"I will protect this world," Galahad declared resolutely, then turned and walked away.
This time, even if the Holy Grail were placed before him, he would hold it firm. Unlike his past life, where he had chosen to ascend to heaven after receiving the Grail, he now had a clear purpose. He had found his own desire: to protect this country.
A country full of dreams.
In this land, the people lived in peace, and everyone had food and clothing. There was a perfect examination system that allowed talented individuals to flourish, regardless of their social status. Here, unlike the tragedies of his previous life, no one was left to suffer.
This place was more like a fairy-tale kingdom than the Camelot he once knew. And it was a kingdom built piece by piece by him and the two sovereigns, Lott and Morgan. He couldn't let anyone erase that.
"I hope you won't be foolish again," he said softly, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. While not particularly sharp, he could at least sense his inner emotions now. Perhaps that was a good thing.
As Galahad walked away, Lancelot stood there, still in shock.
Had he failed again?
Had he, once again, fallen short when facing Galahad?
Were his convictions truly so insignificant compared to Galahad's?
Could this Camelot really be so wonderful?
Was it truly better than the Camelot of history?
He had only heard about it and didn't know the details. But if Galahad, who had seen two Camelots, was willing to dedicate himself to this one, it meant this Camelot was indeed special.
And it wasn't just about personal gain. Galahad wasn't the type to be satisfied with personal happiness alone; he wanted everyone to live well.
This realization shook Lancelot to his core.
"If I've lost, then I need to think about joining Camelot," Lancelot mused.
Then he chuckled, the irony of it all hitting him.
No matter what path he chose, he would end up serving Camelot.
If he lost today, his curiosity about this Camelot would lead him to join Lott and Morgan. If he and Ritsuka Fujimaru succeeded in correcting this anomaly, he would still join Camelot out of admiration for King Arthur.
"So, my fate is sealed, and Camelot is my destiny?" He shook his head, then left the arena.
This battle was over. He had lost. All that was left now was to watch and reflect.
"Father, mission accomplished. I defeated Lancelot!" Galahad exclaimed excitedly as he returned to the lounge.
"Congratulations," Lott replied with a smile, patting Galahad on the shoulder.
He wasn't elated because Galahad had won. After all, this entire tournament was his doing, and the outcome of this match wasn't particularly important to him. What mattered to Lott was that Galahad had found his own path.
Moreover, Lott could sense that Galahad's internal conflicts had been largely resolved during the fight with Lancelot. That was the best outcome.
"Your Majesty, Camelot is wonderful. I will always protect it," Galahad said earnestly.
"Yes, I think so too," Lott agreed, nodding seriously. He then patted Galahad on the shoulder again. "Rest here for a bit. I have another match to oversee."
"Who's up next?" Galahad asked curiously.
"The next match is Altria's," Lott replied.
The Burden of Guardianship
"I will protect this world," Galahad declared resolutely, then turned and walked away.
This time, even if the Holy Grail were placed before him, he would hold it firm. Unlike his past life, where he had chosen to ascend to heaven after receiving the Grail, he now had a clear purpose. He had found his own desire: to protect this country.
A country full of dreams.
In this land, the people lived in peace, and everyone had food and clothing. There was a perfect examination system that allowed talented individuals to flourish, regardless of their social status. Here, unlike the tragedies of his previous life, no one was left to suffer.
This place was more like a fairy-tale kingdom than the Camelot he once knew. And it was a kingdom built piece by piece by him and the two sovereigns, Lott and Morgan. He couldn't let anyone erase that.
"I hope you won't be foolish again," he said softly, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. While not particularly sharp, he could at least sense his inner emotions now. Perhaps that was a good thing.
As Galahad walked away, Lancelot stood there, still in shock.
Had he failed again?
Had he, once again, fallen short when facing Galahad?
Were his convictions truly so insignificant compared to Galahad's?
Could this Camelot really be so wonderful?
Was it truly better than the Camelot of history?
He had only heard about it and didn't know the details. But if Galahad, who had seen two Camelots, was willing to dedicate himself to this one, it meant this Camelot was indeed special.
And it wasn't just about personal gain. Galahad wasn't the type to be satisfied with personal happiness alone; he wanted everyone to live well.
This realization shook Lancelot to his core.
"If I've lost, then I need to think about joining Camelot," Lancelot mused.
Then he chuckled, the irony of it all hitting him.
No matter what path he chose, he would end up serving Camelot.
If he lost today, his curiosity about this Camelot would lead him to join Lott and Morgan. If he and Ritsuka Fujimaru succeeded in correcting this anomaly, he would still join Camelot out of admiration for King Arthur.
"So, my fate is sealed, and Camelot is my destiny?" He shook his head, then left the arena.
This battle was over. He had lost. All that was left now was to watch and reflect.
"Father, mission accomplished. I defeated Lancelot!" Galahad exclaimed excitedly as he returned to the lounge.
"Congratulations," Lott replied with a smile, patting Galahad on the shoulder.
He wasn't elated because Galahad had won. After all, this entire tournament was his doing, and the outcome of this match wasn't particularly important to him. What mattered to Lott was that Galahad had found his own path.
Moreover, Lott could sense that Galahad's internal conflicts had been largely resolved during the fight with Lancelot. That was the best outcome.
"Your Majesty, Camelot is wonderful. I will always protect it," Galahad said earnestly.
"Yes, I think so too," Lott agreed, nodding seriously. He then patted Galahad on the shoulder again. "Rest here for a bit. I have another match to oversee."
"Who's up next?" Galahad asked curiously.
"The next match is Altria's," Lott replied.
Altria versus Mordred.
Another father-son showdown, Lott thought with a sigh. What kind of twisted sense of humor arranged these matchups?
Oh, right, I did.
Galahad looked at Lott skeptically. "Are you sure you didn't plan this?"
"Haha, what are you talking about?" Lott chuckled awkwardly, though his tone lacked sincerity.
Galahad rolled his eyes. His foster father was an outstanding ruler when it came to governing, but he had a mischievous side when dealing with people. It was the kind of mischief that was both amusing and exasperating.
Seeing Galahad still wanting to ask more questions, Lott quickly said, "I've got to go now. You need to rest."
"I'm not tired at all," Galahad muttered as Lott made his hasty exit, leaving Galahad both amused and exasperated.
"Well, I guess I'll rest a bit," he said softly, lying down on the sofa in the lounge. Thanks to Lott, modern amenities like sofas were common, even here in Scotland.
Lott found Altria preparing for her next match. Specifically, she was preparing by consuming an impressive assortment of food—steamed buns, roast pork buns, custard buns…
"I don't even want to comment on this anymore," Lott sighed.
Of all his knights, Altria was the one he worried about the least. She had no unresolved issues, no inner conflicts to speak of. The real concern was Mordred.
Mordred was Morgan's child, and thus, his child as well. He couldn't ignore her.
Thinking this, he reached out to grab a bun. But whether it was due to Altria's knightly intuition or her instinctive food-guarding reflexes, she immediately placed her hand on his, her eyes flashing red.
Fortunately, this fierce look lasted only a second. She recognized him.
"Your Majesty Lott, I didn't see it was you," she said quickly, retracting her hand.
"It's okay, I'm used to it," Lott replied, too tired to even make a joke. "You know who your next opponent is, right?"
"Yes, it's Mordred. She's our enemy. I will defeat her," Altria said seriously, her expression becoming more intense as she nodded at Lott.
"But what if I told you that Mordred has a connection to you?" Lott asked, his tone shifting.
This Mordred's true identity was not widely known. Only Lott and Morgan were aware of it; Altria still didn't know.
"Mordred is connected to me?" Altria asked, puzzled. "Isn't she a Heroic Spirit from another timeline? How could she have anything to do with me?"
"On her timeline, in a few years, Mordred will be born," Lott explained, choosing his words carefully.
Another father-son showdown, Lott thought with a sigh. What kind of twisted sense of humor arranged these matchups?
Oh, right, I did.
Galahad looked at Lott skeptically. "Are you sure you didn't plan this?"
"Haha, what are you talking about?" Lott chuckled awkwardly, though his tone lacked sincerity.
Galahad rolled his eyes. His foster father was an outstanding ruler when it came to governing, but he had a mischievous side when dealing with people. It was the kind of mischief that was both amusing and exasperating.
Seeing Galahad still wanting to ask more questions, Lott quickly said, "I've got to go now. You need to rest."
"I'm not tired at all," Galahad muttered as Lott made his hasty exit, leaving Galahad both amused and exasperated.
"Well, I guess I'll rest a bit," he said softly, lying down on the sofa in the lounge. Thanks to Lott, modern amenities like sofas were common, even here in Scotland.
Lott found Altria preparing for her next match. Specifically, she was preparing by consuming an impressive assortment of food—steamed buns, roast pork buns, custard buns…
"I don't even want to comment on this anymore," Lott sighed.
Of all his knights, Altria was the one he worried about the least. She had no unresolved issues, no inner conflicts to speak of. The real concern was Mordred.
Mordred was Morgan's child, and thus, his child as well. He couldn't ignore her.
Thinking this, he reached out to grab a bun. But whether it was due to Altria's knightly intuition or her instinctive food-guarding reflexes, she immediately placed her hand on his, her eyes flashing red.
Fortunately, this fierce look lasted only a second. She recognized him.
"Your Majesty Lott, I didn't see it was you," she said quickly, retracting her hand.
"It's okay, I'm used to it," Lott replied, too tired to even make a joke. "You know who your next opponent is, right?"
"Yes, it's Mordred. She's our enemy. I will defeat her," Altria said seriously, her expression becoming more intense as she nodded at Lott.
"But what if I told you that Mordred has a connection to you?" Lott asked, his tone shifting.
This Mordred's true identity was not widely known. Only Lott and Morgan were aware of it; Altria still didn't know.
"Mordred is connected to me?" Altria asked, puzzled. "Isn't she a Heroic Spirit from another timeline? How could she have anything to do with me?"
"On her timeline, in a few years, Mordred will be born," Lott explained, choosing his words carefully.