Davidian's Holy Grail War

But is Kai really such a careless person? He clearly rode a horse, yet forgot to bring his lance?

"Well, after all, the British Legion-style mounted warfare has been abolished for a long time. Recently, we only have horses for farming, and there are too few military horses. The reason we didn't teach you how to use a gun is because the only guns left in our family are his."

Hector offered this explanation, though Artorius found it rather far-fetched.

"Just for that reason? You can make replica guns however you want, can't you?"

But Hector became serious after hearing her words: "Because it's something you'll be using, I can't give you something that's poorly made."

"A sword is barely acceptable, but a gun absolutely cannot be a replica. That's what the Magician said, something like he was saying that developing bad gun-handling habits would be bad."

"I would never learn any weird habits..."

Altoris muttered a defense of herself, but in reality, she knew perfectly well that since she had been sparring with Davian for three years, she had become increasingly casual about what she wanted to do, and she didn't care as long as she could win.

She then strapped the riding gear to her horse and, before setting off, checked with Hector again: "Is it enough to just give these to Brother Kai?"

“Just give it to him, and then your work for today will be finished.” Hector’s tone became gentler than ever before. At this moment, he finally couldn’t suppress his emotions and revealed them.

There was a sentence that Altoris really wanted to say, but he ultimately couldn't bring himself to say it.

She could only lead her horse, suppressing her emotions, and slowly leave Hector's house towards the town.

Only after Artorias had disappeared from sight did Hector slowly close the door. He sighed and sat down in a chair. Eleven years had passed, a full eleven years.

Now the time for parting has finally come. He is reluctant to leave, but there is nothing he can do. The child's fate awaits him.

"Don't sigh and complain, you've done more than enough. Hector, I sincerely thank you for nurturing her over the past eleven years."

A voice sounded from behind him, but its words did not cheer Hector up.

"What exactly do you want to do to that child?" Hector asked simply.

Merlin responded, "From now on, I will only be a witness, because once she pulls out that sword, my mission will be almost complete."

The rest will be their own stories, and I will slowly withdraw from the stage and go behind the scenes.

Her knights are already on their way, and all preparations have been made. The rest is up to her to forge her own legend.

With that, Merlin vanished. At least in Hector's mind, there was no one else in the room besides him.

Merlin, however, had already appeared in the distance of the town, slowly walking step by step toward the place where the knights had gathered.

Yesterday, he had already plunged the sword into the rock. She would surely pull it out, and he himself had to witness it.

"Hurry up, David, you'll regret it for the rest of your life if you miss this amazing moment. I've left you plenty of signposts, I hope you can make it."

Chapter 50 Choosing Destiny

Artoria led her horse toward where all the knights had gathered; she already knew what was going to happen today.

The one who pulls the sword out of the rock will be the King of Britain. She had heard this at least two or three times, and was starting to get tired of it.

Young people she met on the street struck up conversations with her, urging her to try her luck.

After all, the idea that whoever draws the sword becomes king is a fantastic thing, and even if Artorius is just a trainee knight, he should give it a try.

Knights eager to revive Britain and desiring the throne all rushed to the town after Merlin spread the word yesterday.

She saw her sworn brother Kai, after all, he was the son of the renowned Hector, with both ability and background, and could challenge the chosen sword.

Unfortunately, the knights who rushed to the scene failed no matter how hard they tried to draw their swords. One after another, they failed.

People could only watch with great enthusiasm as the knights placed their hands on their sword hilts with serious expressions, and then watch them leave dejectedly, in a never-ending cycle.

Some people, unwilling to give up, challenged the knight several times, while others, unable to accept the result, cried out that there must be something wrong with the knight.

No matter how much wealth, how many soldiers, or how much strength they possess, it simply won't work.

They couldn't pull out the sword, Artorius knew this clearly in his heart.

People's enthusiasm was gradually worn away until they finally hit rock bottom.

Does this country no longer have knights who possess the King's Token?

Does Britain have no future?

That said, was Merlin's prophecy true?

Such questions arose one after another, and everyone felt anxious and uneasy about it.

In an effort to calm the crowd, the knights who had already challenged the chosen sword began to discuss what to do.

The final conclusion was simple: it was all about strength, wealth, and manpower. If someone truly stood out, then let him succeed the late King Uther and become the king of all knights.

Those people ignored the chosen sword and began to compete in the most basic combat ability of a knight, namely mounted combat.

Artorius slowly approached Kai, intending to hand him the gun as discreetly as possible.

"Brother Kai, are we just going to leave the Sword of Choice like this?" Artoria couldn't help but ask.

"It's not a matter of whether we care or not. Since no one can pull it out, it's just a nuisance."

Next up is the Cavaliers' elimination rounds, which have already been decided, so there's no room for interns like you to interrupt.

It's good that this ends here; I'm sure many idiots are secretly cheering.

Kai's words were harsh and correct, but here, he said something against his conscience.

That means he actually knew who would pull out the sword, but he just didn't want to say.

"He wasn't even chosen as king?"

"We don't have time to accompany King Uther and Merlin in their dreams, compared to the unseen proof of the king."

Judging by how many subordinates, money, and power one currently possesses is far more in line with human nature.

There is no need for a detached individual. If everyone's interests align, cooperation is easier, and planning is simpler.

Most importantly, if any problems arise and someone has to take responsibility, they can get away with it.

Because no matter who it is, nobody wants to see or be a divine agent who saves everything.

This is a very subtle piece of advice. Even Kai himself doesn't know why he said it. It was just a scathing critique and analysis, but to those who are interested, it took on a different meaning.

"Brother Kai, is that what you think too?"

"Of course, you should go back to your dad's. If other people see you, you'll be teased again. Think about how hard I've worked to get you out of trouble all this time. Listen carefully, this is your first and last chance. Go home obediently."

Having said that, Kai took the gun from Artorius and headed towards the arena chosen for the horse battle. He had said everything he needed to say; any further words would only upset some people.

The area around the chosen sword suddenly became deserted. Just moments ago it was packed with people, but now she was all alone.

"No one wants to see this, much less wants to be..."

Artoria murmured these two sentences and gave a bitter smile. She knew that Kai was right, and she knew that people were just that fickle, because that was perfectly natural.

The tallest tree in the forest is bound to be felled by the wind; the most prominent one often suffers the most—this has always been the case.

But she was very clear about her background and her mission.

For the past eleven years, he has lived disguised as a man, practicing swordsmanship and studying national affairs since he was old enough to understand, abandoning his own human emotions.

All of that was for today, for the sake of drawing the King's Sword.

She didn't even know what her biological parents looked like. She was just a prop designed to achieve the goal of becoming the ideal king. This was the most naked truth after stripping away all pretense.

Although she herself couldn't really feel any of her deceased father's wishes or regrets, after all, Artoris had never even met him, so how could she get these emotions from him?

As for Merlin's teachings, it's hard for her to feel any particular sense of mission or emotion.

For the past eleven years, what has continuously inspired her are the lighthearted and joyful daily life and conversations with her adoptive father Hector, her godbrother Kay, and her friend Davidian, as well as the laughter of the people living in the town.

She thought it was a good thing, nothing more. She never imagined becoming a member of the town and spending her life in it; even if such a wish occasionally crossed her mind, she would calmly seal it away.

That's because she knew deep down that if she chose that kind of life, she would only lose everything.

After all, she is the red dragon of Britain, and dragons have responsibilities they should bear.

"Honestly, it's just that his sharp tongue is so unforgiving... But thank you, Kai."

She understood perfectly, she understood all too well the true meaning behind Kai's words. But she couldn't; she had things she had to do.

She didn't draw her sword to fight because of any desire to become king or any responsibility of being king; she simply chose to draw her sword at this moment to save people's lives.

Although she understood the king's dignity or something else, she never considered those things.

Neither her human desire to dominate nor her sense of duty as a leader could justify her fighting.

She gazed upon the lives of humanity over the past eleven years, which represented all her desires. And she believed that the conclusion she had reached over those eleven years was correct; this was her answer.

Therefore, what she pursues is different from what Merlin and King Uther pursue.

This is something only a few people understand, but of those few, one went to participate in the horse battle, and another—it seems—has not yet arrived.

Chapter 51 Arrival

She quietly placed her hand on the hilt of the sword, and at that moment her heart gradually calmed down.

The sounds of knights fighting in the distance gradually faded away, and the world seemed to become peaceful.

This is a feeling of loneliness that would make most people feel very uncomfortable, as if they have been abandoned by the world.

But Artoria had endured this loneliness for eleven years, and she felt she had gotten used to it.