Crazy Britain:They’re All Raising Me

[Thanks to the improbably lucky gadgets you crafted—and Murien's plan to lure the enemy out so you could strike divided forces—you and your allies managed to concentrate your troops and ambush Woodworth as he advanced on New Darlington.]

[Although Lancelot, a key force expected to arrive here, was delayed by Gawain, once Nocnarei and Percival joined your side, you fought a grueling battle and finally defeated Woodworth.]

[Yet Woodworth's astonishing vitality allowed him, even after Percival's holy spear struck him, to dive into the river and slip away downriver; in your wounded, exhausted state you couldn't pursue immediately.]

[After a brief rest, you tracked the river downstream and found Woodworth's body.]

[But for some reason, when you reached him, his heart was missing—and the riverbank showed numerous traces of Morse's activity, as well as one rotting fairy corpse.]

"So Woodworth really is dead."

Feeling the severed contract, Gawain exhaled softly. He had suspected Woodworth might 'flip'—his former near-immortality broken by Gawain himself, the weakened Woodworth was no longer unbeatable. Still, confirming Woodworth's death gave Gawain a pang of melancholy. Now New Darlington's defense rested on him alone—well, since New Darlington had fallen, only Norwich remained, the last productive stronghold. Perhaps they should now call it the Norwich Army?

Because of Woodworth's defeat and the loss of rear territories, Gawain had abandoned Salisbury and retreated with all forces to Norwich to protect Lord Banwenxi, preventing a sneak attack. It felt like returning to square one overnight.

Yet Gawain knew that once obstacles were cleared, the allies would surely muster to strike Norwich next. Sure enough, on the second day after his return, his scouts reported enemy movements.

[Three days after Woodworth's death, the allies concentrated their forces and marched on Norwich.]

[Your scouts spotted, among Nocnarei's main army and the Round Table forces, fairies from Salisbury, Sheffield, New Darlington, and other territories.]

Gawain's expression darkened. Although he had purged the worst fairies, the 'well-behaved' survivors were furious at his brutal methods.

"Well… this is unavoidable. Ruling by fear always backfires if you appear weak: disgruntled subjects will rise at once when they sense decline." Gawain murmured.

"What do we do now?" Banwenxi, seated before him, suddenly grew anxious. "We've never faced all of them allied together… Gawain, could we lose?"

"Well…" Gawain stroked his chin, recalculating relative strengths. Banwenxi grew more alarmed at his silence.

Then, steeling herself, Banwenxi spoke with unusual gravity: "If… if we really can't win… turn me over to them."

Gawain blinked.

"They all despise me anyway, right? If you say everything you did was under my orders, they'll believe that. Once you hand me over, you'd be safe, right?"

Gawain stared at her a long moment, then burst out laughing. "What on earth are you thinking?" He tapped her forehead with a snap of his finger, grinning. "Who told you we can't win?"

"Eh?" Banwenxi, rubbing her forehead, looked up.

"My point is… I will win." Gawain ruffled her hair.

He felt a surge of confidence: despite fatigue in his soul from so much killing, he assessed his own cards versus the allies': the advantage was overwhelming. "Don't worry; I'm invincible." He reassured her. Woodworth had been helpful, but even alone Gawain's power exceeded all enemy forces combined. In demonic form, his stats topped the whole island; on a large battlefield, with near-infinite healing (so long as he had blood), powerful long-range Magus Riflemen, the backing of divine fire strikes, and the safety net of the Endless Trials system—there was no plausible way to lose unless he chose to.

"Since you say so, I have to trust you," Banwenxi said, brightening.

Gawain shook his head at her unwavering trust. "You believe me so readily?"

"You've always treated me well, Gawain. If I don't trust you, whom else can I trust?" she replied without hesitation.

Gawain sighed: "Having faced someone like Beryl, and yet you still trust blindly… Banwenxi, what can I say?"

She retorted earnestly: "If I lost faith just because of Beryl, that means he defeated me."

Gawain paused, then nodded in reluctant admiration. "True… that's an unexpected way to think."

Banwenxi beamed: "So you're complimenting me?"

Gawain averted his gaze. "You could say that."

"Yay! You praised me!" she cheered, grabbing his hand excitedly.

Gawain realized his hand still lay on her head—unintentionally affectionate. He stiffened. He had been careful to maintain proper distance with Banwenxi, unlike with Artoria before. He withdrew his hand, slightly embarrassed.

"Gah—sorry, I drifted off." Gawain straightened, regaining formality. "Though I still believe we can win, I need to reconfirm our defenses. Pardon me." He hurriedly left, almost fleeing the room, leaving Banwenxi looking forlorn.

"Milord, the treasury city's defenses are complete. Though Spriggan's old wall-protection runes weren't fully restored, all royal knights have been summoned—our defenses are ironclad."

"Milord, cavalry stands ready on the central avenue; if the gates fall, they can charge swiftly to reinforce any breach."

"Milord, as ordered, all newly produced firearms have been distributed. Riflemen are stationed along the walls, monitoring outside."

"Excellent." After verifying Norwich's defenses matched his plan, Gawain exhaled. Although many fairies from Sheffield, New Darlington, and Salisbury had joined the allies—giving them a numerical edge—Gawain's own forces were still substantial, and defending a fortress conferred a major advantage. Nocnarei's giants threatened siege, but with Magus Riflemen's superior range and Morse ammunition, it was doubtful the giants could reach the walls. Thus he need not personally lead the defense. Yet as long as Lancelot held air superiority, he dared not stray far for fear of a sneak attack. Given the enemy had developed something to nullify mirror communication, he remained cautious.

Half a day later, the scouts reported:

[The allied main force appeared before your garrison.]

[With Nocnarei's giants at the vanguard, the allies closed in and began a direct siege.]

[Your Magus Riflemen opened fire on the giants.]

[At the moment of battle, your soldiers discovered they could no longer use any "Spirit Void" firearms.]

[Not only rifles: all mana-based ranged attacks—fireballs, wind blades, other spells—were likewise disabled.]

Gawain's brow tightened as he read: "They've enacted a countermeasure?"