"Hyaaaaaah—"
Gripping a wooden sword, Artoria took on a charging stance. Her target was none other than Ian. However, unlike the girl who was armed, the boy was currently bare-fisted. It seemed to be a duel destined to be unequal.
Yet, when their two figures crossed, the result was the complete opposite of what it appeared.
Artoria, the one with the wooden sword, ended up on the ground. Ian, on the other hand, stood there in a victorious pose.
"I lost again..." Artoria lay on the ground, a look of frustration on her face. "Seriously, how are you so strong?!"
Just as the girl complained, although Ian was a dragon and not a knight-in-training like her, his performance in sword skills (or rather, combat) far exceeded her imagination. At first, she worried that a sword-versus-fist practice like this would hurt him. Later, she discovered that worry was completely unnecessary. That's right. She couldn't even hit him. It was like a child trying to harm an adult.
"You don't like this?" Ian asked, looking at Artoria lying on the ground.
"Of course I don't! It's too frustrating! It's like you're saying I'm not like a knight at all!" Artoria vented her feelings without reservation, only to witness an unexpected scene. Ian took her hand.
"What are you doing?" Artoria was bewildered.
"Making you happy—" the boy said. He then took Artoria's hand, along with the wooden sword in it, and tapped himself with it.
"Ah—" he feigned, "Artoria is so strong. I lose."
With a thump, Ian mimicked Artoria and fell to the ground.
"You..." Artoria couldn't help but laugh at the simple, unadorned act. "Haha~ Seriously, aren't you just tricking me?"
"But you laughed," Ian said with a serious expression. "Artoria, you look very beautiful when you smile."
"Eh..." Being praised like that by Ian, Artoria felt a little embarrassed. She gently twirled a strand of her golden hair with her finger. "Do I?"
"Yes," Ian nodded. "You look especially appetizing."
"..." Artoria shot Ian an annoyed look. She appreciated his directness, but at the same time, she felt helpless at how he ruined the atmosphere. Seriously! He's so handsome, why does he have this kind of personality?!
"Again!" Artoria scrambled to her feet. "I will definitely defeat you today!"
"Okay."
Ian was indeed an excellent training partner. As long as they agreed beforehand, he would adopt the most serious attitude. Of course, that also made him an extremely difficult opponent to defeat. But Artoria knew this was the kind of opponent she needed. There could be no slacking on the path to becoming a king.
And so, by dusk, Artoria was pouting. Ian was very responsible. So responsible that... she had lost until her head was numb. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it an education in frustration.
But just then, Ian bent down in front of her.
"Get on," he said. "You must be tired today."
"Eh..." Before Artoria's mind could even formulate a reply, her body moved as if wound up, climbing onto the boy's back.
Under the setting sun, the two of them strolled along the dirt path of the village. Ian's back was warm. That was what Artoria felt at this moment. And the hands holding her legs were so reliable and strong.
"Thank you," Artoria whispered in the boy's ear. "Not having to walk back myself... it makes me really happy."
"Then I'll carry you everywhere from now on."
"That's going too far!" Artoria quickly refused his offer. She knew that if she actually agreed, he would really do it. "Just once or twice is fine."
"Alright."
"..." "..."
The atmosphere grew silent for a moment. Feeling that this was a little awkward, Artoria quickly spoke up again. "By the way, is your mother a dragon too?"
"Yes." Recalling the image of his mother soaring through the sky, Ian nodded. "She's very strong, even stronger than me. But, she's also a very good mother."
"That..." Artoria thought for a moment. After confirming she couldn't quite imagine a dragon stronger than Ian, she asked another question. "In that case—if you came out like this, won't she be worried?"
"Of course she's worried. And..." The image of his mother, Tiamat, standing at the edge of the Sea of Life, flashed in Ian's mind. She had looked like she had lost her most precious thing and was on the verge of a complete rampage. "She... didn't actually want me to leave."
"So you came out without her knowing?!"
"You could say that."
"..." This was the first time Artoria had heard this. She had no doubts. Ian had no reason to lie to her about such things.
"Then, Ian, do you like it like this?"
"I like it very much," the boy answered without hesitation. "The outside world is even better than I imagined."
"Mmm... It would be even better if you were a girl. My mother said that 'girls are the most dangerous beings in the world.' She's especially worried about me interacting with girls, afraid that I'll be deceived."
"..." Artoria felt a little awkward. She had said "I'm not a girl" before because the old knight who raised her had told her never to reveal her gender, no matter what. She hadn't expected Ian to actually believe it. In that case... was he really just treating her like a buddy this whole time?
The moment she realized this, Artoria felt a flicker of sadness. But she quickly said, "Well, that's a shame... But even if I'm not a girl, I can still help explain things to her when the time comes, right?!"
"Really?"
"Probably..." Artoria's confidence dwindled as she spoke. "Oh, forget it! Don't worry about that, maybe I'll turn into a girl by then!"
"Is that possible?"
"Who knows!"
Fooling around all the way, Artoria was carried home on Ian's back. And it became a snapshot of the girl's life to come. Train, and then defeat him! Everything seemed so simple.
Until... the prophecy of the new king was interpreted in detail.
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