"Saber. Please fulfill that duty."
I said it with a mixed feeling. The only Command spell left in his left hand shone red, and he felt his magic power delivered to the Saber who was standing under the black hole.
(Light Splash)
The light that feels sacred begins to gather around her ideal and pride, the sword "Excalibur." As if not to lose to her sword, she began to Shrine brighter around her. In the darkest twilight where the sun had yet to rise, a noble king dressed in a blue dress was surrounded by brilliant light, Shriouning gold-like hair even more beautiful. I can only see her back, but I'm sure emerald's eyes have the determination that I saw at first.
- Yes, this is it. Yes. -
Saber slowly lifted the sword. As if to sympathize with the action, the Excalibur's light began to become stronger, and it was emitting a sacred light that was so different that it even covered her.
-Now she's going back to her original position to protect her pride. In the end, to face the path he believed in was not wrong. To finish the dream well.-
"Ahhhhhhhh!"
And finally, I could see that she hit the sword.
The light-headed toward the black hole with the Holy Grail, drawing a trajectory that burned all the way through, and when it finally came into contact with the hole, it left a cross-shaped light that cut through the cloud and destroyed it without a trace. And colored it golden around it, blocking our view.
It's all over... All... The Holy Grail... All that's left is to say goodbye to her.-
The pain that had suppressed my heart until just now disappeared like a lie, so I was only more calm than I thought. If this is the same, her breakup will probably not come deeper than I thought. I had such a cowardly thought. But if there's anything I want from her, that's for sure, remembering the time with her,
Having no lingering feelings about her.
As if the light blocking the view gradually faded, the stimulus applied to the retina was gradually fading. I opened my closed eyes...
"...!"
I found myself standing in the green meadow.
It was the first time I saw it, but it wasn't unfamiliar. Her dream... to be exact, it was something she felt indirectly from her sheath. As the gentle breeze gently caresses the grass on the green meadow, this pleasant place is far from everything in the utopia of 'Avalon'. But
- Why? I definitely... -
Just then, I felt the wind direction change. And where the wind was pointing, there was someone in my heart who was so anxious and missed and wanted to meet. She was with me until now, and I loved her more than anyone else.
Before I knew it, I was running crazy there.
- No way. No way. -
The silhouette began to glimmer from afar. It was just the clothes that were like dresses flying in the wind. I'm starting to run out of breath. The beating in the heart begins to accelerate gradually. I can't estimate the distance. All I could do was run while feeling closer and closer.
I would have been prepared.
Ever since she was determined to protect her pride.
Since the decision to destroy the Holy Grail.
From the time I went up the stairs of Ryudosa Temple to make the final.
From the time I accepted the feeling of liking her.
Since the decision to participate in the Holy Grail War.
No, in the first place, since I first met her under the moonlight.
I would have prepared to break up with her.
-I don't have any regrets... No... Actually...-
The closer the distance was that the silhouette was gradually becoming clearer in her form. It wasn't the dignified king in the blue dress that he was wearing until now, but a girl with her hair down in a light, a jade green dress that goes so well with this beautiful place.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"
Unknowingly, I kept running, leaving lingering feelings about her.
When we got close enough to see the girl's face,
"..!"
I had no choice but to stop as it was. Without noticing my existence, she was looking at one place. For some reason, I could see her desperation as if she were holding back her desire to run fast. In that way, I became jealous of who the hell was waiting for. However, as soon as I saw a boy who ran out of breath, who appeared in the same place where the girl's eyes were facing, disappeared out of jealousy.
The boy's red hair and golden eyes. The young face, body shape, and clothes I saw every day showed that he was himself. However, for some reason, the strange atmosphere from him was telling him that he was never ordinary himself.
And finally, the boy stood in front of the girl.
They look at each other's eyes and look at each other's eyes. Soon, transparent drops begin to form in her emerald eyes. Calmly in the situation, but honestly, the boy said.
"I'm back, Saber."
The awkwardness that only I can feel as if I'm trying to talk like a boy for the first time in a while. However, the boy said with longing and affection from the words.
"――――――――――"
A girl who showed an honest reaction seemed a little surprised but happy.
The feet on the ground smiled lightly, and the girl smiled as if falling apart.
"Yes, welcome back, Shirou."
He was smiling brightly, incomparable to before.
Watching this, I could know everything. About the two people in front of you. And how much I missed you and loved you.
Having been away from each other for a long time, they were enjoying the joy of reuniting with the love they missed in their arms.
"What do you think? Isn't it a touching scene?"
The voice of a young man from behind. Looking back, a man who appeared to be a magician wrapped around a white robe was nodding with his arms folded as if satisfied. However, contrary to such a gentle appearance, the magic power that even I, who is inexperienced as a magician, could easily feel was saying that he was not just an ordinary magician.
But to me, who is wary like this, the magician talks as if he were treating an old friend.
"Oh, don't make such a scary face? I just want to talk to you. Mr. Shirou. Huh? You're not surprised, are you? I was looking forward to it."
"...who?"
"I'm not a great man to name like that. Just call me the magician of flowers. The introduction is over. Do you have any more questions?"
At the moment, the magician of this flower realizes that he acts casually with the sense of incompatibility so far and asks him many things.
"Sa... Oh, what happened to Artoria?" What about the Holy Grail? Is it destroyed? What about Iriya? What about Toosaka? What's the aftereffect?
"As expected... You think about others before your own business, huh?" "Really... Even her shortcomings look so much like her."
The flower magician smiled bitterly and muttered like that.
"It's okay. The Holy Grail has been destroyed and everyone is safe. And you too. This is just a fantasy that I created. "In a little while, you're going back to your original position."
Fantasy? Then that too...
I looked back at the two men and women again. The two men and women did not move as they last saw each other. It was just the wind swaying their clothes. I'm relieved to see happy faces holding each other in my arms, but I ask the magician.
"That's..."
"That's one of the future that you and Artoria had in real life. Missing each other and wanting to meet each other caused a beautiful miracle. Huh? You're not surprised again this time. You're starting to hate boring things, aren't you?
Ignoring the magician's words, I was lost in thought.
As expected, that was my future. The future me who broke up with Saber and bet on the idea of a lion of justice. I can't believe that the ending is meeting her whom I wanted to see. It's a very good ending, but it hurts to think about how much you'll miss her. He unconsciously smiled bitterly, saying.
I suddenly question the magician who shows me this while thinking that it is the future I have to walk in anyway.
"Then why are you showing this to me?" Are you reassuring me that there's a future like this?"
"Oh. Don't be mistaken. The future is infinite. All I've shown you is one possibility. Oh? Why did I show this? There's no other grandiose meaning. It's just my whim. There's just something I want to know by showing this."
Do you want to know? When I ask without even guessing the word, the flower magician takes a little time and asks in a sweet tone as if he were comforting a child.
"Emiya Shirou. Do you love Artoria?"
It was an unblinking question.
"Well, wait a minute!" "If you throw it out of context like that!"
"Hahaha! Finally, I have a fun reaction!" But, did I just say that I would ask?
Like Tousaka Iriya... No, he'll probably stick out his tongue.
"So what's the answer?"
The playful personality up to now disappears like a lie and asks seriously.
Magician's Question, Saber...'Do you love Artoria?' Of course, the answer is one.
"Oh. I'm in love with her. Now and in the future."
There is no lie in this word.
My first love, and perhaps the last love, I will never forget that fact no matter how long it takes. And maybe... You may face that future.
Thinking like that, I feel a fever in my face and my heart beating fast. I was worried that the magician would laugh at it.
"Yes, as expected. It's exactly what I expected."
Fortunately, I was relieved to see him happy.
At that very moment, we find that the color saturation of the flowers around the magician is fading. No, the surrounding green meadow itself was disappearing.
"I think it's almost time." You don't have to worry. Nothing happened. It's just that you go back to where you were. Oh, while you're on your way, please check the gift I gave you."
The flower magician smiled and said. Suddenly, the green meadow disappeared, and only me and the magician were in the white space. But the magician slowly began to fade. No, it would be right to say that my vision is blurred. By the time everything fades, the magician said, whose shape in front of him became unknown.
"So, Emiya Shirou. On behalf of the parents who raised Artoria and the servant who served the king of fate. For saving her..."
In the end, the silhouette of the magician who said, "Thank you," was not seen in my view that turned white at all.
The view that turned white began to become clear once again.
"!.."
What I see is the place where it was at first. But it's a different scene from before.
The lake made of black mud flowing from the Holy Grail and the summit of the mountain around it disappeared nowhere, and what remains is a flat wilderness.
And as before, there was only a girl from the back who was still there.
"Ugh!"
With the pain in the left hand, the last Command Spell, which was clear, disappears.
With that. I accepted the fact that the curtain was closed.
Was what I saw earlier really just delusion? I wondered, but I conclude that it was just a pleasant illusion. The short future was a happy dream for a while.
"This is it. It's over."
She from the back talks to me.
"...Yeah. That's it. Now, there's nothing left."
"Is that so? So that's it for our contract. Became your sword, defeated the enemy, and protected its body. …I'm glad I was able to fulfill that promise."
"Yes. Saber did a good job."
After saying that, there was nothing I could say.
The distance from Saber is too far, and I don't even run to her.
She cut off her contract with the world and soon goes back to where she was.
Yeah, he tells himself off, saying this is right. I love her so much, but this is the most beautiful ending for each other.
But still... My hands are trembling and I struggle to hold back tears.
The sunrises. The wind that had been stopped begins to rise. Gold that is thought to be forever, in it,
"Lastly, I have one last thing to tell you."
In a powerful, willful voice, she said.
"What are you talking about?"
He bluffs as much as possible and asks back as usual.
The Saber's body is shaking.
Turning around. With her straight eyes and a voice without regrets,
"Shirou. I love you."
I said that in my mouth.
It was windy. Close the eyes that were breaking because of the morning sun slightly.
The development after this was expected. When she opens her eyes, she will disappear everywhere. That's why I was afraid to open my eyes. This is because it is difficult to accept the breakup with the loved one when it comes.
However, the moment I opened my eyes with my mind and closed because I knew that I couldn't go any further after being obsessed with the past.
"...!"
Do you believe in magic? It seemed to whisper like that.
A completely new development unfolded in front of me. Saber was still standing there.
"...Shirou?"
She was also saying my name with a blank face, perhaps surprised.
What happened? While she was questioning herself, she recalled a word from a magician from the fantasy she saw earlier.
- While you're on your way, please check the gift I gave you. -
While muttering, "No way..." I suddenly found myself hugging Saber tightly.
"Oh god..."
She seemed embarrassed at first, but she was smiling while hugging me equally. Like her in a light jade green dress that welcomed the future me in that fantasy.
We were facing the same reunion as the future themselves we saw in the fantasy.
Review
This article is IF if the Saber did not disappear at the end of the fate route.
However, I wanted to include the last episode of Real Thanua, so I purposely put it in the setting of fantasy.
Saber is currently in an anti-human, anti-servant state, and is set to live as a servant at first and gradually assimilate into humans. It will take three years at the earliest if it is a year late.
I'm planning now, but if there's another story, it's a story after this story, so I put a prologue in front of it.
Cookie
We were smiling at each other as we watched the Saber that still didn't disappear after the hug was over. If it goes on like this... By the time I thought that I was pushing my face toward her. And when my lips are about to touch each other...
A stomach growled.
When I took off my face in surprise at the sound of someone's stomach, the girl who was about to kiss me was covering her face with her gold-like bangs dimly Shriouning in the early morning light.
"Sorry, I'm sorry. Shirou..." However, I used too much Noble Phantasm..."
She was so cute and lovely talking so shyly.
However, my face was heated up by what I was going to do just now, and I said it while looking elsewhere, partially with a flower arrangement on my back.
"I see." Then let's go down and buy something to eat."
"Yes. And once again, I'm happy to be able to eat Shirou's dishes."
It was assimilated by the Saber who laughed like that, so I laughed with him, and suddenly the Saber said.
"But..." The Holy Grail would have been destroyed. "Why..."
That reminded me of my earlier fantasy once again.
The words of the young man who introduced himself as a flower magician were still questionable, but for now, it was the most likely clue, so I told Saber about the fantasy I had earlier.
At first, when I explained one possibility of our future, I was surprised, and secondly, when I talked about the magician of flowers, he seemed to be thinking about something with a serious look on his face.
"I see..." Honestly, I can understand how I'm doing right now, but... I didn't expect you to get help here."
He also explained to me in detail.
Merlin, the magician of flowers.
The world's best kingmaker who led Artoria to become a great king while being of the mixed-race between humans and monkeys.
I was surprised that the playful young man was the same person as the serious old man who worried about her, even showing her the future at the time of the selection sword.
When I looked to the side with that thought, I could see her surprised by what she thought of. When I was curious about her reaction and asked why.
"Shirou! Sorry."
I'm surprised by her sudden apology. She comforts her who is restless by the appearance and asks why.
"You have to be sorry." I don't have... What's wrong with you?"
"No. This is something you must apologize to Shirou. The last time I saw him in the past, I said I might be in love with him. But now I know. At that time, I didn't know the feeling of love, so I just guessed it at will. I'm sorry to him, but I'm sorry I couldn't tell you I love you for the first time."
Ah. What is it? Is it like that?
"I'm also... something like that... The more I think about it, it's funny. (Laughs)"
- Oh, I can't. You're laughing so hard. The lovely girl in front of me was staring at this side with a sulky look. I apologized to make her feel better. -
"Shirou!"
"Oh, sorry." I laughed without thinking about how you felt. Honestly, it's so funny. What can I do? Ah sorry sorry, Saber, don't be angry~ But still. I was happy."
"...What do you mean happy?"
"Saber thought of me and apologized for not saying I love you for the first time... I don't know how happy I am. Saber confessed that you didn't just like me, right?"
Only then did Saber realize the meaning of what he said, but his face turned red. No, maybe the confession earlier is also thinking. I thought she was so cute and lovely.
Then suddenly, before getting out of the fantasy, Merlin muttered the last thing he said.
"THANKS..."
"Shirou"?
Saber seemed to be wondering what I was talking to myself, with a little red debris remaining on his cheek not long after he came to his senses. To such a Saber, I told Merlin's last thank you.
After talking, Saber's cheeks turned red again, and soon,
"Salvation... Yes, that's the word that fits the situation the most. Shirou. But... Do I look like I've been saved to others?"
He was smiling with a pure smile.
Only then did I know the meaning of Merlin's last words.
She, who abandoned all her human emotions while living like a king all her life, only returned to being a girl now. It may not be enough to say salvation.
But it's not just Saber.
"It's not just Saber."
"Shirou?"
"I've also been saved by Saber and Artoria's always upright and strong appearance. No, not only me but also others may have been saved. So..."
Ahhh. I resent myself for not being able to speak properly. I don't know what to say at the end. If you don't express your feelings...
"I love Saber too."
Idiot.
Saber's face was blank for a moment because of the sudden words, but gradually white and fine skin turned red. Maybe the same goes for my face.
When I blame myself for my poor vocabulary.
"Me too."
"...Saber?"
"I was saved by you, too. Shirou's heart was stronger than anyone else, so I was able to give up my retinue. You are more reliable than anyone else because you are upright. And because of you..."
Saber bowed his head while talking. However, he immediately raised his head and continued his words with a face that seemed to be determined.
"I got to know the word love. I love you, Shirou. I will always love you."
Her pure and honest confession raised such a happy feeling in her heart.
I can't lose. I went a little closer to her to show her that heart, too.
"I love you, too, Saber. Always the same. No, more. I love you."
She also accepted my lips.
The long kisses confirming each other's hearts at the end of such a long tragedy were so sweet.
And our new story was starting.