Multiverse Adventure – My Journey Begins in Danmachi 91

Multiverse Adventure – My Journey Begins in Danmachi 91

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Edited by: Tiny Fan Fiction

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Chapter 91 Artoria: Let’s go! If you lose, you’re coming with me to Camelot!!

Fuyuki City is roughly divided into the modernized, commercialized eastern Shinto, and the western Shin’yama Town, which is built on a mountain and features traditional residential areas.

The Mion River, which runs through the center of Fuyuki City, separates these two areas.

Under the Miyagawa Bridge, which connects Shin’yama Town and Shinto, there is a seaside park.

During the summer and autumn seasons, the seaside park is filled with people who come to play and enjoy the cool breeze at night.

However, during the cold winter season, the relentless, damp sea wind only makes people feel chilled to the bone.

Especially after sunset, the strong night wind is like a knife cutting across the face.

As a result, when Noah, Artoria, and their companion arrived at the seaside park, they hardly saw any pedestrians.

“Ah, finally, some peace and quiet!”

Although the scenery of the seaside park wasn’t particularly beautiful, Sola-Ui had been conserving her energy to avoid the gazes of passersby, and now she felt carefree and exhilarated.

Artoria, on the other hand, didn’t have the luxury of being idle, her beautiful face clouded with a layer of dust.

During their conversation, Artoria hadn’t revealed anything about herself, but Noah had been open about his past.

The brave warrior from another world, the world on the brink of destruction, betrayed by his comrades…

All of this was too familiar for Artoria Pendragon (Saber).

This Noah Cipher, was he really not trying to provoke her?

She narrowed her eyes slightly, using her peripheral vision to glance at the boy beside her, a hint of danger flashing in her Emerald Eyes.

“Huh? What are you looking at? Do you want some too?”

Noah, who was eating konpeito, felt her gaze and turned his head, giving Artoria a puzzled look.

Artoria’s mouth twitched at the sight.

Even she couldn’t understand whether she was bothered by Noah’s overly innocent eyes or the fact that he still had room for sweets after eating a large meal.

At least when it came to appetite, Artoria acknowledged that he had a king-like quality.

“No need, you enjoy it slowly…”

After some hesitation, Artoria couldn’t suppress the thoughts swirling in her mind.

“Noah, is this really okay? That’s the world you spent half your life trying to save… don’t you care about it at all?”

Although she was asking someone else, the one being interrogated first was Artoria’s own heart.

The endless mountains of corpses and seas of blood on the Sword Bar Battlefield seemed to materialize before her eyes, and Artoria’s heart felt as if it were being gnawed at by countless Vipers.

After finally regaining her composure, Artoria met Noah’s deep gaze, feeling an unsettling sense of being seen through.

“Noah, I…”

“I understand, Lia.”

Swallowing a piece of overly sweet candy that was almost sickening, Noah gazed into the distance, watching the sea’s surface undulate under the moonlight.

“I’ve made many mistakes, taken many lives; in a sense, the lives that have perished at my hands are the most… but I have no regrets, because I am confident that no one can do better than I can.”

The biting sea breeze made Noah’s calm voice sound somewhat hazy.

To Artoria, it felt as if it were coming from a distant shore.

“Lia, you are a good person. Good people always take all the responsibility upon themselves, always thinking they haven’t done their best, wanting to try again, or wanting to give way to others… but to me, that’s a very irresponsible way of thinking.”

Noah’s voice was calm and ethereal, yet it made Artoria shudder, as if an invisible hand had tightly gripped her heart, leaving her slightly pale.

“No, irresponsible?”

Noah seemed oblivious to Artoria’s unease, still gazing into the distance, though her eyes casually swept over the nearby tall buildings.

“Lia, the gap between people is often predetermined; the strong are destined to dominate the fate of the weak! This is because the responsibilities an individual can bear are also constant. Some can only be responsible for themselves, while others, shouldering the responsibilities of their Familia, are already giving their all; taking on even a little more would lead to collapse…”

Retracting her gaze from the distance, Noah looked at Artoria.

“You must understand, the vast majority of people in this world are ignorant and incompetent. As the strongest, you and I, if we entrust the responsibility of deciding the world’s fate to others, isn’t that irresponsible to the billions of lives?”

Looking into those eyes that seemed to see through her soul, Artoria wanted to retort, but was consumed by a sense of helplessness that surged from deep within.

What was the most direct reason for Camelot’s downfall?

Wasn’t it Mordred’s betrayal and rebellion?

Artoria could feel her admiration for her, but that was one of the reasons she couldn’t admit it.

That still innocent child, Fundamental, could not bear the heavy responsibility of the kingdom’s rise and fall.

If one must fall into Purgatory, then let oneself bear this pain.

She yearned to serve as a Knight, aiding another to ascend the throne, but could anyone truly outshine her in this role?

No, none could.

When Artoria realized this, she was even astonished at her prior blindness to it.

Perhaps she had always known, but simply couldn’t bring herself to accept it.

For if she couldn’t find someone to entrust with the throne, it meant she had to continue her reign.

Yet Artoria had reached her limit; she wasn’t sure if she could do any better if she had to start over.

Although Noah hadn’t struck her down or denied her, the future he painted negated her own desires at their very core.

To Artoria, this was a strike more cruel than any physical blow.

Noah’s eyes flickered with displeasure as he observed the disarrayed and murky aura surrounding Artoria.

From the moment he laid eyes on the blonde-haired girl from afar, Noah felt a long-dormant fighting spirit stir within him, compelling him to engage in conversation.

Now, she had withered to this despondent state.

In her current condition, slaying her would hold little meaning.

Noah could guess that Lia probably shared a fate similar to his own.

But that didn’t mean he would sympathize or understand… he had already wasted over a year in this world, and the battle he had been longing for was finally about to begin, only for this to happen?

What was the difference between this and going out on a date──seeing movies, dining, shopping, checking into a hotel, and then deciding to go home just as you’re about to take a bath?

“Lia, can’t you see? People like us are destined to be estranged from happiness. If even we can’t bear this pain and regret, who else in this world could carry it? It’s better to abandon your naive illusions.”

His voice, devoid of mockery but offensive in its bluntness, echoed in her ears like the allure of a devil, piercing straight to her soul with its mana.

Artoria lifted her head, staring at Noah, suddenly aware of how perilous her previous state had been.

After lunch, while Artoria didn’t openly show her guard against Noah, she never truly let it down.

But just now, even if it was only for a dozen seconds, she had indeed lowered her guard.

At such close range, those seconds could have spelled her death several times over.

Artoria didn’t believe that Noah had missed this opportunity.

On the contrary, he was deliberately reminding her, trying to pull her out of her despair.

…this individual truly was here to chat, not to scout for information or launch a surprise attack.

No, it’s more like this individual isn’t here for the Holy Grail.

Why?

What’s his real objective?

This question, even in this short time, overshadowed the despair in Artoria’s heart.

“Noah, what are you truly after?”

“Me? Haven’t I said it already? I’m just here for a truly exhilarating battle!”

For the past few hours, Artoria had actually heard Noah say this many times, but she hadn’t taken it seriously.

To participate in the Holy Grail War but not for the Holy Grail?

What else is there to do but wait for an Heroic Spirit to live a life of comfort?

But this time, Artoria truly believed it.

The individual in front of her was truly here only for battle.

No wonder it’s Berserker.

Although he was clear-headed and hadn’t gone mad, his Spirit will was probably different from ordinary people from the root.

To an extreme fanatic, the spirit pollution brought by the class is probably just a few drops of water into the sea?

But it was this Berserker, who was supposed to be intimidating, that made Artoria feel a little lost.

Maybe people are just that complex; they resist the interference of firm will on the one hand, but on the other hand, they can’t help but be infected by it.

That kind of unwavering, never retreating, never wavering determination itself is something to aspire to.

Then, she suddenly remembered a sentence, the words of a loyal subordinate… ‘King Arthur doesn’t understand people’s hearts’.

Once, Artoria thought this was a criticism of her as a king not being perfect enough.

But now she realized what she had done wrong.

If everyone was rational and just, then the absolutely rational, absolutely perfect, absolutely just King Arthur would be what they needed most.

But as Noah said, most people in the world are foolish and incompetent.

To expect them to bear the hardships and pains of choosing the right path like herself is itself Artoria’s mistake as an individual.

It’s like letting a child choose their own path, which is extremely irresponsible.

In truth, there’s no such thing as a universal wish-granting machine in this world; at its core, it’s merely a different application of Mana, a fact that Artoria understands all too well.

Can this thing, which only emerged thousands of years after the decline of the Age of the Gods, possibly reverse the ebbing tide of divine times?

Thus, she shook off her previous dejection and began to appraise Noah with a fiery gaze.

This time, it was Noah’s turn to hesitate.

“Hm? Li, Lia?”

Who can fathom it?

The conversation was going well, yet the other party suddenly revealed a terrifying gaze as if they were about to devour me.

“…Let me reintroduce myself, Lia is just my nickname, I am Artoria Pendragon (Saber), the Knight King who once ruled over the kingdom of Camelot! I am also known to the world as King Arthur!”

Watching Artoria smile, Noah felt his mind momentarily stall.

Knight King?

King Arthur?

Isn’t that a big fellow?

“You?! King Arthur?”

“Indeed!”

The girl in a black suit flashed a dazzling, gallant smile at Noah, so bright it almost blinded him.

People of Britannia, are you blind?

How could you record such a beautiful girl as a big fellow!?

However, after rubbing his eyes, Noah finally chose to believe her.

There’s no reason to deceive me here, right?

“Uh, King Arthur-sama…”

“Calling me Lia is also correct! People called me Lia before I ascended to the throne!”

Isn’t that beside the point?

“Alright, Lia, why are you telling me this all of a sudden?”

You’ve been hiding it well on our journey, so why expose it now?

Giving up?

That sort of thing, just don’t!

With the situation completely reversed, Artoria took a step towards Noah and seized his hand.

“Noah-kun, my wish in participating in the Holy Grail War is to return to before my Coronation Day and prevent the fall of Camelot… but I’ve suddenly realized that I can’t do it without you!”

Silence, silence is the Miyagawa Bridge tonight.

“…Huh?”

Whether due to the bitter winter wind or emotional agitation, Artoria’s face was slightly flushed, and her eyes were shining brightly like stars.

“Let’s get straight to the point, Noah-kun. Let’s win the Holy Grail War together, go back to the day before the Coronation, and then I’ll help you ascend to the throne and assist you in ruling the countries, how about it?”

This sounds like it has a sense of inevitability to it, doesn’t it?

I’m not being humble, I’m just a small savior…

Ah, no!

“You’re being too sudden, aren’t you? And after I’m done with this Holy Grail War, I still have to head to the Otherworld to battle, I don’t have time to save Camelot, you should choose someone else.”

Noah slightly exerted force, breaking free from Artoria’s grasp.

However, it’s not entirely accurate to say that Noah broke free, as Artoria didn’t use much force either.

After being rejected by Noah, she fell silent, lowering her head, her eyes hidden behind her bangs, making it hard to read her expression.

This made Noah feel a bit uneasy.

“Lia, King Arthur-sama?”

After calling out to her multiple times, Artoria finally responded.

“I think, Noah-kun, that one phrase you said was really good…”

Artoria slowly lifted her head, her gaze fixed intently on Noah, exuding a fierce and intimidating aura, like a mother leopard pouncing on its prey.

“Hm? What phrase?”

“…The strong should dominate the fate of the weak!”

In the next instant, Artoria’s body surged with a fierce wind of Mana, converging into a suit of armor.

She raised her invisible sword, pointing it at Noah.

“Noah! Let’s fight! If you lose, you’ll have to come with me to Camelot and become the king!”

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