Shape Moon, The Road to the Magician

Because of Xia Yuan's sudden disappearance, Artoria searched the forest anxiously for a while.

He actually ignored the Master's movements because he was immersed in his own memories. This was really dereliction of duty.

Feeling the explosion coming from somewhere in the forest and the rising magic light beam, Artoria immediately set off and rushed over.

When she arrived at a certain place in the forest that had been blown to pieces by Xia Yuan as quickly as possible.

The King of Britain, who had been sleeping for a thousand years, finally met her courtiers again.

"Great King Arthur...is it really you? Spanning fifteen hundred years, you have once again awakened from the tomb of ideals."

Looking at Artoria who appeared in front of him, the old tomb guard's calm face finally moved.

He immediately knelt down and knelt before the returning king, as if he were a loyal minister. Eyes full of reverence

"……Are you also a gravekeeper?"

Looking at the devout old gravekeeper kneeling in front of her, Artoria asked.

Xia Yuan had already explained this village to her when she came, and the identity of this old man was not the same at the moment. It is not difficult to guess.

Coupled with this fanaticism and worship, it is undoubtedly the believer that my sister has prepared for herself. Just like the girl, she is a poor person bound by King Arthur.

"Yes, great king, my name is Belsac Brakmoya, and I am the tombkeeper of this generation."

"Get up, old man."

She waved her hand and said with relief.

"I am King Arthur Artoria Pendragon. But I was only a former king. My Great Britain has disappeared for fifteen hundred years."

"The era of King Arthur has ended long ago, and now I am just Artoria."

She has really let go this time

"No, you will always be our king, the king of the ideals we follow!"

The tone of the old tombkeeper is still firm.

"Whether you are the tomb keeper or the ancestors who inherit the king's bloodline, they are all waiting for your return."

"I……"

Artoria wanted to say something more, but Xia Yuan on the side interrupted her thoughts directly.

"There's no need to waste words with him, Artoria, I already tried to communicate with him before coming here."

"But this old guy was ignorant and refused to answer no matter what he asked. It wasn't until I moved you out that he was moved. Their thoughts have been imprisoned by Morgan Le Fay. In their hearts, King Arthur is the pillar and god. This is difficult to change.

Xia Yuan continued:"So, you can ask directly as King Arthur and ask where Morgan Le Fay is, as well as Gray, and the location of the hidden tomb in this village." We went there to see for ourselves."

As he said this, Xia Yuan did not forget to look at the old tombkeeper again:"You can't disobey King Arthur's order, right?"

"good."

Artoria sighed, stood still, and looked at the figure in front of her.

The old gravekeeper sighed.

He stood up, with a hint of helplessness on his old face.

"Great King Arthur, if this is your command, then..."

……

……

King Arthur's tombkeeper.

The origin of the word means as it sounds, it is the person who guards the tomb of the great king who conquered this land and ruled Great Britain thousands of years ago.

This is different from the previous conceptual Tomb of King Arthur. The tomb here is the real tomb of King Arthur, the legendary ideal land of Avalon.

The origins of the Gravekeepers are not the courtiers or descendants of King Arthur.

Their identities and missions all come from the witch of the gods, Morgan Le Fay, the legendary sister of King Arthur.

Although it is not orthodox, everyone is guarding the tomb of the great king and looking forward to welcoming King Arthur's return.

They all dedicated their lives and meaning to the King they had never met or even knew they existed.

Consider yourself a true royal family of tombkeepers

"Have you really been guarding here for thousands of years? Just to protect the failed king who failed to save Britain?……"

Speaking of this, Artoria's tone was a little depressed. Although she had given up her obsession with Xia Yuan's help, the sadness of that memory could not disappear.

"Please don't say that. This is the mission and honor of the tombkeeper."

"The ancestors who lived in this land were once subjects under your governance. With your death, Britain fell into war and the whole country began to fall apart. The glory of the past passed away. Our ancestors came to this land through wandering."

"It was also at that time that the ancestors of this land, the true descendants of the king, received our ancestors, which allowed the bloodline to continue to be passed down."

"According to the handwritten records left by our ancestors, when our tribe was on the verge of extinction, your sister, the witch Morgan Le Fay, also appeared on this land."

"She gave us the power to protect ourselves, used her miraculous magic to help us get out of trouble, and gave us a new mission."

The old tombkeeper straightened up, looked at the tombstones shrouded in moonlight and the swaying leaves, and let out a long breath.

"From then on, the ancestors of the tombkeepers have lived here and become your tombkeepers."

"But the tombkeepers are different from the ancestors of this land. They are the real successors and the real owners of this land."

"Gravekeepers are just slaves of the past. We can only continue to fulfill our duty of guardianship until the end of our lives."

"Until the end of life? Have you gravekeepers never left this cemetery? Is there still this village?"

The old tombkeeper's words shocked Artoria.

"Yes, great king"

"The family of gravekeepers who believe in King Arthur have lived on this land for generations, never leaving the village or stepping out of the cemetery. They have been safeguarding their responsibilities and missions from beginning to end."

The old tombkeeper nodded and said unhurriedly:"This is our honor, but it is also a curse, a curse that will bind us here forever."

"This generation of tombkeepers has been passing on the tradition for unknown lengths of time. Our history is longer than those of the so-called magic aristocrats, and our mysteries are also deeper."

The tone of the old tombkeeper was a little melancholy, and more lamented.

Yes, the inheritance of King Arthur's tombkeeper family has never been cut off in these fifteen hundred years, and has reached dozens of generations.

Their The history and mystery are more ancient and mysterious than most families in the magic world.

This is a glorious mission. Even today, the Gravekeeper family still adheres to it, but the long years will change a lot, and five hundred years will be enough to change it.

What changes will these fifteen hundred years bring to a tribe when a righteous partner turns into an old bug ?

Xia Yuan understands that the past is still there. How many tomb-keepers can there be who are still uncorrupted in their hearts?

This glorious duty has long since turned into a chain, a restraint, and even a pain, from the initial honor, and even to the king... hatred

"Really...thank you for your hard work."

Artoria's voice was a little apologetic.

After knowing everything, she also owed something to the tombkeeper family.

Without knowing it, she hurt more people.

Although this is all Her sister did it, but it was undeniable that these were all caused by herself. It was her own existence that brought them so much pain, which made her feel a little guilty.

"Don't dare, this is our mission."

The old tombkeeper lowered his head

"Staying true to your mission is worthy of praise and loyalty should be rewarded, but concealing it is equally a sin."

"So...what is your attitude towards the girl who has the same face as King Arthur, who can be said to be the perfect container?"

Xia Yuan said, and then stretched out his finger towards the old tombkeeper.

"Are you simply treating him as a container, or are you sincerely treating him as a disciple or successor?"

"What...exactly do you want to say?"

"Nothing, just a question. You obviously have the same face as Wang, but after all, you have avoided talking about that girl's problem from the beginning, right? So what are you trying to hide? It can't be a coincidence that a girl with the same appearance as King Arthur appears, right?"

"No...not right"

"So what exactly do you want to hide?"

Xia Yuan's tone was solemn, and he pressed forward step by step.

The old man shook his head, then remained silent for a while, and finally said:"I'm sorry, you are right. I do have selfish motives, and I don't want Gray to become the king's vessel and lose myself."

"She is not only my disciple, but also a hope, a person who can break this thousand-year fate.���possibility, that’s why I’m so wary of you and avoid talking about it, even to the king"

"Why? Hasn’t your king appeared before you? The king has recovered, is your fate not over yet?"

The old tombkeeper raised his head and looked at Xia Yuan, shook his head, and continued:"Not yet. I can feel that the oath and mission that surround the tombkeeper family have not disappeared."

It's not over yet... Does it mean that the magic ritual has not been completed yet?

Doesn't King Arthur's resurrection as a heroic spirit be considered a true return...

Xia Yuan probably guessed the reason.

"That child was not a real tombkeeper, but an ancestor who inherited the blood of King Arthur."The old tombkeeper continued to speak.

"Although it is the blood of King Arthur, fifteen hundred years have passed and the blood is no longer pure."

"In fact, not long ago, Gray was an ordinary country girl with an ordinary appearance and a happy family."

"It was only from one day that everything changed."Speaking of this, he sighed helplessly.

"The glory of King Arthur began to reappear on her body, her bloodline returned to purity, and her facial features also moved closer to the king."

"It was also from that day that the prophecy was fulfilled, and the legendary son of the prophecy was born. People in the village, including his parents, find it difficult to regard him as the girl he once was. They can only remain in awe and regard him as the future king."

"That’s why you accepted her as your disciple and took her with you at all times���Taking care of you, teaching you as an elder, not feeling awe or fear, just treating you like the most ordinary girl?"

"Yes."

The old tombkeeper raised his head, a little helplessness flashed in his eyes.

"Her fate is doomed and cannot be changed by me, nor can I change the fact that she is burdened with a clan. But the thought of having a girl sacrifice for us makes me equally painful, so I can only give her the greatest compensation and care as a master."

"In fact... there were words like this in the prophecy left by the witch"

【——When the time comes, the king's figure will appear in the world again.

The son of the prophecy will enter the forbidden place, liberate the shadows of the past that have been trapped here, and the undead imprisoned here will have the possibility to travel to the future!】

"This is the reason why I concealed something. I am extremely ashamed. My king, please punish me. I am willing to pay the price for my concealment."

After the old tombkeeper finished speaking, he lowered his head again. This move made Xia Yuan and Artoria raise their eyebrows.

But it was not surprising that they all understood the reason why the old tombkeeper was hiding it.

Not only Because of the friendship between master and apprentice, and the fate of the tombkeeper family, although

King Arthur has really returned, the bondage in the blood and the prophecy left by the witch have not ended.

The son of the prophecy is also the key to their liberation.

According to the prophecy, only she can go to the forbidden land to liberate the shadow of the past and completely end this thousand-year fate.

For this reason, he chose to hide it even when facing the king.

"You don't have to blame yourself or be afraid. On the contrary, it's me who should apologize."

Looking at the silent old man who lowered his head, Artoria said softly:"Your choice is for the clan and the future, so this is not a betrayal."

"And I am no longer King Arthur, there is only Artoria in this world now, the heroic spirit Artoria."

Artoria can empathize with the pain that the old tombkeeper has to bear.

She was once bound by obsession and found it difficult to be free. She understands the pain.

For the tombkeeper, this is also true no matter what. You have to gain freedom no matter what, so the one who should say sorry is yourself.

"I'm sorry that you have suffered so much pain and suffering for so long because of King Arthur's sins."

"Don't dare……"

Arturia took the old man's arm, lifted his stooped body up, and asked him to walk side by side with her. At this time, Xia Yuan spoke.

"If you really long for freedom, then tell me the revelations left by your ancestors, the forbidden areas left by Morgan Le Fay, and about the little girl."

"Next, I will take Gray into the forbidden area to liberate the so-called shadow, and then you will be free as the prophecy said. A pretty good deal, isn't it? Maybe for you, this can also be regarded as a gift from King Arthur"

"……That's what I want, sir."

As for this, the old tombkeeper has no reason to refuse.

"I hope you and the king can really free the ghosts imprisoned here."

He lowered his head and agreed to Xia Yuan's instructions, and then told a story from the past, carefully describing the cause and effect of these fifteen hundred years.