Muramasa's questioning made Ariel quiet. She clearly hadn't thought deeply about why she wanted to be king.
For her, the reason to become king was simply because she was a princess.
If she couldn't become king, she would lose her reason for being a princess. Her future would become meaningless, and she might even be married off to another country for political reasons, living a pointless life.
You could say the desire to become king in Ariel's heart mostly came from outside pressures. She herself never really believed in becoming king.
And acting without belief, as Muramasa said, is like forging a sword without deciding its shape.
If you can't even decide the shape, the weapon you make will just be an empty shell, unable to be truly strong.
"I understand what you mean, Master Muramasa."
Ariel realized what she was missing and bowed respectfully to Muramasa. She acted like she was facing her teacher, saying sincerely, "Your words have truly opened my eyes, like seeing the sun through the clouds. Thank you for your guidance."
"If you've been taught, then leave as soon as possible. This isn't a place you should stay."
Muramasa said quietly.
This wasn't just him speaking as Muramasa, but also as Shirou himself.
Whether it was about Ariel becoming king, or for Shirou's own peace, Ariel shouldn't stay in the Boreas family.
She should leave for the capital as soon as possible.
That would be best for everyone.
"Okay, Master Muramasa."
Ariel was now full of thanks and respect for Muramasa, not at all disrespectful. But then she looked a little confused, "Actually, I have another question. Why does Master Muramasa stay in Boreas? With your strength, you could easily gain great power and status in any group. Why hide in this unknown place?"
Ariel was clearly trying to win Muramasa over.
She really wanted to get a blacksmith of Muramasa's level to work for her.
But Ariel knew that someone like Muramasa probably didn't want anything. Compared to most people, his reasons for existing were likely very simple, and it would take a hard-to-understand desire to make him act.
As a princess, Ariel had seen many people with great abilities like Muramasa who had lost their desire for power and status.
A good example was the current Sword God.
As the strongest Swordsman in the world, the Sword God never had anything to do with any country, always staying alone at the top of the Sword Sanctuary.
Only when the human race was threatened would the Sword God draw his long-unused sword and destroy the powerful demons invading the continent.
Muramasa was the greatest blacksmith of the human race. At least, Ariel thought he didn't need anything.
But, the only thing that might be attracting Muramasa was Boreas.
Ariel had always wondered why the blacksmith Muramasa was hiding in the Boreas family, and it seemed like even the Boreas family didn't know Muramasa was there.
There must be a special reason for this strange thing.
If she could find out the reason, she might have a chance to understand Muramasa and win over this strongest blacksmith of the human race.
"..."
On the other side, hearing Ariel's question, Shirou was clearly in trouble.
After all, he was staying in Boreas because he was personally in Boreas, and so the Muramasa identity he created wouldn't leave either.
But he obviously couldn't tell Ariel his real identity.
That made it hard for him to give a good explanation for why Muramasa would stay in Boreas Castle.
After thinking about it, Shirou continued, speaking as Muramasa, "Reason? Is that important? No matter the surroundings, a true blacksmith can forge a sharp sword and move towards the highest level."
"I... I understand."
Ariel was even more impressed after hearing that.
As expected of a master, every word was full of wisdom.
His words not only answered her question, but also indirectly told her that a true strong person wouldn't be changed by their surroundings. They should be able to calmly deal with any situation.
But, Ariel also felt a little sad.
Because Muramasa's words meant he wasn't staying in Boreas Castle for any special reason, but just happened to be there, nothing more.
Although a true strong person should be so open-minded.
But when he was so without needs, Ariel still felt a little disappointed, because it meant it would be hard for her to get such a strong blacksmith.
But, Ariel still didn't give up completely. She couldn't help asking, "Master Muramasa, do you think I have a chance to become queen? If I find a reason to become queen, would you be willing to help me?"
Ariel didn't want to miss this chance, so even though it might have been too forceful and not polite enough, she tried to ask her question.
She didn't want to regret it later.
"..."
Muramasa was quiet after Ariel's question.
For him, helping Ariel wasn't worth the risk.
After all, Ariel's chances of becoming king were too low. She didn't have the strength to fairly compete with her brothers.
Most likely, Ariel would lose the fight and have to give up the throne and move far away.
Or even worse, she could die in the fight.
If you only looked at the benefits, helping Ariel wasn't worth it at all. But the risks were nearly endless.
After all, Ariel's opponents were the other two princes, who were stronger and had more power, including Darius.
No normal person would think Ariel could become the queen of Asura. She would likely die in the fight. Unless you were completely greedy or liked Ariel's personality, no one would help her.
But, Muramasa, or Shirou, wasn't just thinking about benefits and risks.
For him, even if it was very unlikely that Ariel would become king, it was still worth doing.
After all, if he could help Ariel come to power, he would be getting rid of people like Darius. Although Ariel wouldn't be completely righteous, she wouldn't ignore evil things.
And, Shirou couldn't just watch Ariel die on the road to becoming king.
He had spent some time with Ariel, and had become good friends with this playful but good princess.
If Ariel died on the road to becoming king and he didn't give her any help, Shirou would definitely feel endless regret.
Whether it was to do what he thought was right, or to help Ariel as a friend and not let her die, Shirou couldn't refuse to give Ariel any help.
After thinking about all of this, Shirou went back to being Muramasa and slowly said in a cold and calm voice, "If you find a reason that makes you want to become king, and that reason makes me happy, I can help you, and even forge the weapon you need."
"Really, really!?"
Ariel looked up in disbelief. She couldn't imagine that she could really get help from Muramasa, the strongest blacksmith of the human race.
This was too good to be true.
Only after Muramasa said it again did Ariel realize that she might have really gotten Muramasa's approval.
"But, don't be too happy yet. I said, I need you to find a reason that makes me happy, and you must spend your whole life reaching that goal. Only then can I give you help, using the sword I forge to become your strength, Princess Ariel."
"I, I understand!"
Ariel nodded firmly at Muramasa's words.
She couldn't describe how excited she was. While trying her best to stay calm and not jump around, she quickly said goodbye.
Although Muramasa had given conditions, for Ariel, who hadn't expected much, just having a little hope of getting Muramasa's help was a big step on her road to becoming king.
That's how valuable a top blacksmith is.
At the same time, after Ariel left completely, Shirou couldn't help but take a deep breath and stop pretending to be Muramasa.
Just like when he pretended to be Servant Emiya and tricked Eris, he always felt a little guilty when he played a role like this.
But he knew he had no choice. If people found out that he was Muramasa, it would not only cause him great trouble, but also bring great disaster to his family and friends.
If he wanted to tell the truth in the future, he had to make sure he had the power to defeat all enemies and protect everyone.
Before that, he could only pretend to be someone else to try not to be discovered, and secretly protect the people he wanted to protect.
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