MTLNOVEL Chapter 298: "Think Again
Mélusine had a dream.
She dreamed of her future self.
The dream was hazy—she couldn't recall exactly how she met her future self or what they said to each other. All she could remember was a vague blur of impressions and one particularly striking moment.
She recalled contemplating whether imprisoning Artoria and Bawanxi would indeed lure Guinevere into a prison break. Then suddenly, a rift in space-time opened before her, and her future self jumped out of it.
And immediately slapped her across the face.
"Think again."
Mélusine woke up at that moment, clutching her cheek in bewilderment.
What did that mean?
"Think again?"
Dragons typically don't dream—rarely, if ever. That made this dream all the more meaningful to Mélusine. She believed it was a significant message, possibly a warning from her future self. After all, she was of dragonkind. As unlikely as it seemed, such things weren't impossible for her.
So... think again?
Think about what?
The cryptic message left by her future self had to mean something. Mélusine sat cross-legged on the bed, deep in thought.
She had been considering capturing Artoria and her companions to lure Guinevere into a trap. Could it be that her future self was warning her this plan would fail? That she needed to be more cautious?
Mélusine felt she was onto something.
Yes—just because it had only been two days didn't mean Guinevere would be the last to arrive.
Given his capabilities, traveling from Edinburgh to Glasgow within two days, locating the prison, and infiltrating it stealthily... it was difficult, but not impossible.
After all, it was Guinevere.
She couldn't imagine how he would break into a prison fortress that no one had escaped in over a thousand years. But then again, it was Guinevere. Mélusine felt she had to be prepared.
After clashing with Guinevere so many times and witnessing him achieve so many miracles, her belief in his abilities had grown borderline fanatical.
No—she had to go inspect the prison immediately.
But just as she stepped out of her room, a subordinate came rushing toward her:
"Lady Lancelot! There's an intruder on the prison island!"
[After slaying Black Anise, you all press forward and soon reach the lowest level of the prison.]
[Due to the commotion caused by Oberon, most of the guards had been lured away. The remaining forces were minimal, and you easily overwhelmed them. You considered using the torture devices in the prison to interrogate them.]
[However, the moment you moved toward the torture tools, the guards gave in immediately.]
"These guys really have no backbone..."
Guinevere couldn't help but comment.
Perhaps it was because these guards were once inmates themselves. They were the ultimate egoists, living by the rule: "Why risk your life for a few hundred bucks a month?" They surrendered or confessed quicker than anyone.
[The interrogated guards didn't know the exact location of Artoria and Bawanxi, but they revealed that all high-security prisoners were held in the center of the prison island—a separate area with the heaviest guard presence.]
[Additionally, you learn that the Slender Man, the last great fairy who attacked the Clan of Mirrors, is stationed there.]
[Having gathered this intel, you swiftly leave the lower levels and sneak up to the surface.]
[Despite your lackluster stealth skills, which resulted in multiple detections, you eliminated every guard who spotted you. Thus, no alerts were raised as you reached the surface.]
[You signal Oberon in the sky to regroup with you.]
[Once reunited, you instruct Oberon not to recall the beasts he had unleashed earlier. Instead, you command them to continue wreaking havoc, each heading toward a different quadrant of the island. Meanwhile, your team makes its way to the prison's core.]
[At the center of the prison island, you find a tall prison tower with a single entrance.]
[Using Oberon's hypnotic powder, you subdue the guards at the entrance without resistance and sneak into the tower.]
[Soon, you begin to feel disoriented and start coughing. You even forget what you were doing mid-action.]
"It's the Slender Man—he's already noticed us!"
Gareth spoke up immediately:
"These symptoms mean we're being targeted. Especially be mindful of your memories—Slender Man causes memory loss when nearby. Don't forget why we're here!"
[Heeding Gareth's warning, you stay alert and search for the Slender Man.]
[Before you find him, you're ambushed.]
[Your opponent resembles the Phantom of the Opera.]
[Though formidable—stronger even than the original Phantom—you overpower and defeat him.]
[Defeating a fairy with superior stats increases your total wins to 94.]
"Alright! Another one down."
Reidra beamed with excitement.
"Let's push forward in one go!"
"Strange..."
Unlike Reidra, Guinevere rubbed his chin.
"Isn't this supposed to be the prison's core? Why's it so easy to get through? No more enemies?"
Unable to find an answer, Guinevere shrugged and followed the others to the next floor. Time was short—they had to rescue Artoria quickly.
[On the second floor, you're attacked again, this time by a fairy resembling Fergus.]
[Though his spiral sword was tricky, you took him down with a surprise flying shield attack to the chest.]
[You and your team finish him off together.]
[Total wins now: 95.]
"This tower's defenses are no joke... the enemies really are tough."
Guinevere commented as he climbed to the next floor.
[On the third floor, you encounter an enemy resembling Gilles de Rais (Caster).]
[He tried to summon something ominous using a dark book, but you interrupted him with a quick flying shield strike.]
[You all rush in and take him down.]
[Total wins: 96.]
"Why is Bluebeard here? Are we in some twisted Holy Grail War or what?"
Baffled, Guinevere climbed to the next floor.
[On the fourth floor, you face enemies resembling Jeanne d'Arc and Gilles de Rais (Saber).]
"Sorry to intrude," Guinevere finally realized, "I'm in a prison tower boss rush, aren't I?"
[You assign roles: Reidra, Oberon, and Gareth occupy Jeanne while you duel the Fairy Marshal. You kill him with a windmill sword technique, then join the others in overwhelming Jeanne.]
[Despite falling behind, Jeanne proves stubbornly resilient. Only after a prolonged fight do you manage to defeat her with your advanced swordsmanship.]
[Total wins: 97.]
Two bosses for one win? Still, considering this system rewards underdog victories, Guinevere couldn't complain.
[On the fifth floor, you battle a fairy resembling Uncle Caligula.]
[Total wins: 98.]
"Wait, why are we even fighting like this?" Reidra, panting, leaned on her massive blade.
"Huh? Weird question," Guinevere scratched his head. "Aren't we running a high-difficulty dungeon here?"
"High-difficulty?"
"Yeah, like those rare events. Anyway, let's go—I've been prepping for this one for ages."
"I see..." Reidra nodded, dazed. Then sighed. "Whinny... sorry, I really can't go on anymore... whinny."
After so many intense battles, she'd reached her limit.
"Fair enough," Guinevere nodded and pulled out a Pal Sphere. "Take a break backstage. We'll handle the rest."
[On the sixth floor, you face fairies resembling Amakusa Shirou and Jeanne d'Arc.]
"Wait a second—didn't we already fight the blonde one?" Oberon asked.
"Did we? Don't recall," Guinevere frowned. "Whatever. All Takeuchi faces look the same. Doesn't she look like Artoria with a different hairstyle? Let's go."
[The fight is brutal. Your strength is drained from earlier battles, and both Gareth and Oberon fall and return to their Pal Spheres. Even you're struggling.]
[You unleash all your remaining beasts. After exhausting nearly all of them, you finally defeat Jeanne and Shirou.]
[Total wins: 99.]
[Alone, you reach the seventh floor.]
[There, you face Fairy Knight Gawain.]
"Eh? I'm fighting Gawain? What happened? Why am I fighting Gawain all of a sudden?"
Already on the verge of collapse, Guinevere was visibly distressed.
"—And why am I in such bad shape?"
Confused, he opened his system menu and suddenly froze.
"Wait a sec—why is my win count almost maxed out? Didn't I have a long way to go before I left?"
"—Wait? Left for what? What was I doing again...?"
Feeling something was terribly wrong, Guinevere clutched his head.
"You okay? You seem troubled. Anything I can help with?"
Suddenly, Fairy Gawain spoke.
"Huh? Help me?" Guinevere blinked. "Aren't we enemies?"
"Enemies? Us?" Fairy Gawain blinked back, then nodded slowly. "Oh right. Someone told me I'm the guard here, and you're the convict trying to break in. I'm supposed to defeat you."
She approached him, towering over him.
At six foot three, her presence was overwhelming. Combined with his depleted stamina, Guinevere felt even more pressure.
"...But, I don't want to fight you."
Gawain suddenly added:
"I don't know why, but when I see you, I feel a strange familiarity... I really don't want to raise my sword against you."