Fate and Miracle

Upon hearing this, Artorius praised Agravain once again before he could even downplay his achievements.

However, before Agravain could respond humbly, Artorius raised a question.

"But... I have a small question."

"Please, Your Majesty."

"The ones we're about to deal with are the Franks—we're preparing for a massive battle against the Franks, maybe even starting immediately, right away, or tomorrow. In this situation, any intelligence advantage we gain over the Romans means nothing—because if we lose, we won't be able to hold onto anything we have."

"This is exactly what I need to report." said Agravain, unfazed by Artorius's displeasure.

Facing Artorius's displeasure, Agravain maintained a composed expression and replied, "As Your Majesty had mentioned, I have allocated seventy percent of our total strength to the Germanic peoples under Clovis's banner. Despite this, our gains have been minimal."

Agravain's expression grew heavy as he continued, "Our espionage operations against the Franks have been quite challenging."

Artorius furrowed his brow and remarked, "The Franks are of a low level of civilization, and their organizational structure is rather primitive. It should be relatively easy to conduct espionage among them."

"Indeed, as Your Majesty stated, but..." Agravain paused for a moment, then continued, "Whenever we engage in operations against the Franks, there are always some common mistakes. No matter how cautious and meticulous we are, no matter how well-planned our strategies are, there are always unexpected occurrences."

"I understand..." Artorius pondered for a moment before addressing Agravain, "Rest assured, it is not your fault. On the contrary, your intuition is correct."

At this point, Artorius revealed a pleased smile, saying, "Sir Agravain, we are indeed contending with fate. Fate has chosen the Franks. Do you understand what that means?"

Agravain, although not fully grasping Artorius's meaning, responded without hesitation, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

Artorius then ordered, "Do not worry and do not hesitate. The day of the decisive battle approaches. It will be the battle against the Franks and the battle against fate. Until then, we must be fully prepared."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Continue with your duties, Sir Agravain. Set aside matters concerning Rome for now and devote all our resources to the undercover battlefield against the Franks. Ensure that we secure every possible advantage, no matter how small."

"As you will, Your Majesty!"

After receiving Artorius's response, the loyal Iron Knight bowed once again, casting a final glance at Morgan by Artorius's side. He hesitated to speak further but eventually retreated from the tent, leaving only Artorius and Morgan inside.

"You have trained him well, Artorius~" the witch whispered from behind Artorius, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I never expected Agravain to be so obedient to anyone's commands. Not even my foolish sister, fufu~" she chuckled.

"It was her failure to properly utilize him..." Artorius replied calmly, "As for you, have you not always employed him correctly, doing your dirty work?"

"Yes, but I never invested any emotions in him." Morgan continued. "I believed Agravain to be just a tool under my command."

"Indeed, but I consider Agravain a friend. I trust and respect him, and I invest my emotions in him. In return, he repays me with loyalty and devotion. That's the difference between us."

Having said that, Artorius waved his hand, signaling Morgan to cease her comments. "Enough about that. I initially thought the Counter Force's manipulation of the situation was within certain limits, but I never expected it to act this way."

By 'certain limits', Artorius was referring to Heroic Spirits, Chaldea, or any other organization related to the preservation of humanity. In the original work, there existed true anomalies that had successfully altered fate—the Lostbelts. The Counter Force's methods were mostly as he described, helping out behind the scenes but mainly focusing on fixing things afterward.

Artorius had never heard of the Counter Force directly intervening beforehand to support the 'correct' side. In Singularity F, it didn't enhance the prowess of Archer EMIYA; in the First Singularity, it didn't strengthen the French alliance... well, perhaps it did to some extent. And not to mention that Emperor of Roses; could she actually be a daughter of the Counter Force?

Artorius, who had already shown considerable face to the Counter Force, wanted to sneak his way through and maintain the correctness of the proper human history by usurping fate. However, he was still targeted by the Counter Force.

What the hell?

It acted coy when faced with the Demon Gods, yet when facing him, it resorts to heavy blows.

'Sooner or later, just wait...' Artorius silently swore, reluctantly accepting this fate.

"So, what do we do next?" Morgan, who was behind him, wrapped her body around Artorius more tightly and asked cheerfully.

"What else can we do?" Artorius's smile was icy and thought, 'Do you expect me to seek help from those comedy characters in the Servant Universe? Unless I've gone mad.'

"The only person one can rely on is oneself."

"I won't fall before the grand ambition of saving humanity, no matter what opponents I face—regardless of the Counter Force's blessing... I'm not afraid."

As Artorius's words fell, a terrifying magical energy descended, caused by the Third Magic that belonged to him.

Using his Origin as a medium, it mimicked the domain of Avalon. It expanded outward with Artorius at its core.

Invisible domination spread rapidly throughout the entire Germanic Military Region within the shortest time, continuously extending toward Rome and the Black Forest.

This power nullified the blessing of fate on the Franks. The conditions and circumstances of the people in the Germanic Military Region were once again balanced and on par with the Franks.

"This, this is simply... miracle..."

Morgan, who witnessed this scene, widened her eyes in astonishment. 'With the infinite magical energy provided by the Third Magic, utilizing his 'Domination' origin, and combining it with the usage similar to 'Avalon,' the bounded field has been diffused throughout the entire Central European Region. It temporarily counteracts the blessing of fate on the Franks!'

Miracles descended upon the body of the dragon fighting for the world.

However, miracles also come at a cost.

In the next second, Artorius's well-trained body slumped as if an invisible mountain pressed down on him.

"!"

His eyeballs bulged out, a sweet taste filled his throat, and after a cough, blood flowed through his fingers and onto the ground.

"Artorius?!"

Seeing this scene, Morgan's voice changed. She rushed to Artorius's side as if her life were on the line, preparing to cast a healing spell on him. Of course, she was quickly stopped by him.

He held Morgan's hand tightly.

"I'm fine!"

After saying that, Artorius exerted force and slowly stood up.

His joints creaked due to the heavy pressure, causing concern that he would shatter into pieces in the next moment.

"It's just a minor issue. It can't kill me!"

"Also, what just happened to me, don't mention it to anyone!"

The voice of the Dragon King remained majestic, but his body trembled slightly. Seeing this scene, Morgan couldn't help but cover her mouth, trying hard not to scream. She nodded repeatedly in response to his command.