41 [41] Long Time No See, Artoria
The Sword of Selection.
The so-called ceremony to select the king.
Artoria knew very well in her heart that this was a grand performance meticulously orchestrated by Merlin for her.
After pulling out this sword, she would inherit the throne of Uther Pendragon in the name of King Arthur.
The magnificent momentum would resonate throughout the island.
Gazing at the noble longsword embedded in the stone seat.
Artoria remained silent.
She no longer had the naive compassion and thoughts from the beginning, and the number of lives taken by her sword was countless.
During this time.
The more she traveled, the more she discovered the correctness embedded in that person's words.
She witnessed famine, death, plague, and war.
These ugly things unfolded before her eyes.
People, in pursuit of peace of mind, chose to destroy the peace of others.
Such selfish actions.
So, she applied the wisdom in that person's words, made perfect and commendable choices among many judgments, and received praise from the people by putting herself in the perspective of humans and understanding their selfishness.
She set aside her compassion, thought from a human perspective, grasped people's selfishness, and reaped the praises of the people.
For her to achieve the current accomplishments, the teachings of that person were truly invaluable.
For her at this moment, being hailed as the king by everyone was already a foreseeable future. Whether she pulled out the sword or not didn't really matter.
Pulling out the Sword of Selection was just a process to declare legitimacy.
However, despite that.
Artoria still had a slight concern.
Could there be someone more suitable than herself to be the chosen king?
If there was...
Could he build a more peaceful kingdom?
"No one is born just to become a king, Artorius."
...That person's words.
Suddenly echoed in her mind.
However... on this occasion, he was not here.
Artoria, who was somewhat looking forward to it, felt a hint of disappointment in her heart.
But soon, she felt a little relieved.
Yes, this is better.
It's better if he doesn't come with so many knights.
What if his identity is exposed on the spot?
In that case, she might not be able to save his life...
"Lady Artoria, please draw the sword."
The Knight of the Sun Gawain, behind her, walked to the forefront of the lineup.
The handsome, golden-haired young man knelt on one knee, raised his hand in a standard gentleman's salute, and welcomed the girl on the steed.
"No one questions your qualifications. Please prove to Britain that you have the qualities of a king!"
"No, Sir Gawain."
"Before that..."
The golden-haired girl spoke lightly.
"You guys should try first."
The Knights of the Round Table behind her exchanged glances.
They couldn't help but nod silently.
Yes, Lady Artoria was indeed thoughtful.
If even the widely renowned Knights of the Round Table couldn't pull out the Sword of Selection.
Wouldn't that further prove the value and honor of her being the king?
"At your command, my lady."
The handsome golden-haired young man smiled, slightly bowed, and entered the square. Then, he gently grasped the hilt of the sword embedded in the stone.
"Hmm..."
Gawain suddenly exerted force, the blue veins on his wrists trembled slightly, and the monstrous strength was instantly applied to the hilt. Under the sunlight, he now had three times the strength.
However.
It didn't budge.
With his effort, the sword in the stone was only lifted slightly, making a faint grinding sound against the base.
This phenomenon had already caused the spectators outside the scene to exclaim.
Because almost all the knights before had almost no movement when attempting to pull out the sword.
He was the first person to move the hilt.
Truly worthy of being the Knight of the Sun!
However, although it was lifted slightly, more than half of the sword was still stuck in the base, far from being pulled out.
Gawain let go, and sighed slightly.
He had used all his strength with no reservation.
But indeed, he was still far from the realm of a king.
The Knight of the Sun failed.
However, the sword was proven to be movable.
Merlin didn't lie, and everyone's expectations for the final result grew stronger.
Gawain stepped back, and one by one, the Knights of the Round Table walked forward to try to pull out the sword.
They each used various force and techniques, and the sword was slightly loosened by each, but none surpassed the degree of Gawain's attempt.
It didn't matter, this was already enough.
Compared to everyone present, they had proven the value of the Knights of the Round Table.
So, is this the end...?
Artoria's deep green eyes watched this scene without any fluctuations in her expression.
"Well then, let me-"
As she was about to dismount.
A sudden, hoarse voice abruptly interrupted the lineup.
"...Sorry, may I pass through?"
Looking toward the source of the sound.
A figure clad in pitch-black armor, completely covered from head to toe, looked suspicious, suddenly appeared in everyone's sight.
No one noticed how he walked out.
By the time their nerves reacted, he was already standing at the forefront of the lineup.
As if he had been there from the beginning, previously just lacking presence.
Gawain raised his eyebrows, looking at the suspicious armored figure in front of him.
"Do you have any business, sir...?"
He couldn't quite understand the other's approach.
On a scorching day, who wears such thick armor covering the entire body without feeling hot?
Upon careful observation... the opponent's aura seemed ordinary, but the figure appeared tall and straight.
Wearing such armor that covered the entire body freely, the strength should be decent, right?
After Gawain's inquiry.
The dark knight immediately pointed to the Sword in the Stone in the square. His hoarse voice sounded like that of a middle-aged man with a touch of vicissitudes.
"Isn't it said... that anyone can pull out the sword?"
He calmly said,
"I want to try."
As the words fell silent.
The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat stagnant.
"…You?"
This suspicious figure abruptly entering the lineup already made Gawain feel slightly displeased.
With the words spoken, displeasure turned into annoyance.
Not only because his Round Table colleagues had just tried to pull out the sword, but what kind of character are you? How dare you come in and meddle.
More so because, it was clearly the moment when Lady Artoria was about to dismount...
You, interrupting the chance to shake hands with her, you scoundrel!
"Only a knight can pull out the sword."
So, Gawain questioned with a somewhat cold tone.
"What kind of knight are you?"
"A passing Kamen Rider."
"Pfft..."
This strange and unheard-of title of knight made the surrounding onlookers burst into laughter.
Kamen Rider?
Well... Gawain looked at the fully-covered armor and indeed, it matched the name.
However, the increasingly mocking atmosphere made the Knight of the Sun's expression turn gloomy accordingly.
The answer that came out, Gawain was already sure, this guy was doing it on purpose.
"Where did this attention-seeker come from."
His voice suddenly became louder.
"You suspicious character..."
"Let him pull, Sir Gawain."
The indifferent voice of the golden-haired girl came without a single fluctuation from the horseback.
"Haven't you heard what Merlin said?"
"As long as it's a knight, anyone can pull the Sword of Selection. Let him pull if he wants to. Harassing isn't the virtue of a knight."
"Yes..."
Gawain sighed, with a cold expression, he stepped aside, making way.
Lady Artoria was right.
As long as it's a knight who wants to pull the sword, it's Merlin's rule. Even this so-called Kamen Rider is no exception.
However...
Looking at the shrinking group of knights behind, no one would choose to embarrass themselves in front of the Knights of the Round Table.
This guy... if he can't even move the hilt, he'll looking forward to witnessing his embarrassment.
"Ah, thank you for your generosity..."
The hoarse, echoing voice came from under the armor.
For some reason, Gawain could sense a hint of sarcasm.
Generosity...
He slightly clenched his fist.
People were talking and watching this suspicious Kamen Rider walk to the center of the square. After scrutinizing for a moment, he gently grasped the hilt.
On the rooftop, Merlin also watched this interesting scene.
He wasn't worried that anyone other than Lily could pull out the sword.
Unconsciously, he had manipulated it. This sword was forged by the fairies.
To pull out this sword, it was irrelevant to strength. The main requirements were:
Not only must one have dragon blood...
But also possess the virtues worthy of ruling Britain, those of a king.
This virtue referred to the knight's conduct, justice, mercy, humility, sacrifice... and the like.
In other words, characters like the tyrant Vortigern, despite having dragon blood, were impossible to pull out the sword.
As for Alvin...
That guy, who was prone to killing and easily angered, no matter how skilled he was in swordsmanship, it was impossible for the Sword of Selection to recognize him.
There was no doubt.
If it were only the second condition, perhaps a few could be chosen from among these people.
But adding the restriction of the first condition, among those present, only Lily could possibly pull-
With a clang of metallic friction.
The prestigious Sword of Selection was gripped by the mysterious dark knight.
And then, he nonchalantly pulled it out.
Clang~
Although it was not a loud sound, it suddenly overwhelmed all the noise in the square. Everyone looked dumbfounded at the unnamed dark knight, and the scene fell into a deathly silence as if a pin could be heard dropping.
Merlin as if realizing the sky was falling, stood up in panic, and his weakened steps almost made him fall from the rooftop.
This can't be...
Artoria stared blankly, almost petrified, at this scene.
In her mind, the long-buried name surfaced.
"Ah, unexpectedly pulled it out..."
"I just wanted to try destroying the magecraft on it."
"'The one who holds this sword shall be the King of Britain'?"
"Really... a boring trick."
The hoarse, mocking voice came from under the helmet.
The dark knight raised his palm and slowly removed his helmet, revealing the face behind the mask.
In an instant.
Everyone on the square was stunned.
They stared blankly at the silver-haired young man before them, completely unable to utter a word.
In those gray eyes, it seemed as if all the melancholy in the world was brewing, and the excessively tall and slender figure resembled an unsheathed sword.
As well as that exquisitely carved charming face, as if possessing a bewitching magecraft that constantly invaded the consciousness of all onlookers.
Those lines, those contours.
Like a slow-stirring, strange vortex, making it impossible for people to look away, as if...
Enchanted, captivated.
The soft silver hair scattered in the wind.
He continued to smile as usual.
Just like his previous smile.
Equally warm, equally brilliant.
"Long time no see, Artoria."
