When Artoria woke up again, two days had already passed.
The root cause of her coma was a combination of excessive magical energy exhaustion and a slight psychological impact on her heart. During these two days, relying on the bug-level mana recovery of her 'Dragon Core' and Merlin's auxiliary Magecraft, she was able to regain consciousness relatively quickly.
However, it was clear that upon waking, her will was still quite groggy.
"Lamorak?"
Sensing a pair of hands helping to wipe her face, the girl stirred. Through bleary eyes, she seemed to see a male figure taking care of her, and she instinctively spoke his name.
But in the next instant, she realized she had identified the wrong person. Lamorak's hair was grayish-white, while the man before her had black hair.
"...I say, Lily, what kind of drug did that brat give you? You've only known each other for a few days and you're already chanting his name like this."
Kay's tone sounded extremely dissatisfied. He wrung out a damp handkerchief and placed it on Artoria's forehead.
"All that effort your Brother Kay put into taking care of you for three whole days, and the first thing you do when you wake up is look for that guy without even saying thank you to me."
"Ugh... I'm sorry, Brother Kay."
The girl had finally regained her senses. Hearing Kay's grumbling, which was laced with a hint of resentment, a shy blush involuntarily drifted across her face.
However, she soon realized something, sat up slightly, and looked around.
"Where are we? Where is Merlin? Why isn't he with you? And where did Lamorak go?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Lily. I know you're anxious, but don't be. You just got over your fever; eat your medicine first."
Seeing Artoria become agitated immediately upon waking, Kay—acting like a worried mother hen—became even more dissatisfied. He calmed the girl down, then took a bowl of medicine from the side and fed her spoonful by spoonful. Only after she had finished it all did he begin to answer her questions.
"Don't worry, we are still in the town where we came to subjugate the magical beast. The beast has been captured, and the people here have returned to their normal lives."
"As for Merlin, he said early this morning that he had to go out for a bit and hasn't returned yet. Who knows where that guy ran off to drink or whose daughter's bed he's crawled into."
"As for Lamorak..."
At the mention of that name, Kay's expression became dangerous. It was as if Lamorak wasn't a living knight to him, but a pig that had uprooted the cabbage he raised. And worse, after uprooting the cabbage and trampling it, the cabbage actually had its heart set on the pig, wanting to be uprooted again.
God, how can there be such a lowly person? How can there be such an underhanded situation!
Even though the other party had once saved him from a Mountain Giant, Kay could not bring himself to show Souya a good face after he had done something so brazen to his sister and refused to take responsibility.
Consequently, when answering Artoria's question about Lamorak's whereabouts, Kay kept a sour face throughout, his tone very unfriendly.
"That guy ran off without looking back after breaking your sword and knocking you out, as if he was terrified we were going to cling to him."
"Talk about pulling up your pants and not recognizing the person—no sense of responsibility at all!"
"Hmm..."
Hearing Kay's somewhat crude analogy, Artoria's face turned slightly red as her mind wandered to unknown places. But Kay was in the middle of a vent and didn't notice his sister's abnormality.
"That's not even the part that makes me angriest. You know what, Lily? What really gets me is that Merlin, that bastard, didn't help me curse him out—he actually spoke for Lamorak!"
"He said something about how 'destined matters' can't be helped no matter how helpless they seem. He even said Lamorak will definitely join our Knights of the Round Table in the future, and that the more famous he gets now, the greater the benefit he'll bring us later."
Listening to Kay's narrative, Artoria's eyes grew increasingly bright. After a long while, she couldn't help but interrupt.
"Brother Kay, did Merlin really say that? Will Lamorak really join us later?"
"Yeah, but isn't Merlin just talking pure nonsense?"
Completely lost in his own desire to complain, Kay still didn't notice the change in Artoria's tone; he just took her for an attentive listener.
"That guy Lamorak has sworn allegiance to that Queen of Camelot—Morgan, right? So he's still an outsider."
"The reputation and benefits he gained from breaking your King's sword belong to Morgan. What does that have to do with us now?"
"Just from the fact that Lamorak followed Morgan's orders to travel all this way and plot against you, it's obvious they have a 'thing' going on. What knight nowadays would risk public condemnation to attack you? If you ask me, he's definitely got something with Morgan! Otherwise, why would a knight famous for his high character swear loyalty to Morgan back when her reputation was still bad just because he 'saw' something?"
Kay huffed and puffed. Facing the 'pig' that dared to go after his 'cabbage', he always speculated with the deepest malice.
However, Artoria was clearly extremely dissatisfied with these words.
"How can you say that about Lamorak, Brother Kay!"
Artoria stared at Kay angrily, her cheeks instinctively puffing out.
"Lamorak is not that kind of person! He possesses so many of a knight's beautiful virtues; he would never be together with my notorious Royal Sister!"
"He's... he's just currently deceived by the appearance my sister deliberately shows! I will definitely make him see Royal Sister's true face in the future, and then he will stand by our side willingly!"
Hearing his sister so adamantly defend an outsider, Kay finally realized something was wrong and was left dumbfounded.
"Hey! Lily! How can you help him talk back to me? I'm your brother! And that guy just broke your sword—the Sword of Selection! That is the symbol of your status as the future King of Britain!"
"I know you're the brother who is best to me, Brother Kay! But a good knight really shouldn't speak ill of others without proof..."
Seemingly realizing she had been a bit too excited, Artoria felt a bit guilty, and her tone softened. She felt she shouldn't dwell on this topic, so she hurriedly changed it.
"Actually, the shattering of the King's Sword really had nothing to do with Lamorak. I was too emotional at the time and didn't control my power well. I forcibly released a power that exceeded the current state of the Sword of Selection, which led to its destruction."
At this point, a trace of guilt entered Artoria's voice. She didn't understand why she had been so emotional then, so desperately wanting to prove herself to Souya—to prove she had enough strength and resolve to walk with him. Even to lead him.
However, Artoria didn't feel regret.
"When Merlin returns, I will personally explain and apologize to him," Artoria said seriously, clutching the blanket.
In the next second, a relaxed and slightly flamboyant voice rang out.
"Apologize? What apology? Did Kay commit another mistake in deceiving an innocent maiden?"
"Pah! Isn't deceiving innocent maidens your favorite pastime? I'm not interested in little girls."
Hearing this voice, Kay—already in a bad mood—immediately snapped back. The newcomer was none other than Merlin. The white-robed, pink-haired Magus walked in carrying a large basket.
"Merlin, you're back just in time. About the Sword of Selection..."
Seeing Merlin, Artoria's eyes lit up, but she was interrupted.
"It's alright, Lily. The sword issue is a small matter. As the saying goes, 'out with the old, in with the new'. We'll just get you another sword."
Both Artoria and Kay were stunned, their expressions turning to confusion.
"Really?"
"Of course. That sword wasn't a necessity to begin with; its symbolic meaning outweighed its practical use. It breaking is just following destiny."
Merlin waved his hand dismissively, fished a bottle of wine out of his basket, pulled the cork, and took a swig.
"But what should I do without a handy weapon now..." Artoria frowned, thinking of the practical side.
It wasn't that she was picky or looked down on ordinary weapons, but her current physical attributes and mana quality were not something that general magically-enhanced weapons could withstand. This was the reason why in British epics, every Knight of the Round Table had a blessed or divine weapon.
Only high-quality equipment can contain the depth and magnitude of a powerhouse.jpg
"Rest easy, Lily. I already anticipated the King's sword would break, so I borrowed a treasure from my Faerie Queenes in advance."
Merlin smiled at Artoria mysteriously. "Trust me, the power of that sword will definitely exceed your imagination."
"Well, if you say so, Merlin, I won't worry much more."
Seeing Merlin's confident smile, Artoria felt relieved. While Merlin's personal life was a mess and he loved making trouble, he was very reliable in matters of state. There was a reason he had held the position of court magus for so long.
"However, Lily, since you've reached the point where you need to retrieve that sword, your 'experience journey' will have to end early."
Merlin's expression became intriguing. "Recently, Vortigern's army has used some unknown method; they were losing their Age of Gods blessing due to our resistance, but now they've become troublesome again."
"It's time for you to truly step onto the stage of Britain."
"Time to go back and become the true King Arthur, Lily."
"Yes, I understand." Artoria nodded gently. That day would come eventually; there was no room for hesitation or sentimentality. She had traveled long enough; it was time for the pure white Knight Princess to become Arthur, the Child of the Red Dragon who commanded the armies and carried the hopes of the land.
"Alright, let's not be so serious. I'll show you something good."
Sensing the atmosphere becoming heavy—a feeling Merlin disliked—he quickly put on his usual grinning, heartless expression. "Actually, our subjugation trip wasn't entirely fruitless."
"Ta-da! Look what this is~"
Following Merlin's showmanship, Artoria and Kay instinctively looked at the basket covered with a black cloth. After pulling out a few empty wine bottles, under Artoria's growing curiosity and Kay's increasing impatience, Merlin finally pulled out the item.
It was a strange little animal whose colors highly clashed with Merlin's own—resembling a cat, a dog, a rabbit, and a squirrel all at once.
It was none other than the infant Beast of Comparison, Fou, who had quietly vanished after being caught by Souya. Its eyes were closed as if it were unconscious, but its small mouth was slightly opening and closing, like a human mumbling in a drunken sleep.
In fact, Fou did indeed smell strongly of alcohol. It had clearly been forcibly intoxicated by a certain scummy incubus.
"Is this... Cath Palug?"
Artoria looked curiously at the little creature in Merlin's hand. She remembered that the whole incident started because of this little one, but her attention had been elsewhere after Souya caught it. This was the first time she was truly observing this magical animal.
"Yes, exactly. This little guy is the thing I kept mentioning. Its ability is very special—it can evoke human competitiveness and certain desires, and feeds on them."
"Like earlier, both you and Lamorak were affected by it."
Merlin introduced Fou to Artoria with a grin, even handing Fou over so the girl could hold it. As for Kay, he clearly still had a shadow over his heart from that 'Fury Swipes' to his weak point, and stubbornly refused to step forward.
Artoria hesitated but followed her heart and took Fou.
Hmm, aside from the smell of wine, the fur feels really good.
Artoria contentedly petted the sleeping Fou. "Are you going to keep it, Merlin?"
As if realizing something, Artoria looked at Merlin. Kay's face also shifted as he looked over.
"Well, it's not exactly 'keeping' it." Merlin had no intention of hiding things from Artoria. "Even though it's an infant, it's still too dangerous. I plan to return to Avalon and seal Cath Palug inside."
"And while I'm there, I'll use 'Clairvoyance' to check on some future events."
Merlin smiled, not revealing exactly what he wanted to see. His Clairvoyance was 'Vision of the Present'—he could integrate and analyze all information in the world and use his incubus life form to dream of the future. But in Avalon, where the concepts of past, present, and future do not exist, his 'Clairvoyance' could observe and prophesy everything to the maximum extent.
"I see. Then without further delay, we'll rest one more night and head back tomorrow morning."
Hearing Merlin's words, Artoria nodded in agreement. Right now, she desperately wanted to go back and become the true King Arthur.
Aside from fulfilling her ideals and destiny, it was also due to a bit of selfishness.
Or rather, desire.
She wanted to quickly become a qualified monarch, prove herself to Souya, and then snatch him away from her 'evil' Royal Sister.
This was desire, yet it was also Artoria's longing as a human.
And Souya, who had already returned to the capital of Camelot, did not yet know that he had unintentionally planted a seed of humanity in Artoria's heart. Perhaps this seed would sprout in the future, growing an unusual flower that might prevent her from becoming a 'Perfect King'.
But as long as this seed existed, she would not lose everything that made her human. She would not, like the original history, become a lonely King who did not understand the human heart.