In a deep forest illuminated by a dim, amber sunset.
The dying Artoria Pendragon lay against the roots of a great tree. She had just ordered her knight, Bedivere, to take the Holy Sword, cross the blood-stained hill, and cast it into the lake.
Bedivere departed with the sword, leaving Artoria to wait in her final moments. Within her hazy vision bathed in sunlight, she saw the figure of a white-haired youth walking slowly toward her.
"You really are... slow. I thought you wouldn't come," Artoria joked in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
Ludwig knelt beside her. "Once I've given my word, I have to fulfill the promise."
"Thank you..." Artoria struggled to open her eyes, but her vision was blurred, seeing only a vague silhouette.
She wasn't even sure what she was thanking him for. Was it for fulfilling the promise to cross time to this end-of-the-Age-of-Gods period to see her off? Was it for helping her see things clearly during the Holy Grail War? Or perhaps, just for those few days they spent together.
"Can you hold my hand?" she asked. "That way, I'll know you are here."
"Of course." Ludwig took Artoria's hand. A faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared on her peaceful face.
The forest was silent. Only the wind rustled through the branches, bringing with it the scent of blood from the distant battlefield.
"Who are you?"
The silence was quickly broken. A scarred and weary knight spoke warily.
"A messenger from the Inner Sea of the Planet, here to escort King Arthur to her place of eternal rest." Ludwig calmly looked up at Bedivere.
"Do not be tense; he is not lying." Artoria opened her eyes slightly. "Bedivere, what did you see?"
"...I cast the sword into the lake. The hand of the Lady of the Lake indeed caught it." Bedivere relaxed his guard and answered respectfully, telling her he had completed his task.
"I see... stand tall. You have followed your King's command," Artoria said.
In the voice of one serenely embracing death, Bedivere nodded silently. Having returned the Holy Sword offered by the Lady of the Lake, Artoria's life finally reached its end. She whispered, "I need... to sleep for a bit. It might be a while..."
"I'll wake you up when we get there," Ludwig said, lifting Artoria from the ground.
"Where are you taking the King?" Bedivere asked.
"Avalon," Ludwig replied. "The utopia where your King should rest."
With that simple explanation, he carried Artoria deeper into the forest, with Bedivere following closely behind. The deeper they went, the less sunlight could penetrate. A thick mist enveloped them, but it brought no fear, only endless peace.
In the center of the forest, a small boat was moored at the shore. A woman in white sat at the bow, an inhuman aura surrounding her. Ludwig placed Artoria in the center of the boat, which was covered in flowers.
"This far is enough, Sir Bedivere," the woman said.
"At least let me watch you depart."
The knight looked at the white-haired youth. His eyes were azure, as beautiful as the sky extending into his sockets. Ludwig nodded silently, picked up the oars, and began to row. The boat moved into the mist. Soon, Bedivere, standing on the shore, was swallowed by the fog.
The path to the Inner Sea of the Planet was closed with the passing of King Arthur and the end of the Age of Gods. It was said that other paths existed, but those remained secrets known to only a few.
The boat prepared by Merlin swayed forward toward that place. Ludwig didn't ask how long it would take; he just rowed quietly until the mist cleared. At the end of the river, a paradise covered in flowers and greenery, seemingly independent of the world, appeared before them.
Mooring the boat, Ludwig carried Artoria onto the land. The scenery here was completely different from the Millennium Castle. If he didn't have other matters to attend to, he might have stayed to look a bit longer.
"Aren't you coming?" he looked back to ask Merlin.
"No, this is far enough for me," Merlin said with a smile. "Don't worry, no matter where you go, I can find you... except for the Millennium Castle. After all, Her Highness the Princess hasn't welcomed me yet."
"...Mhm."
Ludwig understood Merlin's meaning. He walked forward alone along the path through the fields of flowers and grass. He had no idea where the end was or where the best place to leave her would be. He had simply said he would see her off, perhaps out of a sense of responsibility, or perhaps out of simple reluctance to part.
As a result, he didn't even know where to put her down. Until the person sleeping in his arms opened her eyes again.
"This is..." Artoria's vision cleared.
"The Inner Sea of the Planet, the utopia called Avalon," Ludwig said. "Your body and soul have arrived here, just as the stories passed down to future generations said they would."
He placed the waking Artoria down amidst the flowers. Ludwig had no answer as to whether the King of Knights arriving here counted as being alive. Perhaps from the moment she cast aside her existence as a King, she could no longer be viewed in a normal way.
"You've worked hard on this journey," Artoria said softly. "The events in the forest, and the Holy Grail War... they all feel like a dream now. As if I have been dreaming all along—a dream of saving Britain."
"It wasn't a dream; it was a very real reality. It just wasn't very beautiful, and it didn't have a perfect ending." Ludwig stood by her side. "But at least you were able to come here. Everything you gave wasn't for nothing."
"My journey ends here. But yours, Lud... it has only just begun," Artoria said with a smile.
"But I don't even know where the next stop is. When I return to the Inner Sea and go back outside, maybe I'll be in a different era," Ludwig said with a bit of dark humor. "Maybe next time, I'll arrive in the era when you just became King?"
"If that's the case, please help the 'me' who didn't yet know what a cruel ending Britain would face."
To the youth's joke, Artoria responded with a sincere thought.
"I give up." Ludwig began to walk away. "I'll take my leave now. Get some rest, Artoria."
"We'll meet again, won't we?" Artoria asked.
Ludwig didn't look back. "As long as the Princess doesn't intend to kill me, I won't be completely rejected by the Planet, which means I can return to the Inner Sea again and again. If I'm lucky, next time I come to see you, maybe I'll bring a Holy Grail as a souvenir."
"I told you, I don't need it anymore."
Artoria couldn't help but shake her head helplessly, watching his figure finally disappear into the depths of the fields.
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Type-Moon: The A-Ray Knight's Holy Grail Journey(119 Chapter - Ongoing)
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