Since Grímr would now be traveling with them as a companion, Shiomi felt it was necessary to make introductions.
"This is my wife. As you know, she's a fairy from Paradise. Her true name is Morgan le Fay, though she currently goes by Aesc."
On their way out of the Bell Hall, Shiomi introduced her to Grímr with pride.
"Morgan? King Arthur's half-sister?" Grímr looked at her as though he'd stumbled across some rare creature. "No—more like a parallel counterpart, right? Her origin and birth must be completely different."
"That's correct." Shiomi nodded lightly, then turned to Aesc. "As he mentioned earlier, though he calls himself Grímr now, his true name is Sétanta—later known as Cú Chulainn, the Hound of Culann."
"The hero from the Cattle Raid of Cooley?" Aesc's face lit with astonishment. "To actually meet him in person..."
Grímr raised an eyebrow. "You've told her my story?"
"Yes. All the legends of Proper Human History I could remember," Shiomi replied. "Aesc enjoys hearing them, so of course I wouldn't keep them from her."
Then, as if suddenly remembering, he added, "By the way, just call him Sétanta from now on. He's only acting as a proxy—no need to use Odin's name."
"Got it. Then I'll be counting on you, Sétanta." Aesc smiled warmly as she nodded.
"I told you not to call me that!" Grímr yelped. "It lowers my Spirit Origin output!"
"Then I'll call you Odin," Shiomi said, closing one eye. "That should raise your output considerably."
"...Sétanta is fine..."
Grímr nearly lost control of himself, fighting the urge to tackle Shiomi then and there.
Truly, the disciple who spent the longest time under their Master knew how to torment people even better than the Master himself. No wonder he had been gifted the twin spears.
Thankfully, they hadn't all studied under the Master at the same time. If they had, he would never have endured training alongside someone with such a temperament and would have run away long ago.
"So, where do you plan to go next?"
After resealing the entrance to the hidden chamber beneath the Bell Hall, the three of them left and walked through the abandoned streets of the Rain Clan. Only then did Grímr ask seriously about their next steps, adding a warning:
"Just in case you didn't know—the bell isn't ordinary. Once it rings, all of Britannia can hear it. The other bells are the same."
"I realized that after ringing it," Aesc said with a nod.
Shiomi's expression cleared. "No wonder the sound carried so powerfully. That explains it."
"The sound of the Pilgrim's Bell is 'the voice of souls accepting their sins.' You should be ready for the possibility that not every clan will accept you ringing their bell," Grímr added.
"We've prepared for that," Aesc said firmly.
"When the bell tolls, every fairy across Britannia hears it, don't they?" Shiomi looked toward the south. "That means it won't be long before investigation teams from the clans arrive."
"Then it's best to leave here quickly," Grímr said. "Unless you're looking for a fight."
"That won't be necessary for now." Shiomi spoke lightly. "But Aesc and I don't plan on leaving Orkney just yet."
Grímr grinned. "I see. So—"
"Since you'll be assisting us, this is the perfect chance to split our efforts," Shiomi said.
"What do you mean, Tenkei?" Aesc asked curiously.
"Grímr should return to the mainland first and start gathering intelligence on the clans," Shiomi explained, gesturing toward the Bell Hall. "That mural, what happened between the god Cernunnos and the six fairies—without more information, we can't make sense of it."
The implication was clear: before Shiomi and Aesc returned to the mainland, Grímr should already begin investigating. It would make things far more efficient.
"Fine by me." Grímr tapped his staff against his shoulder. "You just can't stand me tagging along and ruining your couple time, right?"
He didn't bother hiding the real meaning behind Shiomi's perfectly reasonable plan.
Shiomi stayed calm, and Aesc didn't seem surprised.
"Tenkei's senior brother is so forward," she teased, covering her mouth.
"I just happened to manifest as a Servant in this form!" Grímr snapped. "I had a wife and children in my life before!"
His son had even died by his own hand in the end.
Shiomi thought about it and decided not to say anything—true or not, it was too cutting to voice.
"Anyway, I'm glad you understand. Once we finish up here, we'll contact the Mirror Clan directly." Shiomi waved a hand. "You should start your investigation with the southern clans."
"Got it, got it." Grímr looked exasperated. "You really know how to boss people around. I'll head out now—take care."
With that he turned and left without fuss.
There was no need to exchange contact details or set a meeting place. As fellow magi, they could reestablish contact quickly using the same runic Magecraft.
...
Watching Grímr head toward the city's edge, Aesc—who'd paused on the street to see him off—said, "Next, we're heading to the World Tree."
That had been their planned route on the way back to the Rain Clan's old lands.
"I feel like I promised you ages ago, and we never got around to it," Shiomi said.
Investigating the World Tree was their first stop after Aesc rang the Pilgrim's Bell in the itinerary they'd drawn up together. Though Shiomi and Aesc were concerned with different things, their goals converged.
"It's not too late." Aesc took his hand. "Honestly, having you with me is what makes me feel safe."
"More importantly—are you all right?" Shiomi asked.
"Huh?" Aesc paused.
"After ringing the Pilgrim's Bell, your power leapt qualitatively," Shiomi said. "Are you adjusting to that change? Do you need to rest?"
Aesc had been about to insist she felt energetic enough to leave for the World Tree immediately, but the words shifted.
"I'm a little tired, actually." She opened her arms and fell into Shiomi's embrace. "You're right. I should rest for a bit. There's plenty of time—no need to rush."
"What worries me more is how the clan fairies will react," Shiomi said softly. "This is a good opportunity to watch."
"Let's use Magecraft to hide our traces as much as possible, make it look like no one's been here."
"Mm."