"Can you still walk?"
"I… I can."
No matter how stubborn one's words may be, unsteady legs cannot lie.
Having just put on a strong front before Rei, Arthur nearly stumbled the next moment.
Fortunately, Rei reacted swiftly, catching her before she could fall.
"Heh, Arthur, this is what you call being fine? An old man of eighty could probably stand firmer than you."
"..."
Arthur lowered her head.
"I'm sorry, Sir Rei… I can't walk anymore."
"I figured as much."
Rei's mind could hardly forget the sight of Arthur earlier, pushing herself to the limit—those golden locks had swayed like rolling waves.
"You should've just admitted it earlier."
[You lifted Arthur into your arms.]
[You carried her back toward where your horse was waiting.]
[The two of you mounted the horse together.]
To be honest, Rei was overwhelmed with a deep sense of frustration.
He wanted nothing more than to kill the fragile Arthur in his arms, yet the overwhelming power of the magic cast upon her made it impossible.
He had no interest in her frail body, yet despite her relentless resistance, something had been left behind.
He had always believed himself capable of showing no mercy to any woman other than Morgan.
But now, it seemed… that wasn't entirely true.
This was going to be difficult to explain to Morgan later.
"Sir Rei?"
"What is it?"
"…It's nothing." Sitting in front of him, Arthur kept her head down, seeming somewhat uneasy.
"You were silent for so long… I thought you might be angry."
"Angry? Why would I be angry?"
"Because… in the end, I still couldn't accept what you said, Sir Rei." Arthur's voice was small.
"I couldn't become the person you wanted me to be… I'm truly sorry."
"The person I wanted you to be?"
Rei let out a bitter chuckle.
He had no interest in making her into anything.
xx
If he had to name someone, a dead man might count.
Of course.
That was absolutely something he could not say.
Knowing that he could not break through the magic at play, Rei understood that his only option was to maintain this façade of false kindness toward Arthur.
"Arthur, your way of thinking is flawed."
"It is not my place to decide what kind of person you should become—that choice belongs to you alone."
"You have the right to head north, the freedom to travel south—on the land of Britain, you are permitted to go wherever you wish."
"Then—"
Arthur leaned her head back slightly.
"Sir Rei, do I also have the right to ask you to take me somewhere else?"
"I don't want to go back to the village just yet."
Got him.
This one had a bit of craftiness to her after all.
"…Where do you want to go?" Rei asked.
"Anywhere is fine," Arthur replied, placing her hand over Rei's—this time, her boldness was unmistakable.
"As long as you're with me, Sir Rei."
[You did not respond to Arthur's words and withdrew your hand.]
[But you did turn the horse in the direction she wanted.]
[Hoofbeats echoed as you both rode farther and farther from the village.]
[If Kay were here, he'd probably be livid at how forward Arthur was being.]
[You stopped atop a hill, from which the land stretched out in all directions.]
[The breeze against your face offered a slight sense of relief.]
"Sir Rei," Arthur murmured, gazing out over the land. In those striking green eyes, an even brighter light flickered.
"Britain is beautiful."
"Perhaps that's why so many knights are willing to lay down their lives to protect it."
Rei nodded.
"You're not wrong, Arthur."
"Then, Sir Rei, is the war at the front as dire as it seems?" Arthur's gaze shifted back toward the village.
"So many knights have retreated… Is the enemy even stronger than we imagined?"
"..."
Rei found himself unsure how to answer.
After all, he had fought Vortigern firsthand—the man had not only seen through his intentions entirely but had countered with brutal, lightning-fast precision.
But he couldn't exactly afford to speak words of discouragement, could he?
"Arthur, though the enemy is indeed formidable, I have no doubt that we will emerge victorious in the end."
"Is that so?"
Arthur smiled. With her hair unbound, she possessed a natural beauty fitting for her age.
"If you say so, Sir Rei, then I feel reassured."
"Glad to hear it."
"Oh, right, Sir Rei, I have a question."
"Go ahead."
"Well—"
Arthur lowered her head slightly.
"Did you… find what I did earlier unpleasant?"
"Unpleasant?"
"Yes." Arthur nodded. "I may have acted a bit presumptuously."
"Doing something like that without permission—"
She raised a single finger, then bent it slightly.
"—and just went ahead and sat with you like that."
"And what do you think, Arthur?" Rei countered.
"I'm not sure," Arthur admitted, shaking her head. "That's exactly why I wanted to ask for your opinion, Sir Rei!"
"Arthur, you're a little too direct."
"But isn't this the most efficient way to communicate?"
"Sometimes, though, things need to be phrased more delicately."
Rei sighed.
He really wanted to understand what had caused Arthur to change like this—even though right now, he wanted nothing more than to kill her.
"Arthur, since you've asked, my answer is that it wasn't exactly ideal."
"I figured as much."
[You noticed that Arthur didn't seem dejected by your words.]
[On the contrary, she appeared to have something more to say.]
[You picked up on this immediately.]
"Arthur, if there's something else on your mind, just say it all at once."
"Then—" Knowing that Rei disliked dragging things out, Arthur quickly continued.
"Sir Rei."
"I have an idea."
"How about… we pretend none of this ever happened?"
"…Pretend it never happened?"
"Yes!"
Arthur turned back toward him.
"You don't think this was right, and I don't think it was right either."
"So let's just act as if none of this ever took place."
"And in the future… when the time is better, we can start over! Maybe by then, I'll be able to accept what you've said about me, Sir Rei!"
"And maybe you will have changed your perspective as well!"
[You gave no response to Arthur's words.]
[But you knew very well that this was extremely convenient for you—at the very least, you wouldn't have to worry about Arthur bringing it up to Kay.]
[You silently agreed.]
[However, what you didn't know—]
[Was that your silent agreement had planted a small seed in Arthur's heart.]
[Where once there was no selfish desire, a longing began to take root. Where once stood an unwavering resolve, a shadow of yearning crept in.]
[One day in the future, it would bloom—into a fruit lined with thorns.]