[Gawain was one of the finest knights in Camelot.]
[His defeat was an unspoken testament to Arthur's strength.]
[If anyone else had the right to challenge her, it would be you—Gawain's father.]
[But seeing how close you and Arthur were, everyone realized that was absolutely impossible.]
"Well then, Sir Rei, I'll see you later."
Arthur offered a gentle smile, holding onto the broken half of the sword as she walked alone to the other end of the street.
Her steps were light and swift, entirely different from the commanding presence she had displayed during her duel with Gawain.
No one knew what had just transpired—only that it seemed as if King Loth, Rei, had somehow used some kind of extraordinary means.
"Father."
Gawain stepped closer.
"So now…"
Rei composed himself and replied:
"Gawain, go and continue your duties."
"Mm… Understood."
Gawain never questioned his father's orders.
But this time was an exception.
"Um, Father, can I ask something before I go?"
"Go ahead, my son."
"It's just—"
Gawain glanced toward the direction where Arthur had disappeared down the street.
"What exactly did he say to you?"
"..."
Sometimes, Rei really wished he could sew Gawain's mouth shut.
"Nothing important."
"He just wanted to talk to me about something."
[Of course, what you told Gawain wasn't entirely true.]
[Arthur did want to talk to you—but it wasn't just a simple conversation.]
['Sir Rei, there's something important I want to tell you. Please come to the city walls tonight. I'll be waiting for you there.']
[You didn't know what that meant.]
[But you could feel that this would allow you to understand more about her.]
[So, you agreed.]
[With Gawain's defeat, Arthur's victory marked the end of the one-against-many duel, and the gathered crowd gradually dispersed.]
[Gawain set out to carry out your orders.]
[Everything seemed to return to how it was before—just slightly tilted in Arthur's favor.]
[And just as you were about to leave, a hand rested on your shoulder.]
Feeling someone's hand on his shoulder, Rei turned around—only to see an unexpected figure.
It was Merlin.
Dressed in his usual white robe, he wore a faint, lazy smile.
Rei immediately became alert—whenever this man smiled, trouble was sure to follow.
But Merlin didn't mind Rei's wary attitude.
With the same nonchalant air, he spoke:
"Don't look at me like that. At the very least, I did bring an excellent king to Camelot, didn't I?"
Hearing this, a vein pulsed on Rei's forehead.
"Merlin, you'd better hope I never find a way to kill you."
"Hahaha!" Merlin burst into laughter.
"If you do manage that, I'd say it'd be quite the novel experience!"
"But unfortunately—I don't even know how to kill myself."
"However." Merlin's smile faded slightly. "Before you try to kill me, don't you want to hear a few things from me first?"
"..."
[You didn't have much information in hand.]
[In the end, you decided to hear him out.]
[You followed him to the wheat fields outside the city.]
"I have to say, wasn't this a bit excessive?"
Merlin plucked a stalk of wheat tainted with black blight.
"Essentially, you're dragging all of Camelot into this as a bargaining chip—are you really okay with that?"
Realizing that Merlin had seen through what he and Morgan had done to the fields, Rei didn't bother pretending.
"Oh? Are you planning to expose us?"
"I'm not."
Merlin tossed the blackened wheat away. The moment it touched the ground, it scattered into flower petals and drifted off with the wind.
"When you two used magic to make them grow so efficiently, I didn't say a word."
"So now that everything is merely returning to its natural state, it's not my place to interfere either."
"..."
Rei didn't lower his guard.
"If that's not what you're here for, then what do you want, Merlin?"
"Just some simple advice."
Merlin turned back to him, still wearing that infuriatingly smug smile.
"For example—these seeds will soon regain their vitality under my magic."
"And also—a reminder."
Merlin locked eyes with Rei.
"You seem to have forgotten something very important."
"Something very important?"
"That's right." Merlin nodded.
"In every sense, you two might indeed be more capable than the chosen one."
"But don't forget—aside from her, no one else can kill Vortigern."
"You mean the prophecy of the Red Dragon?"
Rei narrowed his eyes.
"But that was just a rumor you deliberately created, wasn't it?"
"No." Merlin shook his head.
"I don't have the energy to fabricate mere rumors at such a grand scale."
"She was long fated to defeat Vortigern—for that, she must undergo all manner of trials, cast aside meaningless emotions, and ultimately become the perfect king."
[Merlin's words awakened something in you.]
[You finally understood why Arthur had changed so drastically before and after drawing the sword.]
[This was all part of Merlin's plan.]
[Or to be more precise, the plan of both Merlin and King Uther.]
——
"Did she know about this?"
"Yes," Merlin answered leisurely. "But whether she knew or not, she had no choice but to accept it."
"Because no matter what answer she gave—there was never a second path for her to take."
"Did the late king know what you were doing?"
Merlin smirked. "What do you think?"
"..."
Even though he stood in direct opposition to Arthur, Rei couldn't help but argue back.
"You stole from her what every child her age should have had."
"And so?" Merlin's tone remained lighthearted.
"Are you saying that giving up on defeating Vortigern would be the right thing to do?"
"Not that I particularly care—but are you willing to watch that happen?"
"Imagine it—Britain in ruins, burned to the ground. And after all, she's willing to bear this burden. Losing a few things along the way is just part of the deal, isn't it?"
The moment Merlin finished speaking, Rei's fist crashed into his face.
Blood splattered from the corner of Merlin's mouth, staining the ground beside them.
Merlin turned back to face Rei, only to find the knight utterly enraged.
"You bastard! What the hell did you just say?!"
"Is that really how you see this?! Is that the way you evaluate her sacrifice?!"
"But—"
Merlin's expression remained unchanged.
"This is the reality of the situation. She's already abandoned those emotions. No matter how strong your fists are, you can't change that."
"..."
Rei clenched his fists tightly.
But then, a thought crossed his mind.
"You… Are you certain she's abandoned all of her emotions?"
"Otherwise?"
"No, Merlin. You're wrong." Rei turned away from him. "She hasn't let go of everything."
"Oh?"
"..."
"..."
The conversation ended in silence, and Rei stormed off.
Watching his retreating figure, Merlin wiped the blood from his mouth.
He didn't seem particularly upset about getting punched—in fact, his expression was as though everything was proceeding exactly as he had foreseen.
"Rei… Let's see what you'll do next."
——
[Even though Merlin's words enraged you, you knew they were likely true.]
[As the price of drawing the sword and claiming the throne, Arthur had lost all of her emotions.]
[The only exception—was the affection she so freely and openly displayed toward you.]
[You realized you held onto something deeply important to this young girl.]
——
[As promised, you arrived at the city walls at dusk.]
[But this time, Arthur was not there waiting for you as she usually would.]
[On the contrary, she was nowhere to be seen.]
[You started to feel uneasy.]
[Fortunately, she arrived in the end.]
[However—she looked different from usual.]
——
"Sir Rei."
A shy voice called out.
Rei turned around—and froze at the sight before him.
Bathed in moonlight, Arthur had changed into an entirely different outfit.
Her usually neatly tied-up hair had been let down into a flowing high ponytail, secured with a large black ribbon.
The strands of hair that used to fall carelessly against her cheeks were now carefully brushed, framing her face like delicate willow leaves.
A black bow adorned her slender neck.
Her usual heavy outerwear was gone, replaced by a thin, white dress—light and flowing.
Under the soft moonlight, the sheer fabric highlighted the gentle curves of her young frame, like a lotus flower emerging from the water—tender and delicate.
Her legs were wrapped in long white stockings, making them appear even more slender and graceful.
——
She was a girl—pure and beautiful like a blooming flower, standing before Rei in reality.
The emotions he had long buried stirred once more, rising to the surface like ripples in his heart.
"Sorry, Sir Rei…"
Arthur looked embarrassed.
"I'm late."
"..."
Rei suppressed the turmoil in his heart, trying to speak as calmly as possible.
"It's fine. Not too late."
"But—"
"Arthur, why are you dressed like this?"
"Well…"
Arthur lowered her head, her face flushed red.
Her foot lightly kicked at the stone floor of the city wall, her posture radiating pure shyness.
"Sir Rei, didn't you say before that you preferred me as a girl?"
"So… I tried dressing up a little, like how other girls do."
"Though, I still don't feel very comfortable… I guess I just can't really accept it after all."
Hearing that, Rei was momentarily stunned.
And then, it hit him.
Arthur was never late.
Back then, when he had casually suggested taking her around the city, she had been the one waiting in front of the inn long before the agreed time.
And now, this was a meeting she had personally asked for. There was no way she would have been late.
——
"So, Arthur… Did you choose to meet me at night because you wanted to avoid other people's eyes?"
"Y-Yes…"
Arthur awkwardly touched her hair.
"If people saw me like this, it would definitely cause a huge commotion."
"Then, do you really think the cover of night is enough to hide you?"
"..."
Arthur hesitated for a moment before lifting her gaze and answering.
"Sir Rei, you're right."
"I know… this is just self-deception."
"But I think… even if there's a risk of being discovered—if it means letting you see me like this… then it's something worth considering!"
"..."
[Arthur's words echoed endlessly in your heart.]
[You realized your earlier judgment was correct.]
[The only emotion Arthur still held onto… was her love for you.]
[And sometimes, that love even outweighed the duty she carried on her shoulders.]
[The proof of that stood right in front of you now.]
——
Seeing Rei fall into silence, Arthur grew uneasy.
"Um, Sir Rei, do I… look bad like this?"
"I'm sorry! I should've explained it to you first!"
"..."
Rei hesitated for a moment before forcing a smile.
"Arthur, no."
"You look beautiful."
"Really?!"
Hearing that, Arthur immediately brightened up.
She twirled in front of Rei, causing her white dress to flutter in the air.
"Sir Rei, did you know? This is my first time wearing something like this!"
"Yeah. I figured."
Rei felt himself sinking deeper into a whirlwind of emotions.
"Then, Arthur—"
"Did you call me here just so I could see how beautiful you look?"
"No."
Arthur stepped closer to Rei.
"Sir Rei, there's something I've been hiding from you."
"My real name isn't Arthur. It's Artoria."
"Artoria?"
"Y-Yes!"
After revealing her true name, Artoria stole a glance at Rei before quickly lowering her head again.
It was obvious.
For her, telling Rei her real name was not something easy.
It was a symbol of complete trust, of laying bare the last and only piece of herself.
To Rei, it might have seemed insignificant—
But to her, it meant everything.
——
Rei fell into silence.
For a long time.
Then, he took a deep breath and gave his response.
"Artoria."
"Can you promise me one thing?"
"What is it?"
"Hmm…"
Rei gently ruffled her carefully styled hair, his expression somewhat complicated.
"From now on, when you're with me, you can just be a normal girl."
"A normal… girl?"
Artoria's eyes wavered, full of hesitation.
"I don't think… I can do that."
"Don't worry."
Rei smiled faintly—though this time, there was an unmistakable hint of something impure in it.
"I'll teach you how to be one."