[Running.]

[A seemingly endless run.]

[Utilizing your full strength, you swiftly navigate through the deep forest, sprinting towards the direction of Artoria's house like a wisp of shadow.]

[Profound and flowing shadows cover your entire body, annihilating the air resistance, while your breath, like a winter cicada, remains restrained and dormant.]

[You realize that, at this moment, Merlin can't kill you, but likewise, you can't kill him either, and that's enough.]

[Under the influence of the 'Light Devour' skill, you silently devour all the light reflected on you like a black hole. In this concealed state, even Merlin won't detect your presence.]

[In this rapid movement, time seems to stretch.]

[Everything around you blurs in your field of vision.]

[The sounds you can hear gradually fade, as if even the sound of the wind dissipates.]

[Silence.]

[So... quiet—]

[No sound can be heard at all.]

[However, busy with your journey, you don't notice this excessively eerie anomaly.]

[In this excessively quiet environment, you, rushing at full speed, cover dozens of miles in just a few minutes.]

[You burst out of the forest, and the ultimate life form's eyesight allows you to see the familiar courtyard from a considerable distance.]

[You come to a halt.]

[Moonlight, pure and bright, gently touches the green grass. In the silent courtyard, not a trace of light can be seen.]

[Dew is white tonight, the moonlight is bright in the homeland.]

[Staring at the moon wheel, as pure as your home used to be, a hint of melancholy surges in your heart.]

[Even though it is a simulation in name, you have long treated all of this as real.]

[Even if you eventually discover that everything is just a dream, your experiences, emotions, and this human heart of yours are all undeniably real.]

"Real and not illusory...?"

"This simulator, it's been a while since it said something understandable."

Alvin walked under the moonlight.

From when did it seem like he had truly become friends with Artoria?

Although the initial intention was to lead her to a fall...

Perhaps cultivating the protagonist with antagonistic traits was an essential characteristic, something he had to taste.

On this late night, Alvin pondered, Artoria should be enjoying sweet dreams. After all, during these days, he had not skimped on feeding her. However, feeding the witch was a concept entirely different.

Unfortunately, the tranquil life had come to an end, Artoria.

Although it was inconvenient to disturb her peaceful slumber, Alvin believed it was necessary to bid a solemn farewell.

Pushing open the wooden gate, bathed in moonlight, the young man entered the already familiar courtyard, standing quietly in place.

At such close proximity, even in her sleep, Artoria presumably could detect his presence.

However...

There was no sound.

Alvin finally noticed that the environment was excessively silent.

As the ultimate life form, he surprisingly couldn't hear the person inside... the subtle sounds of breathing.

If it were merely going out, that would be fine, but in reality...

It became excessively quiet.

It seemed that even the sounds of insects rustling, birds chirping, and the environmental sounds of beasts stepping on the soil were no longer present.

Quiet.

Silent.

As if all the sounds were being pushed away by the world.

Alvin looked back.

From the direction he came running from, colorful flowers bloomed all the way.

And the courtyard gate that had been pushed open seemed to have silently closed again.

He lowered his eyelids, gazing at his palms.

Under the moonlight, the originally fair skin exhibited a translucent texture, and the gaze could penetrate the arm, observing the ground covered with flowers.

As if...

His existence was being erased from this world.

His pupils slightly trembled.

Alvin reached out, gently pushing open the stable door.

No...

Actually, the door wasn't pushed open.

Accompanied by blooming flowers underfoot, he simply, like a ghost, walked in.

Alvin silently observed the scene inside the house, he opened his mouth but found that he couldn't make a sound.

The golden-haired girl was lying on the hay, sleeping soundly, her breathing peaceful and steady.

Actually sleeping in the stable.

In other words, she was still taking care of the horses until bedtime?

Ah, just that tired, she fell asleep like that, Artoria...

Although she was covered only with a thin blanket, and beneath her was a rough grass mat, it was evident that the girl was sleeping soundly.

A faint and happy smile adorned her face, and her delicate features still looked flawless even with the added touch of wheat spikes.

"Al... vin...

"Hehe..."

From her lip movements.

It could be seen that she seemed to be murmuring a sweet dream.

Alvin felt a slight touch in his heart.

He bent down, subconsciously wanting to tuck the blanket in tighter for her.

And then.

The young man's hand just passed through-...The fingertips stagnated in the air.

Unable to hear any sound.

Even more unable to interact with reality.

Only the splendid flowers followed, blooming all the way, isolating the entire world. This could be called a miraculous illusion...

The young man lifted his gaze, eyes penetrating the eaves, looking straight at the bright moon hanging high in the sky.

The moon, also looking at the youth from high above.

Can only observe, but cannot touch.

As if locked in a lonely tower.

Despite the close distance, it felt like an insurmountable chasm.

He was thus isolated in this secluded utopia, Garden of Avalon...

...

"Sir... Alvin...?"

Her eyelids felt the faint morning light pouring in through the door gap.

She continued to murmur, uttering the name from her dream.

Rubbing her sleepy eyes, the girl propped herself up with straw and slowly woke up.

Dim light, the breath of horses, and the scent of grass lingered around her. There was also a blanket covering her to prevent her from getting cold...

This scene made her quickly realize that she had slept in the stable last night.

"Ah~ You're awake, Lily."

As she woke up, an incredibly familiar and gentle voice echoed in her ears.

The girl raised her gaze, and in her pupils reflected the unfamiliar face of the white-haired magus, smiling.

To say it was unfamiliar...

In reality, they had already seen each other countless times in their dreams.

However, seeing this face clearly for the first time was happening right now.

This was not a dream...

And, it turned out to be the real person?!

Looking at the magus in front of her, Artoria's expression froze for a moment.

"Mer... Merlin?!"

Just like the face she had imagined.

The gorgeous and mysterious deep purple eyes, the handsome features carved like a divine being, and...

And the somewhat ferocious scar on the right cheek.

Fresh blood rolled over, and it could be seen that it had just scabbed over.

That disharmonious scar...

Looked so abrupt.

It was like a crack had appeared on an exquisite gem, completely destroying its flawless beauty, making it instantly ordinary and lacking the bewitching charm it once had.

"Yes, it's me, Merlin. Lily, did you sleep well last night?"

"Sleeping..."

When this topic came up, the girl recalled the... bold dream of last night.

Her cheeks turned slightly red.

She actually dreamed...

She absentmindedly touched her lips, and Artoria looked down with a dazed expression.

The blanket, she remembered not covering herself with it last night.

She even dreamed that Alvin came to cover her at night...

Ah, it should be Merlin or Kay who did it, right?

After all, it was just a dream...

The girl sighed somewhat sadly, then suddenly remembered.

Wait, Merlin seems to be asking her a question?

"Uh... um, well, I slept very well!"

Still feeling the lingering embarrassment, the girl stumbled over her words.

"Thank you, thank you for agreeing to my presumptuous request last night!"

"It's okay. It seems you had a dream that was 'intoxicating.'"

Merlin smiled and emphasized those few words.

To the blushing girl, it sounded somewhat like he was teasing her.

That's right, Merlin did it on purpose.

As an incubus, he had long seen the content of the dream.

Just a kiss, and she's so shy. This girl are really innocent~

Adult matters, she probably doesn't understand at all~

Well, it's normal since no one taught her.

Lily wouldn't think that just a kiss would make her pregnant, right?

"Cough cough... Speaking of which, why are you here, Merlin?"

Coughing a couple of times to cover up the embarrassment.

The girl lifted the straw mat and hastily got up.

"And, what's this... You're injured?"

"Just a minor injury."

Merlin touched the scar on his cheek, still smiling, his tone seemingly indifferent.

But even he had to admit.

What a sharp sword.

This sword wound was endowed with an extremely subtle, 'deadly' concept, reaching the threshold of the assassin's extreme, making it impossible to be healed by magecraft.

Really, there are too many surprises on this journey.

Are you really a swordsman and not an assassin, Alvin?

Even with the constitution of a incubus.

Merlin would need some time to recover from this injury.

"Because there is a very urgent matter, Lily, so I personally came here. Let's talk about the details outside."

The girl, somewhat bewildered, straightened herself up a bit and followed Merlin in pushing open the stable door.

In the backyard, two people with different expressions were standing.

Ector and Kay.

Seeing the gaze of her sister fixed on him, the golden-haired youth sighed and silently shifted his gaze away.

On the other hand, Ector wore a very complicated expression on his face, one that Artoria found hard to describe: melancholy, relieved, sorrowful, reluctant...

Like a troubled old knight, he showed an expression that seemed to contain a mixture of various feelings.

The magus turned around and smiled at the girl.

"Perhaps the news is very sudden, Lily, but we must set out on a journey immediately. Or... let's say, run away, haha~"

As if trying to dispel the stagnant atmosphere.

The magus let out a relaxed and cheerful laugh.

"It's better to leave today... Kay will also join us on the road, and Ector came to bid farewell."

"Eh... eh? What are you saying?! Wait, Merlin, you... and Kay, Father? What on earth happened?"

Artoria quickly associated it with the shocking possibility.

Could it be that, did King Vortigern launch an attack?

Kay clenched his fists, seemingly a bit impatient.

"Merlin, you bastard, just spit it out if you have something to say! Anyway, sooner or later, we have to tell her, right? If you don't want to say it, let me be the villain!"

"Kay, what... what are you going to say?"

The magus slightly crouched down.

With his splendid deep purple eyes, he stared into the deep green, somewhat confused eyes of the girl.

"What I'm going to say next, don't be afraid, Lily."

"Why... afraid?"

The girl shook her head with effort.

"As someone who will become a king, even if Vortigern comes to kill me, I will never be afraid, Merlin!"

"Then... I'll say it."

The half-incubus smiled brightly.

"...Your idol, Alvin, has the same surname as you."

As the words fell.

The lingering sound echoed in the wind.

The girl's expression still seemed a bit dazed.

But soon, she froze in place, staring blankly at the magus in front of her.

...What?

What is Merlin talking about?

Same surname...

In the moment when she realized what that word meant.

It was as if something had been drawn out of her brain.

She didn't want to think.

And couldn't think.

Dizziness.

A strong sense of dizziness, almost making it difficult to stand.

Her legs felt weak, and her nerves trembled.

Artoria tried hard to say something, but when she opened her mouth, not a single word came out.

Although Merlin saw tears in her eyes, she did not say a word.

Tasting the girl's almost trance-like expression.

The emotions that erupted in silence made the incubus, who fed on such things, intoxicated.

Ah, it's really... getting more and more interesting.

Attempting to make this silence burn even more vigorously.

So, the incubus smiled and spoke.

"That's right, Lily...

"He is the son of King Vortigern."

Merlin said so.

That gentle voice remained as ever, like a spring breeze.

...Alvin Pendragon.

---

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