Chapter 42: Swear Fealty to Me, Your King

"Long time no see, Artoria..."

His gentle words were like a soft breeze on her face, causing Artoria's golden bangs to flutter slightly under the brilliant sunlight.

The sun stood still.

Silent and tranquil.

Though it was the bright noon of a sunny day, it felt as if frozen in the deep cold of winter.

The silver-haired youth stood smiling in the square, the surrounding atmosphere as silent as the grave.

Only the deep green eyes of the golden-haired girl trembled, her thin, delicate lips quivering.

"Senior..."

She murmured the title in a daze.

Anyone could hear the tremor in her voice, like the dull hum of a zither string being plucked.

A long, lingering echo.

Her thoughts struggled until the very end.

Artoria still couldn't bring herself to say his name.

Was it still disbelief?

Or was she afraid that after saying that name, she would once again be jolted awake from her dream, like the shattered illusions of countless nights before?

"...So I'm telling you, this isn't a dream."

As if seeing through all her thoughts, that person said with a smile.

"You've grown into a very outstanding person... Artoria.

"It's been a tough journey."

His voice fell.

The echo seemed to reverberate in the sighing wind.

Su Shu raised his hand.

In place of his fingertips, a light breeze gently caressed the girl's cheek.

This familiar touch sent Artoria's heart back in a daze to that swaying wheat field.

She had been waiting just like this back then.

Waiting in the clear sunlight.

Waiting for such a person to come to her, on time as promised, and gently caress her cheek like this.

He was there.

He was really, truly there.

...It wasn't an illusion.

The moment she realized this, the deep green lake of her eyes began to ripple slightly.

"Did you deceive me?"

"Never."

No extra words were needed.

No extra expressions were needed.

Her eyes asked this, and his eyes answered.

Knowing his heart, it was as if she had suddenly glimpsed a dazzling light in an abyss of numbness.

And so—

She could no longer suppress the accumulated, repressed bitterness.

She could no longer suppress the surging tide of sorrow.

All her strong, indifferent resolves.

All her masked, disguised lies.

All the silent, mournful emotions of this journey that she could share with no one.

Only in front of him, only in front of this person—it was as if everything shattered, peeled away, and laid bare in an instant. And so, the girl could finally begin to vent the pain and grievance accumulated in her heart.

"Alvin... Senior..."

No need to hold back, no need to brew, no need to suppress.

The deep green lake just overflowed.

As clear and pure as morning dew, trickling down like a broken pearl curtain.

The girl named Artoria... shed tears.

Everyone stared at this scene in a daze.

Not only were the pupils of the onlookers trembling, but the Knights of the Round Table behind her were already dumbfounded.

Except for Kay, who had a bitter expression on his face, the knights had never, ever seen the savior they had sworn to follow show such a lost, dazed expression.

Let alone... cry.

Lady Artoria...

—Whether on the battlefield of slaughter or in her daily virtues.

Her posture, her expression, had always been calm, as holy as a deity, making people unable to help but look up to that dazzling light.

Such a savior, descended from heaven.

Such an almost-natural-born king.

Could she also... shed tears?

"You bastard..."

A low voice suddenly sounded, accompanied by the grinding of teeth like a lion.

"—Who the hell are you?!"

Surging anger finally broke through the soul-snatching vortex.

Gawain issued his challenge.

He absolutely could not tolerate it.

As the Sun Knight who protected the savior, he absolutely could not tolerate someone making Lady Artoria cry...

"—State your name! You presumptuous madman! My holy sword, Galatine, is not swung at the nameless!"

This sudden roar also jolted the crowd from their daze.

The holy sword he drew, as dazzling as the sun, instantly attracted everyone's attention.

That's right...

The people immediately began to whisper among themselves—who was this person?

He had actually pulled out the Sword of Selection.

But it seemed they had never heard of such a person's fame.

Was he some reclusive knight?

Lady Artoria seemed to have known him from the past.

And even... began to cry for him.

Inscrutable.

Shrouded in mist.

This dark knight who had appeared so abruptly instantly became the focus of everyone's conversation.

Some of the onlookers vaguely felt that this face was familiar, but several years had passed, and the boy of the past had grown into the young man of today, so they couldn't quite remember where they had seen him.

"A nameless person... huh?"

Hearing the handsome golden-haired youth's loud inquiry, Su Shu just smiled faintly, the Sword of Selection hanging down slightly, held casually in his hand.

"Perhaps I am indeed just... a presumptuous, nameless person."

He casually lifted the Sword in the Stone, dangling it between his fingers.

Anyone could see that this guy had no respect for this sword whatsoever.

"But now,"

Su Shu said with a smile.

"Haven't I already pulled out the Sword of Selection, Sir Gawain?"

"Don't call me by that name! You bastard..."

"—You are the one being presumptuous."

Su Shu said lightly.

Though not loud, his voice suddenly suppressed Gawain's roar, and was clearly heard by everyone present.

As he said this, Gawain's expression froze slightly.

"I have already pulled out the Sword in the Stone."

Su Shu was still smiling, his tone still calm.

"According to the sage Merlin, I am now the one and only King of Knights of Britain."

As he said this, Su Shu gave a knowing smile to the magus peeking from the rooftop.

—Alvin, he can see me?!

A strong palpitation suddenly surged in Merlin's chest, almost making him unsteady.

But when he looked again at the silver-haired youth, he had already looked away.

It made one feel that the fleeting glance just now was just an illusion...

"Presumptuous? Madman? Watch your words..."

Su Shu tilted his head.

He asked back with great interest.

"Sir Gawain, where is your reverence? Where is your respect?

"Shouting like this in front of your king, you are the one being presumptuous—

"So..."

The smile disappeared.

The silver-haired youth expressionlessly raised the Sword of Selection, its sharp tip pointing directly at the Sun Knight's face.

His voice suddenly became cold, and it seemed even the sunlight became icy with his words.

"—You should properly swear fealty to me, your king."

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