Fairy Forest

Clip-clop...

Clip-clop, clip-clop...

On a vast grassland, four galloping warhorses and the knights astride them, weapons in hand, were rapidly pursuing two black dots in the distance.

"Giddy up!!"

"Giddy up!!"

"Giddy up! I see them! They're up ahead!" a knight wielding a longsword shouted excitedly.

Urged on by whips, the warhorses galloped even faster across the wide grassland towards the two targets not far away. The knights on horseback watched with excitement as the distance to the two men fleeing in disarray grew shorter. It was as if they could already see themselves capturing these two murderers of the head steward, binding them together, and presenting them to their noble master to receive great rewards.

"Flander! That short, blonde guy is mine! Hahaha!" Just then, a warhorse carrying a knight, who was called Flander, rushed out from beside the longsword-wielding knight and galloped even faster towards the two black dots ahead.

"Damn it! Deran, don't be so arrogant!" Flander shouted angrily at the knight who was clearly trying to steal the credit. He then whipped his warhorse more fiercely, urging it to run even faster.

"Tch... those jerks, Deran and Flander. They only became knights a year before me and they're already so arrogant. This credit is going to go to them again! Damn it!... Say something, Bedivere! Don't you think I'm right?" At this moment, two knights who had fallen far behind, one of them more angrily looked at the receding figures of the other two, then turned to his companion beside him and said.

"Mm," the knight called Bedivere replied coldly, then said no more.

"Tch... is he mute?" the knight who clearly felt ignored grumbled.

Meanwhile, on the other side...

I ran forward with all my might, pulling Artoria with one hand. Although I had drawn my sword and killed the steward on impulse, and had also taken Artoria, who had not yet become the King of Knights, with me.

But I had forgotten that I was just an ordinary human who had not yet possessed any power. The only thing I could rely on was my keen sense of danger, a sensitivity that was almost a curse.

"Hoo... hoo..., Shaya... Shaya... hoo... ah..." At this moment, Artoria, whose small hand I had been holding as we ran at top speed, finally ran out of stamina and called out to me weakly.

"Artoria?!" I turned my head and looked at Artoria's almost pale face, her labored breathing, and her unsteady appearance. I realized that Artoria was about to collapse from exhaustion.

*{Damn it! If this continues...! I was too impulsive back then!} I quickly turned my body, scooped up Artoria's slowly falling delicate form in my arms, and thought urgently.

*{If... if I had been calmer, things wouldn't be so troublesome! Damn it!!} I quickly picked up Artoria on my back and continued to run forward. Glancing back at the knights still relentlessly pursuing us, I felt a surge of anger.

*{Power... enough power, power to overturn the whole world!! The power to protect Artoria's smile forever!!! Why am I so weak...?! It's a disgrace to be in such a sorry state!!} I thought, tears of powerlessness streaming down my cheeks as I ran.

"Don't even think about running!!! You two are my prey! Hahahahaha!"

Listening to the approaching voices from behind, I felt my heart almost stop. But I knew that if I were caught by those knights here and taken back for a reward, I wouldn't care if I lived or died, but Artoria...!

*{Kill him! Turn around and kill him! Seize his warhorse!} This thought flashed through my mind almost instantly, but I suppressed it almost as quickly.

Are you planning for me to collide with the charging warhorses with my own body?! I thought wearily.

"Giddy up~! Giddy up~! Deran! You're not getting all the glory." Just then, another voice came, indicating that the number of pursuers was increasing.

Clip-clop...

Hearing this voice, I gritted my teeth even harder and continued to run frantically. The strong wind generated by my high-speed running blew all the surrounding grass askew.

"Tch! What a monster, that kid, he's running too fast? Keep chasing!" Deran and Flander said simultaneously, watching me accelerate and run away again.

Then, they both waved their whips and chased after me again.

"A forest?! There's a forest on the grassland?!" At this moment, I was still desperately running when I suddenly noticed a forest not far ahead, and it was a dense, large-scale forest.

I gritted my teeth, glanced back at the pursuers still kicking up dust behind me, and then turned my head to look at the mysterious forest ahead, where danger and survival coexisted...

Slowly, my previously panicked expression calmed down. I turned my head and looked gently at the blonde girl behind me. {I'm sorry... Artoria, because of my immaturity, you've encountered a danger you shouldn't have. But I promise you... this will be the only time in my life that you'll be in danger because of me. So... please forgive me. Please allow me to take a gamble to resolve this threat!}

Then, when I looked up again, facing the forest, my expression was filled with determination and resolve.

I instantly exerted force with my feet, and in almost an instant, I increased my speed from the original 16 meters per second to 30 meters per second. The more than double speed increase made me rush towards the forest like a gust of wind.

"Giddy up~! Giddy up~! Damn it, there's a forest ahead! Where did a forest come from on the grassland?!" At this moment, the pursuers behind me clearly saw me charging madly towards the forest. Although they were surprised by the forest that suddenly appeared on the grassland, the pursuers cared more about the money and titles in their eyes.

Although they whipped their horses more frantically, wanting to catch up to me before I entered the forest, under the price of almost exhausting my life force, I unleashed my potential and ran madly. Finally, one minute after I rushed into the forest with Artoria on my back, they reached the edge of the forest.

"Hey! Damn it, they just slipped away like that!" Deran said angrily, flicking his whip.

"Should we go in after them?" Flander suggested.

"...No, it's too dangerous to go in at this time. And it's such a mysterious forest... I've lived in this area for 25 years and I've never heard of a forest here! This is crazy!" Deran turned his horse around and said as he rode away.

Flander looked up at the sun, which was already setting, nodded in agreement, then turned his horse around and followed him.

Not long after they left... a strange fluctuation in the forest suddenly disappeared from its original location. The grassland, originally covered by the forest, once again revealed its true appearance.

It was still an endless green grassland...

If they were still on this grassland, Shaya and Artoria would have surely been captured.

--- "Pfft...!" While running at full speed, I, worried that the two knights might follow, only focused on running and forgot that this was a forest and I needed to be careful of the ground. I accidentally tripped over a protruding tree branch.

Seeing myself about to fall to the ground, I reacted instantly, quickly turned around, tightly embraced Artoria, and used my back to absorb the impact of the fall.

"Ugh...!" The impact from falling after running at high speed was proportional to the force. I groaned in pain as I hit the ground heavily.

Despite this, I gritted my teeth and held Artoria tightly, refusing to let her suffer even the slightest harm.

If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf to avoid losing it next time.

{I, who am like trash, have caused the person who is like my soul to be threatened with her life because of me. If even this small thing hurts her now, then I really should stab myself to death... Ugh...!!!} The immense impact continued to slide across the ground after I fell, and the burning pain in my back tormented my nerves every second.

Thump~~!!

"Pwah!" I slammed hard against a large tree with my back, finally unable to hold back a mouthful of blood.

"Cough... cough... cough..." Coughing, I endured the intense pain and forced my eyes open, taking one last look at Artoria, whose face was slightly disheveled from our recent escape. After confirming that she had merely fainted from exhaustion and had no other injuries, I smiled in relief... Then, I too could no longer resist the fatigue from my depleted stamina, and leaning against the tree, I held Artoria tightly and fell asleep...

While asleep... I seemed to have passed through layers of mist in a dream, arriving in a city engulfed in war. At a tall tower in this city consumed by flames...

Whoosh~!

The sword body swung up... The wind generated by its high-speed swing roared...

Clang~!!

The crisp sound of steel swords clashing...

Swish~!!

Two figures, one blue and one gray, flashed past each other...

"Why?! Why didn't you pass the throne to me? King Arthur?!" The figure in gray knight's armor shouted as he swung his sword at the figure in the blue knight's dress.

"It's because you lacked the disposition to be king, Mordred." King Arthur, without hesitation, blocked the opponent's sword and then thrust back, saying, "That's because you lacked the disposition to be king, Mordred."

"What a joke!! You judged me as not having the disposition to be king without even giving me a chance! By what right?!" The man called Mordred shouted angrily. Then, he swung his treasured sword even more frantically towards King Arthur.

"By the fact that you now draw a blade against me, Mordred!" King Arthur seemed to have become angry as well, his low voice replying to the question. He then broke through the opponent's swordsmanship with even more powerful techniques.

"What a joke!!! You king who lacks humanity!!! I am the one more suited for this position than you." The words roared out in anger caused King Arthur's originally unrestrained sword techniques to falter slightly.

An opportunity!

Mordred charged towards King Arthur, who showed a momentary opening, ignoring the attacks still coming his way and swinging his sword towards King Arthur's head.

"...It seems not only your disposition as king, but also your strength as king." A faint sentence shattered Mordred's intent to decapitate.

Clang~~~~! A crisp sound.

Shu-shu-shu-shu... Thud! A spinning sword fell from high above and plunged into the ground.

"You have lost, Mordred. The king's judgment awaits you." King Arthur said slowly, placing his sword at Mordred's neck.

"Heh heh... So what if I lost? You becoming king is a mistake anyway! Lacking humanity! Lacking emotion! Such a kingdom, even if it exists, will only collapse in an instant! You are the one who truly lost! King Arthur!" Mordred sneered as he looked at his nominal father, King Arthur.

"Say whatever you wish..." King Arthur said coldly.

Then, he raised the sword in his hand as if to strike.

Thwack~!! The sound of sharp metal piercing flesh...

Blood splattered into the sky. King Arthur, holding the holy sword in a downward chopping pose, looked in surprise at the blade piercing through his chest.

"Hahahaha!! Hahahahaha!!! In the end, you were careless, King Arthur!! Hah... cough... cough cough cough!!"

Although Mordred's heart was also pierced by the holy sword, he laughed carelessly and said.

"Ugh...~~ Ptooey!" King Arthur endured the pain and pulled the sword from his chest, glancing coldly at the rapidly blackening skin at the wound.

"You cursed me... Do you hate me that much, Mordred?" King Arthur said, his face turning slightly pale.

"Cough cough... It's all your fault, Father... cough cough... If you... had given... the throne... to me..." Mordred struggled a few words after his heart was pierced before stopping his breath and slumping to the ground, dead...

King Arthur slowly removed his helmet, letting his dazzling golden hair fall loose. His sorrowful expression, previously hidden in the shadows, was revealed in the sunlight... Then... he slowly fell, crashing heavily to the ground...

Seeing this, I could no longer hold back and swooped down from high above, extending my arms towards the bleeding King Arthur as he fell, shouting anxiously, "Artoria!!"

Whoosh!!~~~~ A rapid gust of wind.

As if time were reversing, my figure was pulled back from the sky in an instant, retracing my path and passing through the layers of mist once more.

"Get away! Artoria is still there!!!!" I shouted in anger as I struggled forcefully.

With a surge of strength, I jolted up from the base of the tree.

Thump...

"Huh?!" As my feet touched the ground, I realized that everything that had just happened was merely a dream...

Looking up at the sun, now high in the sky, I breathed a slight sigh of relief...

Thank goodness it was just a dream.

As I turned around, intending to check if Artoria had also woken up.

I suddenly discovered...

"Artoria!! Where are you!?!?!?!"