Chapter 65: Volume 1: Chapter 66 - The Truth
The morning sun shone on her sand-gold hair. Artoria stretched slightly, a smile on her pretty face as she walked toward the courtyard with a light step.
However, when she arrived at the courtyard, she did not see the figure of the boy who was always there training. She only saw a golden-haired knight in white armor, holding a holy sword and swinging its blade.
Noticing the girl's arrival, Gawain, who had been focused on his practice, stopped his movements. He looked at the girl with some surprise, then revealed a bright smile and said respectfully.
"Good morning, my king. It seems this last war has truly exhausted you... May I ask if you rested well?"
"Mhm, it was alright. Thank you for your concern, Sir Gawain. But yesterday was indeed a bit tiring."
As a king who had woken up later than her own subordinate, a flash of embarrassment crossed Artoria's face. She coughed lightly, looked around, and couldn't help but ask again.
"By the way, Sir Gawain, have you seen where En went?"
However, faced with the girl's question, Gawain froze for a moment and answered subconsciously.
"Yesterday? Did you not know that you slept for an entire day, my king? Speaking of which, I don't think I saw Lord En at all yesterday either... I'm sorry, I do not know where Lord En has gone."
Seeing Gawain shake his head in confusion, a hint of apology on his face, Artoria blinked, thinking she must have misheard him. As if doubting herself, her fine brows furrowed.
"You're saying... I slept for a whole day? That's impossible, how could I have slept for so long... Wait, I ask you, Sir Gawain, where is Merlin!?"
The knight before her would certainly not lie to her about this. After a brief moment of confusion, Artoria immediately made a connection and demanded an answer.
For some reason, a very bad premonition was rising in her heart.
"Merlin? I just saw him in the Round Table Hall. It seems he was hosting your foster father, Sir Ector... My king?"
Before he could finish, Gawain saw the girl turn and leave in a hurry. Vaguely sensing that something was wrong with her mood, Gawain, out of concern, quickly followed Artoria's steps.
Before long, the two of them arrived before the great doors of the Round Table Hall. Artoria shoved the massive stone doors open and, the moment she stepped into the hall, she questioned him sternly.
"Merlin, did you use sleep magic on me again!? Didn't I tell you that if there was a second time, I would cut you down!? And where is En? What are you all up to now?"
However, what Artoria hadn't expected was that at this moment, the Round Table Hall did not contain only Merlin and her foster father, Ector.
All the Knights of the Round Table, except for Gawain, were standing silently by the table that symbolized the highest honor of all knights in Britain. The moment the girl entered, they all turned to look at her in silence.
"Why is everyone here? Sir Lancelot, why are you looking at me like that? And Sir Tristan, are you... crying? Don't tell me you've thought of some sad poem again?"
Feeling strangely that the gazes of the crowd were somewhat heavy, Artoria blinked in confusion. But right now, she was still fuming and clearly had no intention of letting Merlin get away with putting her to sleep with magic again.
"Merlin, you get out here and explain yourself properly! Do you think you'll be fine just by hiding behind Ector? Speaking of which, why did Ector suddenly come here..."
"Artoria, I hope you can remain calm for what's next."
The elderly knight suddenly spoke, interrupting the girl. Artoria looked at Ector, whose eyes seemed to be somewhat red and swollen for some reason, and at Kay, who had turned his face away beside him, and asked, puzzled.
"Calm down? What are you talking about, Ector? I just want to teach Merlin a lesson."
But the old knight did not answer her question. He just stepped aside slightly, revealing the several items laid out quietly on the Round Table.
Artoria recognized the ownership of those items at a glance, raising an eyebrow in surprise.
"Isn't that the armor and greatsword you made for En before, Merlin? Although he's never used it, why is it here? And, isn't that En's Durandal? And the sword Ector gave him before... What is going on, Merlin?"
"Why did En leave these things here? Where is he?"
The ominous premonition in her heart grew stronger and stronger. Artoria looked at the delicate spring flower on the black armor, then slowly raised her head, looking at the white-robed magus in the hood with confusion.
Merlin stepped forward, his magnificent violet eyes devoid of any emotion. He just quietly gazed at the girl and spoke softly.
"Artoria, En is gone."
"Gone? Where could that child have gone alone? Don't tell me you sent En on some strange undercover mission again, Merlin? Is that why you put me to sleep for a day, because you were afraid I wouldn't agree? But with the situation in Britain right now, there's no need for En to do that..."
"It's not that. Calm down and listen to me carefully."
Directly interrupting the girl's self-generated theories, Merlin's voice, without any fluctuation, told her everything.
Including his and the boy's plan, including how the so-called "specialized magic" was actually the boy's blood, including... how the boy, to allow Britain to transition smoothly from the end of the Age of Gods to the modern era, offered his entire being to the land.
The white-robed magus's voice echoed in the spacious Round Table Hall. No one spoke, because long before the girl and Gawain had arrived, they had already learned the truth from the magus's mouth.
The Knights of the Round Table all hung their heads in shame and sorrow, regretting that they had not learned the truth sooner.
And Artoria, after listening to all the words, felt the expression on her face stiffen, second by second. It was only after Merlin's words had ended that she managed to force a smile onto her pale face. She looked at the Round Table Knights around her and said.
"...Th-This has to be a joke, right? Because we finally saw a hope of ending the war, so you all decided to team up and prank me, right? Let me guess, this is another one of your bad ideas, Merlin, isn't it?"
"Alright, stop joking about something like this. Hurry up and tell me where En is."
Artoria's voice sounded somewhat weak, as if she couldn't breathe. She placed a hand on the Round Table in front of her to support herself, her holy, cerulean eyes looking at Merlin with a sliver of hope, the smile on her lips trembling slightly.
But the white-robed magus just answered mercilessly.
"Everything is true."
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