Sovell and Merlin settled into Saynor Manor together, and Ector arranged rooms for them.
That night, a knock sounded at Artoria's door-
Knock, knock, knock.
The girl sat up in bed and called to the person outside:
"Who is it?"
A familiar boy's voice answered:
"Lia, it's me."
It was Sovell.
The girl got out of bed and opened the door.
"What is it, Sovell?"
"Ah... may I come in?"
"Oh, of course."
Artoria stepped aside as she spoke, letting Sovell into her room.
Since she was about to go to bed, Artoria wore only a nightgown.
"Sovell?"
The loose nightgown covered most of her skin, but the curves of her healthy body were still faintly visible beneath it.
"Sovell?"
Under the lamplight, her eyes resembled precious emeralds, and her golden hair could rival that of the legendary goddess Sif...
"Sovell! Ah!"
Her startled cry snapped him out of his daze. He realized that, for some reason, he had caught the girl's wrist and was holding it tight.
"Huh? Oh, sorry, Lia. I'll let go right now. Did I hurt you?"
The girl shook her slightly reddened wrist, then looked at him in puzzlement and asked:
"How did you do that, Sovell?"
"Hm? Do what?"
Apparently, the person responsible had no idea what had happened.
Let us turn back the clock thirty seconds:
"'Sovell?'
His eyes were vacant. No response.
'Sovell?'
His eyes were vacant. Still no response.
'Sovell!'
The girl reached out!
'Ah!'
His eyes were vacant, but he caught her hand."
That was what had happened.
"Ah... well, my magecraft affinity is wind, right? I discovered a little trick.
By sensing disturbances in the surrounding air through my Magic Circuits, I can make my body defend itself automatically.
I just didn't expect you to be the first to trigger it-Lia, did I hurt you?"
"No. Compared to your usual strength, Sovell, that was practically gentle.
Anyway, what was going on with you just now?"
"Ah, well...
You looked so lovely in your nightgown, Lia, that I got lost in the sight for a moment."
Perhaps his eyes were playing tricks on him, but he thought he saw faint wisps of steam rising from the girl's head.
"Ah, let's leave that aside."
Sensing that the atmosphere had changed, he immediately put an end to the subject. He took a roughly made leather bag out of his white robe and handed it to her:
"Here, Lia. This bag is for you. Try putting it on your arm."
"Hm? What is it?"
The girl accepted the leather bag.
Was that... water sloshing around inside?
It felt very warm, in more ways than one.
"It's a waterskin made from animal hide. Fill it with hot water, and you can use it as a warm compress or to keep warm.
Your arms were sore from raising your sword so many times today, weren't they, Lia? A warm compress should help them recover faster.
I made it in a bit of a hurry, though, so it might not look very nice..."
"I love it."
"Huh?"
Hugging the roughly made waterskin, the girl smiled at the boy before her:
"I love this gift."
That smile made his heart feel as though it had skipped a beat. With his mind in a whirl and his tongue stumbling, he answered:
"I'm glad you like it. Well, Lia, I'll head back now. Good night."
"Good night?"
"Three-"
In an unknown sea of flowers, the countdown could be heard everywhere.
"Two-"
Sovell looked at the smiling girl before him, golden sword in hand, and the mage standing nearby, all too eager to enjoy the spectacle. He wished he could slap his self from three minutes ago.
"One..."
Sovell, oh, Sovell. How could you forget about Merlin's dreams?
"Begin!"
Artoria charged, and Sovell fell behind from the very first step.
The girl closed in.
Her sword slashed toward him.
Was he going to lose?
Not a chance~
"Storm Sheath-Invisible Air!"
Sovell reinforced his body and unleashed the Holy Spear's Invisible Air directly between them, sending them both flying.
Both recovered their footing at the same time. Looking at the girl's golden sword, Sovell summoned his Holy Spear as well.
This time, however, he did not transform the Holy Spear into a longsword. It retained its original spear form.
He recalled Invisible Air and wrapped it around the spearhead.
"Come on, Lia! Let's see you take on a spear with just a sword! Hahaha!"
"Ugh... that's cheating."
A spear was a long-handled thrusting weapon, combining a sharp blade with a long shaft.
It resembled both a lance and a heavy lance, but unlike the former, its tip had cutting edges on both sides; compared to the latter, its blade was shorter.
In both the West and the East, spears were among the most common weapons on the battlefield.
They were easy to learn, had a long reach, were simple to make, and dealt great damage, among many other advantages.
For that reason, the spear was also known in the East as the "king of all weapons" and the "foremost of the nine long weapons."
In the West, formations combining spears and shields were immensely powerful, posing a serious threat to infantry and cavalry alike.
As the saying went, "An inch longer, an inch stronger; an inch shorter, an inch more perilous."
The meaning of that saying was quite literal.
In a duel, assuming both fighters were equally skilled, the longer your weapon, the stronger your position; the shorter your weapon, the greater your danger.
That was why Artoria had accused Sovell of cheating when he challenged her to take on his spear with a sword alone.
Against a short weapon, a long weapon's reach was the greatest cheat of all.
"In that case... Merlin, give me Prydwen!"
The girl called sharply to the mage beside them.
Prydwen was one of the most precious treasures in King Uther's vault.
It was said to be a wondrous item that could serve as both a shield and a ship.
Even compared to the Sword of Selection, its durability was nothing to scoff at.
Of course, that included Prydwen, the Sword of Selection, Invisible Air, and the Rhongomyniad Sovell had brought out.
These weapons were merely Merlin's Projections within the dream. They would not cause either of them any actual injury, only a little phantom pain at most.
"Hm? Are you sure?"
"Yes. Sovell's using a spear now, so why shouldn't I have a shield?
After all these years of sparring with Ector, I've long wanted to try fighting Sovell with a sword and shield!"
Naturally, the mage did not refuse. He gathered flower petals into a large golden shield, its edges decorated with dark blue patterns. It was narrower at either end and broader in the middle.
The mage tossed the large shield to the girl. She caught it and planted it before her.
Ah... this was trouble.
Before you continue