In the 5th century on the continent, it was a time when Altera, the continental conqueror who destroyed Western Rome, was still alive.
Among the places spared from her destructive instinct was the island nation of Britain. In Britain, there existed many kingdoms. Like in Ériu. There, as with the High King of Ériu, there was a kingship acknowledged as the King of Britain. Since from generation to generation, it only appeared in the bloodline of the Pendragon family, born with the qualification as the island's mystery, the island's master, the Pendragon family had been the masters of Britain for generations.
But... times changed. Mystery gradually withered, and the Age of Gods had long bid farewell. With even the long-lasting Celtic mythology coming to an end, Britain became desolate. Famine due to poor harvests, food shortages, and since it was an island where the last mystery remained, even rampaging Phantasmal Species.
Even the Picts, a tribe of Phantasmal Species from Ireland, crossed over and attacked the indigenous Britons.
The Pendragon King was convinced that the one to solve this was his son, Uther Pendragon. The successor born with the last mystery. The aged king entrusted everything to Uther and left the world. But... he overlooked something. His brother, Vortigern Pendragon, who was not born with mystery.
He was a human chosen by the island in a different way than Uther. The island of Britain wanted to end now. It wanted to end mystery now. It needed an avatar to somehow stop the humans who were going against the natural order by sustaining mystery, and it chose Uther's brother, Vortigern.
Everyone thought the Pendragon brothers, who once showed outstanding prowess in martial arts as close siblings, would surely bring hope to Britain. But... Britain had never decided such a fate. The brothers had to part.
"Brother! Where are you going!"
"Don't you understand yet, Uther! Britain must meet its end! Why won't you understand that! Can't you hear Britain begging you too! If you, born with mystery like our father, can't hear it, can't you feel it with your body! Everywhere else, mystery is ending completely, so why must Britain continue to linger, unable to die! Isn't it all for the sake of humans! For the convenience of humans, Britain must forcibly prolong its life!"
"They are our people! The people of Britain we promised to lead together! I cannot abandon the citizens!"
"This is the path for the people's sake! Do you intend to make them suffer for generations by forcibly prolonging it! If you and I combine our strength, in 10 years? No, within 5 years we can bring about Britain's end! Britain and the humans living there who would suffer for over 50 years in the future! How many generations would change in 50 years! The children born and the people living during that time would have to live and suffer for over 50 years, unable to die! It's a matter of enduring just one generation, at worst 5 years, at most 10 years! Why won't you understand!"
"... Countless people will die in that process. Everyone might die!"
"If even a few survive, that's enough! Or do you want everyone to live for decades in this hellish sea of fire! Uther, my foolish brother! How can you be so cruel! The humans of Britain who lived well, eating well on fertile land using that damned mystery for their momentary convenience. It was a country that at least never lacked food! We may not know about the outside, but internally it was always a prosperous country! From the Age of Gods until now, they lived well for that long time! It's just a few years! The judgment received for the previous generation sucking on Britain's mystery and living is just a few years! Is it total extinction or having some survive and carry on! I chose the latter! Choose, Uther."
"Even if that's so... they are the people who follow me. Even if destruction is a fated destiny, the damage of the process and result can be changed, right."
"... You're a fool to the end, Uther. Step back, you're too soft. You're no different from a slave for the Britons. Do as you please. Surely, you will regret it."
Vortigern and Uther parted ways, and Vortigern established his camp and built his forces. While Uther aimed for internal stability and united the people, Vortigern brought in the Saxon tribe, who were persecuted and driven out by Rome, and made intelligent Phantasmal Species like the Picts his allies. He was building an army to devastate Britain.
Uther couldn't let it end like this, so he prepared a countermeasure. Since he couldn't do it himself, it was to create a successor who wasn't born with Britain's mystery. Along with Merlin, they needed the power of the Red Dragon to fight against Vortigern, who had stolen the White Dragon's power. What they found was...
"Making an old man work, you're really wicked fellows."
It was me.
One year before the successor was born, we were on a journey to find the Red Dragon's lair.
"Well, you're currently the strongest in the world, right? Since the continent's conqueror Altera is also dead~"
"Are you saying I'm weaker than her?"
"If it were her main body, then yes? Well, if it were her, you'd win."
"Yeah, yeah... I'm sure. But who do you think you're talking informally to? Do you want to die?"
"Since you might even kill an incubus, I'll decline..."
I knew the Red Dragon's location, but it was too far. The Isle of Skye at the northernmost tip of Britain and Wales at the southern bottom of Britain where the Red Dragon was were too far apart.
"You're not even asking me to kill Vortigern, but to help create a successor... How clever."
Even if an outsider killed him, Britain wouldn't stabilize. The royal authority would be shaken, and with the great evil Vortigern gone, disturbances would occur, possibly leading to war to seize the mystery. Therefore, having a blood relative of the royal family defeat him would strengthen royal authority again and lead Britain. That was Uther and Merlin's plan.
"In the end, the words are fancy, but aren't you just using a child who doesn't even exist yet to achieve your goal, Uther?"
"Does it seem that way, Lord Fergus?"
Uther, sitting before a campfire in a certain cave, answered my words.
"It might be so... But, do you know why I made such a choice?"
"Why?"
"I will die soon. By my brother's hand. Because the biggest obstacle to my brother is me, who knows him better than anyone."
"... So, you'll irresponsibly pass it on to your child?"
"Even if so, it's correct. But... it's not irresponsible passing. I've given notice to the kings close to me, so they will surely help that child. Merlin is also there... And, I need a child who will carry on my will so I can rest in peace."
"Isn't that self-satisfaction? Your choice, under the pretext of being for Britain, is giving a heavy burden to a child who doesn't even exist yet."
"Whether to accept that is the child's choice. Merlin also promised not to force it... A will of a father whose face they don't know wouldn't be important to a child."
"That doesn't make sense. You're saying you're entrusting it to a successor because you'll die, but it's okay if the successor refuses? What are you talking about?"
"... It's a position I'm forcing upon them. It's natural if they resent and hate me, their father. Even so, to save Britain, that's the only method. And... even then, in my heart as a father, I hope that child would refuse such a heavy position. As a king, I need a successor, but as a father, I want my child to live well."
He was a man who was truly indecisive yet somehow understandable. It wasn't empathy, but he seemed to have a father's heart somewhere, even if imperfect. Because...
"Don't worry. I'll take good care of them!"
He already had a daughter. Her name was Nimue. Another name was Vivian. Yet another name was... Morgan. Born as a fairy, she was Uther's daughter and also Merlin's disciple. Her talent in magecraft was genius, surpassing Deirdre and approaching Scáthach's realm.
Yes, Nimue back then was a very obedient child. Knowing she couldn't inherit the throne, she followed Uther and helped Artoria's birth. Well, since if Britain were ruined, the throne would be meaningless. Instead, she did intend to receive the throne from Artoria.
Her mission as a fairy was to become Britain's master. Fairies are not beings with the concept of children as successors... that is, they are beings with the concept of reincarnation as a new personality. For a fairy, a mission is the very meaning of existence. A fairy who fails to achieve that and loses it gradually goes mad and becomes a monster. There's no Moss here... but they turn into a similar monster and meet their end.
Nimue was like that. Her previous incarnation, the previous fairy, was Britain's goddess (avatar) and Britain's master, but in this generation, she couldn't be. Due to Vortigern, Nimue was in a situation where she was inadequate to receive the successor position. Even in such a situation, Nimue acknowledged another successor and chose to save Britain first. And... she didn't hate her younger sibling who would be born as the successor.
"I'm sorry. That I can't pass the throne to you... even though I know your mission."
"It's okay. It'll be fine if I receive it from my sibling later. They're my sibling! I'll definitely help until we defeat Uncle Vortigern! Of course... if I don't go mad, that is."
"Hey~ For someone like that, you seem to get along well with King Lot of Orkney?"
"Wah! Waah!? Shut up, Merlin!"
"Hahaha~"
Well... she was a lively girl at that time. A child with many dreams, who loved her father and cherished and loved her sibling who hadn't even been born yet.
We weren't the only ones on the journey. There was also Ector, Uther's right-hand man.
"What...? Are you serious?"
"Yes, Ector. It has to be you. You and I fought together on the battlefield many times and survived. I will die not long after that child is born. Together with my wife... So, there's a rural village in Cornwall I've been eyeing. Live in seclusion there with Vivian and take care of the child."
"I'm not confident in childcare... but this son of mine who was just born is such a troublemaker, full of energy... I understand. I'll do it."
"You can speak casually now."
"Fine, you bastard! How old do you think I am to raise another child!?"
"Because there's no one else but you."
"Sigh, it's better than entrusting it to that Merlin fellow, so I'll raise them."
"Why am I being insulted again..."
"Merlin, it's because you deserve it."
"Huh? Vivian~ Before you met King Lot, you confessed to me──"
*Whack!*
And so, Merlin, who was fooling around, got hit. A staff massage with tremendous magecraft. He deserved it for what he did.
The journey was short but... it gave me a feeling similar to being returned to the past Ulster days, when I was utterly exhausted after sending off my wives. The journey wasn't bad.
As for the Red Dragon... I beat it up with force. Caladbolg has the power to blow up an island with a 'Boom~', what could it do?
After obtaining the Red Dragon's heart, Uther succeeded in having his successor born. But unfortunately, it was a girl. So, they disguised her as a boy and hid the successor.
"What a cute child. Artoria~ I'm your big sister~"
"This is something, to think this child has the Red Dragon's heart... Merlin, are you confident? In drawing out her talent."
"I can't draw it all out. If I do, she might end up like Vortigern. I'll raise her as a human."
"You? It'll be Sir Ector. Let's be clear."
"That's too harsh..."
"Then, I'll take my leave. It's no longer a story for me to interfere in, and I'm also tired... because the end is approaching."
With that as the end, I no longer interfered. Before returning to the Land of Shadows, I decided to meet Vortigern once. But before that...
Uther was poisoned.
He would have known about the poison in the wine. But, knowing he would be killed by assassins even if he didn't drink, he cleanly drank the poisoned wine his brother had schemed with. And so, the King of Britain died.
The capital was captured and faced destruction by Vortigern's forces.
"Father... Father...!"
Nimue, hugging Uther's cold corpse, shedding tears. Even though she knew it was coming, death that directly arrived was painful. But...
Tragedy began anew from there.
With Uther's death, the mystery that was originally not to be inherited was passed on to Pendragon's descendant. Originally, it should have been severed, but since the island was just before destruction, the remaining mystery was inherited. Neither Uther nor Merlin predicted the inheritance of mystery, which passed not to the dragon Artoria but to the fairy Nimue.
And that mystery strengthened her power as a fairy and also accelerated the curse of a fairy failing to fulfill its mission.
"... Why, why is someone like you the successor... I could, I could do better! Because you were born, because you were born, father died!"
What fault could a newborn baby have? She, who knew that best, rapidly went mad. Being originally a strong fairy, the degree of her madness was exceptional. Her personality split into three, her mind rapidly breaking down.
Looking at burning Londinium, she transformed from the kingdom's princess into a witch.
It was the moment of the witch... Morgan le Fay's birth. Uther Pendragon's death changed many things. The birth of the successor changed many things.
"Go..."
"Vivian... you..."
"While I'm... still me, take Artoria and go...."
"But..."
"Get lost before I kill that child!!!!"
Artoria's older sister Nimue, Britain's avatar Vivian, the witch of obsession Morgan.
It was the moment her personality twisted and split into three. The aspect of Nimue, who loved the newborn Artoria, suppressed Morgan and handed Artoria over to Ector, and Morgan also disappeared somewhere.
The division that began with the Pendragon brothers had now occurred even in the next generation of sisters. Perhaps that was the curse Britain placed upon humans.
And what about Vortigern, who was the beginning of it all...?
"Why... why, why did you drink that and die, Uther. Why... you're not a human who would die from just that... why, why won't you follow me...!!!"
Vortigern, who dearly loved his younger brother, sent poison and assassins only as a warning, hoping he would surely take his hand. But Uther chose death because he could never walk the same path as Vortigern.
"... Vortigern. Well, that man couldn't kill Artoria and Nimue, no, Morgan. In the end, a man who couldn't decide on either one."
He gradually became the island's puppet monster. A man who continuously agonized over the choice to destroy Britain (the world), shaken by thoughts of his younger brother, losing conviction. He probably couldn't kill his own flesh and blood more than once.
That's why Vortigern couldn't kill Artoria. Because the sisterly personality remained, Morgan gave Artoria various help, including the holy sword.
The Pendragon lineage was cursed. They were cursed with Britain's curse of destruction, forcing them to fight among family. A fate where they had to hate and fight even while loving family. That was Britain's fate. It was regrettable but...
I was already too exhausted to have the strength to interfere further in their story. Before Artoria defeated Vortigern, I had finally exhausted my lifespan and could sleep.
"I'm sorry to you. I had the power. It's just, my heart was too exhausted."
"... I do not blame you. But, that story... is it true?"
"What would I gain from lying? Ector and Merlin didn't tell you, who would become king, because it was a difficult story. Originally, it's just a story that would burden you more."
"What is the reason for telling me this story?"
"It's nothing. I'm also tired of preaching and such~ I just wanted you to know our story. I wanted you to know the story of family you didn't know. Artoria... you were loved by more people than you think. Please know that fact."
"..."
"Ah, and... if by any chance you want to know how to handle dragon power, come to me. Originally, it's impossible for a Servant to grow, but you're a living spirit, so it's possible, right?"
"!?"
"So, feel free to visit."
Dragon power... Isn't it okay to handle it now, Merlin? Since later you'll become a Servant or have Avalon, wouldn't it be good to become stronger?
But... I didn't know then. The fact that in the distant future, because of that, I would create a strong enemy. I never imagined it would snowball like that.
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