Glastonbury.
The name might not ring a bell for many, but it was home to one of Britain's most famous landmarks—the Tomb of King Arthur.
Even in Fate/Stay Night, Shirou Emiya had once visited this place.
Some scholars even speculated that Glastonbury was the legendary [Avalon] from the King Arthur mythos.
Upon arriving, however, one couldn't help but feel underwhelmed. Compared to the grandeur of Arthurian legends, the town itself was small and unassuming, tucked away in a remote corner of the country with a population of less than 9,000.
Standing on a grassy hill, the view was modest: sparse homes dotting the landscape and farmland nestled in the valley.
King Arthur's tomb itself appeared particularly plain.
On the flat grass stood a simple signpost that read:
"Site of the ancient graveyard where in 1191 the monks dug to find the tombs of Arthur and Guinevere."
The hem of her long skirt swayed in the breeze as Artoria stood before the marker, her piercing gaze fixed on it.
"Cú Chulainn, that idiot... He once told me to visit my own grave if I ever got the chance because it'd be 'fun.' What's so fun about this?"
She grumbled in annoyance.
Artoria had known about this place since her anime-watching days and had always wanted to visit, but traveling abroad had never been an option back then.
Now, it seemed she had a chance to fulfill that small wish. And fittingly, she was here as Artoria herself.
The last time she had descended into a world as Artoria (Ruler), it had been during a Holy Grail War in Romania. She hadn't had the time—or the opportunity—to visit Arthur's tomb back then, as the Counter Force promptly sent her back after her mission.
Incidentally, she'd heard that Cú Chulainn had visited his own grave during one of his summons and even taken photos as a memento. What a carefree guy.
Apparently, he'd even expressed a desire to visit Medb's grave someday, just to see it for himself. He'd also suggested to other Servants that they should check out their own graves if they ever had the chance.
And, of course, Cú Chulainn once visited this so-called Tomb of King Arthur, knocked over the signpost, and bragged about it—until Artoria Alter gave him a solid smack with [Excalibur Morgan].
Naturally, this tomb was a fake. If it had been real, it wouldn't have just been Artoria Alter chasing him down—every version of Artoria would've joined in.
In this world, however, the King Arthur myth was a fabricated legend.
It seemed that the witches of this world had once devised an audacious plan to summon the [Final King]—a mythic figure designed to serve as the culmination of their rituals. To achieve this, they created and widely propagated the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
But before their plan could be completed, the witches responsible for it were killed. The half-finished myth continued to spread, becoming refined over time until the Arthurian legends as we know them emerged.
Artoria had a rough idea of how her [Final King (Pseudo)] skill came to be. In essence, it was a loophole.
The myth of King Arthur was originally crafted to facilitate the Final King's descent into the world under the guise of Arthur.
In a sense, "Arthur is the Final King."
With the real Final King—Rama—slumbering elsewhere, this allowed Artoria to slip through the cracks of fate and take on the mantle of the Final King in this world.
It sounded nonsensical, but such conceptual sleights of hand were the bread and butter of magi.
Artoria knew the true identity of this world's Final King: Rama, the seventh avatar of Vishnu and the protagonist of the Indian epic Ramayana.
Don't let Fate/Grand Order fool you—while Rama might be a four-star Servant in the game, he was one of the most powerful heroes in Indian mythology, far surpassing Arjuna and Karna.
Had Artoria manifested in this world under Rama's Saint Graph, she wouldn't have been able to claim the Final King's power, as the role was already filled, even if Rama was currently dormant.
But this world lacked an Arthur.
The moment Artoria arrived, she was instantly recognized as King Arthur by this world's framework, inheriting the Arthurian divinity and becoming the [Final King (Pseudo)].
"When I remembered that the Arthurian legend in this world was a fabrication, I worried I wouldn't find this tomb. Turns out that knowledge is a closely guarded secret. Most people here still believe in the legend."
Rain often graced Glastonbury, and the breeze carried the earthy scent of wet soil. The verdant grasslands looked particularly vibrant.
After one last glance at "her own grave," Artoria turned and walked away without a hint of nostalgia.
After visiting the so-called Tomb of King Arthur, Artoria also stopped by the Chalice Well, the legendary resting place of the Holy Grail according to the tale of Joseph of Arimathea.
While her knowledge of Joseph was limited compared to King Arthur, she figured she might as well stop by. After all, you're already here, as the saying goes.
She didn't plan to leave graffiti behind, but at least she could look around. Otherwise, what was the point of coming?
It was a shame she didn't have a phone with her. A photo for the memories would've been nice.
"Ugh, I'm starving. I need to find a place to eat a hamburger. Seriously, hamburgers are amazing... Why didn't I realize their brilliance before?"
She sighed, picturing the Round Table knights scolding her if they were here.
"Good thing they aren't around. Otherwise, I can already imagine Sir Agravain and Sir Gawain lecturing me about proper decorum. Not that I'd listen to them, even if they were here."
With a shake of her head, she sighed again.
"That whole 'equality at the Round Table' nonsense is what made their constant nagging so unbearable. Honestly, my blue counterpart was way too uptight. If she was created as a Red Dragon, why not act like one—ruthless and tyrannical?"
Her mind wandered back to food.
"If hamburgers are this good, what about pancakes? They're supposed to be the king of junk food. Damn it, where can I even find some around here?"
Her stomach growled, and her expression soured.
Glastonbury was far too remote—there was no way she'd find a burger joint nearby. The nearest city was likely an hour's drive away.
While she could easily reach the city using her powers, the challenge was doing so discreetly. If she revealed herself, Campiones would swarm her like hounds on a scent.
And if a fight broke out, her grave would undoubtedly be destroyed in the crossfire.
Blowing up your own tomb in a fight? Just imagining it feels ridiculous.
---
...
Huh. You really stuck it out all the way to the end.
Didn't think you had the patience. Guess I was wrong.
WiseTL's the one who actually made all this come together. I'm just here putting a bow on it… or, well, shoving it in a backpack and calling it a day. Same thing.
If you had fun, you know what to do:
👉 [patreon.com/WiseTL]
Heads up—Patreon's 50% off for all tiers during May. So if you were on the fence? Now's the time.
And if you're the social type, there's a Discord too. Pretty decent spot to hang out—no battles required.
👉 [discord.gg/wisetl]
Alright. That's enough standing around. Go on—before you make it weird.
—Leaf