"Alright, that should be the last one." Arthur wiped the surface of the gravestone with the fabric in his hand.

It had taken him nearly the entire night, but he managed to move all the flowers from his room in the infirmary to the cemetery near the south district of the town. In front of him were rows of newly placed gravestones, neatly arranged in nine rows of ten. The white marble surfaces gleamed beneath the moonlight, bearing the weight of the recent losses of the noble guards. With one last brush, the final bit of dust vanished from the gravestone.

Arthur smiled as he tossed the fabric into the water-filled bucket and stood up from the ground. Taking a step back, he admired the sparkling rows of gravestones before him. A bitter sense of sadness filled his heart as he gazed at the monuments erected for the guards. Countless thoughts lingered in his mind, and a trace of regret flickered in his eyes.

If only he had been stronger.

If only he had checked the iron sword that Paul used to decapitate Javic.

Could he have prevented their deaths? Because of one mistake, ninety guards died.

With his arms at his sides, Arthur tightly gripped the fabric of his pants. Blaming himself for their deaths was absurd, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that being more cautious would have changed the outcome. If he had just been more attentive, maybe he could have reduced the number of graves. It was a tragedy, one caused by a simple mistake.

Arthur stared at the white lilies he had left at the bottom of the gravestones. He did his best to arrange each set neatly for the guards and laid them before their graves as a sign of respect and remembrance. It was the best he could do with what he had.

As the blades of grass swayed in the cool breeze, Arthur took a deep breath and sighed tiredly. He stood solemnly at the graveside, admiring the guards who were resting eternally on the hill. Plenty of people visited him and called him a hero, but in his heart, he knew he didn't deserve such a title. The ones who truly deserved it were the guards. They gave their lives for their loved ones and deserved all the recognition.

"Even though I couldn't properly see you off a few days ago, I figured I should at least stop by to pay my respects." With a simple salute, Arthur brought his left hand to the side of his head and then waved it off to the side. "Thank you for protecting this town, and I hope you all rest peacefully. You've earned it."

From the corners of his eyes, a faint golden figure caught his attention. Arthur turned towards the figure and saw Solas watching from afar. The God of Light drew closer and stood beside Arthur, who silently looked at him.

After a moment, Arthur chuckled and said, "You must have a lot of free time."

"Not exactly, but I wanted to make sure that these souls arrived at Paradise without interruptions."

"Paradise?"

"It's what you mortals call the afterlife in the greater planes. A place for souls who have proved themselves worthy."

"So, I take it these guards will be able to rest peacefully then?"

"Correct. A few have already left, but most wanted to see the hero who defeated the primal demon." Solas released a lighthearted laugh as his eyes trailed across the graves. "They like how honest and straightforward you are."

"Can they see me?"

"Of course, they watched you bring the flowers and plant them while you were cleaning their gravestones."

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"So... they heard everything?" Arthur asked, his ears slightly turning red.

"Correct. You truly are an odd child, but it's not bad. I find it quite pleasant, to be frank with you." Solas patted Arthur on the back. "I wasn't completely sure before, but now I know you're a kindred spirit, young one."

Arthur did his best to hide his embarrassment but gave up after seeing Solas's broad grin. "If I knew they were there, I wouldn't have spoken out loud so much."

"It's fine, child. They said they would take it with them to their graves." Solas chuckled, amused at the spirits of the guards who were trying to cheer Arthur up. "Besides, the only ones who could see them were those familiar with spirits like that fellow who killed the last demon in the tunnels. Otherwise, there's no need to worry."

"I wish they didn't say it like that, but I'm grateful for it." Arthur forced a smile. "Will you take care of them, Solas?"

"I will. I can promise you that."

"I see. You aren't as bad as I thought."

"You know, I'm still a God. It's quite disrespectful for you to talk to me like that."

"It's okay. We're friends anyway, right?"

"Friends?" Solas made a troubled expression while thinking about it, but after a short pause, he nodded. "Well, I suppose to some extent."

"Then it's fine." Arthur tried to follow Solas's gaze and bitterly smiled. "I guess you're here to guide the rest of them."

"Yes, once I do this, I won't be able to step foot on this plane for a while." Solas stared at the faint golden lights that slowly emerged from the ground and ascended to the skies. "I could only step foot personally into this world as a countermeasure against the primal demon. Now that the demon has returned to their plane, I must do the same."

"I take it I won't be seeing you again?"

"Correct, but it's better that way. If I were to appear before you again, then that would mean there is a force equally strong as me in the world." Solas rustled the white hair on Arthur's head after seeing the disheartened expression and said, "There's no need for such a long look. None of the guards blame you. They are all grateful for what you've done for the town. Though they seem to wonder what you plan to do."

"I plan to leave tomorrow morning and head for an adventure of my own."

Solas smiled, even though he was slightly taken aback by the young boy's plan. "That's an interesting idea, though I can't say the guards who are in the process of ascending are too happy about it."

"They worry too much," Arthur smirked at the gravestones and felt an odd nagging sensation even though no one was there. "I won't be going alone, so there's no need to worry. The Captain said he would try to find more people to join me on my mini adventure."

"Really? Who else is accompanying you?"

"You're quite familiar with him actually; it's Paul and whoever else the Captain finds."

"Oh?" Solas stroked his chin and asked, "What do you think of him?"

"I think he's a good person, a bit odd at the start, but after getting to know him, he's pretty dependable."

"Do you think he's grail knight worthy?"

"What's a grail knight?"

"In simple terms, they are in the realm of demi-humans within this plane." Solas scratched the back of his neck and added, "I believe you mortals say they are comparable to nine-star aura masters."

"I've never met someone that strong, so I'm not exactly sure, to be honest."

"I see. I'll have to pay close attention to that one then." Solas smiled once more and said, "So, I guess you've made up your mind."

"Yeah, I'm pretty set on it." Arthur glanced at Solas, who grew fainter. "I guess your time is up."

"It would seem so," Solas said with a disappointed expression. He held both of his hands behind him. "The guards all wish you well, and I hope the next time I see you, I can hear tales of your adventures."

"I'll make sure to have some that are entertaining enough for you."

Solas happily nodded as his figure faded. Arthur observed as numerous small balls of light floated in the breeze. Their lights were like small beacons that lit the dark sky and created a trail toward the moon. Even though Arthur was still pretty disheartened about the recent loss, it was reassuring knowing that the guards would rest peacefully within Solas's care.

Arthur took one last look at the graves that glistened beneath the light and smiled. There were many things he thought about, but after his brief conversation with Solas, he felt like a piece of him was at ease. While everyone else called him a hero, in his heart, they were the true heroes.