Human lives are ephemeral, no matter what a person does, he will inevitably die and return to the beginning.
This is doubly so for any practitioner of magic, be it a lowly Magus, a True Magician or any in between. The truth is that the closer you get to immortality, the more it becomes obvious you will never reach it.
Even if you were to reincarnate infinite times through human history, there will arrive a moment when there aren't more hosts to possess.
Even if you were to make your body unkillable, you will one day lose any resources and your life will end.
Even if you were to become engraved in the Throne of Heroes, there will come a moment where you will never be summoned again.
For some people, the ability to leave behind all concerns forever may be a form of paradise, they called this state Ataraxia, but for others, it's hell itself.
But that doesn't stop you from appreciating life.
Many people have seen different reasons, be it by denoting how humans become better by fulfilling their purpose, or Telos as some Greek philosophers called it.
Others have thought that human life is intrinsically sacred, a kind of treasure that becomes valuable due to its futility.
Many books have been written on this topic, undoubtedly more than a dozen libraries have been filled with these discussions.
"My graceful, saintly and wise familiar!" A voice from nowhere in particular chanted, it was a trivial thing.
The Springtime Summoning Ritual was a yearly occurrence that was realized in every magical school of Halkegenia. And as far as these events go, not even the girl who was chanting now was exceptional.
Many like her had lived, failures seeking a last chance to prove themselves, mages with unusual talents that couldn't flourish.
There was nothing exceptional about her person, for she was just another one.
Normally, she would have summoned a normal boy from Japan, not even a magus, just an ordinary boy.
But something occurred.
It was a trivial thing, nothing more than chance played a role in it and as such it would probably lead to nothing.
"That girl…" The soft voice of a knight spoke from within the Throne of Heroes.
He was just another knight, in his eyes at least.
A servant of his Liege and his Lord, nothing more than that.
But when his merciful eyes turned to the magician, something deep within him moved.
It wasn't a sense of responsibility like the one that King Arthur felt to his kingdom, nor was it a desire like the one that drove Cu Chulainn to seek a good fight.
In many ways, it was a similar emotion to the one that drove the very enemy he helped defeat during the Grand Order.
An untrained observer would call the actions of Sir Galahad nothing more than Pity, but his friends would know that was false.
They would know what it truly was.
"You who are hearing me, in the Blessed name of the Pentagon of Virtue-" The voice continued, intent on getting the best familiar for herself.
Not out of pride, but out of fear.
At this moment in time it couldn't even be said that she feared for herself, although naturally she could.
No, her fear was more benign than simple fear for oneself.
"I beseech you to come!" The voice of the girl was now firmer than ever, for even if she has never been more afraid…
She won't hesitate.
Normally, this is the moment when she opens a portal to Japan, dragging a not so innocent boy named Saito.
But Sir Galahad won't allow that to happen, not this time.
It didn't take him much strength, with just thinking about it he had already manifested in the place where the portal would have sucked Saito.
The people at Chaldea would call this ability Independent Manifestation, but Galahad didn't bother to give it a name.
Galahad could feel how he was being transported to Halkegenia, a land of nobles who could wield immense magic, a land that would soon face the greatest knight to ever be born.
