The Last Emotion in a Girl's Heart

[Gawain is one of the top knights in Camelot.]

[His defeat indirectly proved Artorius's power.]

[If there is anyone who is still qualified to challenge her, it is only you, Gawain's father.]

[But looking at your intimacy with Artorius, everyone realizes that this is absolutely impossible.]

"Well then, Mr. Ian, see you later."

Artorius smiled slightly, carrying the half of the broken sword, and walked alone to the other end of the street.

Her footsteps were light and swift, completely without the momentum she had when fighting Gawain just now.

No one knows what happened—they only felt that King Lot Ian seemed to have used some very powerful means.

"Father."

Gawain approached.

"Then now..."

Ian adjusted his mood and replied:

"Gawain, continue to do what you should do."

"Um... I see."

Gawain never questioned his father's orders.

But this time was an exception.

"That, father, can I ask you one thing before I go?"

"Ask, my child."

"That is—"

Gawain looked in the direction where Artorius disappeared.

"What did he say to you?"

"..."

Ian sometimes really wanted to seal Gawain's mouth.

"Nothing."

"He just wanted to chat with me about something."

[Of course, what you told Gawain was not the complete truth.]

[Artorius did want to chat with you—but it wasn't just a simple chat.]

["Mr. Ian, I want to tell you something important. Please come to the city wall at night, I will wait for you there."]

[You don't know what that means.]

[But you can feel that this can let you know more about her.]

[So you agreed.]

[Gawain's defeat brought an end to this one-to-many duel with Artorius's victory, and the crowd gradually dispersed.]

[Gawain acted according to your orders.]

[Everything seemed to return to the starting point, but it was slightly tilted towards Artorius.]

[And when you were about to leave, a hand was placed on your shoulder.]

Feeling someone put their hand on his shoulder, Ian turned around and saw an unexpected figure.

It was Merlin.

Wearing a white coat, he had a shallow smile on his face.

Ian immediately became vigilant—this guy never had anything good when he smiled.

But Merlin didn't mind Ian's attitude.

He continued to speak in that nonchalant way:

"Don't look at me with that kind of look, I have brought a good king to Camelot, haven't I?"

Hearing this, small veins popped out on Ian's forehead.

"Merlin, you better not let me find a way to kill you."

"Hahahaha!" Merlin laughed.

"If that kind of thing can really be realized, it would be a novel experience."

"But unfortunately—even I don't know how to kill myself."

"But." Merlin restrained his smile, "Before you kill me, don't you want to learn more from me?"

"..."

[You don't have much information on hand.]

[You finally decided to have a little chat with Merlin.]

[You and he came to the wheat field outside the city.]

"I said, there's no need to be so extreme, right?"

Merlin picked a wheat plant with black ears.

"This is equivalent to bringing the entire Camelot in as a bargaining chip—is this really appropriate for you?"

Realizing that Merlin had seen through the tricks he and Morgan had played on the wheat field.

Ian was not ambiguous.

"What? Are you going to expose this?"

"No."

Merlin threw away the black wheat ear in his hand, and they turned into petals and scattered in the wind the moment they landed.

"I didn't say anything when you used magic to make them efficient."

"So when everything returns to its original state, it's naturally not my turn to point fingers."

"..."

Ian did not let down his guard.

"Since that's not the case, Merlin, what do you want to say?"

"Just some simple advice."

Merlin turned his head, still with the smile that Ian couldn't tolerate.

"For example, these seeds will soon be revitalized by my magic."

"And a reminder—"

Merlin looked at Ian.

"You seem to have forgotten a very important thing."

"Very important thing?"

"Yes." Merlin nodded.

"You may indeed be able to do better than the chosen person in various ways."

"But don't forget, no one but her can kill Vortigern."

"Are you referring to the legend of the Red Dragon?"

Ian looked at the other party.

"But that's just a rumor you deliberately created, right?"

"No." Merlin shook his head.

"I don't have the energy to do so much to create so-called rumors."

"She has long been given the fate to defeat Vortigern—for this she needs to accept various trainings, abandon meaningless emotions, and eventually become a perfect king."

[Merlin's words woke you up.]

[You finally understand why Artorius changed so much before and after pulling out the sword.]

[This is all Merlin's arrangement.]

[To be more precise, it is the arrangement of Merlin and King Uther.]

"Does she know this kind of thing?"

"She Knows." Merlin answered calmly, "But whether she knows it or not, she has to accept it."

"After all, no matter what she answers—there is no second way to choose."

"Does the late king know you're doing this?"

"What do you think?" Merlin asked back.

"..."

Even though he was completely opposed to Artorius, Ian couldn't help but retort.

"You are depriving her of what she should have at this age."

"So what? Do you think it's right to give up defeating Vortigern because of this?"

Merlin still had that frivolous smile on his face.

"Although I don't care, are you willing to see this kind of thing happen?"

"Hey... think about the destroyed Britain—"

"Anyway, she is willing to take on this responsibility, so it is natural to sacrifice some things, right?"

As soon as Merlin finished speaking, he was punched in the face by Ian.

Blood flew out of the corner of his mouth and splashed on the ground beside him.

Merlin turned his head and saw Ian's angry look.

"Damn it! What are you talking about?!"

"Is this the evaluation you should make?!"

"But—"

Merlin's expression remained the same.

"This is an established fact, she has given up these emotions, no matter how powerful your fist is, you can't change it."

"..."

Ian clenched his fists.

But he soon thought of something.

"Are you sure she has given up all emotions?"

"Otherwise?"

"No, Merlin, you're wrong." Ian turned his back, "She hasn't completely given up these emotions."

"Is that so?"

"..."

"..."

The conversation ended in silence, and Ian left angrily.

Looking at his leaving back, Merlin wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

He didn't seem to be unhappy because he was punched, but rather everything was as expected.

"Ian, let me see what you will do."

[Although Merlin's words did make you angry, you know that what he said is probably true.]

[As the price for pulling out the sword and ascending to the throne, Artorius lost all her emotions.]

[The only exception is her admiration for you, which can be shown anytime, anywhere.]

[You realize that you have grasped something extremely important to the girl.]

[As agreed, you came to the city wall in the evening.]

[But this time, Artorius did not wait for you there as usual.]

[On the contrary, she never appeared.]

[You started to worry.]

[Fortunately, she finally appeared.]

[It's just—she seems to be a little different from usual.]

"Mr. Ian."

A shy voice came.

Ian turned his head, and the scene in front of him stunned him.

Artorius in the moonlight had changed her outfit.

Her hair, which was usually tied into a bun, was now a smooth high ponytail with a big black bow on it.

Her side hair, which was originally casually placed on her cheeks, was also carefully combed, becoming as thin as drooping willows.

She also wore a black bow tie around her neck.

The coat she was wearing disappeared without a trace, replaced by a much thinner white dress.

This allowed her body to be shown in a hazy way under the moonlight—delicate and delicate, like a hibiscus just out of water.

Her legs were wrapped in white stockings, making her look even taller.

This is a beautiful girl like a flower, who now appeared in front of Ian.

The throbbing that was originally hidden in the bottom of my heart floated to the surface of the sea again at this moment.

"Sorry, Mr. Ian."

Artorius looked very embarrassed.

"I'm late."

"..."

Ian suppressed the throbbing in his heart and said as calmly as possible.

"It's okay, it's not too late."

"Just—"

"Artorius, why are you dressed like this?"

"This..."

Artorius lowered her head, her face flushed.

Her feet gently kicked the ground on the city wall, looking very shy.

"Mr. Ian, didn't you say before that you prefer me as a girl?"

"So... I tried to dress up like others."

"Although I'm a bit unaccustomed to it... I...I can accept it."

Hearing this, Ian was stunned.

He suddenly understood.

Artorius would not be late.

After all, she was the one who said she would take him for a walk around Camelot, and waited in front of the hotel door much earlier.

Moreover, now that she took the initiative to ask for a meeting, it was even less likely that she would be late.

Then—

"Artorius, did you choose to meet me at night because you wanted to avoid the eyes of others?"

"Yes, yes..."

Artorius touched her hair embarrassedly.

"If others see me like this, it will definitely cause a lot of controversy."

"Then do you think you can hide yourself just by relying on the night?"

"..."

Artorius hesitated for a while, then raised her head and continued to answer.

"Mr. Ian, you're right."

"Actually, I also know that this is a bit self-deceptive."

"But I think, compared to the risk of being discovered, letting you see me like this... is a very worthwhile thing to consider!"

"..."

[Artorius's words left endless echoes in your heart.]

[You realize that your previous judgment was correct.]

[The only emotion left on Artorius is her admiration for you.]

[The action brought by this admiration sometimes even exceeds the responsibility she bears.]

[She is the best proof now.]

Seeing that Ian was no longer speaking, Artorius became a little worried.

"That, Mr. Ian, am I too ugly to wear this?"

"Sorry! I should have made it clear to you in advance!"

"..."

Ian hesitated for a while, then smiled and replied.

"Artorius, it's nothing like that."

"You look pretty good wearing this."

"Really?!"

Artorius was much happier after hearing this.

She turned around in front of Ian, letting the white dress flutter.

"Mr. Ian, do you know? This is the first time I've worn such clothes!"

"Yes, I know."

Ian felt his heart sink into a complex vortex.

"Then Artorius—"

"Why did you ask me to come? Do you just want me to see how beautiful you are?"

"No."

Artorius walked up to Ian.

"Mr. Ian, there is one thing I have been hiding from you."

"I... I'm not really called Artorius, but Artoria!"

"Artoria?"

"Yes, yes!"

After saying this, Artoria glanced at Ian, then quickly lowered her head.

Obviously.

For her, telling Ian her real name was not an easy task.

This means that her heart is completely unreserved.

It is also the manifestation of the last emotion on her body—although this may be insignificant to Ian.

Ian was silent.

For a long time.

He took a deep breath and gave his response.

"Artoria."

"Can you promise me one thing?"

"What is it?"

"Um..."

Ian rubbed her carefully combed hair, his eyes looking a little complicated.

"In front of me, you can be a normal girl in the future."

"A normal girl?"

Artoria's eyes looked a little hesitant.

"I can't do that, can I?"

"Don't worry."

Ian smiled slightly—a smile with a hint of impure meaning.

"I will make you realize how to be a girl."