What kind of feelings did Souya harbor when he left Artoria?
If he really had to analyze it, even Souya himself couldn't tell if it was the relief of completing a mission or an indescribable emotion when facing the young girl's naked, longing gaze.
I know from the perspective of a knight and a 'white moonlight' first love, I'm dealing way too much emotional damage to you. But if you want me to backstab Morgan like Gawain and the others did and switch to your side, that's impossible too...
Whether it was an illusion or not, Souya felt that as his contact with Artoria deepened, he increasingly got this feeling of "If my Lord does not abandon me, I am willing to follow."
But one must understand that to Souya—who had already comprehended the ultimate meaning of water, who recognized his true self, and whose heart was as clear as flowing water—such a thing was absolutely impossible.
Knight Lamorak's life was destined to be dedicated to the Queen of Camelot, Morgan.
For him, Morgan was the only option.
Thus, after mulling it over and consulting the useless System, Souya concluded that this was mostly the "Corrective Force of Human History" playing tricks.
Just as the historical Lamorak ultimately belonged to Artoria, this so-called destiny also wanted to pull the current Lamorak—whose identity had been completely rewritten by Souya—back onto the 'right' path.
To make him submit to King Arthur's charisma, just like Gawain and Agravain, and bow down before the King's armor.
This could also be partially seen from the attitude of Merlin, who firmly believed that "destiny is irreversible."
He probably thought that no matter how much Souya fussed now, no matter how fiercely loyal and devoted he acted toward Morgan, he would ultimately yield to destiny and become one of them.
Therefore, even though he knew full well that Souya's purpose in coming was to snap the Sword of Selection and sabotage the foundation of King Arthur's fame—the so-called prophecy of the King's selection—thereby causing the people of Britain to doubt and distrust her, Merlin still treated Souya amicably and let him leave.
You'll be one of us sooner or later anyway. Fuss all you want. The more of a scene you make now, the more awkward it will be for you later.
Harboring this mindset of watching a spectacle, and even anticipating the drama, Merlin's tolerance of Souya's actions had reached the point of indulgence.
After all, Merlin only had one disciple, Artoria. How could he really let something out of his control abduct her?
If anyone else dared to try and corrupt his Child of the Red Dragon, Merlin wouldn't mind showing them the pinnacle of illusion Magecraft, showing them a reality they could never reach.
He had plenty of Magecraft and methods.
But all of this was merely Merlin's own thoughts, his own arrogance.
If Souya knew, he would only say one thing:
"I'm an 'alien' from another world. Your so-called destiny can't hold me at all."
Sorry, but in the Type-Moon universe with its paper-thin worldview, aliens can do whatever they want.
Back to the main topic. The reason Souya hurriedly left Artoria, aside from the aforementioned personal emotional reasons, was because he was injured.
Relying on a single Noble Phantasm, 'Myriad Flowing Spirits: Unpredictable Waves', to evolve 'Unfading Lake Light' was ultimately just a pirated version. Souya even felt that if Lancelot himself used the genuine 'Arondight', he probably wouldn't be able to block Saber's beam of light completely unscathed.
Caliburn was, after all, a King's Sword of the same tier as the Holy Sword. A divine construct that inherently contained certain world rules and characteristics would certainly not release a simple amount of damage when shattered.
Therefore, although Souya defended with all his might, he still couldn't completely block it.
Besides suffering some burns all over his body, a shard of the Sword of Selection was embedded in his chest.
Souya originally intended to dig it out himself, but unexpectedly, the shard seemed to possess a residual consciousness. It would move around to dodge Souya's grasp and even prevented his body from healing.
It felt as if a deeply resentful King's Sword was taking revenge on Souya, the guy who caused it to break.
Thus, left with no choice, Souya rode non-stop back to the royal capital of Camelot to once again seek an audience with his Queen, Morgan.
"This is the first time I've seen you look so battered, Lamorak."
Morgan's tender, jade-like fingers lightly traced across Souya's broad chest.
The skin there was no longer as fair and smooth as it once was. His complexion was much darker now, adorned with many scars of various sizes.
But this didn't detract from his aesthetics; instead, it exuded a rugged, masculine charm.
"It seems you suffered a setback at the hands of my foolish sister."
There was no obvious emotional fluctuation in her tone, but Souya could see a hint of teasing and curiosity in Morgan's eyes.
Clearly, besides the amusement of seeing another side of Souya, Morgan was also puzzled as to how Artoria managed to injure her knight.
After all, as the person who knew Souya best, Morgan knew full well that this guy was already among the very top tier on this land in every aspect.
"I apologize, Lady Morgan. As your knight, I have brought shame upon you."
Souya's tone remained humble and respectful. This was the most harmonious mode of interaction between him and Morgan.
"It matters not. To have completed the mission right under Merlin's nose is already outstanding. You deserve a reward."
Morgan waved her hand dismissively. Her gaze slowly swept over Souya's bare upper torso, finally landing just below his right pectoral.
There was a wound that had been hastily bandaged, still seeping blood through the gauze.
That was the residual shard of the King's Sword.
"Hmph, to actually actively detonate the energy of the Sword of Selection... What a foolish person, Arthur."
Morgan sneered, her tone full of disdain for the young Knight King.
She then examined the wound closely. Confirming it wasn't a major issue, she spoke directly to Souya.
"I will take it out for you. If it hurts, endure it. Otherwise, you bear the consequences, understand?"
"Yes, Lady Morgan."
Souya took a few steps forward, bringing his body a bit closer to Morgan.
Although she told Souya to endure the pain and bear the consequences, the moment she started, she instinctively slowed her movements and the flow of her magical energy.
Noticing this, the corners of Souya's mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly.
Fortunately, he hid it well, and Morgan didn't notice the change in his expression.
Slowly extending her jade hand, the moment she touched Souya's body, Morgan's hand seemed to become ethereal, instantly sinking into him.
This scene couldn't help but make both of them think of the past.
Back then, when Souya was still just a frail water fairy, Morgan would occasionally reach her hand inside him, feeling the cool sensation travel from her fingertips throughout her body, the gentle flow of water between her fingers.
Well... applied to the current Souya, this scene is somewhat weird and grotesque.
Before long, Morgan grasped the shard of the King's Sword that was trying to evade her inside Souya. She then extracted it and incinerated it in one smooth motion.
"Thank you, my Queen."
Feeling the anomaly within his body disappear, Souya breathed a sigh of relief.
God knows why a shard of a King's Sword would have such a disgusting effect, like some kind of curse.
"When it is only the two of us, you needn't worry about excessive formalities, Lamorak."
Having resolved the issue with the shard, Morgan's gaze did not leave Souya's body.
Her palm once again caressed his torso, only this time it wasn't to feel his curves, but to touch those scars, large and small, as if to smooth them out one by one.
"These wounds... they hurt, don't they?"
Morgan murmured softly, a hint of imperceptible heartache in her tone, like a little girl discovering a tear in her favorite doll one day.
"A knight's glory is to bring honor to their Lord. These are merely medals commending my loyalty to you."
Souya grabbed Morgan's hand, pressing it tightly against his cheek, a gentle smile curving his lips.
"...Foolish knight."
Morgan turned her head away slightly, preventing Souya from seeing the overflowing emotions in her eyes.
But this time, the latter seemed to purposely act against her. The more Morgan tried to look away, the more proactively he leaned his head in, seeking a kiss.
After acting slightly tsundere for a moment, the Queen of Camelot ultimately conceded, reciprocating the knight's affection.
There is no need for excessive words between lovers; their love is expressed through actions and their eyes.
After lingering in intimacy for a while longer, Morgan and Souya still hadn't reached the point of sharing a bed, because they still had official business to attend to.
"Don't put your armor back on, Lamorak. Go change into formal attire, then put it on and let me see."
While tidying her hair, which Souya had messed up, Morgan instructed him.
"Also, remember to bring Britomart. Someone specifically requested to see her at this banquet."
"Understood, Lady Morgan."
Souya nodded in response. Following Morgan's instructions, he opened a wardrobe in her room, which contained clothes she had specifically prepared for him.
Right after their passionate kiss, Morgan had told him about the 'banquet'.
Given their current status and position, the banquet they were attending naturally wasn't an ordinary human gathering. It was an extremely special Faerie Banquet held only once every few decades.
That is, a banquet of the Faerie Queenes.
And against the backdrop of this era and the current situation in Britain, this banquet was naturally no simple affair.
Souya guessed this was likely related to Morgan's future plans. After all, if it were just an ordinary tea party, Morgan wouldn't have bothered calling all the Faerie Queenes over, nor would she be in the mood for it.
After a brief, fruitless contemplation, Souya stopped overthinking. Since Morgan was taking him along, he would definitely find out what he needed to know when the time came.
Right now, his task was to dress handsomely. As the Queen's male companion, he naturally couldn't bring her shame.