FINAL CHAPTER A New Departure “Sniffle…hiccup… Ugh…” In darkness that was as pitch-black as the bottom of the sea, a single girl wept, all alone. Morgan le Fay. She no longer had the dark allure or visible wickedness that the witch in black had. There was no sign of the divinity that she’d possessed as a goddess of battle who manipulated fate, either. All of those things had disappeared from Morgan like she had been relieved of a burden. At that moment, Morgan was…just a girl. Nothing more. “Accolon… Sir…Accolon…” In the darkness, Morgan sobbed and recalled the days past. Morgan had loved Sir Accolon and wanted to do anything she could to prove her love for him. She had wanted to tell him how she felt. She had wanted him to love her back. But since she was awkward and twisted by nature, she couldn’t just tell him. She wasn’t confident that he would feel the same way, especially because she was a witch. So that was why she had made her move. She had done it in secret. Sir Accolon was constantly teased for being average by the people around him. If I used my powers to set up Sir Accolon as king…wouldn’t that prove my love for him? Wouldn’t that make him thank me? Wouldn’t he be so moved that he would fall in love with me? …At the time, Morgan had truly believed that. She was giddy with love and knew she wasn’t thinking straight. But she was spurred on by impulses she could no longer bear. She had done it all for the sake of love. Morgan had used her prided magic and tricks to prepare artifices that would bring down King Arthur and set up Sir Accolon as king. She traded out King Arthur’s Excalibur and his sheath of immortality for fakes and left them with Sir Accolon. She used magic so Sir Accolon could master those. Then, she made it so they didn’t recognize each other and forced the two into a duel to the death. If Sir Accolon kills Arthur in a formal duel…anyone would recognize him as the true king… I have to make Sir Accolon our ruler… I’ve set this up, and everything is perfect… Sir Accolon will defeat Arthur and become king… Or at least, he should have…! Sir Accolon had Excalibur and the sheath of immortality. He couldn’t lose. He couldn’t have. Morgan’s plan was perfect. Sir Accolon had overpowered King Arthur using the sword and sheath. But…he had lost. He had been killed by King Arthur. One of the Dame du Lac who had realized Morgan’s scheme had used magic to send the sheath of immortality flying away from Sir Accolon during the duel. But…the biggest reason for his defeat was that he had realized he was fighting against King Arthur and withdrawn his sword at the final moment. King Arthur hadn’t caught on that he was battling Sir Accolon, however… He had gone overboard and ended up slaying him. King Arthur had been overcome with grief when he realized he had killed his own knight. Apparently, the last words Sir Accolon had left the king with had been “Please forgive Morgan.” In the end…Sir Accolon hadn’t wanted to be king… He was normal… He was selfless and ordinary… I’m sure that was why I was attracted to him in the first place… Why did I have to do that…?! Morgan had no idea just how long she cried in front of his corpse. It was the first time she cried like that since she had been born in this world. Time passed. After the death of King Arthur at Camlann Hill, the kingdom of Logres and the knights of the Round Table had collapsed. Morgan had attempted to awaken Sir Accolon from Camlann Hill where the knights had gathered to slumber. Though ordinary, he was a knight of the Round Table, too. His soul had also slumbered at Camlann Hill. But… But…he didn’t stir! He wasn’t able to move! That was right. In order to awaken a soul sleeping at Camlann Hill into the real world, they would need to be a ghost of a hero. It demanded that his name be passed down in legends, and he needed notoriety and fame that would make him memorable in the public consciousness. Knights who had these conditions met could be summoned as Jacks. But Sir Accolon had been too ordinary to have rested in Camlann Hill as a hero. He wasn’t valiant like Sir Lancelot and Sir Lamorak or wise like Sir Kay or Sir Dinadan. He hadn’t stood out in the legends like Sir Gawain or Sir Mordred. He had simply been normal. If she wanted to reunite with Sir Accolon again, the Curtain of Consciousness was a fatal obstacle. She couldn’t get back together with him unless she removed the barrier between the real world and the illusory world. She needed them fused together… Otherwise, she couldn’t go to Camlann Hill in order to search for him. “That’s why…I…went along with Balor…and kept going…until now…” But it was over now. She would disappear. Her existence would vanish. “…No… No… Please save me… Someone… Anyone… Don’t leave me alone…! I just wanted to see him… That was all…” Even if her hopes would never be realized, it was all that was left for Morgan, a girl once betrayed by humanity and demeaned like a monster. “…Don’t leave me alone… It’s lonely here… I’m lonely…” This entreaty aimed at no one was in vain. Morgan was alone as she tried to melt and disappear into the darkness… …Then, something happened. “…Sheesh… You’re hopeless,” said a voice, weary and somewhat offhand. It was a voice that Morgan would have abandoned anything for, just to hear again… It was a nostalgic voice. “…What?” Morgan noticed someone had come to stand behind her. “Ah. Good grief. I always need to keep an eye on you… There’s no telling what kind of trouble you’ll cause others… I could never slumber at Camlann Hill in peace…” “…” Morgan was speechless. She couldn’t bring herself to turn around. She kept her face down. “…What’s wrong, Morgan?” “I can’t…I can’t face you…” “What?” “I mean…I did so many terrible things to see you… I realized something, now that I’ve heard your voice… I don’t have the right to see you anymore. I lost it a long time ago…” “Well, maybe that’s true.” The person behind her answered with a sigh. “To be blunt, you always take things too far, even in the past. I imagine humanity will remember you forever as a rare breed of witch and an atrocious villainess… It’s likely you’ll never come back as a goddess again.” “…” “But you know…” A certain someone gently hugged Morgan from behind. “…Don’t you deserve at least one person to stay by your side?” “…!” Morgan couldn’t process anything for a while… Eventually, her shoulders quivered, and she started to cry. “Sorry… I’m so…sorry…! Accolon…sniffle…hiccup… Ugh…ah…ah… I…I…” “…Let’s go, Morgan. It’s fine… I’m with you. Forever…” The two drew each other close and slowly disappeared, slipping into the darkness. As for what would happen to them… No one knew. … The international city of Avalonia. On the sprawling artificial island of New Avalon, the city off the coast of the Japanese archipelago had been constructed with cutting-edge technology. The King Arthur Succession Battle had secretly been taking place in its city limits. And the Wild Hunt was about to depart from there, too. The incident that could have changed the world forever had been resolved before it happened, through the devices of a single girl and her friends. That said, it had left a big blemish on the world. For starters, common sense had been turned inside out during this incident, especially because information traveled fast in modern society. The Curtain of Consciousness sustained a big fissure. As a consequence, apparition and fairy appearances were able to slip into this world more easily, which turned into a serious societal issue. Governments from every country had to pursue methods of dealing with those. The ancient gods did not immediately make an advent, which would create a fatal situation, but the incident called for humans to become more comfortable with the idea of magic and ghosts. And New Avalon Island, the eye of the storm, had turned into a strange space after the real world and the illusory world fused together. It was where apparitions, fairies, and the residents of the illusory world lived with humanity. The international city of Avalonia had departed from common sensibilities and logic. As a result, the population of people possessing clairvoyant powers or magic seemed to explode. This seemingly absurd place couldn’t be managed by humans or governments that were part of the real world. Its governance was entrusted in the hands of certain well-qualified individuals. Then… “Hm?” Felicia Ferald noticed another visitor already at her destination. She was in Area Four, the common cemetery. Western tombstones formed neat rows in the sunny graveyard where gentle air was adrift. In front of a grave marker on which the name Souma Gloria Kujou was carved, there was an ephemeral woman standing alone. “Hello. Did you also come to offer flowers to Souma?” asked the woman. “Yes.” Felicia noticed bunches of flowers had already been offered on Mr. Kujou’s grave. Mr. Kujou… I heard he was a good teacher… I guess I can say we’re all complex beings that aren’t just one dimensional… After she offered a bouquet of flowers, she made the sign of the cross on herself and prayed. Mr. Kujou had been linked to Felicia in many ways, and there was bad blood between them, but there was no need to speak ill of the dead. She would wish for his peace in death as a kindred spirit. They had both been humble aristocrats with a reason to fight… She had made her way here today because she felt close to him in that regard. For a while, Felicia offered prayers alongside the woman. “I’m Felicia. Felicia Ferald,” she eventually said. “I’m an old friend of Mr. Kujou… And who might you be?” “…I’m Kotone Tachibana… I was Mr. Kujou’s…Souma’s fiancée…” “Miss…Kotone…?” Felicia flinched, eyes going slightly wide. “…Is something the matter?” “No, um… Nothing at all…” Felicia tried to brush it off, making her look a little awkward. “So you were Mr. Kujou’s fiancée, Miss Kotone… I’m terribly sorry for your loss,” she offered, battling something inside her. “…Thank you.” Kotone smiled in a way that was simply heartbreaking. …At that moment, Felicia realized something. Her spiritual senses and sight identified Kotone’s true nature. “Were you born from a very old spirit…?” “Hm? Did you say something?” “N-no…nothing at all.” Her cryptic words would soon become common knowledge, but…it probably wasn’t the right time to explain herself. Felicia kept her mouth shut in a fluster. B-but it’s so strange that an old spirit’s blood could manifest itself so strongly… It’s certainly possible now, but she shouldn’t have been able to live for very long before this incident… Felicia was having some suspicions… “But…it seems like things have been such a mess lately… It all feels like a dream.” Kotone smiled easily. “With the fairies showing up all over town…and more people who can use magic…and terrifying ghouls wandering at night…and all those brave knights protecting us from monsters…it almost feels like a fairy tale.” “It really does. Everything has changed on this island since that incident.” “And speaking of changes…I used to have an unexplainable illness until recently. I was on the verge of death. I mean, I couldn’t even go outside…” “!” Felicia’s shoulders trembled. “But since everything went down…um, since the real world and the illusory world fused, I suppose, I was cured of my terminal illness. It was like it never happened.” “…” Felicia was silent. Kotone must have realized something. She continued to stare at the tombstone before her eyes. “The doctors all told me it was a miracle. But…I thought that my illness disappeared because of Souma, I’m sure…” “…” “I have no idea what Souma did. But…I’m convinced he saved me…” “…Yes, I’m sure he did,” Felicia murmured, unable to endure it. “I’m sure he battled hard to save you. I…believe that, too.” “…Yes… I’m…so happy…that Souma loved me so much… I’m so happy…but…” Pitter, patter… Droplets plinked against the tombstone. “Why can’t I stop crying…?” “…Miss Kotone…” For a while, Felicia was silent as she continued to stand next to her. … “You’re laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate!” screeched a terribly unhappy voice when Felicia made her way to the place. “Felicia! Being late is a felony! You’re practically begging for the death penalty!” “You’re such a tyrant… Are you sure you’re all okay with this…?” They were in the Round Table Room in a corner of Castle Camelot. Dark Castle Camelot had been purified after the incident, and Luna’s team had decided to go ahead and use it for certain purposes, since nothing really happened to the castle’s structure. When Felicia looked around with unimpressed eyes, she saw there were people at the Round Table… The participants were already surrounding it. Luna sat at the head of the table, the first seat, her legs shamelessly thrown up on the surface. “No need to be upset…Felicia told you she would be a little late…” Sir Kay sat in the third seat (in a bunny outfit, for whatever reason). “That’s right… Felicia is busy, after all…,” Nayuki added from where she sat primly in the fourth seat. “What a terrific cast of members… Should I really be here…?” Emma asked from where she sat at the fifth seat (wearing a maid uniform). “Do you even hear yourself? You’re a hero who saved this island, too! I refuse to entertain a single word about you not being qualified to sit with us when your swordsmanship is already Round Table material!” “Oh, Luna? What’s the point of the costumes you had Sir Kay and me wear…?” “There’s no point.” “Whaaat…?” “…No use fighting this, Emma…” The girls engaged in harmless conversation. “Ha-ha-ha, nothing has changed about any of you.” In the seventh seat, Sir Gawain put on a strained smile. “…Ah… I’m worried for the future of this island and the world if this is how we’re all behaving…,” Sir Mordred grumbled in the eighth seat. “Ha-ha-ha. I think it’s fun.” Sir Dinadan in the ninth seat added his own impressions. “…Come to think of it, is Nanami doing all right?” “Yeah, she’s great. She’s doing well in school. Why? That’s strange. Didn’t think you were one to concern yourself about other people.” “Hmph.” Misha turned away in the eleventh seat from Sir Percival in the tenth seat. “Ha-ha-ha. You just can’t be honest, can you? You should tell her that you want to apologize for attacking her in the past.” “Watch your mouth. Shut up.” Misha barked at Sir Palamedes in the twelfth seat. “What a view,” Sir Galahad said happily in the thirteenth seat as she looked around. “I never would have thought that the Round Table would get back together! I’m glad I came back to life… Unlike the other side of the partition, this world always has something new and exciting going on. I’m never bored.” “Right?! Right?! Ha-ha! You’d better thank me!” Luna grinned and puffed up her chest… “Oh, but…Sir Galahad… You’ve been really weirdly clingy with Rintarou. Like more than you need to be…” She glared at her reproachfully. “Huh? I have no idea what you mean.” Sir Galahad cocked her head to the side and opened her eyes wide in a cute way. “Just so you know… If you lay a hand on my vassal without my permission, you’ll get the death penalty! The death penalty, I tell you!” “Whaaat? I can’t believe you’d do something so horrible! You’d give me the death penalty even though I’m the second strongest after Rintarou? Look out folks, we have a tyrant over here.” “Zip it! A king’s order is the law, you know!” “But don’t you think Rintarou gets to decide? Well, I suppose…you are in a one-step lead for now. Heh-heh-heh…” “U-ugh …! I’ve finally gotten a good look at her real personality…! How are you supposed to be the holiest saint?! Have the gods in heaven got holes for eyes?!” Luna fumed as she continued to glare at Sir Galahad, who smiled in delight. “Phew. It seems the Round Table is as chaotic as usual…” Felicia took her own seat in exasperation…the sixth seat. “The revamped Round Table… Well, I was wondering what was going to happen. I guess the most important thing is that it’s sort of functioning.” “In exchange, Sir Kay and Sir Dinadan have got their work cut out for them, though…,” Sir Gawain, next to her, grumbled as he looked away. “Since they’re currently directing and supervising the whole city.” “I suppose that’s to be expected from the kingdom of Logres’s former cabinet administrator and strategist-cum-negotiator, who was supporting the country from the shadows…” That was right. The ones currently governing this artificial island were Luna’s team. That was because, at present, with the illusory world having corroded away at common sensibilities, no normal governance had a chance at managing things. Originally, the Dame du Lac had burrowed into the island’s upper stratum to meddle with its administration, but after Luna’s team joined hands with the remaining members of this organization, the transfer of duties had gone smoothly. Luna had taken up leadership on this island that had inched closer to the illusory world. The new knights of her Round Table were protecting the island residents from apparitions that threatened them. “Well, she’s doing a good job, considering she’s also in charge of the student council at school.” “Though I do feel like she’s making a terrible mistake holding both positions at the same time.” Felicia and Sir Gawain grumbled at the side. “Anyway!” BAM! Luna rapped the Round Table. “It’s time to start the four hundred and thirty-seventh Round Table discussion! The topic today is recruiting human capital and imposing a training program for fighting with swords and magic to maintain the safety on this island! And all girls in their teens to their twenties will be required to wear bikini armor that yours truly designed—” “This isn’t really important, but have there been so many conferences…?” “Shuddup! You’re out of line, Felicia! It’s always better if things sound impressive, right?!” “Uh, Luna, what was that about required bikini armor? You never told me about that…” “Oh, Sir Kay! Emma! We got the samples in, so you two can try them on later!” ““Eeeeek?!”” “Umm… Rintarou isn’t here yet…” Nayuki raised a demure hand as she looked at the empty second seat. “Oyyyyy! Just leave it! I know I told him to come today right after school! I’m not letting him off the hook this time! I’ll get him at school tomorrow!” With a disorganized start, the conference that really didn’t seem fit to represent the government began… BAAAM! Suddenly, the door was forcibly kicked open from outside. And the person who stood beyond the opened door was… “Yo! You all here?” “Rintarou?!” All eyes gathered on him as Rintarou barged in. “What do you think you’re doing?! You’re late! The Round Table discussion was just about to start!” “Sorry, but we’ve gotta put a pause on the conference for today.” “What do you mean?” Luna scowled when Rintarou phrased things that way. “Erm…we just got word from the office of the prime minister… Apparently, an ancient dragon showed up in a lake in Arizona…” “What did you say?!” The Curtain of Consciousness had slackened across the entire world. That was why these things were happening more often. “Apparently, they’ve finished evacuating the residents nearby, but…it’s the same situation as always. The army can’t handle it…” “Obviously not. How are modern-day weapons going to be any use against illusory opponents?” “So they called us. What do you say to this quashing request?” “Well, isn’t it obvious?!” Luna stood up. “I’m the king who will eventually rule the world! In other words, everyone on this earth is my subject! I have only once choice: to save them, as king! We’re heading out right away!” “Heh! That’s the spirit!” The new knights of the Round Table got out of their chairs. “Weeell, it looks like we’ve got a huge fight ahead of us. It’s been a while since we could go all-out. I’m itching to show what I can do…” Rintarou cracked his fingers. “Hey, wait a sec, Rintarou! Are you trying to play hooky?!” Luna suddenly grabbed Rintarou by the collar and started running. She didn’t head toward the door, however…but to the open veranda in the back. “Uh, wai— You… You’re not actually trying to…?!” Rintarou panicked. “A soldier values speed! That’s just common sense!” Luna smiled fearlessly. She planted her foot on the edge of the veranda and leaped into the sky with Rintarou in tow. “You idiot! You realize we’re heading to America, right?! How do you expect us to take a shortcuuuuuuut?!” “Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!” Rintarou’s scream and Luna’s delighted laugh started to grow distant. The remaining group watched the two make their departure… and eventually, they shared forced smiles with each other. … The curtain to the King Arthur Succession Battle was starting to lower.
Chapter 75
18 min read