[You took the sword sheath from King Uther. He allowed you to put the blade, which he had knocked away with his bare hands, back into the sheath.]
[Talent Knight's Spirit acquired; having been recognized by King Uther, you once again became a knight. You swore to King Uther that you would use everything you had to protect Morgan.]
[King Uther did not doubt your words.]
[He had witnessed your loyalty. The determination to sacrifice your life for Morgan made him understand that you could never betray Morgan.]
[After bowing, you left King Uther.]
[Morgan was waiting for you outside. She was a little surprised when she saw that you were not in shackles.]
[As her most loyal knight, you did not hide anything from her.]
[You told her King Uther's understanding of the war, and also told her King Uther's opinion of her.]
"..."
Morgan bit her lower lip.
After a long time, she asked in a trembling voice:
"Ian, is this true? Father... did he say that?"
Ian fully understood Morgan's feelings at this moment.
But as her most loyal knight, he would not allow himself to lie to her.
"Yes, princess. That's how the king evaluated you."
"..."
Morgan's beautiful face twisted in an instant—anyone would have this expression if they were evaluated like this by their father.
Ian could see the unwillingness in Morgan's heart.
But as a knight, he didn't know what to do.
"Ian..." Morgan barely controlled herself, "Do you think so too now?"
"No."
Ian denied it directly without any hesitation.
"Princess, no matter what I hear, in my heart, you are still the most suitable king for Britain."
"..."
Morgan turned her face away.
"Ian, you are such a fool."
[In the next few days, Morgan did not summon you again.]
[At King Uther's suggestion, you, who should have been treated as a war criminal, were released and allowed to walk freely in the army camp like a knight.]
[This surprised the other knights, who speculated about the reason why King Uther did this.]
[Finally, they came to a conclusion: You, as the White Dragon's claw, were deterred by King Uther's dignity and were willing to join the British army.]
[This was undoubtedly excellent news—the King of Britain could even deter the White Dragon's claw, and the outcome of the war was clear.]
[But you, who knew everything, understood that this war, from the very beginning, had completely taken another path.]
[But when you thought that the ending might have nothing to do with Morgan, you found that you didn't care about what happened next.]
[However, there were some sins that you knew you had to repay.]
In the army camp.
The knights were talking about it.
"Hey, do you know what that madman under Vortigern is doing again?"
"I don't know... but it looks very wrong. I don't know why the king released such a person."
"Shhh... don't say too much."
Just as the knights were talking about, Ian was carving words on a huge rock—those were all the British knights he had killed in the war.
Of course.
He was not as powerful as King Uther and could remember all their names.
When he encountered people with only vague memories, he could only use some symbols as a substitute.
Ian knew that this didn't change anything, but as the culprit, he couldn't just forget about it so easily.
[Persistence often earns respect.]
[Your behavior of carving names on the stone slab was gradually accepted by the knights. They realized that you might be recording something.]
[Talent Affinity·Evil has been replaced by Affinity·Persistence: Day after day of persistence made the knights accept you more or less. They began to regard you as a member of the British knights.]
[They asked you if you needed help, but you politely refused them.]
[Mourning is a person's inner responsibility.]
[You didn't want others to be stained with this sin because of you.]
[During the day, you carved the stone slab, telling every innocent dead knight your apology, and begging them to vent their hatred for Morgan on you.]
[At night, you followed King Uther's order and guarded Morgan's tent every step of the way.]
[You understood all of Morgan's pain, so you never disturbed her, but guarded her in the most loyal way.]
[Talent White Dragon's Claw has been lost: You, who showed such loyalty, were no longer considered to be Vortigern's subordinate by any British knight.]
[The camp began to spread the rumor that you, who used to be the White Dragon's claw, had been completely defeated by the princess. You neither confirmed nor denied this.]
[After all, you knew that you had indeed fallen under Morgan's skirt and became her most loyal knight.]
[King Uther's final ultimatum was still issued.]
[Morgan, as a princess, was ordered by him in the most severe tone to withdraw from the front line from now on, return to the royal court, and you will be Morgan's guard along the way.]
[This surprised the knights—after all, Morgan was so brave and good at fighting.]
[But no one dared to question the king's order. That was a rebellious thing.]
"Princess, please be careful."
Ian respectfully helped Morgan onto the horse. After she was completely safe, he rode on the other horse.
Under the knights' farewell, the two left the front line of Britain.
The hooves rose and fell.
Leaving footprints on the road.
Ian, who knew Morgan's mood, didn't say anything along the way.
Just silently opened the way for the princess he was loyal to.
They crossed streams, cut through thorns, and spent one white day and night after another.
The two who walked through the woods left the footprints of the knight and the princess walking together on the windy grassland.
Then, Ian, riding in the front, looked into the distance on the high ground of the mountain.
He turned his head and respectfully said to Morgan:
"Princess, after walking for a while, we can go back to the capital."
"You will get the safest protection there."
However, Morgan showed a hesitant expression at this time.
Ian noticed this, but did not say anything.
He still remembered what Morgan had said—a knight should only know what the princess allows him to know.
After a long silence, Morgan finally spoke.
She held the reins and said in a slightly sad tone:
"Ian."
"Can we... not go back first?"