Above the crowd in the village, the light of Runes flickered. Everyone felt a gentle warmth wash over their bodies, and to their sheer amazement, they discovered that all their wounds—large and small—had completely healed, and their bodies felt significantly more energetic.
The heavily injured Cursed Arm Hassan had also been fully healed. Astonished, he spoke with absolute sincerity:
"Thank you for your aid, friend from afar."
This was genuine, heartfelt gratitude. Not only for restoring their stamina and healing their wounds, but for the immense favor of blocking the "Holy Judgment" and eliminating Mordred.
If Takumi hadn't arrived, the entire population of the Western Village would have undoubtedly perished, either at Mordred's hands or beneath that blast from the Holy Lance.
"There's no need to thank me. Your village has been exposed; the most pressing matter right now is to evacuate this place immediately."
Takumi waved it off dismissively and smiled.
"Yes, I am well aware of that. I've already dispatched people to gather essential supplies. We should be ready to depart shortly."
Cursed Arm Hassan nodded.
"By the way, do you have a way to quickly contact the Eastern Village? They were discovered and attacked as well; they need to evacuate as soon as possible too."
Having come from the Eastern Village, Takumi brought it up.
"We do. I have already learned of your assistance from Intoxicated Smoke. Otherwise, even if Arash shattered the 'Holy Judgment,' the Eastern Village would have likely been destroyed by the other Knight of the Round Table."
Saying this, the gratitude Cursed Arm Hassan felt toward Takumi deepened even further.
Leading the faction of the People of the Mountains was becoming increasingly difficult. Although this land inherently belonged to the "Old Men of the Mountain"—allowing them to continuously summon past Hassans—the Hassans generally possessed low frontline combat capabilities, leading to a high casualty rate.
As a result of this continuous attrition, there were currently only four members left in their "Old Man of the Mountain" faction: himself (Cursed Arm), Hundred Personas (who was out on a mission and hadn't returned), Serenity (who had been captured), and Intoxicated Smoke (who had been summoned recently and would have died if Takumi hadn't intervened).
Er, perhaps they could count the First Generation as a fifth?
But His Eminence remained in eternal slumber within the mausoleum. Unless he, the current Cursed Arm, offered up his own head as the price to request his aid, there was likely no way to mobilize him.
"It is truly a pity that we People of the Mountains are so utterly destitute, otherwise we would surely entertain you properly..."
Thinking about their situation, Cursed Arm Hassan couldn't help but sigh regretfully.
But it couldn't be helped; the People of the Mountains were simply far too poor. Compared to the factions of the Sun King and the Lion King, they were practically starving.
"Don't worry about it. The thought alone is enough. Hurry and organize the evacuation; everyone here is relying on you."
Takumi smiled, offering words of encouragement.
Cursed Arm Hassan nodded. Without standing on ceremony any further, he ran off to direct the orderly evacuation of the civilians.
***
"Phew... Finally got away. Being treated with that much reverence is honestly pretty awkward."
Takumi breathed a sigh of relief, casting a somewhat bashful glance at Bedivere.
"The Hassans are actually quite xenophobic. For him to treat you like that proves he genuinely acknowledges you."
Bedivere explained with a smile.
He remembered when he first arrived at the village of the People of the Mountains; because he bore the label of a Knight of the Round Table, they had been incredibly wary of him. It was only with Arash's help that he was reluctantly accepted by the Hassans and allowed to stay.
Thinking about this, Bedivere couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy.
But he also knew Takumi hadn't earned that respect just by showing his face. He had earned it by sprinting hundreds of kilometers at top speed, slaying Tristan, blocking a "Holy Judgment," and finally—with almost zero rest—single-handedly eliminating Mordred. All of this had happened in less than ten minutes. The sheer intensity was dialed to the absolute maximum.
—He's practically a superhuman!
Furthermore, this was a miracle only Takumi could have achieved. If it had been anyone else without that kind of speed, they'd probably still be on the road trying to get here.
"Enough about me. Tell me, how did you end up finding this place?"
Takumi asked curiously, shifting the topic once again.
"Me? My journey isn't exactly an interesting story to tell..."
Bedivere pointed at himself, feeling both surprised and slightly embarrassed.
But since Takumi had asked, Bedivere went ahead and recounted his experiences.
In short, after arriving in this Singularity with the help of a certain Magus of Flowers, Bedivere had initially headed to the Holy City of Camelot built by the Lion King. Upon discovering that the general guarding the gates was Gawain, backed by a massive force of Enforcement Knights, Bedivere—knowing he was no match for them—didn't even linger to take a second look before turning around and leaving.
He possessed an absolute reason and obsession to see the Lion King, but that didn't mean he was an idiot. If he tried to solo the Holy City dungeon, there was a 99% chance he'd get completely curb-stomped. The best possible outcome would be getting locked in a dungeon by one of his dark-hearted former comrades.
And all of these potential outcomes stemmed from a severe lack of combat power. Thus, much like Takumi, Bedivere began searching for capable allies to help him.
The Sun King's territory was crawling with Sphinxes. Relying solely on Bedivere, no matter how eloquent his words were, there was no guarantee he could secure Ozymandias' aid.
In comparison, the "Old Men of the Mountain" were far more grounded. With the open-hearted and heroic Arash there, even though it took some effort, Bedivere—a man with no roots—at least managed to find a place to rest his feet.
As for how Bedivere managed to pinpoint the exact locations of each faction in a desolate wasteland where it was hard to even find a tree?
For that, he once again had to thank a certain Magus of Flowers.
Compared to Takumi's makeshift, bootleg map hacks, Merlin's [Clairvoyance] was the ultimate map hack. Aside from being unable to spy on the Lion King herself, he could look at anyone else in this Singularity whenever he pleased.
With Merlin's assistance, finding a specific place or person was naturally a walk in the park for Bedivere.
***
The two of them walked slowly, trailing behind the evacuating caravan of the People of the Mountains.
"I see..."
Having listened to Bedivere's brief summary, Takumi nodded in understanding.
Overall, it truly sounded rather mundane. Takumi already knew about the exciting parts anyway.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something:
"I know what you've experienced, but I want to ask... how did you feel walking this path all the way here?"
Takumi looked at Bedivere, his eyes carrying a hint of anticipation.
Meeting someone who was also carrying a massive burden and trudging forward, Takumi felt a strong sense of camaraderie, as if looking at a brother in suffering.
Hearing the question, Bedivere spaced out for a moment, involuntarily getting sucked into his memories.
In his mind's eye, he saw the times he had heart-to-heart talks with Artoria when she was King. The scene shifted to the Hill of Camlann, where the "King" leaned against a tree, breathing her last.
In the blink of an eye, the memory shifted again to the times he failed to return the Holy Sword—three times over. Returning to find the "King's" figure gone, the crushing regret and sheer terror of realizing he had caused a catastrophic disaster washed over him.
Because of that, he embarked on a journey to find the "King" and return the Holy Sword. He walked for a very, very long time. So long he lost track of the years. So long he became a walking corpse, until he was finally awakened by Merlin...
And that led him to the present.
***
I really have walked a very, very long road...
Looking back and realizing just how far he had come, Bedivere lowered his eyes and couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle.
"I didn't feel much. Aside from the initial regret, and the anxiety and anticipation I feel right now, it feels as if all that time passed by in the blink of an eye."
"If I had to describe it... it would probably just be 'exhausting.' The kind of exhaustion where you don't even want to think anymore."
Bedivere recalled as he spoke.
Right now, anticipation likely dominated his heart. Even though his body had decayed and his soul endured the agony of being torn apart and burned, it couldn't stop his anticipation of seeing the "King" once again.
Whether it resulted in forgiveness or a judgment upon the one who caused this disaster, he eagerly awaited the "King's" answer.
"What about you? Don't you feel 'exhausted'?"
Bedivere asked, turning to look at Takumi.
Compared to Bedivere, whose "exhaustion" felt like fleeting clouds of the past, Takumi's "exhaustion" was written clearly all over his face.
Dark circles framed his eyes, and his eyelids drooped slightly, making him look rather lethargic. Even the [Heart of Fire] seemed to be screaming, "I'm so tired, I just want to sleep."
Only the bright luster in Takumi's eyes still spoke of his excitement and soaring fighting spirit.
"Me? Of course I'm exhausted. I haven't had a proper night's sleep in a while, and I spent half of today running at top speed. It's only because I'm pretty tough right now that I haven't collapsed into bed already."
Takumi spread his hands, smiling helplessly.
"—But you know, I'm actually a lot like you. Even though I'm anxious and nervous, there isn't a single moment where I don't look forward to that final moment when I get to see them all again..."
Takumi's smile shifted. Walking casually with his hands clasped behind his head, he looked up at the boundless night sky. Bright colors danced in his eyes, and the exhaustion weighing down his heart seemed to be swept away entirely in that moment.
That anticipation was so palpable that Bedivere could see it clear as day, even without the [Heart of Fire] broadcasting it.
"...Crossing five—or rather, six Singularities. With only two stops left until the end, my journey of desperate struggle is finally nearing its conclusion. I am strong now, and in the near future, I will become even stronger. As long as I push myself just a little harder, my wish will definitely come true!"
Takumi's gaze was piercing and full of life. He reached out toward the dazzling starry sky, his hand opening wide before suddenly clenching into a tight fist.
Having done all that, perhaps feeling it was a bit too chuunibyou, Takumi quickly lowered his hand and shot Bedivere a sheepish grin.
But Bedivere just stared blankly at this version of Takumi.
The exhaustion couldn't mask his radiant light. His wish was simple, yet it revealed the absolute purity of his essence...
Suddenly, Bedivere felt as if he wasn't worthy of fighting alongside Takumi, as if his existence was nothing but a burden to him.
"...Do you not blame me? It's because of me that this version of the 'King' appeared. It's because of me that you had to travel so far to get here, just to clean up the mess left by my selfishness."
He asked quietly.
Hearing this, Takumi stared at him with wide eyes, seemingly baffled as to why he would ever say such a thing.
"How could I?!"
"You might not believe this, but I'm actually more grateful to you than anyone else!"
"...Ah?"
Sensing that Takumi was being completely genuine when he said this, Bedivere was utterly dumbfounded once again.
You don't blame me for the disaster I caused, but you're actually thanking me for it?!
"Hehe. See, I have this ability—you can think of it like I've read a 'script.' That script outlined the general premise of this Singularity long in advance. The fact that I've been able to survive and make it this far is at least fifty percent thanks to that 'script'!"
Takumi explained, then imagined a scenario where he suddenly jumped into a Singularity he knew absolutely nothing about. He couldn't help but shudder.
"If you hadn't made the choice you did back then, I wouldn't even know what completely unfamiliar nightmare I'd have ended up in right now. If that happened, I'd have to rely entirely on blind luck."
Takumi shrugged.
"Besides, you're being way too hard on yourself! You made a mistake that countless people would have made when you had absolutely no idea what the consequences would be. And you didn't just irresponsibly toss it out of your mind afterward, either. You actively sought atonement for over a thousand years, dragging yourself all the way here to fight by my side."
"I don't play that 'blame the victim' nonsense!"
Takumi stated, pretending to be angry.
Only then did Bedivere realize he had, once again, overthought things. The light of the flames had clearly revealed that Takumi didn't care about such things, yet beneath that pure flame, Bedivere had still subconsciously let those thoughts fester.
Bedivere hurriedly apologized repeatedly to express his remorse.
Takumi wasn't actually angry to begin with, and after two apologies, he was back to smiling cheerfully.
The two continued to chat casually about anything and everything.
From the amusing incidents Takumi experienced in Chaldea and the Singularities, to the dark histories of the Knights of the Round Table. They debated what they would do first if they went back to the era of King Arthur's Britain, discussing matters of state and kingdom, before pivoting to criticizing the corrupt lifestyles of certain dukes and nobles. Then, out of nowhere, they complained about how Gawain's mashed potatoes were both unoriginal and completely tasteless...
The two of them acted like old brothers who hadn't seen each other in years. They talked about the North and the South, about their homelands and foreign countries, shifting from grand politics to childhood scenery. They literally talked about whatever popped into their heads.
Even after they had followed the civilians all the way to Cursed Arm's backup base, they still showed no signs of running out of things to say.
The two of them sat atop a small hill.
"...Sigh. If only my prosthetic arm was as good as yours."
Mid-conversation, Takumi glanced at Bedivere's "Silver Arm," then looked down at his own crude, rudimentary projected prosthetic, and couldn't help but sigh.
His tone was brimming with envy.
"Haha. My 'Silver Arm' isn't actually a very capable arm on its own, you know. It was primarily designed as a desperate measure to allow me to barely scrape by in combat against them. It's just a tool crafted with Merlin's help to store the Holy Sword and channel its power."
Bedivere shook his head and laughed softly.
He had noticed Takumi eyeing his arm several times along the way.
"However, I cannot lend this to you. Forcibly utilizing the power of the Holy Sword causes immense harm even to its wielder."
Having used it several times up to this point and personally experiencing that agonizing pain time and time again, Bedivere spoke from experience.
Of course, this was also tied to his current condition. Driving the Holy Sword while barely clinging to life only pushed him closer to death's door.
"Hey, I never said I wanted to borrow it! If I keep borrowing and borrowing everything, I'll turn into the King of Debt!"
Takumi waved his hands frantically, speaking with righteous indignation.
The only difference between him and the King of Debt was probably that Takumi couldn't afford to pay back what he borrowed, nor did he have any way to do so.
"I just genuinely admire the performance and design of your arm! It's way cooler than mine!"
"Not only does this thing I made break easily, but it can't even properly handle my own strength. I literally have to watch its mood when I fight."
As Takumi spoke, he forcefully swung his arm twice. The faint creaking sounds it produced proved he wasn't exaggerating.
And this was after Takumi had reinforced it with Runes.
Being a projection at its core, it was as fragile as fragile could be.