IBHJ 1158

Should he stay true to his own loyalty, or just follow his friends blindly?

Should he stand by his own sense of right, or accept what his friends believed?

Was he right or wrong?

He really didn't know, but he knew he had to choose.

In his mind, he saw the Emperor's smile from that day in the palace.

—True greatness isn't something you're born with. It's shaped by the way we live, by the choices we make. But to live forever... that demands a heavy price—it costs us pieces of our heart. And when that day finally comes, when others lose their way, your smile might be the only light left to guide them. So never lose it, Bedivere.

Bedivere squeezed his sword handle, his words coming through clenched teeth: "I... have to keep going down this path!"

Not to run away, not from despair, not to make himself feel better, but for the Emperor in his memories!

"This is what loyalty means to me!"

"You... you complete idiot!" Morgan stared in disbelief. "How can anyone be this blind? I never knew you were this far gone! If that's how it is, then I'll have to give you death's judgment on behalf of His Majesty!"

She drew her blade. The once peaceful land, where everyone lived in harmony, had become a battleground of death and clashing beliefs.

…

Somewhere in the far east of Tír na nÓg...

This island had stayed untouched by the war between the Empire and Pan-Human History.

Green fields stretched as far as the eye could see, crystal-clear waters sparkled, and soft winds painted a picture straight out of a poem.

Without warning, the air twisted in on itself, tearing open into a warped hole. A stern-faced old man stepped out, gripping a jeweled staff.

He turned back toward the hole and spoke: "Welcome to Pan-Human History's Tír na nÓg."

"Ah, that Celtic mana in the air. How nostalgic," a elegant woman with purple hair stepped out of the void, breathing in deep. A soft smile played across her beautiful face. "Never thought I'd see the Celtic realm again, let alone Tír na nÓg."

She glanced back at the hole, "How long are you planning to hide in there, Skadi? We're in Pan-Human History now."

Skadi: "..."

"Scathach... you're sure Shirou isn't around?" Skadi's nervous voice drifted out from the hole.

"Yeah, he is," Scathach said with a straight face.

"Eep!" Skadi, who was about to step out, ducked right back into the hole.

Scathach cracked a smile. "Just messing with you."

"That's not funny!" Skadi snapped from inside before finally stepping out.

She turned to the old man with a graceful bow. "Thank you so much, Lord Zelretch."

These new arrivals were Zelretch, who was sent by Gaia to gather help from other worlds, along with Skadi and Scathach from the Nordic connection point—his first picks for the mission.

"Skip the fancy stuff," Zelretch grumbled at her polite gesture. "If Gaia hadn't asked, this old man wouldn't be playing taxi driver for anyone."

Scathach's lips curled into a smirk. "Didn't you play messenger boy for Shirou back in 2003?"

"Hey, I'll do anything you want okay! just don't bring him up!" he threw his hands up in frustration.

Once upon a time, Zelretch's most hated person had been that showoff Crimson Moon. Now? That spot belonged to Shirou.

Thanks to Shirou, he'd wiped out Crimson Moon. Thanks to wiping out Crimson Moon, Fuyuki got invaded. Thanks to that invasion, Sixth Seat attacked Pan-Human History. And thanks to that attack, the UOs went crazy, Gaia grew a personality, and now here he was—getting beaten up by ORT and running errands for Gaia.

Zelretch finally saw the truth: Fujimaru Shirou was nothing but trouble.

And not just any trouble—endless trouble!

Even Crimson Moon looked good compared to this!

Why hadn't he seen it sooner?

The old man's eyes started watering.

Scathach and Skadi started laughing, knowing he was just being dramatic.

The truth was, even without Shirou around, the Lord of Salvation would have come back eventually to destroy everything anyway.

This world, this whole universe, was destined for destruction from the beginning. That's why Zepia Eltnam Oberon, head of the Atlas Institute, went all out researching the Sixth Law, even turning himself into the Dead Apostle Ancestor Night of Wallachia to finish it.

And ever since the First Magic user disappeared, Zelretch had been watching countless parallel worlds.

What was he looking for?

A future—any future.

And Gilgamesh? The reason he turned into such a cruel king was simple—his all-seeing eye, Sha Naqba Imuru, could no longer show him the future.

So when Shirou appeared, even someone as proud and stingy as Gilgamesh let him copy his Noble Phantasms.

Because Shirou's awakening was the first thing he'd seen that was different—

Shirou's very existence gave their doomed world a chance at having a future.

And when the truth about Shirou's past came out, it proved that Gilgamesh's instinct had been right.

That's why more and more people kept jumping to Shirou's boat, offering their help—until even the planets themselves backed him. Not because of some divine blessing, but because he earned it step by step through pure determination, kindness, and strength.

Zelretch was no different. Sure, he complained non-stop, but he still showed up when it counted. That said it all.

Skadi smiled, then turned to take in the beautiful sight of Tír na nÓg, her eyes growing distant. "Pan-Human History..."

A mix of emotions washed over her, leaving her in a daze. Once, her world had been Pan-Human History, but the Lord of Salvation and Sixth Seat's secret plots, and Surtr the Giant King's invasion, had ended up destroying her world. It became nothing but planetary waste, swept away and forgotten.

For a moment, sadness crept into Skadi's heart. After all, her world was long gone.

Even her name and very existence had been taken, turning her into Skadi the Goddess of the Nordic connection point.

But still—

"That's some intense signature I'm feeling. It looks like someone is bullying Shirou right now. What do you think we should do, Scathach?" Skadi gave her a smile.

"Is that even a question? Nobody gets to pick on my student but me." Scathach's smile was sugar-sweet.

But Skadi knew better. Unlike her straightforward nature, Scathach was a crafty one. In fact, the sweeter her smile, the more you needed to be careful.

"What about you, Lord Zelretch?" Skadi turned to him.

"Gaia told this old man to keep an eye on Tír na nÓg, so that's exactly what I'll do," he said flatly.

Nobody would've believed the Second Magic user would ever take orders from Gaia. The truth was, Zelretch used to look down on Gaia, right up until ORT beat that attitude right out of him.

You could hate on Gaia all you wanted, show off, and curse it out—back when it was just a mindless planet that wouldn't fight back. But this Gaia, the one who'd manifested in the world, was a completely different story.

That woman was what you'd call "petty" with a side of "vindictive."

If he didn't play along now, she'd definitely make him pay later, and keep making his life a living hell until the day he died.