"This will work, right!"
Barghest was filled with confidence in the suggestion she had proposed.
If his lack of reaction was due to her "status" as a daughter, then—
Conversely, if there was a reaction, it would prove she wasn't his daughter, right?
The more she thought about it, the more right it felt, and Barghest became even more direct.
"Just say yes or no!"
"If it's a yes, we'll start!"
"..."
Faced with Barghest's direct offensive, Ian looked to the side at her hand, which was already sunk into the wall.
"Is doing this that important to you?"
"Important!"
"Of course it's important!"
Barghest said without a second thought.
"I'm asking because it's important!"
"Then let's give it a try."
"If... this is what you want to do—"
It wasn't difficult at all, not like she had imagined.
It was surprisingly easy.
Barghest couldn't quite adjust to it for a moment.
After all, this was something her mother had strictly forbidden. Even tonight, she had to sneak Ian here, avoiding her mother's gaze.
"Aren't you going to hesitate?"
Barghest asked Ian in return.
"This is about to be that!"
"I'm going to do that!"
"Mm, I know—"
Barghest felt the warmth of his palm.
His hand was pressing down on hers.
"Barghest, if you believe this is something you must do, I won't stop you."
"You..."
Barghest didn't dare to ask any more.
She felt that if she kept asking, it would become even harder to act.
Grip.
Barghest met Ian's gaze.
She tried her best to recall the state her mother, Morgan, had been in that night, how she had faced this.
But Barghest quickly realized that wouldn't work.
Because—
Her mother's embrace back then had his support.
Hers did not.
Or rather, she wasn't suited for doing things that way either.
That's right.
This time, she had to rely on herself.
But then again...
Feeling the warmth, Barghest found that she wasn't completely unfamiliar with this sort of thing.
For one thing...
The size was not much different from when she held a sword.
The feeling was not unlike gripping the hilt of her greatsword, Excalibur Galatine.
So, after taking hold, the panic she expected to feel—the sense of holding something "incomparably precious"—didn't really come.
Of course.
Barghest still felt her breathing quicken considerably.
She carefully controlled the strength of her grip, making sure not to be as excessive as when she swung Excalibur Galatine.
"Here I go."
"..."
Ian didn't answer, but Barghest didn't mind.
She continued what she was doing, all while carefully checking if any pedestrians were passing through the alley.
But...
As time went on, Barghest discovered a very serious problem.
What was originally just meant for proof was now becoming something else.
No.
It could no longer be described as just "something else."
It was more like a certain degree of her sanity was crumbling.
She no longer wanted to limit herself to just this level of "sword-holding."
"I... I'm going to test this further!"
Barghest said, her heterochromatic eyes now overflowing with hearts.
The way she panted was like a large dog.
"That's okay, right?"
Before Ian could answer, Barghest had already made up her mind.
The sword that had once been possessed by her mother was now firmly in the female knight's hand.
A certain resentment inevitably welled up in Barghest's heart.
This perfect thing, yet Mother only thought of keeping it for herself.
Was the reason she kept me from Ian because she was afraid I would snatch all this away?
As Barghest thought this, she didn't notice at all that her hand had clenched into a tight fist.
By the time she snapped out of it, the reality she had wrought with her own hand had become somewhat frightening.
"It seems..."
"It's not... completely unresponsive..."
As she was expressing her surprise, Barghest heard those words.
It was a voice like salvation, giving the female knight a sense of purpose in this very moment.
"I... did it?"
Ian nodded.
"You did, indeed."
"Then—"
"I'll continue right now!"
As if she had found her purpose in life, Barghest's eyes began to shine.
The hand that held Excalibur Galatine now began to move in a more concrete fashion.
If anyone were to walk in right now, they would hear Barghest's frighteningly intense voice.
"I did it!"
"I did it!"
"I really did it!"
She felt it was like getting revenge on Morgan's selfishness, yet at the same time, she experienced that ineffably wonderful happiness of being so humble for someone she cared about.
After a long while, Barghest felt Ian embrace her once more.
"You did it."
He said this in her ear.
Barghest's eyes widened.
It wasn't that she was particularly moved by his words.
It was...
Barghest felt the true meaning of his words.
To be precise, she understood the result of having "done it."
She finally knew what it was her mother had received at the end of the night.
It was an incredible amount.
There was no way to handle it all at once.
Barghest felt something flow through the gaps in her fingers and fall to the ground.
"I did it!"
She shouted again.
But she quickly realized that now was not the time for her to be shouting.
"I succeeded!"
Barghest lowered her voice, reporting her achievement to Ian with a blissful expression.
"See, I can do it too!"
"So—"
"From now on, no matter what happens, you are absolutely forbidden from seeing me with that status!"
"I'm someone who can do this kind of thing now!"
However, the moment Barghest finished speaking, before she could even hear a reply, she and Ian saw a circle of golden light spread across the night sky.
At the same time, a faint, ice-like blue appeared.
"Wh-what's going on?"
Barghest couldn't help but be astonished as she looked at the scene that nearly lit up the night sky.
But at this moment, Ian suddenly asked a question.
"Barghest."
"Mélusine hasn't been in Camelot recently, has she?"
"Now that you mention it, that seems to be the case."
Barghest pulled her hand back. Panting, she revealed a subtle smile.
"The little one really hasn't shown up much recently."
"..."
Ian seemed to have realized something.
"Barghest, well done."
"Let's continue some other time."
After saying this, the First Knight of the Round Table leaped into the air.
The next moment, a fierce gale arose in the sky, blowing away even the nighttime clouds.
"ROAR—!"
With a furious roar, Ian, in his dragon form, flew off into the distance