"I'm back at the King Selection?" Artoria murmured to herself after she realized she was back in the past.
She didn't expect the Grail to actually manage to grant her wish like that, but it made her wonder why Reina said the Grail couldn't grant her wish when it literally just did and she was now in the past.
"What's the point of this illusion if what Reina showed is actually good for me, I thought she was going to make me see something really bad based on the way she said it to me"
"And what is that Mud..." Artoria remembered hearing from Void that the mud was because of the Einzbern cheat and then summoning an Avenger that corrupted the Grail.
But before she could think more, suddenly a hand landed on her shoulder.
"Artorius are you really okay? Should we delay your turn and let others try it first?" Kay asked her in worry.
"No Kay I'm fine I just... lose my balance a bit" she let go of her older brother's hand that was clearly worried about her.
To Artoria, Kay was not just her foster brother but the one really close to her since childhood, as he often helped her with her heavy chores from Ector and thanks to him she could take care of her body and not collapse.
Kay also often gave her more food because he knew how much she could eat by herself, and so Kay became the source of her absolute gratitude, deep trust, and a quiet sense of comfort that she didn't feel around anyone else.
Artoria looked forward to where Caliburn was firmly embedded in a solid block of marble and surrounded by a heavy iron anvil.
She knew this was the exact moment where her destiny as the ruler of Britain had originally started and the very moment she had discarded her own emotions as a human just to become the perfect king.
But different from the first time, she actually faced the legendary sword directly without any hesitation or fear because she already knew her choice, and as she walked forward confidently getting closer to the anvil, the entire crowd stopped whispering and just stared at her in complete silence.
She reached out and tightly gripped the golden hilt of Caliburn, and for a brief second she felt the familiar, warm magical energy of the sword welcoming her and completely ready to slide out of the stone the moment she pulled.
But instead of using her actual strength and pulling it free, Artoria just gave it a normal and weak tug so the blade didn't move a single inch, and after pretending to struggle for a minute while carefully checking the surroundings to see their reactions, she finally let out a heavy sigh.
"I guess I don't have what it takes" she said while letting go of the hilt and taking a step back.
Almost everyone in the crowd groaned in loud disappointment and began to look away because they thought she was just another failed squire wasting their time.
Meanwhile Merlin who had been watching closely right beside Caliburn had his eyes widen in pure shock as it was the first time he actually felt truly surprised by her actions, and in the distance Sir Ector also shared that exact same horrified expression because both of them knew she was holding back on purpose.
"Sorry Kay, it seems I failed to pull it just like everyone else" Artoria said while putting on a perfectly disguised look of disappointment.
"Eh? Ah, yes, no problem, there is no need to be sad because I also failed!" Kay quickly replied as he clumsily tried his best to cheer her up.
"Haha, yeah" Artoria laughed a bit and glanced back toward Caliburn one last time.
Seeing her act like that made Kay feel incredibly bad for her because he knew exactly how hard Artoria had been working since childhood for this very day.
"Don't think too much about it Artorius, so how about we go drink some ale and get some good food? My treat for you" he offered with a comforting smile.
"Really? You know exactly how much I eat, right?" she asked playfully.
"...Just have mercy on my wallet, please" Kay sighed dramatically.
Both of them then walked away from the courtyard together, happily leaving the area and letting the other squires and knights try their luck on Caliburn.
But after walking and getting just outside the church area, they suddenly saw Merlin standing near the path as if he had been waiting for them, or to be exact, waiting exclusively for Artoria.
"What do you want, incubus?" Kay immediately demanded with a voice absolutely full of despise.
"Don't be like that Kay~ I am just here to talk with Artorius because we have something really important to discuss" Merlin replied smoothly, and of course he didn't take Kay seriously at all as they had been bickering like this for ten years already.
Kay wanted to say something again but Artoria gently placed a hand on his arm to tell him to stop, and then she turned toward Merlin.
"Let's talk" she said simply before walking away to lead him elsewhere.
Merlin saw her act like that and instantly realized that this Artoria seemed completely different from the hesitant girl he had spoken to earlier, so he quietly followed her.
In a secluded place away from the crowds with no one around to hear them, both of them finally started their conversation.
"I thought you were going to choose the first choice Artoria, because you told me earlier that you were going to accept your destiny" Merlin asked while dropping his playful tone entirely.
"Yes, but I realized I am not truly qualified to become the king, and after hearing your prophecy about how I am going to lose my humanity and die being hated by everyone, I realized that I just can't go through with that" Artoria answered calmly while looking him straight in the eyes.
"So I am sorry Merlin, but I choose to retain my humanity and completely refuse the prophecy" she stated with serious tone in her voice.
Hearing that made Merlin smile warmly as if he had accepted her choice instantly.
"Wonderful! That is the most human answer you could have given me Artoria, and I am truly glad you chose yourself" he said cheerfully.
"Hah, says you, you have been saying I am going to become king since childhood but now you just easily accept my choice like this" Artoria sneered at him in disbelief.
"No, no, don't misunderstand Artoria, I never actually said you needed to become king. I was just helping you because of my promise to Uther, but now that you have already made your own choice all I can do is simply respect it" he explained smoothly.
"And so I hope you are happy in your journey" Merlin added before he walked away completely satisfied after hearing Artoria's response.
Artoria just stood there looking at his back for a moment before sighing to herself.
"I can never figure out that guy..." she muttered under her breath.
And so Artoria returned to Kay, and both of them left the town together to head back to their village so Kay could finally fulfill his promise of treating her to a good meal.
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Since that fateful day in the town square time passed quickly as they settled back into their quiet village life.
Sir Ector underwent a drastic change because the hardened knight discarded his stern demeanor and began treating her exactly like his own daughter.
His usual strictness and mentor-like discipline vanished as though they had never existed in the first place.
The older man offered warm smiles and gentle words instead of harsh lessons, and this sudden shift in behavior was so dramatic that it made her adoptive brother Kay struggle to get used to his own father acting so soft.
Artoria knew exactly why he did that even though it had taken her years to realize the hidden truth behind his actions.
Sir Ector had always treated her with deliberate harshness because he was trying to break her spirit so she would give up on her heavy destiny to become king.
But now that he heard she had abandoned the idea of pulling the sword from the stone he no longer needed to maintain that protective wall.
She was no longer a candidate for the throne and became just a normal girl who could finally be showered with the affection of a true father.
Ever since rejecting Caliburn she lived a peaceful life as a true family member alongside Kay, Sir Ector, and his wife in their rustic manor.
They shared warm meals and laughter around the hearth without the looming shadow of prophecy hanging over their heads.
This peaceful existence lasted until a full month passed and Artoria made the sudden decision to pack her bags to roam the country.
She wanted to see the lands with her own eyes and connect with the commonfolk to gain real-world experience outside the safety of their village.
In her previous life she had done this exact same journey across Britain, but the difference was her current motivation.
She was now roaming simply to understand the people and share in their daily lives rather than traveling as a desperate king candidate trying to convince arrogant nobles to support her claim to the throne.
The farewell morning arrived with a heavy atmosphere as everyone stood in the courtyard holding back their tears.
Saying goodbye was incredibly difficult because they had been living under the same roof and raising Artoria since she was a fragile five-year-old child.
They shared tight embraces and prolonged their farewells until the sun rose higher in the sky.
Artoria finally mounted a sturdy traveling horse that Ector gifted her for the journey, gave one last affectionate smile to her weeping family, and spurred the steed forward onto the open dirt road.
Her first year on the road was a harsh wake-up call when it came to actual combat.
She spent most of her time traveling between towns and pitching in wherever people needed help against stray Saxon raiding parties.
Her innate Dragon Core gave her a massive advantage, pumping raw magical energy through her veins and letting her fight veteran fighters easily.
But not having a holy sword like Caliburn was a huge headache.
Normal iron and steel swords just couldn't handle her sheer strength and mana.
A regular blade would overheat, splinter, and shatter into pieces after just a few intense clashes, forcing her to constantly buy replacements and carry a bundle of spare swords on her horse everywhere she went.
During these early days, she still had clear memories of the Holy Grail War and the modern world, but they were already starting to feel like a weird, distant dream.
By the time her second year rolled around, the political landscape of Britain took an interesting turn.
Artoria was sitting in a crowded tavern eating a hot stew when she overheard some traveling merchants gossiping about the capital.
Word on the road was that her half-sister Morgan had stepped out of the shadows and claimed the throne as the temporary King of Britain.
Hearing that made Artoria pause her meal, but she just let out a quiet breath and went back to eating.
Surprisingly, the nobles were actually falling in line and the country remained perfectly stable.
The throne wasn't her problem anymore, and she honestly just hoped Morgan could keep the peace going.
As the third and fourth years blended together, her body underwent some drastic changes.
Because she never pulled the holy sword, her physical aging hadn't frozen in time like it was originally supposed to.
Her old boyish squire tunics quickly became way too tight and uncomfortable to wear.
She shot up in height and her frame matured naturally as her waist widened and her chest grew significantly.
She couldn't pass as the scrawny male squire "Artorius" even if she tried.
This forced her to visit local blacksmiths to commission custom-fitted armor that actually accommodated her new curves.
At the same time, her memories of the real world began slipping away like water through her fingers.
The faces of the people from the future and the very concept of the Grail's illusion grew completely hazy, replaced entirely by her day-to-day life on the dirt roads of Britain.
By her fifth year wandering the country, Artoria had fully developed into a striking, powerful woman.
She settled into a comfortable routine as a wandering warrior, leaving a trail of shattered cheap blades behind her while protecting the common folks from minor border invasion from Saxons.
The country was relatively peaceful, the Saxons weren't a major threat yet, and she was finally living the free life she always wanted.
She no longer remembered the Holy Grail War, the illusion, or the fact that she was a Servant.
As far as Artoria knew, this quiet, wandering journey was her one and only reality.
During those five years Artoria also wanted to find and experience the feeling called love after remembering what Lancelot had said to her about it when he kidnapped Guinevere.
But unfortunately for someone who didn't understand love at all she mostly just made things weird for others especially when they saw a woman like her doing mercenary work completely alone for years.
Added to that Artoria's only real criteria for a romantic interest was someone stronger than her which was basically impossible.
Even when men lusted after her body and wanted to court her she didn't actually mind but she demanded only one thing and that was they beat her in a fight.
Unfortunately no one even managed to touch her during their duels and there were also times where the men got desperate and cheated by group attacking her.
Of course because of her Dragon Core she easily beat them up really hard for dishonoring their duel and left them groaning in the dirt.
For a few more years Artoria kept roaming the world and breaking cheap swords until one day she finally decided she was tired of the road and chose to settle down in a quiet small village that she traveled to.