Morning of Choice

Morning rays tickled her eyelids as they seeped through the gaps in the door, waking her up.

Her surroundings were still dimly lit, filled with the scent of several creatures and the smell of pasture.

The blanket, probably the work of her adoptive brother,

was hardly placed upon her to keep her body away from the cold.

Noticing the blanket, she remembered it was a stable.

She had been so concerned with the condition of the newborn foal that she stayed with it the entire night, until morning, because of the poor condition it was in last night.

"I shouldn't! I'm going to let Ector get

stuck again!"

The sweet face of her adoptive father, who had adopted her and raised her for fifteen years, came first.

She hastened to store the blankets neatly, straightened her clothes, and fed the horses their morning meal one by one.

The day started with the first task of day-to-day works. After finishing the morning care of the horses, she headed to the backyard of the house where her foster father, Ector, was waiting for her.

It is her and Ector's custom to take a few bites of nourishment early in the morning, practice sword fighting, and keep fighting on an empty stomach before going to breakfast.

"Hear me, Eto! Yesterday, I finally managed to land a blow on Éctor… Well... In truth, I

pushed him just a few steps, however, isn't that enough to make a difference in the ruthless battlefield! It's not like your opponent couldn't trip over a tree root like this and drop. If a condition like that is attached to it, I'm sure it is my victory... I guess it's a bit."

She says it cheerfully while brushing the thick fur coat of her father's beloved horse, Eto. Her foster father, Ector, was the toughest and most stubborn knight she had ever known.

He never gained much honor on the battlefield, and he never once sought fame, so people never gossiped about him, but when it came to that girl he was Ector, the very ideal of knighthood.

Although he retired from the first line because of the passage of time besting all men, his sword skills did not deteriorate.

"I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I managed to get my father to groan... But lately, I've seen many distressed faces... I'm worried that a person like Ector can look so depressed…. My adoptive father, who was also a strict teacher, has become less strict these days."

The face of a devil teacher who has always graded her behavior and took note of them and warned her to pay particular attention to his errors, now often looks at her with an indescribable, unspeakable expression on his face.

"I wanted to solve Ector's problems one way or another, but there was only so much I could do as a trainee knight….."

"Ector, please tell me if you are having

problems! I can help you with everything except cutting down the amount of food I eat! Does that have something to do with the body?"

She asked Ector what was wrong and he responded,

"Hmm, it's probably just your imagination. My body will be fit for another ten years. But Artoria, my lord, I can't say I'm up for anything with that suggestion. After all, it seems you're not quite ready to do 'everything' to help."

He replied in his usual matter-of-fact way.

As usual, she got the same thin response.

It was good to know that Ector's body was healthy, but that didn't stop her from wondering what was bothering her, gradually she became more and more worried about what was bothering him.

It piqued her attention even more.

Eto, the cherished horse of her adoptive father, placed its long

cheek on hers.

"It was in the middle of a fight when I first

spotted him. I'm sure it's Brother Kay causing trouble again! Even Ector can't seem to get rid of his foul mouth!"

She smiled bitterly as she stroked the back of her adoptive father's beloved horse and left the stable.

She was greeted by a meadow lit up by the morning sun when she opened the wooden door.

Ector's house was on the outskirts of town, distant from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Despite his preference for solitude, Ector did not despise people, and she was well aware that she was the reason her adoptive

father had selected such a location in the first place.

The first thing she wanted to do was apologize to Ector, but doing so would be disrespectful to his dignity. As a knight, Ector

performed his duties. He chose to quit the active arena of knights after adopting and caring for her as a knight should. She must not repay that action of his by showing a sense of guilt.

She had always been grateful for the emotional optimism she had for Ector, in the present, and the past.

It's not as if he's a bad person.

"Not at all, but..."

In reality, she only had one complaint about Ector. Her foster father would never let her address him as "father".He would never allow it.

As a result, she could never have the chance to experience what it sounded like to pronounce that word with a loving voice.

In the backyard, the elderly knight awaited her.

He was still the same stern figure who greeted her and taught her the logic of the sword. It was a sincere lesson that he had been teaching her every day for the past ten years since she could hold a sword. It was the truth, and it would stay that way until today, her final day.

"Sorry I'm late, Ector, I overslept!"

She took her wooden sword and shoved the slices of bread Ector had prepared into her mouth.

"I don't think you slept all night and overslept if you have so much energy. Good. I will train you this morning without a care in the world."

The old knight, calm as always, held up his wooden sword and guarded with it in extremely natural movements.

His eyes were compassionate, and his soft face was burdened down with regret as if he were gently bidding farewell yet hesitant to let go of the creature in front of him.

And she continued, pretending not to notice...

She had heard that the town was having a special festival today.

Kai rode Ector's horse to the festival, but he forgot to bring his most valuable weapon as a knight, his lance.

"I'm sorry, but even if it's my brother, is it

possible for a knight to forget his lance?"

"Hmm. Cavalry warfare has long since fallen into disuse. There are just farm animals and a few warhorses left these days. The only thing I had left in my family was this item, which is why I couldn't teach you my talents."

"Was it the reason? You could have made any number of imitations."

"It's you who wants to utilize it. I can't allow you to have such a lousy product... It's acceptable if it's a sword. The Great Magus

informed me that if it's a spear, you can't acquire a duplicate. He seemed to be implying that if you develop a strange habit by mistake, it will be bad."

"I'm not going to get into any funny habits. You want me to deliver this to Brother Kay?"

"Just deliver it to him. Your work for today is done."

Nodding to Ector, she borrowed a horse and put her brother's belongings on its back, and headed for town.

She got off the hill where Ector's house was located, crossed the meadow, and walked in the fields.

Though the sky was somewhat cloudy, there was no need to worry about rain. Thinking of her brother's face, she suppressed her impatience and headed for the town at her usual pace. She couldn't push herself too hard since she was carrying a hefty

weight.

"... I wasn't able to see anyone. It's harvest

season, but no one is around, and it's quite... lonely."

She switched her focus to the forest in the distance after glancing over the familiar farmland.

The forest had been a bountiful hunting ground until last year.

The hunters would enter the forest to hunt and return with only the amount of meat and fruits required.

However, it is no longer used as a hunting site.

Foreign tribes have penetrated that forest and are progressively encroaching on the lives of the Britons.

You would lose your life today instead of obtaining food for tomorrow if you entered the jungle on a whim and were unlucky enough to confront them.

The 5th Century on Britain Island.

The island of Britain was in disarray.

It all started with the collapse of the great empire on the continent. The power of Britain, which had been under the protection of the empire until then, was waning.

The upheaval on the mainland had brought new enemies to the shore of the Island.

The Saxons crossed the sea in search of food, clothing, and land to live on.

Britain was an island country controlled by a plethora of tribes and their lords (kings). Despite endless conflicts and disagreements among the tribes, the lords of the tribes banded together to protect themselves against invasion from the north due to the fight with the Pictish people.

The kings of the tribes cooperated in preparation for an invasion from the north.

However, one of the kings threw a wrench into this unity. That king interfered with the unity of the tribes by using foreign tribes to achieve his desire: to unite Britain. Vile king Vortigern

was this traitorous king. He was the manifestation of the white dragon that arose within Britain with the intent of destroying it.

Vortigern was the one who invited the Saxons into the mainland and plunged them into chaos. The fortified city of Londinium, the

cornerstone of Britain, built when the Empire once ruled the island, was destroyed.

In a fight against Vortigern, Uther Pendragon, known as the greatest of kings, was vanquished. After that, he hid his appearance from the crowd forever.

Vortigern the Usurper gave land to the Saxons and gave them a rest, and though he temporarily silenced the foreign invasion by

giving them rest, countless kings continued to rebel.

Thus, Britain entered the Dark Ages.

Warfare had long been a part of everyday life. The island was not a rich land, to begin with, and crops on the island were scarce. People's lives were worsening day by day, getting

worse and worse, and it was clear that if things continued in this manner, they would soon destroy themselves.

The people, on the other hand, have not given up hope. Merlin, the renowned magus who had served as King Uther's advisor and defender of Britain, told the people that everything had happened exactly as it had been prophesied.

"King Uther's successor has been chosen. That

individual will be the future king."

"The new king, the advent of the Red Dragon, will now gather the Knights of the Round Table, while the White Dragon will be defeated."

"The king is still alive and well, and that proof will come soon."

Merlin's words spread throughout the island.

The people were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the future king.

The knights felt reassured by those words, but in their heart, they also felt restless wondering if they might not be chosen as the

king.

Vortigern was looking for the king's successor even more fiercely.

That was a decade ago.

In reality, this year will mark the fifteenth birthday of King Uther's heir.

Everyone was buzzing with anticipation as they made their way to the knights' training grounds on the outskirts of town.

In a frantic race, children were sprinting ahead of their peers.

The grownups, whose eyes twinkled with excitement, were holding their breath to prevent disappointment if their expectations were not met.

"It's Merlin!"

"Merlin has arrived!"

"Today, on this day, the heir to the throne will finally be chosen from among the knights!"

That explains why the community is in such a tizzy, she agreed.

Calmly, she realized what Ector meant when he sent her away.

"Oh, it's Artorius. What exactly are you doing here? Are you sure it's okay for you to be lounging around here? A knight is a knight, even if he is a trainee. You might have an equal chance, you know?"

When a well-known young guy approached her, she nodded in agreement as if to say, "That's true."

Out in the open, she presents herself as a teenage boy.

No, since she was born, she has been raised as a "man".

Her hair is pulled back and she dresses in men's attire. Because of her beauty, she was immensely popular with the town's females, but because she was an orphan raised by an elderly knight, she was never considered a knight partner by the other knights.

Even though she had a slender body, she was able to pass herself off as a male until she was fifteen, but after that, it can no longer be kept secret.

She's currently an apprentice knight, but at this pace, she won't even be considered follower Squire. The girl's physique makes

it impossible for her to hold a sword or go into battle.

————"I need to be there as quickly as possible. I'm leaving right now. I need to bring something to Brother Kay."

"What's that, a Lance ?? Why would you even need a weapon? Yesterday when Lord Merlin came, he said. The man who draws the sword stuck in this rock is the King of

Britain!"

The great magus said the sword stabbed on the rock is the holy sword that calls for victory, the proof of the king that is more certain than blood.

In the eyes of the great magus, blood has no meaning. The sword only recognizes those who have authority, those who can defend Britain.

"I see, so it's like the sword of selection,

isn't it?"

"Yeah. Ahhh, thanks to this it was so noisy since dawn.

The whole kingdom is populated with famous knights yelling 'I am the king' and arriving here to obtain the

throne!"

Vortigern must have been unaware of this yesterday.

The girl was not sure what to do at this point but she was certain

she would be able to figure this out eventually.

Kay, her brother, is also the son of once-famous Ector, is well

within his rights to challenge the sword of choice.

Many knights who wanted to revive Britain, and who wanted the

throne as their greatest wish, were gathering in this town.

The sword was stuck in the rock, and one by one, the knights

were rejected as they tried to pull it out.

People crowded around the selection arena, watching in fascination. While the knights, with solemn expressions on their faces, placed their hands on the sword's hilt, dropped them, and walked away.

They toss it aside and walk away.

Some knights, who refused to give up, attempted again and again. Some knights grumbled and yelled that something was wrong with it. A knight appeared to be capable of lifting the entire rock. Some knights bragged of their power and claimed to be able to move mountains let alone that rock.

The sword, however, would not fall, no matter who it was. The man who was meant to serve the king, Merlin, was nowhere to be seen.

"What?!"

The feeling of disappointment did not just affect the knights, but also the general public.

"Are there no knights in this country who bear the hallmark of a king?"

"Is there no future for Britain?"

"And then again, was Merlin's prophecy even true in the

first place?"

The knights, sensing the unease in the crowd, began to consult.

In any case, there are so many knights gathered here. There are many ways to choose a king. The best one will succeed Uther as king of the knights, inheriting from the previous king.

"All we need to do now is measure our abilities as knights, and the finest among them should be picked to succeed the former King."

The knights decided to ignore the sword of selection that had not chosen them and began making a selection process that was convenient for them. First and foremost, there was horse combat.

"If you're a true knight of honor, it's only natural to ride a

horse and fight a surprise duel with a lance."

She was in a foul temper as she lacked a spear. She spotted her brother standing unhappily without his spear, and discreetly walked over to him and handed it to him as unobtrusively as possible.

"Is the chosen sword not good, Brother Kay? Is it just going to be ignored?"

"It's neither good nor bad. There's nothing that can be done. It's just a nuisance to have as long as no one can pull it out. The knights are going to have a tournament. This will be a good place to start. I'm sure many of the knights are smiling and shouting 'hooray!' inside "

"Even though the king wasn't chosen?"

"We don't have time to dream with Merlin and Uther. It's more humane to judge by how many men, money, and power you have now than by the invisible proof of the king. There is no need for a powerful leader. If the interests of each other are the same, it is easier to work together, to calculate what is also relatively simple. The most important thing is that in case something goes wrong and you have to take responsibility, you can also muddle through. The reason is that no matter who you are, you don't want to see or be the 'agent of the god who saves everything."

"Do you think the same too, brother Kay?"

"Of course I do. Artoria, You must return to father. If the other knights discover you, they'll bully and mock you once more."

"You should think about how hard I work to help you out all the time. Listen up. This is your first and last chance to go home."

Brother Kay had already taken his lance and set up to the venue of the cavalry battleground to see which among the Knights would be the greatest. For the time being, they were the leaders. The atmosphere changed. It had been so bustling up until now, but suddenly not a single one of them was present.

Not a single person approached the sword that was stuck in the stone.

The number of persons who believed in the

prophecy became debatable. As if the sword had never existed in the first place, it was cast aside.

The knights had departed, as had the populace.

"No one wants to see, no one wants to be..."

She didn't blame people for moving on, and she didn't argue with her foster brother's point of view since she had accepted that it was natural to think that way.

Her origin is both complicated and unique.

"Why have I been falsely living under the pretense of a man named Artorius?"

"Why did I have to learn the sword, learn the affairs of state, and overcome my feelings as a human being since I can remember

anything?"

"It's obvious."

It was all for this day. To draw the King's Sword, she was born.

She never knew how her real parents were nor their faces.

The king and the great magus had the goal of making the "ideal king", and the one who was planned and born for that purpose

was herself.

In reality, she could neither relate nor empathize with her late father's regrets or wishes.

She was not moved by the magus' teachings, nor did she have a special sense of mission.

For the past fifteen years, it was the ordinary, simple everyday life with her adoptive father Ector and foster brother Kay that encouraged and nurtured her, as well as the lively voices of the town's residents.

It was neither longing nor love.

It was just that those things seemed like something good and

beautiful.

"I want to become a habitant of the city" or "I want to join the community's everyday circle", she possessed no such hope.

Even though she occasionally painted such a scene in her mind,

she just calmly put the lid on it.

She knew from the bottom of her heart that if she did that, she would lose everything that way.

As a child, she was not the brightest, but she was the most hard - working, and so she told herself she could not do that, it wasn't going to happen.

Like a person being born as a person.

A dragon has a role to play.

"It's a shame you can't talk about it

without badmouthing.But thank you, big brother Kay. In the end, my brother's words taught me a good lesson. But, I'm really sorry. I don't know what kind of ideal king Ector was talking about."

No, she understood what kind of person a King is. She could put it into practice. She'd been taught how to do it and given the best qualities, she could have.

But still, what a miscalculation...Till the end she couldn't bear that she was "that sort of child".

Her motivation was something different from that of the late King Uther.

She had no desire to rule as a person, no sense of duty as a ruler, no euphoria nor the intoxication that comes from faith.

「Her drive force was a tiny little thing.」

The past fifteen years of not being able to live a human life had been all she had ever needed.

She had desired nothing more than spending a life of a

simple human being for these previous fifteen years.

"There was only one reason to take up the sword."

"Just looking at people's lives gives me strength. It pushes my back to keep going forward."

"Even if someone does not say a word out loud, I can affirm what I want to do without being told by anyone."

A very human answer the girl named Artoria gently nurtured

inside , an answer full of humanity to the call for a king.

She quietly places her palm on the hilt of her sword.

In the distance, the sound of gallant cavalry.

The clamor of the knights was far away, and there was no one around the rock.

Similar sensation of watching a festival from the outside.

It wasn't the first time this had happened.

She'd always been on the outside of the festival. So it wasn't like a particularly awful experience for her.

The hilt of the sword felt surprisingly comfortable in her hand.

By far it was difficult to deal with. Something in her body that had

been holding her back was being sucked into the sword as if it was about to burst from the inside, and her body felt lighter and lighter.

The sword would fall out if she just pulled her hand away.

"It's better to think carefully before picking up that thing."

When she turned around, she discovered a wizard-like person

she had never seen before standing behind her.

No, I've met him countless times before. It's just that it's the first time we've met face-to-face in real life, that's all.

The great magus spoke to her as he had done so far.

"I'm not going to say anything bad, but you better stop."

He reproves.

"Once you pick that sword up, you will no longer be able to live a human life until the end."

"That's not all, though. You will be resented by all people if you accept it, and you will die a miserable death."

Without a doubt fear distorted her face.

The magus' words were replayed in her mind, but as an image, a vision of what would happen.

Not as a piece of advice, but as a piece of prophecy.

No matter how hard she struggles, she would suffer a lonely and brutal death if she drew the sword.

◆

"Thinking back, at that time I wondered, why would she do anything like this at this point?"

"The plan I made with Uther did not include this prophecy."

"The chosen ritual was supposed to be simple and was originally intended to give her a push."

"In any case, what was to be done had to be done."

"She would fear for her future and change her mind. She would probably either be terrified that she was not ready to be a king yet and wait for the future to try again."

"Or maybe she will simply run away from the path of becoming a king in the first place?"

It doesn't matter in any case.

The magus thought that the selection of the king would be a matter for another time.

"Yet....."

◆

"No-------"

This drove her to make her final resolve.

"Are you sure?" asked the magician.

Her golden sandy hair floated in the breeze without turning around, never losing its luster even in this strange land.

She gave a strong nod.

... In reality, she was still scared at the moment.

It wasn't that she was afraid of her own ending. It was fear of whether this decision was the right one.

Fear of the young king who pulls the sword from the rock –

"Isn't there someone more suitable than her to be the promised king? Shouldn't he be able to build a more peaceful Kingdom?",such was her fear.

But such a person did not exist, at least not for another few decades.

Until then, someone else will have to take over this role.

『When you will pick up the sword, you will become a different person.』

『Everything that you were afraid of will be left in the past.』

『A ritual that kills yourself.』

『If you have a human heart, you cannot protect people as a king.』

『A king, in other words, is the one who kills the most in order to protect everyone.』

As a young girl, she thought about it every night and lay in her bed trembling until dawn.

There hadn't been a single day that she had not been afraid of these facts.

But the young girl declared, that too will end today.

No matter how many times she will be alienated, feared, or even betrayed, her heart will not change.

「To live for people.」

「To live with people.」

「To leave a future for people.」

That's what it means to be in charge of a country, to show the King's testimony.

To live up to the duties of a king, she said goodbye to the most important things she saw in her life.

To live for the most precious thing to her, she chose to say goodbye to all the precious things she had ever seen in her dream.

"Many people were smiling... Certainly this path .... I don't think is the wrong one...."

Who could've known about that noble oath?

「Resolved to fight」

No matter what happens, even if it's beyond.

「Even so, I decided to fight.」

Even if an inescapable, solitary ruin awaits.

"Ahhh, you've drawn the sword? You've chosen the difficult path, haven't you?"

The magus turned his face away in annoyance, but inwardly he was thrilled by her choice. Because it was very interesting to him.

The magus, however, was convinced that the path she was taking was both difficult and

full of ups and downs.

But the man just wanted to see something beautiful.

So, innocently or perhaps wickedly, he was willing to give it to her.

「 "Even still, miracles require a necessary price"」

「"O King Arthur, would you trade that for your most precious thing?"」

To the new king, he shrewdly offered the first advice that did not concern him.