The retreat led by Gwalchavad was unexpectedly difficult. Five brave knights stepped up to block the Giant King on Golgoda Hill to buy time for their comrades. In addition, as all the fronts began to fight at once as part of the operation to subjugate the Giant King, the enemy should not have had any reserve forces to stop them from retreating. That should have been the case, but in front of them were a group of Giant warriors. Their inscriptions indicated that they were the direct guards of the Giant King.
"Where are you all running off to?" Ahltemin, the captain of the guard and a great warrior of the Giants, asked with a fierce smile.
Gwalchavad looked at them with a pained expression. "I thought we were clever, setting a trap, but we ended up falling into one."
"What do you mean, a trap?" asked Agravain.
“They baited us with the Giant King."
Otherwise, they would not have appeared in front of the knights with such perfect timing. Now that Gwalchavad thought about it, the plan had gone too smoothly. He didn’t know about anything else, but he knew that the number of guards around the Giant King was too small. Such a reckless plan could not have been implemented unless they regarded their lord as an absolute object of faith, not just someone they serve. They were not wrong in the end. The fact that the Knights of the Round Table were here was itself a result of their faith.
"There's a lot of you. One of you must be quite a quick thinker. Was it you? Knight of the Holy Grail?" asked Ahltemin, pointing at Gwalchavad.
Gwalchavad answered, grasping the situation. "If I was a quick thinker, we wouldn't be here."
Ahltemin laughed. "It seems that you were too slow, so you couldn't stay with those who are stalling for time against our lord. Yes, I thought you would have stayed on Golgoda Hill instead of leading this defeated group, so it was a surprise to see you here."
Ahltemin had clashed with Gwalchavad several times in the past. Gwalchavad clenched his teeth, recalling all the times he had battled against Ahltemin.
"We are not your target. Is the target … Caradoc? After all, the Giant King's attack was aimed at keeping us away from Caradoc." said Gwalchavad.
Ahltemin applauded with an amused look on his face. "That's correct, but Caradoc is not our only target. For you all will not escape this place alive either."
With that, the Knights of the Round Table and the guards of the Giant King charged at each other.
* * *
Caradoc vomited blood. He looked down and saw a sword sticking out of his stomach.
"Cough!"
It was over for him. He had been too impatient and played right into the hands of his enemies. Caradoc smiled bitterly as the pieces of the puzzle began coming together. He should have kept in mind that his enemies tried to kill him at the expense of Jabal’s head, but he was too shocked now to connect the dots.
"Did you want to kill me this badly, Witch of Envy?" he asked, barely holding on to his consciousness.
Feliva answered firmly, "Yes, you are the most threatening to us now that Adeline’s last curse is eating away at Merlin's life. As long as you live, Caradoc, the Holy Kingdom will not fall."
In every potential future, the fall of the Holy Kingdom began with Caradoc’s death.
Caradoc sneered at Feliva’s stupidity. "You overestimate me too much. I'm not that great of a person. Just a little more clever than others."
"You underestimate yourself too much. I can't count the number of people who have sacrificed their lives trying to kill you before I got here.”
"Even without me, there is still Percival, Lancelot, and Gwalchavad. Their sacrifices would have been nothing more than a foolish dog's death."
"No, they're threatening too, but not as much as you. Be proud. I dare say those lives were worth sacrificing."
Feeling the black mana spreading throughout his body via the sword, Caradoc clicked his tongue. "Demon King worshipers... You’re working with those lowly bastards."
"Yes, because too many have died at the hands of you and your schemes. The deaths of Greed and Lust by the twins was especially brutal. I didn't have enough hands."
"I see. As expected, I should have dispatched Mordred to deal with those lowly bastards."
If there had been no prophecy at the coronation, Caradoc would have had Mordred wipe out the Demon King worshipers on his own. However, when it became impossible to use Mordred due to the prophecy, he had mobilized another knight of a lower rank, who failed to completely dispatch all of them and missed the remnants.
"You... will be used by… the traitor you planted… then you will be cruelly… abandoned."
Caradoc fell into a long sleep, cursing Feliva with his last breath. The Witch of Envy knew it was a meaningless curse because she knew Caradoc was not a magician. Still, his prophecy began to penetrate her mind like a venom without her knowing, just like how hers had once done.
* * *
Time went by mercilessly, and death approached with the clear sound of footsteps.
- We're just weak, naked bodies in the face of the huge flow.
The phantom of Adeline, Merlin’s eternal enemy, who had died in his hands and ate away at his body, whispered in his ear.
"Yes, there's nothing I can do now.”
Merlin, with his slender, bony arms, passed between the twelve huge stone statues and placed the Miracle Crystal on the magic circle.
- Everything for the destruction of the Holy Kingdom.
"Everything for the future of mankind."
Merlin said a solemn goodbye to the stone statues that lit up.
"See you in five-hundred years, my dear friends."
* * *
While the five knights sacrificed themselves to block the Giant King, the enemy ambushed the Knights of the Round Table who escaped from the enemy camp. As a result, Agravain and six other knights were dead, while Gwalchavad and two other knights were missing. Only the Holy Shield that Gwalchavad carried had returned safely with the other survivors. They knew that the three missing knights had not yet been killed because their names had not returned to the stele, but as time went by, no one expected that they would survive.
Arietta put down her papers for a moment and worried about Mordred. The news of all the deaths had been shocking, but Tristan's death in particular had hurt Mordred deeply.
"Euss, is there anything we can do?”
Euss, the head attendant, shook his head with a slightly sad expression. Euss was almost always expressionless. For someone who rarely showed any emotion at all, his face indicated that he was also worried about Mordred. Still, there was nothing either of them could do. After the failure of the operation to subjugate the Giant King, the generals were so worried that Mordred might express his anger at them that they could not sleep at night. Anxiety spawned paranoid suspicion, and that suspicion spread quickly to the members of the cabinet. As time went by, Mordred’s position was reduced, and the war dragged on for longer than expected.
Lancelot, the new captain after Percival's death, told the worried Arietta, "I will try to appease Sir Mordred, so please get some rest."
"Okay, I will trust you."
Arietta leaned her head against her chair and looked out the window. Autumn had already nearly passed and winter was fast approaching.
* * *
Mordred sat in the watchtower of the ancient castle with his eyes closed. As the war intensified and the Knights of the Round Table suffered enormous damage, Arietta now spent all her days in the ancient castle for various political and practical reasons. Naturally, as her escort, Mordred followed.
"What is it, Sir Lancelot?"
Lancelot smiled as Mordred noticed Lancelot's approach without opening his eyes.
"Amazing. Are you spreading your aura over the entire ancient castle and monitoring it?"
"An escort should have these kinds of skills."
The whole area, including the ancient castle, was essentially Mordred’s domain. He could notice if someone harbored even a little bit of killing intent in the ancient castle.
"It's fascinating. Once I killed my emotions, I realized there was nothing I couldn’t cut."
As Mordred slowly opened his eyes, he felt like he could see new things. Lancelot admired the presence that Mordred had, as if he had transcended the realm of human beings.
"I doubt there’s anyone in the world who could beat you." said Lancelot.
Mordred shook his head. "No, my older brother. I can't beat the chief of the Crow tribe yet. Helios Blade and I have a fundamental gap."
He didn’t know what it was, but it felt like his brother’s power was just a step away, but the step felt wider and deeper than the sea. It was a step that felt like it could never be crossed. Lancelot swallowed dryly.
"So what's going on?" asked Mordred.
"Her Majesty said to comfort you."
"Comfort? I don't need it."
Lancelot sighed softly at Mordred's firm refusal. "I don't know if this will comfort you, but listen."
When Lancelot whispered in his ear, Mordred's dead eyes were rejuvenated.
"… Is it true?"
"Yes, it is also the only way to save the Holy Kingdom and get our revenge at the same time. It was an operation that Caradoc ordered us to carry out in the event that he died. I will receive permission from Her Majesty. I hope this is comforting news."
Mordred rose from his seat.
"It’s comforting enough."
* * *
The biting cold swept across the northern continent. Mordred left the ancient castle and rode his horse north endlessly. He stopped when he saw a man ahead of him, blocking the way.
"Where are you going, brother?"
It was Helios. He stood on the path as if he had been waiting for Mordred.
"Are you going to block me?"
Mordred didn't ask why Helios was in this place. Instead, he just touched his sword handle with cold eyes.
"Actually, I already know. You're probably going to the New Year's Festival of the Giant tribe."
Every new year, all Giants gathered around to hold a festival with the Giant King at its center. In previous years, they had gathered in their capital, but this time, the New Year's Festival was to be held in a city located behind the front line, since the Giant King had come to the front line himself.
"The Giant King has lost one eye and arm and is uncharacteristically being more careful to protect himself. Since they have achieved their goal, they will likely go back to their capital after the New Year's Festival, so this will be the last chance."
When the Giant King went back up to the capital, the chance to kill him would disappear.
“However, no matter how close the city is to the front line, you will not be able to pierce into it alone. Even if you manage to get in, you won't have the power to deal with the Giant King." said Helios.
Mordred drew his sword. "I asked you if you were going to block me."
Helios smiled sadly. "No, I respect your choice. I can fight you and stop you now, but that's not what you want."
"Then you're going to help?"
"Not that either. The Crow tribe will not involve itself in any wars. That was the condition I was given when I was given the role of chief from our father, and as chief I believe we should not get involved. It's just…”
Helios looked away slightly, glancing at three knights who were approaching on horseback.
"That’s just me. Those guys seem to think differently.”
After seeing the three knights, Mordred's eyes turned red.
"Gwalchavad!"
"Long time no see, Sir Mordred." the haggard-looking Gwalchavad replied with his still-gentle smile.
"Hey, can you only see Gwalchavad and not us?"
The Middle-aged knights Kay and Cahedrin also greeted Mordred with a smile.
"How are you here...?”
Gwalchavad looked at Helios. "Helios-nim saved us. He asked us to help you, saying that you would get your revenge even if you had to do it alone. Without Helios-nim, we would have died already."
Helios nodded, then looked at Mordred. "This is all I can do for you, though. Take care of yourself. I'll always be watching from afar."
"… Thank you, hyung."
Mordred left Helios behind and went with the three knights in the direction of the Giant King.
* * *
When Mordred disappeared, it caused quite a commotion in the ancient castle. A few troops in the ancient castle left to track him down, and only a small portion of the knights remained inside the ancient castle.
"What is happening?"
Merlin, who had returned to the ancient castle after installing magic to hide the ruins, was puzzled by the disturbance. On his way to Arietta, he ran into one of the remaining Knights of the Round Table. He grabbed the knight by the shoulder.
"You! What is all this commotion?"
"Sir Merlin! When did you come back?! Where have you been all this time!?" the knight asked in surprise.
Merlin lowered his head as if ashamed. "I'm sorry. I had something to finish with this debilitating body of mine. But don't worry. Now I will protect Her Majesty the Holy Queen until the day my life ends.”
"Is that so? That's a relief!"
The knight nodded, and Merlin began to head towards Arietta again. But at that moment…
“Huh?"
Merlin looked down in shock at the sword that pierced through his chest.
"I'm so glad. I can kill you here and relieve you of your duties."
Merlin released a wave of mana to resist death.
"You...! Were you the traitor!?”
Merlin, who managed to escape the knight's grasp, tried to teleport to Arietta by forming a seal with his trembling hands, but failed. With his deeply wounded body, distancing himself from the knight was about all he could do.
The knight made a bitter expression. "As expected of a great madosa. But it's too late."
* * *
Kay, who was riding at the front of the group, said, "Mordred, you must survive. Please survive and make Her Majesty the Holy Queen happy."
The request was a difficult one. What they were about to do was tantamount to suicide.
"I intend to."
Gwalchavad felt like it had been a long time since he had seen Mordred's playful smile. At the same time, he felt a sense of relief, convinced that Mordred was not a traitor. So who was the traitor? Gwalchavad thought about it, but soon cleared his mind as they approached the city.
"We die here for Her Majesty the Holy Queen and the Holy Kingdom! We will get our vengeance in blood!"
"In blood!"
They charged the city where the Giants were gathered to celebrate the New Year's Festival.
"It's an attack!"
A Giant warrior standing on the castle wall blew a horn to signal an enemy attack, but it was meaningless.
Bang-!
Mordred's sword aura smashed apart the castle gate, sending out a sonic boom that sent a clearer warning to the whole city than the horn.
"Mordred, save your strength for the Giant King. He is a formidable opponent."
"But I must pave the way, even if it costs me my life. For revenge!"
The four knights burned their life forces to boost their power to the fullest, and began to slaughter the Giants. The Giants rushed angrily towards the reckless charge, devoid of concern for their own lives. Cahedrin was killed by the charging Giant forces. Right before he fell, he created a gap between the enemy forces with one last attack. Mordred squeezed through the gap, running through at full speed. Gwalchavad and Kay sacrificed their lives to keep the Giant warriors away from Mordred.
"Go, Mordred." whispered Kay as he used his ability. Tangled, thorny vines grew rapidly through the city, wrapping themselves around Giant soldiers and trapping them.
"It’s a relief you are here, Mordred." said Gwalchavad.
Gwalchavad used his ability to conjure up a darkness that engulfed the city. Then the two knights, who had burned all their life force just to buy time, fell into a deep sleep. The darkness and thorns lasted for a while afterwards, as if they were following the last will of their dead masters.
Mordred now stood alone in front of the Giant King. Without Gwalchavad, Kay, and Cahedrin, he would not have made it through the countless enemy troops with all his strength intact.
"Foolish knights. Just seeing you makes my eyes throb."
The Giant King frowned, pointing with his artificial hand at his eye covered with an eye patch.
Mordred burst into laughter at the sight. "Hahahaha! As expected of my comrades! Even if they died, they died fighting!"
Just by looking at the scars on the one eye and wrist of the Giant King, and the burn marks all over his body, it was immediately clear to Mordred who had caused them.
At Mordred’s laughter, the Giant King became furious and let out his killing intent.
"You will pay for ruining our festival! I will kill you and remove that darkness, then hang you in the city center, and hold the festival again!"
Mordred also emitted killing intent as he drew his sword. “I dare you to try!”
With that, Mordred and the Giant King charged at each other.
* * *
Arietta turned around when she felt a sharp pain in her back.
"… Euss, why?"
In the hands of the head attendant, Euss, there was a dagger shrouded with black mana. The dagger was stained with her blood.
"Ugh! Cough! Cough!"
Arietta vomited blood as she felt a curse spreading throughout her body. Trying to place a curse on someone who possessed the power of the Holy tribe was a foolish endeavor. Or, at least it should have been. However, the curse spread throughout her body quickly, eating the Holy tribe’s mana.
"Does this contain… the Demon King’s power? And it also has the power of a witch. So the witches have joined hands with Demon King worshippers." Arietta guessed.
Euss nodded. Arietta looked at him and frowned.
"… Why are you crying, Euss?"
Euss touched his eyes and felt tears. He wiped them away.
"That's right. Why am I crying?"
"Euss…!"
Arietta’s eyes opened wide in surprise when Euss spoke. Euss continued, disregarding her.
"You haven’t asked me why I betrayed you. Well, I guess that’s obvious. You must be somewhat aware of the deep-rooted discrimination and persecution due to pureness of blood in this kingdom… and the terrible abuse and torture that your father inflicted on me because of it."
Euss loosened the front of his clothes and revealed his neck, which was engraved with the bright magic of the Holy tribe that made him mute.
"Cough! Cough!" Arietta coughed up more blood.
Euss shed tears and grimaced as if her pain were his own.
"I hated you. I despised you. So why… Why does my heart hurt like this?"
Arietta reached out towards Euss sympathetically. "Don’t.. cry... Euss. I... I'm sorry... for being unable to protect you... I'm sorry."
Euss dropped the blade. "Ahh… I see. I was able to endure that hell because of you. To you, I…”
Euss did not regret what he did, but his tears did not stop. Arietta's vision slowly blurred as the curse encroached further within her body. Then, a knight came into the office.
"Are you… Sir… Lancelot?"
Lancelot shook his head.
"That name has been discarded. I am here to retrieve the name I gave up."
"Is that so… was this to become the emperor…? Your name... Take it..."
The knight, now relieved of the name Lancelot, bowed to the dying Arietta.
"Thank you. It has been an honor, Your Majesty.”
Lancelot turned towards Euss. “Eusterio Asterium von Asteria. As the prime contributor to my country, you will become a duke. Make sure to finish it."
He left the office with a cruel look on his face. Arietta sensed her death nearing as she touched her blood wetting the floor. As her life passed by her eyes like a kaleidoscope, one person filled her thoughts.
‘Mordred.’
‘I want to roam the street again on Mordred's back.’
‘I want to see Mordred's playful smile.’
‘I want to chat with Mordred and just have small talk.’
‘I want to see Mordred's beautiful swordsmanship.’
‘I want to dance surrounded by fireflies on the lake prepared by Mordred.’
‘Just… I want to see Mordred. Ah, is this love?’
As Arietta realized her love, the ancient castle shone bright and swallowed her into the following darkness. That day, all that remained of the Holy tribe disappeared from this world.
* * *
Mordred’s sword clashed against the Giant King’s. In the wake of their closely contested battle, the city began to collapse as buildings fell and the ground cracked. Mordred's sword brushed against the Giant King's neck. The Giant King's sword glanced across Mordred's side. The fierce battle began to tilt in the Giants’ favor, however, as the benefits provided by the two knights’ sacrifice for Mordred gradually weakened over time. The situation quickly turned upside down when some Giant warriors cut through the vines and escaped from the darkness and began to attack.
"Hahahaha! You’re going to die a dog’s death!"
Despite the Giant King’s provocation, Mordred's head was cool. The Giant King was strong, but the other warriors who joined in were not. They were just a small distraction. Mordred sliced off the heads of the Giant warriors to relieve some of the pressure. The Giant King didn’t try to save his subordinates, and instead attacked while Mordred was distracted. The Giant King’s sword grazed Mordred’s flesh. Mordred shifted his focus to the Giant King again, but another enemy released himself from the vines and attacked Mordred.
As he swung his sword, the Giant King asked, "What is this for? What did a strong warrior like you come to this dangerous place for? Is the Holy Kingdom really worth all of this?"
Mordred replied as he gathered all his strength, "No. The Holy Kingdom is none of my business."
"What is it then? Revenge? For the Knights of the Round Table who died at my hands?"
"No. I killed your brother, too. And my comrades would not want me to die chasing revenge."
"Then why?" the Giant King asked, looking intensely at the bloodied Mordred.
Mordred wondered for a moment. ‘Why? Why am I here?’
The answer to the question was too simple.
"It's for the woman I love."
Dots of gold began to bloom all over Mordred's body. Everything he had was not enough to overcome his enemies. The only thing he could do was stretch beyond his limits, and use the amount of power that he would someday master in the future. He knew how great the price would be, but he didn't hesitate. As Mordred swung his sword, an entire section of the city disappeared along its trajectory. The blow killed countless Giant warriors. Half of the Giant King’s body, who received the blow directly, also disappeared.
"What is the name of this technique?"
Mordred smiled and answered the Giant King’s final question.
"The Dance of the Fireflies. Yes, it's the Dance of the Fireflies."
"… That's wonderful."
The Giant King fell to the ground.
"Hyung, you’re there, right?" asked Mordred.
"Yes, I’m here." replied Helios, who revealed himself from hiding.
Mordred smiled. "Tell Arietta I'm sorry."
Helios began to weep. "You rascal. If I knew this would happen, I would have stopped you from running away."
"Haha. Still, you would have let me go in the end. Because that’s the only way I could get stronger. So I could satisfy your thirst."
"Is that what you would call this? Satisfying my thirst?" Helios cried out.
"A younger brother isn’t supposed to listen to his older brother.”
As the gold covering Mordred died down, he collapsed, losing all the strength left in his body. Helios embraced his brother.
"The proof that you were in this world… I will somehow restore the technique you created."
"Heh… Thanks for that."
Mordred looked up at the sky.
"Ah… I miss Arietta."
As those final words left his mouth, Mordred's whole body cracked and crumbled until it turned to powder and scattered in the wind. Helios didn’t wipe his tears, but drew his sword instead. He didn’t want revenge, he just needed to let out some emotions. That day, all the Giants disappeared from this world.
* * *
In a world where the man and woman disappeared, Merlin saw the ancient castle that was eroding into the reverse world, with an overlapping vision of the changing future.
On a green hill, there stood a young Crow. Next to him stood the knights, and Arietta. Merlin's heart hurt when he saw Arietta, whom he missed dearly.
- Ah, you made it. You have arrived well in the distant future.
The young Crow of the distant future spoke.
- I will destroy you and the world you have protected, Wise Man of the Butterfly tribe.
The white-haired wise man standing opposite him smiled bitterly.
- I won't let you do that, Denburg, the great king of the magic way, the Demon King.
Merlin's life came to an end even before the foresight reached its end.
"Ah, please be happy there… Arietta."
With that, Merlin fell into a deep sleep.
<Completed>
The retreat led by Gwalchavad was unexpectedly difficult. Five brave knights stepped up to block the Giant King on Golgoda Hill to buy time for their comrades. In addition, as all the fronts began to fight at once as part of the operation to subjugate the Giant King, the enemy should not have had any reserve forces to stop them from retreating. That should have been the case, but in front of them were a group of Giant warriors. Their inscriptions indicated that they were the direct guards of the Giant King.
"Where are you all running off to?" Ahltemin, the captain of the guard and a great warrior of the Giants, asked with a fierce smile.
Gwalchavad looked at them with a pained expression. "I thought we were clever, setting a trap, but we ended up falling into one."
"What do you mean, a trap?" asked Agravain.
“They baited us with the Giant King."
Otherwise, they would not have appeared in front of the knights with such perfect timing. Now that Gwalchavad thought about it, the plan had gone too smoothly. He didn’t know about anything else, but he knew that the number of guards around the Giant King was too small. Such a reckless plan could not have been implemented unless they regarded their lord as an absolute object of faith, not just someone they serve. They were not wrong in the end. The fact that the Knights of the Round Table were here was itself a result of their faith.
"There's a lot of you. One of you must be quite a quick thinker. Was it you? Knight of the Holy Grail?" asked Ahltemin, pointing at Gwalchavad.
Gwalchavad answered, grasping the situation. "If I was a quick thinker, we wouldn't be here."
Ahltemin laughed. "It seems that you were too slow, so you couldn't stay with those who are stalling for time against our lord. Yes, I thought you would have stayed on Golgoda Hill instead of leading this defeated group, so it was a surprise to see you here."
Ahltemin had clashed with Gwalchavad several times in the past. Gwalchavad clenched his teeth, recalling all the times he had battled against Ahltemin.
"We are not your target. Is the target … Caradoc? After all, the Giant King's attack was aimed at keeping us away from Caradoc." said Gwalchavad.
Ahltemin applauded with an amused look on his face. "That's correct, but Caradoc is not our only target. For you all will not escape this place alive either."
With that, the Knights of the Round Table and the guards of the Giant King charged at each other.
* * *
Caradoc vomited blood. He looked down and saw a sword sticking out of his stomach.
"Cough!"
It was over for him. He had been too impatient and played right into the hands of his enemies. Caradoc smiled bitterly as the pieces of the puzzle began coming together. He should have kept in mind that his enemies tried to kill him at the expense of Jabal’s head, but he was too shocked now to connect the dots.
"Did you want to kill me this badly, Witch of Envy?" he asked, barely holding on to his consciousness.
Feliva answered firmly, "Yes, you are the most threatening to us now that Adeline’s last curse is eating away at Merlin's life. As long as you live, Caradoc, the Holy Kingdom will not fall."
In every potential future, the fall of the Holy Kingdom began with Caradoc’s death.
Caradoc sneered at Feliva’s stupidity. "You overestimate me too much. I'm not that great of a person. Just a little more clever than others."
"You underestimate yourself too much. I can't count the number of people who have sacrificed their lives trying to kill you before I got here.”
"Even without me, there is still Percival, Lancelot, and Gwalchavad. Their sacrifices would have been nothing more than a foolish dog's death."
"No, they're threatening too, but not as much as you. Be proud. I dare say those lives were worth sacrificing."
Feeling the black mana spreading throughout his body via the sword, Caradoc clicked his tongue. "Demon King worshipers... You’re working with those lowly bastards."
"Yes, because too many have died at the hands of you and your schemes. The deaths of Greed and Lust by the twins was especially brutal. I didn't have enough hands."
"I see. As expected, I should have dispatched Mordred to deal with those lowly bastards."
If there had been no prophecy at the coronation, Caradoc would have had Mordred wipe out the Demon King worshipers on his own. However, when it became impossible to use Mordred due to the prophecy, he had mobilized another knight of a lower rank, who failed to completely dispatch all of them and missed the remnants.
"You... will be used by… the traitor you planted… then you will be cruelly… abandoned."
Caradoc fell into a long sleep, cursing Feliva with his last breath. The Witch of Envy knew it was a meaningless curse because she knew Caradoc was not a magician. Still, his prophecy began to penetrate her mind like a venom without her knowing, just like how hers had once done.
* * *
Time went by mercilessly, and death approached with the clear sound of footsteps.
- We're just weak, naked bodies in the face of the huge flow.
The phantom of Adeline, Merlin’s eternal enemy, who had died in his hands and ate away at his body, whispered in his ear.
"Yes, there's nothing I can do now.”
Merlin, with his slender, bony arms, passed between the twelve huge stone statues and placed the Miracle Crystal on the magic circle.
- Everything for the destruction of the Holy Kingdom.
"Everything for the future of mankind."
Merlin said a solemn goodbye to the stone statues that lit up.
"See you in five-hundred years, my dear friends."
* * *
While the five knights sacrificed themselves to block the Giant King, the enemy ambushed the Knights of the Round Table who escaped from the enemy camp. As a result, Agravain and six other knights were dead, while Gwalchavad and two other knights were missing. Only the Holy Shield that Gwalchavad carried had returned safely with the other survivors. They knew that the three missing knights had not yet been killed because their names had not returned to the stele, but as time went by, no one expected that they would survive.
Arietta put down her papers for a moment and worried about Mordred. The news of all the deaths had been shocking, but Tristan's death in particular had hurt Mordred deeply.
"Euss, is there anything we can do?”
Euss, the head attendant, shook his head with a slightly sad expression. Euss was almost always expressionless. For someone who rarely showed any emotion at all, his face indicated that he was also worried about Mordred. Still, there was nothing either of them could do. After the failure of the operation to subjugate the Giant King, the generals were so worried that Mordred might express his anger at them that they could not sleep at night. Anxiety spawned paranoid suspicion, and that suspicion spread quickly to the members of the cabinet. As time went by, Mordred’s position was reduced, and the war dragged on for longer than expected.
Lancelot, the new captain after Percival's death, told the worried Arietta, "I will try to appease Sir Mordred, so please get some rest."
"Okay, I will trust you."
Arietta leaned her head against her chair and looked out the window. Autumn had already nearly passed and winter was fast approaching.
* * *
Mordred sat in the watchtower of the ancient castle with his eyes closed. As the war intensified and the Knights of the Round Table suffered enormous damage, Arietta now spent all her days in the ancient castle for various political and practical reasons. Naturally, as her escort, Mordred followed.
"What is it, Sir Lancelot?"
Lancelot smiled as Mordred noticed Lancelot's approach without opening his eyes.
"Amazing. Are you spreading your aura over the entire ancient castle and monitoring it?"
"An escort should have these kinds of skills."
The whole area, including the ancient castle, was essentially Mordred’s domain. He could notice if someone harbored even a little bit of killing intent in the ancient castle.
"It's fascinating. Once I killed my emotions, I realized there was nothing I couldn’t cut."
As Mordred slowly opened his eyes, he felt like he could see new things. Lancelot admired the presence that Mordred had, as if he had transcended the realm of human beings.
"I doubt there’s anyone in the world who could beat you." said Lancelot.
Mordred shook his head. "No, my older brother. I can't beat the chief of the Crow tribe yet. Helios Blade and I have a fundamental gap."
He didn’t know what it was, but it felt like his brother’s power was just a step away, but the step felt wider and deeper than the sea. It was a step that felt like it could never be crossed. Lancelot swallowed dryly.
"So what's going on?" asked Mordred.
"Her Majesty said to comfort you."
"Comfort? I don't need it."
Lancelot sighed softly at Mordred's firm refusal. "I don't know if this will comfort you, but listen."
When Lancelot whispered in his ear, Mordred's dead eyes were rejuvenated.
"… Is it true?"
"Yes, it is also the only way to save the Holy Kingdom and get our revenge at the same time. It was an operation that Caradoc ordered us to carry out in the event that he died. I will receive permission from Her Majesty. I hope this is comforting news."
Mordred rose from his seat.
"It’s comforting enough."
* * *
The biting cold swept across the northern continent. Mordred left the ancient castle and rode his horse north endlessly. He stopped when he saw a man ahead of him, blocking the way.
"Where are you going, brother?"
It was Helios. He stood on the path as if he had been waiting for Mordred.
"Are you going to block me?"
Mordred didn't ask why Helios was in this place. Instead, he just touched his sword handle with cold eyes.
"Actually, I already know. You're probably going to the New Year's Festival of the Giant tribe."
Every new year, all Giants gathered around to hold a festival with the Giant King at its center. In previous years, they had gathered in their capital, but this time, the New Year's Festival was to be held in a city located behind the front line, since the Giant King had come to the front line himself.
"The Giant King has lost one eye and arm and is uncharacteristically being more careful to protect himself. Since they have achieved their goal, they will likely go back to their capital after the New Year's Festival, so this will be the last chance."
When the Giant King went back up to the capital, the chance to kill him would disappear.
“However, no matter how close the city is to the front line, you will not be able to pierce into it alone. Even if you manage to get in, you won't have the power to deal with the Giant King." said Helios.
Mordred drew his sword. "I asked you if you were going to block me."
Helios smiled sadly. "No, I respect your choice. I can fight you and stop you now, but that's not what you want."
"Then you're going to help?"
"Not that either. The Crow tribe will not involve itself in any wars. That was the condition I was given when I was given the role of chief from our father, and as chief I believe we should not get involved. It's just…”
Helios looked away slightly, glancing at three knights who were approaching on horseback.
"That’s just me. Those guys seem to think differently.”
After seeing the three knights, Mordred's eyes turned red.
"Gwalchavad!"
"Long time no see, Sir Mordred." the haggard-looking Gwalchavad replied with his still-gentle smile.
"Hey, can you only see Gwalchavad and not us?"
The Middle-aged knights Kay and Cahedrin also greeted Mordred with a smile.
"How are you here...?”
Gwalchavad looked at Helios. "Helios-nim saved us. He asked us to help you, saying that you would get your revenge even if you had to do it alone. Without Helios-nim, we would have died already."
Helios nodded, then looked at Mordred. "This is all I can do for you, though. Take care of yourself. I'll always be watching from afar."
"… Thank you, hyung."
Mordred left Helios behind and went with the three knights in the direction of the Giant King.
* * *
When Mordred disappeared, it caused quite a commotion in the ancient castle. A few troops in the ancient castle left to track him down, and only a small portion of the knights remained inside the ancient castle.
"What is happening?"
Merlin, who had returned to the ancient castle after installing magic to hide the ruins, was puzzled by the disturbance. On his way to Arietta, he ran into one of the remaining Knights of the Round Table. He grabbed the knight by the shoulder.
"You! What is all this commotion?"
"Sir Merlin! When did you come back?! Where have you been all this time!?" the knight asked in surprise.
Merlin lowered his head as if ashamed. "I'm sorry. I had something to finish with this debilitating body of mine. But don't worry. Now I will protect Her Majesty the Holy Queen until the day my life ends.”
"Is that so? That's a relief!"
The knight nodded, and Merlin began to head towards Arietta again. But at that moment…
“Huh?"
Merlin looked down in shock at the sword that pierced through his chest.
"I'm so glad. I can kill you here and relieve you of your duties."
Merlin released a wave of mana to resist death.
"You...! Were you the traitor!?”
Merlin, who managed to escape the knight's grasp, tried to teleport to Arietta by forming a seal with his trembling hands, but failed. With his deeply wounded body, distancing himself from the knight was about all he could do.
The knight made a bitter expression. "As expected of a great madosa. But it's too late."
* * *
Kay, who was riding at the front of the group, said, "Mordred, you must survive. Please survive and make Her Majesty the Holy Queen happy."
The request was a difficult one. What they were about to do was tantamount to suicide.
"I intend to."
Gwalchavad felt like it had been a long time since he had seen Mordred's playful smile. At the same time, he felt a sense of relief, convinced that Mordred was not a traitor. So who was the traitor? Gwalchavad thought about it, but soon cleared his mind as they approached the city.
"We die here for Her Majesty the Holy Queen and the Holy Kingdom! We will get our vengeance in blood!"
"In blood!"
They charged the city where the Giants were gathered to celebrate the New Year's Festival.
"It's an attack!"
A Giant warrior standing on the castle wall blew a horn to signal an enemy attack, but it was meaningless.
Bang-!
Mordred's sword aura smashed apart the castle gate, sending out a sonic boom that sent a clearer warning to the whole city than the horn.
"Mordred, save your strength for the Giant King. He is a formidable opponent."
"But I must pave the way, even if it costs me my life. For revenge!"
The four knights burned their life forces to boost their power to the fullest, and began to slaughter the Giants. The Giants rushed angrily towards the reckless charge, devoid of concern for their own lives. Cahedrin was killed by the charging Giant forces. Right before he fell, he created a gap between the enemy forces with one last attack. Mordred squeezed through the gap, running through at full speed. Gwalchavad and Kay sacrificed their lives to keep the Giant warriors away from Mordred.
"Go, Mordred." whispered Kay as he used his ability. Tangled, thorny vines grew rapidly through the city, wrapping themselves around Giant soldiers and trapping them.
"It’s a relief you are here, Mordred." said Gwalchavad.
Gwalchavad used his ability to conjure up a darkness that engulfed the city. Then the two knights, who had burned all their life force just to buy time, fell into a deep sleep. The darkness and thorns lasted for a while afterwards, as if they were following the last will of their dead masters.
Mordred now stood alone in front of the Giant King. Without Gwalchavad, Kay, and Cahedrin, he would not have made it through the countless enemy troops with all his strength intact.
"Foolish knights. Just seeing you makes my eyes throb."
The Giant King frowned, pointing with his artificial hand at his eye covered with an eye patch.
Mordred burst into laughter at the sight. "Hahahaha! As expected of my comrades! Even if they died, they died fighting!"
Just by looking at the scars on the one eye and wrist of the Giant King, and the burn marks all over his body, it was immediately clear to Mordred who had caused them.
At Mordred’s laughter, the Giant King became furious and let out his killing intent.
"You will pay for ruining our festival! I will kill you and remove that darkness, then hang you in the city center, and hold the festival again!"
Mordred also emitted killing intent as he drew his sword. “I dare you to try!”
With that, Mordred and the Giant King charged at each other.
* * *
Arietta turned around when she felt a sharp pain in her back.
"… Euss, why?"
In the hands of the head attendant, Euss, there was a dagger shrouded with black mana. The dagger was stained with her blood.
"Ugh! Cough! Cough!"
Arietta vomited blood as she felt a curse spreading throughout her body. Trying to place a curse on someone who possessed the power of the Holy tribe was a foolish endeavor. Or, at least it should have been. However, the curse spread throughout her body quickly, eating the Holy tribe’s mana.
"Does this contain… the Demon King’s power? And it also has the power of a witch. So the witches have joined hands with Demon King worshippers." Arietta guessed.
Euss nodded. Arietta looked at him and frowned.
"… Why are you crying, Euss?"
Euss touched his eyes and felt tears. He wiped them away.
"That's right. Why am I crying?"
"Euss…!"
Arietta’s eyes opened wide in surprise when Euss spoke. Euss continued, disregarding her.
"You haven’t asked me why I betrayed you. Well, I guess that’s obvious. You must be somewhat aware of the deep-rooted discrimination and persecution due to pureness of blood in this kingdom… and the terrible abuse and torture that your father inflicted on me because of it."
Euss loosened the front of his clothes and revealed his neck, which was engraved with the bright magic of the Holy tribe that made him mute.
"Cough! Cough!" Arietta coughed up more blood.
Euss shed tears and grimaced as if her pain were his own.
"I hated you. I despised you. So why… Why does my heart hurt like this?"
Arietta reached out towards Euss sympathetically. "Don’t.. cry... Euss. I... I'm sorry... for being unable to protect you... I'm sorry."
Euss dropped the blade. "Ahh… I see. I was able to endure that hell because of you. To you, I…”
Euss did not regret what he did, but his tears did not stop. Arietta's vision slowly blurred as the curse encroached further within her body. Then, a knight came into the office.
"Are you… Sir… Lancelot?"
Lancelot shook his head.
"That name has been discarded. I am here to retrieve the name I gave up."
"Is that so… was this to become the emperor…? Your name... Take it..."
The knight, now relieved of the name Lancelot, bowed to the dying Arietta.
"Thank you. It has been an honor, Your Majesty.”
Lancelot turned towards Euss. “Eusterio Asterium von Asteria. As the prime contributor to my country, you will become a duke. Make sure to finish it."
He left the office with a cruel look on his face. Arietta sensed her death nearing as she touched her blood wetting the floor. As her life passed by her eyes like a kaleidoscope, one person filled her thoughts.
‘Mordred.’
‘I want to roam the street again on Mordred's back.’
‘I want to see Mordred's playful smile.’
‘I want to chat with Mordred and just have small talk.’
‘I want to see Mordred's beautiful swordsmanship.’
‘I want to dance surrounded by fireflies on the lake prepared by Mordred.’
‘Just… I want to see Mordred. Ah, is this love?’
As Arietta realized her love, the ancient castle shone bright and swallowed her into the following darkness. That day, all that remained of the Holy tribe disappeared from this world.
* * *
Mordred’s sword clashed against the Giant King’s. In the wake of their closely contested battle, the city began to collapse as buildings fell and the ground cracked. Mordred's sword brushed against the Giant King's neck. The Giant King's sword glanced across Mordred's side. The fierce battle began to tilt in the Giants’ favor, however, as the benefits provided by the two knights’ sacrifice for Mordred gradually weakened over time. The situation quickly turned upside down when some Giant warriors cut through the vines and escaped from the darkness and began to attack.
"Hahahaha! You’re going to die a dog’s death!"
Despite the Giant King’s provocation, Mordred's head was cool. The Giant King was strong, but the other warriors who joined in were not. They were just a small distraction. Mordred sliced off the heads of the Giant warriors to relieve some of the pressure. The Giant King didn’t try to save his subordinates, and instead attacked while Mordred was distracted. The Giant King’s sword grazed Mordred’s flesh. Mordred shifted his focus to the Giant King again, but another enemy released himself from the vines and attacked Mordred.
As he swung his sword, the Giant King asked, "What is this for? What did a strong warrior like you come to this dangerous place for? Is the Holy Kingdom really worth all of this?"
Mordred replied as he gathered all his strength, "No. The Holy Kingdom is none of my business."
"What is it then? Revenge? For the Knights of the Round Table who died at my hands?"
"No. I killed your brother, too. And my comrades would not want me to die chasing revenge."
"Then why?" the Giant King asked, looking intensely at the bloodied Mordred.
Mordred wondered for a moment. ‘Why? Why am I here?’
The answer to the question was too simple.
"It's for the woman I love."
Dots of gold began to bloom all over Mordred's body. Everything he had was not enough to overcome his enemies. The only thing he could do was stretch beyond his limits, and use the amount of power that he would someday master in the future. He knew how great the price would be, but he didn't hesitate. As Mordred swung his sword, an entire section of the city disappeared along its trajectory. The blow killed countless Giant warriors. Half of the Giant King’s body, who received the blow directly, also disappeared.
"What is the name of this technique?"
Mordred smiled and answered the Giant King’s final question.
"The Dance of the Fireflies. Yes, it's the Dance of the Fireflies."
"… That's wonderful."
The Giant King fell to the ground.
"Hyung, you’re there, right?" asked Mordred.
"Yes, I’m here." replied Helios, who revealed himself from hiding.
Mordred smiled. "Tell Arietta I'm sorry."
Helios began to weep. "You rascal. If I knew this would happen, I would have stopped you from running away."
"Haha. Still, you would have let me go in the end. Because that’s the only way I could get stronger. So I could satisfy your thirst."
"Is that what you would call this? Satisfying my thirst?" Helios cried out.
"A younger brother isn’t supposed to listen to his older brother.”
As the gold covering Mordred died down, he collapsed, losing all the strength left in his body. Helios embraced his brother.
"The proof that you were in this world… I will somehow restore the technique you created."
"Heh… Thanks for that."
Mordred looked up at the sky.
"Ah… I miss Arietta."
As those final words left his mouth, Mordred's whole body cracked and crumbled until it turned to powder and scattered in the wind. Helios didn’t wipe his tears, but drew his sword instead. He didn’t want revenge, he just needed to let out some emotions. That day, all the Giants disappeared from this world.
* * *
In a world where the man and woman disappeared, Merlin saw the ancient castle that was eroding into the reverse world, with an overlapping vision of the changing future.
On a green hill, there stood a young Crow. Next to him stood the knights, and Arietta. Merlin's heart hurt when he saw Arietta, whom he missed dearly.
- Ah, you made it. You have arrived well in the distant future.
The young Crow of the distant future spoke.
- I will destroy you and the world you have protected, Wise Man of the Butterfly tribe.
The white-haired wise man standing opposite him smiled bitterly.
- I won't let you do that, Denburg, the great king of the magic way, the Demon King.
Merlin's life came to an end even before the foresight reached its end.
"Ah, please be happy there… Arietta."
With that, Merlin fell into a deep sleep.
<Completed>
