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"Goodbye then, Mr. Ian!"
Artolis put his hands in front of his knees and bowed very seriously to Ian.
"I hope... to see you tomorrow!"
Before Ian could answer him, Artolis ran away quickly.
Avoid hearing any answers on the spot so you can wait hopefully for tomorrow.
This is a small thought unique to girls of Artolis's age.
But for Ian, this little thought seems a bit redundant - he will decide what to do himself.
[You paid the bill and left here under the watchful eyes of everyone in the tavern. ]
[You have returned to the royal court. ]
[You enter your and Morgan's room. ]
[This is the time you agreed on. ]
Morgan was standing by the window, looking at the scenery outside.
The bright moon reflected in her eyes, like falling in the middle of a blue lake.
The gauze on her body was illuminated hazy, and the smooth curves of her chest and slender waist were vividly outlined in this dream.
And Ian is the only one who can see this.
"My Lady."
Hearing Ian's voice, Morgan turned around.
After seeing his infatuated eyes, the corners of her mouth raised a small arc.
She used her slender fingers to twist the lace of her tulle at the shoulder, and pulled it down slightly, revealing her dewy white shoulders.
"Ian, come here."
"I want to spend this wonderful night by the window."
"I understand, my lady."
Ian came behind Morgan, gently stretched out his hands, let them intersect on her lower abdomen, and pulled her into his arms.
"Ian, am I beautiful?" Morgan asked as she spread her hair.
"My Lady, you are not beautiful at all."
Feeling the warmth on Morgan's belly, Ian lowered his head and rested his head on her exposed shoulder.
"After all, if I use beauty to describe you, there are too many things like you in Britain."
"That's blasphemy."
"Ha." Morgan smiled charmingly, "But your mind is obviously full of blasphemous thoughts about me, right?"
"My Lady, I don't deny this. You always fascinate me."
"Your sweet words are really increasing."
Morgan put her hand on Ian's hand, rubbing her fingertips in the gaps between his fingers.
"But I love it."
[You noticed that Morgan was in a good mood. ]
[But this does not seem to be the emotion that should appear at this time. ]
[You feel like something is wrong. ]
[You decide to find out. ]
"My Lady, you seem to be in a good mood today." Ian asked respectfully.
"Am I?"
Morgan gently pinched Ian's index finger.
"I look happy?"
"At least you're happier than the past few days." Ian answered truthfully, "This makes me happy too."
"..."
Morgan showed an elegant smile - she didn't seem to want to hide her thoughts from Ian.
"Maybe I found some reason."
"Some reason? Huh"
"Yes." Morgan looked at the moon outside.
"The swords were drawn to choose the king, and the knights were eager to try, but no being was born who could take over Britain."
"The king who leads Britain may not be chosen at all, and even our children don't have that ability."
"So--"
Morgan raised her head and spoke the words in her heart from her slightly moist lips,
"I'm still the one closest to the throne, right?"
"..."
To be fair, although Morgan's tone of voice was not much different from usual, Ian could still clearly feel the madness in her words.
The reason why she asked several of her descendants, headed by Gawain, to try to draw the sword was probably not to let them demonstrate their respective talents.
But to prove that they, like themselves, do not have the fate of being chosen by Britain.
Thinking about it this way——
Gawain's repeated attempts may annoy her, but Agravain, who only touched once, is worthy of her favor.
Is this such a deep and twisted obsession?
But Ian couldn't hate Morgan at all - he had witnessed her struggling hard, only to be abandoned by fate again and again.
It was a heartbreaking experience.
So he understands her.
"Yes, my lady."
Ian lowered his head and kissed Morgan gently on the lips.
"You are the one closest to the throne and the one who will eventually sit on it."
"Then let me experience this pleasure in advance." Morgan looked up at the knight behind her.
"Before sunrise, I hope you are as strong as ever."
"It should be so, my Lady."
[You don't want to ruin Morgan's good mood. ]
[So you didn't say what Artolis said. ]
[The princess's nocturne sounded by the window, clear and full of desire. ]
[You and Morgan had a great night. ]
[You arrived as scheduled the next day amid chaos and uneasiness. ]
Gawain's mood is a little complicated now.
As the eldest son, he had already learned about his blessings from his mother.
That's the increase in physical abilities associated with the number "3".
During the three hours from 9 a.m. to noon, and the three hours from 3 p.m. to sunset, your physical abilities will be greatly improved in the process.
So--
This time is the best time to respond to the expectations of father and mother.
But in fact, Gawain found that he could not do such a thing at all.
He did become more powerful during this time, but this power did not translate into the power to draw the sword.
Gawain discovered that as long as he touched the sword blade embedded in the rock, a mysterious voice would echo in his mind.
"Gawain, you are indeed very powerful."
"But that's no reason for you to draw this blade."
That was a slightly familiar voice to Gawain - he felt like he had heard it somewhere before, but he couldn't remember it for a while.
However, even like this, I can't give up.
That goes against the spirit of a knight.
Forward.
Reach out.
Try drawing the sword again.
Gawain heard the familiar voice again.
He selectively ignored all of this - not letting his father and mother down was what he should do now.
"Drink——!"
Gawain used all his strength.
But the sword blade embedded in the rock remained motionless.
As expected, it failed again.
Let's do it again in the afternoon!
Gawain loosened his grip on the sword's hilt.
Although he failed again and again, he never gave up.
but--
Gawain came down from the stone platform and looked at the sword blade embedded in the rock.
Many days have passed since the day when the magician named Merlin announced the red dragon's proof.
During this period, many knights tried to pull out this blade, but in the end they all ended in similar failures.
if--
Just if——
If someone could pull this blade out of the rock, who would it be?
Will he be as courageous as his father?
Or is she as temperamental as her mother?
Gawain didn't know which one was right - but he found that he had a glimmer of hope in his heart.
[Gawain is a little distracted. ]
[You came to his side. ]
[He noticed your presence. ]
[You leave the front of the Sword in the Stone. ]
"Father," Gawain said in a panic, "Why are you here?"
"I..."
Realizing that Gawain had experienced yet another failed attempt to draw his sword, and felt ashamed of it, Ian reached out and patted his shoulder tenderly.
"it does not matter."
"Although you didn't succeed, it was still a good attempt."
"I'm proud of your efforts, Gawain."
"Father..."
Gawain was very grateful in his heart - although his father was usually extremely strict, at times like this, he also had the tenderness of a tough man.
However, this did not allow him to forget the doubts that had been brewing in his heart for a long time.
"Father, can I ask you something?"
"Of course, my boy."
"That is--"
Gawain looked at the sword blade embedded in the rock in front of him.
"Didn't you say last time that Red Dragon would become the enemy of you and your mother in the future?"
"Then if that's the case, why do you and your mother still support this kind of thing?"
He is indeed the most outstanding eldest son among all his brothers and sisters.
Gawain noticed the inconsistency.
But Ian is not afraid of these questions - he has already thought about them all.
"Gawain, you are right."
"The red dragon may indeed become the enemy of your mother and I in the future, but before that, what we need to consider is the current safety of the entire Britain."
"Is it safe now?"
"Yes." Ian nodded, "Compared with all the difficulties that have not yet happened in the future, the present is something that absolutely cannot be ignored."
"The White Dragon is still raging in Britain, and we need someone who can solve these problems."
[Your words seem to have had a big impact on Gawain. ]
[He fell into deep thought. ]
[You didn't say much about it. ]
[Because you know Gawain will understand it all in his own way. ]
[And the purpose of your trip is not to teach him as a father. ]
Ian secretly observed the sword blade inserted into the rock.
He couldn't forget Morgan's sleeping face, which was relieved because no one could pull out the sword.
He didn't want to ruin her good mood, so he finally chose to come here alone.
Ian didn't believe that Artoris could pull out the sword, but he was also worried about the slim possibility.
if--
She really pulled out the sword. What will be the outcome of her and Morgan's future?
Ian was completely unpredictable.
[What is supposed to come will always come. ]
[The figure of Artolis appears not far away. ]
[Different from the girlish appearance in front of you, she looks much more resolute at this moment. ]
[Although the delicate feeling has not faded, it is still enough to give people a heroic first impression. ]
[However, the moment she saw you, she still showed the unique youthful atmosphere of a girl. ]
[She smiles at you. ]
[And you responded with a hypocritical response. ]
[But what you don't know is that this meeting will change the future for all of you. ]
[The painful and thorny fruit has now sprouted small sprouts. ]
Ian is here.
Artolis felt her heart pounding.
In fact, after saying those words yesterday, she couldn't feel at ease at all.
It's great that Ian can come and witness her attempt.
But what if he doesn't come?
If he didn't care about the invitation she extended to him, how could she accept this situation?
To be honest -
Artolis found that she had not thought about all this at all.
She just stumbled into action like a squirrel encountering an acorn or a deer finding buds.
Fortunately, the result was what we wanted.
Artolis felt like she had a little more strength all over her body.
Her eyes returned to the sword blade standing in the rock in front of her, and her eyes as green as the sea of trees were filled with its figure.
Artolis actually has another name.
That's her real name -
Arturia.
That was the true name that the voice that trained me in my dreams had been calling for a long time.
She didn't quite understand why she needed to hide the name at first.
Until a few days ago, when Ector revealed the secret that he was not her biological father, but was entrusted to take care of her.
Artoris, or should he be called Artoria, realized that the fate he was carrying might not be as simple as he imagined.
So, she went to town and expressed her thoughts to Ian.
The girl walked towards the sword and discovered something that shocked her even more.
She saw that the sword blade was exactly the same as the one she saw in her dream, and even the pattern had not changed at all.
She knew the feel of holding it and what the part hidden in the stone looked like.
She felt the sword shouting her name in a silent cry, and even the ground beneath her feet danced with it.
Then there's the expectation on Ian's body - that gaze is hotter than shouting.
The girl realized that this was the sword she must draw.
She calmed down and stretched out her hand towards the sword blade.
Just before touching the hilt of the sword.
The voice that had been admonishing him in his dreams all day long sounded again.
"Artoria."
"Have you really thought about it?"
"Once you pull it out of the rock, your life will take a different path."
"You have a lot to gain and a lot to lose."
"What awaits you at the end of your life may be endless regrets, or countless curses."
"Even so, do you still want to pull it out?"
"If you had said these words earlier, I might have given up."
"But not anymore."
Many smiling faces she saw along the way flashed through the girl's mind.
"Everyone is smiling...that can't be wrong."
"but--"
There was some wavering in the girl's firm eyes.
"If I can get anything, please let me keep my heartbeat for Mr. Ian."
"What?!"
The voice panicked - this seemed to be something he had not expected.
But it was too late to stop this from happening.
Stone opens.
The sword appears.
The girl pulled out a sword that no one had ever pulled out before and pointed it at the sky above her head.
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