Chapter 212

"Fran, what are you doing? We're all on the Black side, why are we helping that guy?"

That's right, it wasn't Atalanta or Semiramis who cheered for Achilles, but Frankenstein.

"If I help Siegfried, then there will be no one for Fleetfoot Big Brother, so Fran should help the weaker side."

"Oh well..."

Ultimately, however, their cheers and encouragement were merely meant to liven up the atmosphere and had little impact on the outcome.

As time went on, Siegfried and Achilles remained locked in a stalemate, both exerting all their strength to try and overpower each other's wrists. Their arms trembled as they struggled against each other, and each exertion of force would surely have caused earth-shattering damage in a normal duel.

Just then, Achilles suddenly noticed a slight opening in Siegfried's defenses. He quickly seized the opportunity and exerted a sudden burst of strength, attempting to pin down the dragon-slaying hero's wrist. However, Siegfried reacted just as quickly, increasing his power output almost simultaneously and successfully blocking Achilles's attack.

The contest between the two reached a stalemate once again. The sounds of breathing, heartbeats, and the cheers of Fran and Afu mingled together, like an Abhimanyu symphony. Then, Achilles noticed that Siegfried, who was facing off against him, smiled. Just as he was puzzled, Siegfried slowly spoke:

"Achilles, I used to wrestle frequently with a man who loved to go shirtless on the cold earth, which naturally included arm wrestling."

"Um?"

"His name is Beowulf, and I'm almost always the one who loses."

Based on Beowulf Heroic Spirit stats, both his Strength and Endurance are A-rank, so Siegfried's Flesh stats are simply inferior to that of the King of the Norse.

"But judging from your expression, you don't seem to feel any regret about it."

Achilles now understood the meaning behind Siegfried's smile; it was very cheerful and he looked quite satisfied.

"Yes, because we're friends, I don't feel there's anything wrong with it. I'm not obsessed with winning or losing."

Under a clear sky, the great hero who slayed the dragon spoke.

Although my body is in the modern world, my heart seems to be recalling the scenery from a thousand years ago.

"... Yeah."

Achilles smiled with a troubled expression, while Siegfried continued.

"But that only applies to Beowulf and Avia. As for others, I'll go to great lengths to prevent my lover from showing any displeasure."

After hearing this, Achilles felt as if he saw a faint light in Siegfried. At the same time, Siegfried quickly gained the upper hand, slowly pressing Achilles' wrist down onto the bench, while Achilles tried his best to resist.

However, as Siegfried's strength continued to increase, Achilles eventually could not resist, and his arm was slowly pressed down onto the bench.

The moment the match ended, as Chiron blew the final whistle, both players smiled.

"The winner is Siegfried, the black swordsman."

"Wow, Siegfried, you're quite formidable too! If fate allows, let's fight again!"

"It's just that luck is on my side."

"I knew it! Siegfried, you were sure you could win!"

"Not bad, Achilles."

"Don't be sad, big brother with Fleetfoot, there will be a next time."

The three spectators around them also gathered around. Afu smiled, Chiron patted the two on the shoulders and praised their performance, and Fran also laughed out loud.

"Hey, little girl, stop calling me 'Fleetfoot'."

Suddenly, Achilles called out to Fran, "I have a name, Achilles."

"Oh, is that so? I heard that older sister say that you can just call Achilles 'Fleetfoot'."

"... Ahem, well, that works then."

Following the direction Fran was pointing, Achilles realized that she was referring to Atalanta, so he could only hold back for now.

Neither the black nor the red side said anything more after that.

In the pleasant breeze, the sound of cicadas began to rise.

The noisy, powerful, buzzing sound seemed to fill the entire Castle. If it weren't for the Servant, the heat alone would be stifling, making one want to fan themselves vigorously. Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out—

It seems you all get along quite well.

"Your Excellency the Sun God."

Chiron turned around, and Novia, who had experienced Amakusa, the Golden-Haired White-Faced, Jeanne d'Arc, and the Divine Ancestor in the room, came out of the room and came here.

"Haha, seeing it with your own eyes really gives you the real shock..."

Achilles smiled, then, noticing that Novia was alone, asked, "Oh, by the way, where is His Divine Ancestor? Has he already returned ahead of schedule?"

"Yes, they've already left."

"I see."

Achilles' voice became calm, but the smile on his face remained. "For some reason, although I know I am no match for you, I still want to have a contest."

"Next time, you can't hold on much longer now."

"It was indeed quite tiring to fight Siegfried, but it wasn't a complete loss. It's a pity I still lost, hahaha."

Novia could see that Achilles' smile was genuine, so she spoke to him again:

"I'll grant your wish next time, Achilles. Even though it's a dream you can never have, you're still beautiful to keep challenging yourself."

"Alright, it's a deal, Your Excellency."

As the Od completely dissipated, marking the moment of his return, Achilles found the person before him beautiful, beautiful in fulfilling someone else's dream. Therefore, even with no possibility of victory, continuing to challenge was his purpose as a hero...

"I wonder if Achilles, you'll gain anything from this challenge..."

Chiron said, watching the blue light dissipate.

"This is practically like being personally instructed by Lord Zeus!"

"But he's your student, so he must be exceptionally talented. That's why no matter how much hardship he faces, he can't be defeated and keep moving forward. Chiron, aren't all your students like that?"

"Hehe, thank you for the compliment. I'm so glad I met you, a stranger in a foreign land, among them."

Red Faction Rider, Achilles, leaves the field.

Black Faction Archer Chiron is eliminated.

Achilles is gone.

Siegfried sighed as he watched the guy who had just been grappling with him leave.

"Since that's the case, and the Greater Grail has been destroyed, then I should be leaving too, Avia."

"Aren't you going to stay a little longer?"

"No need."

Siegfried smiled and shook his head. "My purpose in participating in the Holy Grail War was to see you. Now that I see you are doing well, I am at ease."

You clearly said you had no wishes.

"Since we've already met then, there's no need to say anything. But now that we're parting, it's better to say it. Isn't that what you taught me? If there's something hidden in your heart, it's better to say it out loud so that the person who wants to know will know."

Siegfried's breath surged into the dazzling sky.

The Sun, high in the Universe, is dazzling, and countless stars can be seen, but for him, meeting the friends beside him is just fine.

Mordred sat on the rock, stretched out his legs, and asked.

"Um, may I ask a question? Father, has she gained your approval...?"

Perhaps because she was taught a lesson and given a Command Spell, Mordred's attitude is no longer as unbridled.

"I don't know your father, and it was his choice. Rather than me choosing her as the Storm King, it was she who chose to be the Storm King of Britain."

"But the Storm King..."

Mordred's shoulders slumped, and he looked as if he had shrunk in size.

She hugged herself tightly, curling up more and more, as if she were about to disappear from this world.

She muttered to herself as if in great distress.

"That's how it is... but..."

"You are Mordred, not that King of Knights. You should have your own will. Whether you become the Storm King or not, it should be your decision. I am known as the King of Kings, the Storm King, the King of the Wild Hunt. Therefore, I will not deny your will because of your failure in the challenge. Moreover, the king of Britain should be chosen by the people who belong to that land."

In an instant, an incongruous scene unfolded before Mordred's eyes—a memory from the distant past.

He also noticed some similarities between the Sun God and the King of Knights before him; both loved the pebbles by the roadside because they saw in those pebbles a past more precious and poignant than anything else. But unlike his father, he also loved the glittering gems.

"... I see, I understand."

Then Mordred spoke Telepathy to her Master, Shishigou:

I should go now, after all, the Holy Grail War is over, but I'm so happy to have become your partner, Master... I'm really happy...

The red swordsman, the black swordsman, Siegfried, and Mordred all exit the field together.

"Hey, the Crowd's walking so fast? Doesn't that mean I should go too...?"

In just over ten seconds, four people left the scene, which made the irrational Afu feel that he should do the same.

But before that, he wanted to do something so that when he met his King Charlemagne in the future, Charlemagne would be envious.

"Lady Avia, come give me a hug~"

"No way, Afu Excellency, Fran doesn't think you're qualified to be Fran's Grandma."

Just as Afu was about to rush up and hug Novia one last time, Fran, wielding a giant hammer, rushed out and knocked him away.

"... I just wanted a hug, you know. If I did that, Charles would kill me, I'm not kidding..."

However, Fran was too lazy to listen to him. After knocking Afu, he said to Novia:

"I hope Grandpa can see Grandpa next time he appears, or maybe Edmond, they've been wanting to see you for a long time too."

Novia smiled and nodded in response.

"But Grandpa, don't mind Father's... unreliability. If he talks nonsense, Fran will teach him a lesson..."

As Fran dissipated, perhaps to prevent Afu, who was seeing stars, from repeating his previous actions, he simply pulled him away.

Black Faction Rider, Astolfo, leaves the field.

Frankenstein, the Black Faction Berserker, is eliminated.

As the Servant left one by one, only Semiramis and Atalanta remained around Novia.

"Boring..."

The Greece Hunters had no interest in engaging in conversation with these guys, even though she barely knew them.

She had initially mistakenly believed it was related to Artemis, the Moon Goddess she believed in, and even wanted to meet her. It turned out to be an omnipotent deity from a foreign land, so it was normal for her to be related to the Moon Goddess... Moreover, Atalanta even felt that continuing the fight wouldn't be a bad idea, mainly because she genuinely had a wish she wanted to fulfill. Unfortunately, the Greater Grail had already been destroyed, so it didn't really matter.

Atalanta's dream is to create a world where children can be loved, because pure and innocent beings should not be tragically devoured.

However, in an instant, an incongruous scene unfolded before her eyes: the 'Malignant City Babylon,' the City of Fog where Jack was born. In the moment before being severed from the Present World, some unknown miracle occurred, and she glimpsed this world, which was equivalent to Reality Marble.

Just like Novia at that time, she also witnessed the atrocity of children being abandoned in the age of man, after the age of gods had passed.

So the Hunters cried, because this was a past etched into the Planet's history. In other words, for this era, the decision to abandon those children was correct, and protecting them was wrong. That's how the world was back then, not a matter of simple justice and evil.

It was a silent weeping, a cry for those who could not be saved.

In that instant, Atalanta felt an urge to use "Agrius Metamorphosis"—

However, this action was stopped by a silver-haired girl who appeared beside her at some unknown time.

When Atalanta looked at the child, a collection of resentment, with a puzzled expression, she seemed to understand Atalanta's confusion and explained with a smile:

"It's alright, sister. We've been saved, in a world different from this one."

"And you--"

"Because 'Mom' was there, I stayed behind alone."

Following the girl's words, Atalanta saw London created by the dim and cold resentment, where the sense of distance was distorted to an eerie degree, seemingly unbelievably vast yet incredibly cramped and oppressive, with someone standing in the center like the Sun.

"But please don't tell 'Mom,' because I ran away from home secretly, and 'Mom' will be very angry if she finds out."

"... Oh, that's great!"

This seemingly plea gave Atalanta a sense of redemption.

When Atalanta came to her senses again, everything before her eyes returned to normal.

My own wish could not be fulfilled, but the children's miracles have happened. Although there is still sorrow in my heart, my heart is full of hope.