Type-Moon, the Path of a Magician

"For you, what kind of ending can you accept? Are you simply unwilling to accept death in civil strife? Or is there a more specific way of death?"

"The method of destruction..." When hearing this question raised by Xia Yuan, Altria looked embarrassed.

Compared to the rebellion started by Mordred, what she hoped for was undoubtedly a more peaceful exit.

It was as peaceful and silent as welcoming destruction in a dream, without any madness or resentment, and it was an exit in a way that everyone could accept.

But what about a more specific way of destruction?

This question is too abstract. A normal person with no mental problems probably wouldn't think about how he should die.

"So, you haven't thought about this problem at all..."

"How could a king think about how his country should be destroyed?"

"Indeed, no king would consider how to destroy himself correctly." Xia Yuan was stunned for a moment, and finally understood her thoughts.

"But have you ever thought about it? Maybe Mordred's way is gentle. At least she left you with a thought, a very gentle hope for you..."

click-

A crisp sound came to his ears, Xia Yuan turned his head and found that the wine glass in Altria's hand had been crushed into pieces. The magic power around her began to rise steadily with her anger, and the strong wind blew away the surrounding benches.

"What nonsense!"

Altria's eyes widened.

"I will never approve of going to destruction in such a ridiculous way!"

"But why don't you agree? Even if you don't agree, there must be a reason. It's not right to just disagree subjectively, just because it's not as gentle as you expected?"

Xia Yuan didn't care about her excitement at all, he just gently pressed her shoulders, so let's think from another angle: "Is the gentleness you expect really gentleness?"

"What do you want to say?"

"Relax, I'm not going to give you any meaningless lectures. You still need to figure out the truth yourself."

Xia Yuan stood up and walked in front of Altria.

"Is the future you are looking forward to: Lancelot and Mordred have not started a rebellion, the Battle of Camlan has not happened, your sister Morgan has never opposed you, the white dragon Vortigern has also stepped into death, the Romans and Saxons have not invaded, and the Knights of the Round Table and the lords of various places have always been united and friendly in Great Britain?"

"...Yes, all I expect is a united and prosperous Great Britain..."

Altria gritted her teeth and said, "We will all coexist with each other, and in the end, the king and the people will welcome the end of Great Britain in silence."

"Well, I guess that's what I meant. This is really a gentle way to die. Everyone can accept death and have a good end."

Hearing this, Xia Yuan's mouth curled up slightly, "But do you think this is really realistic? Are your people and knights as noble as you, and can they accept death calmly? Have you thought about this important question?"

Xia Yuan's merciless questioning broke through Altria's defense.

"As someone who was once a king, you should know clearly that humans have bad natures. Even as their king, you cannot restrain the choices of human nature."

"No, that's impossible... They... They won't. My knights are just like my people... They will all accept it..."

Altria's eyes began to evade, and a hint of color appeared in her pale eyes again, and she began to doubt this question in her heart.

“Will they really accept it?”

The answer is obvious.

"Hey, Artoria, have you ever thought about this? A knight group that can betray the king with half of its knights persuaded by Mordred, plus citizens who are willing to rise up in rebellion just by being instigated, what can they not do?"

"So human nature is actually the most complicated thing, isn't it? The reason why the Hero King is so evil is actually largely because he has long seen through human nature."

Xia Yuan's ruthless words were like the last straw that broke the camel's back. Altria's aura suddenly disappeared, and her pale eyes began to waver.

"Look, think about it carefully. They were able to betray you even in the later period of your rule, when the national strength had only declined but was not yet on the verge of extinction. Then think about it again. If it really came to the end, what would the social environment be like?"

"If the land can't grow food and the people can't guarantee food and clothing, will they stay in Great Britain? Even ants try to survive, let alone humans? It is impossible to make everyone accept death from the beginning to the end."

"By then, will the people flee, or will there be widespread rebellion? Or even... cannibalism? You should be able to predict this..."

"Don't... say that again!" Altria began to retreat, her body shaking constantly.

"Nothing is impossible. Your so-called gentle demise, natural death, now seems to be the cruelest death."

"There is nothing that can be done but to wait in despair for death to come. This waiting is as cruel as the torture of hell. In the end, Britain will be littered with corpses and hope will be extinguished. In comparison, Mordred's quick and decisive action is like that of an angel."

"No... No, this... is absolutely impossible..."

Altria's eyes became empty.

Thinking of the future that Xia Yuan described, her heart began to tremble. That desperate future was entirely possible.

The peace I was looking for... turned out to be hell...

Then what is the purpose of all my resentment and struggles so far?

"See, I've said it all. What you pursue may not necessarily be right, and what you deny may not necessarily be wrong."

He and Merlin had discussed for a long time in their dreams the abstract topic of how Britain should correctly go toward destruction. As a result, as they continued to reason, they discovered that what Mordred did was actually the best solution.

This was a blessing in disguise for this naughty child. Although her rebellion was tragic, it was already the fastest solution. Instead of letting everyone wait to die on the spot, it was really merciful to just kill them by slitting their throats.

So, lies don’t hurt people, the truth is the sharpest knife.

And this knife completely killed Altria.

"But...I..." Altria clenched her fists.

"Saber, give up the Holy Grail, give up this inevitable death. In fact, you have done the best you can, and it's time to learn to let go." Xia Yuan pushed a glass of beer in front of her.

"What did you say...you want me to give up..." Altria's face was full of reluctance, "Holy Grail? How is this possible..."

"But you don't have any wishes that you want to fulfill, right? Even if you really go back to the past, how can you change the ending? In the end, it will only make things worse."

"Please look into my eyes, Ms. Altria. You can already see it, right?"

Xia Yuan suddenly stood up and approached her face, staring intently at the pair of emerald gems that had regained their color, but Altria's eyes began to stray, and she subconsciously wanted to retreat.

"You have understood everything, but you still insist on going back to the past? Even if you have to witness your country and people fall into an even more tragic hell, you will not hesitate? Knight King, you are the real devil."

"I……"

There was a look of struggle on Altria's face.

"……do not know."

"Since you don't know what you should do," Xia Yuan smiled, "why don't you listen to other people's opinions?"

"What's your opinion?"

"No, it's not mine. I have done enough to guide people."

Xia Yuan shook his head and gently touched her forehead with his fingertips.

"You have to face them..."

As soon as the words fell, a strange magical power was transmitted through the fingertips, and the scenery in front of Altria began to change, and then the narrow shop instantly turned into a sea of ​​flowers.

"Where is this place?"

In a flash, she found herself in a sea of ​​flowers.

The faint floral scent and the warmth of the sun waft through your nostrils.

"Hi, Altria, long time no see."

A familiar voice came from behind.

This frivolous tone is Merlin's.

"Merlin?"

Altria looked back, then slowly widened her eyes——

She saw many familiar knights in armor waving at her.

Bedivere, Aguirre, Lancelot, Gawain, Tristan, Gareth, and other familiar Knights of the Round Table are all here, even Mordred is there.

"I'm sorry to trouble you, my king."

Gao Wenqing...

"My king, it is our fault as knights that you are making yourself feel so guilty."

Specifications...

"I'm sorry, King, for saying such treasonous words..."

Sir Tristan...

"My king, I am guilty. All these tragedies are due to my fault, so please punish me!"

Sir Lancelot...

And, Mordred also walked to Altria very reluctantly, then knelt down: "I'm sorry, father."

"Mordred, you..."

The next moment, all the knights present knelt down before her and made way for her.

"What are these?"

"This is Merlin's work. These Knights of the Round Table are also the thoughts of your subordinates, and now your consciousness has also entered the dream."

"Thought body?"

Artoria, who didn't know anything about magic, didn't know this concept.

"Well, let me explain this problem to little Al." Merlin suddenly jumped out.

"After you died, I went to the Kingdom of Shadows to find their souls. I used illusion to record the last words they wanted to say to you, and preserved them in the form of magic projection until now."

"So... hurry up, Saber. Merlin's illusion only lasts a limited time. You probably have a lot to say to the Knights of the Round Table. You can leave other things for later."

Having said this, Xia Yuan's figure began to gradually disappear.

"But please remember, Altria, the final choice is made by you. Because of this, I hope you will not leave more regrets on this sad wish..."

“Think carefully and make the right decision in the end. This is not only your responsibility, but also the responsibility of everyone.”

Having said this, Xia Yuan's figure completely disappeared.

"That's all I have to say. I hope you can take care of yourself."

Chapter 46: Catastrophe Fire Falls from the Sky

The Holy Grail War is coming to an end.

The seven Masters and Servants chosen by the Holy Grail have all made their own decisions.

In this war——

Some people have found the meaning of life, some have given up their long-cherished wishes, some have fought back, some have died contentedly, and some are still wandering around in confusion.

At this moment, the souls of the Servant in the Holy Grail have been collected into four - [Caster, Assassin, Berserker, Ruler. ]

At this point, this war that spans the ages has officially come to an end.

Looking at Irisviel who was suffering in front of him, Emiya Kiritsugu's hand holding the cigarette began to tremble uncontrollably.

Because it already contained the souls of four Servants, Irisviel's body was currently suffering from great pain.

This is the fate of the Lesser Holy Grail, an android produced for the Einzbern, essentially a magical instrument in human form.

As the Holy Grail War progresses, the burden of carrying the Servant's soul will gradually cause it to lose its functions as a human being, and ultimately it will face the fate of destruction and transformation into a Lesser Holy Grail.

After a whole night of research, Kenneth discovered many secrets from Irisviel, including the nature of the Holy Grail made by Einzbern.

【The third method—the materialization of the soul.】

If it were any other magician, when faced with Irisviel, a perfect magic material with the function of the third method, they would definitely dissect her and study her carefully. After all, that was one of the legendary five great methods, and its attraction to magicians was undoubtedly fatal.

However, Kenneth, who knew in advance the serious drawbacks of the so-called [Third Method - Soul Materialization], was not very interested in it.

If immortality is achieved in that way, it will only make humans no longer human. Time will wash away the emotions of the soul, making it impossible for the entire civilization to progress and move forward. This taboo should not exist.

So he just conducted some research on Irisviel and did not do anything extreme. After the research was completed, he locked her in a magic barrier in the basement.

As for whether she would be taken away or not, it didn't matter at all. In the end, she would turn into a small Holy Grail, and only the winner of the war could win the Holy Grail. In the end, it would definitely return to his hands in the form of the Holy Grail. That was enough.

But what he didn't know was that in order to activate the Greater Holy Grail, only the souls of four or more Servant were needed. Now, with the sacrifice of Amakusa Shiro, Irisviel's body had reached its limit of accommodating four Servant souls. Now all that was left was to take her to the right place and wait for the Holy Grail to descend.

but……

Even though it had come to this, Emiya Kiritsugu's heart began to waver.