Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

The location is Ryudong Temple.

The night of the decisive battle has just ended, and we are now welcoming the moment before dawn.

"You've worked hard, Shirou... You really did your best."

She gently stroked Shirou's cheek as he slept.

The boy's sleeping face had a faint smile on it; was he dreaming of something happy?

"Saber..."

The suspicious female magician next to him suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

Only then did Saber realize that the dark magic that had been binding her had disappeared with Avanger's death.

But that's not the point. The point is that her body is also disappearing.

—The deadline has arrived.

With the Holy Grail War's conscription coming to an end, Saber is being called back to her origins by the Counterforce.

She picked up the red-haired baby in her arms and handed him to the pure white female magician.

"I'm entrusting Shirou to you... Merlin from another world."

This is my plea, please save this child.

Shirou overexerted himself in tonight's battle; in his current state, he probably won't live past 18.

However, if Shirou had her—the Grand Magician Merlin—as he grew up, he would definitely be saved.

Ms. Avalon nodded solemnly: "Even if you hadn't said it, I was already planning to do it."

"Leave Shirou to me, Arthur... it's about time you faced your own destiny."

"makes sense."

Artoria nodded gently, and then her body turned into light and disappeared.

When she regained consciousness, she was back under the familiar sky of her hometown.

"...In the end, I didn't even get to say goodbye properly to Shirou and the others."

The heavily wounded young queen leaned quietly against the base of the tree, as if she had just woken up from a long dream.

She knew very well that it wasn't a dream.

Although it was only a short seven days, it left her with an indelible memory.

We parted ways before we could even properly convey the words we wanted to say.

Although I don't quite understand human emotions, Shirou... I think I must like you too.

From the moment I first saw you, I could never take my eyes off you.

Ah... I should have just said those things honestly back then.

Artoria sighed in frustration and looked around.

Unlike other Servants, Saber's final resting place was not the Throne of Heroes, but the forest where she lived.

This is the tranquil forest that the Knight King finally arrived at after traversing the blood-stained land strewn with corpses.

In the recently concluded Battle of Camlann, Saber finally killed Mordred and defeated the rebels.

But she herself was also fatally wounded, and the kingdom was effectively destroyed in the rebellion.

Heartbroken and utterly hopeless, Artoria is seduced by the Counter Force and decides to seek the Holy Grail to save Britain in an infinite number of parallel worlds.

Normally, she should immediately participate in another new Holy Grail War as a Servant.

In an endless cycle devoid of time, she will continue to burn herself until her spirit turns to ashes...

Until King Arthur's soul transformed into the "gear of restraint".

However, just as Artoria was preparing to accept a new round of summons—

"Saber, your wish... is it to deny your own life?"

"I'm so disappointed..."

The words of a certain boy echoed in her mind, and Artoria's heart stopped.

I recalled an earlier conversation.

"Saber is so tense right now, it's unbearable to watch... It's time for you to learn to smile."

"Saber has been fighting for everyone until now—"

Since no one else is saying this to you, I'll say it myself!

“Shirou…I…” Artoria clenched her fists.

"That's enough, Saber... You've already tried your best."

You deserve the happiness you've brought to so many people.

Artoria's conviction began to waver.

That child, Shirou's last wish was...

"Since no one is willing to help Saber, then I'll do it myself—"

"I will help Saber obtain the Holy Grail... so please be happy this time."

After a long while, she took a deep breath.

Ignoring the seductive voice of the restraining force, she turned to the knight standing before her.

The valiant knights who could take on a thousand men are all dead; only this one remains by the king's side.

"Lord Bedwell."

"Yes, my king."

“I command you. Leave this forest, cross the blood-stained hills, and go to the lake—throw my sword into it.”

"Your Majesty, this—"

The knight looked troubled.

King Arthur's sword, the Star Sword, a gift from the Lady of the Lake.

The supreme sword symbolizing royal power, the savior sword that can never be defeated—

As long as the Holy Sword remains, the King will be an eternal king blessed with immortality.

As long as the Holy Sword remains, the King will never die, even if he suffers a fatal wound.

We must discard it—

Doesn't this mean the end of Arthur's reign as king?

The girl continued, addressing the puzzled knight.

"At the moment of Britain's demise, I am no longer king."

In the end, I couldn't save my homeland...

"At least for now, Lord Bedwell, I want to take a short rest."

The knight stammered, "The reason... could you please tell me the reason, my king!"

"of course."

Artoria answered calmly, closing her eyes.

Because—this is the…ordinary wish of a boy who once redeemed himself.

Knight Bedivere departed with the king's command and the holy sword.

Standing before the calm lake, the loyal knight ultimately hesitated.

If the holy sword is returned to the lake, the king will truly die.

He hesitated three times and tried to throw the sword three times, but he still couldn't do it in the end.

Finally, when the knight returned to the tree to apologize, the king was no longer there.

"...My king, where have you gone?"

Gazing at the heartbreaking pool of blood, the knight realized he had committed an irreparable sin.

—Because the Holy Sword was not returned, Wang Lian could not even bring himself to die.

—Because the Holy Sword was not returned, the King could not travel to the Fairy Land.

Unable to find peace in their sleep, they are forced to remain on the earth at the end of time.

And so, Artoria became the undead queen (Wild Hunt) who roamed the earth.

She escaped one cycle of reincarnation, only to fall into another.

The girl is trapped in a curse called "eternity" from which she can never escape.

Until one day, the person who truly desires and has the ability to save her appears—

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Volume 1, Chapter 117: Recruiting Staff at the Amamiya Residence

The Fourth Holy Grail War, much like the previous three, ended in chaos.

It was all normal until the middle game, but it turned into a complete farce in the final stages, ending abruptly without the Greater Grail appearing.

This is the statement from the report that Kotomine Risei and Tohsaka Tokiomi submitted to the Holy Church and the Mage's Association.

Of course, this is not the truth.

Only a small number of people know the truth of the matter.

Kotomine Risei, who lost his beloved son, retired from his important position in the church shortly after the war and is now planning to work at an orphanage in Europe.

His last remaining relative in this world, Kirei Kotomine's daughter, seems to be there. The old man plans to find his granddaughter and then quietly spend the rest of his life.

Tokiomi Tohsaka also suffered a long period of depression.

Having learned the truth about the Greater Grail, the Tohsaka family's grand ambition will never be fulfilled...

It took Tokiomi Tohsaka a long time to accept reality, and from then on he devoted himself entirely to his research, inventions and patent business.

Since we can't reach the root of the problem, let's become the world's richest person!

With such ambition, Tokiomi Tohsaka left Japan for London, passing the position of head of the family to his daughter, Rin Tohsaka, before leaving.

This person, in the end, only had himself on his mind... Shirou sighed helplessly after hearing about this.

Although everyone was telling the same story about concealing the truth of the Fourth Holy Grail War, the Mage's Association wasn't stupid.

In fact, quite a few people have observed the anomalies in the Far East, such as the astronomical observatory called Chaldea inside the clock tower...

After all, the Greater Grail has indeed manifested, and it wouldn't be easy to conceal such a strong magical reaction.

Fortunately, Kenneth, who had returned to the Clock Tower, intervened and used his monarchical authority to exert pressure and resolve the situation.

There were no unusual events in the Fourth Holy Grail War, the omnipotent wish-granting machine failed, and that's how it is... If you continue to pursue this matter, consider the consequences.

"Shirou! Are you alright now?"

"Ah... um, I seem to be in good shape today."

In the courtyard of Einzbern Castle, Shirou greeted Irisviel.

After the Battle of Ryudouji Temple, Shirou stayed in bed for a whole week.

Although it's not visible on the outside, the body's internal functions seem to have been damaged to an irreversible degree.

It wasn't until the seventh day that Shirou was finally able to get out of bed and walk around.

What are Alice's plans for the future?

"Well, now that the Holy Grail War has become meaningless, I can say that it has lost its value."

Besides, having betrayed Einzbern, I could never shamelessly return home…