[Under the rule of the Twin Kings, Britain ushered in an unprecedented golden age.]
[Abundant resources, formidable strength, and wise governance. Because its rise was so rapid, even the nations across the sea heard of its prestige and the legend of the Twin Kings' rule.]
[However, if a fertile land is too enchanting, it attracts not only admirers and envoys but also enemies from across the sea.]
[Unlike the previous batch of barbaric and disorganized Anglo-Saxons, this time the jackals came from an equally powerful empire.]
[Rome.]
[A nation that styled itself as the center of brilliance, the origin of the pantheon, and even uttered confident and arrogant words like 'All Roads Lead to Rome'.]
[Especially since the Emperor leading them now was the renowned Roman Sword Emperor: Lucius Tiberius.]
[Rumor had it that he possessed arm strength rivaling giants and wielded the Emperor's Sword named Florent. Under his command were not only valiant Roman soldiers but also magi, magical beasts, espers, and even Eastern jujutsu sorcerers in his army.]
[Upon hearing of the miracles that had occurred on this small island named Britain, the arrogant Lucius resolved to personally experience and conquer these so-called brilliant Twin Kings to see what kind of figures they were.]
[Thus, under his order, the iron hooves of Rome marched toward Britain.]
[The progress of the war was reasonably successful. Although he lost many generals due to Britain's forces being small but elite, he ultimately crossed the first line of defense at the strait and penetrated Britain.]
[Considering the legends surrounding the two Kings, after some thought, Lucius decided to first attack the one whose reputation and deeds seemed more powerful: King Arthur.]
[After all, he was the Sword Emperor, he was Rome. An Emperor naturally had to trample the strongest beneath his feet first before having the leisure to deal with the weaker ones.]
[Sure enough, upon deciding to center the war around King Arthur's capital, Londinium, the Roman army encountered extremely fierce resistance.]
[Sorcerers were assassinated, magical beasts were slaughtered. Even the few war-machine Giants kept by Lucius were slain by those Knights of the Round Table. Hereby, Lucius had to admit that this so-called Knight King and her knights indeed had some skill.]
[So he put away the usual arrogant attitude of a Roman Emperor, taking up his Demonic Sword and personally taking to the battlefield.]
[Facing the Sword Emperor—who stood on the same tier as them and held the advantage of a Demonic Sword—even Lancelot, who inherited the title of the strongest knight and was blessed with 'Knight of Owner', was slightly inferior to him. Though unable to win, he was also hard to defeat.]
[Under such circumstances, in order to recover the army's somewhat sluggish morale due to the stagnant progress of the war, and to manifest his personal prestige as Emperor, Lucius shamelessly boasted that he was the King Arthur belonging to Rome, while Arthur would not be the Sword Emperor of Britain.]
[He even issued a formal challenge and an invitation for a knight's duel to Artoria, whom he had yet to meet, styling himself as the 'King's Nemesis'.]
[Upon hearing this title, Artoria, who had originally not intended to pay attention to him, suddenly decided that she might as well conveniently deal with this noisy fellow before completing that task.]
[After all, that title belonged only to Lamorak.]
"Have you thought it through?"
Standing by the Holy Lake, Morgan looked at the still-maiden-like Artoria before her, somewhat silent.
Her eyes were downcast, as if pondering something.
"Actually, you don't need to obsess over that past oath. The Holy Sword of the Planet, Excalibur, and the scabbard 'Avalon' have long acknowledged you as their master. Even if the World wants to reclaim them, it still depends on your will."
In Morgan's hands was a longsword resting in a blue-gold scabbard.
Indeed, before going to deal with the Roman Sword Emperor Lucius, Artoria decided—just as she had prophesied back then—that when the wars within Britain concluded, she would return this sword and scabbard to the hands of the Fairy of the Lake, which was Morgan.
One must know that no matter how arrogant and exaggerated Lucius's reputation was, he truly held the Demonic Sword Florent, known as the Emperor's Sword.
The positioning of this sword lived up to its name as the Emperor. Any weapon that clashed with it, as long as it didn't reach the level of a Holy Sword of the same tier, would inevitably be broken by it.
And this was why Lancelot, Gawain, and the others would lose to him; after all, they no longer had their Holy Swords.
If Artoria were to return the Holy Sword now, Morgan felt that without a sufficiently strong and handy weapon, Artoria would likely be at a disadvantage.
After all, who could know why this so-called Roman Sword Emperor, having nothing better to do, chose to attack them right now when Britain as a whole was at its peak?
If he wanted to collect past taxes, he didn't come during the weak period of the old King Uther, but insisted on coming during the rule of the Brilliant Twin Kings. It was hard not to say this guy was a pawn pushed forward by the Will of the World to test Britain.
But Artoria seemed to care nothing for this. She merely shook her head gently and looked at this older sister of hers, saying:
"It's fine, Morgan. I know what you want to say. That so-called Roman Sword Emperor is merely a clown jumping around. He thinks that my strength as King is not as great as my top knights, yet he doesn't know my martial arts are far beyond what his vision can reach. Furthermore..."
Saying this, the young girl seemed to remember something.
Her eyes became gentler, and then she slowly reached out her hand towards Morgan.
Under the latter's astonished and somewhat absent-minded gaze, a platinum lance resembling a storm appeared in Artoria's hand.
Although its form was different, relying on her profound knowledge and her familiarity with that person's aura, Morgan almost instantly recognized what this lance was.
The Holy Lance, Rhongomyniad.
Also the weapon that guy held at the very end.
"...You also gained the recognition of that Goddess?"
Morgan's tone sounded somewhat complex.
After that guy left them behind, whether it was her or Artoria, they almost desperately grabbed onto everything he had used.
And the two most important items among them were his armor, the 'Queen's Fortress: Waverider Shell', and the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad he held at the end.
The armor was collected by Morgan, while the Holy Lance, because it required the recognition of the Goddess Rhongomyniad, had remained uncontrolled by either of them.
She hadn't expected that after not seeing it for so long, this lance belonging to him had still recognized Artoria.
Artoria naturally noticed the change in Morgan's eyes and tone, but she didn't say much. She merely smiled at Morgan again.
This smile held no intention of provocation or comparison; it was merely a pure smile.
"You could call it recognition. I merely paid a certain price and made a trade, that's all."
Artoria glossed over this question somewhat cursorily, and then the two fell into silence again.
This pair of Dragon and Fairy sisters had been at odds since birth. Everything they sought seemed to be the exact same things—whether it was the throne or a person, it seemed as if this was their destiny.
But now that that person had gone far away, everything seemed to have been let go.
Time passed like this, until the sunlight pierced through the leaves by the lake and fell onto the water's surface beside them. Only then did the two realize a long time had passed.
"I should go, Morgan."
Artoria looked up at the sun, then looked at her and said.
"This is perhaps the last time we meet in a private capacity."
Hearing this, Morgan froze slightly, but she quickly understood Artoria's meaning.
She hesitated for a moment, but ultimately grabbed the latter's wrist.
"You know, Artoria. That incubus Merlin said that Lamorak is not a person belonging to our era. That is to say, it is highly likely he did not die, but returned to his own era after all this ended."
"As long as we can remain immortal and enter Avalon, it is very likely—no, it is certain—that we will meet him again."
As she spoke, Morgan handed the sword and scabbard in her other hand to Artoria.
Clearly, to achieve all this, Artoria only needed to constantly carry the scabbard 'Avalon'.
But the young girl merely looked at 'Avalon' silently for a few moments, then gently pulled Morgan's hand away.
"Artoria..."
Involuntarily, Morgan froze.
But the young girl merely smiled faintly and spoke softly.
"There is no need, Morgan. Everyone's choices are different."
"It is true that there is nothing wrong with the method you speak of, and it is highly likely the optimal solution. But an Artoria who accepts 'Avalon' and possesses 'immortality' would have already violated the dying wish he left me."
"That Artoria would no longer be 'human'. Even if I truly managed to see him then, with what identity and what feelings should I face and embrace him?"
"Therefore..."
At this point, the smile on the young girl's lips couldn't help but widen again. She looked towards the end of the distant forest, as if she could see the future she desired from within it.
"I will die as Artoria Pendragon, as a human, and then go to the Throne of Heroes. I look forward to the future, to a time hereafter, when I can meet him again, fall in love again, and continue writing the story between us."
"That will be the happiness I desire, Morgan."
Having said that, the young girl did not linger. She walked towards the sunlight in the distance, leaving only Morgan standing by the lake, staring blankly at her gradually disappearing back.
[King Arthur engaged the Roman Sword Emperor in battle.]
[Under the watchful eyes of tens of thousands of troops, and with the attention of all surrounding factions and nations, this duel—unilaterally dubbed an epoch-making battle by the Roman side—reached its conclusion almost instantly.]
[Soon, the news of King Arthur killing the Roman Sword Emperor in a single strike spread across all nations like a scattered flock of pigeons, shocking everyone beyond belief.]
[So all that barking and arrogant posturing from you, Lucius, earlier just resulted in you getting one-shot?]
[It was even rumored that the very historical existence of the person named Lucius was erased by the shining Holy Lance in the hands of that delicate, maiden-like King.]
[He was truly the epitome of 'being trash yet loving to bark'.]
[And regarding this red-haired guy who couldn't even withstand a single blast from Rhongomyniad, Artoria's evaluation was: Boring.]
[And he even called himself the King's Nemesis with just that? He couldn't even compare to a single finger—no, a single toe—of Lamorak's.]
[Hereby, Lucius's Roman invasion army was completely driven out of Britain. Even the surrounding nations developed a deep awe for King Arthur because of this, rushing to send gifts to establish good diplomatic relations.]
[Even the Governor of Gaul, who had once been on good terms with Lucius, took the initiative to send envoys to distance himself from Lucius out of fear of being implicated. He also gifted a Holy Sword holding the same significance as the former Sword of Selection.]
['The Radiant and Brilliant Royal Sword (Clarent)'.]
[The Gaul Governor's action undoubtedly pushed Britain's prestige to an even higher level.]
[And just as all the nations were secretly guessing whether King Arthur would take this opportunity to defeat the other of the Twin Kings, the Queen of Camelot, in one fell swoop and thereby unify all of Britain... Britain released yet another piece of news that shocked them beyond belief.]
[King Arthur announced her abdication, yielding the throne to the Queen of Camelot, Morgan. Hereby, the entirety of Britain was completely unified, becoming the complete Kingdom of Camelot.]
[This news undoubtedly shocked everyone, even including the people of Britain.]
[Morgan's subjects were ecstatic and cheered, praising the greatness and renown of their wise King.]
[Artoria's subjects and ministers expressed incomprehension and doubt, but surprisingly, no one harbored excessive negative emotions or took extreme actions because of this.]
[Because even while under the equally wise King Arthur, the series of policies and the miracle named 'Happiness' brought about by Magecraft from the neighboring Queen of Camelot made them yearn for it.]
[After all, the weight of the title 'Never Falling' held extraordinary temptation for the common people.]
[And as for the ministers who originally had some complaints, after witnessing the entire Knights of the Round Table express their loyalty to the new King Morgan under King Arthur's instruction, they naturally swallowed their words.]
[After completing the handover ceremony, Artoria completely took off her crown and cape. Taking Rhongomyniad, a white horse, and little Mordred—whom Morgan had entrusted her to take care of—she returned to a border town in Essex, which was Sir Ector's territory, her hometown.]
[In the days that followed, Artoria grew up together with little Mordred. She told her stories, guided her in martial arts, and spoke of expectations for becoming a King. And of course, that gentle principle of being human first before becoming King.]
[Just like him and her back then, that tiny Water Fairy and the little girl.]
[During this period, Knights of the Round Table would occasionally come to visit them. There was Gawain, Lancelot, and other knights.]
[A few years later, Kay resigned from his responsibilities as a Knight of the Round Table and minister to Morgan. He brought back a gentle girl with whom he decided to spend the rest of his life, and lived together with Artoria.]
[On a mild afternoon sometime later, Artoria passed away.]
[She departed very peacefully and happily. Her grave was jointly dug and selected by Kay and the knights, right by the small river behind the territory. The words engraved on the tombstone were also personally inscribed by Morgan.]
['Here lies Artoria Pendragon, the Great King Arthur of Britain'.]
[The epitaph beneath it read: 'Looking forward to reuniting with you'.]
[Moving further forward, everything was developing. All of Britain was marching towards a new future under Morgan's rule.]
[The title of 'Never Falling' that the Queen had once promised finally received its witness. The entirety of Britain was like a sun that never set, brilliant and dazzling. Even Rome, which had once vainly attempted to invade Britain, was shocked by this brilliance, not daring to set foot on this land for hundreds of years afterward.]
[During this period, Morgan continuously searched for a way to find that person.]
[She crossed borders, visited fairies and spirits, and even went to that Star Observation Tower again to ask the blind incubus.]
[But the spirits had no answer. The incubus merely opened his gray eyes and wordlessly looked at the end of the sea of flowers. Everything seemed to have no answer.]
[But she firmly believed, firmly believed they would reunite again, firmly believed that loyal and foolish knight of flowing water would kneel before her again, kiss her hand, and bring her the joy between lovers.]
[All that was needed was time. And she, Morgan le Fay, had never lacked time.]
[Wait, and hope.]
[Since the King's oath had been fulfilled, her own desires should also shift away from the throne, looking towards her lover.]
[She thought so.]
[A long, long time later, one day, Queen Morgan disappeared.]
[No one knew where she went, nor did anyone blame her, because the people of Britain all knew the King had her own things to do.]
[Every single one of them had a dream. Under the sunset, the clear knight bought the future where all of them could live out their lives happily with his own death, yet left the two girls he loved and who loved him full of guilt.]
[Therefore, even if the King left them, even if Britain ushered in a decline, even if the pruning tide of the World submerged Britain again, pulling everything that was delayed back onto the right track...]
[They never complained. There was only gratitude.]
[May both their Kings reunite with their knight in that morning-star-like future.]
[They prayed thus.]
[Path 1: Britain, has been walked to its end.]
[The vision of the path has been recorded. Heroic Spirit Engraving successful.]
[Thank you for your hard work on the journey, Host. May you all reunite in the end.]