"Then you should know what I came to you for, right?", Alvin asked.
"Of course."
Merlin opened his eyes and looked ahead at the endless grassland with a faint smile, "It's because of Beast, isn't it?"
Alvin nodded.
"Actually, no matter how much is done now, ancient Britain will still reach its end in the end," Merlin spoke softly.
The end of the Age of Gods meant the collapse of an empire. The wheel of history could not be stopped. No matter how splendid a nation was, it would ultimately crumble with the end of the Age of Gods.
Britain, which possessed the White Dragon, the Red Dragon, and even the trinity that was Morgan le Fay, would also meet its end.
From the very beginning, Merlin had already known this.
"I don't know how Britain will end up, but at the very least, the appearance of Beast is something outside of history, isn't it?", Alvin said.
"The appearance of transmigrators, and the cooperation with the Clock Tower, are also products outside of history, aren't they?"
Merlin smiled as he looked at Alvin, "And no matter how much they struggle, the ending they'll face is still the same."
In the past, Merlin had also tried to assist Artoria, hoping to maintain Britain's glory, but in the end he realized that no matter what he did, the outcome wouldn't change. So he simply chose to slack off and drift along.
"Don't you regret it?", Alvin suddenly asked.
"What?"
"After I left, you should have watched with your own eyes how Lily grew up. Do you think that if you told her what Britain's final outcome would be, she would give up?"
Merlin didn't speak, but he already had an answer in his heart.
With Artoria's personality, even if she knew the ending, she would still keep going until the very end, until ancient Britain ushered in its final brilliance.
"Effort might not be useful, but at least in the records of future history, it will shine like dazzling fireworks and leave its mark."
Merlin shook his head, "That doesn't convince me."
Alvin pointed in Morgan's direction not far away, then silently drew the Holy Sword of the Stars.
"Then if we add the elder sister who can also step into Avalon, plus this sword, can that convince you?"
Merlin froze for a moment, staring at Alvin in astonishment, "Who taught you to persuade people like that?"
Then he glanced at the Holy Sword of the Stars in Alvin's hand with some apprehension, and let out a helpless sigh.
"If possible, I'd still rather the one coming to persuade me was Lily, not you…"
He paused briefly, then continued, "But… I can help a little."
———
[The Next Day, Afternoon]
In the palace garden, summer flowers were in full bloom, leaves lush and vibrant. Gentle sunlight filtered through the white curtains and spilled inside.
When the breeze passed, the leaves rustled softly, and the white curtains swayed, casting broken shadows.
In the pure white light, a twin-tailed girl sat somewhat stiffly on an exquisitely crafted wooden chair, holding a cup of red tea with both hands. Steam still rose from the tea.
Mordred sat not far away on a sofa, her left leg crossed over her right, her body leaning lazily against the backrest. Her emerald-green eyes casually sized up the girl, her expression thoughtful.
"You can relax a bit. Father told me to take good care of you. Before Tokiomi arrives, just stay here without worry. No one will disturb you," Mordred said soon after.
"Thank you…"
Tohsaka Rin glanced at Mordred not far away and said softly, "You feel a bit different from the rebellious knight in the legends."
"How am I different?", Mordred raised a brow.
She knew these transmigrators had read about Britain's history, but she didn't expect even a little girl like Tohsaka Rin to know it so well.
Seeing Rin hesitate, Mordred said, "If you've got something to say, just say it. I'm not that petty."
"You don't seem like the rebellious knight from the King Arthur legends…", Rin said.
In the Arthurian legends, the rebellious knight Mordred fought Arthur to the death on Camlann Hill, and in the end personally killed his father… and in history, she was one of the most notorious "rebels."
But from interacting with Mordred up until now, Rin only felt that in front of the White Dragon, Mordred was almost like a well-behaved girl. It really felt a bit unbelievable.
"How am I different?", Mordred asked casually.
"You seem to listen to your parents," Rin said.
Most people would probably just laugh it off if they heard that, but when Mordred heard it, she immediately straightened up, flustered.
"How do I listen to my parents? I've only stayed in the palace for the bigger picture, and I've never obeyed King Arthur's orders," Mordred had always upheld the principle of "rebellion." Usually, whatever Artoria told her to do, she would deliberately refuse.
If it weren't for Morgan and Alvin both being in the palace right now, Artoria would probably have shown little Mo why flowers are so red.
At this stage, Artoria was no longer the same as when she was young. She was far more mature both physically and mentally than before. But when it came to raising children, she was completely clueless. Most of the time, her approach was simple, strict discipline.
As a modern person from the twenty-first century, Alvin preferred to guide with care rather than force.
"Do you not listen to the White Dragon either?", Rin asked tentatively.
Mordred froze, then quietly sat back down and looked away, "He's different."
Rin's curiosity stirred, and she asked in a probing tone, "I heard before that the White Dragon had already left Britain long ago… did he only come back later?"
Mordred gave a small "mm" and said, "Mother said a lot of things happened back then. Many people thought he had already died. I only met him later."
'She only met Alvin, this father, not long ago, yet compared to her two mothers, she listens to him more?'
For a moment, Rin grew even more curious about this White Dragon shrouded in mystery.
"You can rest here. If anything comes up, you can have the servants at the door come find me."
Perhaps finding Rin's questions a bit too much, Mordred stood up to leave after giving her instructions.
Watching the rebellious knight's departing figure, Rin quickly withdrew her gaze. But as she thought back on everything that had happened today, a strong curiosity suddenly arose in her heart.
Even in the Arthurian legends, there were very few records about the White Dragon, so most people subconsciously ignored it.
But from her father, her younger sister, and even Mordred's descriptions, they all seemed to rate the White Dragon very highly.
And earlier today, when facing a Beast larva, he had easily forced it to retreat.
If the Fifth Holy Grail War were to begin… he might be the most suitable Servant.
'But Sakura…'
At that thought, Rin suddenly felt a heaviness in her chest.
The Holy Grail War was not child's play. In most cases, only when all Servants but one were defeated would the Greater Grail descend.
Often, Masters would choose to directly kill the opposing Master. That way, the Servant would be eliminated along with them.
Matou Sakura was still the nominal heir of the Matou family, so she naturally had the qualification to participate in the next Holy Grail War.
If both sisters participated… would it eventually turn into them standing against each other?
Sakura already had a psychological scar from being adopted into the Matou family by their father. If she later found out that Rin had summoned the White Dragon… how would she feel?
Thinking of this, worry crept into Rin's eyes.
But she quickly shook her head, scattering those messy thoughts and calming herself down.
Thinking about all this now didn't really mean much. In the end, her father might not even obtain a relic of the White Dragon… so why was she worrying so much?
Rin let out a light laugh, sat back down, picked up her tea, and took a sip. Then she glanced at the countdown floating in her vision.
Time remaining: 83:00:32:59.
83:00:32:58
83:00:32:57
.
.
.
In the blink of an eye, three days passed.
During these three days, Alvin also met Tohsaka Rin once, and had people successfully locate Tohsaka Tokiomi.
When he heard that his daughter had also become a transmigrator, Tokiomi was greatly shocked.
But after learning she was currently in the palace, he finally relaxed, and asked someone to inquire whether Alvin would allow Rin to stay there for the time being.
Compared to keeping his daughter by his side, staying in the palace was far safer.
Alvin did not refuse. The Tohsaka family also had some connection with the Gem Mage, so this counted as doing a small favor.
The countdown drew closer and closer.
Perhaps because they knew Merlin was observing the entire royal city, or perhaps because the battle between Kiara Sessyoin and Alvin had drawn the attention of certain hidden enemies, Britain had been unusually peaceful these past few days.
At the same time, cooperation between the Clock Tower and ancient Britain was progressing in an orderly manner.
On one hand, it concerned the management of transmigrators. On the other, it was about food.
Because ancient Britain was now at the end of the Age of Gods, many plants and crops had withered as a result. It was also during this period that King Arthur faced heavy doubt from the people, until Britain eventually collapsed.
The problem they now had to solve was how to maintain natural crop growth in an age where vegetation was withering.
This wasn't Alvin's field, so it could only be left to magi skilled in this area to study.
Time remaining until return: [00:00:10:00]
In the final ten minutes, Tohsaka Rin quietly closed her eyes and adjusted her breathing.
Unlike other transmigrators, who would more or less encounter trouble, or even die, when they first arrived in Britain, Rin had lived quite peacefully after the initial danger.
After all, inside the royal palace of Britain, someone was protecting her very well.
And all of this… was because of one person.
The White Dragon… there were far too few records about him in history, but through this experience, Rin had come to understand him in more detail.
If before, she couldn't understand why her sister wanted to see the White Dragon again, after this, she felt she could understand it a little.
'So you really only get it after going through it yourself.'
A faint smile appeared on the girl's face as she quietly closed her eyes.
00:00:00:03
00:00:00:02
00:00:00:01
———
The countdown ended. White light completely engulfed the girl, and it felt like countless voices were shouting in her ears.
When Tohsaka Rin opened her eyes again, what appeared before her was a simply decorated, classical room. The tea on the table was still warm.
'I'm back?'
Rin looked down at her hands. Even after personally experiencing "transmigration," it still felt somewhat unreal.
At that moment, a low male voice suddenly came from outside the door.
"Rin, I need to talk to you."
'That voice… Father?'
Rin snapped back to herself slightly, opened the door, and saw a man in a suit with an elegant demeanor.
He looked somewhat tired. Because of the "curse" of the black mud, Tohsaka Tokiomi had been in this state for some time.
"Father, what is it?"
Rin asked, puzzled.
"I need to leave home for a while."
[🎉 Shoutout to Vey, Felix and Erik for joining p@treon. Thank you very much.🤗]
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
[email protected]/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through P@treon.