I, Guinevere, am going to crush you, you curry stick, today!

P.S.: I still managed to write almost 8,000 words... because it seems there's a bug when posting it all at once, so I split it into two chapters. Please scroll down~

The Final Chapter: The Continuation of the Dream (Part 2)

"Hey, didn't I tell you that?"

Although she couldn't see the expression hidden by the mist, the girl could swear that she could hear the triumphant joy of a successful prank in the Magic King's tone: "You are now a Heroic Spirit. Although not a true Heroic Spirit, this world is essentially no different from the Great Hall of Heroes on this planet, only vastly different in scale."

“Furthermore, what you’ve broken is merely the cauldron that created and sustains this world. Without its maintainer, the dream world will be far less vibrant than before, but it won’t be destroyed immediately.” He smiled and said, “This world is built upon dreams and consciousness, an independent existence distinct from reality. Don’t forget, there are also several outsiders who have entered the dream world. Unlike us phantoms, they are all real. As long as these people remember and acknowledge this world, the City of Dreams will not collapse… After all, you always have to pay someone for doing something.”

Magic King paused, then smiled mischievously, "Of course, you can leave with us if you wish." As he spoke, he politely extended his hand, just like a gentleman inviting a lady to dance at a banquet. The next moment, he placed the hand on his chest and bowed.

"Keep that ring safe. In Fennaville's prophecy, it holds great significance and will bring everything in a positive direction. Well then... goodbye."

With a calm voice, the cloak suddenly billowed up, releasing countless firefly-like glimmers of light. When the cloak finally fell back down, it was empty, having been blown around several times by the wind before flying towards them.

The girl's gaze followed the empty cloak as it moved, the ring on her hand shimmering with light, and the surrounding scenery constantly changing as the cloak fluttered. The sky seemed to fall piece by piece like a broken eggshell, followed by various scenes: Scotland, Britain, the European continent, civilizations spreading, flourishing, and dying over long periods of time, people scattering like tiny ants, like fallen leaves, gradually growing stronger.

Among them was a withered and decaying World Tree. Its owner took off a patched, dusty hat, placed it on his chest, and bowed gently.

There was a dimly lit little stable, where the sleeping "boy" mumbled a few words in his sleep.

She watched that still-childish face disappear into the other scenes, and then another identical face approached with the sound of soft footsteps. A soft, warm hand reached out and took her left hand in this gradually shattering world.

"what is this?"

Before the girl could speak, another childish voice interrupted: "This is the Flow of Time. 'Paradise' is independent of the real world, so the consciousness of the Great Cauldron can freely travel between the past, present, and future. The Master of Chaldea has already returned. As long as you seize the opportunity, Dad and Sister Lily, you can also return to your original place."

The girl only knew one person who would call her that, someone who shouldn't be here. But she wasn't surprised; instead, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

The purple-haired old woman I saw among the Danu people earlier was Niman.

So who is "Niemann," whom I encountered several times in my dreams?

"Nimiao".

she called softly.

The soft, gentle voice responded.

Will you come back with us?

"Well..."

She glanced to the side, and through the shimmering water, the scene she saw appeared somewhat blurry and distorted.

The little witch, wearing a pointed hat, tilted her head, a bitter smile that didn't match her appearance etched on the half of her face hidden in the shadows. This was the answer. A pang of sadness welled up inside her. The girl paused, then asked, "Actually, there's a question that's been on my mind for a long time."

"what is the problem?"

"Was it Neman who summoned Musashi and Ritsuka, or..." Before she could finish speaking, the pointed hat suddenly disappeared. Guinevere opened her mouth, then fell silent.

The scenes, large and small, were still flashing by rapidly. In the fragmented pieces, the "boy" in the stable woke up and, reminded by his adoptive father, hurriedly went to deliver the sword to his careless sworn brother. After a conversation, under the watchful eye of the female magician, he pulled out the Sword of the Chosen King, which was stuck in the stone.

What followed was a noisy journey, with the still innocent and carefree female swordsman, the meddlesome female magician, and the young knight chasing after them, scolding them while cleaning up their messes. They finally arrived at the legendary land of fairies, passed the Lady of the Lake's test, and obtained the Holy Lance in place of the Sword of Oath.

"...So this is the real reality." The girl's lips curved into a smile: "No wave beasts, no trouble in the North, no one else drew their sword before you..."

Although different from her memories, the youthful figure in these images better matches the image of the Knight King in her heart.

"Fina".

Artoria was no longer in her black armor form. Having lost the power of the evil god, she had returned to her simple and capable blue and white attire. As if sensing what she was thinking, she whispered, her eyes full of disapproval.

"I see."

The girl smiled.

When the false dream fades and she returns to the real world, she is no longer the daughter of the King of Scotland, no longer travels with Artoria, and may not even be Guinevere anymore—but she is still herself.

"I've heard from others that most people don't remember anything from this dream. Al, after we go back, will you still remember me?"

Artoria remained silent for a moment.

"do not know."

When asked about this question that she lacked confidence in, the straightforward woman did not give a definite answer. After saying that, she added, "If I forget, I will try my best to remember."

Time flew by, and a strong premonition suddenly rose in their hearts. They looked at each other, and Guinevere licked her lips, feeling as if she were awaiting judgment: "...It's a deal."

Their little fingers hooked together in mid-air, then released. As this somewhat strange ritual concluded, the premonition transformed into a sudden, powerful suction. Artoria stumbled, and amidst countless surrounding images, she grabbed Guinevere's hand. The two of them were lifted into the air, flying towards one of the images—

Just as they were about to fall in, a sense of crisis they had never felt before suddenly washed over them!

Before her eyes, a once prosperous city was suddenly destroyed. The scene abruptly turned gray and white, and after only two or three seconds, it lit up again, revealing a magnificent temple exuding an aura of loneliness.

More images flickered violently, then dimmed for a moment before transforming into the exact same temple scene. Altoria's heart pounded with alarm; her intuition told her that something incredibly powerful was spying on this space from afar.

That was something that even if she and Fina joined forces, they would be far from being able to resist.

"The ring stolen by those little bugs was hidden in a place like this..."

A voice brimming with malice—which sounded remarkably similar to the Magic King's—suddenly echoed from the depths of the temple on the other side of the screen: "...Give it back—"

Her heart was racing faster and faster. At the same time, Artoria seemed to sense something and suddenly tightened her grip on the other person's hand. One after the other, her body and consciousness were about to sink into the "frame" that was filled with the afternoon sunlight. Before her eyes, countless images were reflected in the temple, and an unprecedented light shone out!

Faintly, I seemed to hear a strange song: "...Ka ka ka, you who cling to life, head east... People in the shadows... Bury the sun..."

Without the slightest hesitation, a reverse-flowing sword light, like a flickering candle flame, went straight to meet that unstoppable, magnificent band of light!

"...the light..."

Subsequently.

Everything returns to darkness.

……

"King...King Arthur? Arthur? Artoria!? Artoria, you—"

In the dead silence, a familiar, impatient voice grew louder and louder in her ears, giving her a splitting headache. With a wave of her hand, she snapped it open.

The whole world immediately fell silent.

A few seconds later, a strong, imminent sense of crisis brought her back to consciousness. As soon as she opened her eyes, she was immediately stung by the sunlight streaming in from the window. The water splashed and made her entire field of vision feel somewhat unreal.

Artoria squinted, slowly turning her head a few times, her sluggish mind finally starting to function. This seemed to be a room she barely recognized; it was simple, with no unnecessary decorations, only a square table piled high with various documents. One of them was placed in front of her, her right hand beside it, holding a quill pen, ink dripping onto the table, forming a small stream, even staining her clothes.

And her left hand...

It's stuck tightly to someone's face.

His five fingers were spread wide as if swatting a fly, and through the gaps between them, one could see a pair of eyes burning with rage.

"Kai... Brother Kai?"

She jolted awake, her last bit of sleepiness vanishing. She abruptly pulled her arm back, but the bright handprint left on Kai's face was still unmistakable evidence of his crime.

"I thought only my dad's bad-tempered horses would kick people when they called them."

Artoria swallowed hard.

"Brother Kai, let me explain..."

But Kai clearly didn't want to hear her explanation at all, and with dead fish eyes, he said to himself, "Merlin sent me to tell you that the Fisherman King's messenger is coming soon, so you should be prepared... But it seems that our great King Arthur has become a lazybones who loves to sleep. He would even beat his sworn brother for a little bit of sleep."

"Woo..."

Her mind was still a jumbled mess, a jumble of thoughts mixed together, and the five finger marks tormented her conscience. Artoria lowered her head, even the ahoge on her head drooped. Kai said a few more words, then shrugged: "Okay, I'll go tell Merlin to postpone the meeting until tomorrow. You can get some more sleep."

"Wait……"

"Unless you want to 'show your disrespect' in front of the envoy again." A casual remark immediately shut down the words Artoria was about to utter. She watched her sworn brother turn away, seemingly muttering something under his breath, "That wretched Merlin... I have to settle this score with her..." As he turned to walk towards the door, her muddled mind finally began to sort out what had happened, and she hurriedly called out, "Wait, Brother Kai!"

"It's Kai."

With his hand on the doorknob, the young man turned around and reminded his father, "Your father has warned you many times that if others hear you addressing someone like that, it will make you seem unrefined."

Artoria nodded obediently, then hurriedly asked, "Where is Fina? How is she? Is she alright?"

"Fina?"

“It’s Guinevere, the daughter of the King of Scotland, Kai…” Seeing Kai’s genuinely puzzled expression, his voice gradually lowered.

Looking his "younger brother" up and down, Kai frowned, the pain on his face seemingly disappearing for a moment: "Whether it's Guinevere or Fina, this is the first time I've heard you mention them... Besides, isn't there only one prince in Scotland? Where did this princess come from? Are you still half asleep...?"

His eyes darted around, and after a moment's thought, he suddenly became interested again: "But these two sound like girls' names. Has my blockhead finally come to his senses? Do you need me to give you a few ideas?"

He raised an eyebrow, his tone laced with a hint of sarcasm at the end. But the expected reaction didn't materialize. Upon hearing these words, Artoria sat there, mouth slightly agape, motionless, as if petrified by a mythical serpent demon.

"Al?"

"No...it's okay."

Although he was brushed off with a few words, a worried Kai still planned to discuss the matter privately with Bedivere and the others. If they found out that it was that despicable Merlin causing trouble again... he would definitely reveal Merlin's whereabouts to Vivian.

As the young man's footsteps faded into the distance, Artoria pressed her brow and looked out the window at the sky ablaze with the colors of the sunset. She hadn't seen a sunset like that in that environment for a long time, and now it hung a fiery red on the horizon. Her memory lingered on the moment Guinevere drew her sword to meet that magnificent band of light. Even now, the terrifying power contained within that light still sent shivers down her spine.

Its power was far greater than that of the Sword of Oath or even the Holy Lance. She didn't think Fina could withstand that band of light... But if something happened to Fina, how could she be sitting here unharmed? Besides, in her memory, Fina had never let go of the hand she was holding until the very end. But if Fina was alright... where was she now?

Amidst a mix of doubts, the most optimistic and the most pessimistic thoughts, Artoria heard a snapping sound as she unconsciously broke the quill pen in her hand, causing a few drops of ink to splatter. Looking in that direction, she noticed a fleeting glimmer of light in the corner of the room.

It was a pale gold ring.

……

"Is this right here?"

“That’s right, according to the prophecy left by the elder, that thing is hidden here… Ah!”

"They're coming after us! Quick, we can't let them catch us!"

Soft, rustling sounds, the hushed conversations of a few people, the approaching footsteps of a large group of people from afar, the crackling of flames, the rustling of leaves in the forest, snakes and insects crawling across the damp soil, dust floating in the air... stillness and movement blended perfectly in this desolate, uninhabited forest.

The sound of running grew closer, then thud. Something fell heavily to the ground, blood rolled down the hem of clothing, splashed into the soil, and then came the frantic, hurried running sounds again.

"...This is it! It's exactly the same as the one I saw in my dream, quick, quick!"

whoosh-

The arrow pierced the sky and struck the body, followed by a heavy thud as it hit the ground. Amidst suppressed sobs, the person wiped their blood-scabbed hands incessantly, dusting away the accumulated dust that had been there for who knows how long. The other person coughed a few times.

"Yes, this is it, this is it... the legendary Stone of Destiny. With this, everyone will be saved, Ireland will be saved..."

Dust settled down, and the clamor of the pursuers grew closer. Blood trickled from the other man's fingers, slicing across the cracked stone slab. A name was written where the dust had been wiped away: "Commark McCormick..." There seemed to be more, but it was illegible because the stone slab was cracked.

The man clutched the dusty stone slab in his arms as if it were a lifeline, ignoring the filth. As he rubbed it, more dust fell, revealing another name underneath.

At first glance, it looks like a jumble of messy lines, but upon closer inspection, it can be discerned that it is actually at least two—three or more—names that overlap, one of which is a name that is well-known in Ireland.

Dirnano.

—"Dreamland".

……

P.S.: In short, good or bad, this part of the story ends here~ Qingbai still has a cold, so she'll be taking a day or two off to start writing Volume 3. Remember to vote!

Prologue One year later

More than a year has passed since that "awakening." The seasons have moved from spring to the heat of summer, through the harsh autumn, and the weather is growing colder day by day. Both sides in the Welsh standoff are anxiously awaiting the arrival of their first heavy snowfall.

Before this, the infamous King Lyons probably never imagined that he, who had been undefeated on the battlefield for many years, would one day be forced to this point by a mere brat, and would even begin to look forward to the arrival of the snow he used to loathe, hoping it would stop the enemy's attack.

Otherwise... failure will be inevitable.

About two years ago, a boy who called himself Arthur suddenly appeared, leading an army of no more than a hundred men against the Saxon army. At first, no one was optimistic about this reckless young man, but his several clean and decisive victories not only made him famous, but also made the rumors of the successor of Uther, the true chosen king of Britain, continue to spread in this land.

Soon after Arthur's surprise attack and capture of Carleon Castle, making him the new master of this South Wales fortress, the lords who had wavered in their stance or even scorned him finally began to take this unassuming young man seriously. Overt and covert missions of various envoys and spies were dispatched from all directions, attempting to obtain what they desired from this vibrant land.

All of the above was what Artoria heard from Kai and Merlin. The open and covert struggles between spies and counter-spies sounded to her like the most wonderful stories and poems.

I couldn't understand it, but it was very lively, so it sounded great.

That said, everyone has their own strengths. Her sworn brother's swordsmanship wasn't great, and his spear skills were slightly better, but he could only manage to take on three opponents at once. His most glorious achievement was defeating five ordinary knights. Actually, this result wasn't bad, but among his peers, even the youngest and one-armed Bedivere could easily take down thirty fully armed knights with a single spear. In comparison, Sir Kay's brilliance seemed less dazzling.

But while he was sharp-tongued, he was also meticulous in his actions. Back when Artoria was traveling around the world under the identity of Lily, Kai was helping her resolve the troubles she and Merlin had caused, and he had also quietly laid out a huge intelligence network. After the uprising, this intelligence network, which covered two-thirds of Britain's territory, allowed him to obtain a lot of little-known information at the first opportunity.

Even Merlin praised Kai in this regard: "Although you are really weak, I could beat you with both hands, but at least you are cunning enough, oh ho ho ho ho ho."

A few days after these words were spoken, the female magician was imprisoned in a stone by her only nemesis, Vivian. The large stone was placed in the castle courtyard, with only her head sticking out, and was displayed for several days before being released.

Merlin outwardly didn't seem to care much, but after Vivian left, he found different ways to torment Kai several more times. Their "open and covert struggles" remained within a certain range and had little impact, so when Artoria found out, she could only shake her head with a wry smile, or complain to Hector if things went too far—besides Vivian, it seemed that only this highly respected old knight could keep Merlin in check. However, now that the female magician had visited King Lothar again, hoping to persuade him not to send troops to support North Wales, and Kai was also busy with other important matters, he didn't have time to "catch up" with Artoria, which gave the king, who had been spinning like a top for several days, a rare short vacation.

Despite being called a holiday, there wasn't much to do. It was mostly about brushing the adorable horses in the stables, feeding them and getting some emotional comfort, or wandering around the castle. As King Arthur's fame grew, Calion became a major town where people from the surrounding area gathered, and various markets opened up, offering snacks for wealthy commoners and some interesting or clumsy performances.