Ex-Machina in Dimensional Travel

Bedivere's body suddenly fell down. If he had not immediately stretched out his hands to support himself on the ground, he would probably have fallen face down on the ground.

"Haha... Looks like my 'time' is almost up..."

He stared at his powerless hands and smiled, a smile that came from the heart.

This commotion also attracted the attention of two people nearby.

"Bedivere..."

Of course, Altria understood what this meant.

Bedivere's situation is similar to hers, and they both relied on the "power" of the holy sword to survive until now.

Before this, with the help of someone, the holy sword had already replaced his original prosthetic limb, which has been the mainstay of his journey so far and the reason for his survival.

Bedivere is not a "Heroic Spirit", but an "ordinary person" who has survived to this day by relying on the power of the holy sword.

This also means that after he "returns" the holy sword, his life span, which was "fixed" by the holy sword, will also come to an end.

This was clear after Artoria got the holy sword.

"I'm very sorry, Mr. Xiuer..."

Bedivere turned back reluctantly, trying to look at the companion who helped him fulfill his wish.

But his gradually weakened limbs made it difficult for him to move his body.

"Until just now, I have been hiding the truth."

His words were full of apologies, as if he was ashamed of his "cheating" behavior.

"..."

Xiuer shook his head. It seemed that he had known the truth for a long time.

After all, Bedivere's situation was exposed as early as when he activated the Whispering Order.

"Really...haha..."

Bedivere smiled with relief.

"As expected of you, Your Excellency. I guess nothing can be hidden from you."

"affim."

Xiuer's response was quick, as casual as if he was stating a fact.

"Hahaha……"

At the end of his life, this knight, who had often revealed a gloomy temperament since they met, was finally able to laugh happily like he used to.

"Thank you very much for your help. Without you, I wouldn't even be able to enter the Holy City..."

His vision began to blur, and Bedivere realized that his "time" was about to come.

So in the very end, he tried his best to turn his face to the king in front of him.

"My king... it's so wonderful to see you again..."

As the words fell, the knight's vision quietly went dark, his consciousness sank to the bottom of the lake, and his body began to slowly fall towards his king.

The latter immediately raised his hand to try to catch the other person, but in front of their eyes, the knight's body quickly turned into "dust" and disappeared as he fell.

At this point, Bedivere, the Knight of the Round Table, who had completed his mission, finally fulfilled his wish and returned to dust.

……

Chapter 72: The Lion King's Words

"..."

Bedivere's death did not have much impact on Shul.

Compared to the somewhat sad Altria, the expression of this doll seems particularly indifferent, just like a real "doll".

After all, this knight was just a stranger they met by chance, and they hadn't even been companions for as long as Fujimaru Ritsuka.

If we have to say something, it is just that Shul has not yet "learned" the Noble Phantasm from him.

Of course, this is not important. Bedivere is gone, and he will not regret his actions.

"Your Excellency is truly emotionally stable."

After coming back to her senses, Artoria looked at the puppet that had been standing aside for a long time.

At this time, the remaining temperature of the black dragon's flames had slowly dropped to a point that was bearable for humans, making the king no longer able to endure.

But in response to her words, Xiuer remained silent.

Seeing this, the Lion King just laughed at herself. As a loser, she could only silently endure such fooling.

rustling...

She slowly stood up, and her tall figure stood in front of Xiuer like a mountain.

"Roar……"

At this moment, the black dragon behind the latter also let out a threatening growl.

Its sharp dragon eyes were fixed on Artoria, alert to any hostile behavior she might perform.

At this moment, the slender tail covered with black scales quickly slid between the two of them, protecting the entire puppet in front of itself.

Although with Xiuer's strength, he does not need anyone's "protection".

But the black dragon's behavior of protecting its master really opened Artoria's eyes.

"Are you protecting your 'master'?"

Looking at the dragon's behavior, the king understood.

"Don't worry, I won't attack you again."

Although it is somewhat inappropriate for a loser to say this, this is indeed what Altria is thinking at the moment.

But obviously, just telling the story verbally is not enough to dispel the dragon's vigilance.

Rather, if Xuer had not given the order, it would have exhaled as soon as the other party stood up.

Of course, Artoria could feel the hostility from the black dragon, but she had nothing to explain.

After all, they were fighting for their lives just now, but now they say they "won't take action". I'm afraid it's a bit hard to believe.

She gently closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and tried her best to show her kindness.

"I already knew the purpose of your trip back then, but with all due respect, the future of this planet is a predicament you can hardly imagine."

Artoria looked towards the "ruins" of the holy city.

Although there was nothing left there, only a piece of charred land burned by flames.

"I don't regret my choice. Everything I did was just for survival. This is the best solution I can think of so far."

Having said that, the Lion King looked at the puppet in front of him.

"But Xiuer, your power has opened my eyes to a whole new possibility."

Jin and Qing stood facing each other, their eyes intertwined again at this moment.

Xiuer read the meaning of "expectation" from those beautiful green eyes. He could even vaguely feel that the other person's gaze penetrated him and saw the distant future.

The puppet remained noncommittal about what Altria said.

However, compared to the condition of the Lion King, Shuul cares more about what he calls the "future".

Although he often uses the Whispering Order to gain a large amount of intelligence needed for his operations, he usually uses it to collect information about the "past".

Due to the limitations of his abilities, he cannot know the distant future.

Of course, Xuel knew that the Lion King acted like this because he "saw" the future, but he didn't know what he had seen specifically.

For Shuel, this was a "puzzle" obtained through the whispering chapter.

The answer to the puzzle lies in the mind of the person in front of you.

If it weren't for Bedivere, Shul would have already performed "memory extraction" on the Lion King's brain.

"Are you curious about what this planet will look like in the future?"

For some reason, even though Shul didn't show any emotion, Altria was still able to "guess" what he was thinking.

"...?"

"Don't mind me, I'm just guessing based on my 'feeling'."

Just like when the other party took a fancy to her Noble Phantasm before, Artoria also guessed what the other party was thinking at this moment in the same way.

"..."

To be honest, Xiuer didn't like this unfounded answer, but he had no choice. After all, even he would occasionally do things based on his "feelings".

Although Artoria, the loser, looks embarrassed, she has not lost her kingly demeanor.

In front of the doll, her eyes were serious and solemn, but there was also a hint of tenderness in them.

It seemed that due to the completion of his memory, his temperament was no longer as cold as before.

Looking at the Lion King like this, Xiuer felt a little curious for a moment.

Of course, he was also playing the role of a silent listener. If it weren't for his occasional blinking of his eyes, Artoria would have thought she was talking to a lifeless doll.

This feeling was equally new to her.

"But let's stop talking about the future for now. There's something more important I need to explain to you right now."

Xiuer did not quite agree with this rejection, but he did not refute it.

Although he was curious about the "future", the "means" he left behind were not incapable of bringing him the answers he wanted.

So it doesn’t matter whether the other party answers or not.

Seeing that Xuel did not move, Artoria smiled slightly and turned her head to look into the distance.

This action is like enjoying the scenery, and only Xuul knows its meaning.

Because the direction it was looking at was exactly where the Chaldean group was.

"Your journey from now on will become increasingly difficult, but I believe that as long as you firmly believe in your path, you will eventually reach the end of your journey."

The warm sunlight shines on the golden crown, reflecting a dazzling glow.

A gentle breeze blew through the place, gently blowing the golden and blue hair.

“Ask, is this the blessing that is spoken of to us?”

At this point, Xiuer, who had been listening silently for most of the time, finally responded.

His cold voice reached Artoria's ears, making her slightly stunned.

"Let's just take it as it is."

As she spoke, she looked at the ground beneath her feet.

"The Holy City has been destroyed, and I have been defeated by you. I believe your 'work' is coming to an end."

"Affirmative, the remaining operation is——"Holy Grail Collection"."

"Really, the King of the Desert? From the looks of you, it seems you still want to fight the Pharaoh?"

Xiuer raised his head slightly, wanting to say something but stopping himself. He blinked and stared at the person in front of him.

"Asking, is this also a 'feeling'?"

"No, this time, it's a guess based on what I know about you."

Although her contact with Xiuer was only less than half a day, the latter's unconcealed behavior allowed her to judge his character.

Of course, Artoria knew who held the Holy Grail of this world, and she also knew that person's character.

If the two personalities were to collide, she speculated that it would be difficult to resolve the issue peacefully.

"Yeah……"

Xiuer nodded and stopped talking, returning to silence again. He no longer wanted to continue this meaningless conversation.

The puppet raised its left hand, and the black dragon behind it saw it, growled and quickly retreated.