However, compared to Baobhan Sith, Lot was far more wary of Melusine.
After all, in terms of strength, she was on a completely different level from Baobhan Sith.
Even at her peak, Baobhan Sith was no match for Lot and Morgan they could subdue her without issue. Leaving aside martial skill, just the Kavacha and Kundala: "O' Sun, Become Armor" that Lot currently wore was enough to pose a significant threat to her.
But against Melusine?
That wouldn't be nearly as effective.
And she wasn't just any ordinary Melusine.
If she were merely the half-human, half-fairy beauty with a serpent's tail and dragon wings a hybrid born of humans and fairies then no matter how strong she was, she wouldn't be overwhelmingly powerful.
But beyond that, she was also a fairy born from Albion, the Dragon of the Boundary.
In other words, Melusine stood at the pinnacle of all fairies.
No amount of overestimation could truly capture her strength.
Lot remained extremely cautious.
And this cautious attitude was conveyed directly to Morgan through their mental link.
Upon hearing Lot's thoughts, Morgan was momentarily stunned.
She's actually that strong?
The strongest in all of Fairy Britain?
And she has ties to Albion, the Dragon of the Boundary…
"We must be careful."
Morgan silently steeled herself.
At first, when that husband of hers referred to her as the Fairy Knight Lancelot, she had been quite pleased.
She knew that in proper history, the likes of Gawain, Tristan, and Lancelot had been her sister Artoria's subordinates. In that Lostbelt, the Fairy Knights Tristan and the others had been her subordinates. So if Melusine was the Fairy Knight Lancelot, did that mean she was also one of her own?
Looking at Melusine's petite form…
Could this "Thirteen Elite Knights" plan take another step forward?
Now, it seemed this girl's strength would be difficult to control.
A being of this caliber…
Might very well become an enemy.
They would have to handle this carefully.
(That earlier fight between Fairy Lancelot and Lancelot was just a contest of martial skill, which is why it ended in a draw. And honestly, Lancelot's no pushover either!)
It looked like the abduction plan would need to be carefully thought out.
Did you think they would just give up on recruiting Melusine to their side?
If the Morgan of the Lostbelt could do it, then so could she.
What the Lostbelt version achieved, she would achieve as well.
What the Lostbelt version failed to do, she would still accomplish.
That was her duty now.
The Morgan of the Lostbelt had failed.
The Morgan of proper history had failed.
Even her undefeated sister Artoria, in the proper timeline, had not succeeded.
But she could not afford to fail.
Morgan swore it in her heart.
Melusine tilted her head slightly, studying Lot and Morgan as she spoke.
If she had doubts, she would voice them outright.
She wasn't afraid of these two harboring ill intentions toward her.
But what she didn't expect
Was that Morgan did have ulterior motives.
Just not the kind that involved violence.
No, she wanted to recruit her.
After a moment's thought, Morgan smiled and replied, "We're just a couple of wandering fairies, nothing special."
"Your strength doesn't match that of ordinary fairies."
Melusine's assessment was blunt.
At the same time, for some reason, she could feel that the way this fairy was looking at her was… off.
In fact, it was strangely comforting.
Melusine pondered this silently.
"Isn't it normal for wandering fairies to have some skill?"
Morgan countered with a light chuckle.
"Hmm. That's not an unreasonable explanation."
Melusine accepted her words.
Then, her gaze shifted to the massive crater in the distance the one Morgan had blasted into the mountainside.
Turning back, she asked, "Did you do that?"
Morgan nodded without hesitation.
If she wanted to lure Melusine to her side, she needed to demonstrate her strength.
How else would she prove she was worth following?
"You're quite strong."
Melusine gave a small nod.
Her eyes held a faint trace of approval.
Then, her expression returned to its usual blankness.
This level of power still didn't surpass her own.
And since Morgan was a mage, their combat styles didn't align.
Not particularly interesting to her.
"I'd like to stay here tonight. Can I stay with you?"
Though Melusine was kind-hearted, she wasn't the best at reading social cues.
If she wanted to observe Morgan and Lot, she'd just… ask to stay with them.
Morgan agreed instantly.
This was the perfect opportunity to get closer to her!
Behind his helmet, Lot didn't react much.
Morgan was still pregnant.
There wasn't much he could do right now anyway.
Might as well help his wife kidnap the little Fairy Lancelot.
Once they had her, dealing with the other fairies would be a breeze.
"Though before that, we'll need to find some Earth Clan fairies to help rebuild our place."
Lot explained to Melusine.
Then, she moved to stand beside Morgan and Lot.
Meanwhile, Leah's expression grew even more tense.
A wandering fairy like Tonelico was one thing.
But this fairy Melusine was on a whole other level.
She kept her head down and stayed quiet.
The group continued on their way.
Then, without warning, the sky darkened.
Before anyone could react, rain began to fall.
They quickly sought shelter.
And it was then that they noticed
Melusine was staring at the rain with something like… anticipation.
"Do you like the rain, Lady Melusine?"
Leah ventured to ask.
Melusine shook her head lightly.
And at that moment, Lot who had been silent until now spoke.
"After the storm comes the rainbow."