Chapter 84: Answers and Delusion
Artorius nodded and then turned to the people he had brought along.
"Now, everyone, please share your thoughts too about my question earlier—what are the things you are willing to sacrifice for? Would you be willing to sacrifice your life for that?"
"Of course!"
Mordred was the first to speak up, saying, "I'm willing to give everything for my big brother!"
Without hesitation, and even with a touch of pride, she confidently addressed Artorius, saying, "Whether it's my life or anything else, whatever it may be, I'm willing to do it for my big brother!"
"...Thank you, Little Mo."
Upon hearing Mordred's words, although Artorius already knew her feelings, he still smiled gently and affectionately stroked Mordred's hair, thanking her tenderly.
He didn't expect all his colleagues, subordinates, and allies to have the same determination as her.
As long as they could fight side by side with him, that was enough.
The reasons for fighting together were not too important.
Whether it was for ideals, ambitions, or even for themselves, as long as they could lend their strength to him, it was enough.
Of course, during this process, Artorius would also impart wisdom to them and lead by example, helping them understand right from wrong.
Given enough time and Artorius's influence, they too could become human warriors and heroes with purposes and a sense of responsibility, just like how he changed after the Holy Grail incident.
Mordred was like that, and Gareth was undoubtedly the same.
After Mordred spoke up and gave her answer, Gareth looked at how Artorius praising Mordred. She couldn't help but feel a sense of frustration and disappointment when witnessing them.
'Ahh... Mordred got ahead of me again.'
Gareth couldn't help but think that way and involuntarily recalled two years ago, when she eagerly followed Artorius to Europe, the day after their first victory and after the banquet.
Because Artorius woke up late, she became curious and worried and went to wake him up. However, she discovered that Mordred was already inside his tent.
At that time, the wolf girl was still unclear and didn't fully understand. But today, two years later, she understood completely.
However...
"I'm the same."
Gareth said her answer to Artorius. Although she believed that her beliefs and willpower would never lose to Mordred, it didn't matter.
Everyone always remembers the first place, the one who receives praise, but who remembers the second place?
So, after saying those words, she felt very disheartened. It wasn't until Artorius reached out his hand and gently stroked her hair and met her confused gaze.
"I understand."
He kindly said to Gareth.
"I understand your feelings, Gareth."
"..."
'Ahh... so he knows my feelings...'
'...He responded to my feelings!'
In an instant, the heart of the wolf girl was filled with excitement and thrill.
While comforting the girl, Artorius exchanged a glance with Artoria. They had reached such a level of understanding that everything went unspoken.
She didn't need to express her feelings; Artorius could understand her heart.
If Morgan were to witness this scene, she would undoubtedly be seething with jealousy.
The once vengeful enchantress, the mad and wicked witch, had pretty much lost her edge by now.
Perhaps she would continue to struggle and make some fuss in the future.
But the chances of her success were infinitely close to zero.
As for the present, she was currently locking eyes with Vivian, locked in a staring contest. Meeting enemies only fueled greater resentment, especially when old grudges and new enmity were combined.
Old grudges were easy to understand; Morgan and Vivian had always had a terrible relationship. It was the kind of love-hate bond.
Vivian represented the Lady of the Lake, while Morgan was the opposite of the Lady of the Lake. Their relationship was like ice and fire, good and evil, Jedi and Sith, Harry Potter and Voldemort. They were destined to walk different paths, destined to be archenemies.
As for the new enmity, it dates back to just a few minutes ago.
Before heading to the Land of Shadows, Artorius had first met up with Vivian in Avalon.
Upon seeing Vivian, her eyes were immediately fixated on Artorius, ignoring everyone else. She rushed towards him as usual, attempting to embrace him while making strange noises, wanting to welcome the attractive boy with the usual 'face wash'.
Artoria: "?!"
Mordred: "???"
Gareth: "??????"
Among the Pendragon women, the one who was closest to Artorius and reacted the fastest was Morgan.
She stepped forward, positioning herself in front of Artorius, shielding him.
"Morgan le Fay?"
Seeing her archenemy, Vivian quickly entered a state of readiness. Morgan was almost the same. She looked at Vivian pouncing towards Artorius and felt very displeased. In return, Vivian watched as Morgan shielded Artorius and felt a similar itch of hatred.
"How could you... How could you do this?" Vivian said with anger.
"What did I do? What's wrong with it?" Morgan said smugly.
Although it wasn't actually the case, it didn't stop Morgan from assuming a triumphant pose.
This attitude made Vivian even angrier.
"Damn you! You, how dare you! Let go of Artorius!"
"What if I don't?"
As Morgan was about to continue enjoying her dominance and delightful moment, she suddenly realized that Artorius had disappeared.
To be more precise, he had positioned himself between the two of them.
And he was floating, at a height higher than Morgan and Vivian, allowing him to overlook them condescendingly.
"Have you two had enough of your fussing?!"
The majesty and aura of the Dragon King immediately silenced the two embarrassed big sisters.
"Is this the time to be fooling around?"
"But..."
"Artorius..."
"No 'buts'! Today is the first day of our plan to usurp fate, and I don't want any unexpected incidents! Otherwise, you know what will happen." He glanced at Morgan and then at Vivian.
Seeing that both of them had fallen silent, although there was still some reluctance, they managed to maintain a fake and superficial sisterly appearance. Artorius nodded in satisfaction.
"Very well." Artorius said, smiling. "Now, let's shake hands."
With a smile, he took hold of Morgan and Vivian's hands. He forcibly brought the reluctant Ladies of the Lake together, making them clasp hands and reconcile. They could only make silly faces like children when Artorius couldn't see.
"Morgan."
"Kuh?! W-What?"
Upon hearing Artorius's emotionless voice, Morgan couldn't help but shiver like a mouse hearing a cat's meow.
"Do you have an answer to my question?" Artorius looked at her, noticing that she hadn't been paying serious attention, but he didn't mind. He repeated the question.
When it came to this matter, Artoria accepted him as he was, while Mordred and Gareth regarded him with great respect. As for the Knights of the Round Table, Artorius had the ability to ensure their loyalty.
However, it wasn't enough to have good people; Artorius also needed a sample of the bad.
And among the people he knew, Morgan was the worst. He was eagerly anticipating her response.
Sure enough, after Artorius asked the question, Morgan gave him a look as if to say—Are you an idiot? How is that possible?
Then she spoke in a manner befitting a villain.
"The most important thing in this world is one's own life. How could there be anything more important than that? Sacrifice? No way."
"I see."
Morgan's words didn't surprise Artorius.
Indeed, not everyone in this world is willing to sacrifice their life for something.
That was only natural and didn't disappoint him, he was like that before.
'Everything is within my calculations. I can confide in those who share the same ideals, but for someone like Morgan, I can only use power, authority, and self-interest to win her over and exploit her.'
That's what Artorius thought, while Morgan began to doubt herself. She secretly felt that she might have misspoken.
'What does he mean by asking me this question? Could it be that he's testing me...?'
As she pondered, Morgan carefully observed Artorius.
While the Dragon King remained calm internally and maintained a serious demeanor on the surface, Morgan wasn't Artoria, so she couldn't read his inner thoughts, only noticing his serious expression.
'Indeed, he is testing me.'
She further contemplated—what was he testing her for? By asking this question, could it be...
With these thoughts in mind, Morgan entered a state of imagination, trying to figure out the reason behind his test.
'He asked me what is more important than life...'
'What could be more important than life?'
'Why did he ask me this question?'
'Could it be...?'
'Could it be that he likes me?!'
Morgan was surprised, flustered, and struggled to accept it. She interpreted Artorius's question as a veiled confession of love.
'No, no, calm down, Morgan le Fay.'
She continued to say to herself.
'Although all the evidence points to the option 'he likes me,' it's not absolute.'
'So, I need to sort out my thoughts and think carefully.'
Artorius: Is there anything more important than life?
Morgan: Life is precious, but love is even more valuable.
Artorius: Then who do you love, Morgan le Fay?
Morgan: It's you, silly~
Artorius: Oh, stop it, Morgan, don't tease me.
Morgan: No, really, I really like you, Artorius...
Artorius: Morgan...
Morgan: Artorius...
And then, a happy ending.
Morgan's contemplation came to an end.
"Hmhmhmgh..."
"Hmm?"
Artorius prepared to proceed, but he heard strange laughter coming from beside him. He turned to see Morgan with a twisted expression as if struggling to hold back her laughter. It puzzled him.
'What's wrong with her? Why is she laughing in such a bizarre manner so suddenly? Has she gone insane? She's always been a shady and wicked woman. The only thing she's good for is her intellect. If her mind deteriorates any further, she'll be of no use for my plan.'
Artorius was concerned, but Morgan didn't notice. She was still immersed in her own world, with an uplifted mood and an increased pace of imaginative thoughts.
'What a stubborn guy (tsundere). He likes me but doesn't dare to say it directly, so he expresses it with these puzzling questions. Really, I'm fortunate to be intelligent. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to decipher his eccentric confession.'
'Honestly, this guy, if he wants to confess, he should be more straightforward and show more affection.'
'Just say it directly like—'Morgan, I like you!' Then dive into my arms and nuzzle against me.'
'Seriously, he's such a gentle and handsome boy. He shouldn't be wearing that wicked smile all the time, pretending to be a villain boss... Oh, right, he actually is a villain boss... But wait—yes, my answer...'
At this point, Morgan suddenly realized that her answer wasn't appropriate.
She answered Artorius's question with—"The most important thing in this world is one's own life."
By doing so, she had essentially rejected his confession, hadn't she?
'?!?!'
'What did I do?!'
'Does that mean...?!'
'I just...'
Morgan realized that she had just sabotaged her own happiness.
She could have had a happy ending with Artorius, living together in bliss, experiencing various moments every day. Together, they could have conquered the world, eliminating all the scum who dared to oppose them...
If only she had just told him—"Even a woman like me has something more important than my own life."
But she didn't.
'Fool! Why didn't I think it through?!'
'No, no, I need to calm down. There might still be a chance to fix the situation. First, let's see his reaction.'
With these thoughts, Morgan carefully observed Artorius.
Although Artorius's current expression seemed normal, just like the usual sunny and innocent youth, but with an additional aura of majesty. However, there existed the idiom of 'suspect the neighbor of stealing an axe.' {T/N: An idiom of being subjective instead of objective and giving judgment without evidence and facts.}
That idiom represented Morgan right now. In short, she was delusional.
Morgan, who had something on her mind, couldn't help but feel that Artorius was concealing his disappointment. If it weren't for the dignity of his eventual leader status, he would have already covered his face and burst into tears.
'He actually likes me so much...'
'Ohh, what should I do? What should I do? Morgan, happiness is within your reach, but now it seems that the door to happiness is closing! Should I save my face or my happiness?!'
Then, she came to a decision.
"Just a moment!" Morgan hastily said.
"...Is there something else?" Artorius asked puzzled.
"Actually, earlier, my answer to your question wasn't honest."
"?" Artorius looked at Morgan with a somewhat strange expression. "So...?"
"So... what I mean is..."
She looked at Artorius seriously and delivered the lines she had already rehearsed in her mind.
"Even a woman like me has something more important than my own life."
"..."
After saying these words, Morgan gazed earnestly at Artorius. It wasn't until he broke into a smile, blossoming like a thousand flowers, that she breathed a sigh of relief.
"I understand... Thank you for the answer."
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