Faced with this situation, you struggled to decide.
But before you could think, your body moved on its own.
By the time you realized it, you had already lunged forward, grasping Arthur's hand.
—
Rei did not understand why his body had acted this way.
All he knew was that he was holding onto Arthur's hand—tightly.
The boy dangled over the edge, as weightless as a leaf caught in the wind.
—
Why had he done this?
Rei could not comprehend it.
—
In the past, he had always acted in Morgan's best interests, without question.
Yet this time, he had chosen a path he was never meant to take.
Why?
—
"Sir Rei…"
Arthur's voice pulled Rei from his thoughts.
He instinctively looked down at the boy—and in that moment, he understood.
—
During the fall, Arthur's hair tie had come undone.
The golden strands, freed, swayed in the wind, cascading like willow branches dancing to an unseen melody.
For a fleeting instant, Rei saw Morgan reflected in Arthur's image.
—
At last, he understood why Arthur had unsettled him so deeply—why the boy evoked emotions that should have been reserved for Morgan alone.
Their features… bore an undeniable resemblance.
—
A surge of strength coursed through Rei's arm.
"I'm pulling you up now."
—
Despite Arthur's impressive appetite, his small frame remained surprisingly light.
You braced against the intact portion of the wall and hauled him up by sheer force.
Now safe, Arthur clutched his chest, panting heavily.
But suddenly, as if remembering something, he moved toward the broken edge of the wall again.
You grabbed him immediately.
—
"Arthur!" Rei shouted. "Are you insane?!"
"Do you want to fall again?!"
"No!" Arthur shook his head. "I just… I need to check if anyone was hurt by the debris."
"If someone got hit, we have to help them right away."
"..."
—
Arthur's words left you momentarily speechless.
Thinking about it carefully, it was exactly the kind of thing he would say—after all, this was someone who had given away his own food to strangers on the road, only to arrive in the city with an empty stomach.
"Arthur, if you keep trying to care for everyone, there will come a time when you can't protect anyone."
"Rather than pushing yourself to the point of collapse, focus on doing what you can while you still have the strength—that's the best choice."
"Step back. I'll check."
Rei spoke as he gently pushed Arthur away from the dangerous edge.
—
[Taking Arthur's place, you carefully examined the situation below from the crumbling wall.]
[You didn't notice that your words had left a deep impression on Arthur.]
[He etched them into his heart.]
—
[Fortunately, the situation was not as bad as expected.]
[It was not peak hours for entering or leaving the city, and this was not one of the main gates of the capital.]
[So while the wall had indeed collapsed, there were no casualties—unless one counted Arthur, who almost fell.]
—
"It's fine."
Rei turned back after confirming the situation.
"No one was hurt—just a few cracks in the ground. You can relax now, Arthur."
"I see…" Arthur let out a deep breath of relief.
"That's a relief. If anyone had been injured because of me, that would have been terrible."
"But—"
Arthur glanced at the large gaping hole in the city wall, looking a bit guilty.
"What about compensation…?"
—
"Heh." Rei placed his hands on his hips.
"You might have to sign a lifetime contract to pay that back."
"Ah…"
Arthur hesitated for a moment before finally nodding.
"I understand. I'll work hard to repay it."
—
"You actually believed that?" Rei didn't know whether to laugh or sigh.
"There's no way that's true."
"The city wall is in disrepair, and a citizen almost lost their life because of it. As knights, this is something we should be ashamed of—why would we make you take responsibility for it?"
—
[You thought your explanation would ease Arthur's concerns.]
[But instead, he fell silent.]
[You sensed that something was on his mind.]
—
"Arthur, if you have something to say, just say it," Rei said directly. "Keeping it to yourself won't get you an answer."
—
"..."
Arthur lifted his head, meeting Rei's gaze.
"Is Britain really… in such a terrible state?"
"To the point where even the city walls are left to decay…"
—
The smallest details often reflect the true condition of a kingdom.
The collapse of the wall was not merely a sign of age—it symbolized a lack of manpower, a shortage of resources, and many deeper, underlying problems.
It was like spotting a single cockroach—if one appeared, there were likely a hundred more hiding nearby.
Arthur had clearly realized this.
—
This made Rei wonder—despite his modest appearance, Arthur must have received proper knightly education.
However, Rei chose not to answer the question directly.
Instead, he reached out and ruffled Arthur's hair with a smile.
—
"Arthur, do you realize your hair is undone?"
"Huh?!"
Arthur instinctively reached for the back of his head, finally noticing that his hair tie was gone.
—
"This…" He looked flustered.
Seeing his reaction, Rei calmly rummaged through the things he had bought for Arthur.
He tore a strip of cloth from one of the fabrics and handed it to him.
—
"Here, use this for now."
"T-Thank you…"
Arthur, slightly embarrassed, took the fabric from Rei's hands and skillfully tied his golden hair back into a ponytail.
—
"Sorry," Arthur apologized after tidying himself up. "I must have looked really disheveled to you, Sir Rei."
"It's fine."
Rei didn't dwell on it.
His mind was still on Arthur's earlier question.
—
"But what I want to tell you is this—Britain's current state may not be ideal," Rei admitted.
"But things will change."
—
"Change…?"
—
"Yes." Rei nodded.
"One day, under the leadership of a worthy king, Britain will rise again. I have always believed that."
—
"A worthy king…"
Arthur also nodded.
"Sir Rei, you're absolutely right."
"At some point in the future, Britain will surely change."