"I see...
"—So in your dream, you lived the magnificent life of the Son of the White Dragon. To think such a thing could happen..."
Quietly, silently.
The Teacher sat in the hospital room, patiently listening as his disciple slowly recounted the entire long, winding, and epic story.
Su Shu's final words faded.
Waver Velvet was speechless for a long time.
His fingers hovered in mid-air, as if holding a non-existent cigar.
El-Melloi II took a deep, sharp breath, filling his lungs with the formless substance, and then slowly exhaled.
The complex, chaotic emotions seemed to be expelled along with it.
"Phew...
"Shu, I think I have a general idea... of what happened."
"Hmm...? Can this actually be explained?"
Hearing this, Su Shu couldn't help but be taken aback.
Because he himself knew best that Alwin Pendragon's life was actually a simulation triggered by the system—it wasn't a real dream.
It was a reality of this world, a period of history that had once existed.
But the existence of the system was something he obviously couldn't speak about.
Thus, Su Shu had explained it in the form of a dream.
Perhaps... a secret like this, the secret of being a transmigrator, should never have been revealed in the first place.
However, Su Shu had almost complete and unconditional trust in his teacher, El-Melloi II.
If at first it was just the impression left by the anime that made Su Shu feel favorably towards Waver...
Then after more than a year of being with him, he knew very well what kind of person Waver was—this was a teacher worthy of entrusting everything to.
For the sake of his disciples, this teacher would risk his own life.
According to Gray, at Adra Castle, Waver had braved great danger to forcibly connect to Luvia's Magic Circuits to deconstruct and break the barrier that had trapped everyone inside.
If Su Shu had any doubts, he would not have become El-Melloi II's student. In terms of pure magecraft skill, he had actually already surpassed Waver.
It wasn't just that he trusted El-Melloi II.
The other party had also given him unconditional trust, not treating him any differently because of his suspicious identity as a "transmigrator" or "foreigner."
They, master and disciple, trusted each other.
It was just...
Su Shu felt that telling his teacher, "You're actually a character in a Nasuverse eroge visual novel," was a bit too disillusioning. It was better left unsaid.
A... "dream."
This was the interpretation Su Shu had proposed for Alwin's life after careful consideration.
Could it actually receive a logical, reasonable explanation?
"That's right... Shu.
"Do you know of Necromancy?"
El-Melloi II threw out a somewhat obscure term.
Su Shu pondered for a moment.
"Are those the... magi who like to use corpses as spell components?"
Corpse Explosion, Flesh Golems, Summon the Dead, Reanimation, Edo Tensei...
He actually had many impressions of necromancy, but only a small part of them came from the Nasuverse.
The most typical example was the Great Filial Son of Lordaeron, Arthas, who wore the crown of the Lich King.
His father-killing weapon, Frostmourne, was as infamous as the Signal Axe.
As for local Nasuverse necromancers...
Su Shu only knew of one, Kairi Shishigou, whom he had met a few times.
He had a slight impression because the latter was Mordred's Master in the Fate/Apocrypha anime.
The so-called necromancers...
To put it simply, they were just "perverts."
"What do these R-18G enthusiasts have to do with my dream?"
"R-18G... Tsk~ That's not wrong, but the focus isn't on the corpses, but on the art itself."
El-Melloi II was constantly amazed by this disciple's rhetoric.
Su Shu always seemed to be able to grasp the very essence of things and express it in the simplest, most understandable concepts.
High skill in magecraft doesn't mean you can teach—this is an excellent quality that a great teacher must possess.
"Necromancy is, to some extent, magecraft for communicating with the dead. At the Clock Tower, it's a cross-disciplinary branch of Spiritual Evocation and Curses. Speaking of which, it's a good thing you woke up in three days. Otherwise, I was planning to ask people from those two departments to see if you were under some kind of curse. And the phenomenon that occurred to you... might be—Psychometry."
"Psychometry?"
Su Shu repeated the word.
As expected of the encyclopedia of the magecraft world, even my excuse of a dream has been given a self-consistent explanation.
"That's right. Because you came into contact with a catalyst of the Son of the White Dragon, the aura on it happened to trigger your Clairvoyance, resulting in a channeling effect with the deceased," Waver said with emotion.
"That was definitely not a dream. Because dreams are often hazy and vague. As the ancient Chinese poem goes—'Events pass like a spring dream, leaving no trace.' But your memories are far too clear and organized, filled with all sorts of astonishing details. The content, although slightly different in its development, is surprisingly consistent with the unofficial histories I know of. The name of the Son of the White Dragon never appeared in official history, but now I know the answer. It was Alwin Pendragon. That is undoubtedly the truth, Shu. What you saw was history itself. Because your Magic Circuits are naturally mutated within your brain, you were able to support such a level of channeling... You must be feeling very exhausted right now, right?"
No, I feel like I could punch through the Clock Tower.
Feeling the synchronization with Alwin, his body was surging with an overwhelming energy that had nowhere to be released.
Even the fist that had been hardened by the bratty little devil's provocations hadn't gone down for a long time. Good thing he was under a blanket so it wasn't visible.
Su Shu nodded with a solemn expression.
"I am a bit tired..."
"As expected... your mana consumption must have been immense. Rest well. Such precious memories of the Age of Gods are an invaluable treasure. As magi, knowledge is, to some extent, our power."
El-Melloi II looked at his disciple as if he were a national treasure.
Not only was his talent extraordinary, but his luck was also so good. He was truly a chosen one favored by the heavens.
The hope for the revival of the Modern Magecraft Department could be said to rest on Su Shu's shoulders.
El-Melloi II was certain that in the future, the Modern Magecraft Department would become the number one department in the Clock Tower.
"Now that I understand the cause and effect and see that you're alright, I'm relieved. You rest well. I still have to work overtime. Don't let that Reines girl drain your energy."
El-Melloi II earnestly advised him.
But he only mentioned guarding against Reines, not Gray.
He was clearly biased towards his own disciple.
Anyone could see the affection in her three days and three nights of constant vigil.
Waver was intentionally trying to set up his two disciples.
Gray had been a lonely child with a tragic life since she was young, and that face of hers had made her develop a distant personality. Entrusting her to Su Shu, El-Melloi II was completely at ease.
And so, Waver prepared to slip away, leaving the private space for the young people, and also to drag Reines away.
This was the art of biased refereeing.
Indeed.
Eating and then sleeping is the pinnacle of happiness. Having someone to warm the bed is even more comfortable.
Su Shu could, of course, see that El-Melloi II wanted to leave.
But unfortunately... how could the allure of a beautiful woman compare to your charm, Teacher?
Easy to say, hard to do. I declare you: the Queen Consort.
So pure, with an intellectual beauty.
"My body tells me to rest, but my mind won't allow it," Su Shu said with a smile. "Don't go, Teacher. I'll cover your overtime pay tonight."
"Tsk."
El-Melloi II, who had been halfway up, immediately sat back down.
It was absolutely not because of the words "overtime pay."
"Private lessons, huh? My rates are very high now..."
That's right, it was a weekday.
The reason Waver was in a hurry to go back was that there was a large group of students waiting to be taught. He now had to teach evening classes to supplement his income.
The El-Melloi family's debt had been shouldered by him, the second Lord...
That astronomical figure... better not to mention it. Anyway, after he died from overwork, there would definitely be no gold coins, only IOUs.
Waver had already done his best to take time out of his busy schedule to visit his disciple.
Before he could finish speaking...
The black-haired young man directly took out a stack of British pounds from his pocket and placed it gently on the bedside table.
"I didn't count. You can decide, Teacher."
El-Melloi II's eyes widened slightly.
"It's been a long time. I miss it. Let's finish the class you didn't finish last time, Teacher—I'm very interested in that Forgotten History of Britain."
"Tsk~ You adorable disciple, your diligent attitude is truly irresistible."
Waver pressed a few buttons on his worn-out old phone, sent a text to the academic affairs office saying he was skipping work today, adjusted his posture, and half-lay on the chair by the hospital bed.
A pity it's a hospital room.
If only he could smoke, it would be even better.
"Ask what you want. Go on, Shu. You must have a lot of questions."
Su Shu organized his thoughts before slowly beginning.
"First... hmm, Teacher, what is the record of that King Arthur in official history?"
"The current official history... let's start from the end of your 'dream'—"
Waver closed his eyes in thought for a moment.
"First of all, in the official history of Britain, the Vile King Vortigern never left any descendants, which means the figure of the 'Son of the White Dragon' does not exist.
"After subjugating the Vile King, King Arthur unified the entirety of Britain, including Wales, England, Scotland, and Ireland. On the ruins of Londinium, she built the magnificent and flawless White Citadel, Camelot. The Celtic kingdom and the Anglian kingdom were both under her rule from then on.
"She implemented many policies that are considered quite forward-thinking even today—she dismantled the feudal system of nobility, established a basic centralized state, valued agriculture and law, and promulgated an examination system for officials, which is also seen as the prototype of the modern British civil service system.
"According to historical records, she never felt tired. Not only did she win continuous victories in foreign wars, but she could also handle up to a thousand administrative tasks in a single day, and her judgments were almost never wrong.
"Under her wise and holy rule, the Anglo-Saxons and Celts gradually assimilated, and the hatred caused by years of civil war was smoothed over, leaving only external enemies like Rome.
"Here, we must mention our history of magecraft development—the final decline of the Age of Gods is also widely believed to have occurred in Britannia during this period."
Connecting this to what his disciple had seen and heard in his dream...
El-Melloi II said with great emotion.
"Logically speaking, as an island nation, Britannia was bathed in the final glory of the Age of Gods. Once the Age of Gods declined, the barren land would cause all things to wither and die, and the Celts, as remnants of the Age of Gods, would absolutely not be able to survive in such an environment. According to historical records, Britannia at that time did indeed suffer from years of natural and man-made disasters, such as floods and droughts. And yet..."
Waver Velvet's expression became solemn.
He said.
"—That holy and perfect King Arthur had always been committed to promoting agricultural techniques, attached great importance to food storage and transportation, and even transformed the ecosystem, developing a new type of grain that could maintain increased production in such a barren environment. Scholars have always wanted to know the answer, but no one knows what it was—only that in the history books, it was called the Seed of Hope, and described as a vibrant green that spread across the land."
Su Shu's expression was a little dazed.
"That was..."
"That's right. Now we know the truth."
El-Melloi II said softly.
"It was actually... Chlorella—such an astonishing answer, one of the earliest and most ancient life forms on this planet.
"Relying on the existence of the 'Seed of Hope', King Arthur's kingdom, though turbulent during the decline of the Age of Gods, managed to get through it relatively peacefully. The vast majority of Anglo-Saxons and Celts in the kingdom were able to survive, but... a very strange divergence occurred from here."
El-Melloi II recalled the various texts he had read.
"Ordinary people might not care about such historical details, but we magi know, Shu—the Celts are the remnants of the Age of Gods. The magical energy of True Ether flows in their blood, and because of this, almost every adult is an outstanding warrior.
"With the decline of the Age of Gods, the invading Anglo-Saxons were fine; it didn't matter to them. But the Celts, unable to sustain themselves in an environment without True Ether, would still have died out on a large scale, unable to meet a good end.
"And yet... the vast majority of them actually survived. Although their bloodline was gradually assimilated by the proliferating Anglo-Saxons, according to historical records—the Celts died out naturally. They met a good end."
El-Melloi II turned his head and looked out the window.
Due to the smog, you couldn't see many stars in London.
A lonely moon hung in the dark night sky.
"This is not a salvation that can be achieved by the 'Seed of Hope' alone. The real reason, you won't find this part in any history book in Britain. Because this is the foundation of our Clock Tower's rise to prominence—even within the Clock Tower, this is a secret that only a few Lords can access and view in the ice cellars.
"—The Inner Sea of the Planet was pierced with a hole above Londinium. And this brought a trickling stream of True Ether, like a stream of hope. Because of this, King Arthur gathered all the Celts in Camelot, which is the original site of Londinium, thus saving the Celtic people."
"Which means..."
El-Melloi II lowered his gaze and looked at the black-haired young man before him.
"—Alwin Pendragon truly succeeded. His deeds saved everyone."
"I see..."
Hearing the fate of the people of the island...
Su Shu's expression was a little dazed.
The world looks unchanged, but in fact, it has been changed.
Alwin Pendragon's choice not only allowed the world to continue, but also saved everyone on the island.
Su Shu was certain that that was his own free will, the determination of the King of Cinder named Alwin Pendragon.
But now, it had become an established historical fact?
Like a circle that connects head to tail.
An interesting... causality.
"So, Teacher," Su Shu asked a new question. "Londinium is... London?"
"That's right," El-Melloi II nodded. "Londinium is the ancient name for London."
"Then why can't I see that hole above London?"
Su Shu particularly liked to conduct his magical research in his workshop at night. The quiet of the night gave him a sense of peace that allowed him to concentrate.
For more than a year, he had often looked at the London moon, thinking of... his family on the distant other side.
Who first saw the moon by the river? When did the river moon first shine on people?
They must be very worried, right? Is my body still in the original world? How are Mom and Dad now? Are they still healthy?
It was just that...
The more he thought about it, the more unbearable it became...
If the hole in the Inner Sea of the Planet had appeared long ago...
Then, he had been looking at the moon for more than a year, but he had never discovered that black sun above London.
"I've never seen it either," Waver shook his head. "But the reason why the Clock Tower in London has always been the magical center of the world... Besides the Great Spirit Tomb Albion underground... is also because the ley lines of magical energy here are naturally more abundant than elsewhere. Although it can't compare to the Age of Gods, it's still more than an order of magnitude higher than ordinary places. Do you know, Shu—since King Arthur's time, the ley lines of London have never dried up. In fact, the origin of the Clock Tower was an organization formed by a group of magi summoned by that King Arthur, who used Britain as their base. So, I speculate that that hole has always been there. It's just been... hidden."
"Hidden?"
Looking at the moonlight outside the window...
Su Shu's gaze wavered slightly.
"Yes, let me give you an analogy."
El-Melloi II smiled.
He raised his hand and knocked on the wall behind him with his knuckles.
"Suppose a hole appears on the wall of your house. You have no way to repair this hole, and you can't even temporarily block it. It looks very unsightly and ruins the image. ...What would you do?"
Su Shu said without thinking.
"Cover it up."
"That's right, cover it up!"
El-Melloi II pulled over a curtain and covered the wall he had knocked on.
"I speculate that the Inner Sea of the Planet is doing the same thing. —Don't air your dirty laundry in public. If It can't repair it, then It will block it, so people can't see it."
El-Melloi II played with the cigar in his hand and said thoughtfully.
"Nevertheless, an irreparable hole is still a hole—if everything you described is the truth of history, then I speculate that there is a time when this hole can be glimpsed!"
"...What time?" Su Shu sat up.
"A Solar Eclipse."
El-Melloi II said with a smile.
"In magecraft, a 'solar eclipse' symbolizes the 'aperture of the world'. London experiences a solar eclipse about every three hundred and seventy years. The Britain of 527 AD... The Britain of 2003 AD... You haven't heard the recent news broadcasts, have you, Shu... sorry, I forgot you were in a coma—according to the observatory, the next time a solar eclipse can be observed in London is within this month."
El-Melloi II looked up, his gaze seeming to pierce through the circular light on the ceiling and look at the distant sky.
"That is the one that rose because of Alwin Pendragon..."
He sighed with emotion.
"—Britain's Black Sun."
Su Shu sat on the hospital bed, lost in thought for a long time.
His master sat leisurely in the chair, swaying, watching his disciple in a daze.
Hehe... such a brilliant deduction is worthy of my appearance fee.
Passing on knowledge and clearing up doubts for a disciple is a teacher's duty.
Although... his disciple's rank had now surpassed his own...
But the student surpasses the master. El-Melloi II was happy to see it.
After being stunned for a long time...
The black-haired young man finally turned his head and asked.
"What happened to Artoria afterward?"
"The official history records her death, of course, and an incredibly tragic death at that—so holy, so glorious, so perfect a king, yet she ultimately fell to internal and external troubles."
El-Melloi II let out a faint sigh.
"Britain and Rome were at war for years, with a shocking level of intensity. To seize victory, King Arthur led her grand army across the sea to lead the campaign personally. Against this backdrop, that king's heir, a Knight of the Round Table named Mordred, was born and grew up."
"...Mordred?"
Su Shu vaguely remembered that Mordred seemed to be Artoria's illegitimate child. He wasn't very clear about the messy relationship behind it.
"Artoria, she married... hmm, a king? And had a child?"
It sounds like... she had gotten over her relationship with Alwin.
However, the answer Su Shu got was—
"No, she never married."
El-Melloi II shook his head.
"It is even rumored that the Knight of the Lake, Lancelot, confessed his love to King Arthur and had his arm cut off on the spot and was expelled from the Round Table—and this also planted the seeds for her later betrayal by all. We only know that Mordred was King Arthur's illegitimate child, but we don't know who the other parent was, but... that rebellious knight, in historical records, was said to be even stronger than King Arthur herself.
"As Mordred grew up, the rebellious knight also had fierce conflicts with the king she served. We don't know the reason, but... modern scholars generally believe that it might be because King Arthur's long campaigns led her to neglect her child, causing Mordred to develop a warped personality.
"Having passed through the barren period of the Age of Gods' decline peacefully, King Arthur still generally implemented policies that benefited the people, which also made her country more and more prosperous. However, at this time, her energy was more drawn to the war with the Roman Empire.
"Because she was often away on campaigns, domestic affairs were left to a stable bureaucracy to handle. We don't know the reason, but even though the country was at peace and the wars were being won, she still sent all her loyal and elite Knights of the Round Table away to pursue the illusory Holy Grail. This caused her power to be gradually eroded and usurped by the former noble factions.
"Taking advantage of King Arthur's final battle against Rome, when the country's forces were depleted... Mordred launched a rebellion in the kingdom. Most of the former noble Round Table knights who had long held grudges against King Arthur submitted to her. The White Citadel, Camelot, fell, and a trap was quietly laid.
"Finally...
"King Arthur returned triumphant from Rome. She was met with a fading twilight battlefield, the final battle at the Hill of Camlann—the final Battle of Camlann."
Su Shu's expression was a little dazed.
Under the twilight, the setting sun was like blood.
Before his eyes, a battlefield where blood flowed like rivers and corpses were piled up like tombstones seemed to be slowly unfolding.
The Battle of Camlann.
That was the reward for all her great achievements.
"Should I say, as expected of a perfect king?"
El-Melloi II's thoughts also seemed to have flown to that battlefield.
"That King Arthur, even in such a desperate situation, she quickly suppressed the situation, and the losses on both sides were said to have been kept to a minimum. Under the watchful eyes of all... only the duel between Mordred and that king remained. They fought from morning to noon, and from noon to dusk. According to historical records, the knights watching had repeatedly heard that rebellious knight roar words like 'Father-King' and 'Why', presumably to vent her dissatisfaction with that perfect king...
"King Arthur...
"She perfectly governed the entire country, but she did not give her own child love. It is truly lamentable that it ended like that.
"Finally...
"King Arthur pierced Mordred's heart with the Holy Spear, then threw away all her weapons... and in the night, with a dazed expression, she walked towards her former hometown, said to be a small town in the present-day Essex district.
"When she was found dead...
"She was leaning on the hilt of a wooden sword, standing guard in a wheat field."
El-Melloi II's final words faded faintly.
The echo seemed to hang in the small hospital room.
The same black hair, the same black eyes.
As a teacher, Waver Velvet looked up at his disciple, Su Shu.
"When she died, she was waiting for someone, wasn't she..."
El-Melloi II said softly.
"—She was waiting... for Alwin Pendragon."
"Oberon, from A Midsummer Night's Dream, the Fairy King of Britannia...
"—No... that's not right! I was summoning Alwin!"
Betting all his stock, and the result was a spook!
A chibi Gudako was going crazy in the conference room, hugging Mash and kissing her wildly, and even smashing her own head against the desktop.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Senpai! Senpai, please calm down!"
Mash tried her best to hold Gudako back, but in this state, even the Demon God King Goetia would be helpless!
"Mash! Why... why did this happen! Waaah... Alwin, you've abandoned me..."
In the conference room...
The people watching the chaotic evil Gudako looked at each other and let out a collective sigh.
"Although I admit Ritsuka was gambling, she wasn't entirely wrong... this is very strange—the keywords should all point to that King of Cinder," Da Vinci analyzed.
"That Alwin should be well-disposed towards Ritsuka and be willing to help our Chaldea... Hmm... even if he didn't want to answer the summons, it shouldn't have resulted in summoning a completely unrelated Servant..."
As Da Vinci's words fell...
Everyone's gaze turned to that silver-haired, large moth with a crown of thorns.
If you ignored the moth wings on his back, he was actually quite handsome.
"I'm just as confused, you know? So what the hell is going on..."
Oberon lay lazily on the conference room sofa, wrapping himself into a ball with his wings.
"As for you guys saying... you wanted to summon Alwin?"
The silver-haired young man rubbed his chin, pondering.
"That name... sounds so familiar."
Watching Gudako's meltdown as she smashed her forehead against the desktop...
Dr. Roman scratched his head apologetically.
"So, Mr. Oberon, do you know Alwin?"
"It feels very familiar, but... I really don't know him," he said.
As he spoke...
Tears莫名 began to stream from Oberon's eyes again.
He dazedly wiped his face.
"It's just...
"Mentioning that name... just... feels so sad—"
Dr. Roman and Da Vinci-chan exchanged a look, hesitating for a moment.
"It's a Servant related to Alwin. But... he's lost his memories? In that case...
"—Ritsuka! Ritsuka!"
Dr. Roman grabbed Gudako by the collar and shook her vigorously, shaking her from her chibi state back into her girly form.
"Take Mr. Oberon and rayshift to the Jerusalem Singularity. He and that dark los—...king might know each other! Then you might find a clue to summon Alwin..."
Before he could finish...
"Alright!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka did a somersault and stood up.
"Mr. Oberon! Mash! There's no time to lose, let's go now!"
"Ehh... I haven't had enough sleep yet! Your overtime system here is disgusting!"
Grabbing both of them by the hand and running so fast they were practically floating behind her...
Fujimaru Ritsuka, full of energy once again, rushed towards the rayshift device.
Looking at the red-haired girl's spirited back...
Dr. Roman and Da Vinci looked at each other again, their eyes filled with confusion and helplessness.
"Ritsuka's condition is very worrying. She's become obsessed...
"That Alwin who made her like this...
"What kind of person...
"—is he?"
With the preparations for another rayshift underway...
The entire Chaldea was bustling with activity.
Standing on the magic circle...
The red-haired Fujimaru Ritsuka held Mash and Oberon's hands, a calm expression on her face.
This time...
She wasn't just going to repair the Singularity.
There was also...
"—I will definitely summon you... Alwin. Save the Human Order...? No... I just want to live a peaceful and happy life with Mash, the Doctor, and everyone I cherish. But I have too many responsibilities on my shoulders. I can't stop. Goetia... I want to hear his reasons. Chaldea, the Human Order, the Counter Force... so many things up until now... have been too strange, too weird. To move forward on this thorny path... if it were you, you who burned yourself to pierce the Inner Sea of the Planet to protect people, you would surely approve of my determination, right? —Alwin Pendragon."
The dazzling vortex of the rayshift began to brighten.
Fujimaru Ritsuka closed her eyes.
And yet...
In the control room, looking at the information coming from CHALDEAS, from the planetary model...
Everyone in Chaldea... was frozen.
The light of the rayshift gradually faded.
Fujimaru Ritsuka opened her eyes, a little confused.
"...Doctor, is there another malfunction?"
"No... Ritsuka, you don't need to rayshift anymore."
Dr. Roman's utterly astonished voice came from the control room.
"Because...
"—The Jerusalem Singularity...
"...has already been repaired..."
1273 AD, Jerusalem.
The magnificent and flawless White Citadel, Camelot, was situated in this desert.
At an unseen height...
The knight king in black stood at the very top of the Holy City.
A dark and狰狞 demonic spear was deeply rooted in the ground.
A tree of aurora, as bright and dazzling as the scorching sun, bloomed behind her.
Its prosperous and dazzling branches and leaves spread out, covering the sky, like a blooming bolt of lightning.
The gray-gold-haired Artoria slightly lowered her eyelids.
A vast shadow extended from the Holy City beneath her, like the spreading roots of a giant tree, deeply rooted in the bodies of the people stationed in the city, absorbing and burning their souls.
Goetia had summoned her to this era.
Their wills were perfectly aligned.
With the help of this spear, the Spear That is Silent at the Beginning...
She would burn through the Human Order with the spiral demonic spear, eternally looping that period of Britannia's history, to live forever with Alwin Pendragon.
Even if... it was just a looping bubble.
Just being able to see him was enough for her.
Burning the souls of all the people in this Holy City...
The roots of the Holy Tree were about to reach the Inner Sea of the Planet. She was about to succeed.
No one could stop her determination.
Not even a Grand, a Divine Spirit, or Goetia himself.
Under the璀璨 blooming Holy Tree, she was invincible.
That radiant wheat field swayed in the wind.
The knight king in black lowered her eyelids, her pale golden eyes seeming to have already seen the smiling face of the silver-haired young man.
And yet...
Under this dazzling, world-burning Holy Tree...
An ethereal voice, one that Artoria was incredibly familiar with, sounded softly behind her.
"Artoria..."
The knight king in black turned her head in disbelief.
And saw that witch in black, whose figure seemed not to exist in this world, almost illusory.
"Sis—?!"
A gradient veil and strands of hair, like an interweaving of night and snow.
In her deep blue eyes, a detached aloofness seemed to be held.
Every inch of her voluptuous figure presented a perfect curve, her faintly visible, gentle skin like the bright moonlight adorning the night sky.
Cloudless night, brilliant stars.
That most exquisite mystery and darkness...
Were all gathered in her beauty and her eyes.
Intertwined into the captivating face of a witch, a beauty that the vibrant daylight had no chance to see.
Morgan le Fay.
She just stood there.
Even this dazzling, sky-blooming, in-the-clouds Holy Tree...
Seemed to pale in comparison under the deep, night-like hem of her dress.
A black veil that warned strangers to stay away covered her face and her heart, a beauty that no one was allowed to see except for that one person.
"Artoria..."
Her voice was as light as the wind.
"Alwin is still alive."
The knight king in black stood dazedly at the top of the Holy City.
"What... did you say—"
Morgan lowered her deep blue eyes.
"I once said I didn't want to see you ever again. I didn't want to tell you this. And yet, for him... I came here."
"...You're lying to me... sister—"
Artoria gripped the demonic spear in her hand.
Her expression was a little dazed.
"Because... I'm about to be with him forever... you're afraid..."
"Alwin," the witch said softly. "He's still alive."
"That's impossible...!" the knight king in black roared, her voice trembling. "Alwin... he... he dissipated right in front of you—!"
"Why can't you accept the truth... sister, I'm about to succeed. We can all be with him forever—"
"Yes... he burned his own soul to save everyone. I know."
Morgan looked up at the deep night sky.
This shadow was just like him.
So reassuring.
"But... such an act of salvation, even if one dies completely after burning their soul, will leave behind fireless embers—the Throne of Heroes will definitely record his existence."
The witch's ethereal voice echoed faintly.
"And yet...
"—I deconstructed the ritual that summoned those Grand Servants. I deconstructed Chaldea's rayshift. I completely cracked the system the Counter Force uses to summon Heroic Spirits. I stood under the solar eclipse, before his lingering embers, holding his pure heart, and tried to summon him—I tried to summon... my lover. But... there was no response."
Though there was no response...
The witch smiled, as if feeling a sincere, soul-deep happiness.
The content of her words...
Also made Artoria's body begin to tremble uncontrollably.
"My dear Alwin, if he were resting peacefully on the Throne of Heroes, it would be impossible for him not to answer me. Then... there is only one possibility left...
"—He's still alive.
"I am absolutely certain he is still alive."
Gently caressing the crystal clear heart in her hand...
The witch of Britain said in a low voice.
"My lover is still somewhere, in some era, waiting for me."
Thud.
Artoria knelt on the ground.
The Holy Tree behind her, its light was dimming, its branches and leaves were withering.
"Even a black sun is my sun."
The witch looked up at this璀璨 Holy Tree.
Even this dazzling glory of this world was not worth a ten-thousandth of his brilliant light.
"To this day, he is still my light."
Author's Final Note:
"I will give you my heart."
"...I have treasured it well, Alwin."
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