Chapter 832

I got glared at fiercely.

It seems best to avoid making overly frivolous jokes.

They walked through the bustling, brightly lit residential streets and arrived at the border of Miyama Town.

"Fuyuki Bridge... It feels like it's been a very, very long time since I last hiked across it."

"Ah, I'll go on the outside; there are cars passing by here. Artoria can go inside."

"I wouldn't be hurt even if I got hit by a car; this is unnecessary concern."

"Stop talking! At a time like this, please consider my feelings!"

After much persuasion, Shirou finally managed to get the Lion King to stay on the inner path.

They walked on the bridge as the evening breeze blew.

"This must be Artoria's first time here, right?"

The Lion King looked thoughtfully at the Miyou River and gently shook his head.

"No, I used to walk across the bridge with Irisviel."

She paused for a moment, then said, "At that time, I was indeed walking on the outside."

"As expected of Artoria..."

After crossing the bridge, Shirou did not head directly to the Shinto, but instead took Lion King by bus to the foot of the Fuyuki Church, which was further away.

"Shirou grew up there, didn't he?"

The Lion King looked at the orphanage not far away and said.

"Yeah, I haven't had time to come here before."

The Lion King turned to him and asked, "Shall we go in?"

"No, time is a bit tight, and... well, it's fine to just look around from outside."

Shirou took one last, reluctant look before heading to his next destination.

"I don't think I've told you this before, but this is the place where I first met Artoria."

Shirou stood in the center of the warehouse district by the dock and spoke to the Lion King beside him.

The Lion King frowned. "I don't have that memory."

Shirou laughed and said, "Of course, because I was just watching your battle with Lancer from afar through the crystal ball."

Was Shirou watching at the time?

"Yeah, and also..."

"I've mistaken you for Morgan," Shirou thought to himself.

Looking back now, that was the biggest mistake of my life.

How could I have confused Artoria with Morgan (梣)?

Although they share the same appearance and similar temperament, they are completely different people.

That was incredibly disrespectful to both Artoria and Morgan.

Shirou: "... I'm sorry."

The Lion King: "Why should I apologize?"

Shirou: "It's nothing, don't worry about it... Let's go."

"... Shirou."

The Lion King stood motionless, gazing at him with eyes brimming with divinity.

"That's about enough, it's time to wrap this up."

Despite her confusion and complaints, the goddess indulged the boy's whims and spent the entire night with him, exploring the whole of Fuyuki City.

If this is lingering affection, then it's about time to end it.

"No, there are still places I want to take Artoria to," Shirou said.

"That's enough." The Lion King showed a look of refusal.

"Last stop... Let's go."

Shirou grabbed her wrist forcefully and pulled her onto the late-night bus.

After a journey of about half an hour, and then getting off the bus and walking for a while, the two finally arrived at the last stop that Shirou had mentioned.

"Here it is..."

What came into the Lion King's view was a desolate wasteland.

Although the gardens of Edelfelt Castle have become like a secret realm due to sixty years of neglect, this place is different; it's simply a ruin.

The houses are so dilapidated that their original form is unrecognizable, and the open space next to them has become a dumping ground for construction waste.

The transported discarded appliances and furniture were piled up in the wildly growing weeds, creating a strange wasteland landscape reminiscent of Earth after the extinction of human civilization.

Looking at the scene before him, the Lion King gasped.

"... Shirou's house."

The red-haired boy nodded. "Yes, to be precise, it used to be my home."

There's nothing left.

"Yes, even I was surprised..."

They actually used my house as a dumping ground for garbage? Are you kidding me?

Seeing the place he once considered his home reduced to this state, Shirou was furious, but he had no one to vent his anger on.

This wasn't Miyu's fault; she was just temporarily bewitched and unable to properly control her power.

Even so, Shirou still feels sad and hurt.

He said quietly, "Like this... after history changes, many people will probably find happiness."

However, in places no one knows, many more people will inevitably get hurt; this is unpredictable.

Artoria, what we should be doing is not "changing the past," but "protecting the present."

"Shirou... is this all you wanted to say to me?"

The Lion King spoke in a detached tone, exchanging glances with the boy.

Shirou nodded. "Artoria, give up your unrealistic wishes."

It's pointless to try to save a country that's already dead; it's time to end it.

After a long silence, the goddess spoke, "If I abandon Britain, what will I have left...? What will be the meaning of my continued existence?"

"I have no idea."

"So..."

Shirou shook his head. "I don't know, but I'll search with you, so... stay by my side."

"What did you say?"

The Lion King's expression showed intense unease.

This is a confession.

Shirou stared at her face, his expression solemn, and said, "It's not anyone else, it's me who needs you, Artoria."

For my sake—abandon Britain.

Volume 10: Chapter 494 Morgan: Sister, if you don't want it, I will. Shirou, I'll take it!

The Lion King stood quietly in the night, the moonlight outlining her voluptuous and slender figure.

"... Shirou."

After a long, long silence, the goddess, with an expression that was both shaken and confused, asked in return:

"Do you want me to lay down the Holy Lance and become your woman?"

"Yes, that's roughly the idea."

When Shirou said this, his eyes did not waver; he was more serious than ever.

He knew, of course, who he was facing— the Lion King, the Goddess Rhongomyniad, who had wielded the Holy Lance for over 1,500 years and whose spiritual structure had become completely divine.

But what he saw was still Artoria.

The King of Knights who fought alongside him in the Holy Grail War ten years ago, clad in silver armor and wielding the Holy Sword.

That girl who would sneak glances in their direction during breaks in the battle, and who would happily devour her food at the dining table.

The goddess's shoulders trembled violently.

On that cold, inhuman beauty, countless emotions surged and receded like waves.

Confusion, anger, wavering, and nostalgia—all collided together in the end, transforming into a very soft, almost inaudible sigh.

She gently bit her lip.

I heard my own heartbeat.

The goddess's voice became low and hoarse, as if she was unaccustomed to saying such things, and she carefully considered each word for a long time.

"It was as intense as thunder. I've never felt anything like it since I became a goddess."

She pressed her hand against her chest, her knuckles turning slightly white from the pressure.

I thought I had long since abandoned all the emotions I had when I was a human being.

Joy, anger, sorrow, happiness, love, hate, and passion—those fragile and useless things that belong to humankind...

It has long since disappeared after being washed away by the passage of a thousand years.

She raised her head, her gaze no longer that of a goddess looking down upon mortals with indifference, but rather one that carried a shattered light.

"But it seems that's not the case. Back then... when I was still human, fighting alongside you as Servant, I must have already fallen in love with you."

Shirou:"..."

I had no experience with men during my lifetime.

The goddess continued, her voice growing softer and softer, as if afraid of disturbing something.

"I was raised as a man... Hector taught me the way of chivalry, Merlin taught me the duties of a king."

Swords and war filled every day; I had no time to think about what it truly felt like to like someone.

So back then I didn't understand why, every time I saw your face, my chest always felt like it was being gripped tightly by someone.

Fifteen hundred years.

The Lion King roamed the world for fifteen hundred years.

She witnessed the rise and fall of many kingdoms, and she also witnessed her homeland Britain, become the most powerful empire in Human History under the rule of former colonizers.

The White Chalk City has long since turned to dust in history, and the adventures of the Knights of the Round Table have become legends passed down by word of mouth.

But even after 1,500 years, the emotions surging in his chest when he saw Shirou standing in front of him remained unchanged.

"I understand now. I wasn't attracted to you because 'Shirou is a king superior to me.'"

The goddess said calmly, "I just simply..."

I fell in love with you not as a king, but as a woman.

"I already knew, "Shirou thought to himself.

The boy took a deep breath and said.

"From now on, live with me, Artoria."

--Living with Shirou.

The goddess held her breath, and images began to flash through her mind—

That wasn't a prophecy, nor was True Magic; it was just the most ordinary daily life that any ordinary woman could experience.