"We're finally here!"
Looking at the city walls before her, Artoria's eyes sparkled with excitement. "This is Camelot! The royal capital of Britain!"
"..." Artoria looked at Ian beside her. "Why aren't you reacting at all? Shouldn't you be excited at a time like this?"
"It smells bad. I don't like it here very much."
The simple assessment made Artoria realize Ian's attitude. Thinking about it, it was understandable. Wanting to draw the sword and become king was her own wish; he didn't care about it.
Just as Artoria was thinking this, she felt her hand being held tightly. It was Ian.
"Let's go."
"Eh?" Artoria hesitated for a moment before saying, "Didn't you say you don't like it here?"
"But you like it. That's enough."
"..." Artoria's gaze drifted away. She clutched her chest, which had been ravaged by Ian several times, and suddenly felt it was a pretty good deal. "Mmm, I understand."
In a slightly ambiguous atmosphere, the two arrived at the gates of Camelot.
"Halt—"
A soldier wielding a silver spear stopped them. "What is your business?"
"Um!" Artoria quickly explained. "We've come to the city to try and draw the sword!"
"..." "..."
The two soldiers looked at each other and then burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha! You, trying to draw the sword? You'd better not think about it! Plenty of big, burly men have come these past few days. With a frail body like yours, don't waste your time. Going home to farm would be more practical!"
"..."
Artoria's face flushed red. She knew the two soldiers were treating her this way because of her small stature. Damn it... They're looking down on me!
While the girl was fuming, Ian acted first. He said nothing, simply glaring at the two soldiers. Though he was unarmed and wearing ill-fitting clothes, the two soldiers felt a powerful killing intent. It was as if the boy before them could tear them to shreds in the next instant.
Reacting almost on pure survival instinct, the slightly stockier soldier raised his spear and pointed it at Ian. "What do you think you're doing?! D-don't think we'll be scared just because you're glaring at us! We're..."
The soldiers stopped mid-sentence. They were seeing an incredibly terrifying sight. Ian opened his mouth and bit down on the spear pointed at him. The grinding of teeth against the spearhead made an unsettling sound.
Crack—Crack—
Like the sound of chewing food. Before the soldiers' astonished eyes, Ian spat out the crushed iron shards and continued to glare at them with that ferocious gaze. If before it was survival instinct, now it felt like the word "death" had been carved onto their foreheads.
Artoria, of course, noticed the soldiers' panic. She quickly grabbed Ian and explained, "Um! My Ian here, he's had strong teeth since he was little! Don't be afraid!"
"..." The moment the words left her mouth, Artoria regretted them. It sounded way too ridiculous. But they didn't seem to dare to refute her. Right. Artoria secretly glanced at Ian. He was still panting heavily. Who would dare to say otherwise?
"Is that so? Strong teeth since he was little?" the soldier managed a strained smile. He knew the explanation was pure nonsense, but he couldn't refute it. More accurately, he didn't dare to. "I see."
"..." "..."
"Well, we're going in now!" Realizing they'd be stuck there all day otherwise, Artoria quickly took Ian's hand. "See you around!"
After a few steps, she turned back as if remembering something. "Um—please don't look down on anyone in the future. Someone might get very angry."
"Eh, oh... got it."
Under the dazed gazes of the soldiers, Artoria and Ian entered the city and stopped their carriage. The method was a bit unusual, but at least she had let off some steam. Artoria's mood improved considerably.
"Um—thank you, Ian. You were standing up for me just now, weren't you?"
"..."
"Mmm," Ian nodded. "I was very angry."
Artoria's eyes softened with affection. Knowing someone cared about you was something that couldn't help but feel warm. But Ian's next words brought her back to reality.
"Artoria smells so good."
"Hey! Are you evaluating me from a food perspective?!" Artoria put her hands on her hips, looking at Ian with dissatisfaction.
"But your chest does taste really good—"
The moment the boy said it, he felt his mouth being covered. It was, of course, the incredibly embarrassed Artoria.
"You're not allowed to say things like that outside! People will think you're a pervert! And you can't just get angry like that, it'll cause a lot of problems!"
CRACK-BOOM—
Just then, thunder rumbled in the sky.
"See!" Artoria seized the opportunity. "Even the heavens are getting angry now!"
"Really?" Ian looked up at the sky. The lightning that would make an ordinary person tremble seemed to hold no threat for him at all. On the contrary, with the lightning reflected in his eyes, he murmured to himself, "It's about the same when Mother gets angry."
"Eh?" Artoria suddenly felt that her understanding of Ian was still a bit lacking.
Meanwhile, in the Sea of Life.
Actually, to be precise, it wasn't "meanwhile" at all. This boundless ocean created by Tiamat existed completely outside of time and space. But because of this, the Sea of Life also had the potential to "link" to any era.
And right now, its master, Tiamat, was in a thunderous rage.
"Uraaaaaagh—! Ian, there must be other girls around you right now! Don't touch them... you'll fall into an endless abyss! Mama... will find you! Mama... remembers your scent!"
Tiamat writhed her body in the Sea of Life, looking anxious and pained. A storm brewed in the Sea of Life.
And in the skies of Britain, more thunder roared.
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