As dawn turned on the high tower, the warm hearth illuminated the faces of two individuals.
The comforting fragrance of flowers wafted through the air, while the fairies performed a refreshing opera in the paradise.
The floor beneath their feet had transformed into a calm surface of water under Merlin's guidance, upon which the life of a man named Arthur was slowly projected.
As the historical turning point unfolded, Merlin sighed softly and pointed to the swaddled infant, saying, "This is the birth of Arthur, the birth of the Red Dragon of Camelot."
In the scene, Uther Pendragon, with Merlin's assistance, gave birth to the spark that would sustain Great Britain. Tears of excitement streamed down his aged face as he lifted the infant high and proclaimed, "My child, from the moment you were born, the forests of all Great Britain whispered your name... Arthur Pendragon."
I watched you grow day by day, becoming the embodiment of justice.
We have always ruled this country with courage and wisdom.
I also believe that you will use this power judiciously.
True victory lies in inspiring the spirit of struggle within your people.
Perhaps one day, my reign will come to an end.
And you, by then, will already have been proclaimed king.
"Is this the entire process from Arthur's birth to his ascension to the throne…?"
How to evaluate this king? She is indeed a noble existence born to be a king, possessing immense strength, noble qualities, and the pure spirit of a knight. Although she may not compare to the omniscient and omnipotent kings like Gilgamesh and Solomon, it is undeniable that she is a qualified king... a king of knights.
"This is the responsibility bestowed upon Artoria at her birth... as a king, to bear the mission of saving Great Britain."
Looking back at the past, Merlin couldn't help but sigh softly and said, "Many of the legends about King Arthur recorded by later generations are fabricated, such as the tale of Arthur's birth."
"The purpose of Uther's attack on the Duke of Cornwall was not simply due to a mere infatuation with his wife Igraine, as the books suggest, but rather it is an absurd notion that he waged war without reason."
"As the king of Britain, he would not be foolish enough to deploy national resources for personal desires. On the contrary, he is an excellent king, perhaps even too excellent."
Recalling his days of serving Uther, Merlin, as an elder, felt a twinge of nostalgia.
"It wasn't just for that reason; in the end, did he not take away Igraine?"
"Ahem, that was unavoidable. Uther did this for the stability of Britain."
"The Duke of Cornwall was an ambitious and powerful lord, inherently a destabilizing factor for Britain. His wife, Igraine, was not an ordinary human; she had once drunk the dragon's blood wine bestowed by the goddess of fate, so she possessed a faint dragon lineage within her. This was why Uther had to obtain her."
"From the very beginning, her fate was set under the guidance of the goddess. As one with dragon blood, she was destined to be the best mother for Arthur. Only by uniting Uther, who possessed the power of a king, with her could Britain give birth to its greatest glory, Arthur. Thus, Uther had to have her."
Then, Merlin continued narrating Uther's final decisions and Britain's ultimate struggles.
As the mysteries of Britain began to rapidly dissipate, the gods departed from this land, and even the fantasy beings gradually found it difficult to adapt to the environment, all entering the Reverse Side of the World.
But what would happen when the land favored by the gods suddenly lost its divinity?
The foundational mysteries began to crumble rapidly. All of Britain found itself in a state of turbulence, with mysteries fading and agricultural yields declining.
The aging Uther could no longer manage the overall situation; the succession of the throne had become an urgent matter. But… what kind of king could bear such a situation?
So Uther said, "If a man won't do, then let it be a dragon."
With life and magical energy far exceeding that of humans, the powerful being closest to divinity would certainly have no problem shouldering the burden. Hence, Uther and Merlin devised a plan for the ideal king... Arthur.
They killed the Duke of Cornwall, who sought to exploit the power of the red dragon to dominate Britain, swiftly captured Igraine, and then let Merlin and other magus jointly refine her red dragon bloodline, enabling Arthur to inherit it perfectly, becoming the ultimate being combining both king and dragon lineage.
However, this plan encountered unimaginable discrepancies; the man originally planned suddenly turned into a woman.
Artoria was not a boy, and the inherited power of the red dragon was not as formidable as expected, falling short of Uther's vision for the ideal king. But with the plan already at this stage, they clearly had no other choice.
With a sigh, Merlin continued to recount how he began to nurture this child and guide her to become a king.
He also recalled the journey across Britain before she ascended the throne.
That ridiculous yet interesting experience still lingered vividly in his memory.
Holding the Caliburn, traversing town after town, rescuing suffering people, slaying evil dragons, and continuously winning hearts throughout the journey.
The antics of Sir Kay, along with the youthful appearance of Artoria at that time, made that journey truly unforgettable for Merlin.
Later, due to the schemes of a certain woman, the Caliburn is broken, and Merlin is forced to borrow (or deceive) the Excalibur from Avalon and give it to Artoria. This act, while granting her greater strength, also burdened her with a heavier mission.
Unsurprisingly, with the Excalibur in hand, King Arthur became even more invincible, showcasing her unstoppable power in multiple battles against the Saxons, thoroughly defeating foreign enemies and resolving the issue of foreign invasion in Britain. Afterward, she borrowed Rhongomyniad to defeat the White Dragon of Britain, Vortigern, completing the magnificent achievements of King Arthur.
Everything seemed so perfect. Even if she wasn't as powerful as anticipated, she did her best as a king.
However, fate ultimately did not spare Britain, nor was it willing to spare this girl who bore it all.
With the true ideal king emerging, the entire nation fell into a kind of blindness. They began to blindly trust everything about this king.
The king is perfect; the king will not err. As long as they follow the king, there is no need to think too much, and they will attain brilliance and glory.
This placed all the pressure and responsibility squarely on the fragile shoulders of Artoria.
Along with the incidents involving Lancelot and Guinevere, the matters concerning Mordred ultimately crushed this king.
"Due to the fading of mystery, the land of Britain became even more barren; in the end, no food could be grown. Yet the military that protected Britain was indispensable. Thus, Artoria resorted to sacrificing the few to save the many, constantly increasing taxes from towns to maintain normalcy. The downside of this method was that it accumulated public resentment, causing her to lose the people's hearts."
"When these unruly people discovered that the king was not as great as they thought and that she could not save everyone, the scene of the wall collapsing and everyone pushing began to unfold."
"Since Gilgamesh separated humans from the gods, the destruction of Britain had already become inevitable. Artoria knew this all too well, but all she wanted was a peaceful departure, to quietly leave with all the people of Britain, not to die amidst their turmoil."
Recalling Artoria's fate, Merlin's face showed traces of sadness, and it seemed as if something in his chest was aching.
"I still cannot forget the land trampled by hooves and war, along with the cries of despair and sorrow emitted by that girl. Thus, Britain came to an end."
"When I saw that expression on Artoria's face, I wondered if I had made a mistake?"
"If I hadn't assisted King Uther in such absurd matters, this girl would not have had to endure so much suffering. This was the first time I experienced human emotions... regret."
"Yet even so, this king never gave up on Britain. Even in death, she pursued that miracle... the Holy Grail, even selling herself to Alaya, embarking on a tragic cycle of endlessly chasing the Holy Grail."
"After that, I began to observe every Holy Grail War, continually making influences, sending the scabbard into the world, and choosing a more suitable Master for Artoria, just to allow her to achieve redemption. This is also the reason I could observe you in Fuyuki City."
"But you cannot contend against Alaya; even possessing the Clairvoyance cannot resist fate. You are likely also under the control of the Counter Force."
"That's right; I cannot deny that. Clairvoyance is merely a trick, not rare in the Age of Gods, and naturally, it cannot deal with Alaya."
"But did I not find you?" Merlin smiled slightly.
"You are the key."
"We belong to this world, a part of the Akashic Records of this timeline. The trajectory of fate has already formed, and it cannot be resisted."
"But you are different; although you are pitifully weak, your status is genuine. Arriving from another record, transcending this timeline's trajectory... Foreigner."
"Arriving?" Roy was momentarily stunned.
"Of course. To some extent, your status is not inferior to those of Outer Gods. Although your strength is far from theirs, what they can accomplish, you can as well... like changing something."
"I hope you can wake Artoria from this futile dream, letting her realize that the Holy Grail cannot bring salvation, and actively letting go of her absurd wishes." At this point, Merlin paused and made his request, "Even if the means are somewhat crude, it matters not."
"So you want me to go against the Counter Force?" Roy looked at him with a face full of disbelief, his mouth twitching involuntarily.
"I may not fully understand the significance of the Foreigner status, but I'm not a fool. Following your reasoning, I merely exist in a form close to Foreigner, without any revolutionary power. Are you urging me to confront the Counter Force? Is this a death wish?"
"Heh, I am well aware of that. Rest assured, I will provide the necessary assistance, and you have long been unable to extricate yourself." Merlin smiled faintly, hinting at a conspiracy.
"What do you mean?"
"Quite simple. This planet is the domain of the Counter Force, everything within it is managed in an orderly manner, and you are an outsider who might cause changes here. Do you think the Counter Force would trust an existence like you?" Merlin shook his head and continued.
"Of course, if you possessed power equal to those Outer Gods, capable of easily overturning nature and destroying planets, the Counter Force would not easily tear its face to confront you as long as you did not go too far. But you don't; you have status but lack their power, so you are merely a paper tiger. Do you think the Counter Force will easily let you off?"
"…"
Roy stared at him seriously, "Are you saying that no matter how I evade the world, the Counter Force will inevitably act against me? I must face them."
"Isn't that obvious? After all, no one wants to leave a hidden danger in their own backyard."
"In this Holy Grail War, if you appear in front of other Servants, you will surely face their hostility because they will instinctively develop aversion towards you. You can say you will be surrounded by enemies, and also…"
As he spoke halfway, Merlin pointed to the calm surface of the water beneath his feet, which rippled once more.
In the image, the figure of Amakusa Shirou became clearly visible, currently holding a black book in his hands, wandering around Fuyuki City as if searching for some trace.
"Amakusa Shirou Tokisada? Why is he here?"
Seeing that boy's figure, Roy could no longer remain calm. He turned his head to look at Merlin and inquired about the reason.
Having reached this point, Merlin naturally would not continue to hide, responding, "Isn't it obvious? His wish is to achieve salvation for all humanity, wanting to transform all humans in the world into similar phantasmal beings, which is tantamount to purifying the world."
"So a certain Counter Force that has never been friendly to humanity greatly likes him, and this time he was chosen as one of the agents."
"Since Ruler has already appeared, I think you should be clearer than I am about the other agent of the Counter Force…"
After listening to Merlin's account, Roy slumped back onto the sofa in silence for a long while before speaking.
"... Then what is the price?"
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