C117

Shirou woke to the sight of sunlight peeking through a crack in the door, even though the room was still dim. He could hear the commotion outside, where Artoria and the apprentice knights were preparing as if they were headed into battle.

He suddenly remembered that it was the day of the selection, which explained the young people's excitement.

"Guinevere, why are you still wearing those sloppy clothes? Today's the day of the selection!" Kay frowned at Shirou, who was dressed in his usual grey linen clothes.

"I'm not going," Shirou replied with a smile.

"What do you mean you're not going? It's a grand event! Come on, let's go!" Kay insisted, pushing him forward.

"Okay, okay, I'll go. Stop pushing me," Shirou said, resigned to his fate.

"If you're going, let me get you some armor," Kay said, rubbing his chin.

"Forget it, I just want to have some fun. Wearing armor is too tiring."

"Alright," Kay thought for a moment and said, "Besides, there's no suitable armor for you in the estate."

Shirou smiled, knowing that it was true. He looked like a slender thirteen-year-old boy, and there was no armor in the estate that would fit him properly.

The apprentice knights had already left on horseback, and Shirou, Artoria, and Kay were walking slowly toward the town.

The apprentice knights, unaware that the Sword in the Stone had already been predetermined for Artoria, were eager to fight for the throne. But both Shirou and Kay knew the truth and only joined in to be a part of the excitement and increase their numbers.

"Oops!" Kay suddenly slapped his forehead and turned to Artoria. "Sis, I forgot to bring my spear. Can you go back and get it for me?"

"As a knight, how could you forget your spear?" Artoria frowned.

"Well, cavalry battles have been obsolete for a long time, and I've only been farming lately. Military horses are rare, too. Anyway, could you please go back and get it for me?" Kay pleaded.

"Okay," Artoria nodded, mounted her horse, and rode off to retrieve Kay's spear.

As they watched Artoria ride away, Shirou turned to Kay and asked, "Did you do that on purpose?"

"Sort of," Kay nodded.

"Why?" Shirou asked.

Kay scratched the back of his head and smiled helplessly. "As her older brother, I can't help but feel a little protective. When I think about the future of all Britain resting on her small shoulders, it's hard to watch her ride off into danger without feeling anxious."

Shirou remained silent, lost in thought.

After pulling the Sword from the Stone, Artoria could no longer be a knight and had to abandon her identity as a woman completely to become a king and pursue the vision of destruction that destiny had bestowed upon her.

Thinking of the righteous and obsessed girl he had met during the Fourth Holy Grail War, who was more like a knight than a king, Shirou couldn't help but shake his head.

He knew the ultimate fate that Artoria would eventually face, but there was nothing he could do.

In other worlds, civilizations could only rise and fall or wither away on their own. But in the ancient Britain of the Nasuverse world, it was destined to perish by the will of the heavens.

Since King Gilgamesh's rebellion, the Age of Gods had begun to disappear. By this time, the Age of Gods in continental Europe had already ended, and only remnants of it remained in Britain.

As humans gradually established their position as the dominant species on Earth, the Age of Gods in Britain was also fated to come to an end. Unfortunately, the ancient Britons were also considered creatures of the Age of Gods. After Artoria defeated Vortigern, the soil in Britain began to deteriorate, production gradually declined, and ancient Britain eventually perished, marking the end of the Age of Gods.

This was the true reason behind Camelot's downfall.

Listening to Kay's capricious musings, Shirou nodded in agreement. "Yes, that's how it was."

"Why don't you become Artoria's knight and follow her?" Kay suggested.

Shirou shook his head. "It's not possible. I can't fulfill that request."

"Why be so stubborn? Artoria won't mistreat you," Kay asked, feeling helpless.

"Sometimes, things can't be forced. I'm destined to leave, so I can't pledge my loyalty to anyone."

"Okay," Kay sighed, accepting his decision.

"But before I leave, if you need any help, I'll do my best to help you," Shirou offered.

"Good brother! That's settled then!" Kay hooked his arm around Shirou's shoulder and beamed with happiness.

Shirou rolled his eyes and said, "So, if I help you, I'm a good brother, but if I don't, I'm not?"

Kay burst into laughter. "Hahaha...you got me there!"

He looked at Kay intently and said seriously, "Both you and Merlin deserve a good beating!"

...

Artoria rode her horse back to the estate at breakneck speed. She had been preparing for this day for fifteen years and couldn't afford to be late.

Her background was both complex and unique, but the reasons why she had to disguise herself as a man, start training in swordsmanship, learn about national affairs from an early age, and abandon her human emotions were not something that needed to be explained.

Everything she had been through was for this day.

Artoria was born into the world for the sole purpose of pulling out the Sword of the King. She didn't even know what her parents looked like.

King Uther and Merlin had the goal of creating an "ideal king," and Artoria was created for that purpose. However, this was more like the regret or wish of her father, King Uther, and she couldn't empathize with it.

Merlin's teachings didn't instill in Artoria any special sense of duty or emotion. During those fifteen years, the only things that constantly motivated her were the ordinary days spent with her foster father, Ector, and her adoptive brother, as well as the comfort of Guinevere, whom she had met this year, and the playful voices of the people living in the town.

However, she didn't want to become a member of the town or get involved in it. She didn't have such a desire. Even if she sometimes imagined such a scenario in her mind, she would calmly dismiss it.

Deep down, she knew that if she did that, she would lose everything.

From a young age, Artoria wasn't particularly intelligent, but she made up for it by working hard. She practiced her swordsmanship and horsemanship tirelessly and memorized every lesson that Merlin taught her.

She had told herself that there was only one thing she couldn't do: live like a normal person.

The creation of the Ideal King had come with great responsibility. However, as soon as Artoria thought of the scene in the dream where Shirou was loved by all, she couldn't help but feel a sense of self-doubt.

"Maybe that's what the ideal king looks like..."

Even after fifteen years of education, Artoria still didn't understand what kind of person could be considered a king. She had been given the education of a king and had been endowed with the qualities of a king as much as possible.

But even now, she still didn't have a real sense of what it truly meant to be a king.

Her motivation was different from King Uther's.

Artoria didn't want to become a king for the sake of dominating others as a human or to fulfill her obligations as a leader, nor did she experience the ecstasy derived from faith. Her motivation was just something insignificant, something that felt far removed from the grandeur and glory of being a king.

Her fifteen years of life couldn't really be considered a human existence. However, those fifteen years were everything she had.

With only one reason to wear the crown, she picked up her sword. Just by watching people live, power would well up within her, and she would find the motivation to move forward. Even if she couldn't express what she wanted to do, she could confirm it.

This was the answer pursued by a girl named Artoria.

As she returned to her estate and picked up Kay's spear, preparing to ride her horse back, she unconsciously glanced to the side and couldn't help but be stunned.

She saw Merlin standing beside her, smiling.

"Merlin, what are you doing here?" Artoria was surprised. "Weren't you supposed to officiate the sword-pulling ceremony?"

"The Archbishop is already there, so it doesn't matter whether I attend or not. But before you leave, there's something I want to show you."

She hesitated. "Can't you show me later? The ceremony is about to start."

Merlin reassured her, "You have nothing to fear from me. I won't harm you. However, I must warn you that once you pick up the sword, you will no longer be human until the end. Moreover, everyone will hate you, and you will meet a tragic death."

Images flashed before Artoria's eyes. Using his spell, Merlin showed her the tragic future she would face after picking up the sword.

This was not advice but a prophecy!

If she picked up the sword, no matter how much she struggled, she would face the grim reality of a lonely and tragic death.

Artoria's expression twisted with fear.

Merlin's revelation was different from the plan that had been made with Uther. The prophecy was not part of Uther's plan at all.

The plan was simple, and Merlin was supposed to push Artoria as planned. So why did he have to go through all this trouble?

Merlin himself didn't know. But it had already happened, and there was nothing he could do about it now.

Would Artoria be afraid of her future and change her mind? Would she feel that it was too early to become a king and run away from the path of becoming one?

However, neither option would be useful.

It was a destiny that had already been set in stone, and there was no escaping it.

Even if she ran away at that moment, Merlin could just find another opportunity to prepare for the selection of the king.

However, Artoria's response was firm.

Merlin's prophecy didn't scare her. Instead, it spurred her to make a decision.

"Is this really okay?" Merlin asked.

As a gentle breeze blew, Artoria's sun-like blonde hair fluttered in the wind. Without looking back, she nodded in affirmation.

"Guinevere has shown me the true nature of the king. He embodies the ideal of kingship. If possible, I want to serve him as my king. But since the duty of the king falls on me, I will continue to strive towards the image of the king that Guinevere has shown me!" Artoria declared before riding off.

But in reality, at that moment, she was afraid.

It wasn't fear for her own future, but fear about whether her decision was the right one.

...

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