"A prophecy?" "What prophecy?" Artoria tilted her head slightly. "I... haven't heard anything about it."
"That's because it hasn't reached this village yet," said Kay, dressed in casual clothes, his hand resting on the sword at his waist. "King Uther is old. The selection of his successor has already begun."
He recited the words that were spreading across the land: "The incarnation of the Red Dragon shall become the new King. He will gather all the Knights of the Round Table and restore the glory of Britain." "The White Dragon will be defeated at that time—" "And the Red Dragon shall stand triumphant upon the earth." "Before then, the Sword of the King shall be drawn from the stone, to welcome its master."
The verse, almost like a song, piqued Ian's curiosity. A child born of the Sea of Life had never heard of such things. He desperately wanted to understand what it meant.
"What does that mean?" the boy asked.
"Hm?" Only then did Kay notice that there was another person standing beside his adoptive sister. "Who are you? I haven't seen you around before."
The dreaded moment had arrived. How was she supposed to explain Ian's identity? She couldn't possibly tell her brother that he fell from the sky, took a bite out of her chest, and almost had his way with her, could she?
"He's a friend."
"Hm?" Before Artoria could figure out what to say, Ian had already provided an answer. He pointed to himself. "Injured." Then he pointed to Artoria. "Artoria helped. She is good."
"..." Kay's gaze shifted and he quickly noticed the firewood Ian was carrying. In an instant, he formed his own "answer." "So you got hurt while chopping firewood, and that's how you met Artoria, is that it—"
"Yes, yes, that's right!" Realizing this was the perfect excuse, Artoria quickly went along with it. "He's injured, so he's staying at our house temporarily. Brother Kay, I haven't had a chance to tell you yet."
"..." Kay looked at Ian, then back at Artoria, and nodded. "I see. Well then, rest up and get well." Kay patted Ian on the shoulder. "If you need anything, just let me know." "Thank you." "Quite polite, aren't you?" Kay chuckled.
"Alright, I have to go help the old man unload the supplies—we brought a lot of things back from the city this time, he can't manage it all by himself." "Okay, go on, Brother Kay~"
Having finally solved a major problem, Artoria watched Kay's retreating figure and let out a sigh of relief. She turned to the boy beside her and gave him a thumbs-up. "See? You're not completely clueless after all—using the 'friend' card was a great move!"
"..." "What is a 'friend'?" Ian's sudden, genuine question made Artoria freeze. "You don't know what it means?" "No." "Then why did you say it just now...?" "Because—" Ian looked directly at Artoria. "I wanted to help you, so the word just came to mind."
"Eh?" It was a simple reason, but a very convincing one. "Ahem." Artoria cleared her throat. "Well, a 'friend' is someone you help, and who helps you back! We... seem to fit that description quite well, don't we?"
"..." "What's with that look?" "My first friend," Ian stated. "Artoria, you are my first friend." "Eh?" Suddenly being given such a title by Ian, Artoria felt a little embarrassed. "Am I? Well then, that's wonderful."
As the girl spoke, she noticed Ian's throat bobbing as he swallowed. "What are you doing?!" she yelped. "Are you thinking about that again?!" "No." "Really?" "Really." "Well then..." Artoria took half of the firewood from Ian. "Let's go home first. Talking about this in the middle of the street... feels a bit weird." "Mm, let's go home."
Walking along the village path, Ian looked at the sides of the road. People were gathered in groups of three and five, discussing something. Faintly, he could make out words related to the prophecy from earlier.
"Artoria." "Hm?" The girl turned her head. "What is it?" "Why does everyone care so much about what Kay said just now? Is it... very important?" "Of course it's important!" Artoria said with a serious expression. "The King is the person who rules all of Britain! If a foolish person becomes King, wouldn't we all be doomed?" "Mm..." Ian nodded. "Then, how do you confirm that the person who becomes King is the most suitable one?" "About that..." Artoria shook her head. "I don't really understand it either. But—there must be a way, right? I mean, we have a prophecy like that, don't we?" "But that's just a so-called prophecy. Why hasn't a single person questioned whether it's true or not?" "That's because—" Artoria was about to explain, but she found that her mind was completely blank.
That's right... why? Ian was right. Why was everyone's first reaction to believe the prophecy, rather than to doubt it? It was as if... they had all been bewitched.
"Well..." "I can't answer that for you either," Artoria finally admitted. "Since everyone believes it, there must be a good reason for it, right?" But as soon as the words left her mouth, she felt how weak and flimsy they sounded. It was less of an explanation and more of a clumsy deflection.
"Is that so?" Ian mused. "The path that everyone chooses is the correct path—can I understand it that way?" "I... suppose you could..." Artoria felt her own thoughts becoming a jumbled mess. "Alright, let's not get stuck on this! There's probably no real answer, is there?" "Understood." Ian nodded.
"But—" he added. "Artoria, if one day you feel that path is uncomfortable... you can tell me. We can go walk the path that you like." "Eh?" The girl's cheeks flushed a faint red. "The path I like?"
"Mm." Ian nodded. "You say that as if I'm already trapped with no way out..." Although the girl's words sounded like a complaint, her tone was very gentle. Her eyes smiled as she continued softly, "But still, thank you. That sounds like a very valuable promise."
"Then can I exchange it for something?" "What thing?"
"This—" Ian unabashedly extended a finger. Its destination was, naturally, Artoria's chest. The girl's face instantly turned bright red. "I knew you were going to say that! Ab-so-lute-ly NOT!" "It seems its value wasn't enough." "That's not it at all!"