Chapter 19: Destiny is Not Necessarily Unchangeable!
[Scáthach Has Arrived]
[Her spear caught Vortigern completely off guard, which brought you some joy, surprise, and a bit of confusion.]
[Seeing your expression, the masked Scáthach explained that she wasn't helping you as Scáthach, but as a resident of Hibernia.]
[It was only then you learned that the temple of the sun god Lugh was not unknown in Hibernia—many warriors had attempted to gain recognition from the spear and sword but failed.]
[After confirming that no one could earn the approval of the spear and sword, the perpetually divided kingdoms of Hibernia reached a consensus: whichever king gained the sun god's recognition would be the sole ruler qualified to unite Hibernia.]
[Though initially an oral agreement, Scáthach, witnessing your plight, transformed it into a reality that the kings of Hibernia could not deny.]
[In other words, at this moment, you became the king of Britain (England), Pictavia (Scotland), and Hibernia (Ireland).The people of Britain, the Picts, and the Hibernians united at this very moment, standing with you against the vile king Vortigern.]
[Scáthach, Artoria, and your Knights of the Round Table stood by your side, while Merlin and Morgan provided their full support. Even the lowliest soldiers charged at Vortigern's massive form, striking whenever they could.]
[Though individually insignificant, the soldiers' collective efforts eventually sparked a qualitative change through sheer numbers.]
[Moreover, your collaboration with Scáthach significantly curtailed Vortigern's destruction across Britain.]
[You glimpsed the chance for victory.]
[With Vortigern suppressed, continuing this course would inevitably lead to your triumph.]
[But Vortigern's goal differed from yours.]
[You needed to defeat him to win, whereas Vortigern could claim victory without defeating you.]
[Realizing he was being gradually overpowered, Vortigern suddenly proclaimed:]
["The victor shall be me, for I am the island's chosen representative—I am Britain!"]
[It seemed only you heard these words.]
[But you had no time to dwell on it, instead alerting the others as you watched Britain's energy being compressed.]
[Yet none of you possessed a means to deliver a decisive blow to Vortigern. Even with Scáthach opening the gate to the Land of Shadows, it was impossible to quickly draw a being of Vortigern's magnitude into it.]
[Vortigern self-destructed.]
[Wreathed in the leylines of all Britain, his self-destruction turned the entire land into scorched earth—Vortigern had achieved his goal.]
[Being too close to Vortigern, you bore the brunt of the explosion.]
[You died.]
...
Witnessing this outcome, Noah fell silent for a moment before proceeding with his initial plan: absorbing the experiences and memories gained from this simulation.
Then he sat in his seat, closed his eyes, and slowly digested these memories and experiences.
These experiences were highly valuable to him—they represented knowledge he, bearing the label of an [(Epic) Martial Arts Prodigy], had spent considerable time learning from Scáthach and subsequently refining through further effort.
Moreover, since he had synthesized these insights himself, the resulting martial arts were perfectly suited to him.
With these refined skills and the power of the Left Hand of God—Gandálfr, he was undoubtedly Britain's foremost knight.
And its strongest knight.
But what Noah valued even more were the memories from this simulation.
This set of memories contained many things.
Such as the negotiations with the Picts.
Such as Scáthach's temperament.
Such as the locations of the spear and sword among the Four Treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann.
And such as, under these circumstances, which knights ultimately pledged allegiance to him and which did not.
Apart from these useful aspects, what remained was...
A lingering frustration!
"If it had been like before, facing the insurmountable Vortigern and failing outright, that would have been acceptable. But this time, I clearly saw a chance at victory..."
It's just... a lingering frustration!
At this thought, Noah steadied his emotions and let out a long sigh.
"Still, this revealed the key to victory, and I've mostly figured out the matter of the Holy Lance. In the next simulation, I should be able to make contact with the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad. If the Left Hand of God—Gandálfr can affect the Four Treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann, then it should work on the Holy Lance... right?"
What made Noah uncertain was mainly the description of the Holy Lance in the simulation.
But he had another simulation opportunity tomorrow—he could test it!
From now until the time to confront Vortigern, there was still a fair amount of time.
Vortigern could only afford to fail once, while he could fail countless times!
This time, he even learned that Vortigern would self-destruct if pushed to the brink. So, as long as he found a way to deliver a single, decisive blow, Vortigern would no longer be a problem.
With this in mind, Noah walked to the window and gazed silently outside.
This simulation had indeed shown him the dawn of victory.
Not just a theoretical glimpse in the simulation, but a real understanding of Vortigern's limits—that he wasn't invincible.
Even without relying on a special trait to mutually annihilate with him, there were scenarios where Vortigern was forced to self-destruct to destroy Britain.
Hah.
If he resorted to self-destruction, then the lowly king Vortigern, this White Dragon of Britain, was only that formidable after all!
As for Britain's will or its inevitable doom...
Since I've seen it, even if it's a future that's meant to happen, it can still be changed!
With this conviction, Noah casually picked up a quill and tossed it out the window.
Kay, standing downstairs, heard the sound and looked up, only to see the quill catch a dropping of bird excrement mid-air and, with some force, embed itself into a distant tree.
Kay happened to witness the moment when the bird droppings were caught by the quill, instinctively dodging out of the way. He glanced over and realized that if the droppings hadn't been intercepted and he hadn't moved, they would have landed right on his head.
Thankfully, they were caught.
But this quill...
Kay approached the quill, noticing the unique royal seal engraved on it that belonged to the king. He then pondered the quill's flight path before turning his gaze toward the empty window of Noah's study. Even someone as sharp-tongued as him couldn't help but break into a smile.
"Thanks, Your Majesty."