Fate/Ultimate Antagonist

[41] Long Time No See, Artoria

The Sword of Selection.

The so-called ceremony to select the king.

Artoria knew very well in her heart that this was a grand performance meticulously orchestrated by Merlin for her.

After pulling out this sword, she would inherit the throne of Uther Pendragon in the name of King Arthur.

The magnificent momentum would resonate throughout the island.

Gazing at the noble longsword embedded in the stone seat.

Artoria remained silent.

She no longer had the naive compassion and thoughts from the beginning, and the number of lives taken by her sword was countless.

During this time.

The more she traveled, the more she discovered the correctness embedded in that person's words.

She witnessed famine, death, plague, and war.

These ugly things unfolded before her eyes.

People, in pursuit of peace of mind, chose to destroy the peace of others.

Such selfish actions.

So, she applied the wisdom in that person's words, made perfect and commendable choices among many judgments, and received praise from the people by putting herself in the perspective of humans and understanding their selfishness.

She set aside her compassion, thought from a human perspective, grasped people's selfishness, and reaped the praises of the people.

For her to achieve the current accomplishments, the teachings of that person were truly invaluable.

For her at this moment, being hailed as the king by everyone was already a foreseeable future. Whether she pulled out the sword or not didn't really matter.

Pulling out the Sword of Selection was just a process to declare legitimacy.

However, despite that.

Artoria still had a slight concern.

Could there be someone more suitable than herself to be the chosen king?

If there was...

Could he build a more peaceful kingdom?

"No one is born just to become a king, Artorius."

...That person's words.

Suddenly echoed in her mind.

However... on this occasion, he was not here.

Artoria, who was somewhat looking forward to it, felt a hint of disappointment in her heart.

But soon, she felt a little relieved.

Yes, this is better.

It's better if he doesn't come with so many knights.

What if his identity is exposed on the spot?

In that case, she might not be able to save his life...

"Lady Artoria, please draw the sword."

The Knight of the Sun Gawain, behind her, walked to the forefront of the lineup.

The handsome, golden-haired young man knelt on one knee, raised his hand in a standard gentleman's salute, and welcomed the girl on the steed.

"No one questions your qualifications. Please prove to Britain that you have the qualities of a king!"

"No, Sir Gawain."