As Gilgamesh vanished into golden particles, Arthur calmly walked toward the kneeling Mad Knight. After a brief moment of thought, he turned to Lancelot beside him.
"Lancelot, deal with him."
Lancelot nodded solemnly. She understood—it wasn't right for Arthur to personally deal with a version of himself, not when that version had become a monster. Taking Arthur's sword, she approached the fallen knight, her expression cold and unwavering.
Raising the blade high above the Mad Knight's head, Lancelot muttered to herself, "I don't know why… but I feel something's off."
And just as she brought the sword down—
Clang!
The sound of steel meeting steel echoed.
"Wait!"
The strike was stopped mid-air. Lancelot's eyes widened in surprise as she followed the clash to its source—it was Artoria, her eyes firm, her grip steady as she blocked the sword.
Lancelot looked at her, stunned. "Why?! Isn't this traitor someone the king should execute without hesitation?"
Her voice trembled with emotion. After all, this man had betrayed King Arthur—her king. He had become a disgrace, a scar on the king's legacy. Unforgivable.
When Lancelot had first arrived in this world, she'd learned all about the twisted tale of the Mad Knight. In her rage, she had torn the book apart—and would've burned the entire library if Arthur hadn't stopped her.
To her, there was no one more deserving of death.
"He can't die by your hand," Artoria said coldly. "This was my mistake. It's something I must deal with."
"What! But how can he do this!" Lancelot didn't give in.
"Since he is the same as me, then he should also like..."
Her words trailed off. Lancelot's eyes widened. Then, without warning, she gasped and slapped her hand over her mouth, realizing what she was about to say. Her gaze snapped to Arthur, filled with complicated emotion.
Arthur blinked, puzzled. "Why is this girl looking at me like that?"
Lancelot turned away with a huff. "Idiot," she muttered under her breath.
"Anyway, the Mad Knight deserves death," she declared aloud.
Arthur stepped forward and gently took the sword from her. "That's true. But..."
He glanced at the broken figure kneeling before him.
"He shouldn't be executed by us."
With a wave of his hand, the bindings suppressing the Mad Knight vanished.
From the shadows, Kariya Matou, who had been hiding and observing, let out a relieved breath. With a quick command, the Mad Knight's body dissolved into magical energy and vanished.
"Thank you," Artoria said quietly. At that moment, she truly felt a connection—this King Arthur… was the same as her.
Arthur simply nodded. "It was a small matter."
Artoria reached back, taking Irisviel's hand. They began to walk away. But before vanishing from sight, she turned around.
"How fares your Kingdom?"
Arthur smiled gently. "Good weather, bountiful harvests. The four corners of the realm know peace."
"…That's good," Artoria whispered, her voice almost inaudible. She turned back around, silently thinking, It seems I made the right choice. If I hadn't become king… maybe her kingdom would've prospered like this.
With that, Artoria and Irisviel disappeared into the night.
A booming laugh broke the silence.
"HAHAHA! You two are truly to my taste!"
It was Iskandar, the King of Conquerors, laughing heartily as he rode in on his chariot, drawn by divine bulls. The entire scene had stirred something in his heart.
"Haha! You're to my taste as well!" Arthur replied, grinning.
"Then it's settled, brother! Until we meet again!"
Arthur raised a hand. "Very well. But don't expect mercy next time!"
"Likewise! Ahahaha!"
Iskandar's laughter echoed as his chariot soared into the sky, disappearing in a trail of divine thunder.
Lancelot watched him vanish, raising a brow. "That king… is quite something else."
Arthur chuckled. "He's wild, but I respect him. Still, he stands on the opposite side, and I on the other side. We'll meet as enemies again. That's how kings are unless."
"…Unless what?"
Arthur smirked. "Unless one's a man and the other a woman."
"Tch."
Lancelot rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed.
"Anyway, Lancelot. Pack up. We're heading to the Einzbern Castle tomorrow. Keep an eye on them."
"Understood," she said, nodding as she began to vanish into magical particles. "I'll replenish my mana first. Summon me tomorrow."
"Alright."
With that, Lancelot vanished in a swirl of light, and Arthur turned around, disappearing into the night as well.
---
Meanwhile, in Great Britain — Lancelot's residence
"Ahh… I'm exhausted," Lancelot groaned as she slumped into a chair.
"Lan, you're back!" a beautiful woman emerged—it was Guinevere, her eyes filled with concern. "Where have you been? You look dead tired."
"You'll never guess what I just experienced!"
And with that, Lancelot began recounting the wild story.
"What?! You… you betrayed Arthur for me?!"
"Shhh! Keep your voice down! That wasn't me—it was the other me!"
Lancelot nearly spat out her tea. Her face flushed in embarrassment.
"Alright, alright," Guinevere said, giggling. "But seriously, if Arthur had kept pursuing me… and I could never be with you, what would you have done?"
"What choice would I have? I'd marry Arthur. Either way… I'd still end up with you."
"…You…"
"What?"
"…That's so like you."
Lancelot grinned. "Obviously."
Then, Guinevere whispered, "…Or we could just follow Arthur."
"Huh? What did you say?"
"N-Nothing!"
Thankfully, her words were lost in the quiet, or things might've gone nuclear.
Lancelot looked at the guards stationed outside, sword in hand.
Maybe… the happiest days weren't these quiet ones at home, she thought.
Maybe it was back when we rode into battle beside King Arthur—those were the days that truly mattered.
She gazed silently up at the moon.
---
Meanwhile, in the Type-Moon World — Tohsaka Residence
"Welcome back, my king."
Tokiomi Tohsaka greeted Arthur respectfully.
"You're still awake?" Arthur asked.
"Yes. I was… thinking."
Arthur glanced at the table. "Do you have any wine?"
"Of course." With a snap of his fingers, Tokiomi summoned a bottle of elegant red wine into the air.
Arthur tilted his head. "Hmm… got any white wine?"
"White…? Ah! I think a friend left a bottle here once. Let me fetch it."
Moments later, Tokiomi returned, presenting a bottle of Moutai—the famed Chinese white liquor.
Just as Arthur reached for it—
A golden light rained down.
"Tch. Drinking without me? That's rude."
Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, landed gracefully opposite them.
"Golden King, you're back," Arthur greeted without hostility.
Tokiomi bowed quickly. "Since it's a banquet for two kings, I'll excuse myself."
"Leave," Gilgamesh waved casually, and Tokiomi vanished from the room.
The two kings sat in silence, the bottle between them gleaming under the moonlight.
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