As Naoki opened his eyes again, he saw Merry staring at him.
"You're awake. Seems like you had a sweet dream."
"A sweet dream… something like that."
Sitting up from Merry's lap, Naoki clenched his fists, then made a motion as if drawing a sword. A radiant golden Holy Sword appeared in his hand.
The Holy Sword of the Stars—Excalibur.
"It's really mine now…"
Back when he was a Demi-Servant, though Naoki had the right to use the Holy Sword, its ownership fundamentally belonged to Arthur. He could only borrow it, and even then, only while possessing Arthur. But now, he could manifest the Holy Sword anytime, anywhere, without the awkward feeling of borrowing.
The third wielder of the Holy Sword, plus a Half-Fairy.
Ten years ago, he was just a lone individual with somewhat special Mystic Eyes. Now, he was almost no longer human.
"How does it feel to not be human?" Merry asked with a smile.
"No special feeling… By the way, you knew about my condition?"
"How could I not? I left a spell in your body too. I can more or less sense what you've been through," Merry said, pointing to a bright red floral pattern on Naoki's chest. "I never expected you'd officially become the wielder of the Holy Sword… That was truly beyond my expectations."
With this, Arthur would return to Avalon and sleep after this Holy Grail War ended, never to awaken again. His mission was fully complete. From now on, even if the world needed saving, that was Naoki's task.
"What about him?"
"He's lying not far from here, not sure if he's awake yet. Though he won't disappear immediately, fighting again is definitely impossible."
Standing up from the ground, Naoki quickly stepped toward the black figure lying nearby, noticing his slightly open eyes. "Isn't he already awake?"
"Oh? You're right. I thought it'd take a bit longer," Merry said, feigning surprise.
"How are you, Arthur? Can you talk?"
"No problem. The effects of Mad Enhancement and the Command Spells have been temporarily suppressed," Arthur said, rising from the ground. "No, more accurately, I can barely maintain my existence now, so those abilities will soon cease to function. I was forced to become a Berserker, so I can't last forever. But more importantly…"
His gaze shifted to the Holy Sword in Naoki's hand. Arthur fell silent for a moment, then, as if letting go of something, he let out a long sigh and flashed the bright, familiar white prince smile both knew well.
"So, it seems my mission ends here."
Though he said this, there was no regret in Arthur's tone. Like Naoki, he wasn't particularly attached to the Holy Sword's power. If not for saving Britannia, he wouldn't have taken it up.
"You'll have a tough time ahead, Naoki."
"No problem. The Counter Force said I don't have to work… Though I'm sure unexpected situations will push me to do so eventually."
Like the previous Holy Grail War, when Jeanne possessed Gray, Naoki was forced to participate. Though he had intended to join, he was essentially dragged into it.
The Counter Force was quite experienced in this. By the time the person involved realized, they were already entangled in trouble.
"But if I really have to save the world, I won't refuse. After all, I've done it several times over the past ten years—I'm almost used to it," Naoki said with a smile, then punched Arthur's chest. "So, rest peacefully in Avalon, until the end of time, until the world falls apart. You've waited for this sleep for thousands of years."
"You're right. It's time to return to Avalon."
Arthur sighed.
"Ending my mission like this isn't bad. And meeting a Master like you in the end—perhaps that's one of the few blessings in my life—Merlin."
"Alright, I'm here," Merry said, kneeling with a giggle. "What's up, King Arthur?"
"I'm no longer King Arthur. No need to salute me like that."
"It's just habit."
Seeing Merry's giggle, Arthur gave a wry smile, then said seriously, "From now on, can I ask you to keep helping Naoki, like you helped me before? Naoki, as you've seen, though Merlin went way overboard this time, and she's usually a woman with a terrible personality, please take care of her."
Was this some kind of last will?
Naoki and Merry exchanged glances, then burst into laughter.
"No problem. After all, even if I wanted to run, Naoki wouldn't let me," Merry said.
"Plus, with what happened this time, you'd better prepare to not get out of bed for a month—I mean, I'll break all your arms and legs, so you physically can't get out of bed."
"I'm outta here—Huh?"
Before Merry could escape, dozens of sturdy chains materialized from some unknown Mana, binding her tightly like a cocoon, leaving only her head free to breathe.
Grabbing a dangling chain at her feet, under Arthur's stunned gaze, Naoki swung Merry around rapidly a dozen times before slamming her hard into a nearby pillar!
*DUAGH!*
With a dull thud, Merry, chains and all, embedded into the pillar—headfirst.
"Hmm, that's enough for now. Let her stay like that for a few days. Later, we'll hang her on a ceiling fan until she's dried out."
"Naoki, isn't that a bit…"
"For a repeat offender like her, she needs a harsh lesson. Otherwise, she won't learn. After drying, there's more waiting for her. I told you, I won't let her out of bed for a month."
The inhumane, suggestive statement left Arthur slightly shocked at Naoki. According to Merry, over the past ten years, Naoki had rarely made a fuss about her pranks, at most giving verbal reprimands. This time, he was so ruthless…
(He's really angry, Naoki. You brought this on yourself, Merlin. Enjoy it.)
*NGIIIING!*
Specks of light suddenly drifted from Arthur's body—a sign that a Servant was about to vanish.
"Are you going back?"
"Yes. In that earlier clash, my spiritual core was damaged beyond maintaining my existence in the real world… It's embarrassing to withdraw after just one night. But thankfully, my final opponent was you, Naoki. Losing to you, I have no regrets. You've truly grown to great heights."
Amid the increasingly bright light, Arthur's body fully transformed into countless specks of light, scattering into the air.
"Goodbye, [Master]. May your future be bright."
Gazing at the scattering specks of light, Naoki stood and reached out as if to grasp them, but ultimately lowered his hand.
"Yeah, see you, Arthur."
"My first and best friend."