Artoria and King Arthur

"Have you come? My reincarnation."

King Arthur spoke, his gaze falling upon Artoria at that moment. In their identical pupils, however, flowed a heroism and composure Artoria had never possessed.

It was the bearing of a born king, a born superior.

Artoria had only seen it in her most beloved sister, Morgan, and her father, the Emperor. It made her inexplicably nervous.

"Ah, yes, you, hello, um... how, how should I address you?"

King Arthur offered a gentle smile. "No need to be so tense. I told you, I am your past life, and you are my present life. We are, in essence, the same person. If you must differentiate, you can call me Arthur."

She paused, then added, "In fact, I am not even a complete soul. I am merely a remnant of the thoughts left behind by your past existence. When my mission is complete, I will disappear entirely."

Artoria blinked in surprise. "Arthur... are you saying that my past life, you, are truly that Holy King? The ancestor of our Pendragon Family? But, but wasn't that Holy King a man?"

King Arthur nodded. "The historical records do indeed state I was male, and I did appear before the world as a man at that time. This was because, in that era, male kings were more revered than female kings."

"So, I asked Merlin to cast an illusion upon me, making everyone see me as a man."

Artoria's eyes widened in astonishment. "Merlin? The legendary mage? To think... such a thing existed? Are all those legendary tales true?"

The historical mystery seemed to unravel at that moment, yet new questions arose. The girl's expression turned subtle. "Then... the descendants of King Arthur, our Pendragon family bloodline..."

King Arthur said calmly, "You are indeed my descendants, and the bloodline is correct. If you wish to know the truth, you can continue watching the Light Screen images you've seen. Within them, you will find the answers you seek."

Upon hearing this, Artoria couldn't help but ask, "What exactly is that Light Screen image?"

King Arthur's voice deepened. "Haven't you already seen the beginning of the Light Screen's broadcast? That is history that has been erased, forgotten. Humanity has completely lost the relevant records, but the world has not. The world itself records everything."

"Originally, these recorded contents would not have been broadcast. The world isn't that idle. But this world has encountered Mystery! To this planet, Mystery is an external invading disaster. And the extraordinary beings who originally possessed the power to resist Mystery have all vanished due to humanity's own foolish actions."

"The world is merely informing humanity of what they have lost, and wishes for humanity to reclaim their lost extraordinary power to resist the invasion of Mystery."

Artoria showed a thoughtful expression. "You mean... the world itself has consciousness?"

King Arthur nodded. "You can understand it that way. The concept of World Consciousness, you who have lived in Yingzhou for a long time, should not be unfamiliar with it."

Artoria nodded. Indeed, World Consciousness. The anime and light novels produced in Yingzhou were saturated with such concepts. Even if she hadn't deliberately sought them out, she knew of their existence. After all, people around her were always discussing such things; she couldn't avoid hearing about it no matter how indifferent she was.

For a moment, Artoria felt a sense of daze. "To think there really is a World Consciousness... Then... are those things in the anime also real?"

King Arthur: "..."

This question left her unsure how to answer, as she herself didn't know what some behind-the-scenes manipulator might do.

At present, King Arthur said, "You don't need to worry too much about these matters. When the world reveals more historical truths, you can observe and judge with your own eyes. More importantly, you should focus on yourself right now."

"Ah? Myself?" Artoria tilted her head cutely, her large eyes filled with a hint of confusion.

King Arthur: "Look at what you're holding in your hand!"

Hearing this, Artoria suddenly realized something had appeared in her right hand at some point.

Picking it up, she found it had some weight. Upon closer inspection, she saw it was a wooden knight's sword.

Not only that, but Artoria was also surprised to find her clothes had changed without her noticing, replaced by a set of coarse gray linen clothes and basic trousers.

The material was quite poor, making Artoria, who had grown up with a silver spoon in her mouth and always wore designer clothes, very uncomfortable.

"Hmm... this is..."

King Arthur replied, "This is the attire I wore when I was a knight's squire. It's also the most suitable for honing the basics. Now, pick up the sword and begin training!"

Artoria: "Ah? Ahh? Train, training?"

King Arthur gazed at Artoria. "I can feel it. You also yearn to obtain my—that is, your past life's—power."

"I must say, you are far too weak. You have never undergone systematic training. Although you have held a sword, they were all delicate modern Western swords, which are utterly meaningless in real combat."

"Therefore, everything about you must start from the basics. I will teach you from scratch how to become a true knight."

After hearing this, Artoria's heart raced, and a slight headache emerged. She couldn't help but mutter, "Hmm... can't you just give me your power directly? Like how you controlled my body to fight today... Isn't that how it always happens in anime?"

You're thinking of eating shit!

King Arthur gave Artoria a deadpan look, refraining from uttering the character-destroying thought. Instead, she said sternly, "Don't speak such disheartening words! Nothing in this world can be obtained without paying a price! The time I can continue to exist is limited to tonight. Therefore, in this dream, you must grasp as much as I teach you!"

"Ah? One night? In a dream? Uhh, I can't do it, it's impossible, that's too short a time, how could I possibly do it?" Artoria felt the request was too demanding.

King Arthur, however, showed a hint of a smile. "Don't worry! Although it's one night, the time flow in the dream is different from the real world. There are still nine hours until you wake up. In the dream, one hour in the outside world is three days here."

"Furthermore, teaching in dreams is different from the real world. Here, your training speed will be blessed with a tenfold increase. In other words, one hour you spend here is equivalent to a month of training."

"I have already planned it. You have nine hours of sleep. You will train for eight hours and rest for one hour to recover from mental fatigue. This way, you will achieve the equivalent of 240 days of training."

"You are me. Your talent is already there. Training is merely reclaiming the power that belongs to you! Therefore, 240 days of effect is enough for you to master basic sword skills, and I will subsequently impart the skills I possess to you."

"When you wake up, you will have mastered basic extraordinary power, possessing the strength to protect what you cherish. Not like now, where you can only helplessly endure when facing a Mystery attack."

"Or do you wish that in the future, when you encounter Mysteries and other dangers again, you will still be forced to watch those demons rampage, even having those you cherish taken away?"

Upon hearing this, Artoria's mind flashed back to the events of that night.

The Songstress's attack, killing those who protected her as easily as crushing ants.

Then, she imagined another possibility: the young man she cherished, in order to protect her, being mercilessly killed by a Mystery before her eyes.

Why would he protect her instead of choosing to flee? It was the girl's fantasy, after all, so it had to be the beautiful side.

The girl even clearly imagined the scene where the boy told her to run away before he died.

Hmm, very classic, the kind of archetypal plot found only in various films, television shows, and anime.

After all, having stayed in Yingzhou for so long, she was deeply influenced by the local pop culture, and as a young girl, how could she not be full of fantasies?

Although she found it amusing, and even felt moved by her own imagination, a chill soon spread through her, making her delicate body tremble.

Then, the girl's expression instantly turned resolute, possessing a hint of the spirit of King Arthur: "I don't want to! I don't want to see the people I cherish meet with misfortune before my eyes while I am powerless to stop it! I want to possess strength! I beg of you, my past self!"

The resonant declaration represented the girl's true intentions.

Upon hearing this, King Arthur could not help but reveal a gratified smile, before her expression turned solemn once more: "Very well, I have truly received your resolve! Now, begin! Take up your sword and start your training!"

Artoria: "Yes!"

And so, the training began.

Even in a dream, exhaustion would strike, and the rough clothing made the girl feel quite uncomfortable.

However, the willpower of this pampered princess was unexpectedly strong.

After making up her mind, no matter how bitter or exhausting the training became, the girl gritted her teeth and persisted.

Of course, fatigue and pain were inevitable, and the instinctive urge to give up was always there, but whenever that happened, without needing King Arthur to urge her on, Artoria would involuntarily recall the terrifying scene of losing someone important, and she would grit her teeth and persist once more.

This persistence, this will to protect, made even King Arthur feel a sense of surprise.

Time passed quietly, yet it also felt incredibly slow.

In the dream, there was no need for sleep as in the real world; one only needed to continue training, as everything was a manifestation of willpower.

Clearly, the girl's willpower was far stronger than her delicate appearance suggested.

Finally, when eight hours had passed in the real world and the final hour arrived, the girl's consciousness had become hazy due to the prolonged training.

King Arthur approached the girl and said softly: "Congratulations, you have completed the basic training. Now, you may rest well."

Hearing this, the girl's delicate body swayed, then went limp, her eyes slowly closing as she collapsed.

In that instant, the dream scene collapsed, and King Arthur also closed her eyes, turning into particles of light that merged into Artoria's body.

The two became completely one, and Artoria inherited the legacy that belonged to King Arthur.

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