"That guy's catching up, as expected. This is going to be a bit troublesome."
In the snow-covered forest, the party of four hurried through the blizzard. Merlin suddenly frowned, his face growing heavy.
He knew that with Vortigern's personality, he would never let them go so easily. But he hadn't expected him to be this fast. It seemed their luck was truly terrible to have run into Vortigern while he was already leading his army.
"What do we do now? At this rate, they'll catch up to us before long. Can't you do something with your illusions?"
Kay's expression was grim, his feet never stopping. Even he could now hear the sound of countless horse hooves approaching from behind. Judging by the sound alone, at least a hundred men were pursuing them.
What's more, among them was the most powerful enemy in Britain at this moment—the Usurper King, Vortigern, the "White Dragon Incarnate"!
"If it were anyone else, I could fool them with an illusion... but Vortigern is far too familiar with my magic. Any illusion I use under his nose will be seen through quickly."
"And to deceive that man, I would need a certain amount of time to prepare."
Merlin shook his head, dashing Kay's hopes. He knew that the one thing they lacked most right now was time.
Just as he was frowning, pondering the safest course of action, Aozaki Rin, who had been keeping pace with them, suddenly stopped in his tracks and spoke.
"Sister, you all go on ahead. I'll bring up the rear."
"No!" x2
Artoria and Kay refused in unison, stopping as well, clearly having no intention of agreeing to the boy's suggestion.
"But if we continue like this, we'll definitely be caught. All our efforts will have been for nothing."
Understanding that Vortigern and his sister were mortal enemies, Aozaki Rin knew that someone had to stay behind to halt the enemy army's advance, to give his sister a chance to escape.
"Please don't worry. My swordsmanship is the strongest among us. Even if I can't stop them, I'll have a way to escape."
"Besides, Vortigern's main target is you, Sister. Even in the worst-case scenario where I'm captured, he probably won't execute me immediately. He'll use me as a hostage to threaten you. But by then, you'll have already escaped and can find another chance to rescue me."
"So, please, go on ahead with Merlin and Sir Kay, Sister."
Aozaki Rin argued logically, earnestly trying to persuade the girl.
But Artoria simply couldn't nod in agreement. She said anxiously.
"No! Rather than leaving you behind alone to cover our retreat, it would be better for us to fight them head-on! Maybe we can even finish Vortigern right here and now, and things won't be so troublesome later! In any case, if someone has to stay behind, it should be me. After all, aren't I their target!?"
Her tone became impulsive. Even though she believed in the boy's swordsmanship, she couldn't dare to imagine what would happen if even the slightest accident occurred.
Admittedly, what the boy said was perfectly reasonable and was currently the most sound method to protect the king that the people of Britain had been waiting for.
But if she couldn't even protect her own little brother, what right did she have to be king?
For the very first time, Artoria felt a sense of rejection toward the responsibility she shouldered.
But this rejection conflicted with the ideals she had been taught all her life.
Her duty told her that she should agree with the boy's suggestion and leave first for the future of Britain.
But her heart told her that at this moment, she absolutely could not nod her head.
Subconsciously, Artoria remembered what Merlin had said on that rainy night when the boy had fallen into a deep coma to protect her.
—[I ask you, Artoria. If one day, you could only choose between Britain and En, which would you choose?]
Even now, the girl couldn't give an immediate answer.
But if she absolutely had to make a choice right now... Artoria opened her mouth.
However, before she could make a sound, Merlin's voice echoed in her ear.
"Calm down, Artoria. You must know that in your current state, you are far from being Vortigern's match, not to mention he has brought so many men with him."
"I know you're worried about En, but what he said is indeed the most sound method right now. Only by splitting up do we have a chance to escape."
"So, I apologize. You can blame me all you want later, but for now, please get some sleep."
As his voice faded, Artoria suddenly felt a heavy wave of drowsiness wash over her from the depths of her mind. Her eyelids grew uncontrollably heavy, about to close, and she subconsciously reached to draw the Sword in the Stone from her waist.
"Merlin, you bastard..."
But in the end, the girl could only leave behind that single, drowsy, hateful phrase before losing consciousness and slumping forward, caught perfectly in Aozaki Rin's arms.
"I'm sorry, Sister. But please rest assured, I will definitely return safely."
Aozaki Rin made a promise to the sleeping girl in his arms, then turned to Kay.
"Sir Kay, I'll have to trouble you to carry Sister for a while."
"...Let Merlin handle that. I never said I was leaving with them. After all, when covering a retreat, the more people you have, the greater the chance of success, right?"
Kay knew full well that the boy's proposal to stay behind was the correct one, so after a brief emotional impulse, he had calmed down.
He handed his sleeping sister to Merlin, then kicked Merlin's rear to vent his frustration before saying discontentedly.
"If a single hair on her head is harmed, you know what will happen, don't you, you bastard magus?"
"Please rest assured. I swear on my name as Merlin, I will fulfill my duty. Also, you only need to delay them for about ten minutes. If you feel you are in danger before then, please retreat immediately."
Merlin said with a serious expression. At the same time, he cast a few simple reinforcement spells on Aozaki Rin and Kay, then turned and quickly vanished into the forest, carrying Artoria on his back.
"He runs pretty fast. With that kind of stamina and speed, why is he a magus? He should have become a warrior instead..."
Watching the white-haired magus carrying a girl disappear from sight in just a few moments, Kay clicked his tongue, though he felt a sense of relief.
Now, the only thing left to worry about was the situation right here.
"Why didn't you go with them, Sir Kay?"
"Nonsense. What kind of bastard brother runs away and leaves his little brother behind alone?"
"Are you talking about Sister, Sir Kay?"
"I did not mean that... wait, you're still in the mood to joke at a time like this, En?"
"Because I thought you looked a little nervous, Sir Kay."
"Hah, who wouldn't be nervous? After all... Tsk! That's way too many people."
Exhaling a puff of white breath, Kay looked at the approaching group. Led by an old man, it was a force of at least four hundred elite cavalry. He drew the sword from his waist and gave a wry twist of his lips.
"Split up, did they? And used a crude illusion... Hmph. That's all you're good for, Merlin, petty tricks."
Closing his eyes for a moment to sense the area, Vortigern sneered, then turned his gaze to the two figures blocking his path.
—A blind boy and a knight in armor.
"Staying behind to cover the retreat and buy some time? How touching. I just didn't expect someone of your age to have already become a knight. How about it, child? Would you consider coming over to my side?"
His eyes fixed on the boy with the longsword at his waist, Vortigern invited him with a smile.
"I'm sorry, I have no such intention."
Aozaki Rin shook his head decisively, and the old man could only sigh in regret.
"Is that so? What a pity."
Even if he couldn't yet confirm if the boy before him was one of his "kind," his spirit alone was enough to earn Vortigern's appreciation. But just as he said, it was a bit of a pity.
The smile on his face gradually faded. Vortigern raised a hand, his face expressionless, and brought it down sharply.
In the next second, horses neighed and soldiers roared.
Several squadrons of cavalry spurred their horses forward without hesitation, their lances ready to pierce.
But in that very instant, a flash of sword light, more dazzling than the snow, cut through the air.
With a sonic boom, the snow exploded, and the fierce wind suddenly ceased.
On the pure white earth, a long gash, a sword-scar like a line of black ink on white paper, stopped the horses in their tracks.
Aozaki Rin raised Durandal in his hand and pointed it directly at the old man in the center of the enemy army, lifting his eyes.
Even without a word, everyone understood the boy's meaning.
—Cross this line, and you die!