Capítulo 142: C142
The army began to orderly withdraw from the abandoned mine, and command was returned to the leading knights of each kingdom. However, everything that happened here left a mark on the soldiers' hearts.
Tristan, Bedivere, Lamorak, and the rest needed to assess the extent of their losses, so they acknowledged Shirou and led the soldiers away.
Only Shirou and Artoria remained behind.
"Fuu~!"
Fou lay on the soft grass, tumbling about and scanning her surroundings with her gaze.
Gawain, accompanied by Gareth, approached Shirou and Artoria, his face displaying gratitude as he spoke, "Your Excellency Arthur, Artoria, I cannot express my gratitude enough. Without your assistance, my sister would have been in grave danger just now."
"It was nothing, we simply did what we could." Shirou smiled and waved his hand.
"You are truly a humble person!" Gawain responded respectfully.
As Shirou waved his hand, his eyes landed on Gareth's adorable and youthful face, evoking a sense of emotion within him. He had initially believed that the disguised magus was Morgan le Fay, but he never imagined it would be Gareth, her daughter!
Gareth was also a Knight of the Round Table, the seventh knight, renowned as "Gareth of the Gentle." She happened to be the younger sibling of Gawain, Agravain, and Gaheris.
Noticing his gaze upon Gareth, Gawain lightly tapped his forehead and spoke with a smile, "I nearly forgot to introduce her. This is my sister, Gareth, an apprentice magus."
Curious, Shirou asked, "Why did you feel the need to disguise yourself?"
Gawain replied, "It's a magical protection bestowed upon Gareth by our mother."
"I see," he nodded, smiling. "To be honest, at first, I thought she was my sister, Morgan le Fay."
"It's not unexpected that Your Excellency Arthur would have thought that way. In fact, our mother was always by my side before," Gawain explained.
"May I ask where my sister is now, Sir Gawain?" Shirou asked calmly. He couldn't help but be concerned about Morgan le Fay, as a witch who held the power of the island.
"My mother returned to the kingdom a month ago," Gawain replied, turning his head to look at Gareth and Artoria. He spoke helplessly, "My sister had heard rumors about the Knight Princess's tale and escaped from the Convent to beg me to take her to see the Knight Princess. She nearly met with an accident. In any case, thank you very much, Your Excellency Arthur and Artoria. Otherwise, I wouldn't know how to explain it to my mother."
Gawain looked grateful.
"It was nothing but a small gesture, Sir Gawain," He replied. However, the news that Morgan le Fay had departed from Camelot a month ago was significant information.
Gareth stood next to Artoria, her eyes gleaming as she gazed at Artoria and expressed her gratitude, "Sir Artoria, thank you so much for your assistance earlier!"
"Sir?... I apologize, but I'm not a formal knight yet. I don't deserve the honor of being addressed as 'Sir'," she remarked, shaking her head.
"Is that so? Then, thank you very much, Lady Artoria!" Gareth responded gratefully. If it weren't for her intervention, she would have been devoured by Cath Palug.
"No need to be formal, it's what a knight should do," she declared, her expression resolute.
Gareth stared at Artoria, her eyes shining with admiration. Suddenly, a trace of hesitation flashed across her cute face, and she asked carefully, "Um, Lady Artoria, may I touch your sword?"
Artoria instinctively hugged the Caliburn in her arms and refused without hesitation, "No! This is the King's sword, I can't let you touch it so easily."
"Oh, I see..." Gareth's face looked a bit disappointed.
At this moment, Shirou's voice timely sounded, "Artoria...it's okay, I allow it."
"Well, if you really want me to... you never cease to give me these troublesome requests... you're truly a handful, my king," she mumbled, her beautiful face filled with worry as she set the sword down in front of Gareth.
Gareth's eyes gleamed as she delicately laid her hand on the scabbard of Caliburn and then unsheathed the sword by gripping its hilt.
"Clang!" The blade was drawn, and Gareth examined the sword's surface with a innocent expression that gradually evolved into a determined one. She then solemnly sheathed the sword and returned it to Artoria.
Shirou approached Gareth and smiled as he patted her shoulder, asking, "Have you discovered your own answer?"
Initially baffled, Gareth quickly comprehended what Shirou meant and beamed as she nodded her head, "Yes! Thank you, Your Majesty! I have found my answer!"
"What answer?" Gawain and Artoria looked puzzled.
"I don't think it's my place to say," Shirou replied. "Well then, Sir Gawain, I believe Artoria and I must return now." He waved to Gawain before departing alongside Artoria.
Gawain shook his head in bewilderment, still unable to comprehend what Shirou had meant. Meanwhile, Gareth gazed at Gawain with sparkling eyes and declared, "Brother! Brother! I have made a decision! I no longer wish to be a magus. I want to become a knight!"
"What?" Gawain was stunned.
"Please let me be your Squire and start my knightly training!" Gareth said with shining eyes.
The Knight Princess, Lady Artoria, had revealed to her the answer - women, too, could become powerful and exceptional knights!
Her path should no longer be that of a magus!
Gawain, meanwhile, was at a loss, pondering what had just happened.
Most importantly, his sister now yearned to become a knight... How could he explain this to his mother? He feared he might receive a beating!
Considering the consequences, Gawain said with a cold sweat on his face, "Gareth, I think you need to think about it more carefully..."
...
"Your Majesty, please be mindful of this! Caliburn is a symbol of the King and should not be touched by others so casually!" Artoria keep nagging at Shirou as they approached Caerleon.
Shirou smiled and remarked, "You talk a lot now, Artie."
"Huh? No, no. I'm not trying to lecture the King. What I mean is..." she hastily explained, but he interrupted her by patting her shoulder and saying with a smile, "There's no need to rush to explain. I don't think it's a bad thing at all. It means that you're becoming better at expressing your inner emotions. That's a good thing."
"My king...you're too kind..." she lowered her head, feeling embarrassed that Shirou was so concerned about her.
Shirou smiled, but his gaze unconsciously wandered to Artoria's smooth and tender neck.
"Eat, eat, eat, eat, eat...humans, food...eat, eat, eat, eat, eat!!!" The voice of inhuman temptation echoed in his mind.
Shirou unconsciously licked his fangs, causing his body to tremble. He quickly patted his forehead and turned his head away, trying to regain his composure.
"What's wrong, my king?" she asked with concern. "Are you feeling discomfort from being swallowed by that monster earlier?"
Looking at her concerned face, he shook his head and said, "No, you are thinking too much. I was just thinking that the bastard should be coming soon."
"Bastard?" she was taken aback by Shirou's choice of words.
Before she could ask, Merlin's voice interrupted their conversation. "Your Majesty~! Lily~!"
She turned her head and saw Merlin with a smile on his face, waving and running towards them like a child. Was Merlin the "bastard" that the King was referring to?
Shirou turned to look at the Fou on his shoulder, then raised his hand and pointed at Merlin who was running towards them, saying, "Fou, did you see that? That's the good thing I want to treat you to. That thing is called Merlin, it's especially delicious! You can fry it or steam it, so don't hold back on my account!"
"Fuu~"
Fou turned her head and looked at Merlin with sparkling eyes.
As Merlin ran towards him and stopped about twenty steps away, Shirou smiled and greeted him. "Merlin, where have you been all this time? I missed you so much! Don't keep your distance, come closer!"
Merlin studied Shirou's expression carefully, then took five steps back and replied with a smile, "To be honest, I've been preoccupied with some matters lately, so I couldn't come and see you. But truthfully, I also missed you, Your Majesty."
"If you miss me, then come closer," Shirou urged, taking a step forward. However, Merlin quickly retreated three steps and waved his hand. "No need for that. Two big men standing too close to each other isn't a good idea."
Shirou's face softened into a gentle smile. "I want you to come closer."
But as soon as Merlin saw his smile, he quickly took ten steps back.
Shirou's smile faltered as beads of sweat formed on his forehead. This guy had gotten smarter, and his usual trick didn't work!
And just as he was feeling frustrated, a voice filled with resentment interrupted their conversation.
"Mer-liiiin!!!!" the voice rang out, the resentment in it impossible to ignore.
Shirou turned his head and saw Kay walking towards them with his sword drawn. His teeth were gritted, and his body exuded a terrifying aura, making him look like a demon from hell.
Upon seeing Kay approaching, Merlin's face changed and he trembled, stepping back.
Shirou couldn't help but wonder, "Kay, what's wrong with you? Why such strong resentment?"
Kay pointed his sword aggressively at Merlin and replied, "This scoundrel actually transformed into my appearance and went around fooling people! If I hadn't escaped from a group of women and caught him transforming back into his original form from mine, I would still be in the dark about his mischief!!!"
"You...you actually found out!" Merlin trembled all over, without saying a word, he turned around and ran.
"Scoundrel, don't you dare run away!!!" Kay chased after him aggressively, determined to catch the mischievous magus.
Merlin claimed to be good at running away, but under Kay's wrath, the knight's speed was so fast that he was almost like a Super Saiyan, closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye.
"No...this can't be happening! How can you be so fast!?" Merlin was so shocked that his jaw almost dropped. He had no choice but to draw his sword and prepare to fight against Kay.
"Clang, clang, clang..."
The sound of metal clashing echoed as Merlin, a magus, fought against Kay, a knight. The outcome was inevitable, and the fight ended with Merlin sending Kay's sword flying with a single flick.
"No...this can't be...! You're a magus, how could your swordsmanship be so strong?!" Kay was greatly shocked by Merlin's display of skill.
"Hmph! Without this swordsmanship, how could I play around like this?" Merlin said with his arms akimbo, looking pleased with himself. "Not to boast, but when it comes to swordsmanship, I am second to none. No one in all of Britain dares to claim the top spot! Truth be told, your father's, Brastias's, and Sir Ywain's swordsmanship were all taught by me!"
"Damn it!!!" Kay pounded the ground in frustration, feeling powerless against his archenemy. The presence of someone he could not tolerate being right in front of him made him extremely uncomfortable.
At this moment, Shirou beckoned to Kay, calling him over. "Kay, come here. Let me teach you a move!"
"What move!?" Kay leaned in to listen, curious about what the King had in mind.
Merlin showed a disdainful look, confident in his belief that his swordsmanship was unparalleled in the world despite being a magus.
When it comes to swordsmanship, no one can compare!
But suddenly, his face turned blue, and he quickly put away his sword before turning around and running away.
"Why are you running?!" Kay, who had learned the skill from Shirou, chased after him aggressively. "Come here!"
Artoria looked at Shirou with a puzzled expression and asked, "My King, what move did you teach my brother?"
"It's just spitting," He replied nonchalantly.
What!?
She was dumbfounded, wondering if she had misheard.
"Sp...spit!?" she looked stupefied. "Isn't that something children do when they play?"
"As long as it works, who cares what move it is!" he said with a shrug.
In the distance, Merlin howled, "Oh my god! Don't spit anymore! Don't spit anymore! It's too disgusting! You're all too disgusting!"
"Shut up!" Kay chased after him while spitting, "Ptui! Ptui!"
Shirou and Artoria stood on the grass, watching Merlin and Kay in the distance. It was like watching a cat chasing a mouse, and the animated sight nearly made her burst into laughter. But she made a conscious effort to suppress her amusement.
He gave her shoulder a gentle pat and said, "If you feel like laughing, go ahead and laugh. No need to hold it back."
She looked at Shirou's profile and then nodded, "Mmm!"
A youthful smile of a young girl appeared on her exquisite and pretty face.
"Fuu~!"
Fou jumped off Shirou's shoulder and with her gem-like eyes, watched the duo chasing each other.
"Oh my god! Please stop spitting! It's so filthy! It's too disgusting! Where's the honor of a knight in this kind of play?" Merlin howled in the distance. "I surrender! I surrender! Sir Kay, Your Majesty... I admit my mistake, I admit it! I know I was wrong! You can make me do anything! Just please, no more spitting!"
Kay: "Ptui!"
...
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