Davidian's Holy Grail War

Davian treated Tristan with the respect due to a brother, and Tristan regarded Davian as a brother for life. But now, because of their lord, an indelible rift has formed between them.

Tristan remained silent, unable to answer Davidian's question.

After his initial anger subsided, David realized that Lord Tristan, known for his sensitivity, must have sensed something.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have left Camelot so easily. As for that "the king doesn't understand people's hearts," that was probably just a thoughtless remark from that brat.

“Tell me your reasons.” After thinking it through, David’s expression became complicated. “You’re not the kind of person who’s dissatisfied with the king’s character. You must have your reasons for leaving. Tell me, I want to hear them.”

“Lord David An…” Tristan felt a surge of emotion welling up from the bottom of his heart. In fact, he was now regretting saying such a thing before leaving.

But what's done is done. When he said that, with his intelligence, he could already imagine the extent of the impact it would have on the King and the entire Round Table.

“I can no longer tolerate it. The king is undoubtedly an excellent, just, and honest king.”

But the king's duties leave no room for the king's emotions. Isn't a king who constantly fights while suppressing himself more miserable than anyone else?

This is so heartbreaking, this is so utterly unbearable to witness!

Tears streamed down Tristan's face; the most sentimental knight wept bitterly at this moment because of his king's plight.

It is precisely because it is correct that it is so horrific. It is precisely because it is correct that it appears so tragic. Tristan before him could no longer bear to witness any of this; his mind had reached its limit.

David could sense this; he understood Tristan's thoughts. But it was all the King's own choice; for Britain, sometimes you have to give up a lot.

“I understand your heart, Lord Tristan. You are undoubtedly a knight loyal to the King, but at this moment you cannot endure it any longer. And you know that the King will not change anything for the sake of Britain, so you have no choice but to flee…”

David initially expressed his understanding, suggesting that Tristan might develop mental health issues if things continued this way.

"However, your thoughtless and careless remarks are the reason for your punishment. I—Lord Camelot—must punish your insolence here!"

Therefore, Davian had to raise his sword against Tristan, because it was his duty.

Chapter 144 Shadow

When Wincenrib arrived with his men, all they could see was Tristan lying on the ground, still bleeding, and David, whose body was stained with the blood of his fellow Round Table members.

Davidian stood there, saying nothing. Only when Wincenrib approached did Davidian say, "Take Tristan with you, return to Camelot, and heal his wounds. Then send him back to Cornwall to recover; he needs rest."

Vincenrib nodded and then helped Tristan into the carriage. His sword wounds prevented him from riding, but thankfully Vincenrib had considered this and brought the carriage along as well. It came in handy now.

The remaining soldiers had already begun treating the seriously wounded Tristan's wounds. After David finished explaining how to deal with Tristan, he didn't say anything more. He just looked at Tristan's blood on the ground with an unusually desolate expression.

"Do you think I went too far?" Davidian asked Wincenrib without turning around.

“This is necessary. To criticize the king without any basis simply because someone is a Knight of the Round Table is utterly disrespectful, and even the death penalty would not be too much.”

Wincenrib didn't think that Davian had done anything wrong. As a close friend of many years, he knew very well that Davian and King Arthur were right to do so.

To protect Britain, King Arthur suppressed his desire not to exploit his people. They all knew that without collecting sufficient taxes to bolster their military, they would be powerless to protect the nation—the worst-case scenario.

But someone has to do this, and it is because someone did this that the saying "The king doesn't understand people's hearts" is accepted.

But in fact, those of them in the glorious and eternally existing legion understood that the king was not ignorant, but rather that he understood everything yet had to do it, which was the most regrettable thing.

This era, this land, did not give King Arthur the space to fully show compassion for the people.

"Thank you, Winge Lieb. You always soothe my heart and help me stop overthinking those unnecessary things."

Davidian forced a smile and said, "I'm going back to Camelot now. You can take care of the rest."

“Yes,” Winchenrib replied, then watched as David Ann walked into the dark space. From his back, he could tell that David Ann looked somewhat forlorn.

After David returned, he ended his apology to Bedivere and went to find Agravain.

He asked Agravan to keep an eye on how the knights would react to the matter, but to his dismay, no one blamed Tristan.

Even Wang himself didn't react much to this matter.

In this dark age, the more perfect she was as the queen, the more the knights doubted their monarch.

Davidian even heard an even more discordant voice—that a person without feelings cannot rule.

He wanted to immediately order the arrest of those who spread these words, but in the end he restrained himself. Our king is not a tyrant like Vortigern, and the knights should not be punished for their words.

But he was always angry. Why didn't these guys understand? Why did they say such things? Couldn't these noble knights use their shrunken brains to think about why the king had to work so hard?

However, David was helpless. After Lord Tristan was sent back to Cornwall to recover from his injuries, several other knights returned to their own territories and never came back.

David accepted the outcome in silence and didn't say anything more.

He was patrolling the city wall as usual today, but he was surprised when he started to climb the steps.

Our King and Queen were standing together on the city wall waiting for him, both dressed simply. However, our King was still wearing armor and a cloak, as is the standard attire for the Round Table.

"I'll go on patrol with you today. I've been a bit more relaxed lately, not as busy as usual."

When Artoria spoke, Davidian already realized that recent events had left her feeling somewhat weary. Otherwise, she wouldn't have said that; she wouldn't hide her worries from Davidian.

The princess was about to bow to David, but David gestured that it was unnecessary. Then David said to Artoria, "Let's talk as friends later, regardless of whether we're subjects or rulers."

“Okay.” Artoria’s response was simple, and the three of them walked side by side on the city wall.

"Don't take recent events to heart. Sometimes there's just no other way. If people could live a better life, you wouldn't need to do these things. In this chaotic era, it's a necessary measure."

David chose to get straight to the point, without beating around the bush. As friends, they should be straightforward.

Artoria simply smiled: "I know. I heard that when you heard Tristan say that, you were so angry that you knocked over your teacup, and Bedivere was stunned. To be honest, I didn't expect you to be so angry."

David turned and glared at her with displeasure before saying, "If it's a joke, or a description of me, I certainly won't mind. But I can't allow anyone to slander your reputation like that, even if he's Tristan, one of my best friends."

"So you slashed him, and I heard he was badly injured. Didn't you control your strength?"

Artoria couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh as she said this; she truly hadn't expected David to be so angry.

"He didn't fight back, and I just got slashed at him for nothing. If I hadn't stopped in time, I probably would have cleaved him in two. Luckily, things didn't turn out badly..."

Alas, poor Tristan. Perhaps it's understandable that someone as sensitive and emotional as him would react this way.

Davidian could only sigh. He had thought he would fight Tristan with all his might, but Tristan, who was in a state of confusion and great pain, was hit by his sword. Davidian was dumbfounded.

Then Davidian remembered something else, and before he could speak, Artoria interrupted him:

"Those knights who have returned to their own territories, let's leave them be. Some things are just beyond our control. It's unavoidable that I'll be blamed; this year will probably be another year of famine for the land."

If the Holy Grail isn't found, there's a real possibility that some regions might not even find anything by the year after next.

The thought of that scene only added to David and Artoria's distress.

The two of them always had to worry about things that were difficult to change with human effort, after all, it was for the people of Britain, which was truly a distressing matter.

But just as they were chatting and laughing, the princess standing on the far left felt a strange emotion.

She felt superfluous here, at least next to the two people beside her.

Perhaps if it weren't for the need to present themselves as men, Artoria and Davian would be a more suitable couple? It's only because of their duties that they must maintain the status quo.

The idea arose in her mind and then lingered there.

At this moment, the princess, who had this idea, was shrouded in an even deeper shadow.

Chapter 145 Destiny

Countless years have passed since then, and this is now the tenth year since our king was crowned king.

Most of the knights who set out to find the Holy Grail for Britain returned empty-handed.

Despite creating many legends, they ultimately failed to find the crucial Holy Grail.

These past ten years have been very difficult for David Ann, and his hair has turned completely white.

This should have been a sad thing, but Davidian often smiled and told others that her hair was much prettier now.

But only a handful of people could understand the sorrow in his heart. The events of the past decade had caused him to suffer from a deep-seated emotional turmoil.

Percival, the pure knight who admired King Arthur more than anyone else and was highly regarded by David, died in his quest for the Holy Grail. (There is a bug here: The Court of Avalon states that Percival died while searching for the Holy Grail, while the new FGO setting states that Percival lived until the Lancelot incident.)

Galahad, the perfect knight, deeply loved by the members of the Round Table and King Arthur, who felt he could be entrusted with the next generation of the Round Table, obtained the Holy Grail.

But because he had no desires, he returned the Holy Grail to heaven, and he himself returned to heaven.

Camelot was saddened by the complete loss of hope in finding the Holy Grail, but it was a sadness worthy of honor.

Shortly after returning to Cornwall, Lord Tristan was poisoned in battle and subsequently died. Davidian attended his funeral, secretly weeping for his friend where no one could see him.

Many of the company commanders I knew from my glorious, permanent legion have either retired or died in battle.

The Saxons on the other side of the strait, after changing leaders, did not hesitate to betray their faith and continued to attempt to invade Britain.

Davidian's glorious Perpetual Legion paid a heavy price in blood and tears to stop them, thus preventing the flames of war from burning on their homeland.

Fortunately, there were some encouraging things. The young Silent Knight, Mordred, quickly distinguished himself after joining the Glorious Eternal Legion.

She had made significant achievements in both military strategy and political affairs, and David promoted her to an official position in Camelot. However, he later learned that she was also Morgan's child, a fact that left him genuinely somewhat helpless.

A round table, with no more than thirteen people in total, five of whom were Morgan's children... If it weren't for the king's great personal charisma, this would probably really be Morgan's round table instead of King Arthur's round table.

But Davidian still loved the child very much, even treating her the same way Gareth was treated. He practically gave them everything he knew.

Davidian imparted all his knowledge, insights, and experiences to the two of them.

With Galahad no longer around, Davidian placed his hopes on these two men to shoulder the future of the Round Table and Camelot. He had taught them everything he knew.

But over the years, Davidian still had to admit that he favored Gareth more, even to the point of spoiling him.