The story continued to develop.
After a brief clash, an unfortunate man appeared.
Lancer's Master had his contract stolen and someone else became the new successor.
Although that woman looked very pleased with herself,
Lancer did not like such a situation at all.
Loyalty.
Integrity.
Those were the principles he followed.
The following story was somewhat calm, with small episodes involving Tohsaka Rin inserted throughout. They were rather heartwarming, but Tartaglia did not like them.
He wanted to see more battles.
However, even until the end of the volume, his wish was not fulfilled.
At the end of the main story, the three kings sat together and discussed their views.
The King of Conquerors, Iskandar, believed that a king should be greedy and full of desire, letting his subordinates follow him.
But this statement was considered by Artoria, the King of Knights, to be the thinking of a tyrant.
"A tyrant? We became heroes precisely because we became tyrants."
"If a king regrets his own rule and regrets the fate of his kingdom, then he is not even worthy of being called a tyrant."
Artoria strongly disagreed and voiced her rebuttal.
"Iskandar, did you not also end your own legacy? Do you feel no regret about that outcome?"
This King Arthur believed that her own rule in the past had not been perfect.
Therefore she wished to use the Holy Grail to change the current ending.
But Iskandar's answer almost made her lose her footing.
"If this was my decision, and the ending obtained by the lifelong struggle of the subjects who followed me, then destruction is inevitable. I will mourn. I will shed tears. But I will never regret it."
This answer
was a huge shock to Artoria.
But Iskandar had not finished speaking.
"Let alone overturning it. Such foolish behavior would be an insult to everyone who built that era together with me."
Although the King of Conquerors had a fiery personality and spoke very bluntly,
Tartaglia felt that his words made a lot of sense.
Artoria was beautiful and strictly followed the code of chivalry. She fought for her kingdom until the very end.
Unfortunately, her thinking was too idealistic.
It had even gone slightly astray.
"This King of Conquerors is quite interesting. Humans are not saints. They have their own desires and pursuits. Forcing everyone to be as noble as King Arthur… who could actually do that?"
Tartaglia had originally thought the latter half of the volume would be boring.
Unexpectedly, the ending still gave him a small surprise.
That was something he had not expected.
...
Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
After finishing Fate, Zhongli poured himself a cup of tea.
For some reason,
he remembered the one who had once fallen in Dihua Marsh.
Too kind.
Too compassionate.
She could even tolerate the betrayal of her own followers.
Yet she still ended up with that fate.
"So this is what it means to be eliminated by the times."
Zhongli drank the tea in one gulp as countless memories surfaced in his mind.
Afterward, he stood up and vanished from the spot.
Comic Shop Courtyard.
Su Han looked at Zhongli, who had just arrived, and he had already expected this.
After all, this comic had quite a strong impact on him.
"You're here?"
"Yes. There is something I want to ask. Does your father have any information about this Heroic Spirit summoning?"
Since every comic seemed to contain related treasures,
did the summoning magic for Heroic Spirit contracts exist?
Perhaps the probability was extremely low.
But Zhongli did not want to give up, because there was someone he wanted to try meeting again.
"You want to revive that person, right? Unfortunately, I do have the contract, but it requires a complete corresponding soul, or the moment just before death."
"So many conditions."
Zhongli showed a look of regret. He had thought that simply using a relic as a medium would be enough.
The Dust of the World Lock he had taken out earlier was quietly put away again.
Su Han comforted him.
"I understand what you mean. But unfortunately, the contract in my hands cannot do it. There is a limitation involved."
"What limitation?"
"A Heroic Spirit refers to the soul of a hero selected by the Throne of Heroes after death. That is why they are called Heroic Spirits. In the comic, the summoning simply calls them out from the Throne of Heroes."
After hearing this explanation,
Zhongli immediately understood.
"I see. It seems I misunderstood."
"There is no need to rush. Perhaps before long, that person might have a turning point."
After all, who could guarantee that Su Han would not obtain the Throne of Heroes one day?
Or even create a Holy Grail.
If that happened, things would become simple.
Or perhaps he might obtain some treasure capable of reversing time.
As long as he returned to the moment before that person's death, the problem would be easy to solve.
Zhongli smiled.
"There is no hurry. I have waited several thousand years already. Waiting a little longer does not matter. However, you seem to understand kingship very well. No wonder you do not want to become a king. Afraid of the burden?"
"That is not it." Su Han shook his head and explained his thoughts. "I can offer ideas, but if you asked me to govern a nation, I definitely would not have the heart for it. You know I am a kind person."
Even if one did not become a king,
governing a country was still exhausting.
Su Han had no intention of becoming such a workhorse.
Living like this now was perfect. Teasing beautiful girls every day and occasionally enjoying the service of a little secretary.
How carefree.
Only a fool would want to become a king.
Zhongli smiled upon hearing this.
"It is indeed exhausting."
When the people of Liyue gradually recovered from the excitement of Adventure King,
the new comic had already spread through the streets and alleys.
The story of the Holy Grail War was not very long, but its theme was fresh.
Especially the discussion among the three kings, which was already considered a classic.
Gradually, the comic's sales quickly increased, and more people began purchasing it.
Evening arrived.
Paimon and Lumine returned from their adventure.
After hearing that there was a new comic, they started reading immediately without even eating dinner.
However, Paimon soon screamed in fear when she saw the insects of the Matou family.
"Ah! So scary, so many bugs!"
"That girl named Sakura is so pitiful."
"Why would anyone throw a person into a pile of insects? If it were me, I would be scared to death."
Lumine also felt frightened, but fortunately those scenes were rare.
Otherwise, looking at so many insects
would ruin their appetite completely.
Soon they finished reading the entire comic.
Paimon looked at Lumine, who had fallen into thought.
"What are you thinking about?"
"I was wondering if you should grow a ahoge and pretend to be King Arthur. After all, both of you use the wind element. Do you think Su Han used you as the inspiration for the main character?"
The same golden hair.
The same petite figure.
And excellent swordsmanship.
The more she looked, the more similar it seemed.
Lumine rolled her eyes and complained.
"But I'm not a king. I'm just a traveler."
"Hehe, I was just joking."
Paimon looked at Su Han and suddenly had an idea.
"By the way, Lumine, do you want to try role-playing? I heard there are quite a few people in the city doing that. Working for a day earns even more than doing commissions."
Su Han's eyes lit up, and he suddenly felt very interested.
He had never seen Lumine in cosplay before. Little Paimon really understood his thoughts.
It seemed his earlier attempts to win her over had not been wasted.
Although Shenhe would never refuse Su Han's requests, cosplay still depended on a person's temperament.
Shenhe had played many roles in private before.
For example, that time she dressed as Tu Shan Yaya.
Wearing black stockings, animal ears, and swaying a large tail.
Just thinking about it was exciting.
If Lumine wore King Arthur's outfit, held a sword, and rode on top of him,
that image alone was enough to make Su Han feel overwhelmed. (TL/N: Ayo... chill.)
"Hey, I'm asking you a question. If we advertise for you for a whole day, how much Mora will you pay?"
"Fifty thousand… no, how about one hundred thousand!"
As soon as Su Han heard that Lumine agreed, he immediately made an offer.
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