IBHJ 1102

Shirou looked from King Leodegrance to the prince, his brow furrowing.

"Father, why do you have that look on your face? You seem to know something about this Vortigern person," Guinevere asked.

King Leodegrance's lips curved into a slight smile. "You know of Vortigern as well, my dear."

Guinevere blinked.

"Sister." The prince, who looked to be in his late twenties, placed his hands on the table. "Vortigern was the White Dragon."

"The White Dragon?" Guinevere straightened. "From the Tale of the Holy Sword? The one the Hero defeated when it was terrorizing the world?"

The prince nodded.

She frowned. "Why didn't I know the White Dragon was called Vortigern?"

"That's because you only reads the parts about the Hero and skips everything else," the prince said with a shake of his head. "You really shouldn't skip parts when you read - it's not a good habit."

King Leodegrance smiled. "Who would have thought that the Tale of the Holy Sword would be known even outside our empire?"

"Indeed." Shirou smiled, making a mental note about the book's title.

As the banquet drew to a close and the councilors began to leave, Xuanzang rose from her silence. She walked to the center of the room and bowed to King Leodegrance.

"Master Xuanzang?" King Leodegrance tilted his head. "What's this about?"

"This monk has stayed in Camlann for quite some time now. My three disciples must be anxiously searching for me. I hope the King will permit me to leave and continue my journey to the west."

King Leodegrance smiled. "Master Xuanzang, you speak as if I've kept you prisoner here. Do you think of me as some tyrant who doesn't respect the wise?"

"No, no, not at all!" Xuanzang waved her hands quickly. "The King seeks Buddhist teachings with such humility. I've never known a ruler so devoted to Buddha."

"Then perhaps we haven't been welcoming enough? Is that why you wish to leave us?"

"That's not it at all!" Xuanzang's hands moved even more frantically. "The King treats me like an honored scholar, the prince respects me as a teacher, and the princess has shown me such kindness. Your hospitality has been beyond measure."

"Then why does Master Xuanzang wish to leave us?" King Leodegrance asked.

"This poor monk carries the Tang Emperor's mission and dares not delay. My lifelong desire is to journey west, to worship Buddha and obtain the sacred scriptures. I humbly ask the King to grant this wish."

"Since Master Xuanzang is so determined, I won't stop you. However, I still think about your words 'Thus should one liberate all beings. Yet when all beings have been liberated, no being has truly been liberated. Therefore, should the mind be brought forth without dwelling anywhere. The mind should not dwell on forms when brought forth, nor should it dwell on sounds, smells, tastes, or dharmas. The mind should be brought forth without dwelling on anything.' I want to learn more about these Buddhist teachings - would you explain them to us before you leave?" King Leodegrance asked.

Xuanzang's eyes brightened. "Of course! If the King has questions, this monk will gladly provide answers."

She realized she had misjudged the king's intentions about letting her leave.

"That's wonderful, but I need to take care of a divine decree right now. I hope Master Xuanzang can stay in Camlann a few more days, until I finish this task. Then I can properly listen to your teachings."

"This monk will wait for your good news." Xuanzang left happily.

Shirou: "..."

He couldn't believe she hadn't seen through such an obvious trick. For this woman to have made it to the Western Paradise, Sun Wukong must have gone through a lot of suffering.

As people began leaving the banquet, King Leodegrance called out just as Guinevere was about to go. "Guinevere, wait a moment."

"Yes, Father?" Guinevere asked.

"Camund told me you went out without permission. We need to have a serious talk, just the two of us," King Leodegrance said with a stern expression.

"Oh... um..."

The color drained from Guinevere's face as her shoulders slumped.

...

"Please bring me a copy of the Tale of the Holy Sword."

"Yes, my lord. One moment."

Right after the banquet, Shirou had asked a nearby maid for the book Guinevere mentioned.

He'd thought Vortigern didn't exist in this Britain, but here he was - a character in some old tale about heroes.

Shirou wanted nothing more than to return to Artoria and Mordred, but first he needed to understand what had happened to him and who his enemies were. For that, he had to learn more about this Britain.

The Tale of the Holy Sword might be just another collection of stories to entertain common people. But now that he knew it mentioned Vortigern, Shirou couldn't ignore it. Guinevere had brought up the book several times before, but he hadn't really listened until he heard that familiar name - Vortigern. That was when this collection of stories he'd dismissed suddenly became important.

"Here, my lord."

The maid handed him an old book.

It wasn't made of papyrus like ancient texts, but hardboard paper. The cover was plain, bearing only the words "The Tale of the Holy Sword."

"Thank you."

After taking the book, he went to his room and sat on his bed, opening "The Tale of the Holy Sword."

[Long ago, across the vast sea, stood a mighty empire. But like all great powers, it weakened as time passed.

Rebellion stirred within its borders while enemies gathered at its gates. As the empire's strength faded, the kingdoms under its protection fell into chaos, and this island was no different. Many foreign enemies turned their eyes toward this once peaceful land.

While the empire crumbled, kingdoms arose across the island. Though they fought among themselves, the threat of northern invaders from across the sea forced these kings to work together.

But one king betrayed this alliance.

This king made deals with the foreign invaders, planning to use them to take control of the entire island.

His name was Vortigern, the Usurper King.

He became known as the White Dragon who would bring ruin to the island!

The Usurper King Vortigern led an army of terrible monsters. He destroyed the great fortress city built during the empire's rule, defeated the legendary King Uther, and prepared to conquer all the land.

Before King Uther died of his wounds, he made one final choice to save his kingdom from the White Dragon. He gave his sword, the symbol of kingship, to the court magus and asked him to find someone worthy to become king.

The court magus placed the sword in stone, declaring that only the true king could draw it, unite all kingdoms, and defeat Vortigern the White Dragon.

For ten years, the White Dragon's power grew stronger, pushing the kingdom to the edge of destruction.

Then, at this darkest hour, a young person from a knight's manor pulled the sword from the stone at Tintagel. And so appeared the hero who would wield the holy sword.]

"This... this can't be..."

Shirou stared at the pages in disbelief, then forced himself to keep reading the Tale of the Holy Sword.

[...The Holy Sword Hero, through many battles and with aid from the Knights of the Round Table and the Great Fairy Vivian, defeated Vortigern the White Dragon and drove out evil from the land. The Hero united all kingdoms into one great realm.

Though worthy of every honor and treasure, the Hero set aside crown and holy sword, seeing all glory as meaningless, and walked away as a common person.

So it was that the world lost its Hero.

Yet what the Hero never knew was that their bloodline lived on in this world...]

"This is my story. But why is it here, written as some old legend?"

Shirou frowned as he closed the book. He looked it over carefully but found no author's name.

Who had written this?

He put down the book and left his room. As he walked into the main hall's corridor, he saw Guinevere gripping the handrail, rubbing her bottom and letting out long sighs.