"Miss Rita? It's me, Catherine, Curator of the British Museum."
"I imagine you're currently puzzling over the remaining clues? May I offer my assistance this time?"
In the museum office, the wine-haired woman smiled confidently into the phone.
Meanwhile, at Schicksal's mansion, Snow and Rita exchanged knowing glances.
"The little rats hiding in the shadows are finally getting restless..."
"Rita, let's prepare a surprise for them," Snow said, propping her left hand under her chin, a playful smile spreading across her face.
"As you wish."
-
The next day, in the Curator's Office at the British Museum, Rita and Snow sat on the sofa, listening to the Museum Curator's impassioned speech.
"Miss Rita, Lady Omega... As the guardian of England's history, I absolutely cannot forgive the criminal who vandalized the museum yesterday!" Catherine's face flushed with anger, as if her heart ached for the damaged artifacts.
"Moreover, this incident has made me realize the importance of your mission..."
"Therefore, please allow me to assist you with my own resources!"
Her fervent gaze turned to Rita, who sat beside Snow, awaiting her reply.
"Just agree," Snow said without looking up from her engrossing reading of Arthurian Legends, propped up beside them.
"Understood, my lady—Thank you for your kindness, Curator Catherine. Although the details of our mission are confidential, I was actually hoping to consult you on the legends of King Arthur," Rita said, nodding to Catherine and laying out her request.
"Of course. Anything I know, I will share truthfully..." The Curator took a sip of her red tea to clear her throat and began her narration.
"Miss Rita, you've no doubt thoroughly researched the legend of King Arthur. The monarch's story has been interpreted in countless works of art and literature."
"This young king, undefeated in battle, became Britannia's most renowned monarch. Yet his life ended in tragedy, and the legends surrounding him lack any historical verification."
"Therefore, Miss Rita, have you ever considered that the so-called Arthurian legends might not be based on actual events?" Catherine set down her teacup and looked at Rita, awaiting her response.
"Legends are, by their nature, stories fabricated by later generations. Yet they invariably contain some basis in reality... like the ancient myth of the burning of the City of Sodom."
"Ultimately, there are always references to be found... the only difference lies in whether people choose to uncover them."
The white-haired girl, who had been studying a book, picked up Catherine's thread.
"Hmm... you're right... Then, Lady Omega, have you ever heard of or know anything about the story of Avalon?" Catherine turned her gaze to Snow, who was sitting nearby.
"The legendary Isle of the Fairies, an idealized paradise that exists outside the mortal realm... the final resting place of King Arthur..."
"Exactly. But this is also one of the myths propagated by later generations. In reality, King Arthur never found this place, because as you said, Avalon does not exist within the mortal realm."
"Instead, it lies beyond the boundaries of space-time..."
"Beyond the boundaries of space-time..." A faint, almost imperceptible smile curved the Golden-haired Valkyrie's lips, but Catherine, lost in her storytelling, didn't notice the enigmatic expression.
"Yes, beyond the boundaries of space-time. To find Avalon, Arthur and Merlin embarked on a journey together. Merlin entrusted Arthur with a Holy Sword."
"--Legend claims this Holy Sword originated from Avalon itself. With it, one could sever the fabric of space, forging a path to another realm. This was said to be the only way to reach Avalon."
"Yet even with this, King Arthur spent his entire life searching without ever finding the legendary paradise..."
"Only the divine miracles Merlin created became shining highlights in the myths..."
"So... you believe Avalon actually existed?" Rita asked, turning to Catherine, who had just closed the book.
"Not necessarily, but my research suggests that the great magician Merlin was likely a real historical figure."
"He guided King Arthur on his path to becoming king, he ignited the legend of Arthur, and it was through him that the king's stories have endured through the ages."
"Merlin, huh... It seems like this warrants further investigation," Snow and Rita nodded solemnly.
"Now we're getting to my specialty!" Catherine suddenly lit up, whirling around to pull out a stack of research materials over a meter tall from behind her desk and slam it onto the table with a resounding thud.
"Miss Rita, Lady Omega, this is the culmination of my years of research. Please review it at your leisure!"
"...Intriguing," Snow remarked, glancing at the mountain of documents before casually pulling out a volume, treating it as a way to pass the time.
The morning flew by in an instant, and it was time to bid farewell.
"Today has been remarkably fruitful," Rita said politely, thanking Catherine. Snow had already left the Curator's Office earlier and was now strolling among the workers clearing the rubble.
"Did you manage to extract the information from the Soulium, Dad?" the white-haired Valkyrie asked, holding a silver block between her fingertips and examining it closely.
"It contains partial data about the Second Divine Key. Just as we suspected, this divine key was forged from the Herrscher of the Void's Core. Its precise function remains unclear, but it's mentioned that it can open spatial gateways, connecting to another dimension..."
A man's voice echoed through the comm channel.
"The previous civilization once attempted to explore the Sea of Quanta using it... but the specific details have been lost..."
"The legend of Avalon likely refers to the Sea of Quanta, and King Arthur's Holy Sword is probably a description of the Void Key itself..."
"Perhaps... we should shift our approach, Dad."
"The legends surrounding King Arthur lack any historical verification... and during Schicksal's 500-year dominion over England, I reviewed extensive records from Schicksal's archaeological teams, all of whom ultimately returned empty-handed."
"Now that we've confirmed the Second Divine Key is a device crafted from the Herrscher of the Void's Core... could we venture to speculate that it isn't in the real world at all, but rather concealed within a folded space?"
"Moreover, the organization known as World Serpent has been relentlessly hindering our operations since we arrived in London... Perhaps this folded space is hidden somewhere within the city itself."
"An intriguing hypothesis... I'll deploy special-purpose mechs to conduct a comprehensive scan of London City to verify this theory. But my daughter..."
"What do you intend to do about those serpents still lurking in the shadows, watching us?"
"Since they've gone to such elaborate lengths to set this magnificent trap for us, how could my conscience possibly allow me to simply ignore it? I'll crush it into oblivion myself."
Snow's face beamed with a radiant smile, like a guest eagerly anticipating a grand banquet.
"Then I wish you a pleasant journey ahead, my child."