The Journey of a Knight and a King

"... Let me make this clear first, if you're still stuck on this issue when we meet again, I won't personally try to enlighten you again. No matter what, I won't. I've had enough of getting beaten up."

Feeling the cold gaze from Scáthach behind him, Rovey gave a wry smile. He was also helpless about Gilgamesh and Artoria's invitation.

He didn't know what he had done to attract them, but he was just incredibly popular, it was like a dream come true when Gudako in Chaldea.

As her final words faded, Saber, having lost the magical energy supplied by the Jewel Magician, began to emanate a golden glow from her body, her flesh dissipating into particles.

"It seems the time has come."

Artoria said this while looking at the changes in herself, without feeling any reluctance, only a dashing smile.

"I don't know how long it will be, but see you in the future, Saber, no... beautiful Artoria." At the last moment, Rovey smiled and said goodbye to her.

"Well, goodbye, Rovey, a man full of miracles..."

As Artoria's last words fell softly, she smiled and completely disappeared from everyone's sight. Although Scáthach was annoyed that she hadn't been able to kill this guy who tried to poach her like the King of Heroes, he was already gone, and she didn't have any better options now.

With Saber's departure, the Holy Grail now contains the souls of six Servant, as well as a vast amount of magical power transmitted from a parallel world.

Rovey raised the Holy Grail and placed it in front of Emiya Kiritsugu and Kirei Kotomine, speaking with a serious expression.

"Next, I will use this Holy Grail to wish for the eradication of all the sorrow caused by this Holy Grail War and to reverse all the negative effects. Which of you two agrees? Who disagrees?"

"..."

Emiya Kiritsugu and Kirei Kotomine exchanged a glance, then looked behind Rovey at Scáthach, who was already sharpening her swords and spears towards the pigs and sheep (themselves). The two looked at each other again, and then shook their heads at the same time like windmills.

"We agree!!"

Chapter Ninety-Six: The Knight and the King's Journey

Let us now begin that final journey together.

The concepts of time and space are major problems that have been pondered by humankind since the dawn of intelligence.

Countless people have spent their entire lives trying to unravel the two great mysteries inherent in time and space. The Mari contained within them encompass philosophy, science, and many other incomprehensible disciplines.

Throughout history, Magus, novelists, scientists, and even beings from beyond the world have all sought to deeply understand the philosophy contained within these two terms and explore their true mysteries. Perhaps some special beings have indeed understood or comprehended parts of these principles, but those wise beings certainly do not include the confused Sleeping Beauty, King Arthur, Artoria Pendragon, from a certain small blue planet, who, in a dream, cast her thoughts into the future and witnessed countless events.

That was a long period of nearly 1,500 years.

The body would remain in Britannia, but the mind and spirit would travel to a place in the Far East 1,500 years in the future. The queen finally awoke from her deep dream and slowly opened her tired eyes.

She woke up.

The king's spirit has been awakened.

Artoria's body returned to the clear sky of her homeland, beside a flowing stream, on a lush green meadow, far away from the ruins of her homeland, which had been completely destroyed by war and bloodshed.

"Hmm..."

Artoria sat up from the ground, clutching her head. In a daze, she felt a headache coming on, after all, she had just had a very vivid dream.

In that dream, she encountered many interesting people and even clashed with kings and heroes from different eras.

Of course, there was also a certain Master she disliked who made her feel incredibly annoyed.

However, she was lucky. A certain magical young man became her second spiritual mentor in life, guiding her through his actions, helping her to understand many things, and proposing that she start her life anew, not stay in Britannia for the rest of her life, but go out and see the world. Now her spirit has heeded his advice and returned to her own era.

Artoria stood up. Her blue and white belted dress was still stained with blood—the blood of a traitor, which had soaked half of her body. Her eyes, which were slowly opening, were slightly red due to the blood flowing down her forehead. However, because her left eye was still intact, she could still see everything around her clearly.

Because of Mordred's cursed sword, part of her helmet was cut off from her right forehead, leaving her with an extremely serious and fatal wound that could have led to her death.

And naturally, Mordred, the rebel who started this war, had also been pierced by his own Holy Lance. The incredibly powerful magic, just like when he killed the White Dragon Vortigern, destroyed his chest and internal organs, completely severing his life force. His body was buried in that shattered kingdom.

We should be getting close to Britannia by now, right?

Artoria used her intact left eye to observe this forest and greenery, so different from the war-torn land, filled with sunshine and warmth. She had already remembered where she was.

"--king!!"

Gradually, after Artoria had just woken up and regained some clarity of mind, she suddenly heard a familiar voice calling her with surprise. Someone was calling her.

"This is..."

She turned around and looked in the direction of the stream behind her. There she saw a young man who could be mistaken for a woman. He was incredibly handsome with silver-gray hair and was running towards her with a look of both anxiety and joy.

"—Your Majesty, you're awake!!"

Upon seeing that familiar figure, the silver-gray knight ran over at top speed, then excitedly grasped Artoria's hand. Tears welled up in her beautiful eyes, and her voice began to tremble uncontrollably.

This time, the silver-gray knight's face was fully imprinted in Artoria's vision. She could see the hot tears in the corners of his eyes, as well as the barely concealed excitement and disappointment on his face.

He was thrilled by the king's rebirth, yet saddened by the king's loss of everything.

However, the two contradictory emotions blended perfectly together at this moment, appearing on the knight's face without any sense of incongruity; it seemed very natural.

"Bedivere..."

Upon seeing the silver-gray one-armed knight again, Artoria smiled and softly called out his real name.

His thoughts involuntarily drifted back to the era of the Round Table, to the times he fought alongside Bedivere and the many Knights of the Round Table. He also recalled the first time Bedivere offered him his sword, declaring his lifelong loyalty. Now...

Was it really him who stayed with her until the very end?

"Your Majesty, you're awake."

Upon seeing Artoria awaken after being unconscious for three days and three nights, Bedivere could not hide his joy. He hurriedly took off his water bag and handed it to Artoria, hoping she could drink some water.

"Yes, thank you, Bedivere."

Taking the water bag handed to her, Artoria smiled a long-lost smile at the silver-gray knight in front of her.

However, the next moment, upon seeing Artoria's face, the silver-gray knight in front of him was completely stunned.

"Your Majesty... you smiled?"

As King Arthur's close attendant, Bedivere understood better than anyone the immense pressure and responsibility the king bore. She had to conceal her identity and present a perfect image to the outside world in order to suppress the spying of foreign tribes and block the undercurrents within the kingdom. Her responsibility was immense; that heavy burden pressed down on her delicate body without reservation. Bedivere felt breathless just looking at her, let alone bearing the weight of Artoria.

Therefore, she never smiled except when she was victorious, and any smiles she showed were merely forced smiles to avoid worrying the knights.

But now, after the fall of Britannia and the betrayal, the king, who should have been utterly desperate, actually smiled.

This was also the first time he had seen King Arthur smile since he led the kings to fight their way out of the blood-stained Camlann.

The sight before him brought tears to Bedivere's eyes.

'Wang, she seems to have figured it out...'

Seeing that Artoria seemed to have emerged from the shadow of the kingdom's destruction, he, as a knight, felt genuinely happy.

"Has something happened, Your Majesty?"

"Yes, I had a very unique dream, and I met a very special person there."

"What kind of dream was that...? It must have been wonderful..."

Looking at Artoria's smiling face, Bedivere asked with concern.

"Um... no."

Upon hearing this question, Artoria's eyes showed a hint of melancholy. Involuntarily, she recalled the war trampling that Rovey had inflicted on her face, as well as his words that had utterly shattered her dreams. She involuntarily covered her cheek with her hand, and then her expression became thoughtful.

"It was a dream that was somewhat painful, but incredibly real."

She is still in excruciating pain, with fatal injuries to her eyes, chest, and forehead, but she has survived this Holy Grail War.

Even Artoria is now somewhat confused about whether the injuries on her body are from the Camlann or proof that she once participated in the Holy Grail War. It's a really strange feeling, but...

"Sir Bedivere, let's put the matter of the dream aside for now. I have something to ask of you."

"—Yes, Your Majesty!!"

Upon hearing the king's command, the silver-gray knight excitedly knelt on one knee, ready to receive the king's instructions as he had in the past.

"Bring me the Holy Lance, Sir Bedivere."

When the Holy Lance was mentioned, Artoria's expression became somewhat melancholy.

The Holy Lance was stuck in the ground only a dozen meters away from her, but she was in excruciating pain all over her body and could only stand up in a daze. She simply didn't have the strength to pull the Holy Lance out herself.

"Yes, ma'am."

Obeying the order, the silver-gray knight carefully returned the Holy Lance, which had pierced the white Vortigern and contained immense power, bound by thirteen seals, to the king.

This Holy Lance is not just a weapon; its essence is a sacred relic connecting the world's surface and its inner world, the Anchor of the Planet, and it plays a vital role in bridging the human world with the Starry Sky.

"Thanks."

Taking the Holy Lance from Bedivere, Artoria used it as a fulcrum to stabilize herself and stand up again. With the power of the Holy Sword and Holy Lance, her body was being repaired at an extremely fast speed, and even the fatal wound on her forehead disappeared considerably at this moment.

During the time she was recovering, Artoria was not idle. She smiled and looked at Bedivere beside her, and began to tell him about the strange dream she had just experienced.

Artoria spoke earnestly, Bedivere listened attentively.

Not only is the future world vastly different from the present, but also those wondrous kings from different times and spaces.

The oldest King of Heroes, the valiant King of Conquerors, and the Queen of the Land of Shadows who still exists somewhere on the other side, as well as the legendary hero Fionn mac Cumhaill, whom I had only heard about from bards.

Bedivere was completely captivated by these amazing stories.

Especially after hearing that Wang was fighting against the young man named Rovey Crowley but was being suppressed, he couldn't help but chuckle.

Of course, his smile was not mocking, but a genuine smile from the heart.

He also felt particularly admiration and gratitude for the young man in the king's story whose wisdom rivaled that of the Merlin.

It is because of him that Wang can accept this reality so calmly and sit here talking to himself...

'Rovey Crowley.'

He secretly memorized the name, and he would forever remember this kindness. He knew that all the Knights of the Round Table owed this wise man a great debt of gratitude.

As the story unfolded, Artoria's body began to feel a tingling sensation, and her eye, which had almost lost its light, regained its sight and saw the colors of the world again.

At that moment, she could see the world before her clearly, and Bedivere was quietly listening to her story.

Artoria smiled slightly, knowing that her time was almost up.

"—Sir Bedivere."

So she called out softly.

"King--!!"

The silver-gray knight knelt down on one knee once more.

"Your body... huh?!"

Seeing Artoria stretch lazily in the sunlight, he immediately became nervous, worried that the king's body would be damaged by such a large movement.

"No need to worry, Sir Bedivere, the Holy Lance and the Holy Sword will heal my body."

"I see..."

The knight breathed a sigh of relief.

"You really are reliable, Sir Bedivere. You stayed with me until the very end."

Artoria looked at the silver-gray knight in front of her with a smile, her words filled with emotion.

After all, the once vast Knights of the Round Table were now reduced to just her and Bedivere.

This question left Bedivere somewhat at a loss for words.

However, Artoria continued to sense the power of the Holy Lance for a moment before speaking again, "Now I have an order that you need to carry out for me."

"Please speak, Knight Bedivere, and I guarantee to go through fire and water without hesitation."

"No need for such formality, Bedivere."

Seeing Bedivere's nervous expression, Artoria shook her head and then handed the Holy Sword to him.

"I want you to help me return the Holy Sword, across this forest, across this grassland, across the cursed land, to that lake deep in Britannia, to return the Holy Sword to its true owner, the Lake Spirit Vivian."

"Remember this, this is also my final command as King Arthur."

In a daze, Artoria thought that she had been reunited with that magical person because of the Holy Sword and its scabbard, and she also recalled Merlin's past instructions.

She was merely a user of the Holy Sword, not its master. She would return it when the day came that she no longer needed it or was no longer qualified to use it.