Her last battlefield, the war that divided the country into two, ended with the king's victory.
"Ha ha ha ha--!"
The knight runs.
The war is over, the sunset as red as blood sets, and now the darkness of night dominates the battlefield.
Curses fill the hills where the dead are buried, complaining about taking away the living.
Among them, the knight was running with rapid breathing.
The knight's hand held the horse rope and hung on the injured white horse desperately.
The only ones alive are the knight and the white horse.
And fell on the horse, a king.
"King...! King Arthur, come here——!"
Although he was also wounded, the knight still galloped on the battlefield.
The king whom the knight serves has been captured by death.
Although he defeated the enemy king single-handedly, the king himself was fatally wounded.
That injury was hopeless in the eyes of the knight.
The king they serve is about to die.
"Please wake up...! When we get to that forest, we must...!"
Screaming at the top of his lungs.
——Or, this way the knight can feel the reality.
Their king is immortal.
As long as there is the guidance of the holy sword, the king will not be destroyed.
"Ha-ha, ha, ha, ha--!"
Breathing rapidly, crossing the mountain of corpses, the knight's goal is the forest not stained by blood.
She knew that the king was immortal.
Therefore, she believed that if she crossed this cursed battlefield and reached the place of Qingling, the king's injury would be healed.
No—that’s all I can believe.
Unlike other knights, she believes in her king.
Isolated in the court, shunned by knights, and feared by the people.
She was proud of the young king who had no affair in a poor country and worked tirelessly to realize his ideals.
She is not serving the country.
Because of this king, she handed over her sword, became the strength to move forward, and became the king's guard at a young age.
The king who cannot see his true side.
A young man who has no personal relationships and is fair and private.
Or, he hopes that as long as he becomes a guard, he can see the true side of the king.
She just wanted to see Wang's true side.
I don’t want to see it in the royal city or the battlefield, but I want to see the real smile of human beings.
Appears in the court when freed from the responsibilities of the king.
No matter how perfect the king is, he cannot disguise himself anytime and anywhere.
However, that idea is wrong.
All she knew was the opposite of what she expected.
Become a guard and protect the king's side.
He was even closer than the other knights and kept watching R Chang's actions.
Even so, it never happened once.
Her king never smiled once.
"Ha-ha, ha, ha, ha--!"
When do you feel angry because of this?
A king who has accomplished such great deeds should be in glory.
In fact, no one saw a gentle expression even once.
Can't forgive.
I want to believe that there is no such thing.
Because of this, one day - I hope the king's face will shine.
Not yet achieved.
The king is still lonely.
Therefore, the knight refused the king's death.
It can't end here.
In this case, wouldn't this great king receive no reward?
"King, please stay here now. I will call the soldiers here immediately!"
In the forest, the knight leaned the king's body against the big tree.
Not a second too late.
It only takes half a day to get to the port if your own army can run faster with horses.
But whether Wang can survive until dawn tomorrow, anyone with eyes can see through it.
But even so——
"Please endure until then. We will definitely bring the troops here."
After bowing to the unconscious king, the knight ran towards the white horse.
"——Bedivere"
before that.
The king, who was probably unconscious, called the knight's name.
"King!? Are you awake...!?"
"...Well, I had a little dream."
Hazy voice.
However, that voice was very——very warm in the knight's ears.
"A dream...?"
Like a questioning voice.
Wang's consciousness is not yet complete.
If you don't answer this question, will you fall into darkness again?
"Well. I have never seen it before. A valuable experience."
"...Really? Please rest carefully. I will bring the soldiers here during this time."
"————"
Take a breath.
I don't know what's strange about the knight's words.
"...King? If you have any courtesy...?"
"——No. I'm just surprised by what you said. Are dreams something you can see even after you wake up? They're not different dreams. As long as you close your eyes, you'll see the same thing...?"
This time the knight was surprised.
After sorting it out, she realized that it was a false answer.
"————Yes. If you have strong longing, you will also see the same dream. I also have the same experience."
There is no such thing.
A dream is something that only happens once.
Even so the knight lied.
This is the first and last time I apologize to the king for my injustice.
"Really? You are really knowledgeable, Bedivere."
Wang said movedly.
He lowered his head and did not look at the knight.
Wang no longer knew what he was doing, breathing quietly,
"Bedivere. Take my sword-"
With the stolen voice, give the last command.
"Listen up. Through this forest, over that blood-stained hill. Beyond that there's a deep lake. Throw my sword into it—"
"————! King, then...!"
The knight knows what it is.
The Sword of the Lady of the Lake.
Letting go of the sword that had protected the king until now, the king's proof, meant the end of the king she served.
"————Go. Come back here when you're done. I want to hear what you saw."
The king's words remained unchanged.
The knight picked up the holy sword and crossed the hill hesitantly.
--Then.
Three times the knight hesitated to return the sword.
There is indeed a lake.
But Fa throws his sword into it.
If you throw the sword in, the king will no longer be the king.
The knight threw his sword in because of the king's disobedience, so he returned to the king's side.
The king repeatedly ordered the knights.
To the knight who lied about throwing away his sword, he replied, "Just obey the order."
Disobeying the king's orders was a mortal sin for a knight.
But she still risked her life for the second time.
Whenever I am in front of the lake, I will think of the king's life.
--But this will eventually end.
Realizing that the king's will would never change, the knight threw his sword into the lake for the third time.
The holy sword was returned to the lake.
A bright white hand appeared on the water and took the sword. After spinning three times in mid-air, the holy sword disappeared from the world.
"————"
Then the knight accepted.
The end of the king.
That long-standing responsibility ends here.
When we crossed the hill for the third time, the forest ridges covered our face.
There are no traces of the battlefield.
There is no look of bloodthirsty war, in the clear mist.
"——Throw the sword into the lake. The hand of the lake fairy actually catches the sword."
The king opened his eyes because of the knight's words.
"...Really? Then lift up your chest. You, obey your king's command."
In the voice of welcoming death, the knight nodded quietly.
——It's all over.
Will their country continue to be in turmoil after that? The war will not end, and the days of destruction will come soon.
However, the king's war ended here.
He - no, she completed that task in the end.
...the light gradually disappears.
Because the matter is finished, the last power to protect her disappears.
But she didn't close her eyes, she still remembered the promise she made in her dream.
【As promised, I will wait for you.】
Having completed her mission as a king, the girl named Artoria quietly looked at the sky.
In her gradually blurred vision, a familiar figure seemed to emerge...
That is……
【Fiya, have you finally come to pick me up?】
With her last strength, she stretched out her hand to the sky.
The next moment, she received a response. The arm was wrapped in a pair of gentle and slender catkins...
"Toliya kept her promise, I'm here."
Simple to the extreme, it made the dying blonde girl shine again.
"Yes, you are here"
The silver-haired girl who arrived seemed to have mysterious magic power in her hands. Artoria felt that the pain and curse that had entangled her were slowly leaving, and her strength was gradually returning.
With the support of the silver girl, the king of Zeng Jin stood up.
"Your Highness, King and Queen"
The knight standing by was surprised by the way the visitor appeared, but after being slightly stunned, she bowed and saluted.
Which one is the queen?
No matter what others thought, she never thought that this beautiful queen would be an evil witch. Even though she should have disappeared in the flames, she miraculously appeared here in front of the king.
Not to mention, Wang's health improved significantly after her arrival.
"Bedivere"
The soft cry made the knight who was temporarily absent-minded feel ashamed.
The beautiful queen turned around. This beauty that should not belong to this world dazzled the knight, who was a woman, but something appeared at this moment that occupied her gaze——
The broken sword, the two pieces floating in front of the queen, is still a magnificent sword even if it is broken.
Bedivere felt suffocated.
That is the king's sword, the sword in the stone that embodies the essence of the knight and represents the glory of the king. That knight's long sword named lburn.
The sword that had been inserted into the stone platform was so beautiful that I didn't have the courage to touch it.
"Your Highness, this————"
The knight was puzzled.
This sword should have been treasured by Wang Zhen after it was broken. Why——?
"Both King Arthur and Queen Guinevere will be history"
The silver-haired queen showed an alluring smile, and her voice sounded as sweet as a silver bell.
"And this sword will be given to you, Bedivere, who implements chivalry."
Heard something incredible——
Along with the queen's soft moan, the lburn floating in front of her quietly turned into a dazzling white stream of light and fell on the knight.
"ah--?!!"
Lifting his cloak in surprise, the knight caressed the area under his right shoulder——
There, there is a brand new arm with the same pattern as lburn.
"This is?"
The knight clearly remembered that this arm was lost to protect the king when he fought with the king. Now——
"Is it true? Compared to me, you are the real knight."
The voice came from behind——
"Lancelot is that you?"
The knight turned around in surprise and looked at the figure walking out of the forest.
Known as the Knight of the Lake, he is extremely brave, upholds integrity and righteousness, behaves elegantly without losing grace, embodies the essence of chivalry, and is envied by everyone.
——Lancelot.
Arturia was no less surprised than Bedivere. She looked at the queen beside her in astonishment. All this could only be her masterpiece.
"Toliya, I can't change everything, because history cannot be defied, but I try my best to save everything I can, such as this -"
There was no need to say anything more. The elegant Knight of the Lake came to Bedivere's side and bent down to salute the two of them.
"King, the queen has told me everything I need to know."
With his usual eyes as steady as a calm lake, Lancelot looked at the king whose face was already filled with tears.
He didn't know the grief that Wang Zengjin had experienced in the dream.
but--
"Can the king still grant me salvation?"
The betrayed knight, Lancelot, known as the culprit of the Round Table's breach, begged the king for forgiveness.
"Sir Lancelot, I forgive you."
Tolia said these words that she had never had time to say in the dream. The memory of the violent, cursed, and resentful black knight still made her feel haunted.
Now, I finally have a chance to make amends.
"You must blame yourself, Lancelot. No one knows better than me the sincerity you have dedicated to the country and the king. In the past, the hand of fate controlled us. Now King Arthur and Guinevere have disappeared. Is there any sin?
It’s meaningless anymore.”
After saying what she had been holding in her heart, Tolia breathed a sigh of relief.
Then--
She showed a smile that the knight had never seen before. It was a relaxed smile from the heart.
The forest was quiet, and the wind played light music.
The three monarchs and ministers silently enjoyed this rare silence until——
"Sorry to disturb you, Tolia, but the time is almost up and we should go."
Although they did not want to interfere with the sensational drama between the monarch and his subjects, the summons to return forced the subordinates to stay for more than three years. Felicia, who had just used powerful magic, had no choice but to disturb them.
"Is it time? That's right. Feiya, you should have returned at the moment you completed your mission, but now it has been delayed for so long."
Calling a name he had never heard before, Zeng Jin's knight king slowly returned to the queen's side.
"king--"
The two knights shouted at the same time.
"Don't try to keep him, and you don't have to keep him. King Arthur has completed his historical mission and it's time to leave. And you—"
She looked at Lancelot.
"King Arthur is no longer here, and the shackles you have been burdened with have also been removed. From now on, you can feel free to be yourself, not the king's foil."
"Yes, King, follow your orders."
The Knight of the Lake bowed his head and solemnly accepted the last royal order.
After receiving a definite response, she turned to Bedivere, who was stroking his right arm.
"Bedivere, King Arthur has gone, but the knight spirit will not disappear, but desire will blind, cover, or even disappear. Bedivere, can you swear by the holy sword perched on your right arm, you and your
Will future generations let it shine forever?"
At this moment, Wang Danqi's majesty was like the arrival of a real dragon.
"I swear by the holy sword that rests in my arm. I, Bedivere, will resolutely defend the knight god forever!"
Half-kneeling, Bedivere solemnly swore.
"This way, it's really over."
Finally settling everything, the king smiled and took the queen's hand.
Then, like the morning mist, the beauties gradually disappeared in the hazy morning light and disappeared again.
The story of King Arthur is over, and history continues to run according to its established track.
...Only the morning sun sets.
Silence stands in the forest, watching the king's departure.
"it's over?"
"It's over, but it's also a new beginning."
The two knights did not leave, but looked quietly at the direction where the king disappeared. They sent eternal blessings.
The lonely king who is forever in my memory can finally find stability in the end.
That, very happy.
The sky is vast and the clear sky is very blue.
The war really ends here.
"——Are you watching, King Arthur?"
The whispering voice rides on the wind, like the sinking blue.