Chapter Fifty-Three: The Queenly Transformation of Shanshan

Silent and radiant, she watched the King of Conquerors vanish before her without uttering a word. Even she had to admit that this man was a true king.

“So, you are his master?” She approached Waver, bearing the sword that had pierced the Emperor’s broad chest—Ea.

“No!” Waver choked on his words, then wiped his tears and shouted at her, “I am his subject!”

“His subject? Then avenge your king as his subject.” Her expression remained unchanged.

“No!” Waver raised his head and met her gaze.

“If you try to strike me, you’ll die, won’t you?” Waver asked.

“Of course.”

“Then I absolutely will not raise my hand against you.”

“Why? Are you afraid of dying by my hand?”

“No. As the king’s subject, I do not fear death. But my king commanded me to pass on his legend, and so I must live and tell his story to those who come after.”

She fell silent, looking at the boy who, at the last banquet, had cowered behind the Emperor in fear.

“Go, then. Do not forget your words. Spread your king’s legend to all.” With that, she vanished from Waver’s sight. Yet, to herself alone, she whispered, “How I envy you both, to have such a loyal subject.”

“King…” As she departed, Waver’s knees finally gave way and he collapsed to the ground. “My king, I will make sure your tale is known to the world!”

——— Scene Shift for Spectators ———

Standing beside Lancer, Toria watched the King of Conquerors fade away and said, “I truly envy him, to have a devoted army that remains loyal to him always.”

Lancer smiled. “No need for envy. Have you forgotten us? The Knights of the Round Table still await your call in Avalon, even after death.” Even Lancer could not help but feel sorrow at the departure of the king who, in his own way, had helped Toria see her path. As he said—had he met the King of Conquerors first, perhaps he would now serve in the Emperor’s army, not among Toria’s knights.

“No need to say more, Lancer. I realized long ago that I made no mistake. I will not chase after some so-called rewriting of history. I am who I am—King Arthur! Artoria Pendragon!” As she stood at his side, she seemed to regain the spirit of the first time she raised the Sword in the Stone and commanded her army, which made Lancer rejoice.

“Let’s go back. We need to prepare for the final trial tomorrow.” With those words, the two of them ran back toward the Einzbern castle.

——— Final Scene Shift ———

Upon waking once more, Lancer looked helplessly at the girl lying beside him. Perhaps because he had rescued Sakura from the worm cellar, aside from Kariya, Sakura was only close to Lancer. Even the saintly Irisviel merely kept Sakura from fearing her. The final moment was drawing near—though no one yet knew Tokiomi had been killed, and Lancer did not wish to reveal it. He feared Kariya, in his unstable state, would seek out Aoi and fall into Kirei’s trap. Though he longed to deal with that man, the enemy was simply too well-hidden for him to do anything.

Gently stroking Sakura’s violet hair, a rare tenderness welled up in Lancer’s heart. Whether in his original world or in the era of King Arthur, he had experienced endless slaughter; such peaceful moments were few and far between.

“Mm…” Perhaps awakened by his touch, Sakura slowly opened her eyes and let out a soft, catlike yawn.

“Ah! Big Brother.” At that moment, Lancer wore no mask. Though Irisviel had more than once remarked that he looked like a woman, Sakura always affectionately called him “Onii-chan~,” and this was what healed Lancer most deeply.

“All right, Sakura, time to get up.”

“Okay! I’ll go help Uncle Kariya make breakfast!” With that, she jumped out of bed, slipped on her shoes, and dashed away.

“So, it’s finally ending, isn’t it?” Lancer’s body had returned to its peak condition. His last use of the Sword in the Stone and the battle with Lancer the previous night had inflicted some wounds, but now he was fully recovered. He knew how it would end—the Evil in this World had to be destroyed. Even if it wasn’t his mission, he would stop it. Perhaps because he had followed Artoria so long, he was still a venomous serpent, but now he had found his own resolve.

Changing into his white samurai robe, Lancer went downstairs and found Kiritsugu slumped in despair at the dining table.

Lancer walked over and patted his shoulder. “Don’t dwell on it. Tonight, everything will end, and Irisviel will return to your side.”

Kiritsugu, a cigarette dangling unlit from his lips, replied, “I know. I just regret how useless a husband I’ve been. If I hadn’t met you, who knows what I would have done? What would have become of Irisviel? I truly regret it. I couldn’t even protect my wife—how can I protect the world?” At that moment, Kiritsugu appeared less the ruthless magus killer and more a bankrupt merchant, drowning in regret. Though all this was part of his plan, he had indeed failed to protect Irisviel, and the guilt weighed heavily on him.

Just as Lancer was about to comfort him—

*Smack!*

“So this is your resolve? Damn fool! Everything Irisviel did was for you, and you sit here regretting it? Don’t dwell on what might have been. Since you met Lancer, there’s no ‘what if’ anymore. All you need to do is repent for your past after this is over, and stay by Irisviel’s side from now on!” Kiritsugu stared in disbelief at Kariya, who stood before him with a frying pan, having just slapped him.

“You still have the chance to be with Irisviel. But what about me? Aoi is now the wife of the head of the biggest mage family in Fuyuki City. What am I supposed to do? I’d sacrifice everything to stay by her side, but the world never even gave me the chance!” Hearing this, and recalling what he knew, Kiritsugu finally understood Kariya’s circumstances and had nothing to say.

“It’s not the world that is wrong—it’s Tokiomi.” For some reason, Lancer recalled those words. They seemed particularly apt right now.

“Uncle,” Sakura called from the kitchen, “the food’s burning! Hurry up and help!”

“Ah, I’m coming!” Kariya’s face had already lost its anger, replaced by a broad smile as he hurried over.

“Kiritsugu, remember: tragedy will never cease in this world, and you are not alone.” With that, Lancer, too, stepped into the kitchen.

Kiritsugu clenched the gem in his right hand.

“Irisviel, wait for me. After tonight, I’ll always be by your side.”