Kay Senor

"You chose a difficult path, Arthur."

"Someone always has to shoulder the responsibility, Merlin."

The mage cleared his throat, tapped his staff against the ground, and announced the final result toward the Lance Arena:

"Everyone, the Sword of Selection has been drawn. Thank you all for taking part.

Let me repeat: the Sword of Selection has been drawn. Please return to the Training Ground Stone immediately."

In the Lance Arena, a petal floated out of every person's pocket, carrying Merlin's voice.

"Everyone, the Sword of Selection has been drawn. Please return to the Training Ground Stone immediately."

"What? Did I hear that right?!"

"The Sword of Selection has been drawn?"

The knights discussed the news all at once, but one of them sat leaning against the fence, sighing miserably.

Some knights who knew him came over to ask his opinion:

"Kay, what do we do now? And where's Artoris, anyway? I haven't seen him."

He answered:

"What else can we do? Go back to the Training Ground and meet our future king. Joanie."

Kay called over his beloved horse, swung into the saddle, and led the way toward the Training Ground.

A second knight followed, then a third.

Eventually, all the knights put away their weapons and followed Kay toward Artoria and Sovell.

"Merlin, what are you doing?"

Sovell put away the Dragon Scales and the Holy Spear, stood up, and asked Merlin.

"Letting everyone see their future king, of course... and my adorable apprentices~"

As he spoke, Merlin reached out to pinch Artoria's cheek.

Artoria ducked backward, while Sovell intercepted Merlin's hand and grumbled:

"Tch, what a pain. Merlin, give me a flower."

Merlin withdrew his hand and snapped his fingers.

"Don't worry, I already have."

As soon as he finished speaking, a lily floated out of Sovell's hood and tucked itself into the boy's ponytail.

An instant later, the boy's white hair turned jet-black, and his silver eyes became like blue gemstones.

"Oh my, here they come."

A faint purple light shone in Merlin's eyes. He had clearly used Clairvoyance to observe the knights' movements.

"Come on, Lia, stand behind this stone."

"Huh? Oh, all right."

"Sovell, stand about seven or eight meters in front of Lia."

"Understood."

"Good, we're all set. Let's wait for them. You two, play along in a moment. Time to put on a show."

An incense stick's worth of time later, the knights began arriving at the center of the Training Ground. With Merlin holding them back, even the closest stood about ten meters from the stone.

Looking at the Court Mage and the youthful boy before them, the knights could not help murmuring among themselves.

"Is this our future king?"

"Isn't he too young?"

"He's just a wet-behind-the-ears brat."

Among the knights, those who recognized Artoria cried out:

"Artoris?! He drew Caliburn?"

"That apprentice knight? You've got to be joking! None of us fully fledged knights are worthy of being king, but an apprentice is?"

They could hardly be blamed for reacting that way. In their eyes, Artoria had always been merely Sir Ector's adopted son and Knight Kay's tagalong.

An apprentice knight whom they normally considered the lowest of the low, who also served as Kay's squire, had actually drawn the sword that symbolized the destined king?

If this was a joke, it had gone far too far.

"Silence."

That single word from Merlin silenced every person discussing the matter.

But someone remained unconvinced and demanded an answer from Merlin:

"Merlin, we need an explanation!

Over these past two days, thousands of knights and lords have attempted to draw Caliburn, and none succeeded. Is an apprentice knight really more qualified to be king than we are?"

"Yes, he is more qualified than you."

Merlin answered the man's challenge without a trace of emotion in his voice.

"Why?!"

"The late King Uther passed away thirteen years ago. However, the Crown Prince had gone missing in an accident some years earlier.

I placed a mark upon the Crown Prince at birth. As long as he remains alive in this world, I can sense that mark's existence.

The late king commanded me to recover the Crown Prince, so I arranged this ceremony.

I placed a curse upon this Sword of Selection. Only someone of the Pendragon Bloodline can draw it from the stone."

Sovell struggled to keep his shoulders from shaking. Merlin was spouting nonsense from beginning to end. Aside from King Uther having died thirteen years ago, not a word of it was true.

"Then the day before-"

Sure enough, someone brought up yesterday's "genius," and Sovell immediately countered:

"That man broke the rules yesterday. The requirement was to draw the sword from the stone, not to remove it from the stone!"

"Who are you? What right do you have to speak here?!"

Merlin immediately followed up on Sovell's words:

"Stam is my apprentice. Do you have a problem with that?

And what was wrong with what he said? Both the inscription on the blade and the rules I gave you said 'whoever draws the sword from the stone,' not 'whoever removes this sword.'"

Artoria, who knew nothing about Sovell's alias, asked him quietly:

"Storm? A false name?"

Sovell replied:

"Yes, a false name. Lia, it's your turn to perform."

"Me? All right. Ahem."

The girl quietly cleared her throat, then made her voice as deep as she could:

"If anyone objects, I'm standing right here. Come challenge me if you have what it takes. One on one or all at once, it makes no difference."

Then the girl raised the Sword of Selection in her hands, holding it before her in a stance resembling the plow guard.

Not a sound.

Suddenly, a voice broke the silence:

"Artoris, you didn't go home."

Regret, anguish...

His words carried emotions that felt somewhat familiar, ones she had sensed before today.

Artoria looked up.

It was Kay.

Knight Kay pushed his way through the crowd.

"Yes, Brother Kay. I didn't go home. I made my choice."

In Artoria's heart, the notion of "acting" dissolved in the face of Kay's emotions, and she instinctively spoke the truth.

"Are you resolved to shoulder this responsibility?"

"I am. I always have been."

"Heh, what an arrogant thing to say."

As he spoke, Knight Kay drew the longsword from the scabbard at his waist.

The scrape of metal rang out harshly.

Only once?

No.

Twice.

"What are you doing?"

Sovell had also drawn Rhongomyniad in its sword form and blocked Kay's path.

"Stam, lower your sword."

Artoria smiled. She had already lowered the sword she had held before her, leaving herself completely unguarded:

"Brother Kay won't hurt me. Right?"

Sovell hesitated for a moment, but ultimately lowered his sword.

The Fourth Oath: "Obey the king's commands."

He dared not gamble, so he had drawn his sword.

But because it was her command, he would obey.

Sovell did not put his sword away. He merely lowered it.

With nothing barring his path, Kay continued toward Artoria. As he passed Sovell, he said:

"Stam, was it? You did well."

The young knight finally came to stand before the destined king, his sword still raised.

"Brother Kay?"

In response to the girl's confusion, the knight replied softly:

"Artoria, since you've chosen the path of a king, then as your elder brother, I certainly won't hold my little sister back."

With that, the knight took two steps back and planted his sword in the ground.

Before everyone's eyes, he went down on one knee before his younger brother (sister).

"I, Kay Senor, son of Ector Senor, with this sword as my witness,

swear fealty to Britain's destined king, Artoris Pendragon."