Ian's warning put Artoria on high alert. Soon, she sensed the disturbance he had mentioned. That's right. Although the surroundings seemed as calm as before, something had indeed infiltrated the area unnoticed.
"Stay hidden, Artoria," the boy said, placing her inside the carriage.
"Ian, you—"
"Don't worry about me. I am a descendant of Tiamat."
Crack—Crack—
The sound of cracking joints filled the air as Ian limbered up. The long years of immersion in the Sea of Life had already strengthened his body tremendously.
"Over here?"
A red light flashed in Ian's eyes, followed by a punch brimming with power. Artoria was astonished. To her, it looked like he was punching at thin air. But the next moment, she witnessed an unbelievable sight. A sinister black figure appeared exactly where the boy's fist landed, as if it had run right into the punch.
In an instant, the shadow was twisted out of shape by the dragon's blow and vanished from the girl's sight.
"Ian, what was that?"
"I don't know." Ian's blood-red eyes scanned the surroundings. "But they smell very bad. And they seem to have a problem with you."
"Eh?" Artoria was taken aback. She hadn't expected these shadows to harbor any hostility towards her. "Ian, then we should run!"
"Run? Why run?" A puff of hot air escaped Ian's mouth. With another lunge, the boy once again struck another shadow exactly where it was about to appear. "That will only make them think we're prey. We have to turn it around—make them feel like they are the prey. Just wait, Artoria."
A fierce gust of wind swept past, causing the bonfire to flicker. Finally, the light from the flames was extinguished completely. Inside the carriage, Artoria heard a long, drawn-out roar. She couldn't see what it was, but she could feel it was Ian's voice. The voice from her dreams was just like this!
The girl's intuition was correct. The moment the bonfire went out, Ian's body began to change. If his usual form, the one that shared skin-to-skin contact with the girl, was his side that accepted humanity, and the great dragon from her dreams that dispersed the flowery figure was the side nurtured by Tiamat, then his current self was somewhere in between. He had a tail, and sharp claws and fangs. But his face still retained the features Artoria could recognize. Not fully a dragon, but not fully human either.
In the silent night, his blood-red eyes were the only light. Before him, the dark shadows began to gather. A fierce battle was inevitable.
Chaotic noises erupted outside. Artoria knew he was protecting her. Unable to do much, the girl clutched her chest. Right now... my heart is beating so fast...
An unknown amount of time passed.
The first ray of morning sun shone into the carriage. Artoria woke up, rubbing her eyes. In an instant, she remembered yesterday's sudden attack.
"Hey, how did I fall asleep?! I mean—"
"Because you were sleepy." The boy's figure appeared nearby, interrupting her.
Upon seeing him, Artoria's face flushed crimson. She turned her head away. "Where are your clothes?! Hurry up and put them on!"
"They're ruined."
"Ruined...?" Artoria peeked her head out of the carriage and saw a shocking sight. With the carriage as the center, the surrounding trees were almost all bent over. If the trees were like this, it went without saying what happened to his clothes.
"Ian, did you do all this?" Artoria felt her pupils quake.
"Not all of it. Those bad-smelling things had some strength too."
"Then—" Artoria was about to speak when her eyes noticed the wounds on his body. Without hesitation, she said, "Come here."
"Hmm?"
"I said come here, hurry up—"
"Alright."
Inside the carriage, the wounded Ian sat face-to-face with Artoria.
"Idiot, why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"
"It wasn't necessary."
"How could it not be necessary?" Artoria unbuttoned her own clothes. If last night was passive, now, she was being proactive. "You said you would protect me... Then I have an obligation to provide for your basic needs, right? Today—" Artoria looked directly at the boy before her, her cheeks burning. "—you can be a little more excessive. Drinking something will help you recover faster, right? Mmm... it's happily decided, then. It'll make up for last night, too."
Artoria had clearly underestimated Ian's feelings for her. The moment she finished speaking, she was pounced upon. It was the feeling of being turned into food, to be chewed at will. But only this could be worthy of the heart that was determined to protect her, right?
The carriage began to rock.
Meanwhile, in the royal capital of Britain, Camelot.
A girl with a slight resemblance to Artoria stood on the balcony of her room. Her expression, however, was terrifying.
The girl's name was Morgan, the eldest daughter of King Uther. According to the traditional line of succession, she should have been the next ruler of Britain. But... everything was ruined.
Artoria. That girl, her sister in name only, had been secretly designated as the heir by that damn father of theirs. The King Selection Ceremony was just a formality. That sword was destined to be drawn only by her.
What was this?! What in the world was this?! She wasn't inferior to that country girl in any way, was she?
Jealousy and pain twisted her heart. Britain was hers, all of it was hers. Artoria had to be eliminated!
But... but why did that happen—
Recalling the half-human, half-dragon being she had encountered while "manipulating" the shadows under conditions of absolute secrecy, Morgan clenched her fists. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead.
What is that monster... How could it so easily erase the shadows I created?
Unable to figure it out, Morgan began to doubt her own sanity.
"Artoria," she seethed, "what have you summoned?"
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