In this crossover anime, Yoshikage Kira longs for a peaceful life.

Strange, completely strange!

Because this was completely different from the Merlin she knew!

The intense sense of unease made her uneasy, and this posture made her feel extremely awkward.

This is not Merlin at all!

Who are you!?

Artoria wanted to ask that question, but her intuition told her that it was Merlin.

She was just putting on an act, pretending to be very elegant, but why?

Artoria felt puzzled, but still walked step by step toward the lakeside with questions in mind.

As the girl approached, ripples began to spread across the lake. The graceful girl emerged from the water like a lotus, her beautiful face unlike any other. The wings on her back revealed a truth to Artoria—

She is a fairy.

"Your Majesty."

The fairy's clear voice was as gentle as her beautiful face, "Merlin told me you came for the Holy Sword?"

"Yes."

"Why seek the Holy Sword? Is it because the Sword in the Stone is inadequate?"

As the fairy girl asked this question, she subtly glanced at Merlin beside her.

Merlin still wore a smile and looked quite elegant, but her slightly upturned eyelids betrayed her emotions.

Artoria paused for a moment, then inexplicably thought of Merlin's assessment of the Lady of the Lake.

A despicable liar.

Clearly, these two have a shameful past.

But that's not something she should care about.

Merlin told her in her dream that the matter had been settled, and that the fairy girl's question was not a reproach, but perhaps she just wanted to embarrass Merlin, or perhaps she was conducting research—this word was also told to her by Kira Yoshikage.

"The sword in the stone is broken."

Artoria did not hide anything and answered frankly, "Because I failed to uphold the spirit of chivalry."

The fairy's face showed an approving expression:

“My king, honesty is a precious virtue, especially for humankind, and you need not be ashamed of it.”

Artoria wanted to say that she felt no shame and had never regretted her decision, but after a moment's hesitation, she chose to give up. Being misunderstood wasn't so bad after all.

"Merlin has asked us for help, hoping that we can offer you a holy sword worthy of a king."

Merlin's eyes twitched even more violently, and she gripped her staff tightly, forcing herself to endure it.

The shimmering lake surface rippled again, but there were no sweeping waves or swirling eddies.

Only a seemingly ordinary longsword slowly rose from beneath the lake's surface and appeared before Artoria.

The hilt of the longsword is blue and decorated with intricate and beautiful patterns.

The sword was concealed in a golden scabbard decorated with dazzling blue enamel, along with its brilliance and sharpness.

The fairy's gentle voice was like a soft breeze as she held the sword sheath in both hands, her gentle tone unable to conceal her pride:

"It is not a man-made weapon, but forged by the planet. It is a divinely created weapon that stands at the pinnacle in the category of holy swords."

"The Holy Sword has always been kept by the fairies, and it was used by the first Holy Sword 14000 years ago to fight against the white giants that invaded the world."

Its name is Excalibur!

"As long as you wield the holy sword, you will be invincible. This is both a blessing and a curse."

"As king, you are qualified to wield this holy sword, but we still hope that you will return it to the lake when everything is over."

Artoria solemnly took the longsword from the fairy's hand, gently grasped the hilt, and drew it out.

In an instant, the blade that had left its sheath emitted a dazzling golden light, almost solidifying into a tangible form.

click!

Artoria immediately sheathed her sword again.

Even with just one glance, she was already certain that this sword was far more powerful than the sword in the stone she once wielded!

Artoria was about to ask the fairy girl for details.

But when she looked up, the lake had returned to calm, and the fairy girl from before had vanished without a trace.

Merlin curled his lip:

"Don't bother looking, she won't come out."

Although her tone was clearly displeased, Artoria felt inexplicably at ease—this was the Merlin she knew!

"Although the island still retains its mystery, the fairies have long since fled to the fairy realm on the other side of the world. Even though they are willing to give you the Holy Sword, they would not want to stay on earth for even a second longer."

"The other side of the world?"

Artoria was somewhat surprised. Although she knew about Fairy Land and that the fairies had long since left the earth for Fairy Land, leaving only giants and monsters who hated and loathed humans on the island, she had never heard of Fairy Land being on the other side of the world.

"The Fairy Land is not a completely different world, but rather it lies beneath your feet, separated only by a thin layer, like the inside and outside of a blanket. The human world is the surface of this blanket, while the Fairy Land is the back of it."

"Although fairies can still come and go now, that door probably won't last long. The remaining mystery on the ground is too scarce and will make them feel uncomfortable, so no fairy will stay on the ground for long."

Other fantastical creatures, such as giants, remain on Earth not out of hatred for humans—this is not a purely human-centric perspective, full of bias.

The reason they are seen is simply because they cannot break free from physical constraints and cannot become spirits like fairies. Therefore, they cannot move to the other side of the world and can only remain on the ground.

"Humans fear giants and monsters with great power, but they are actually more afraid of humans. They are afraid of being driven out by humans and civilization, and can only live in constant fear every day, but that has nothing to do with us."

Merlin shrugged, clearly indifferent to all of this.

The giants cannot move to the other side of the world; their demise is only a matter of time.

This is a tragedy, but Merlin will not remain saddened.

Because giants can neither provide her with high-quality dreams, nor can they create beautiful stories like humans.

"Hey, Artoria."

Merlin looked at the girl holding the holy sword with great interest. "If you could only choose between the sword and its scabbard, what would you choose?"

"If I were to choose the sword, you would surely tell me that the scabbard is far more valuable than the sword, and vice versa. Therefore, I refuse to answer this question!"

Artoria immediately looked at her warily, resolutely refusing to make a choice, which made Merlin puff out her cheeks in dissatisfaction:

That's prejudice!

Is she that kind of person?

"But that is indeed the case; the scabbard is far more valuable than the sword."

Merlin's eyes also held a hint of amazement as he earnestly instructed:

"Unlike the sword sheath of Excalibur, which is merely decorative, the sheath of Excalibur possesses incredible power. Never lose it!"

Artoria said solemnly;

"I will keep it safe until I return it to the fairy."

She could feel the power of the scabbard, and only this gleaming scabbard could match the supreme sword.

"return?"

A sly glint flashed in Merlin's eyes. "Actually, you don't need to pay it back at all!"

"Huh? But..."

"But what? She didn't make a pact with you to return it, did she? Don't worry, it's okay even if you don't return it. Or do you not want this sword?"

"No... this isn't a good idea no matter what, is it? And if I really don't pay it back, how are you going to explain it to them?"

After holding it in for a long time, Artoria finally couldn't help but ask.

Even if you really suggested she not return it, shouldn't you have told her that quietly?

Who says that in front of others?

Although the fairy girl isn't here, aren't they practically at each other's doorstep?

Who knows if they're eavesdropping right now?

Even if they weren't eavesdropping, you should have waited until you left the lake, or at least left the forest!

Who plots so openly like that?

Merlin remained defiant:

"Explain? Why should I explain to them? They gave me the sword themselves, I didn't steal it!"

Artoria was speechless and could only fall silent. Although she considered herself no longer a qualified knight, she felt that there was still a slight gap between her and Merlin. For example, she couldn't understand why Merlin was so self-righteous.

Don't you have any shame as a human being?

Although Artoria really wanted to ask that, she could guess that Merlin would proudly reply, "I'm not human!"

Although it was indeed true, and although Merlin's words made a lot of sense, Artoria still found it outrageous, and even seriously suspected that Merlin was settling a personal score.

Her relationship with the fairies was never harmonious to begin with, and her current suggestion seemed more like using her to provoke them, or at least hoping to slap them in the face.

Although it's a bit unsportsmanlike, it fits her stereotype of Merlin perfectly.

However, Merlin wasn't always like this...

At that time, she was a strict teacher, meticulously guiding her in the education of a queen.

Merlin's true nature was only recently revealed; more specifically, it was after Yoshikage Kira appeared that Merlin began to act increasingly unrestrained.

Yoshikage Kira suddenly spoke:

"Actually, Merlin is right."

"Eh? Even Kira-kun..." Artoria hesitated, unable to finish her sentence.

Yoshikage Kira asked:

"We borrowed the sword through our own skill, why should we return it?"