"Mom… Mom."
"——"
"It hurts so much… Mom…"
"——"
The whistling sound rapidly faded away. Within just a few seconds, the perpetrator had already departed from the settlement.
In the midst of the settlement torn apart by the supersonic shockwave, Artoria lay helplessly on the ground. A few meters away, Arthas's voice grew fainter and fainter, and tears streamed down her cheeks.
She stretched out her hand toward Arthas desperately, but as if fate were mocking her, no matter how hard she reached, her fingertips were always just slightly short of his.
"Mom… I'm so sleepy…"
Finally, before her terrified eyes, Arthas's voice fell silent. His movements ceased entirely, and there was no sound at all.
"Arthas… my child…"
I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry.
It was all Mom's fault.
It's Mom's fault for running away… running from destiny, running from her duty, running from what she had to do…
That's why everything turned out this way, that's why Britannia was destroyed, that's why your father died…
I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry…
"It was Mom… who could do nothing."
[After the Calamity began, the settlement you were in was struck by the Calamity of Flame.]
[The rebuilt faerie settlement was massacred; not a single soul survived. Your child perished before you.]
[Consumed by infinite regret and agony, you died.]
[This simulation ends.]
[Summarizing your performance in this simulation…]
[Whether as a faerie sent to the surface by the Throne of Heroes, or as the Chosen of Prophecy, you were undoubtedly a failure.]
[Even as a mother, you could not ensure that the child who might have been your substitute to save Britannia survived.]
[However, at least this time, you did not give up on yourself. Even when your heart was as if dead, you still lived for your child, striving to do everything within your power.]
[From this perspective, you were at least a dutiful wife and loving mother.]
[Your rating for this simulated life: An Ordinary Life.]
[Your score for this simulated life: 25 points.]
[Do you accept the memory of this simulation?]
"Thud—"
Outside Salisbury, Artoria glared at the glowing display before her and punched the half-gnawed tree branch lying across the ground.
Again like this, again like this… always like this!
Why? Why does it always end up this way?
Why am I so powerless at the critical moment every time?
Why, in every simulation, can't I do anything?
Artoria slowly withdrew her trembling hand, wincing as she blew on her already swollen knuckles.
She was always like this—fragile, powerless, incapable of accomplishing anything. Every time, she ended up nothing but a burden.
Even when she fought desperately in the face of despair, it only became a laughingstock.
Memories surged into her mind, and that sense of helplessness filled her soul even more.
Whenever she closed her eyes, all she saw were those agonizingly unforgettable moments of pain.
"—I'm sorry. This is the only solution my ordinary self could think of."
"Live on, Artoria."
"Take my wish with you and love our child."
This was the vision of Guinevere clutching his severed shoulder, leaving her staggeringly behind.
"—Get moving, ahhhhhh!"
"Keep going forward!"
"Don't look back!"
This was Guinevere's desperate scream as he fell from the monster's head.
"—Mom… Mom."
"It hurts so much… Mom…"
"Mom… I'm so sleepy…"
This was what she saw last: Arthas collapsing in a pool of blood.
It was all because of her weakness, her running away, that caused the death of those she loved most.
Not because she did something wrong—precisely because she did nothing at all.
She jabbed her slender fingers into her tangled hair, clawing at her scalp as if in a frenzy, her knuckles turning pale.
Pain, regret, despair… these emotions flooded her heart along with those agonizing memories, tearing her chest apart as if it would shatter.
But such emotions did not last long.
Soon, a single determination swept away all those negative feelings.
Because no matter what, at this very moment, she had returned to the beginning.
Now, she still had the chance to rewrite that future.
This time, no matter what, she would never run away again.
Artoria lifted her head, her eyes fixed unyieldingly on the glowing display of the Queen Simulator.
[Based on your current score, you have obtained 20 Saint Quartz Fragments.]
[Since the existing Saint Quartz Fragments are insufficient for a summoning, the system will automatically save these fragments—]
"Skip."
Having no patience left to read any further, Artoria said coldly, "I want to start the next simulation."
......
Meanwhile, on the other side, in stark contrast to Artoria's stern resolve, Guinevere sat staring blankly at his own simulator.
[Summarizing your performance in this simulation…]
[Reviewing your life: Though it lacked dramatic ups and downs, for a mere mortal it was already splendid enough.]
[Although you performed some deeds that would be whispered about, due to your low profile, even those remarkable deeds could only remain an unverified rumor among faerie circles.]
[You honored the Chosen of Prophecy's wish and granted her a life of peace and joy. Your love life was not tumultuous or noteworthy, but that gradual, ordinary love was perhaps exactly what she longed for.]
[You should have displayed exceptional talents in many areas, but because you coddled the Chosen of Prophecy, none of those talents ever surfaced. In the end, you merely became a humble blacksmith.]
[Yet, in any case, your courageous zeal in the final moments of your life was enough to earn the genuine respect of the proudest knight.]
[Your rating for this simulated life: A Mortal's Courage.]
[Your score for this simulated life: 50 points.]
[Due to your extraordinary performance in this simulation, you have acquired the Temporary Noble Phantasm Projection: Heavenly Fire Judgment.]
[—For the one I love, I am willing to offer my life]