Or, you guys find another savior

This approach would be a waste of time. If possible, Irisviel wanted to talk to Kiritsugu again and persuade him to give up.

But… was that really possible?

Because she understood Kiritsugu Emiya better than anyone, because she understood his wish better than anyone, Irisviel wasn't confident she could persuade her husband.

"No matter what, we need to—"

Artoria tried to offer her opinion, but before she could finish, Irisviel's face turned pale.

"Someone… has entered this forest," she said.

Saber immediately stood up.

Logically, the gathering held today meant that all parties involved should observe a tacit ceasefire and prepare to purify the Greater Holy Grail and end the Holy Grail War.

Kiritsugu's departure might have been seen as a rejection of the proposal, making him an unstable element.

Are they going to eliminate us while they have the chance? Saber wondered to herself.

"No, the intruders in the forest have stopped," Irisviel said, trying to focus her senses.

But soon, it was too late for her, for Saber, or even for Kiritsugu and Maiya, who were making plans in the next room.

A strange magical energy enveloped Einzbern Castle. Saber clearly saw everything in front of her disappear, leaving only endless darkness and silence.

"What is this—!"

Chapter 62: Lost Will (1)

When Artoria came to her senses, she found herself blinded by the bright sunlight and instinctively raised her hand to shield her eyes.

As her vision gradually returned, she realized she was standing outside a stable.

She couldn't quite recall who she had been watching just moments before, only that she had sworn her oath as a knight to protect someone until the very end.

Perhaps I was dreaming?

Artoria looked down at the rough cloth clothes she was wearing.

She gradually remembered that her task for the day was to care for her adoptive father Hector's warhorses. Perhaps she had gotten tired after finishing her work and ended up sitting outside the stable, staring at the glaring sun.

Before her lay a vast grassland bathed in the morning sun.

Hector's residence was located outside the town, far from the hustle and bustle of human life.

"Dazing off here, Artoria?"

Perhaps to supervise her, her adoptive father Hector approached, holding a knight's spear.

"No, I was just..." Artoria tried to explain.

But the truth was, she had indeed been zoning out.

"Never mind, it's fine to take a short break," Hector said, not dwelling on it. "I have something for you. Kay seems to have forgotten something. If you chase after him now, you might still catch up. Take it to him in town."

The words, which felt as if she had heard them before, made Artoria pause.

There was a special festival in town today.

Kay had ridden his father's warhorse to town to attend the festival, but he had forgotten to bring his most important possession as a knight: his spear.

And there were no warhorses waiting for her to care for in the stable.

Artoria couldn't forget what day it was.

She silently took the knight's spear from Hector's hand and ran towards the town.

It was an almost unbearable scene, sending her back to the day she pulled the Sword of Selection, Caliburn.

She ran through fields and plains towards the town.

The atmosphere in town was indeed livelier than usual, but the mood was slightly different from what Artoria remembered.

Everyone was heading towards the knight training grounds outside the town.

Children rushed ahead noisily.

The adults' eyes gleamed with excessive anticipation, yet they maintained a degree of restraint, unwilling to have that anticipation betrayed, their footsteps quicker than usual.

"It's the King!"

"The King is in town!"

"The King will be selecting attendant knights in town today!"

The conversations, slightly different from the scene in Artoria's memory, made her pause.

The King? Is it Father Uther? she wondered to herself.

"Huh? Isn't that Artorius? Is it okay for you to be spacing out here? Even as a squire, you're still a knight, and you might even be chosen by Queen Morgan!"

A young man she knew called out her male alias and spoke of what was about to happen.

Queen… Morgan?

Artoria stood frozen, while the young people in town who knew her excitedly discussed who had a chance to become the "Queen's" knight.

Not wanting to miss the grand event, the young people left Artoria behind when they saw she wasn't reacting.

As the main road outside the town gradually became deserted, with all the excitement concentrated in one place, she finally saw Kay approaching, leading a horse.

"Brother Kay, this is—" she handed over the knight's lance in her hand.

"Oh, thanks." Kay took the knight's lance.

"Um... what's this about the queen's selection?" Artoria's mind was in a complete mess.

"It means exactly what it says. We don't have time to indulge Merlin and Uther's dreams. Compared to the Sword of Selection, it's more appropriate to compare based on manpower, wealth, and strength. On top of that, your sister knows how to integrate everyone's interests, foster cooperation, and take responsibility." Kay said, "That's enough."

"..." Artoria remained silent.

"If you want to go, go. If not, just wander around the town on your own and be back before dark." Kay mounted his horse. "You don't need to bear everything on your own anymore, Artoria."

As if telling her something important, Kay said this in a rather profound tone and then walked away.

Artoria actually knew that Kay had never wanted her to bear the burden of Britain or the responsibility of a king from the beginning, yet he had helplessly watched everything unfold.

And now, someone was suddenly telling her that she didn't need to become king, that someone else had taken over her duties.

You don't have to work so hard anymore.

Artoria lowered her head and stood where the Sword of Selection should have been. The stone was empty, with only the trace of where the sword had once stood.

Looking at the notch shaped like a sword blade, Artoria clutched her chest as if something was missing from there.

"Isn't this the outcome you desired?"

A familiar voice rang out.

She looked up and saw the Magus sitting not far in front of her. The shadow of his white hood obscured most of his face, revealing only a faint, familiar smile.

"The outcome... I desired." Artoria remembered.

Britain had been destroyed, so she deeply regretted it and wanted to change that ending. She wanted to go back to before she drew the Sword of Selection and choose a more suitable king to change that outcome.

So she saw all of this.

Indeed, another king had been chosen, and everyone greatly supported that king.

Queen Morgan... Artoria Pendragon's sister.

Perhaps her regal demeanor and her love for Britain were even greater than Artoria's, but she was a sister Artoria had never truly known.

"You don't need to draw that sword anymore, you won't be hated by all humans, nor will you meet a tragic death. Whether as the knight Artoria or the maiden Artoria, you can live a more ordinary life."

The correct outcome, the outcome where she would no longer be harmed.

However, when she truly saw this outcome, she felt a pang of hesitation.

Even though she knew this might just be Morgan's illusion, it struck Artoria's heart precisely.

"Under Queen Morgan's rule, Britain might meet a completely different end," the Magus said with a faint smile, yet he seemed devoid of joy or sorrow.

The next second, another voice sounded from behind her.

"Or, you can't accept this situation?"

Turning around abruptly, Artoria saw Morgan.

She stood there in the sunlight, her expressionless, simply asking and then looking at her.

"If that's the case, it's not impossible to take it back from Queen Morgan now. You still have that qualification."

The Magus's voice rang out again.

Then, the surroundings were empty, leaving only Artoria standing there, and... the Sword of Selection reappearing.

Chapter 63: Garden of Lost Will (2)

Dry wood was thrown into the bonfire, crackling as it burned. The fire grew a bit stronger, illuminating the faces of Xi Jianxi and Morgan.

Einzbern Forest, about four kilometers from the castle.

The two sat on fallen tree trunks, a bonfire burning in front of them.

"Is this far enough?" he asked Morgan.

"It's sufficient. When I allied with Einzbern before, I visited the castle. At that time, I had already begun making preparations to deal with the Holy Grail War after the alliance ended." Morgan watched the bonfire burn. "For Artoria, the 'Garden of Lost Will' is very suitable for her."

"'Garden of Lost Will'..." Xi Jianxi nodded.

In fact, the 'Garden of Lost Will' was less of a magic and more of a solidified magecraft artifact.

It required no incantations; as long as mana was provided, it would activate according to the user's will. However, if the caster's own ability was insufficient, they might be consumed by it as well.

"But this kind of thing can't just affect Artoria. If there are other people in the castle, they'll get caught up too," Morgan said. "So it's better not to go near there for now, my husband. Unless you want to experience it yourself."

Xi Jianxi's facial features contorted as if his tongue had been dripped with fresh lemon juice. "No, thank you."

Although he didn't know what he would encounter, Morgan had already explained the principle of the 'Garden of Lost Will' to him when they were starting the fire.

It erodes the visitor's heart until it disappears, inflicting the pain of self-blame and remorse. It reveals the cold courtyard that deceives with warmth.

If one could endure until the end, they could leave the courtyard, but their heart would disappear before that.

However, Xi Jianxi didn't want to experience it. It wasn't because he feared what he might see, but for other reasons.

"Do you think my magic is cruel?" Morgan asked calmly.

"From the moment magic was used as a tool for conflict, there's no such thing as too cruel. The Holy Grail War is a life-or-death struggle. If anything—" Xi Jianxi said, warming his hands by the fire, "aren't you being too soft-hearted? If you and I had combined forces, we could have leveled Saber's faction along with the castle and completely eliminated them from this Holy Grail War. Yet, you insisted on choosing such a roundabout method. That's not how you 'subdue the enemy without fighting'."

"But you didn't object, did you?" Morgan asked with a slight smile.

"Just making an observation," Xi Jianxi lowered his gaze, continuing to warm his hands by the fire.

The firelight reflected in his eyes, making him seem somewhat startling.

Cruel, or ruthless. She knew very well he would never use such words to describe her.

On the contrary, she had intended to joke, but he had gotten angry because her unintentionally self-deprecating remark was taken as a form of masochistic self-abasement.

"Just sitting here by the fire, waiting for the results, is rather boring," Morgan said.

" 'Lost Will' is your magic, you should be able to see what's happening inside, right?" Xi Jianxi raised an eyebrow.

"Not interested. Whether Artoria or anyone else sees within the 'Will', or if they can get out, has nothing to do with me." Morgan brought her legs together, palms resting on her knees, exuding an air of relaxation. "This forest is so wild, and it's getting deeper and colder now—"

She gently patted the spot next to her with one hand. "Come sit here, it's warmer than sitting by the fire."

"No need. I'm not an ordinary person. If a distinguished Magus doesn't even have the ability to withstand the cold..."

He trailed off mid-sentence, as Morgan once again adopted that unrefusable attitude.

"We're still in the middle of a battle, I won't listen," Xi Jianxi turned his face away, deliberately avoiding her expression.

Otherwise, with just a glance, without any added magic or enchantments, he would have complied with her wishes.

"Since you won't come over, I'll come to you."

However, he had forgotten in his distraction that they were merely sitting across the campfire from each other, with no chasm separating them. A few steps were all it took to sit side-by-side.

Although Morgan hadn't actually done anything, merely sitting next to him, he felt a pang of disappointment, as if he had just been expecting something.

This was truly awful.