"Haahhh—!"
Gripping her wooden sword, Artoria charged forward.
Her target wasn't just anyone.
It was Ian standing right in front of her.
But unlike her aggressive pose with a weapon in hand, the boy was completely unarmed.
It seemed like a one-sided duel from the start.
However—
As their figures crossed paths, the outcome turned out to be the opposite of what it looked like on the surface.
Artoria, wielding the wooden sword, lay flat on the ground.
Ian, on the other hand, stood in a victorious stance.
"Lost again…"
Artoria lay on the ground, frustrated.
"Seriously, how are you so good at this!"
Just as she grumbled, Ian—though a dragon, unlike her, a trainee knight—had shown skills in swordsmanship (or rather, combat) far beyond what Artoria had imagined.
At first, she worried that sparring like this—sword versus bare fists—might hurt him.
But she soon realized those concerns were pointless.
She couldn't even land a hit on him.
It was like a child trying to hurt an adult.
"Do you not enjoy this?"
Ian looked down at Artoria and asked.
"Of course not!"
"This is so frustrating!"
"It's like saying I'm not fit to be a knight at all!"
Artoria voiced her thoughts with no filter—only to witness something unexpected.
Ian extended a hand toward her.
"What are you doing?"
Artoria looked confused.
"I'm trying to cheer you up."
With that, Ian took her hand, along with the wooden sword she still held, and gently tapped it against himself.
"Ah—"
"Artoria, you're amazing."
"I've been defeated."
With a soft thud, Ian mimicked her earlier fall and collapsed onto the ground.
"You…"
"Hahaha~"
Artoria burst out laughing at the simple gesture.
"Come on, you're totally messing with me."
"But you smiled."
Ian replied seriously.
"Artoria, when you smile, you look really pretty."
"Eh…"
Caught off guard by the compliment, Artoria grew a bit shy.
She twirled a strand of her golden hair with her fingers.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Ian nodded.
"And you smell really appetizing."
"…"
Artoria glared at him in exasperation.
She appreciated his honesty, but it always killed the mood.
Seriously!
Why did someone with such a pretty face have to be like this?
"Again!"
Artoria sprang back to her feet.
"I'm definitely going to beat you today!"
"Okay."
Ian made a great sparring partner.
As long as you asked him seriously, he'd respond with complete dedication.
Of course, that made him an extremely difficult opponent to defeat.
But that's exactly the kind of challenge Artoria wanted.
There could be no room for laziness on the path to becoming a king.
So—
By dusk, Artoria was pouting.
Ian was just too committed.
To the point that she felt like her brain was getting fuzzy from all the losses.
You could call it a lesson in humility, and you wouldn't be wrong.
But just then—
Ian walked up and bent down in front of her.
"Hop on."
"You're tired, right?"
"Eh…"
Artoria hadn't even figured out how to respond before her body, like it had a will of its own, climbed onto his back.
Under the setting sun, the two walked along the ridge of the village fields.
Ian's back was warm.
That was what Artoria felt at that moment.
The arms holding her around the waist were firm and dependable.
"Thanks."
She whispered softly in his ear.
"Not having to walk back on my own… it really makes me happy."
"Then from now on, let me carry you wherever we go."
"No need for that!"
Artoria quickly shot down the idea.
Because she knew—if she actually agreed, he would definitely follow through with it.
"Just once or twice is fine."
"Okay."
"…"
"…"
The atmosphere grew a little quiet.
Feeling it was getting awkward, Artoria quickly spoke again:
"By the way, is your mother a dragon too?"
"She is."
Ian nodded, remembering the image of his mother soaring through the skies.
"She's really powerful—even stronger than me."
"But she's also a really good mom."
"I see…"
Artoria thought for a moment. Finding it hard to imagine a dragon more powerful than Ian, she continued asking:
"Then, if that's the case—wouldn't she be worried with you out here like this?"
"Of course she'd be worried."
"And…"
In his mind, Ian pictured his mother, Tiamat, standing at the edge of the Sea of Life.
She looked like someone who had lost the most important thing to her, completely falling into madness.
"She didn't want me to leave."
"So you left without her knowing?!"
"You could say that."
"..."
This was the first time Artoria had heard about it.
She didn't doubt it.
Because Ian had no reason to lie about something like that.
"So, Ian, do you actually enjoy this?"
"I really do."
The boy answered without hesitation.
"The outside world is even better than I imagined."
"Hmm…"
"If only you were a girl, it'd be even better. My mother always said 'girls are the most dangerous beings in this world.'"
"She's especially worried about me interacting with girls, afraid I'd get tricked."
"…"
Artoria felt awkward.
She had previously told him she wasn't a girl because the old knight who raised her said never to reveal her gender no matter what.
She hadn't expected Ian to believe it so completely.
So that meant...
He had always seen her as just "one of the guys"?
Realizing that made Artoria feel a little sad.
But she quickly said, "That's a shame…"
"Still, even if I'm not a girl, I could help explain things for you when the time comes, right?"
"Really?"
"Yeah, probably..." Artoria's voice lost confidence as she spoke.
"Forget it! Maybe I'll become a girl when the time comes!"
"Is that even possible?"
"Who knows!"
Joking and teasing each other, Artoria was carried on Ian's back all the way home.
And this became a pattern in her daily life.
Train, then defeat him.
It all seemed so simple.
Until...
The prophecy of the new king was fully interpreted.