The first light of dawn broke over the horizon. The downpour, which had been expected to last all night, seemed to have stopped in the middle of the night, leaving behind only damp air and muddy earth.
Aozaki Rin opened his eyes, a slight frown on his small face, his expression somewhat pained.
It wasn't because of the wound on his back, but rather because a steadily increasing pressure was forcefully pressing him into something warm, soft, and elastic, making it a little hard for him to breathe.
As if sensing the boy's struggles, Artoria, who was wearing only an inner shirt and trousers and was covered by a rough leather blanket, finally woke up.
"En? Are you okay?! Does your wound still hurt? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere else?"
Seeing the boy regain consciousness with a normal complexion, Artoria let out a heavy sigh of relief. She subconsciously moved to lift the boy's clothes to check the wound on his back, her eyes filled with concern.
The reason the two of them were currently sleeping in an embrace was that after the boy was injured and then caught in the rain yesterday, the girl had been worried about his body temperature dropping and had decided to hold him while they slept to maintain his warmth.
After all, the boy had been injured entirely because of her.
"I'm fine... but, could you let me go first, Sister? Your chest... there's something hard pressing against me..."
Feeling as if some kind of hard object was digging into his chest, Aozaki Rin tried to shift his position, but the girl's embrace hadn't loosened yet. He could only speak, slightly out of breath.
"Wh-What... It's pressing into you?!"
Unsure what he was implying, Artoria's anxious and concerned face instantly stiffened. But she quickly realized what was happening and hastily let go of the boy she had been subconsciously clutching.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to, En. By the way, are you really... huh? What's this?"
Before the girl could finish her flustered words, she saw an object that had presumably been wedged between them fall out lightly, causing her to freeze for a moment.
"It's okay," Aozaki Rin said, shaking his head as he caught his breath. But when he didn't hear a response from the girl, he asked in confusion.
"What's wrong, Sister?"
"...I think something very serious has happened, En!"
Staring at the object lying quietly between them, Artoria blinked. Coming back to her senses, she cried out in disbelief.
"Merlin, b-bad news! I think En just gave birth to a sword—!!!"
Outside the cave, Merlin, who had been leisurely sipping a cup of freshly boiled hot water while enjoying the pleasant scenery of the sun gradually emerging from the clouds, instantly spat out all the liquid in his mouth upon hearing the cry.
"Pfft—! Ah... hot, hot. What the hell?"
Hastily patting away the scalding liquid that had splashed onto him, even a seasoned being like Merlin now wore a bewildered expression that said, "I couldn't have heard that right, could I?"
Of course, no matter how puzzled he was, Merlin, along with Kay, who had a similarly squinty, confused look on his face, rushed back into the cave.
"So, this is the 'sword he gave birth to' that you were talking about? I'm telling you, Lily, do you really think people can give birth to swords?"
Merlin looked at Artoria with a speechless expression, then at the longsword that was now resting in the boy's arms—a sword that had certainly not been with their party before. After a moment, he sighed as if his heart was weary.
"Sorry, I was just a little too anxious just now..."
Artoria now realized she had spoken without thinking, and the tips of her ears turned slightly red as she lowered her head.
"...Forget it. Anyway, if it's alright, could you let me take a look at this sword, En?"
"Mhm."
Having no reason to refuse, Aozaki Rin handed the longsword directly to Merlin. He was just as confused about the sword's appearance, though he had a faint suspicion. But in his mind, that should have just been a dream.
The moment Merlin took the longsword, he knew its weight and feel. He couldn't help but sigh in admiration. A fine sword.
He carefully examined the sword in his hand. Its blade was long and slender, yet not flimsy. It had a traditional cross-guard, and a reddish-purple gem was embedded in its pommel. He discovered a line of text engraved on the blade.
"Durandal... The Peerless Sword?"
Sensing that there was something contained within the sword, Merlin handed it back to the boy and asked with a serious expression.
"En, do you really not have any clue as to this sword's origin?"
"I don't know its origin. But I had a strange dream last night."
"A dream?"
"Mhm. I dreamed that a person with wings gave me this sword."
"Wings? An angel..."
Merlin muttered to himself, a flash of surprise in his eyes. He stared at the boy intently for a moment, thinking that perhaps it was just a coincidence. Then he smiled, his tone light.
"Well, isn't that great? Just like the knights in stories who all have their own special sword, the fact that this sword appeared by your side means it has chosen you. From now on, you should use it well."
"...I understand."
After a moment's hesitation, Aozaki Rin nodded.
He had been hesitant to use something of unknown origin, but since Merlin had confirmed it was fine and he happened to be in need of a weapon, there was no reason to refuse.
Holding Durandal, Aozaki Rin stood up and walked to the mouth of the cave. He swung the longsword a few times, performing a few flourishes, and felt increasingly satisfied with the weapon. He could feel that this time, this sword would not be broken so easily.
After admiring the boy's simple yet precise and skillful swordsmanship, Merlin's lips curled into a smile. But at the same time, he thought of a certain student of his, and his smile immediately soured. He turned his head to look at Artoria.
"Lily, next time something like this happens, try not to overreact. Even when faced with an incomprehensible situation, you must remain calm. That is what a king should do."
"I get it, I really get it, can we please drop this topic now!?"
Artoria looked both embarrassed and annoyed. Since a moment ago, her brother Kay had been standing to the side, laughing at what she had said, threatening to turn it into a new British joke.
"Alright, alright, I get it."
Seeing that the girl was genuinely about to get angry, Merlin quickly stopped talking.
"Still, what you said earlier really gave me a shock, Sister. Because, can't boys give birth to children? I thought I remembered wrong... Also, don't you have to kiss first before you can have a baby?"
Aozaki Rin stopped his movements, a pure smile on his face. He really had been too shocked by the girl's words to react earlier.
Looking at the pure, innocent smile on the boy's small face, for a moment, the other three instantly fell into silence.
After a long pause, Merlin finally let out a dry laugh and spoke.
"No, you remembered correctly. Yes. It's good that you continue to believe that. Also, about that night at the inn... I was wrong, En."
So surprised by the boy's level of innocence that he felt a rare pang of guilt, Merlin offered a sincere apology.
"Huh? What do you mean? And... Sister, why are you sighing?"
Aozaki Rin frowned, blinking in confusion. Hearing the girl's low sigh, he became even more puzzled.
"It's nothing. I just feel that compared to you, En, my thoughts are a little too dirty, I'm sorry..."
Without offering much of an explanation, Artoria didn't think it was appropriate to give her adoptive brother a lesson in biology and simply turned her face away.
With both of them saying strange things, Aozaki Rin had no choice but to turn to the third person.
"Sir Kay..."
"I'm going to go make breakfast."
Throwing out that sentence, Kay walked out of the cave in just a few quick steps.
Aozaki Rin stood there, stunned for a moment. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt as if he was being "ostracized."
But the feeling came as quickly as it went. Although he was confused, he didn't believe that the knowledge he had been taught was wrong.
After all, that was what his sister from the real world, Aoko Aozaki, had told him.