The area behind the school building was a wide, empty lot. Typically, no one came here unless they were confessing their feelings to a crush.
Usually, it was just a quiet, vacant space.
"So? What exactly did you want to talk about, Pendragon-san?"
Naoki asked with curiosity.
Stopping and turning, Artoria looked at Naoki. "There's no need to use such formalities here, right? Master, just call me Lia like usual."
"Like usual?" Naoki frowned. "Have… we met before?"
"Huh? Master forgot?"
"Forgot what?"
Seeing Naoki's confused expression, Artoria grew puzzled—initially, she thought Naoki was pretending not to know her because Manaka and the others were around, but now it seemed… he'd lost his memories?
(But didn't Rei say his consciousness was only asleep?)
Naoki, meanwhile, was experiencing a similar situation.
Artoria Pendragon—since earlier, he'd felt a strange familiarity with her name, yet he couldn't recall ever meeting her or having any memories of her.
Silence began to settle between them.
After staring at Naoki and pondering for a moment, Artoria sighed slightly. "I understand. It seems you truly don't remember me. In that case, allow me to introduce myself again. I'm Artoria Pendragon, a knight tasked by your parents to protect you. We met a few times ten years ago. I thought you'd still remember me, but it seems you've forgotten."
"Huh?"
Like a computer with high latency, after a long pause, Naoki clutched his head and quickly stepped back. "Hold on, let me process this… You were sent by my parents?"
"Yes."
"To protect me?"
Artoria nodded.
"But I've never been in any danger."
"If we wait for danger to strike, it's already too late. There have actually been several crises lurking around you, Master. I came to protect you from those crises."
"Crises lurking… Is this a plot you ripped from a novel?"
Naoki's sudden remark left Artoria stunned.
A novel? A plot?
"What's that?"
"Huh? It's not? I thought you were a chunibyo, fantasizing about some grand crisis in the world and that I'm the one who can save it, so you're here to protect me… something like that. It's not?"
"…"
Artoria didn't know how to respond. In her mind, a series of laughs echoed.
[I can't hold it in. Naoki in his school days was like this… He's the hidden chunibyo?]
[Saving the world… In a way, that's not wrong.]
[Brother ten years ago was like this…]
Through the Magecraft linked to her consciousness, Artoria could clearly hear the voices of several people in the real world.
(Everyone, please be serious. This concerns Master's safety—Merry, what should we do in this situation?)
[True, if you tell him the truth now, the King won't believe it. Just share part of it for now, and the rest when the crisis hits. It's coming soon anyway, right, Rei?]
[Hm, based on Lia's timeline there, the first one will happen tonight. But Lia, you can't use any powers there. Remember, you need to stay with Master to fight.]
(I understand.)
Share part of the truth first?
Artoria adjusted her words briefly and said, "I'm not a chunibyo, Master. There really is a crisis. To put it simply… [Monsters]."
"Now you're ripping off Ultraman?" Naoki rubbed his forehead. "Pendragon-san, if possible, can we head to the cafeteria first? By the way, your chunibyo level is pretty low. The chunibyos I know even create their own original settings."
"This isn't chunibyo, Master—I know it's hard for you to believe, but regardless, you'll understand tonight."
"Tonight?"
"At the Mion River, a [monster] will appear tonight."
She even has a prophecy now?
Naoki gave a wry smile. "Pendragon-san, the settings you've piled onto yourself… aren't they a bit much? A knight, Ultraman, a prophet—so many settings, can you even keep track of them?"
(He still doesn't believe me.)
Artoria sighed in resignation. "That's all I'll say for now. The rest, I'll explain to Master after we defeat the monster tonight. I'll take my leave."
"Hey, wait, don't you need to tour the school?"
"No worries. On my way here, I already memorized the school's layout. Natsukawa, go have lunch with Sajyou. Making a lady wait too long isn't gentlemanly."
"Aren't you the one who dragged me out here?"
Naoki scoffed, turning to leave, when Artoria's voice came again. "Oh, by the way, about Sajyou… I'd like to hear your thoughts on her, Natsukawa. What kind of person is she? Especially to you."
"What kind of person is Manaka to me?"
Pausing, Naoki stood in place and thought for a moment. "It's hard to say. If I had to… Someone who makes me feel at ease when she's by my side—something like that."
"I see."
After watching Naoki leave, Artoria connected her consciousness to the communication Magecraft.
(First contact went like this, Merry…)
[Rei, explain why the King feels that way about Manaka-chan?]
[I don't know how my other self arranged it. Maybe she replaced Gray's impression in Master's mind?]
[Cheating, that method's too cheating!]
[But in that setting, Master and my other self have been childhood friends for ten years, so it's not strange for him to feel that way.]
[Forcing closeness like this is totally unfair!]
(…)
Silently cutting off the communication, Artoria sighed slightly—it seemed the others couldn't be relied on for now.
"Regardless, I'll make some preparations for tonight's battle."