Even though it was a vibrant spring, it felt unusually cold.

The plants were silent, as if withering away, devoid of vitality.

Through the shallow clouds, a faint and chilly sunlight cast a gentle glow.

The girl stood in the green field, her deep green eyes gazing toward the distant horizon through the forest.

Her soft golden hair, still as radiant as the once brilliant wheat fields, swayed in the wind.

However, this time, there was no one to appreciate it.

... A sword.

The girl named Artoria tightly gripped a sword in her hands.

It was a wooden sword, covered with mottled scars.

It was the one he often used.

The traces of wear on the hilt had become smooth, and holding it now, she could almost feel the warmth left by the person who once used it.

Even though she knew in her heart that it was an illusion.

But she wanted to find that illusory comfort.

Unlike the sword in her hands, which always broke.

His sword had never broken.

He continued to use this wooden sword every day, patiently teaching himself day after day.

Artoria gently touched every notch on the sword.

The rough texture, like the scars of days gone by.

...

"These are indeed my doing, but..."

"I'm sorry, I'm not a knight, and I don't like being called a knight."

...

"'Good person'... Such a heavy word."

"In such this world, this is not a blessing that people can enjoy..."

...

"We are peers, you can call me by my name directly."

"Just ordinary addressing is fine, just like that, try saying it directly..."

"...'Alvin.'"

...

"Becoming a knight doesn't require anyone's recognition, Artorius."

"If you grab a sword while admiring the virtues of others, you should ask your own heart first. What is it that you hope to protect by becoming a knight?"

...

"A sword that cannot kill, don't even think about protecting people."

"If the path is wrong, persisting in it a thousand times is a futile act... Today, I will let you understand this truth."

...

"I'm glad to be your first friend, Artorius."

"Moreover, you will have more and more friends in the future. Don't belittle yourself too much."

...

"To live is to pursue 'peace of mind.'"

"No one is born with a certain purpose in mind, and no one is born to become a king, Artorius."

"Which means..."

...

"...Before becoming a king, first become a human."

The lingering sound echoed in the girl's thoughts.

She gazed blankly at the distant horizon with her deep green eyes.

Become a human...?

It's really difficult to do.

'Without your radiance to guide me, I can't do such a thing...'

Those sharp sword edges.

Clearly... the gentlest things in this world.

"He will come to see me, I am sure of it."

With a firm voice, the girl replied to the witch.

So, she did not leave but chose to stand here and wait.

Artoria waited, waited for the person who would come every day to practice swordsmanship with her.

He never missed an appointment.

However, until the faint dawn gradually dimmed, turning into the misty and faint light of the afternoon covered by gray clouds, Artoria stood there waiting, enveloped in misty and sickly light.

"... He won't come."

A gentle voice sounded in her ears.

That regretful tone, seeming to sigh and lament.

The figure of the white-haired magus appeared beside the girl, both of them gazing toward the distant forest. The warm smile on his face was as familiar and comforting as ever.

"Who do you think you're expecting feelings from, Lily? It's the heart of Vortigern's son..."

"He is not human."

The incubus's words floated lightly.

Like elusive thin mist, it dissipated in the wind in an instant.

"..."

Artoria remained silent, clenching her palm slightly.

The magus lifted his gaze, looking at the faintly cold sunlight of the spring afternoon. A barely noticeable, yet joyful curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Soon after, that gentle and coaxing voice continued to resonate in the girl's ears.

"Alvin Pendragon...

"Last night, I tracked him, watched as he rushed westward."

"You understand what that direction means, right... Lily."

Indeed.

The girl understood it better than anyone.

The central fortress city of the island, once the glorious capital of Britain, had now fallen into the hands of King Vortigern.

Was that place... his home?

"Your idol is quite surprising. He sensed my observation and chose to confront me."

"That sword technique... truly astonishing."

"..."

The girl remained silent, the only sound being the creaking of the sword handle being gripped tightly.

After so many days of sparring with Alvin, she could easily identify the sharp sword wound on Merlin's face.

Dark, desolate, like a profound shadow.

Undoubtedly, it was... his style.

"Well, it's just a small injury. Don't worry about me, Lily~"

The magus smiled gently.

The curve at the corner of his mouth became even more pleasant in response.

He just wanted to be seen by her.

Therefore, the incubus intentionally chose not to use illusions to conceal his wounds.

"Unfortunately, I wanted to keep him back then, ask him some questions, but he escaped. It's close to Londinium, and I couldn't pursue further.

"At this moment... he already knows he's exposed."

"With King Vortigern causing such chaos in Britain, if news spreads of the birth of the White Dragon's son, all the knights on the island will join forces to hunt him down."

"Alvin Pendragon..."

"If you were him, Lily, would you come back to fall into the trap just to meet your archenemy?"

"No... do you really think your idol, the Silver Star Guiding the Way,, doesn't understand the stakes in such a foolish move?"

"He might have already started gathering troops and is rushing towards us."

"Give up the illusion, Lily."

"..."

The girl continued to be silent.

The hesitation, the sorrow, the resentment...

And the emotions rushing like tidal waves, wanting to question.

All of it brewed in this silence.

Like sour water, slowly seeping from the depths of her heart.

She slowly, very slowly, closed her deep green eyes.

"Alvin, his goal..."

"...From beginning to end, it's always been you, Lily."

To make her the ideal king.

This harmless lie should be okay, right?

Moreover, what he said was mostly true~

Thinking this happily.

On the surface, the incubus let out a soft sigh.

The tone also correspondingly turned into a bitter and regretful lament.

"Do you think your meeting was a coincidence?"

"Do you think anyone can spar with you, the daughter of the Red Dragon?"

"Do you think why he was so patient with you?"

"Do you think the words he instilled in you were for what purpose?"

With each questioning from Merlin.

The words became more and more intense, and the content became sharper.

"Alvin Pendragon, that cunning guy, he wants to erode your will, make your spirit lazy, and crush your determination to become king, Lily!"

"He wants to pull you into King Vortigern's camp!"

"Can you recall..."

"...Recall how he deceived your feelings in those fragmented words."

Recall...?

Suddenly looking back, the girl vaguely thought... indeed, she should have noticed it long ago.

"I'm not a good person. You'll regret thinking that way sooner or later."

... Regret.

The implications in those words.

Those almost self-evident details.

His swordsmanship, his origins, his appearance, those soothing words.

But, she was unwilling to think about it.

Deep down, avoiding such possibilities.

Alvin... her idol...

That kind of smile.

...Is it all, a disguise?

The hand holding the sword trembled.

"Lily, face reality..."

The incubus sighed softly.

In his deep purple eyes, there flowed a mist.

"Alvin Pendragon..."

Tasting the girl's rich despair and sorrow, like savoring the beauty of a flower.

The incubus sighed with great joy and intoxication.

"...He deceived you, he is a liar."

Crack~

The wooden sword held in her hand fell suddenly.

The silver-haired youth reached out his hand, subconsciously trying to catch it.

Then, the sword passed through his transparent wrist...

Gently falling to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

"Merlin, do you know?"

The girl gently opened her eyes.

Those translucent, gem-like eyes, as always, remained pure and clear.

Her heart rippled slightly, as if it was about to overflow.

But she diligently suppressed those hard-to-utter sorrows, like an approaching tide.

Artoria just smiled.

She wiped the corner of her eye and smiled gently.

"When I close my eyes, I have a kind of illusion."

"It's like my idol, just like before, standing in front of me..."

As her words faded away.

That barely perceptible, joyful smile.

Suddenly, it froze on the incubus's lips.

The wind softly sang.

Replacing the youth's hand, it gently caressed the girl's cheek.

"I have this kind of feeling, though it might sound a bit cheesy, Merlin..."

"...I feel that my idol, Sir Alvin, is watching me."

"..."

Finally, it was the incubus's turn to fall silent.

He smiled bitterly.

Merlin couldn't accurately describe the sense of loss he felt at this moment.

No longer joyful, no longer sweet.

Only a shameful, indescribable bitterness, like making a mistake for the first time.

The first time.

The incubus felt his own foolishness.

This ideal utopia called Avalon, which stood alone in the world.

It also had something it couldn't isolate.

"He will come, Sir Alvin will definitely come..."

"Until now, I still firmly believe."

"He has never deceived me, I don't believe he would deceive me."

"Because, he said..."

The dim clouds meandered.

A clear breeze suddenly swept in from the distance, gently dispersing the accumulated clouds like a fluffy cotton candy.

Suddenly revealing the early spring of Britain, the originally soft and azure sky.

Bathing in this clear sunlight.

The girl named Artoria, with a smile that bloomed like a flower.

She said with such a smile.

"He said he would watch me grow up with his own eyes."

"Please witness it, Merlin."

"I will prove it to you."

---

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