บท 70: Uneasiness

"Father..."

"Because you are my pride, my child, my son..."

Artoria lightly kissed the side of Artorius's face.

"When that time comes, carry my last wishes and go forward with strength. My son..."

"But if that's the case, Father, you will..."

"I will die. But it's okay..."

With her eyes as pure and flawless as crystal, she gently looked at Artorius. "Because we already have Artorius, don't we? You are a better savior than I am. Right from the beginning. You are my excellence, my everything..."

"Even if I die, you will take care of Britain. You will do a better job than I did. So I can die without regrets."

A pure smile, like that of 'Artoria Lily', appeared on her face.

===

Artorius felt heavy-hearted.

He couldn't persuade his mother, no matter how hard he tried.

Artoria was willingly sacrificing herself for her country and people. Even though Artorius warned her that it might be a trap, she also had a faint sense of it herself. Yet, she was still willing to give it a try.

As she had said, even if she died, there would still be Artorius. That's what she believed.

'Oh, my idealistic, foolish, and adorable 'father'...' Artorius sighed helplessly.

All he could do was hold his gentle, petite, and lovely mother tightly, expressing his frustration.

As he held her in his arms, Artorius didn't see the glorious and radiant King of Knights or the Red Dragon incarnation who could single-handedly defeat Vortigern and emerge victorious. Instead, he saw a delicate girl in need of protection.

She wasn't born as a human.

She wasn't raised as a human.

She wasn't educated as a human.

She wasn't used as a human.

She had never lived for herself.

Yet, it was this girl who stood up at the critical moment when the Celts of Britain faced the imminent threat of being wiped out by the Saxon invaders. She led the charge, reclaiming lost territories and defeating the terrifying White Dragon.

In the original history, she defeated Rome and the traitorous knights, almost vanquishing all enemies.

From the perspective of bystanders or those who judge from an omniscient standpoint, they might feel that her actions were not good enough, not fulfilling enough, or not excellent enough. But from the perspective of the person involved, Artoria Pendragon, there couldn't be a more suitable role for her.

After all, in the original history, there was no Artorius.

"Artorius..."

Enjoying the love and care of her child, Artoria smiled with happiness.

It seemed like she had let go of all burdens, responsibilities, and pressures. At this moment, she was completely content and ready to sacrifice herself at any time.

With that, Artorius left.

'Now, what should I do next?'

Artorius pondered.

Persuading his mother to stay away from the Holy Grail was impossible.

So... how could he stop her? Should he reveal her secret as a woman to the public and claim the throne...?

No, no, no. That would be a path of usurpation and wouldn't stop her at all.

Even if she were not the king, she could still go to the continent and obtain the Holy Grail. Then proceed to the Throne of Heroes.

So... should he confine her, hold her, imprison her in the dungeon?

'Unless it's absolutely necessary, it's best not to do that...'

Artorius thought to himself.

'Otherwise, 'Father' will surely resent me for the rest of 'his' life.'

'So, that means...'

With this idea in mind, Artorius had already made up his mind.

'Just get to the Holy Grail before 'Father' does.'

'If someone must be sacrificed, just throw in some insignificant person.'

'Not Father, not Galahad. Just let some random person touch the Holy Grail.'

'Of course, I have to keep it a secret from Father; otherwise, 'he' won't be at ease...'

'I need to plan it properly... Oh, right! How about making that damned Merlin touch the Holy Grail?'

'Tch, it seems impossible; that guy still has some usefulness.' Artorius felt a bit regretful about this.

Artorius swiftly devised a cunning plan, and a sinister smile appeared on his face. Then, at the entrance to King Arthur's study, he encountered his nominal mother, Guinevere.

Unlike Artoria, who maintained the appearance of a 15-year-old, Guinevere, approaching thirty, appeared mature and dignified, embodying the gentle demeanor of a wife.

"What's wrong, Artorius?" she asked, somewhat concerned. "I heard a loud noise just now. Did you have an argument with your father?"

"It's nothing, don't worry..." Artorius replied, maintaining his respect for his nominal mother. He smiled and reassured her, pretending everything was fine.

After uttering these words, he turned to leave.

But before he could do so...

"Artorius!"

Guinevere called out to him.

"Treat your father well..." she said with a gentle voice. "He's been going through a lot lately, so... please consider his feelings, okay?"

"..."

"Of course, after all, he is my dearest father..." Artorius responded nonchalantly, but it made Guinevere uneasy.

As a result, she entered the study room.

"What happened, My King? What did you and Artorius discuss? Did you have an argument?"

"...You could say we argued..." Artoria replied.

"But don't worry, we've made up." She smiled and approached Guinevere. "Guinevere, you've always worked hard."

"..."

Guinevere felt worried by Artoria's words, a faint sense of unease rising within her.

"My King, are you saying..." she started.

"Soon, you will attain your freedom, Guinevere." Artoria gently said. "You no longer need to worry about me. You can enjoy your life freely."

"..."

"I will go to Europe to obtain the Holy Grail. Regardless of success or failure, I will pass the throne to Artorius. And then... you can pursue what you truly desire."

Artoria spoke these words to Guinevere, but they failed to bring her joy. She only felt sorrow, and as she embraced her closest friend, tears uncontrollably streamed down her face.

===

Author's Note:

Merlin's attitude towards Artoria in the original work was that he did indeed inform her that Britain was fated to perish, and that part is correct.

But the following interaction more or less goes like this:

Artoria: "But we should still try our best."

Merlin: "Then let's give it a try. If it's you, there's a chance you might succeed."

And then he continues to observe Artoria perform and ponders—'I'll advise her again after some time. It wouldn't hurt to try, right?'

As time goes on, they reach the time of the Battle of Camlann, and Artoria is trapped forever in the confines of time, bearing the pain and regret, waiting for the summoning of the Holy Grail War to make a wish and fix her so-called mistake of—she should never be the king and pulled the Caliburn.

While Merlin exclaims something like—"What the hell? Did I mess up?!" and then retreats into a 20-story tower, shutting himself in while inadvertently leaving Vivian behind.

Furthermore, Artoria isn't acting out of stubbornness. The premise of her statement to Artorius is that she has already found the Holy Grail, and they are only awaiting a pure and noble person to claim it. At that moment, she believed she was the only suitable candidate.

Moreover, in the event of the Holy Grail plan's failure, she has a backup plan, which involves executing Artorius's plan. His presence would allow her to die without worry.