"Eat something."
That night by the campfire, Morgan handed some rations to her little sister dressed like a knight.
"If you don't eat all day, you'll faint eventually."
"…"
Artoria looked at the food offered to her, hesitated, then shook her head.
"Give it to them instead."
"I… I can still hold out."
"…"
Morgan knew exactly who "them" referred to — the starving villagers.
But the more she understood, the more displeased her expression became.
"So what — you think starving yourself is going to solve their problems?"
"As a king, don't you think that's a little foolish?"
"The food we brought will eventually run out. Their suffering won't. All you're doing is deceiving yourself."
"I…"
Artoria couldn't refute her.
It took her a long time to respond.
"At the very least, I might save one person. That's still… doing something for them."
"So in the end, you're just trying to ease your own guilt, right?"
Morgan sneered.
"If that's all this is, doesn't that make you a hypocrite?"
"As a king, do you really think this is right?"
"…"
"…"
The mood suddenly grew heavy.
Just the first day out on the road, and things had already come to this.
No one could've predicted this before setting off.
"I'm back."
A voice broke the silence.
Ian returned from somewhere nearby and noticed the strange atmosphere immediately.
"What happened? Why is no one talking?"
"…"
Despite her deep frustration with Artoria, Morgan couldn't say anything outright with Ian present.
"Nothing. I overstepped, that's all."
With that, the princess of Britannia walked into the shadows — a place where no one would notice her.
She reached for the crimson crystal pendant around her neck and sighed.
"Tiamat…"
"Morgan!"
Tiamat's roar rang out clearly, even across time and space.
Morgan had figured out how to speak without exposing herself — by using a bit of her own magic during their conversations.
Tiamat wouldn't notice.
"Have you confirmed it yet?" Tiamat asked urgently.
"Not yet," Morgan lied.
"But we're very close. Tiamat, if you can lend me just a bit more help—"
"Help? What kind of help?"
Hearing Tiamat's completely trusting voice, Morgan knew her plan was working.
As she looked out over the village, where despair hung thick in the air, Artoria's uncertain expression came back to her mind.
Why should someone so naive get to be king?
Why should she have a knight who cared for her so deeply?
Just sacrificing yourself in the name of saving others won't change anything.
There's a better way.
"Lend me some magic, Tiamat."
"I promise you'll get what you want in return."
So said the princess of Britannia, reaching out alone into the unfathomable darkness.
---
Meanwhile…
With Morgan gone, Artoria and Ian once again had a moment alone.
"Um—"
To ease the awkwardness from earlier, Artoria forced a smile.
"So, did you finish what I asked?"
"Yeah," the boy nodded. "I've handed everything out. But… it still doesn't seem like enough."
Artoria's heart sank.
This confirmed what Morgan had just said.
"I-I see…" Artoria's expression became more flustered. "We'll have to come up with something, then… otherwise, everyone's still going to go hungry."
"Oh, right, I still have—"
She picked up the rations Morgan had handed her earlier, intending to pass them to Ian for the villagers.
But then something awkward happened.
Artoria hadn't eaten anything since they arrived at the village. So the moment she bent down, her stomach growled—loudly.
Grrrrr…
Her face turned crimson.
"T-That wasn't hunger! It's just…"
She ran out of excuses. No matter how she tried to tough it out, hunger was real.
She realized maybe her thinking earlier had been a bit… naïve.
But then—
Ian stepped closer.
As he drew near, Artoria's mind went straight to a bad place.
"Don't do this!"
She covered her chest with one hand and her skirt with the other.
"I'm not in the mood for that right now—if you try anything, I'll hate you!"
But Ian didn't stop.
Step by step, he came closer—until he stood right in front of her.
And then, he simply asked:
"You're hungry, right?"
"…Huh?"
"Just answer me."
"…Yeah," she nodded. "I'm kind of hungry."
"I thought so." Ian nodded.
"Being hungry isn't good. Come here for a sec."
"Huh?"
She didn't know what he was planning, but she trusted him not to hurt her—so she leaned forward slightly.
And the next moment—Artoria felt like she'd been shocked.
Before she could scream, Ian's eyes lit up with a fiery red glow.
With a loud whoosh, massive wings spread out beneath the moonlight, snuffing out the campfire in one beat.
Ian had transformed—his body now massive, terrifying, and powerful like something from a dream.
Heat poured from his sharp dragon fangs, blasting her face.
ROAR—
The great dragon grabbed Artoria and shot up into the sky!