The final night in Uruk before the decisive battle was undeniably quiet.
Standing on the terrace of the Divine Tower, Artoria Pendragon looked out and saw only the empty streets and a few patrolling guards on night watch.
The eastern sky had yet to show the faintest trace of dawn—morning was still some time away.
"So this is where you are. Why aren't you resting?" Shiomi's voice came from behind.
"I've already rested enough. Waiting for sunrise like this suits me better," Artoria replied with a gentle smile, turning to face him.
He had noticed she wasn't in her room and came out to look for her, only to find her here on the terrace.
"I see. That's good," Shiomi said, visibly relieved.
"But what about you, Master? Have you gotten proper rest?" Artoria asked. "Your body hasn't fully recovered—I'm worried."
"It's enough. Even if I wanted to rest more, Tiamat wouldn't exactly give me the time," Shiomi said with a shrug. "Besides, Morgan basically kicked me out so I'd stop hovering."
His teacher had gone to rest after finishing her drink, and Morgan—who'd returned just a few minutes earlier—had taken over watching the throne's spell matrix.
"I see. Then, if you don't mind... would you walk with me for a while?" Artoria asked.
"You even need to ask?"
Shiomi stepped closer, took her hand, and together they slowly descended the steps of the Divine Tower.
"I remember you mentioned before—when you went to the Underworld, you encountered the Old Man of the Mountain?" Artoria removed her gauntlets, interlocking fingers with his.
"Yeah. And now I understand why he was there," Shiomi nodded.
"Then I won't press further," Artoria said knowingly.
Shiomi smiled. "You, who became the King of Storms and gained the same perspective as the King of Magecraft—did you foresee everything that would happen in this Singularity?"
"Having the same perspective doesn't mean having clairvoyance. I couldn't see any of this beforehand," Artoria replied. "I was just prepared to answer your call."
Shiomi glanced sideways at her, catching the clarity in her eyes. A mischievous thought crossed his mind.
"Then... were you prepared to give yourself to me, too?"
"...T-That was just going along with the moment! You were the one who acted without asking!" Artoria immediately realized she was being teased and tried to strike back—but her response lacked punch.
"Whether as a king or as a woman, you have an incredible charm," Shiomi said. "But honestly? I love both sides of you equally. I'm not picking one over the other."
"But I... I love you simply as a woman," Artoria said quietly. A wave of calm settled over her as she spoke the words naturally from the heart.
Shiomi feigned surprise. "And here I thought, as a fellow Briton, you just didn't have a choice."
"Master... saying that kind of thing just gives me a headache," Artoria sighed.
They continued walking down from the Divine Tower and reached the canal that flowed between the tower and the city.
Moored along the tower's side of the canal was an opulent-looking boat—likely one of Gilgamesh's personal vessels.
"I heard from some of the others who stayed in Uruk that taking a boat ride around the Divine Tower at night offers a beautiful view," Shiomi said as he looked at the idle vessel. "It's a shame we never had the time for that."
"It really is," Artoria agreed with a nod.
"But now that the night is nearly over and the city has fallen quiet... if you don't mind, Artoria, would you like to take a short ride on the river? Just to unwind a little," Shiomi offered.
Artoria blinked in surprise, then smiled. "In that case, I'd be happy to accept."
Shiomi boarded the boat first, then offered his hand to help her aboard and gently guided her to her seat.
His manner was almost overly polite—equal parts respect for a king and courtesy toward a woman. Artoria could tell he was enjoying it, and could only shake her head with a soft smile.
The boat pushed away from the shore and began to drift along the quiet river.
At first, they sat across from each other, but it felt a bit distant, almost awkward. So Artoria reached out, took his hand, and pulled him to sit beside her, resting her head naturally against his shoulder.
"If the Knights of the Round Table saw their king like this, I'd probably earn the ire of the entire round table," Shiomi said, wrapping an arm around her back and resting it at her side. "Actually—no, maybe Mash would step in for Galahad and take my side."
"Not 'maybe.' She already has," Artoria said with a chuckle. "In that sense, I've already failed as a king."
"I wouldn't say that. You've done your duty and more. But to see you freed from those obligations, acting on your own will—choosing what you want, who to fight for, what to believe in—that makes me happy. It makes all the pain I went through in the Sixth Singularity feel worth it," Shiomi said, shaking his head as he laughed softly. "Though... maybe you didn't need to make me suffer back then. Or be forced into that fight with me."
"Perhaps not," Artoria said thoughtfully. "As your fellow countrywoman, I suppose I would've—"
"No. Looking back, that experience was something I needed. Maybe it didn't change much, but its meaning was enough. Just like your legend—maybe it didn't leave behind peace, but it left something. Something that came from everything you gave. That's enough," Shiomi said seriously.
He wasn't even sure anymore whether he'd ever truly resented how Artoria had treated him back then. Or maybe, because of what they had now, he could accept it as something that led them to this point.
"Just like now, in this battle we face in Mesopotamia—even if the city does fall in the end, there will still be those who carry the future. A king and a High Priestess to lead them. Even if victory comes at a terrible cost, it will still prove that everything we've done here had meaning."
Artoria understood what he was trying to say and picked up where he left off.
She looked down at his hand in hers, their fingers interlocked. The warmth between them was unmistakably the warmth of life.
"Yes... just as you said," Shiomi agreed.
As the boat floated to a bend in the canal, he adjusted the rudder and steered them around the curve. The eastern sky—previously hidden by the Divine Tower—now came into view.
A pale light had begun to spread on the horizon. In about half an hour, morning would arrive.
"The night's almost over."
"We will win," Artoria said, making a vow. "I swear it to you—on my Holy Sword."
"Thank you. There's nothing more reassuring than those words."
Looking into her eyes, Shiomi lowered his head and, in the final quiet moments before the battle, kissed the woman he so deeply respected—one last time.