Type-Moon: Root Seiko

So the question arises: before Ishtar, what other factors caused this world to deviate from pan-human history?

“Artoria,” Rozen said, reaching out to the attentive Knight King, “you are also one of the factors that led to this world becoming a singularity.”

"You are not a hero of this world."

“Tell me: In your life, you have always been a woman and taken up the Holy Lance.”

"That unfilial son Mordred will still betray us, so let's just leave it at that."

"Has Lancelot, your First Knight of the Round Table, betrayed you?"

Chapter 109 A Short Story about King Arthur

"No, Sir Lancelot has never betrayed anyone."

Artoria answered Rozen without hesitation, her words carrying a genuine calmness.

She had a premonition of the problem, like misaligned gears.

“…Huh?” Irisviel was stunned for a moment before she finally realized what was happening.

She was certainly familiar with the legend of King Arthur.

They also know about the "Lancelot Rebellion," which served as the starting point of the Great Collapse.

Lancelot, the most powerful and perfect knight among King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table, was exposed for having an affair with Queen Guinevere, which enraged the king.

Legend has it that King Arthur ordered a trial by fire to test his queen. If she burned to death, it would confirm her guilt of adultery.

To save his lover, Knight Lancelot charged toward the execution ground in a near-mad frenzy, killing several of his fellow Knights of the Round Table along the way.

This astonishing act directly led to the disintegration of the Round Table, which in turn triggered the rebellion of the rebellious knight Mordred, causing King Arthur to perish together with his rebellious son Mordred while isolated and helpless.

...This is the approximate version that has been passed down through the ages.

It's just that the story of King Arthur is inherently mixed with many legends and later embellishments.

There's even a claim that the character "Lancelot" was added later, making it difficult to determine whether it's true or not.

"So I thought it was all embellishment by later generations." Irisviel seemed a little dazed. "Because Artoria, you're a girl, right? How could you have such complicated emotional issues that common people and poets love to deal with? Even Lancelot might be a fake..."

"No. Lancelot existed, and the knights of the Round Table were real. At least in my history."

Artoria lowered her eyes and thought for a while.

She knew she had to make things clear.

"In my life, from the moment I drew the Stone Sword and declared myself King of Britain as the rightful heir, to the moment I slew Vortigern the White Dragon and established the Camelot dynasty, it took ten years."

"After the dynasty had initially stabilized, my queen Guinevere suggested: 'It would be dishonest to spend the rest of my life presenting a false image to my subjects.' I thought she was right, so I chose to return the Holy Sword to the elves and instead took up the Holy Lance."

"What's your reason for marrying Guinevere?" Luo Zhen asked gossipily, feigning ignorance.

“A political marriage,” Artoria said. “Guinevere’s father was the king of a small country who swore allegiance to my father. The round table that later symbolized the equal treatment of knights was also part of her dowry from her father.”

“Guinevere provided tremendous help in the establishment of Camelot, and it is no exaggeration to say that she was the mistress of the dynasty. Marrying her was my duty... but also a torment to her. I feel very sorry for her.”

The audience thought this knight king was being far too self-reflective.

Her sincerity was impeccable, but the fact that it happened made it seem like the sacrifice was inevitable.

But it was this decision to take up the Holy Lance that changed everything.

“The Holy Sword halted my body, granting me eternal youth, which also made it convenient for me to disguise myself as a man,” she said. “But I never expected that the Holy Lance would have the opposite properties.”

"The Holy Lance, as the anchor of the star, is filled with the divine energy of the planet itself. If the Holy Sword is a weapon used to consume the dragon veins, then the Holy Lance is a sealing tool to seal the dragon veins."

"Because of its abundant divine power, my body is growing rapidly. And I have also realized that if I continue to wield the Holy Lance, my mind and body will be completely transformed, turning me into a cold and ruthless god."

"That's about right, isn't it? As far as the 'goddess' image is concerned." Yuzhu said indifferently.

This made Artoria chuckle and nod in agreement.

This "goddess" is not the same as the capricious nature goddess Ishtar.

Artoria will be transformed into a cold-blooded device called God, whose actions are driven solely by rationality, devoid of emotion.

That would contradict Artoria's original intention to become a queen, and that kingdom would no longer belong to humans.

Therefore, Artoria began a plan: to overthrow the Camelot dynasty.

“That took another ten years,” she said.

"During the battle against the Roman emperor who came across the sea, Sir Gawain, the second best of the Knights of the Round Table, was seriously injured and I ordered him to retire."

"Now that my female identity is no longer hidden, and the Camelot dynasty has stabilized, I have formally ended my marriage to Guinevia, which was merely a formality, and sent her back to her father's territory."

"Because of Sister Morgan Lefebvre's unbridled scheming, I publicly executed her, piercing her heart with the Holy Lance."

"Finally, because the Grail Knight Galahad, after finding the Grail, not only failed to bring it back but also went to heaven with it, I used this as grounds to expel his father Lancelot and demote him to a commoner."

“You’re deliberately instigating a rebellion,” Luo Zhen concluded for her.

Artoria nodded calmly.

Camelot cannot become another nation ruled by a goddess; that would be suicidal in the context of the decline of the divine age.

But the Knights of the Round Table were too powerful.

This group of people must find a legitimate way to change their identities and continue living in the human realm.

The method is quite simple: all the king needs to do is become a tyrant.

This is nothing unusual; similar cases abound throughout history.

“I have made myself all alone. The Knights of the Round Table have become Mordred’s absolute power, and many soldiers have joined her ranks.”

"Then, just as planned, Mordred rebelled while I was on the front lines fighting in Europe."

"I hastily withdrew my troops to quell the rebellion, but ultimately I was outnumbered and perished along with Mordred... In my dying moments, I asked a loyal knight to send the Holy Lance back to the ends of the earth, to ensure that no one would ever touch this divine weapon again."

"Who will rule after Camelot? Isn't Mordred enough?" Luo Zhen asked.

She shook her head again: "No, Mordred doesn't have that talent."

"My sister, who faked her death, agreed to my request. She will act as the one to choose the new king and raise a new heir to rule the country."

"Gawain, who has retired, and his sister Gareth have lived a peaceful life in the countryside."

"Lancelot, whom I excommunicated, should be living happily ever after with Guinevere now."

This is the life story of Artoria, who wields the Holy Lance; everything that can be said has been told.

The girls from Luo Zhen's family looked at each other, their expressions somewhat subtle, unsure of what to say.

Everyone had a lot to say about her, feeling that what she did was somewhat outrageous, but they didn't know where to begin.

Finally, it was Luo Zhen who spoke.

“Therefore, your world has been predetermined.” Luo Zhen concluded, “Artoria, you are a drifter of the Lostbelt world that has been predetermined, not a Heroic Spirit of this world.”

"..." Artoria's expression turned serious.

"Your sister Morgan must have been cursing you for not understanding people's hearts, but at the same time, she faithfully fulfilled your wishes and protected Camelot generation after generation," Luo Zhen said.

"Then such a stable, eternal city will surely be destroyed. Morgan can't possibly hand over the country to humans; after all, she's a witch."

“Indeed.” Yuzhu immediately agreed, sharing a mutual appreciation with the ancient great witch.

As it turns out, Artoria really did lack the ability to judge people.

Why entrust the country to Morgan of all people?

In the end, she still couldn't understand what kind of person her sister was or what she wanted.

“So, you were used.” Luo Zhen then looked at Irisviel.

"The Einzbern family found the Gravedigger clan in this world who possesses the Holy Lance. They forcibly established a connection with you using this relic, summoning you from the Lostbelt."

"But this only exacerbated the anomaly. The suppressor made a mistake, and the world took another step toward a singularity... until the stupid goddess sat down and confirmed the singularity."

"Are you really going to grab my butt?! Besides, I've never sat on it before! And it's not heavy at all!!" Ishtar was furious.

“…Is that so? All my plans were in vain?” Artoria murmured to herself.

After learning about the Arthurian legend of this world, Artoria did find many inconsistencies and harbored a lingering suspicion.

It wasn't until Luo Zhen made his judgment that she finally realized the truth.

Ultimately, I failed to understand people's hearts and harmed many others.

"I'm so sorry, Sister Wang, for entrusting her with such an unsuitable burden," she whispered.

King Arthur, the Holy Lance, never harbored resentment towards anyone until the very end.

They would only feel that they hadn't done enough and owed everyone something.

She hasn't become a god yet.

But they are already very far away from people.