4: Hawaltria's Secret (Part 2)

The Hawaiian islands, especially the island of Hawaii itself, are volcanic, so there are lots of wastelands created by magma flows.

Some regions have especially large wastelands filled with volcanic rocks that are said to look like the surface of the moon.

So this is one of those moony places, huh? Looks more like Mars to me. I don't see anything volcanic, either.

Indeed. This one seems more like a desert than anything.

It reminds me of the wasteland near Las Vegas. I doubt any normal life-forms could stay here for very long.

Hey, that's not fair. There are water reserves here and there, and plenty of boulders big enough to provide shade!

Urban living makes Servants so weak. I can't stand it.

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Y-you do? Well, that's good to hear then. (Now that I look closely, he really is dressed for the heat.)

Anyway, we'll be at the woods soon, but don't expect things to cool down in there, okay?

And let me know if you start feeling ill or exhausted. We can take a break, and I'll even play some music for you.

You're being awfully nice to him, Yaraändoo. What's your game?

What could I hope to get from enslaving a single human? I'm just returning his courtesy.

The Anti-ServantFes Alliance's ideology might be dangerous, but that's not Fujimaru or Mash's fault, right?

I can tell they're just helping the alliance because they're too nice to refuse. It's also why they're not making any excuses for any of its members.

Hmm. You're just as observant as her, too. Which is only more confusing.

Well, never mind that. Is there anything we need to watch out for in the woods? And do you have any idea where Baobhan Sith might be hiding out?

Baobhan Sith? Who's that?

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Huh, I see. You're awfully knowledgeable, aren't you? Does that name mean anything I should know about?

I believe it means "woman faerie." "Sith" is a name for faeries in general.

For example, there are also cait-sìth, or cat faeries, and cù-sìth, or dog faeries.

Another kind of female faerie is the bean sith, or "banshees" as I think they're called nowadays. Oh, speaking of which, does your name have any special meaning, Yaraändoo?

Of course it does. You know the Southern Cross? The red light shining in the night sky? In this land, it is called Yaraändoo.

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I can't believe what I'm seeing. The air is so dry, and the sun so strong that it's causing the trees to burn from the inside out.

No wonder forest fires are so frequent here. This is nothing like any forest we know.

Yaraändoo, are these woods part of a nature preserve?

Yes, they are. They're untamed Hawaltrian woods that only qualified personnel are allowed to enter.

As for why you need qualifications... Here they come!

Multiple hostiles incoming! Everyone, prepare for battle!

Everything's on fire, and we didn't even do anything! We've gotta put this out! Come on, Lancelot, Arondight this blaze!

There will be no 'dighting! Just because the Lady of the Lake gave me my sacred sword doesn't mean it can produce water!

Altria, you're a mage, right!? Can't you conjure up some water!?

C-c-conjuring water is a super advanced spell, so I don't think I'd be able to pull it off under duress...

The fire keeps spreading! If we don't do something, it'll burn down the whole

Cover your ears and get down, you fools, or you'll get blown away with the flames!

(That voice! Fraught with tension as it may be, it is still like music to my ears! Whoever it belongs to must be a woman of impeccable beauty!)

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Wh-what an incredible blast of water... If I didn't know better, I'd swear it came from a fire hose.

It certainly did, and it seems to have quelled the flames. Allow me to express my heartfelt gratitude, my fai

...My fair and valiant lady. May I know your name?

...Hmph. All right. I'll tell you who I am, if only to stop you from causing trouble like this again.

I'm Barghest, captain of the UDK charged with protecting Hawaltria's forest.

Also, I don't need your gratitude. Rescuing people from fires is all in a day's work for the UDK.

Oh, Fujimaru. It's you. I suppose I did hear you would be arriving late... Well, no matter.

The animals in these woods are on edge thanks to having lost their habitats to the forest fires...

...to say nothing of the magical energy leaking out from the Night Woods.

Unless you have business here, I suggest you return to the city. Even the UDK cannot patrol the forest 24/7.

So YOU'RE captain of the UDK. Is this one of those "strong protect the weak" things? High-and-mighty as ever, I see. No shock there.

For that matter, are you sure you should even be out here? I mean, how do you even maneuver all that bulk through the trees without knocking them over?

Hm? Where is that voice coming from...?

Oh, the Child of Prophecy. You're so small that I couldn't see you down there.

If you can't see me, that's YOUR problem! And while I'm at it, you're not supposed to respond to one running joke with another running joke!

Hello, Barghest. I see you decided to come to the western part of the island.

Indeed. I am glad to see you're well, Mash. You have been staying out in the eastern city where the convention hall is, yes?

I'm sure you have your hands full with the festival, but I hope you can still find the time to visit us out here now and then.

You would be a great help in defending the woods from disasters, falling rocks, and the violent kangaroos the destroyer has been whipping into a frenzy.

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Well, none of that sounds good. I thought the forest fires were the only problem here.

Now you're telling me you also have dangerous animals like that out here as well?

Cnoc na Riabh!? Cnoc na Riabh of the King clan!?

Now you're on about that, too? Does it mean "Southern Cross" in your language, or something?

No. It means "queen's tomb."

Hmm. I can't tell if I should take that as a bad omen or an honor.

Well, more importantly...Barghest, was it? That was great!

I've never seen a firefighter put out a blaze like that so quickly!

With you on our side, we could deal with the enshrined deity, his priestess, andNo, wait. We could put out all the fires in the city in no time, too!

You've got to come to the committee headquarters with me! We'll gladly hire you AND the rest of the UDK!

...Yeah, putting fires OUT isn't really what her powers are for. Kind of the opposite, really...

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...

I have no intention of leaving the western area. Protecting this forest is half of my sworn duty.

For that matter, I have no interest in this Servant Summer Festival nonsense whatsoever!

So I will not be setting so much as a single foot in this city of yours! Remember that!

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...Her? Yes, I can. It pains me to say this...

...but Baobhan Sith, Mélusine, and I all came to this Singularity for the same purpose.

However, Baobhan Sith retreated to the Night Woods, and Mélusine... I have no idea what she could be thinking.

She is a faerie, like me, and so can surely hear the voice coming from this island as clearly as I can.

And yet, she chooses to spend her days doing nothing but eating, sleeping, and lounging on the beach.

She is a disgrace to all Tam Lin! The next time we fight, I will prove once and for all which of us is superior!

Hey, keep it down, Baggie! You just scared off all the animals around here!

Not to mention you almost blew out Fujimaru's eardrums!

A-ah... My apologies. I can't believe I let myself get so swept up in my emotions that I forgot the company I was in.

At any rate, I take it you have business with Baobhan Sith? Then I must give you the same warning.

Her hideout, the Night Woods, lies in the darkest depths of this forest.

It is a holy land guarded by the local spirits, as well as the domain of two fearsome creatures. Even I am reluctant to speak their names.

One is the Destroyer of Worlds worshipped by animals everywhere. The other is the Dark Faerie King, feared by animals everywhere.

The presence of those two monsters would make any trip into the forest fatal for you.

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(Those are some of the lamest names I've ever heard! Dammit, does this mean we have even MORE suspects now!?)

Of course, that may be a moot point, since you won't be able to enter the Night Woods even if you wished to.

High Queen Morgan has put up a Bounded Field all around that area.

The only ones who can freely pass through it are the local wildlife and Baobhan Sith, the high queen's heir.

...My fellow UDK members have told me that Baobhan Sith is causing trouble in the city.

I could deal with her myself...but as a rule, Tam Lin are not permitted to fight each other.

If you wish to stop her, then do so yourselves. There are many other Servants in the city, yes?

Surely you can find at least one truly talented mage instead of a Berserker who merely calls herself one.

So I suggest you look to other comrades to break through the Bounded Field.

Assuming, of course, that a mage capable of destroying one of High Queen Morgan's Bounded Fields actually exists in Proper Human History.

Just our luck that every last one of them turned us down.

"The rebound curse would kill me." "I am not familiar with this world's fae language." "I'd be terrified of what might happen later."

"The spell's lineage isn't like anything I've handled. For that matter, it's the kind of spell that should never be broken anyway."

Since they gave us such definitive reasons for refusing, it doesn't feel like there's any further room for negotiation.

Indeed. Only Merlin refused because he didn't want to break the spell, not because he couldn't. Or so he said.

By now, this is certainly nothing new from him, but I find myself wondering just how seriously he takes his duties.

So that's what you guys got up to on the western end of the island while I was busy running between clubs.

It really doesn't seem fair that a priestess in an overgrown deity costume is being protected by a Bounded Field that not even mages from the Age of Gods can break.

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Well, I can tell you now not to bother with asking my original. She's only good at crossing boundaries, not Bounded Fields.

Sure, she might act all easygoing and breezy, but she's a serious-minded monster at heart. The kind who likes to put up her own Bounded Fields so she can hide behind them.

Usually, Himiko would be perfect in this situation, but her mirrors can't reflect a lot of light in those dark woods.

Hello, Cat. It sounds like you know a lot about the western woods.

I tried going there to beat MikoCer myself once. But I got so lost I couldn't tell my tail from a hole in the ground until the UDK found me.

I still can't believe this cat couldn't even sneak her way into an enemy fortress. How the mighty have fallen.

I guess I'll just have to ask the Daikokuten for tips on how they get around rat guards.

Oh, hello. I love your outfit. Are you one of the local idols? You seem like you'd be great at singing and dancing.

Hey, good eye! Thanks! But you're about two years too late! Right now, I'm just everyone's favorite waitress, woof!

That aside, I'm surprised you're so willing to work with Master on getting rid of that false priestess.

'Cause last I heard, everyone aligned with the alliance was supposed to be a target for banning.

Fujimaru has nothing to do with the alliance. Also, he's been very cooperative with the committee.

Cat-tastic! If you've got your head on that straight, then I guess I can give you this special piece of advice!

Since ancient times, there's been an expression too many people forget: Leave it to the experts! Every man to his trade! Let the chef do the cooking! Let the cat stay curious!

Meaning, if you want to know about faeries, ask another faerie! Oh, and I don't mean the hip-hop dancer!

After sunset, go to the beach! As long as you have an ice pop, he's sure to show up!

Huh? I don't remember any faerie like that at the beach.

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