Blue-Eyes White Dragon: Adopted by the King of Knights [74]

The battle was over.

The white dragon, soaring from the source of time itself, swept away the despair and rage that had engulfed the island, returning it to tranquility.

—The calm before death.

“Sorry, but… could we have a little more time?”

The extra white wings faded away, and the beautiful [Blue-Eyes Abyss Dragon] slowly returned to his original form.

Artoria’s soul also returned to her body. The King of the End, her task fulfilled, opened her eyes once more.

She knew she was no longer a king. This land no longer needed a king.

But what did that matter?

Even without her title, she would still protect the smiles of those living on this island.

“In any case—let’s gather everyone together!”

Artoria immediately began the work of rebuilding White Chalk Castle.

But it wasn’t just the castle that needed rebuilding.

—When the great dragon of Britain had manifested, nearly every structure on the island had been destroyed.

As for the people… they were still alive. But only just—barely clinging to life.

“Come on, everyone, let’s work harder!”

“Let’s at least put up some simple shelters first!”

It was as if they’d gone back to the early days, in that little mountain valley.

Artoria rallied her dazed, bewildered subjects—who barely understood what had just happened—and once more threw herself into rebuilding the kingdom.

—Except this time, there were no gods or fae to help.

“Oi, oi, you can’t mean we’re doing all this again?”

Kay groaned, already picturing himself and the others chopping wood in the mountains through the night.

“Cheer up, Sir Kay. I’ll make sure the kitchen prepares extra stew in advance.”

Bedivere laughed, thumping Kay on the shoulder before plunging into the work of reconstruction.

The rest of the Round Table knights joined in as well.

They were knights who had fought at the King’s side—this, too, was a battlefield. Of course they would not shrink from it.

“But… isn’t it nearly winter?”

“This winter’s going to be hard. Many won’t survive it.”

“There’s nothing to be done about it. Honestly, these people should have died long ago—they’ve only survived this long thanks to the blessings of king and gods.”

Merlin, who knew everything, said such cruel words in the gentlest tone.

Then, after one last glance at this world, he turned away. His body dissolved into fluttering petals, scattered by a breeze from nowhere.

The Age of Mystery was over.

He was returning to where he truly belonged.

…

Three months later.

When the bitter winter at last ended, a spring rain awakened the earth.

Artoria’s task was nearly finished.

“Thank you, everyone.”

“To work with you all—that was my greatest honor.”

Supplies were scarce, but with parting on the horizon, Artoria still brought out what little food remained, hosting a farewell banquet for the knights of the Round Table.

It was also her own farewell feast.

The age of gods and mystery had ended. The king born for destiny must now leave the island that no longer needed her and journey to her rightful place—

—The ideal land, Avalon, which only the innocent may enter.

“Have you settled everything in this world?”

“Mm. Just about. Whatever’s left, I’ll leave to Percival.”

Percival—the knight who admired the King most. Also, one of the few Round Table knights who would meet a happy end: in the original timeline, he won a princess’s favor, married her, and became king of her land.

“It feels a bit unfair to him… but at this point, there’s nothing else we can do.”

The final banquet ended.

Artoria clapped Kay on the shoulder—the knight who usually made the most noise, but today sat silent from beginning to end, not saying a word.

“I’ll be leaving soon.”

“Don’t you have anything to say, Sir Kay?”

“…”

The knight, no longer young, opened his mouth.
He seemed about to curse her out… but when he spoke, the words were a blessing—something he’d never said before.

“There’s nothing I need to say to you.”

“Just don’t go hungry, all right?”

…

Reverse Side of the World.
The Tower at the Edge

Under Artoria’s guidance, the knights—now Heroic Spirits—gathered here once more.

Return whence you came; from beginning to end, a proper farewell.

“But before you go, there’s one more thing you must do.”

After a long absence, Merlin appeared at the tower’s entrance and gently pushed the door open a crack.

In that instant, blinding golden light spilled through, illuminating all of Avalon.

The Holy Grail.

The true Holy Grail stood silently at the heart of the tower, waiting for its destined “chosen one.”

“Well? What are you waiting for?”

Noticing Mashu still frozen in place, Mordred gave her a solid shove.

“Eh? Me?”

Mashu, now standing before the Grail, hesitated—unsure if she was worthy to claim it.

“If not you, then who? Obviously the Grail is meant for you!”

“We don’t need its power to return to our own world.”

Mordred patted her own armor, grinning with barely contained pride.

—Though what, exactly, she was so pleased about, no one could say.

But that was just how Mordred was: innately optimistic. If nothing bad was happening, that alone was enough to make her happy.

Maybe this was what people meant by, “Leave a brat unsupervised for three days, and the roof’s gone.”

“Well… goodbye, everyone…”

Mashu placed her hand on the Holy Grail.

Sure enough, just as Mordred had said: the moment Mashu’s palm touched the Grail, her body began to react.

Golden light blossomed from the Grail, bathing Mashu in a haze of shimmering gold particles.

Feeling the world’s rejection setting in, Mashu forced herself to smile through the tears threatening her eyes, bidding her friends farewell.

And just then—

“Fou! Fou!”

Suddenly, a familiar white creature came bounding over from afar, leaping into her arms.

“Eh?”

Mashu looked up, startled—only to meet Bluey’s gaze.

“Seems this little one wants to go with you.”

“Then I’ll leave it to you—take good care of it, all right?”

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This is a fan translation of 综漫：青眼幼龙，被骑士王捡到了 by 歌冰丽月. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!