With all hope of seeking the Holy Grail to reverse the decline of Britain's age of gods utterly dashed, Camelot sank into grief, though to everyone except Sovell and Artoria, at least, it was a glorious grief.
But the upheaval within the Round Table did not end there.
Palamedes blamed himself for the death of Dandelin, his junior fellow disciple, and Percival's attempts to console him only left him more disheartened.
So he stripped himself of his position and became a man of leisure, taking the disabled Percival back to Gareth Castle, where he hoped to spend the rest of his days peacefully alongside his teacher, Pellinore.
The Holy Grail plan had failed, while the age of man plan demanded immense financial and material resources. Artoria had no choice but to keep raising taxes on the common people.
Most of the knights were unhappy with this, and Tristan was among them.
One day, when Tristan saw refugees arriving to seek shelter in Camelot, he decided to remonstrate with Artoria, only to receive a single sentence in reply:
"Britain has no time left."
Tristan simply could not bear it any longer.
He had long since seen the struggle within Artoria's heart.
To preserve Britain's existence, the being known as "King Arthur" was becoming a tyrant, diverging ever further from the individual named "Artoria."
Preserving Britain's existence was unquestionably right.
And yet.
Precisely because it was right, it was too dreadful to watch.
Precisely because it was right, it seemed so sorrowful.
Tristan no longer had the strength of spirit to endure it all.
He left behind his seal of the Harp Knight Order and asked Artoria to accept his resignation.
As Tristan walked out through Camelot's gates, several knights gathered around him in a hollow show of trying to persuade