Three Questions and Three Answers

For a moment, Artoria even inadvertently mistook him for the figure of a familiar white-haired bastard.

'Is it... Merlin?'

Chapter Sixty-One: Three Questions and Three Answers (7,500 words)

Merlin, a truly legendary name.

He originates from the King Arthur legend, and his true identity is that of King Arthur great Magus, the king's guide, and King Arthur's trusted advisor and close friend. He also has a special connection with Fou, a character considered a mascot of Evils of Humanity. In this world, Merlin is also Grand Magus with Grand Rank qualifications. His name is renowned as a mythical figure in both the mystical and secular worlds.

Of course, Rovey couldn't be Merlin.

Putting everything else aside, their species just don't match. Artoria's illusion just now only detected a few faint traces of his past contact with that Nightmare.

"What's wrong, Miss Artoria?"

Noticing Artoria's gaze on him, Rovey tilted his head and smiled at her, asking, "Is there something on my face?"

"Ah..."

Hearing Rovey call her by her name, Artoria felt an even stronger sense of familiarity. Although her eyes had regained their clarity, the young man in front of her did not match the figure in her memory at all. However, her Instinct kept reminding her that the young man in front of her definitely had some connection with Merlin.

"What's wrong, King Arthur? Why are you so distracted at the banquet? Do you have different opinions on the kingly way proposed by the King of Heroes and the Queen of the Land of Shadows?"

Before Artoria could ask, Iskandar, who was standing to the side, was clearly puzzled by her absent-minded behavior at the Banquet of Kings, so he asked, "King of Knights, who is known for his justice and integrity, could you tell me about your own kingly way and ideals?"

The King of Conquerors's words interrupted Artoria's thoughts.

This made her realize that her distraction while still at the banquet was extremely impolite, so she had no choice but to suppress her doubts for the time being and turn to look at Iskandar.

Artoria reread the words she had just spoken, and a bitter smile appeared on her lips.

"Fairness, integrity..."

Artoria seemed to be mocking the King of Conquerors uttered those two words, no, she was mocking herself more.

"I'm sorry, King of Conquerors, those beautiful words are completely incompatible with someone like me..."

"Oh? What do you mean?"

Upon hearing Artoria's words, Iskandar raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise appearing in his eyes. The other Heroic Spirit present also became interested in this.

Despite what this silver-clad queen said, her demeanor and temperament left one with no other words to describe her except for "noble" and "just".

Iskandar was absolutely certain that his judgment of people was never wrong, but now that he had received this answer, he couldn't help but frown in confusion, while Gilgamesh and Scáthach looked on with a hint of amusement and anticipation.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, King of Conquerors ... I am not a nobleman, but a devotee."

What is a sacrificial person?

"A true hero is one who serves the people without personal desires."

Artoria replied, "Everything I do is for the people and the country. I am willing to sacrifice myself for the country, for the people, and for the righteousness in my heart. I will raise the banner high and protect everyone as much as possible. I will set shackles on my power and set goals for my ideals."

"I will not be as self-centered as you, nor will I launch wanton invasions. I will only do the right thing, the thing that is most beneficial to my country and my people. Even if it costs me my life, I will not hesitate. This is my life and its meaning. I will always walk the path of dedication."

'Always on the right path? No, you're just blindly following what you believe to be the right path.'

Rovey covered his head, already certain of the character version of Artoria in his mind.

Very well, as expected, this is a special edition of the Saber-like king from Gen Urobuchi's version. No wonder he always gets the short end of the stick.

From the moment he heard her say those words, Rovey knew that things were going to get complicated.

This guy's brain is completely blocked; it's hard to wake him up with words. It would probably take a lot of effort to really correct him.

"..."

Rovey wasn't the only one frowning at this; the other three kings also showed strange expressions after hearing Artoria's inexplicable statement.

Scáthach, who had no interest in the orthodox path, didn't point it out even though she saw through it. Instead, she turned to look at her Master, who looked troubled, and secretly sent him a telepathic message.

Ask him what's wrong?

In response, Rovey simply replied that he had encountered some minor difficulties and was trying to find a solution.

At this moment, the eyes of the King of Conquerors and the King of Heroes as they looked at Artoria were also filled with complex emotions.

"King of Knights... what exactly do you mean by that answer? I don't think I misheard you, do I? Are you saying that you have no desires, no ambition, and are pushed forward by the people like a puppet, and that's your way of being a king?"

"Then let me ask you, how can you be a king in this state of utter confusion?!"

Upon hearing Artoria's account, Iskandar, who had lived a life filled with desire and ultimately died because of it, looked at her with intense anger, his eyes burning with fury.

"Without desire, how can one be a king? King of Conquerors, a plunderer, who seizes others and destroys their homes, how can you understand the principles I uphold?"

"I am the King of Knights, the King of Knights who protects the homeland and the people. I will not allow my subjects to embark on meaningless expeditions to destroy other people's homes for my selfish desires. I will lead them to build their own homes in their own country. This is how I live. Your kingship, which is no different from that of the Saxons, and your conquests for absurd reasons, are something I absolutely cannot agree with or understand."

Despite Iskandar's anger, Artoria's eyes remained unfazed. She met his gaze and spoke her mind without reservation, offering her criticisms of him.

"As king, you saw your own way of life and your own pursuits, so you led your people to roam the land recklessly, blindly chasing the so-called endless sea. But you were unaware of the truth that the sky is boundless and the sea is limitless. At the moment of your death, you heard the surging sound of the sea. But what about the people who followed you? Where did you place their ideals? As a king, did you ever listen to their voices? Did you ever listen to the voices of those you trampled upon?"

'... Oh no.'

Hearing this bombshell statement, Rovey's face turned grim, and Scáthach beside him also frowned. Iskandar, sitting opposite, suddenly stood up and let out a deafening roar like a lion.

"King of Knights!!"

His tall and imposing figure stood firm, his crimson cloak and fiery mane making him appear even more imposing. Iskandar roared, staring intently at the Silver Knight before him.

The soldiers who had once died for this ideal, he would never allow anyone to trample on their beliefs with such a thing.

"Are you angry? King of Conquerors, did I touch a nerve? Rest assured, I have no intention of insulting those fallen soldiers. They were all brave warriors and deserved everyone's respect. But as their king, you have clearly failed in your duty. The End of the Sea that you led them to pursue, even in the end, was nothing but emptiness, wasn't it? It was just a path to death."

Artoria continued talking to herself, completely oblivious to the conqueror's expression.

"Not only that, you also led them to invade various countries, ravaging the land beyond recognition, leaving people destitute and corpses strewn across the fields. Your path of kingship is nothing but a bloody road. How many families have you torn apart? How many innocent bones lie on your path of tyranny? King of Conquerors, you only care about your own progress, have you ever looked back? Can you truly be at peace with your evil deeds?"

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, it would have been hard to imagine that the noble King of Knights would have such undisguised disgust on his face.

"I can say with a clear conscience."

Faced with Artoria's question, Iskandar remained completely unfazed and answered without hesitation.

Instead of resorting to vulgar language to refute her, the eloquent Artoria asked him a few questions from his own perspective.

"How did you become king? And why did you want to become king?"

Iskandar asked coldly.

"Because the people need it, because the nation needs it, because destiny needs it. Britannia needs a suitable king to protect it, so I drew the sword of kings and became the king of Britannia."

"What are the specific reasons?"

"To protect the smiles of the people."

Artoria said with absolute certainty.

You mean a smile?

"That's right. I'm not standing here for my own ambition, but to protect the smiles on other people's faces. As long as people in my country can still smile, then I will believe that what I'm doing is absolutely right."

... Is it merely to respond to the expectations and desires of others?

How naive and childish.

But this also marked the beginning of the tragic life of the King of Knights and Artoria.

"If that's all there is to it, then you really are pathetic... King of Knights, perhaps I've misjudged you. You're not a true king at all; at best, you're just a dreamy little girl without any brains or ambition."

"The ambition of a king? Who decides that? You? The people? Or myself?"

"Then let me ask you again, King of Knights, you keep talking about protecting smiles, but what did you ultimately protect? A shattered Britannia? Wasn't the fate of your kingdom far more tragic than mine? Knights betrayed us, fathers and sons turned against each other. In this situation, whose fault do you think it is?"

Ignoring the King of Knights's questioning, Iskandar asked a few more questions.

"King of Knights, why did your Britannia perish? Why did what you protected crumble?"

His words were powerful and resonated deeply with Artoria.

Indeed, the fall of Britannia remains a lingering pain in her eyes to this day.

She will never forget the heartbreaking scene of the Knight of the Lake kneeling before her, begging her to punish only him.

"Your Majesty, punish me! But please spare the Queen; she is innocent."

They will never forget the Sun Knight, who, having just paid respects to his brother at the tombs of Britannia, walked alone on the path of revenge, filled with hatred and rage.

"My king, I'm sorry, I can never forgive that traitor, and I can never let go of this hatred. I must take revenge!!"

I also cannot forget the sorrowful knight who always kept his eyes closed, silently playing the organ, and who ultimately chose to leave because he did not understand me.

"Your Majesty does not understand people's hearts."

King Arthur, the King of Knights, was so gentle and perfect that she subtly distanced herself from everyone else.

King Arthur is the sun, and her light should illuminate all things. She would choose to accept people, no matter what kind they are, rather than hate them.

Even on that final battlefield, when his own flesh and blood descendant pierced his chest with a blade, that question...

"Father, why won't you acknowledge me?!"

So many tragedies, so many regrets and betrayals, yet even so, she still did not choose to hate anyone.

From beginning to end, King Arthur hated not anyone else, but himself.

I hate myself for not being able to do things perfectly, and I hate myself for not being able to prevent the tragedy from happening.

Therefore, even if it means abandoning her freedom and the honor of being Heroic Spirit, she will do everything in her power to change the fate of Britannia...

For this reason, she was willing to endure the possibility of never finding true liberation.

"... King of Knights, King Luben has already understood your choice."

Staring into Artoria's emerald-like eyes, Iskandar let out a helpless sigh. At this moment, he understood Artoria's situation, and even his anger turned into a final sigh.

He had to admit that Artoria was indeed a queen, because only a queen could bear such a level of resolve. But this act of knowing it was wrong, yet still rushing to do it out of a sense of responsibility, sacrificing herself, was difficult to judge.

The King of Knights possessed a level of awareness and magnanimity unlike any other king, and it was precisely this magnanimity that enabled her to uphold her nobility and justice. However, she made a grave mistake...

To place all one's hopes on the Holy Grail and start over is such an absurd act.

This made Iskandar feel sorry for everything about the King of Knights.

"King of Knights, King of Knights... But in my opinion, you are more like a knight than a king, because I don't see the domineering and controlling nature that a king should have in you. Instead, your gentleness and protection occupy the majority of your life, so you are more like a knight."

Fionn mac Cumhaill also expressed his feelings at this moment.

He also felt sorry for this noble knight.

"So, even knowing that things are wrong, and harboring the heinous determination to use the Holy Grail to rewrite history, are you unwilling to repent?"

Scáthach questioned.

She felt moved by Artoria's actions, but did not agree with them.

"That's right, it was decided long ago. I will not stop until I save my people."

Artoria shook her head and then answered.

At this point, even though everyone present felt some regret about the King of Knights's choice, they saw that this was the decision she had made, so they didn't say anything more.

"Hmph, the King of Knights... Although your wish sounds utterly foolish, your obsession is rare. Therefore, I will concede that you also deserve to be killed by my own hands."

Given the circumstances, Gilgamesh reluctantly agreed with Artoria's insistence.

Even if it's incredibly foolish, those who can single-mindedly uphold their beliefs are undoubtedly extremely rare.

How difficult is it for a person to persevere?

All the heroes present could answer this question.

Some persisted for the sake of dominance, some for the sake of solitude, some for the sake of love, and some for the sake of liberation.

This path is extraordinary and fraught with hardship. Even though everyone knows that Artoria's current state is clearly wrong, they can't help but admire her determination as they see her still take this step despite knowing it's a mistake.

"Protection and responsibility, justice and commitment... As Fionn mac Cumhaill said, King of Knights, your beliefs are more like those of a knight than a king. Since you do not understand what the way of the king is, then I will have to tell you directly."

With a sigh, Iskandar, no longer as angry as before, nor with his initial playful grin, uttered a genuine sigh of his own.

"From a young age, I have loved reading all kinds of mythological texts and Homer's epics. I also hoped to have the divine power of Heracles and create my own story, and I also hoped to have the martial arts of Agrippa and travel to the ends of the earth. But my era was not peaceful, but full of war. The merciless nature of war was the main theme of that era."

"In war, people will die, nations will be destroyed, and countless lives will be lost. This is inevitable, but it is also the best way to achieve great things! It is the heroic spirit of us men!"