Zongman, the journey begins from the wrong place

Artoria couldn't help but narrow her eyes slightly and secretly glanced at the boy next to her with the corner of her eyes, a hint of danger flashing in her emerald green eyes.

"Hmm? What are you looking at me for? Do you want to try it too?"

Noah, who was eating candy, felt the gaze and turned his head, looking at Altria with confusion.

Seeing that, Artoria couldn't help but twitch the corners of her mouth.

Even she herself couldn't figure out whether she cared about Noah's overly innocent look, or whether she still had room for candy after eating a meal that was just as large as her own.

Well, at least in terms of appetite, she, Altria, admitted that the other party had the character of a king.

"No need to come, just savor it slowly..."

After struggling for a while, Altria finally couldn't suppress the surging thoughts in her heart.

"Noah, is this really okay? After all, that's the world you spent half your life saving—don't you care at all?"

Although she was asking others, the first person to be tortured was Artoria's own heart.

The endless sea of corpses and blood on the Jianlan battlefield seemed to appear before her eyes, and Artoria's heart felt as if it was being bitten by countless poisonous snakes.

After finally coming back to her senses, Altria met Noah's deep gaze and couldn't help but feel a sense of emptiness as if her heart had been seen through.

"Noah, I..."

"I know what you mean, Leah."

Noah swallowed the small candy in his mouth that was so sweet that it made him feel sick. He looked into the distance and watched the sea level surging under the moon.

"I've made many mistakes and killed many people. In a sense, the most lives have been lost at my hands... But I have no regrets, because I am confident that no one can do better than me."

The sharp sea breeze made Noah's calm voice a little hazy.

To Artoria, it sounded like it came from the other side of the world.

"Liya, you're a good person. Good people always take all the responsibility on themselves, always thinking that they didn't do their best and want to do it again, or want to give way to others... But in my opinion, this is a very irresponsible idea."

Noah's voice was calm and ethereal, but it made Altria shudder all over, as if her heart was being pinched by an invisible hand, and her face turned slightly pale.

"No, irresponsible?"

Noah seemed unaware of Altria's abnormality and continued looking into the distance, but his eyes inadvertently swept across the nearby high-rise buildings.

"Liya, the gaps between people are often predetermined by nature. The strong are destined to dominate the fate of the weak! This is because the responsibilities a person can bear are also constant. Some people can only be responsible for themselves, while others have already done their best to shoulder the responsibility for their families. If they take on even a little more, they will collapse..."

Noah withdrew his gaze from afar and looked at Artoria.

"You have to know that the vast majority of people in this world are ignorant and incompetent. As the strongest, if you and I entrust the responsibility of deciding the fate of the world to others, wouldn't that be irresponsible to these billions of lives?"

Looking at those eyes that seemed to see through her heart, Artoria wanted to refute, but was swallowed by the feeling of powerlessness that emerged from the depths of her heart.

What was the most direct cause of Camelot's fall?

Isn't it just Mordred's rebellion and rebellion?

It’s not that Altria can’t feel her admiration for her, but this is actually one of the reasons why she can’t acknowledge her.

That childish child was simply unable to shoulder such a heavy responsibility as the rise and fall of a kingdom.

If you are going to fall into purgatory, then just let yourself bear the pain.

She wanted to help others become kings as a knight, but could anyone really do better than her?

No, there isn't.

When Artoria realized this, she was even surprised why she hadn't realized it before.

Maybe she had already realized it, but just couldn't accept it.

Because if you don’t know who to entrust the power to, it means that you can only continue to sit on the throne.

But Altria has really reached her limit, and she is not sure if she can do better if she does it again.

Although Noah did not attack or deny her, the future he described fundamentally denied his own wishes.

For Altria, this was a blow more cruel than anything else.

Looking at Altria, whose aura was a little turbid and disordered, a hint of displeasure flashed across Noah's eyes.

The moment Noah saw the blonde girl from afar, he felt the fighting spirit that had been dormant in him for a long time surge up, so he took the initiative to come over and talk to her.

As a result, now he looks so depressed.

If she remains in this state, there is not much point in killing her.

Although Noah could basically guess that Leah probably had a similar experience to his.

But this doesn't mean he will sympathize or understand - I've already wasted more than a year in this world, and the long-awaited battle is finally about to begin, but now this happens?

What’s the difference between this and going shopping, watching a movie, eating, buying a bag, and checking into a hotel, and then suddenly saying you want to go home while taking a shower?

"Liya, don't you understand? People like you and me are destined to have no source of happiness. If even we can't bear this pain and regret, who else in the world can bear it? It's better to give up your childish fantasy."

The voice, without any sarcasm but more aggressive because of its straightforwardness, echoed in her ears. To Altria, it was like the devil's temptation, with a magic power that penetrated people's hearts.

She raised her head and stared at Noah, suddenly realizing how dangerous her situation was.

After lunch, although Altria no longer showed her guard against Noah, she actually never let her guard down.

But just now, although it was only about ten seconds, I did let my guard down.

At such a close distance, these ten seconds could kill you several times.

Altria didn't think that Noah had missed this opportunity.

On the contrary, he was deliberately reminding himself in an attempt to free himself from the loss.

...This person really came to chat with me, not to gather information or take advantage of the opportunity to attack me.

No, it should be said that this person did not come for the Holy Grail.

why?

What does he want to do?

This doubt even overwhelmed the despair in Altria's heart for a short period of time.

"Noah, what do you want to do?"

"Me? Didn't I tell you all about it? I'm just here for a good fight!"

In fact, in the past few hours, Altria had heard Noah say this many times, but she just didn't take it seriously.

Fighting the Holy Grail War but not for the Holy Grail?

If you don't go back to the Throne of Heroes to live a life of idleness and wait for death, what are you waiting

But this time, Artoria really believed it.

The person in front of me really came here just to fight.

No wonder it was Berserker.

Although he was sane and had not fallen into madness, his mental will was probably fundamentally different from that of ordinary people.

For an extreme madman, the spiritual pollution brought by the job agency is probably just a few drops of water in the ocean, right?

But this crazy warrior who should have been intimidating actually made Artoria a little dazed.

Perhaps people are just so complicated. On the one hand, they resist the interference of their strong will, but on the other hand, they can't help but be infected by it.

The kind of determination that seems to never get lost, never retreat, and never hesitate is itself something that makes people yearn for it.

Then, she suddenly remembered a sentence from her former loyal subordinate - 'King Arthur does not understand the human heart'.

At one point, Artoria thought that this was an accusation that she was not doing a perfect job as a king.

But now she realized what she had done wrong.

If everyone in the world is rational and fair, then King Arthur, who is absolutely rational, absolutely perfect, and absolutely fair, is what they need most.

But as Noah said, most people in the world are ignorant and incompetent.

Expecting them to bear the hardships and pain of choosing the right path like herself is a dereliction of duty on the part of Altria.

It's like really letting children choose their own path, which is extremely irresponsible.

Children need sweet water to comfort them, and the subjects of the kingdom need a king who can drive, whip and control them.

However, I probably can't be such a king...

But what if it was Noah?

He himself is a brave man who once saved the world, so he must be well-versed in governing the country.

He also possesses the kingly spirit that makes people yearn to follow. Isn't he more suitable to be the king of Camelot than that rebellious girl Mordred?

More importantly, his understanding of the world makes him more suitable to be king than himself.

Once this idea was born, it spread like wildfire in Artoria's mind, and she couldn't help herself.

What? The Holy Grail?

That was just the choice made by the desperate Altria.

In fact, there is no universal wishing machine in the world. In the final analysis, it is just a different way of using magic. Artoria herself is very aware of this.

Could this thing, which was produced thousands of years after the Age of Gods had faded, actually reverse the trend of the Age of Gods' fading?

So, she swept away her previous decadence and began to look Noah up and down with burning eyes.

This time, it was Noah's turn to hesitate.

"Hmm? Li-Liya?"

Who would understand? You were chatting happily, but suddenly the other person looked at you in a scary way, as if he or she wanted to eat you.

"...Let me introduce myself again. Leah is just my nickname. My name is Artoria Pendragon, the Knight King who once ruled the Kingdom of Camelot! The world also calls me King Arthur!"

Looking at the smiling Altria, Noah felt his consciousness was stuck for a moment.

Knight King?

King Arthur?

Isn’t that a big man?

"You?! King Arthur?"

"Ok!"

The girl in a black suit showed Noah a heroic and clear smile, which even dazzled him.

People of Britain, are you blind?

How did you record such a pretty girl as a big man?!

However, after rubbing his eyes, Noah finally chose to believe the other party.

There's no reason to lie to yourself in a place like this, right?

"Um, Your Excellency King Arthur——"

"It's right to call me Leah! People have called me Leah since before I became king!"

Isn't this the point?

"Okay, Leah, why are you telling me this all of a sudden?"

I was hiding well all the way, why is it suddenly exposed now?

Broken?

Don’t do that kind of thing!

The situation was completely different from the previous one, with the attack and defense of the aliens. Artoria took a step closer to Noah and grabbed his hand.

"Noah-kun, my wish for participating in the Holy Grail War is to return to the day before the King Selection and save Camelot from destruction... But I suddenly realized that if I want to save Camelot, I'm afraid I can't do it without you!"

Silence, silence is the Mion River Bridge tonight.

"……what?"

Perhaps it was because of the biting winter wind or her excitement, but Altria's face turned slightly red, and her eyes sparkled like stars.

"Let me be frank, Noah-kun. Win the Holy Grail War with me, return to the day of the King Selection, and then I'll help you ascend the throne and help you govern the country. How about that?!"