"Because an 'end' is not 'nothingness.' Even if we perish, even if we fade away and die—someone will surely follow. They will inherit, they will weave the thread further, and the story will continue. That is why human life, and all life, has value. It has meaning. It has a future, and it has hope."
That was the nature of history. That was the nature of life. An end was not something to be mourned, or fled from, or pitied. It was a rite that life experienced time and time again—a ceremony of entrusting hope to those who come next.
"I believe that is the pattern woven by life. That is the way of the civilization you love. —And so, I thank you."
Thank you for loving it. Thank you for deciding to watch over us until the very end of time.
"Thank you truly… for loving us humans, and for watching over us."
To the Great King who had tasked himself with remaining until the end of time, she offered the unstinting gratitude of a living soul.
"…I do this only because I wish to. You truly are a girl of peerless innocence and integrity. —If the soil at the end of time can produce such a brilliant soul, then perhaps the world of men has become a better place after all."
The King patted her head, a soft smile on his face. Without a word, his expression told her everything: I have received your gratitude.
"Very well. Then I shall grant you one more piece of information." The Wise King's tone shifted immediately. "Regarding the nature of the Foundations of Humanity and the Singularities. You have traveled through six Singularities thus far. You have fought many battles. And you were told, were you not? That once the Grail is recovered and the Foundation is restored, all the damage done to that era will be undone?"
Air nodded. A journey that would remain in no one's memory. That was the nature of their quest.
"That is a lie. The reality is different. The dead do not return. Things that happened are not simply 'erased.'"
"What—?"
"Things are simply 'made to make sense.' Suppose a man is killed by an Evil Dragon. Even if the Incineration of Humanity is stopped and the Singularity vanishes—that man is still dead."
It just makes sense. The fact that he was killed by a dragon is rewritten in history as being killed by a wild beast. It is an irreversible judgment—the coercive force of history.
"It is the same even if Uruk is destroyed. Whether it was destroyed by a god or whether it faded naturally to make way for the next era… only the interpretation changes."
"Then… then that means…"
Our battles until now…
"Yes. They were 'not for nothing.' —Hold your head high, Air. You have truly saved many lives."
They hadn't fought with the easy comfort that everything would simply reset. They had fought desperately, recklessly, doing their absolute best to save the lives right in front of them.
And the result of that—
"The result of that is the Uruk you see now. —Heroic Princess. Your compassion, your tolerance, your resolve… they all had meaning."
The Wise King's words were filled with warmth and kindness. They were an absolute affirmation.
Your life had meaning. Your decisions were noble. And therefore—your soul is irreplaceable.
"In the natural world, there is no prosperity without sacrifice. A world where no one is hurt is a mere pipe dream. The scales of profit and loss always balance. Much is lost, and much is built. Even if Goetia had not disturbed the world with the Grail, the losses would have been the same."
The morality of the era weighs the good and evil on those scales, and the final value is judged by history in the ages to follow. That is the truth of the human world. That is the march of history.
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