The Approaching Sword in the Stone

Another sunny day dawned. Warm sunlight scattered across the land, making the lush green grass even more pleasing to the eye.

A gentle breeze passed by, bending lightly as it brushed the verdant grass with its airy touch. This was an endless prairie. In ages past, it had been a battlefield of the British Isles; in the future, it would also become the site of the legendary King Arthur's final battle.

At the point where the prairie met the horizon, two black specks suddenly appeared.

Only by looking closely could one make out that the two specks were a young man and the girl he led behind him. Both were covered in dust and bore plenty of scratches and bits of dead leaves. The boy in front even had a branch hanging from his head without noticing it. What a careless child...

Nearly half a month had passed since we left the Fairy Forest. Just getting through the forest and making our way to the exit had taken five or six days, even with Artoria and me running at full speed. I simply couldn't imagine how a forest could be that enormous, especially on the island of Britannia.

But the moment I led Artoria out of the forest, I put that question out of my mind. Artoria and I laughed as we ran freely across the prairie, letting off steam to our hearts' content. Though we'd been able to grow and mature quickly in that mysterious forest, facing life-or-death danger every day was still a constant strain that made us want to resist. Fortunately, Artoria and I had entered the forest together. We had helped, comforted, and encouraged each other, overcoming one difficulty after another until we had grown as strong as we were now. (Though I'd taken most of the risks myself; I'd never been willing to let Artoria put herself in danger...)

A few more days had passed as I led Artoria across the prairie. At last, we had reached its edge.

I looked at the small town, its chimneys sending up smoke in the distance, then turned back to Artoria's lovely face and said excitedly, "There's a little town up ahead, Artoria! Let's hurry over! Then we can have some tasty food, and you'll get a comfortable bed where you can rest properly!"

Artoria smiled faintly as she looked at me. Even in my excitement, I'd still thought of her first, wanting to make sure she could live more comfortably. She was happy, but troubled too. Why didn't he know how to take better care of himself? She felt so happy and joyful when he thought of her in everything, but if it came at the cost of his own sacrifice... she could only feel sad and bitter.

Artoria gently placed both hands on my face, frowning slightly as she looked at me.

"Instead of worrying about all those little things for me, you should learn to take better care of yourself, Xia! Even if I could live just fine, I wouldn't be happy otherwise!"

I stared at Artoria in surprise as she seemed to sulk, then smiled and lightly flicked her forehead. "Silly girl~~ Compared to all those unimportant things of mine, your needs are what matter most. If you're really worried about me~ then just smile at me... That's all I need."

"Mm..." Artoria's cheeks turned red. She covered her forehead with both hands and glared at me, looking furious. I couldn't tell whether she was blushing because she was angry at my stubbornness or simply embarrassed by my sudden intimate touch.

Heh. I chuckled softly, then scooped Artoria up from the grass.

"It'll be faster if I carry you than if we keep walking slowly, right? Besides... do you really think I'm an idiot? You think I can't tell you're forcing yourself to walk on the soles of your feet, all rubbed raw?" I said with a grin, tightening my arms around Artoria. She didn't say a word. Her face flushed red, and she turned away, refusing to look at me. I could only sigh helplessly...

Compared to my unimportant life, your smile and the sunshine are everything to me... You're too stubborn, Artoria... I thought, feeling a little melancholy.

"Whoosh...~~~~~"

A breeze swept by, lifting the grass that hadn't taken root firmly enough and setting it drifting through the air. When it settled back onto the lawn...

The boy and girl had disappeared from where they'd stood.

"Hyah! Hyah!" A knight on horseback raced down the town's streets. People who feared being trampled scattered in every direction, shouting in panic as they got out of the way. The knight paid no heed to the passersby and urged his horse onward toward the lord's castle.

Just then, a little girl who survived by begging was suddenly pushed into the middle of the street by the panicked crowd. Her pale green eyes stared in terror as the horse charged closer. The knight seemed not to see the small child at all, continuing to whip his horse and urge it forward.

"Ah!" A woman who couldn't bear to watch screamed, then quickly covered her face with both hands, unable to look another second.

The horse galloped closer to the begging girl, its nostrils snorting heavily as its powerful legs kept racing forward. It was about to smash the frail girl aside and send her flying to her death! Just then, a bleak white flash appeared! A sword struck the knight and horse together, sending them flying dozens of meters through the air before they crashed heavily to the ground.

Wham! The horse's head hit the ground first and shattered, spraying blood everywhere. The knight, cushioned by the corpse of his dead horse, had only broken his arms and legs. He writhed on the ground in agony.

Click! A sword slid back into its sheath. A cloaked knight slowly approached the begging girl, smiled, and gently patted her head. Then he gave her a silver coin and sent her away from the scene.

When the cloaked knight returned to the wounded knight, who was still lying on the ground and howling in pain, he said coldly, "Someone like you isn't fit even to buckle a knight's boots! Sir Kaylin chose the wrong man. You don't deserve to enter the tournament to choose a king." Then he turned away without a backward glance, his cloak swishing behind him, and left.

The ordinary townspeople, having seen all the excitement there was to see, dispersed as well. Left behind were a knight twitching on the ground and the corpse of a horse that had stopped breathing.

So...

When Artoria and I arrived at the center of the town, the first things we saw were a dead knight and a dead horse. Artoria stared at the knight's body in shock. I immediately stepped in front of her and gently blocked her view of the unknown corpse.

I frowned and glanced at the body, then gently patted Artoria's head and shook my head at her. Taking her hand, I led her away.

The life or death of bastards had nothing to do with me. While I was still here, I wanted to spare Artoria from seeing as much of this filthy, sordid world as possible. After all... this thought-form of mine was already near its limit. I just hoped it would last until I saw Artoria draw the Holy Sword.

I led Artoria to a fur shop beside the street and sold the pelts of some monsters we'd killed in the Fairy Forest. Under the shopkeeper's greedy, gleaming gaze, I sold them for a price so low even an idiot could tell he'd cheated me. The precious, soft pelts brought me a total of fifty-five gold coins. It was a little less than I'd hoped, but still enough for Artoria to enjoy delicious white bread and sheep's milk for half a year. Though, in my opinion, those things weren't as good as the roast meat I made...

After booking a room and ordering food at an inn, I told Artoria to stay there and get some proper rest. I was going out to find out more about the Sword in the Stone and the knight selection. By my reckoning, King Uther should already be dead, and the prophet Merlin should be gathering the knights of the kingdom to choose a new ruler.

So, under Artoria's resentful gaze, I leapt straight out of the window. Sorry, Artoria. When I get back, I'll take you sightseeing everywhere.

The little town passed from noon to afternoon... from afternoon to dusk... from dusk to night.

Night fell over the town...

Under the faint, cold moonlight, a shadow darted past a building. Then another shadow flashed after him.

Clang! Clang! Clang-clang-clang!

The two shadows collided in midair, their weapons ringing against each other. One shadow wielded a blade of white light, attacking with such superhuman ferocity that he pressed relentlessly forward like a raging storm. The other shadow was even more ruthless. Ignoring his injuries, he swung his crude iron sword in a series of life-for-life attacks.

The two shadows fought from the air down to the ground, then leapt from the ground back into the air. The earth shattered wherever they landed, and every rooftop they vaulted over lost its tiles, then crumbled beneath the force of their collision.

When their weapons clashed again, the two figures finally made out each other's faces in the faint moonlight. One was a knight with gray hair that was beginning to turn white, tied back in a braid. He wore gleaming armor and held a fine sword forged from what was clearly excellent material. Its blade was covered in strange inscriptions.

The other shadow had black hair and rare black eyes. His clothes were in tatters, and all he had to face the knight was a crudely made iron sword. What was more, he looked like a boy not yet eighteen.

Their attacks were fierce, their judgment keen, and their instincts for danger almost superhuman. Both sides were holding back their full strength, because they knew that if they fought without restraint, they would draw the attention of many unnecessary forces and bring trouble upon themselves.

Besides... the gray-haired man wasn't sure he could truly defeat the enemy in front of him. He could sense it... the madness within his opponent, like that of a demon king, and his utter, frenzied determination.

The two figures sprang apart and landed on separate rooftops. The black-haired, black-eyed boy leapt onto a raised platform, his icy eyes fixed on the knight's every move. The knight, meanwhile, returned his gaze without a trace of fear.

"My name is Bedivere. Who are you, and why did you suddenly attack me?" the knight shouted, announcing his name. The mysterious boy had attacked the moment Bedivere relaxed after lowering his weapon. If years of experience and hard training hadn't triggered his reflexes, and he hadn't instinctively raised his scabbard across his chest, he might have been killed in one blow. At the thought, the knight named Bedivere broke into a cold sweat. His enemy wasn't merely fierce and ruthless; his patience and mental acuity were top-notch, too.

When I heard the knight give his name, I froze. I'd leapt out of Artoria's window to gather information, and I'd spotted this tall knight in a trading area at a glance. The moment I saw his handsome face, I remembered the humiliating pursuit from more than two years ago. He'd been one of the pursuers, though he hadn't taken part.

But he was still someone who could threaten Artoria. I had to kill him. With that thought in mind, I used the ambush techniques I'd learned in the Fairy Forest. I'd stayed hidden, my heartbeat and breathing lowered to a terrifying minimum.

I'd been waiting for the perfect moment to strike, but my supposedly certain killing blow was stopped when he suddenly raised his scabbard. My weapon couldn't pierce it, and that left me feeling utterly frustrated. If only I'd had a better weapon...

So I began trading blows with the knight, leading him away from the inn where Artoria was resting so she wouldn't discover us and worry.

But when I heard that his name was Bedivere, I was completely dumbfounded...

The man I'd been so intent on killing was one of the Knights of the Round Table, among the first to follow the Knight King. He was also the one who had stayed by King Arthur's side until the very last second of his life...

For the first time, I felt completely flustered and awkward.

"I'm terribly sorry for my rudeness just now. I mistook you for someone else. See you around!" I called, then immediately vanished into the night at nearly twice the speed I'd used to flee before. Bedivere was left behind, standing where he was, stunned by my ridiculous claim that I'd mistaken him for someone else.

Bedivere stared blankly at my rapidly disappearing figure, my claim that I'd mistaken him for someone else still ringing in his ears. "Boy... you're a very unprofessional assassin..." Bedivere muttered, then shook his head with a wry smile and headed back the way he'd come.

Meanwhile, I bounded back to the inn in a series of leaps, then climbed in through the window.

The candle in the room still gave off a faint glow. The girl was slumped over the table, her head resting on her arms as she slept soundly. Seeing this, I could only smile helplessly...

Then I gently picked Artoria up and laid her on the bed. After tucking her in, I sat beside her and let out a small sigh of relief. That knight from before was strong. Though I hadn't sensed much bloodlust, his awareness and physical reflexes were both first-rate. If he became your protector...

Then I could leave your side for a while without worrying. I gently stroked Artoria's sleeping face, then secretly kissed her cheek.

Maybe it was the candlelight, or maybe the thick blankets made the room a little stuffy. The girl's cheeks had taken on a faint blush. Seeing it made me feel even thirstier. Should I... kiss her one more time? It's only her cheek... her cheek... Maybe I should kiss her lips instead? As I thought this, my gaze drifted unconsciously to the girl's rosebud lips, parting and closing as she breathed...

Gulp! I swallowed hard as I stared at the rosebud lips that seemed to tempt me to taste them.

Feeling the heat that had started to rise in my body every night a year ago, I stood up restlessly and hurried toward the window.

"Tch!"

With an unwilling click of my tongue, I flung open the window, leapt out, and landed on the roof of a tall building, where I let the night breeze blow over me...

"Me, a pathetic fool controlled by lust! Who do you think she is?! Calm down, damn body!" My frustrated voice rang from the rooftop. Beneath its exasperation was the troubled anguish that could only belong to a boy going through puberty~

Your training still had a long way to go, young man~!