Chapter 922

The crowded people spontaneously made way for Percival, who came to stand before the blonde girl.

Although the girl in front of me looked very young, she exuded an astonishing magical power.

Her appearance matches the description; she must be the Child of Prophecy.

Only...

Percival frowned slightly.

The rumored Child of Prophecy is a lively and cheerful girl.

However, the Artoria before her had an indifferent expression, her haggard face as if she hadn't slept for days, and her lifeless eyes like those of a corpse.

"Nice to meet you. You are the Child of Prophecy... Artoria, aren't you?"

Because it differed so greatly from the rumors, Percival asked the question with little confidence.

"..."

The blonde girl nodded curtly. "Yes, I am."

"Oh, I'm so sorry... How should I put it, it's a little different from what I expected."

Percival said respectfully, "It is an honor to meet you, Child of Prophecy."

I am Percival, and I am currently serving as the acting commander-in-chief of the Round Table Army.

"..."

The blonde girl showed indifference—no, that couldn't even be called a reaction.

Looking at the silent Artoria, Percival scratched his head.

He'd never heard of the Child of Prophecy being such a difficult child to deal with.

With countless eyes watching him, Percival felt he had to say something.

"Speaking of which... where's Shirou? He left Lundinium a few days ago to go to Orkney to find you."

Why did you come back alone? Didn't you run into each other?

"..."

Artoria reacted for the first time.

She raised her face and stared intently at Percival with her grey eyes.

"Well..."

Overwhelmed by the girl's imposing presence, Percival involuntarily took a half-step back.

Then, something occurred to him.

Could it be...?

The Child of Prophecy, expressionless, quietly said, "Shirou sacrificed himself to protect me."

Hope Instinct like she's living in a dream lately.

Not long ago, she was a bottom fairy living near the Nameless Forest.

They weren't even allowed to enter the settlement; they were only called over to help clean up after the village festival was over.

However, her life trajectory changed after she met Shirou.

Her contract with Shirou made her wings Gilgamesh.

After that, she was even promoted to the lead role in the Fae Theater Company.

The performance was widely praised, Hope herself became a favorite among the audience.

Shirou explained, "This is because Hope was originally a high-ranking fairy," and "You naturally have a talent for acting."

But the girl herself doesn't think that's the case.

Because fairies are creatures that live for a "purpose".

The most dazzling fairy in the Fae Kingdom must be the fairy whose goal is to become the most radiant being.

Therefore, the reason Hope regained her former magic and the luster of her wings... must be because she found a new "purpose".

That "purpose" was none other than Shirou.

Shirou is the reason why the girl shines again.

Apart from Shirou.

The people of the Nameless Forest no longer bossed Hope around as roughly as before.

Perhaps influenced by Shirou, they also became gentler and more composed, no longer acting on instinct as they had in the past.

Oh, right...

Hope also met her only friend—a girl Artoria Caster.

To consider the legendary Child of Salvation as a friend is somewhat disrespectful, but Mr. Shirou says, "Artoria also wants to be your friend."

Later, Hope and Artoria became close friends, and they participated in many performances together, developing a strong rapport.

Since Shirou arrived, everything has been moving in a positive direction.

The war was won.

The invincible Queen's Army was defeated by Shirou alone.

Artoria also rang the Bell of Pilgrimage without any external assistance.

Coral told Hope that all they had to do was wait for Shirou and Artoria to return.

Hope believed her.

Two days later, Artoria returned.

Because Hope was busy with other things at the time, she was unable to greet her immediately.

Gareth found her and said, "Artoria has something to tell you."

Gareth wore a sorrowful expression as he relayed the message on behalf of the Child of Prophecy, but Hope did not notice.

Her attention was focused on the return of the Child of Prophecy.

Now that Artoria is back, Shirou should have come back with her, right?

Shirou is not a person who likes to be overly flamboyant. He always puts the promotion of the Child of Prophecy first, while he himself stays behind the scenes.

The same applies to the duel with Woodwose.

Afterwards, Shirou revealed to the public that he was able to defeat the Duke of Oxford because he had received the protection and blessing of the Child of Prophecy.

Therefore, it's normal that no one mentioned Shirou's return.

The girl rushed over happily and met Artoria.

"... Hope."

"Artoria! I heard your magic has gotten stronger, but this is... amazing!?"

Hope looked utterly surprised.

His best friend seemed to have undergone a complete transformation.

Artoria was weaker than an ordinary commoner until just a few days ago, now possesses magical power surpassing that of any Hope has ever seen.

For some reason, Artoria seemed a little down.

This was the first time she had ever seen the Child of Prophecy so dejected.

Hope recalled what Shirou had said to her in the past.

"If Artoria encounters setbacks in the future, you should also lend her a helping hand as a friend."

Of course, Shirou!

Hope thought to herself, then smiled broadly and took Artoria's hand.

I wanted to ask her to sit down, but Artoria remained unmoved and stood still.

"Hope, I have something important to tell you."

"What?"

The fairy girl blinked.

Artoria bit her lip, then took a deep breath and spoke.

"Shirou... he's not coming back."

"Not coming back? What does that mean?"

"..."

Faced with the fairy girl's innocent and naive question, Artoria was speechless.

It means exactly what it says...

For the first time, the Child of Prophecy was annoyed by Hope's naiveté.

"Shirou is human too! Humans die when they are killed! So it's normal, right?"

"... Why?"

Hope paused for a moment.

The next instant, the girl's once bright and cheerful expression turned gloomy.

Artoria realized she had said the wrong thing and was taking her anger out on Hope.

"I'm sorry," she said, biting her lip.

Hope asked blankly, "Shirou... he's dead?"

"Um."

Upon hearing this, the girl from the Wind Clan swayed.

A faint black mark appeared on her fair cheek.

"Why?" Hope asked.

"I'm sorry." Artoria couldn't answer, she just kept apologizing.

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

Hope clutched her throat, bent over, and gasped for breath.

"Shirou is no longer here..."

"Yes."

Artoria nodded solemnly.

Hope struggled to lift her head, gave her a deep look, and then asked.

"Shirou is gone... How can you be so calm? Don't you feel anything at all?"

Artoria was taken aback, and instinctively said, "I'm not—"

"Waaaaah... Ugh... Ugh...!"

"Hope? Are you alright?"

Artoria noticed her unusual behavior and reached out to her friend, who looked pained.

"Ooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Hope screamed in agony, drawing the helping hand outstretched by the Child of Prophecy.

"Stop nagging, stop nagging! Don't touch me, you're not allowed to touch me, ahhhhhh!"

"Hope..."

Artoria was completely taken aback.

"Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me?!..."