The old priest's body collapsed into the black magic, his blood dyeing the ground crimson before being greedily absorbed by the swirling darkness. Yet his eyes remained open. How could he close them after being slain by his own child?
The black magic devoured the old priest's vitality and latent magic power as if it had a will of its own.
"Let me be born, medium, body…"
Kirei watched the consuming darkness with a faint, almost serene smile. This was the man who had loved him. So this—this was the sensation of killing the person you loved. The joy in his heart, though present, was not as intoxicating as the delight he derived from witnessing the suffering of others.
But it was enough. The answer he sought had finally revealed itself. He was indeed a born "monster." How amusing that such a monster had once been loved by a woman.
Is this the pleasure the Hero King spoke of? The true self he described? But it was too late—the Hero King had already departed.
Kirei's fingers caressed the black magic coiling around him like a living snake. His teacher, Tohsaka Tokiomi, would not die so easily.
"Be good, and I will let you be born."
At the Tohsaka residence, the smoke and dust had finally cleared. Balin looked at King Arthur standing before him and exhaled slowly. He had never expected it to be truly Arthur. Then, glancing at Irisviel, he remarked, "You hid that well… you actually summoned two Heroic Spirits. But I must thank you too. Without your actions, the two most difficult would not have withdrawn as they did."
Merlin smiled faintly, raising his hands. What came next would be a civil war among them. All were from the same era, and he, pulled out merely to maintain numbers, did not intend to intervene actively.
"In any case, you've dealt with the current threat. There are still four days until the end of the Holy Grail War. Take a day or two to rest. There will still be time to decide the winner. As I said before, I have no interest in the Holy Grail itself. But if you need an arbitrator, I am willing to assume that role."
Balin cast a glance at the Merlin from the past and nodded silently. Their efforts today had been immense. They had eliminated the two most dangerous Heroic Spirits, though deliberately holding back at first to let the King of Conquerors and the Hero King exhaust each other.
For the victory of the Holy Grail War, they had no regrets.
Turning to Waver, Balin said, "My Master instructed that if your Servant retires, I should take you under my charge. You'll learn from my Master, and we'll discuss compensation for retrieving the Relic."
Waver, still reeling from the King of Conquerors' exit, widened his eyes. Balin, unconcerned with the boy's reaction, grabbed him by the collar and hoisted him onto his shoulders.
Waver struggled, legs swinging wildly. Balin frowned, slapping him lightly on the rear. "Be quiet. My Master won't eat you. Hah… your rear is still rather firm."
After a last glance at the others, Balin vanished with a few bounds, intent on finding Kayneth to discuss their next tactics.
Merlin bowed respectfully to Artoria, who met his gaze with a gentle nod. At the battlefield's conclusion, she had known her teacher had predicted this ending long ago. Now, witnessing it confirmed repeatedly, she chose to accept it.
As King Arthur, Artoria bore no resentment toward Merlin. Instead, she had a question.
"Merlin… my teacher, the great magician who witnessed the sword of the King being drawn… I ask you now, as King Arthur, you must answer honestly."
Merlin bowed, just as he had 1,500 years prior. "As long as it concerns nothing regarding the Holy Grail War, my King, I will answer honestly in the name of the Flower Magician."
Artoria inhaled deeply. She had confirmed repeatedly with the Servant Aslan, but Aslan remained unyielding. She would not press him further. Merlin had been present when they first appeared and had even accompanied Aslan. The Sword of the Chosen King had been placed there by Merlin himself, so he must know the answer.
"Teacher Merlin… did the Sword of the Chosen King recognize Brother Aslan?"
Merlin's forehead beaded with sweat. "Ah… well…"
How could he answer? He had, after all, concealed this fact 1,500 years ago to consolidate Artoria's reign. As he recalled, he and Aslan had signed a magical agreement before the end of the Holy Grail War. Unless fatally wounded, dissolving his body and returning to the Tower of Paradise was impossible.
Without using the Command Spell, he could not predict what he might face in the next four days. Too much time had passed, and he barely remembered the details of the contract. Yet now… it was safe to reveal the truth.
Merlin allowed a slight, mischievous thought to flicker in his mind: he longed to see Aslan's reaction to being teased by his cousin. He shook it off. Artoria, speaking as King Arthur, demanded honesty—he could not deceive her.
"Very well… it can be revealed now. Yes. Before you approached the Sword of the Chosen King, Aslan did draw it. The Sword of Glorious Victory in his hand now is, indeed, the Sword of the Chosen King."
-End Chapter-
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