But it wasn't enough. Even bombardment from an A+-rank anti-fortress Noble Phantasm couldn't break through. Even Arthur Frost Dragon's mana was insufficient.
"Give me that."
"Have you thought this through? If you use it here, you won't be able to use it for the future plan."
Even so, Morgan le Fay took out the phantom Holy Grail formed from pure mana and handed it to Arthur.
—Power. Power was growing, growing rapidly. In that instant, Arthur could unleash an attack close to divine!
"Don't worry."
The frost-blue light in his eyes nearly overflowed as mana filled his entire body—
"I still have a backup plan."
As he spoke, the frost-blue beam cannon blasted toward the Holy Grail in Galahad's hands once more.
The beam cannon broke through the barrier and reached Galahad—
"Your Highness—!"
But Galahad refused.
"I'm truly sorry."
Their gazes met, and Arthur understood what he meant.
Of course, Galahad could be saved now. But he didn't want to be.
"Rather than that..."
"At least I can let Your Highness obtain power."
Guided by Galahad, the Holy Grail's power flowed through the breach Arthur had opened and into Arthur's body.
In an instant, mana even greater than that of the phantom Holy Grail Morgan had just handed him surged into Arthur's body. But this time, it wasn't simply flowing in and filling him. It was remaking him—remaking Arthur's body, and more importantly, his soul.
"Lord Galahad!!"
At the same time, Galahad's body began vanishing faster.
Amid Arthur's cry, he gave Arthur a gentle smile.
"It isn't the best ending," he said to Arthur.
"But it isn't bad either, Your Highness."
The dissolution had reached below his neck.
"I truly helped Your Highness obtain the 'power' needed to change the world."
"Please use it well."
"Farewell, Your Highness. Please be happy. And I will always be loyal to you..."
After saying that, Galahad finally vanished. Golden light rose higher and higher alongside the Holy Grail before ultimately disappearing beyond Heaven's Gate.
All the strange phenomena vanished. Everything returned to normal. There was no problem, nothing amiss. Only Galahad was gone.
"..."
At that moment, Artorius Pendragon felt sorrow.
It was the fierce, uncontrollable pain and grief of losing a close friend. Even comforting himself with the thought that he merely went to the Throne of Heroes, and in a thousand years or so, some perverted eggplant will show up again could not dispel even a fraction of the pain and grief in his heart.
"Lord Galahad..."
Seeing the Prince kneeling on the ground in silence, the Knights of the Round Table—whether they had been there from the start or arrived afterward—also fell silent.
In the end, Arthur's Father King, Artoria Pendragon, stepped forward.
"Arthur..."
She pressed a hand onto Arthur's shoulder, wanting to offer him some comfort.
"Lord Galahad, he was..."
"He made this choice of his own will in order to save the world."
Before Artoria could carefully choose her words, Arthur spoke.
"I don't have time to grieve anymore, Father King. I must continue my great undertaking."
He stood and looked seriously at Artoria before saying:
"Please give me the throne of Britannia."
Author's Note:
The junior who got Kaworu Nagisa's script temporarily exits the stage. His final words: The cry of justice awakened Arthur's sense of justice—saving the world! The Evil Dragon Prince received an insanely powerful buff. History has opened a new chapter.
3,000 words
Arthur stepped into a new chapter. History was renewed.
The Prince Would Ultimately Be Crowned
"Your Highness, what are you saying?!"
"What exactly is going on?!"
"Even if Lord Galahad sacrificed himself, then—"
Hearing Arthur say this, the surrounding Knights of the Round Table broke into discussion. Almost no one understood what had happened.
Some of the quicker-witted ones seemed to have thought of something, though they hadn't fully figured it out. The slower knights simply looked utterly bewildered.
They had all thought very, very highly of Prince Artorius Pendragon before. But ascending the throne under these circumstances—even actively asking his Father King to abdicate—why did it feel so much like a certain filial son of Lordaeron?
That left many people confused.
And that wasn't even the most baffling part.
What shocked and confused them most was that after Arthur said this, King Arthur standing before him didn't immediately rebuke him with, "Rebellious son, what did you say?!" or, "Are you plotting treason?!"
If she really had said that, then at least a third of those present would have obeyed King Arthur without hesitation and launched a Battle of Camlann.
She merely looked at her most beloved son with surprise. There was absolutely no disappointment in that gaze, nor any other negative emotion. There was even a trace of relief in it.
"Arthur, you..."
"Over my long life, the more I pursued desire, the less satisfied I became." Artorius Pendragon looked seriously at his Father King, then reached out and took her slender hands.
"In that instant just now, Lord Galahad enlightened me, Father King. He made me realize that there are limits to being an ambitious man."
"So, Arthur, what exactly are you trying to say?"
"—I'm no longer an ambitious man, Father King! Starting today, I am the savior!"
"..."
Hearing Arthur's words and seeing the look in his eyes, Artoria knew that he was telling the truth. Arthur had not deceived her, nor was this a momentary impulse, or something prompted by a frenzied influence.
Through his own contemplation, he had arrived at the most correct conclusion: to become the savior of Camelot, Britannia, the Celts, Gaul, the Germans, Rome, Europe—everyone.
In that sense, Arthur was still an ambitious man. He had merely transformed his greatest ambition from material desire, lust, and every other dark desire into the bright and sacred goal of "saving the world."
He was no longer running from his responsibility. He was no longer lost, no longer worried, and no longer dissatisfied.
After confirming all this, Artoria burst into tears. Her heart was filled with emotion, like an old father seeing his son finally grow up.
"I understand."
As the surrounding Knights of the Round Table continued murmuring among themselves—
"You have always been a better and more suitable king than I am, my child." As she spoke, she reached out and gently caressed Arthur's cheek.
After that, Arthur slowly let out a breath and knelt on one knee before Artoria.
"We should return, and let the Archbishop of Canterbury crown you." Seeing Arthur like this, Artoria couldn't help saying it.
"But I would rather receive the crown from the hands of my beloved Father King."
Because of a series of events, Arthur held no fondness for the church. That was why he said this to Artoria.
"..."
"Mm, I understand."
Artoria Pendragon nodded, then removed the golden crown from her head.
"I give it to you, along with Britannia."
She said this to Artorius.
The moment she said that, the discussions among the surrounding Knights of the Round Table grew louder. Those who were not Knights of the Round Table each had their own thoughts.
The cannon fodder who had been casually dragged here could be ignored for now, as could the locals who had curiously gathered because of the light and the army.
The ones truly worth watching were the Roman officers stationed here and several spies belonging to the Kingdom of Burgundy. They were all shocked, curious, and uneasy.
Before long, this major political event would surely spread among the various nations.
Then there were Merlin and Morgan le Fay.
The former smiled, still carrying that frivolous and irritating air.
But if one looked closely and carefully, one could see a trace of human warmth in his eyes.
It was simply unknown whether that trace of human warmth was an instinctive imitation or something he truly possessed. Perhaps even Merlin himself didn't know.
Morgan le Fay's expression, on the other hand, was filled with excitement and even joy.
It was the sort of feeling that could be seen through at a glance, as easy to read as a child's, enough to surprise anyone who knew Morgan le Fay's nature.
She was actually happy about Arthur's coronation.
She clearly valued Britannia's royal authority so highly and regarded it as her own.
Yet now she could hand power over to someone else and smile so happily?
Anyone who noticed this would feel a chill run through them... if they noticed it at all.
Because, like Morgan le Fay, everyone had focused all their attention on Artorius and Artoria, father and son.
They watched as the Knight King, acting as a father, placed her crown upon Arthur's head.
"You shall inherit all my authority in Britannia. This includes the Knights of the Round Table, every treasure in my treasury, the noble warhorses in the royal stables, and everything else that should belong to a king."
After saying that, Artorius Pendragon slowly rose to his feet. This time, it was Artoria's turn to kneel before her beloved son and swear loyalty to him.
Seeing this, the Knights of the Round Table, whose hearts held absolute loyalty toward Artoria, couldn't help bursting into tears.
"Why must Her Majesty abdicate? Wouldn't all our efforts until now become meaningless?"
"No."
The one who said this was Bedivere. "This is succession! The Pendragon family has completed a succession here!"
By then, dawn had fully broken. Golden sunlight pierced through the clouds and shone directly upon Arthur, coating the former Prince and today's new king in gold.
Seeing this, the knights began to salute. They traced crosses over their chests, then knelt on one knee before Artorius Pendragon.
Gaheris, Gawain, Lancelot, Lammorok, Bedivere, Tristan... one knight after another, possessing great strength and unwavering conviction, knelt on one knee before Arthur. They welcomed their newest sovereign, the master of their souls.
"Please rise, Prince Artorius."
Arthur said this calmly and reached out to help Artoria to her feet. From this day onward, she was no longer King Arthur, but Prince Artorius.
"Please rise as well, Knights of the Round Table."
Arthur called out to the knights. As they slowly stood and looked at him with expectant yet uneasy eyes, Arthur drew his sword.
"From this day onward, I am the King of Britannia! Knights of the Round Table, let us save this world together and open the gates to a new era together!"
Fervent cheers resounded across the heavens.
Author's Note:
Seventh update today. The stockpile is gone, damn it!
Before you continue