章 60: [60] Amidst Light and Night, Gazing at Each Other
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[Fate/Magus Path]
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The night sky was vast and devoid of clouds, adorned with celestial brilliance.
A baitless fishing hook swayed gently on the water's surface, creating layers of delicate ripples.
In the pool, a group of small fish curiously swam towards the hook, observing it from a distance.
They had never been caught, unaware of the danger that lurked within.
As for the person who was caught...
"Hmm... I am a fish."
Declared the robust figure in armor, emitting a muffled buzzing sound from his skull helmet.
The statement sounded like a dry joke acknowledging the other's humor.
However, standing in the presence of the oppressive aura emanating from the old man, no one could genuinely find it amusing.
He was the Old Man of the Mountain, the king of assassins who assassinated kings, the assassin of assassins... Grand Assassin, Hassan-i-Sabbah.
But...
"Hahahahaha..."
The man with long hair who was fishing burst into hearty laughter unexpectedly.
It seemed he had grasped the humor in the situation, laughing until tears threatened to fall.
"Haha... Old Man, everyone thinks you're the kind of guy with no sense of humor."
The Old Man remained silent for a moment.
"In fact... I have a sense of humor."
"Just that, everyone who sensed it has died."
"Ugh..."
There was no way to counter that.
Splash.
The long-haired man lifted the fishing rod with a grin and water sprayed.
"Oh my, I never expected that one day I'd be doing a mission with you, Old Man. Even though our superiors don't have any relationship with each other."
"Tsk, this is really an unusual occurrence. It seems... the one we're dealing with this time is an exceptionally tricky character."
The man extended his hand, gently plucking the small silver fish caught on the hook and squatting down to release it back into the pool.
The fish had been caught.
The angler enjoyed the process of fishing.
And he is a fishing teacher and the most famed fisherman... Grand Caster, Taigong Wang.
"By the way, it wasn't easy for me to squeeze in. In these increasingly chaotic times, even overtime has to be snatched away..."
The imposing old man remained silent for a moment.
"Same here."
"Huh?"
The man with long hair squinted his eyes, slightly opening a gap, and a trace of astonishment gleamed in his purple eyes.
"I was eating meals and singing songs when I was suddenly called in for overtime. Temporary work without overtime pay."
"Same here."
"Tsk~ I asked my old man at home what was going on. He just smiled with dust on his face, wearing that expression of a mysterious person who won't reveal secrets and is asking for a beating..."
The man with long hair squinted his eyes, rubbing his chin as he recalled.
"Well, I guess in all likelihood, the old man himself doesn't know, so he can only bluff his way through."
"Same here."
The atmosphere stagnated slightly.
The man with long hair looked up, gazing at the vast, cloudless night sky, a genuinely interested expression appearing on his face.
"It's interesting. What kind of person would simultaneously attract the attention of both sides..."
He lightly lifted the fish trap with his fingertips, hanging it on his arm.
Since he wasn't tall enough, he had to tiptoe slightly. Patting the old man's shoulder, a hollow echo rang out.
Was there really a person inside that armor?
"Let's go, time to work~"
...
The strange and magnificent attire, the towering shield, and the universally known sage.
Two beautiful girls and a silver-haired man strolled together on the streets of the capital of Orkney, drawing curious glances from the passersby due to their peculiar attire and distinctive group.
"Indeed... King Arthur remains a noble and considerate ruler even now."
The historical records were accurate.
Ritsuka couldn't help but sigh as they observed the lively and prosperous scenes on the streets, filled with laughter and happiness.
In contrast, the holy city that had risen in Jerusalem seemed like a hellish place.
"To discover that King Arthur is a woman is already surprising, and her virtues are beyond reproach. But... what could have changed her mindset? As such an honorable ruler, she wouldn't desire the destruction of the world."
Ritsuka pondered.
How virtuous was the king?
This was evident just by looking at the smiles on the people's faces in the streets.
Such things were unseen inside the holy city Camelot... only the yellow-skinned, emaciated refugees with faces marked by numbness and suffering.
"I watched Lily grow up all the way. If you want to know who has influenced her the most..."
The silver-haired magus with closed, blood-stained eyes smiled gently. He was well aware of Chaldea's purpose in coming here.
"Of course, it would be... on the other side of the sea, your terrifying enemy...the son of the white dragon."
"The son of the white dragon?"
Mash tilted her head.
In Chaldea, she had been systematically taught human history.
The battle between the Red Dragon of Britain and the White Dragon of Britain was a classic episode in history, adapted and sung in various legends and poems.
But...
"I've never heard that King Vortigern had any offspring in history..."
Mash said as she reviewed the information from Chaldea.
"In the history of humanity, Vortigern met his end under the assault of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and left no descendants behind."
"Yes... it was the witch Morgan..." Merlin said with a smile. "I developed Lily, the daughter of the red dragon, and took away her position as the king. She seemed dissatisfied, so she conspired with Vortigern and developed the son of the white dragon..."
"And now, she's not only developed the son of the white dragon but also the queen of that son. Haha... I must say, this witch really knows how to play the game."
Merlin's playful tone was light and airy, almost as if he was teasing.
The tangled family relationships in Britannia made Ritsuka and Mash exchange a glance, their faces slightly blushing.
The red-haired girl rubbed her forehead and began exchanging information with Da Vinci of Chaldea.
"I see. The slightest deviation from the witch Morgan has led to such a massive divergence in history."
"Yes, upon closer consideration, her motive seems very reasonable. Because Merlin, you created King Arthur as the daughter of the red dragon, she also wanted to create a son of the white dragon. Losing her throne, she developed a somewhat similar mentality. It's human nature."
"...This 'son of the white dragon' might be the fundamental reason for the formation of the Singularity..."
"However, just adding a character is not enough to deviate the foundation values of human order to the level of 'ERROR.' What exactly did this son of the white dragon do?"
Mash asked.
"It's a complicated situation... If you stay in the city for some time, you can ask the ministers in Orkney County. They will be able to provide you with more information..."
The group halted, looking up at the magnificent and extravagant castle before them.
This was King Arthur's palace.
"If you want to know more, just go inside. Tell them your purpose, and Lily doesn't want to see me, so I'll stay behind for now."
"...Huh?" Mash expressed surprise. "Merlin, a gentle person like you, is disliked by King Arthur?"
As soon as she finished speaking, a fluffy snow beast emerged from Mash's embrace, perching on her shoulder, and bared its teeth at Merlin.
"Fou! (Die... Melin!)"
"Ahaha..." Merlin raised his hands in surrender.
"Because... I interfered with her feelings. This kind of thing is hard to persuade, especially if it's you guys, you should understand, right?"
With a meaningful smile, Merlin left, his figure dissolving into petals.
The implied meaning in his words made senpai and kouhai exchange another glance, their cheeks blushing again.
They had faced life and death together on their journey, willing to sacrifice their lives for each other. Was this merely the bond of comradeship?
"Yes, it's a complicated intertwining of love and hatred... I seem to understand a bit now."
Ritsuka whispered.
Recalling the determined expression on the face of that king, she seemed very familiar with that kind of expression.
Because, she herself had worn the same expression.
It was the expression that appeared on one's face when willing to destroy the world to save a single person.
...
[Five months have passed.]
[Morgan still hasn't returned.]
[Pushing your daughter on a swing in the garden, where she laughs joyfully, you gradually feel a chill approaching.]
[Even in an environment with a temperature of minus two degrees, you can survive without any problem. This chill doesn't come from the surroundings but from the depths of your heart... it's the intuition belonging to the ultimate life form.]
[Morgan... something must have happened.]
[You really want to go to the Inner Sea of the Planet to find your wife, but as the son of the white dragon, you constantly feel that resistance... like Vortigern, you are also rejected by the Inner Sea of the Planet.]
[Moreover, you, like it or not, have to stay in Londinium, this vast fortress city. Only you can serve as the final line of defense for Vortigern.]
[Above the sky, dark, spiral-shaped clouds begin to gather, exuding a silent and desolate gray color. At the center of those swirling cloud layers is a hole, as if a hole had opened in the world.]
[You vaguely have a premonition... not in two years, but within this month, your father is about to pull out the Anchor of the Planet.]
[As if your premonition were coming true.]
[Suddenly, there came disturbing reports from the front lines.]
[King Arthur gathered an unprecedented Celtic army and began to cross the sea, launching a fierce assault towards the Kingdom.]
[Her army's momentum was magnificent, nearly exhausting all the national power in this battle, seemingly attempting to pierce directly through to the center of Londinium.]
[You, focusing on the front lines, conveyed the order for passive defense.]
[The time for the decisive battle is about to come. You understand that Artoria will seize this last opportunity to slay Vortigern. In this battlefield, the stacking numbers of ordinary people mean nothing to her.]
[What's the use of fleeing? What's the use of escaping? Ordinary people are naturally afraid of death, and even you are no exception... you know that the Saxon people are not on the same side as you, but saving as many lives as possible without harming the innocent is still a good thing.]
[Morgan is not here, and the only person who can become the country's one and only line of defense against her is you... Alvin Pendragon.]
[King Arthur, leading the Knights of the Round Table, advanced smoothly through your Kingdom. Every time they reached a city, they encountered minimal resistance.]
[Or rather, there was no resistance at all, as if the other side were opening the city gates, welcoming their arrival.]
...
The military forces were always prohibited from engaging in arson, looting, and pillaging. Artoria's army also had strict military discipline.
The wealth accumulated by the aristocrats she had subdued could fill the castles of the entire Orkney County, and her Knights of the Round Table stacked together couldn't match her alone. Who would dare to defy her orders?
Moreover, the majority of her army were originally commoners. They had been showered with Artoria's favor and were incredibly loyal to her.
Thus, a strange sight emerged... Artoria riding her majestic horse, followed by her disciplined Celtic army, slowly marching through the streets of the Anglo-Saxons Kingdom's cities.
The people in the cities did not fear them. Instead, they seemed curious, even delighted, as they welcomed them.
Because, during Artoria's entire journey, the residents had not suffered any plundering or conflicts resulting in injury.
Supreme and eternally healthy King Artoria's proclamation stated that these were troops sent by King Arthur to negotiate peace, and they were to be let in directly.
Initially, people had some worries. But seeing the orderly army on the other side, they relaxed and began to see them as troops coming to negotiate peace.
Among the crowds welcoming them, there were not only Saxon commoners who had gradually settled in but also many Celts...
These were the Celtic refugees whom Alvin had taken in and sheltered, displaced by the war. Regardless of race, he had granted them the status of residents.
At first, there was some mutual hostility between the two races. But eventually, all worked together for the sake of their homelands and actively participated in production and construction.
Because, since the nobles' exploitation had ceased, after paying adequate taxes, all other agricultural products belonged to them.
Alvin issued minted coins for circulation as a common equivalent.
There were even specialized agricultural officers who, for performance and promotion, worked hard to teach and promote farming techniques.
Every bit of labor yielded harvests that made their lives more comfortable and brought stability and happiness to themselves and their cherished families.
Only after sinking into hell did they realize what heaven truly was.
The famines and chaotic raids of the past, where each season's abundance would still lead to starvation, were long gone on this island.
The millennia-old blood feud between the Saxon and the Celts seemed to have gradually subsided in these three years... people began to realize that they were just ordinary people pursuing peace of mind.
The residents standing on both sides of the street cheered Artoria's arrival, shedding tears of excitement at the prospect of this long-lasting war finally coming to an end.
Occasionally, families separated during the war recognized each other in the crowd and tearfully embraced.
Leading the army at the forefront, riding on horseback, Artoria's expression seemed distant and frozen.
Under the same bright sunlight.
In the same welcoming scene.
Her thoughts seemed to return to the day she drew the Sword of Selection.
The dark knight stood at the end of the road, gently removing his helmet, smiling softly at her.
"Long time no see, Artoria."
"Alvin..."
Murmuring this name.
Artoria's heart seemed to traverse mountains and seas.
Beside her, Ritsuka and Mash, who were riding horses, also stared blankly at this touching scene.
After meeting with King Arthur, she welcomed and understood their arrival.
During the time they spent together, Ritsuka naturally understood that Artoria was indeed a king admired and respected for her virtue and nobility.
However... she remained silent about her past with Merlin and her relationship with the Son of the White Dragon, unwilling to discuss it.
But that didn't affect their mutual understanding and cooperation.
Because, the most crucial aspect of this singularity lay not with the Son of the White Dragon.... it lay with King Vortigern, who was about to pull out the Holy Lance, intending to bring about the return of the age of gods.
As long as Vortigern could be stopped, the singularity could be repaired.
Artoria joined forces with them, precisely preparing to go and defeat King Vortigern.
As for the Son of the White Dragon, the king requested that, as far as possible, his life be preserved, claiming that he had merely been bewitched by Vortigern and was not inherently evil.
Indeed... it seemed to be the case.
For several days since entering enemy territory, Ritsuka and her companions had not encountered any resistance.
More importantly, they hadn't experienced... within the Kingdom, the malicious reputation spread by the former aristocrats, now ministers, about the Son of the White Dragon.
Clearly, what they saw... was happiness.
It was even more peaceful and tranquil happiness than in Orkney County.
It wasn't about being confined and suppressing desires... it was about gaining peace through the pursuit of a more beautiful and vibrant life, full of joy and progress.
...People were all smiling.
The king of this country was said to be a very wicked person.
Wicked... yet people were smiling?
Ritsuka could tell whether these smiles were genuine or fake.
Clean streets, neatly arranged houses, markets selling a variety of dazzling foods, goods, and clothing.
People wearing carefully crafted garments, the sounds of literacy from the schoolhouses, crude but already showing scale in book printing.
And in the distance, those brilliant golden wheat fields swaying in the wind on the plains.
As if laughter could set the mood, but what about the spirit of a nation?
...How could that be disguised?
Ritsuka silently observed everything.
Beside her, Mash was also lost in thought.
In the purple-haired girl's pupils, something called happiness was reflected.
It was something she had never understood since she was created as an artificial human, until she met her senpai.
Never before had there been so much, so close to overflowing, happiness reflected in her eyes.
No drums, no music.
Only laughter.
Yet it sounded like the most heartwarming song.
Behind Artoria, the faces of the knights riding horses were ugly and gloomy.
Most of them were of noble birth.
Seeing commoners living happily made them feel worse than their own suffering.
Shouldn't commoners all be submissive and obedient?
Their own country was still suffering, yet these people from the enemy country, shrouded in the shadow of the Son of the White Dragon, why were they so happy?
Why...
Why were they even happier without the governance of nobles?
This scene filled their empty hearts with resentment.
The slander against Artoria had never ceased since the nobles were dissolved in her Kingdom.
Imitating the enemy's policies, how could that be the conduct of a king?
The fallen aristocrats, now ministers, dared not criticize their king, but they had never stopped smearing the name of the regent king across the sea.
After all, he was the one who caused all this trouble, leading to the looting of their homes.
The nobles cursed him, vilified him, hoping he would go to hell!
Moreover, their country would go to hell with him!
They wanted to show those cheering commoners over there what the fate of a country without nobles would be like.
Now... they saw it.
...This was the fate.
...The other side's country was governed even better than their own!
Looking at the meticulously crafted farming tools placed in various households.
In the past, fine iron tools... only nobles had such equipment, and who would use precious iron to make farming tools?
Wasn't that a waste?
If these tools were melted down into weapons...
The vitality contained within them made the knights feel palpitations.
Now the knights understood, their king's decision was indeed so wise... had they not followed suit, their country would have long been thrown into the garbage heap of history by the enemy.
But... how could the knights accept, how could they admit...
...Accepting the fact that they were historical garbage...
Compared to the knights' impotent rage,
Chaldea's master was contemplating the deepest question.
The Ember King, Butcher, Tyrant.
Blamed by thousands, cursed by tens of thousands...
What kind of person was this so-called The Disaster Son of the White Dragon?
His achievements were clear, his reputation abysmal.
He, like a perfect king, established this perfect kingdom on earth.
His governance brought happiness and peace to the people, but standing under Vortigern's banner, he seemed to want to subvert and destroy this world again.
Contradiction.
Life and death, endless... a person full of endless contradictions like an endless spiral.
Truly... peculiar...
In Ritsuka's heart, endless curiosity arose about this name.
A person who could feel such infinite charm without even meeting, it reminded her of someone in reality, a magus she had only briefly encountered.
"Alvin Pendragon."
The red-haired girl looked up at the sky, murmuring.
"What kind of... person are you?"
...
In the depths unknown, within caves filled with roots.
The fluorescent lights flowing within the roots seemed dimmer compared to three years ago.
Alvin, with his gray eyes, gazed at this scene, then lowered his eyelids slightly.
His body slowly crouched down, meeting the gaze of the small and adorable silver-haired girl before him.
"Melusine, you've always been obedient..."
As he caressed his daughter's silver hair, he softly chuckled.
"...You're a good girl, right?"
"Yes! I'm a good girl! Daddy!"
Melusine blinked her eyes, nodding vigorously, bouncing around. Her gaze slowly swept around her surroundings.
"Where... where is this, daddy? It's pretty, but so dark..."
"This is... our basement, a hiding place for hide-and-seek."
The silver-haired young man spoke softly, then listened to his daughter's innocent voice.
"Daddy, are you leaving?"
Alvin fell silent for a moment.
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
"Yes... Mom has gone on a long journey."
"Daddy needs to take care of grandpa."
"You have to stay here alone for a while. I've prepared everything you like to eat. If you're hungry or thirsty, remember to eat."
"I know you're afraid of being alone, afraid of the shadows, Melusine... But don't be afraid, because even the shadows are daddy."
"Just like always, my beloved Melusine..."
"This is a game of hide-and-seek. Do you understand Daddy's words?"
Looking at the daddy before her with lowered eyelids.
Melusine blinked her deep blue eyes.
She nodded vigorously. It was just a game of hide-and-seek, and she was the best at hiding!
"In any case, don't go out. No matter what vibrations you feel, no matter what sounds you hear, don't go out, Melusine. Mom will come to get you."
"Mommy will come to get me, then, what about you, daddy?"
But there was no answer.
As usual.
Before the game of hide-and-seek, daddy hugged her and made a gesture to shush her.
Melusine quietly ran away.
The last embrace, that warmth gradually disappeared, just like the fading figure of her daddy.
She crouched silently in the darkness, the deep shadows enveloping her whole body. But this time, Melusine didn't feel afraid.
Because daddy said so.
The shadow was him.
Melusine curled up in the shadow.
It was as if she was still curled up in her daddy's warm embrace.
...
[Fifteen days have passed, and King Arthur's great army is about to besiege the city.]
[You have long evacuated all the soldiers and residents.]
[This once prosperous fortress city under your rule now lies silent, like a dead city.]
[Numbers are meaningless, across this entire island, only you can bear the responsibility of guarding Vortigern.]
[Silent and unmoving, you stand atop the grand castle. Though it is broad daylight, your surroundings seem to be shrouded in flickering shadows like flames.]
[A strange, slowly flowing, spiral-like cloud cover hovers over the city's skyline, a sign of the impending projection of the Anchor of the Planet.]
[You gently grasp the hilt of your sword, unleashing the radiance of the ultimate life form without reservation.]
[In an instant, the sunlight is devoured by you.]
[The intense daylight swiftly transitions into profound eternal night.]
[A dim and lightless night sky envelops the entire firmament of Londinium, with your own strength, you have completely altered the celestial phenomena of this fortress city. Londinium welcomes a silence and tranquility akin to eternal night.]
[The scorching sun hangs high, and all things grow.]
[All of Britain seems to prosper as usual.]
[However, no matter how intense the sunlight, no matter how bright the sun, it cannot penetrate the shadow belonging to the Son of the White Dragon that looms over the city.]
[The city beneath the eternal night spiral is also the ultimate battlefield.]
[Under this eternal night spiral stands the savior of villains. Bathed in the lightless shadow, it is the moment of the King's ignition.]
[Just as it was ten years ago, standing on the high tower of the castle.]
[Your gaze gradually rises, gazing toward the farthest reaches of this land.]
[On the verge of extinction, a brilliant golden light faintly emerges from the horizon...]
Bathed in this clear, exhilarating sunlight.
The advancing Celtic army has crossed the final pass.
In the distant, boundless horizon, there seemed to be a sudden dimming.
Everyone seemed to sense something and lifted their gaze towards the end of the road, where stood the magnificent fortress city.
Hissing...
The sound of gasps echoed incessantly.
Everyone was dumbfounded, staring blankly at the scene resembling divine wrath.
The daylight was taken from them.
The sunlight was devoured by him.
A profound and vast shadow shrouded the entire city.
Only Londinium's eternal night spiral remained, slowly rotating like a mesmerizing vortex, madly devouring the sanity of everyone present.
For a moment.
Silence enveloped everything.
The world fell silent.
Darkness crept in, shrouding everyone's minds in uncertainty. The twisted and endless spiral of clouds seemed to engulf people's reason. The moist, sticky tentacles writhed and slithered, instilling fear and panic.
"M-Monsters!"
The soldiers in the ranks, completely shattered by this vision, began to scream uncontrollably, and panic spread like a virus.
That person, he is darkness itself.
Shooting arrows and cursing at the darkness, can they harm even a fraction of the darkness?
No, without the light, the silent darkness will only silently engulf them.
As ordinary people, how can they resist such power, how can they charge against such darkness?
In that instant, everyone understood.
Numbers are meaningless.
Ordinary people don't need to set foot on this battlefield, it's just sending them to their deaths.
Even most of the Knights of the Round Table, their swords began to tremble.
Ritsuka's hand trembled slightly, as if the silver arm's brand was about to surface.
Seeing that moment when the city was shrouded in eternal night, he instantly understood... why this singularity was even more terrifying than the Holy City Camelot in Chaldea's alerts.
"The Eternal Night Spiral City, Londinium."
Devouring everything called light.
Mash gripped Ritsuka's hand.
They looked at each other with palpitations.
Everyone, at this moment, couldn't help but be afraid.
Except for her.
Just like the once brilliant wheat field.
The soft golden hair swayed slightly in the wind.
Artoria lifted her gaze, looking at him, who had turned into a point at the highest point of the city that was now consumed.
He stood guard in the night.
She bathed in light.
Under the interweaving of light and darkness, they looked at each other, relentlessly.
His silver hair scattered in the wind.
He smiled as usual.
Just like his smile once.
Equally warm, equally bright.
"Long time no see, Artoria..."
He said softly.
The golden-haired girl lifted her hand in a daze, as if wanting to touch his face across the thousands of meters of light and shadow.
"I've come to save you, Alvin."
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