"What are you saying all of a sudden?"
Arthur immediately became alert, sensing something strange in the atmosphere, and instinctively shifted to the side.
But Nessa followed him at once. The princess of the Land of Shadows stared at Arthur intently, a dangerous glint flashing in her eyes.
"Is what you just said true?"
As she spoke, she tilted her head slightly. A strand of hair fell across her face, and her smile remained unchanged—playful and adorable on the surface, yet lacking her usual warmth.
For some reason, Arthur felt a cold sweat run down his back. He quickly shook his head.
"Sorry, I was thinking about something else and didn't pay attention to what you asked."
"Really, you shouldn't do that," Nessa said, tucking the loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Thinking carefully before answering someone's question will greatly contribute to your safety."
"Uh… I think so too," Arthur nodded vigorously. "Sorry, I'll focus next time."
Nessa then sighed.
"You'd better stay at home as much as possible while Mom isn't here. I have a feeling you might run into danger."
You're the danger, Arthur almost blurted out.
But he held himself back.
Saying that right now would be nothing short of suicide—and besides, the look in Nessa's eyes was sending chills down his spine.
Silence returned to the air.
A cold night breeze swept through, and dark clouds gradually obscured the moonlight. Nessa clasped her hands together and shivered slightly.
Arthur smiled, took off his coat, and draped it over the girl's shoulders.
"Be careful not to catch a cold."
"Thank you," Nessa replied with a sweet smile. "I could say the same to you."
"My physical condition is very good right now, so I won't catch a cold that easily," Arthur said—only for another night breeze to pass by, making him shiver unconsciously.
Nessa watched his reaction in the darkness. Her gaze softened as she gently patted his head.
"Let's go back to sleep. We have to wake up early for training tomorrow."
Even if Scáthach wasn't there, they couldn't slack off. Otherwise, she would be disappointed when she returned.
Nessa knew very well that a large part of why Arthur trained so hard was because he didn't want to disappoint Scáthach.
After returning to his room, Nessa wished Arthur good night and left.
Although she enjoyed teasing Arthur—and sometimes even did rather bold things—she knew she had to keep it within limits.
Nessa was fully aware that, although they liked each other, being too proactive could end up making him uncomfortable.
Therefore, maintaining a proper sense of distance from time to time was still necessary. Nessa understood this principle well.
---xXx---
The next afternoon, while Nessa was distracted, Arthur secretly left the Land of Shadows and headed for Britain to meet Artoria.
He had realized it the night before. He didn't necessarily need Artoria to take him there—he could easily find out with a bit of investigation.
If he asked Kay or Sir Ector, they would certainly tell him which castle Morgan was staying in.
Of course, Arthur had no intention of revealing that he planned to meet Morgan. As long as he casually mentioned her during a conversation, he could naturally follow the clues and find out where she lived.
After all, she was King Uther's daughter, so her residence couldn't be too hard to locate.
And just as he expected, Arthur's approach worked. After arriving at Artoria's home, he first helped Kay with some farm work. Then the two started chatting. Whenever Artoria was mentioned, a faint smile appeared on Kay's face, as though he truly adored his adoptive sister.
Okay… looks like he's a siscon too.
Seeing Kay like this, Arthur more or less realized that this future Knight of the Round Table had a sister complex.
Or rather, the Knights of the Round Table were either fanatical admirers of their king—or distorted fanatical admirers of their king.
"I see. So she's had experiences like that before…" Arthur listened with great interest as Kay talked endlessly about Artoria.
In truth, Arthur really was interested. He listened quietly, occasionally asking a question of his own, then continued hearing Kay's stories.
This kind of approach easily fostered goodwill. Thanks to his conduct that afternoon, Kay's impression of Arthur improved significantly. The initial hostility he had felt—because "Arthur was a man who got too close to his sister"—completely vanished, replaced by a strong sense of camaraderie.
As long as he liked Artoria, he was already family… Kay's behavior at that moment seemed to convey exactly that.
"By the way," Arthur said casually during their pleasant conversation, "when I went to the royal city last time, I heard that Artoria has an older sister… Is that true?"
Kay's smile faded slightly. He cast Arthur a deep look and nodded.
"It's true. Her name is Morgan le Fay. She's King Uther's daughter and Artoria's sister."
"If you ever happen to see her, stay as far away from her as possible," Kay added, issuing another warning. "That woman is dangerous."
There was a hint of apprehension in his eyes. Most people were wary of Morgan and unwilling to get too involved with her.
"I understand," Arthur nodded, thinking to himself, If you knew that several Knights of the Round Table—Artoria's own future retainers—stood on Morgan's side, would you faint on the spot?
Although most of those Knights who sided with Morgan were, in the end, still loyal to Artoria.
And Morgan isn't actually that dangerous, right? Arthur thought.
In fact, when Arthur first met Morgan after his transmigration, his reaction had been similar to Kay's—extremely cautious, even fearful. But after more than four years of living alongside her, he didn't think Morgan was that bad. He even wondered whether there was something wrong with the historical records… or with the world he was in.
All in all, in Arthur's eyes, Morgan le Fay wasn't a good person—but she wasn't evil either.
Perhaps her personality changes drastically after Artoria becomes king?
Watching Kay's wary expression when it came to Morgan, Arthur couldn't help but ponder these thoughts.
"By the way," Arthur added, "since Morgan is considered so dangerous, she probably doesn't live in Camelot, right? If everyone distrusts her, King Uther wouldn't let her stay in the capital, would he?"
Kay shook his head slightly.
"It was Morgan le Fay's own decision to leave Camelot. She moved to another castle a long time ago. The people there strongly opposed her arrival, but it was all in vain. In the end, they feared her retaliation, so the matter was quietly buried."
Arthur looked thoughtful. Then he raised his head and asked:
"Which castle?"
(End of Chapter)