Chapter 908

"I lost."

Barghest adjusted his breathing and said.

Shirou exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, you're just admitting defeat so easily? You clearly still had some strength left, didn't you?"

The blonde female knight shook her head.

"The moment that guy revealed my true name, I, as the Fae Knight Gawain, had already lost."

Barghest looked at Shirou and said, "As agreed before the duel, let's hear what you have to say."

"I understand, but this isn't a place for chatting, is it?"

What do you want?

"Would you mind inviting us to your residence?"

Shirou made a statement that left Barghest speechless.

My residence... is in Manchester.

Shirou laughed and said, "It's alright, Artoria and I have plenty of time... until the end."

Barghest gave him a deep look, then nodded.

"I understand. Come with me to Manchester."

Three days later.

Inside the drawing room of the lord's mansion in Manchester.

Barghest, Shirou, and Artoria sat at a table.

Artoria has awakened from her coma.

Thanks to Shirou's meticulous care, the serious injuries he sustained in battle have almost fully healed.

She woke up to find herself in Manchester. She had complained to Shirou at one point, but now she was wolfing down her food without a care in the world.

"Liar! What is this? It's so delicious! Mmm, I've never heard of you being so good at cooking!"

For some reason, Artoria looked unwilling, but she did not loosen her grip on the knife and fork.

"Hmph, although I'm still not as good as you, I've gotten quite good at cooking lately. I'll keep improving!"

Shirou took a bite of the homemade dish.

"Still as delicious as ever, Barghest. He truly is someone who will one day marry."

The female knight in her gorgeous dress paused for a moment, then said, "Shirou, that name..."

"Cough cough!"

Upon hearing Shirou's words, Artoria suddenly stopped what she was doing and choked on her food.

"Partner!? Bageko? Uh, cough cough cough cough cough cough!?"

Barghest frowned in displeasure: Is it really that surprising?

Shirou picked up a napkin and smiled as he wiped the sauce from Artoria's lips.

Seeing that scene, Barghest felt a sharp pain in his chest for some reason, and swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

After the meal.

"Thank you for the delicious meal. Artoria and I are very satisfied," Shirou said.

"I'm not satisfied yet... It's nowhere near as good as Shirou's cooking~ Don't get too cocky!" Artoria huffed, arms crossed.

"Well then, can we sit down and talk now, Shirou?"

Barghest sat on the sofa opposite the two, exuding an unnamed charisma.

"I want to ask you, the Child of Prophecy, your true intentions in coming to this Fae Kingdom from the outside."

Despite his confusion, Barghest expressed his question.

Shirou nodded and said, "I see," then indicated that since he was being treated so well, he should explain things clearly.

"My ultimate goal is to prevent this world from having a negative impact on my world, something I've mentioned to Artoria before."

The Paradise Fae nodded in response.

Shirou continued, "I think you've also vaguely sensed that this world is heading towards destruction."

If things continue like this, it will be destroyed sooner or later. Then this world will disappear without having any impact on the outside world.

Barghest felt his mind go completely blank for a moment.

I vaguely sensed... the end of the world?

How could this be, how could this happen...?

Barghest still believed that this world would continue to exist...

She noticed Shirou looking at me with pity.

The Faerie Knight shook his head, shaking off his headache and pitying gaze, and continued to ask:

"If it would turn out the same if left unattended, then why did you come to the Fae Kingdom?"

Are you bringing Theater Company of bottom-dwelling fairies on a sightseeing trip?

Or are you monitoring whether it might develop in an unexpected or bad direction?

Barghest felt inexplicably angry and pressed him with a sarcastic tone, while Shirou responded calmly.

"Neither. I want this world to have a slightly better ending."

The Child of Prophecy nodded with an expression of understanding.

In contrast to her, Barghest was dominated by an inexplicable fire that she herself did not understand.

"How arrogant! Do you think you're a god? Do you even have that right?"

Always.

Always.

That's right, it's been like this ever since Barghest and Shirou first met.

This man pitied himself.

This caused Barghest immense suffering.

Shirou said, "I don't care about any rights."

This is a promise I made to everyone, so I've decided to do it.

But if you think this is arrogance, then I admit you're right.

Barghest: "..."

She lowered her head, her fingernails digging into the leather of the sofa.

Don't look at me with that pitying gaze.

"Haa... haa... haa..."

The Faerie Knight was panting heavily.

My head hurts so much, I feel like my heart is about to break.

"... Let's duel. If you wish to uphold your arrogance, then show me your strength!"

Instinct told Barghest he had to shut him up, and by the time he came to his senses, he had already said it.

"Huh?"

Artoria was dumbfounded.

She and Bageko had just fought, and now Bageko has challenged Shirou again.

Although I've heard that the Fang Clan upholds the law of the jungle and respects the strong... this is just too much...

What if I win?

Shirou's tone was clearly cold, but the pity in his eyes hadn't disappeared.

Barghest was disgusted by this and resisted desperately.

"Do as you please. If you beat me, you can do whatever you want."

But--

When you lose, I'll shut your mouth and your life up.

"..."

Artoria cast a worried look at Barghest, but was ignored.

Shirou nodded and said, "I understand."

But let me give you a piece of advice first—I will definitely win in a fight.

"Do we really have to decide the winner based on this condition?"

"..."

Driven by a strange sense of anxiety, Barghest rejected the ultimatum.

Half an hour later, they arrived at a plain some distance from the town.

Shirou held a pair of curved swords in his hands, engraved with patterns that did not belong to this world.

His posture was natural, and at first glance he didn't seem like someone about to duel, but Barghest, who was facing him, understood.

Shirou is very strong.

While confronting Lancelot, Barghest also felt a sense of pressure that made him realize the difference in their strength, but his situation was different.

It was like peering into a bottomless abyss, being stared at from the depths of darkness by something incomprehensible; I felt this inexplicable fear.

"What? You've decided against it after all?" Shirou asked.

Barghest shook off the words that made him want to rely on them and took a step forward.

"Don't underestimate me! I am the Queen's sword, the Fae Knight Gawain!"

Knights who serve His Majesty Morgan and protect the Fae Kingdom! No matter how powerful the opponent, we will never flinch or retreat!

Barghest unleashed a massive amount of magic power that was on a completely different level from when he fought Artoria.

The sky seemed to darken as a result.

She used all her strength to swing the burning greatsword down, a strike that seemed to shatter the earth, but it was easily bounced back.

"------!!"

Time and time again, again and again.

From above, from the side, from below—even though she used all her strength and every technique, Shirou effortlessly blocked all of Barghest's attacks.

----incredible.

Is this even possible?

Gawain was not arrogant.

She couldn't win against the Fae Knight Lancelot, let alone His Majesty Morgan.

She couldn't even be considered the strongest within the Fang Clan.

Woodwose, the hero who defeated King of Mors.

The stone lion Boggart, renowned for its absolute defensive capabilities.

However, the difference is surprisingly large.

No, we can't win.

Ultimately, this doesn't even qualify as a duel.

She couldn't even win in a simple contest of strength; her first attack was deliberately deflected by Shirou's force, making her realize this.