Artoria, Who Is Actually Lacking in Confidence (2nd Update)

To be honest, this development truly exceeded Artoria's expectations. She had assumed Su Yun was just a handsome, talented cook and a good friend for whom she had begun to harbor budding feelings. As it turned out, the guy was actually a member of Destiny.

This information was so abrupt that she had no mental preparation at all.

The young girl had already steeled herself to cut ties with the boy in order to protect him, but before she could even speak, he had blocked her resolve with even more explosive information, leaving her stunned and unable to process the situation for a long time.

Su Yun watched Artoria with a smile, saying nothing more and waiting for her to digest the news.

After a while, the girl regained her senses, her gaze turning complex: "You... are also an Operator of Destiny? Ugh... I'm sorry, this information is too shocking; I'm having trouble accepting it..."

Su Yun shrugged: "Indeed, I understand that this truth is quite a shock, much like how I know you are the reincarnation of King Arthur."

Artoria's expression grew even more complicated. She pursed her lips, becoming hesitant and uneasy. She placed her hands on her lap, twisting the hem of her skirt, her beautiful green eyes trembling slightly as if she were struggling with something.

After another moment, the girl asked in a low voice: "Then, did you approach me on purpose? A-Yun... whether it was transferring to Tianwang High School or becoming my friend, was it all because of orders from Destiny..."

Su Yun smiled at this and shook his head: "No, I transferred to Tianwang High School simply because I am a student, and Tianwang High School is a top-tier institution; naturally, one should attend a good school if they have the means."

"Meeting you was purely an accident, and becoming your friend came from the heart. I think you are wonderful and very cute, and I like you, which is why I wanted to be your friend—not because you are the reincarnation of King Arthur."

The boy spoke these words with a calm, sincere emotion. Everything he said was genuine; although he had "tricked" the girl, his words were true. Because the girl was Artoria—the special one—he had taken the initiative to become her friend.

Artoria stared intently at Su Yun as he finished speaking, then relaxed her body as if a weight had been lifted, a beautiful, happy, and relieved smile blooming on her face.

The girl knew Su Yun wasn't lying, because her Instinct had become strong enough to discern whether someone was telling the truth. This discernment was active; she wouldn't be passively analyzing others unless she chose to, or unless someone harbored intense malice toward her.

Now, having confirmed the boy's words were sincere, she stopped using her Instinct to judge him.

Instead, once she felt at ease, she suddenly realized a specific word he had used. A flush of red immediately bloomed on her pretty face, and she became hesitant and shyly fidgety once more.

Li-like... like something...

Th-th-this, is this a confession? Is this the legendary confession?

Sh-sh-should I accept or refuse? This is too hard...

Ugh... stupid A-Yun, saying you like me so suddenly, how am I supposed to answer that?

The girl felt she was in a major crisis!

Truth be told, the girl's affection for Su Yun had long surpassed the level of a normal friend, reaching the true meaning of a girl's love for a boy—and a very deep love at that.

They had only known each other for a little over a month; in such a short time, she shouldn't have developed such profound feelings.

However, the girl was Artoria, a girl who was incredibly pure when it came to emotions.

The environment she grew up in was always filled with deception and malice, making her cautious and even somewhat insecure due to her many talented siblings.

On top of that, she possessed a trait considered "ugly" among the royalty, one her siblings lacked: she was a glutton.

The girl was pitiful, weak, and had an enormous appetite.

If she didn't eat five portions of food, she wouldn't feel full, but to maintain the royal image, she had to forcibly suppress her hunger, leaving her in a state of chronic starvation.

Her decision to study abroad in Yingzhou was based on these factors. Here, she remained cautious, afraid to expose her royal identity or her identity as a glutton.

Until she met Su Yun, the girl lived in constant fear of being discriminated against for her "flaws."

Honestly, the girl was truly insecure, almost on par with the Artoria Caster who grew up in the stables of a fairy-tale Lostbelt. She looked beautiful and cute, but inside, she had zero self-confidence.

Then, Su Yun appeared.

Su Yun, who took the initiative to approach her, immediately showed he knew she had a big appetite. By the second day of knowing her, he brought plenty of food and shared it with her.

That day, the warmth in her stomach gave her a long-lost sense of fulfillment. From that day on, she developed feelings of affection for Su Yun.

Afterward, Su Yun shared food with her whenever he had the chance, and by coincidence, she lived in the same apartment building, making it even easier.

When Su Yun invited Artoria to his home on the weekend and prepared a sumptuous lunch for her, her stomach was conquered by the boy's exquisite culinary skills.

Well, as the saying goes, to conquer a woman, one must first conquer her stomach; Su Yun had undoubtedly achieved that.

In reality, Su Yun simply knew that Artoria's stomach was unusually large, accepted it as a matter of course, and even found it to be a charming trait.

This lack of malice toward her "gluttony"—and his desire to satisfy it—was the sincerity the girl valued most.

That day, the girl realized her flaw wasn't a true flaw, at least not to someone who didn't view what others considered a royal stain through a prejudiced lens.

That same day, she gradually opened her heart to the boy, and he responded with his own sincerity, giving her the friendship and genuine care she craved most.

Being pure in her emotions, the girl responded in kind to the boy's pure feelings.

It is hard to say whether this emotion was the result of the suspension bridge effect born from gratitude, or a girl's genuine love for a boy, but she truly cherished him and allowed him to occupy an unshakable and irreplaceable position in her heart.

Therefore, in the inherited dream, the person Artoria thought of was Su Yun.

The person she wanted to protect most was Su Yun!

This was she—Artoria Pendragon.

A girl who was pure to the point of being heartbreaking, insecure, yet incredibly strong.

As for what kind of person the girl was, Su Yun actually knew better than anyone. So, while she was quietly resolving to protect him, he had already decided long ago to protect her.

In this world threatened by Mystery, only by mastering power could one better protect oneself. Thus, the boy chose to bestow great power upon the girl, even if it meant she would have to shoulder heavy responsibilities and a burdensome mission.

But surely, that was better than dying for no reason when a Mystery attacked?

After all, Su Yun didn't actually have the confidence to protect everything he cherished, nor did he have the confidence that he could truly defeat the Mystery.

Because the Mystery is incredibly powerful, far more so than one could imagine.

Do not be fooled by the fact that Su Yun had Artoria easily eradicate a super-grade Mystery from behind the scenes just a few nights ago; that level of power is, to the true side of the Mystery, nothing more than an insignificant insect.

This is because the Mystery entities eroding this world are merely a negligible fraction of power that seeped in after this world collided with the Mystery world, amounting to less than one-millionth of what truly exists within the Mystery world.

Yet, even that one-millionth is enough to bring this world to the brink of collapse.

Facing such a terrifying enemy, Su Yun actually has no certainty about what the future holds; all he can do is cherish the present and strive to do what he must.

Since he treasures Artoria, he will simply let the young girl become the true reincarnation of King Arthur and grant her the power to protect herself.

This is Su Yun's sincerity and the way he treasures the girl.

A public execution is not some twisted hobby, but a genuine act of kindness.

Just as Artoria was lost in the anxieties of adolescence due to Su Yun's words of "I like you," the light outside the window suddenly shifted, and the girl instantly sensed something, turning her head to look outside.

There, the Light Screen image, which had not appeared for several days, had emerged once again!