg, not him.

With three Divine Keys in his possession, Yggdrasil's branch held little allure for him.

If it had been the roots, he might have considered it. After all, Yggdrasil's most primal life energy resided in its roots, and it was that power that had resurrected him in the first place.

Unfortunately, Nidhogg had devoured Yggdrasil's roots long ago.

"Are you the outsider mentioned by Cyrine?"

A sudden stranger's voice came from the side, and Arkhan turned to see a young man standing there.

He had short purple hair, eyes as clear as a tranquil lake, and a youthful face that seemed untouched by the world's troubles.

The young man extended his hand towards Arkhan, a polite smile gracing his handsome face.

"Welcome to Avalon. My name is Lancelot."