Davidian's Holy Grail War

Habertlot glanced at the thing and then looked helpless. How could it be this? Is Morgan so unguarded with Bavanshi? She even managed to steal something like this?

"This is a magic prop containing the [Court] magic possessed by Morgan. For now, let's not apply any external force to it."

You can't figure out what kind of "garden" is inside unless you go in yourself.

Therefore, it's difficult to intervene from the outside; we can only wait for the people inside to find a way to escape.

Habertlot's words dispelled Muramasa's idea of ​​violently dismantling the thing to release the two people, while Grimm tried to use his magic to sense what was going on inside.

But he couldn't detect anything; all his senses could find was darkness.

"As expected of Morgan, the magic formula is so tightly woven that even I would find it difficult to interfere."

After trying several times, Grimm had no choice but to give up. He could only praise Morgan as a genius, saying that her spells were very difficult to master!

"Now we can only pray that the two people inside can get through this on their own. Fortunately, we still have the prop, which prevents outsiders from destroying it and trapping the people inside to death."

"And we've captured Bavanshi. Let's ask her what happened when she wakes up. Let's go! We need to get back to Lentinium quickly; we can't waste time here!"

Da Vinci was also helpless, but they couldn't waste any more time. Staying here would only make things more dangerous, and Bawanshi was still in their hands. Although the situation was troublesome, they still had a way to break the deadlock.

Chapter 414 The Court of Disappointment

The sensation deep within my chest, where the "heart" overlapping with my heart was being gradually shaved away, woke me up.

Caster opened her eyes, and all she could see was darkness. This was not the coast of Orkney where she had just been, but somewhere far away, a space that seemed to be somewhere "middle" between Britain on the surface and the Inner Sea, a space that was nowhere.

This must be the legendary "Court," the one where Merlin is said to be imprisoned. But I've heard there are several kinds of Courts: Dreamland, Dark Abyss, Disillusionment, and Innocent Ones. The characteristics of this Court are probably...

As Castor was thinking this, the dark scene finally changed. The landscape of Tintagel appeared before her eyes once more, and seeing this, she could only sigh silently.

Indeed, this is the Courtyard of Despair. It gradually grinds away and erases the self-destructive torment within the visitor's heart, revealing the cold courtyard beneath its warm facade. It is said that if one can endure until the very end, one can leave the courtyard. However, this insidious mechanism will utterly destroy the visitor's heart before that happens.

Thinking about this, she was even more struck by Morgan's transformation. How could she have used such a vicious thing when she was still Ash? Although, one could also say that the fairies of the Fairy Kingdom had really messed things up.

[Fine, as long as the circuits are cut at the right time, my heart won't shatter. Although this will prevent my escape, Bawanshi's magical power can't maintain the garden for long. Anyway, I'll be free when the time comes; until then, let it be.]

She casually accepted the terrible memories Ting brought her. After experiencing this period of happiness, recalling this past was truly... awful.

The prophesied child, the prophesied child… the prophesied child who was once kept in a stable, the prophesied child who was once a slave in the village. Even when ordered to do things he didn't want to do, the prophesied child could only smile and reply, "Leave it to me."

Because if she resisted, she would be killed, and refusing would bring a lot of trouble. It was easier to just accept her fate; at the time, she felt that was enough.

As long as I can grow up without causing any trouble and reach the age of 16, no matter how difficult the mission may be, as long as I can leave that village...

But when the villagers begged her to kill Hector, she finally couldn't take it anymore. No, she couldn't watch any longer; she had to cut the power lines and block the way to the exit.

She shifted her gaze to the other side, to Ritsuka, who was suffering. The pain must have nearly crushed him, rendering him unable to move forward.

"Great news! Fujimaru Ritsuka, Kadoc has recovered! Now you're back in your [Fill-in] role, making navigation much easier for us!"

[Is that so? You clearly made me shoulder so many things I shouldn't have had to, but now you can so casually tell me it's enough?]

"There's no need for that! The training and missions are in the past. You're just an ordinary person without any qualifications, so there's no need to force yourself to work harder. Leave the rest to us, and you can just relax and kill time in your room!"

【What exactly does "leisurely" mean? It's the training done to support legs that want to escape, the practice that makes one numb, all while witnessing death before one's eyes, people torn to pieces before one's eyes. Even though I've done so much... I can't think of any other way of life...】

"Since it's impossible to take it back, there's no need to dwell on what's lost. Don't worry, no one will blame you. After all, the humans you knew who would blame you are long gone."

I've taken it all back... I've taken it all back—my father, my mother, everyone. I want to tell them everything I've been through, I want to tell them about everyone who helped me. Is there no way to take it all back again?

Caster couldn't bear to watch any longer; she felt so nauseous she wanted to vomit. She should… no, she had to stop it.

Fujimaru Ritsuka couldn't cut the line, and even if the disappointment had nothing to do with her, it would still be painful; she simply couldn't bear to watch anymore.

Ritsuka's eyes also began to gradually unfocus. From Caster's perspective, he was pressing his chest tightly, as if he were in a vacuum and increasingly unable to breathe.

"We are the successors of pan-human history, the winners of the right path. We must not fail... we must not... but what can 12 people do? Revival and prosperity have long been lost! You know very well that our future is bleak!"

Do those guys really feel that kind of loneliness and pressure? They're the ones who should give in! They're the ones who should disappear! Because that level of suffering is nothing compared to ours!

[It's just a matter of shifting blame for the disadvantages, since what benefits oneself is what benefits the world. They tell me this situation is only for now, that it's all for the sake of reclaiming the future. That's how I've come this far, but actually...]

However, the Court of Disappointment had no intention of letting Ritsuka off so easily; it presented her with a final trial. David appeared before Ritsuka, scrutinizing her with a peculiar gaze.

"Hmm, you're a bit strange. Several times you've thought you were going to die, but each time you've been blessed with good fortune."

Countless times it has abandoned the world, yet each time it has been blessed by misfortune. It has stood by and watched countless lives perish, killing off countless worlds along the way.

To have achieved all that, you've still managed to remain healthy.

This was the final question, and Ritsuka remained silent in the face of it.

"Or do you think these are only temporary conditions, which is why you've been enduring them? Having no choice but to fight isn't your fault, and there's nothing anyone can do to save you."

But now is not the time to be pessimistic because of important matters. So I can only grit my teeth and lead those who believe in me forward.

Tell yourself that it doesn't matter. As long as you regain humanity and the world, you should be able to return to normal. All that you've lost can come back. In the future, you can mourn, grieve, and become your true self again.

However, the human mind is prone to change, and it is impossible to restore it to its original state.

I've been through it, so I understand.

After all the battles are over, life will return to normal? How could such an ideal thing exist? Your heart... can't go anywhere anymore.

The marks left by time will never fade, the lingering scent on your body can never be erased. There's no way back, yet you alone still intend to believe those words, don't you?

Caster, standing nearby, found the sight utterly unbearable, even for a bystander. How could something so disgusting exist? How could Morgan perform such magic?

This is practically destroying Fujimaru Ritsuka's heart.

He had already reached his limit, a fact Custer had realized long ago. No matter how nonchalant he appeared, the pain within him never disappeared.

They've always been there; no one can change the existence of those sorrows.

Chapter 415 Broken

"That's the advantage of pan-human history: everyone is equal, and no one is special. Compared to fairies, who are neither eternal nor unchanging, the outside world is changing every moment."

This is something Oberon once said, and Castor responded with great pleasure at the time.

However, she thought the exact opposite: Oberon was a complete liar; he clearly saw everything clearly, it was disgusting.

Saying that everyone is equal and no one is special goes beyond mere rhetoric; it's becoming nauseating. As long as there is life, there will be superiority and inferiority, and where there are superiority and inferiority, there will be exceptional individuals.

However, Oberon argues that problems can be solved through dialogue throughout human history. Everyone is given a chance, but no one is allowed to succeed.

Filled with jealousy, prejudice, anger, and fear, they only held each other back. To prevent anyone from escaping the underground, they constantly schemed against each other. That's what pan-human history is all about, and Oberon narrated the truth ironically.

So she asked Ritsuka at the time, "Do you think that's really a good idea?"

That question was actually asking him what he thought about being forced to work for and live in that kind of world.

"He should like it just like everyone else." When he said this, because he saw it as so utterly pathetic in his own eyes, Castor could only manage a wry smile to brush it off.

Honestly, you're already covered in wounds, why are you still trying to be tough?

He was probably about to give up. Caster knew she was meddling, but she had to stop the disheartening performance before it ended. Even though there was a barrier between them, she could still stop the magic from working...

“No…even so, I…” But to Caster’s surprise, Fujimaru Ritsuka straightened up again, as if a raging fire was reigniting on his body.

[Huh? Eh? Ah?! Even at a time like this, he can still... stand up?]

Davidian, who was also surprised, continued to comfort him:

"Everyone says you just need to stop, that you can be free now, Fujimaru Ritsuka. Your actions, Chaldea's so-called Grand Order, are all too much of a burden for you."

However, at that moment, Ritsuka recalled something a certain idiot had said to him—something so insignificant he might have even forgotten when it was said. So, facing the words of the phantom before him, he replied:

"Ah...maybe so. What you're saying is for my sake. I've always hoped that someone would say these things to me, that it's enough, that everything could actually end halfway through."

From the perspective of the race as a whole, goodness refers to reproduction and survival. However, the human perspective is slightly different; the desire to continue and the desire to end often fluctuate between these two emotions.

The end of the game isn't necessarily a bad thing. After all, everything eventually comes to an end. If we deny it, then life itself cannot exist. We must be prepared to accept this premise.

Even the most invincible king will eventually turn towards his end. I asked him then and there that this wasn't satisfying enough, and what goal we should strive for.

He responded with a smile that this was indeed his style, very proactive. His answer was simple: don't aim for the end of the game, but rather move towards completing it.

Everyone will face their end. Before that moment arrives, they must accomplish countless tasks. Whether joyful or sorrowful, successful or unsuccessful, anything that has yet to be seen is acceptable.

After living a life in which he could confidently say he had no regrets, he believed that was good for him personally.

While that's not good for the race as a whole, the most important thing is that if he can do that, the fool who hasn't returned yet will be incredibly proud.

“That’s right…even so! I can’t give up halfway. It was a curse at first, I thought only I could fight, but that’s not the case now!”

I've trampled on so much, and abandoned so much. But even so, there's still something there that affirms my existence!

At the moment of the Grand Temple of Time, he shouted to fight for survival, overthrowing the being that was good for the entire race. Having done all that, he now had to give an answer in his own way.

"Hmm...so what is your so-called answer?"

Upon hearing the question, Ritsuka's loosened hand instinctively clenched. However, before his five fingers could fully close, a greatsword wreathed in flames appeared in his hand. He roared and charged forward, swinging the sword at Davidian!

"Right now, I don't know anything; all I want is to survive! It's just a selfish desire! It's precisely because I wanted to see those selfish things that I've accumulated so much to get to where I am now!"

To Ritsuka's astonishment that David was actually sparring with him at this moment, Ritsuka had never learned any swordsmanship, and he just kept swinging and slashing.

Sparks flew from the weapons in their hands, but Ritsuka showed no signs of exhaustion; he simply kept swinging his sword!

"To find out why I thought that way, I will continue running! And I hope I never have to see anyone sad again!"

So how can you end this with such discouraging words as "lack of confidence" or "it's not worth it"?