Chapter 47: Not to Save the World, But to... Save You

Incomprehensible.

Gawain couldn't understand why the person before him was so calm.

You are the infamous son of the Vile King Vortigern, a notorious figure who deserves to be sliced into a thousand pieces.

Then why...

—Why can't my holy sword swing down upon you?

Gazing at the Revolving Sword of Victory that had fallen to the ground, its nearly dim light was no longer dazzling, no longer brilliant.

Even from the bright sunlight, he could no longer feel the blessing of the Saint.

"...O Sun, have you abandoned me?"

Gawain knelt on the ground.

But no one could answer the Sun Knight's question.

Su Shu just walked past him.

Past the crestfallen Gawain.

Past the stunned Artoria on her horse.

Past the breathless, silent Knights of the Round Table.

Su Shu saw Kay's bitter smile, saw him raise his hand as if wanting to stop him.

"Alvin..."

"Brother Kay, thank you for accompanying Lily all this way. In the future, I may have to trouble you to take care of her."

"You've really changed so much, Alvin..."

"Yes, I'm sorry I can't grill fish for you guys anymore."

I've learned how to do it myself, Alvin! It's delicious, do you want... some?

Such words were ultimately never spoken.

That hand was ultimately never raised.

...He was too far away.

As distant as the wind.

The knight in black, surrounded by the silence of the other knights, walked toward the fields outside the town.

No one dared to ask, no one dared to stop him.

Standing in the dim sunlight, at the end of the street, he turned around.

His ethereal figure seemed about to dissipate with the wind.

"Artoria, my uninvited presence must have caused you a lot of trouble..."

Su Shu said with a smile.

Though not loud, his voice carried clearly to the Round Table.

The golden-haired girl just stared at him.

Her deep green eyes reflected his dark shadow.

"I know you still have many questions, right?

"I will answer them all.

"I know you are very lost right now, so before that, go and take care of your own affairs first."

"By the way, you haven't had a chance to see Ector, have you? I visit him often. The old man is still very strong."

In place of his fingertips, the wind gently caressed her cheek.

"Do you remember that wheat field where we used to practice...

"Since it was the place where we met, perhaps it would be a good place to say goodbye."

Su Shu said with a smile.

"I'll be waiting for you there."

"I will wait for you there until the end of today, Artoria.

"I await your questions, and I await your answer.

"I know what you carry on your shoulders, Artoria.

"But to love everyone indiscriminately is the same as loving no one, Artoria. To want to save everyone indiscriminately, in the end, you won't even be able to save yourself.

"If you feel afraid, then come and take my hand...

"If your heart is lost, then don't pull out that sword."

His voice fell.

His shadow seemed to melt in the sunlight.

Facing the complex gazes of the knights, the much-anticipated golden-haired girl, stunned, dismounted from her steed.

With a dazed expression, she slowly, step by step, walked to the Sword of Selection.

She had once been terrified of this thing before her.

Because she was always told that to be a king, one must be ruthless.

A so-called king was a being who killed the most people in order to protect the people.

The young her thought about such things every night, her body trembling with extreme fear, unable to stop until dawn.

There was not a day she was not afraid of becoming king.

But at this moment, standing before this sword, she felt as if she felt nothing at all.

No numbness, no fear, nor the hesitation she had imagined.

In her past travels, Merlin had already told her in detail about the responsibilities she shouldered and the fate she would face in the future.

She already knew.

She was born to save the world.

The girl named Artoria was born to fulfill that purpose, a "vessel for a king."

She must pull out the sword.

Because this was an important node engraved in "history."

If there was a deviation, it would trigger a pruning event, causing the world to be destroyed in a hundred years.

So, her end was also a foregone conclusion.

If she picked up that sword, no matter how she struggled, she would ultimately meet a lonely and tragic death.

Why did Merlin tell her?

Why did he go out of his way to tell her such a cruel thing?

Wasn't he worried that it would scare her away?

Perhaps, Artoria thought, she was just that kind of person who would foolishly walk to her death.

Everyone was expecting her to become king.

Alvin was the only one who told her to become a person.

And so, she had since developed a selfish heart, become a person, and began to think selfishly.

She now had something she wanted to protect.

She had long understood what Alvin wanted to do. She had seen it long ago.

All his words today, everything he said, was actually meant for her alone.

Senior wanted to strike down her fate.

But... that was not allowed.

It's not allowed.

Because... you will die.

You will die along with the destroyed world, Senior Alvin...

Artoria was terrified of such a thing.

Don't do this for me.

I am not worthy of you doing this.

So... let me protect you.

If I become king, the world will not be destroyed, and thus he can be protected.

It doesn't matter if I die a lonely death.

Because then, he can live on.

The girl named Artoria gently gripped the hilt of the Sword of Selection.

The hilt fit her hand surprisingly well.

It was as if his warmth still lingered on it.

The thing that had been churning in her body, something that felt like it was about to burst from the inside, which she had never understood until now, seemed to be sucked into the sword, and her body felt lighter and lighter.

Pull out the sword, become someone else.

Let everything she had feared until now become a thing of the past.

This is the ceremony to kill herself.

If she still had fear in her heart, she could not protect that person as a king.

"Lily, to protect the smiles of the people, pull out the sword."

The incubus's gentle voice seemed to echo in her ear, as if saying this could inspire her enthusiasm, dispel her fear.

But on this point, Merlin was wrong.

Completely wrong.

Even that person was wrong.

The girl actually had her own selfish desire.

Whether an inescapable end or a lonely destruction awaited her...

"Not to protect smiles, not to create happiness, and certainly not to save the world.

"Just for you, Senior Alvin.

"—I will save you..."

For this, even if it meant killing herself, it didn't matter.

Because this was the "peace of mind" she sought.

Under this bright sunlight, amidst the long-suppressed cheers of the knights that finally erupted like a tide...

—The sword was pulled out.

Even if she would be alienated, feared, and even betrayed countless times from now on, her selfish desire would never change.

Not to save the world.

Just to save you.

I will save you, Alvin Pendragon.

"From now on,"

With a faint, emotionless, almost icy voice, the golden-haired girl raised high the proof that meant killing herself.

"I am King Arthur."

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