FATE: The Man with Divine Keys

Artoria took a deep breath, her eyes filled with determination.

"Teacher, I've realized something. You're right; I wasn't prepared to become a king, nor am I capable of leading the country. I'm still far from being a qualified king. That's why, I hope to follow behind you and learn the true wisdom of becoming the ideal king."

"Teacher, please, on my behalf, pull the sword from the stone!"

"..."

Making Artoria voluntarily give up the sword in the stone had always been Arkhan's plan.

If Artoria refused to give up, Arkhan wouldn't be able to complete the System's quest after all. So, back then, he had ruthlessly exposed the flaws in the 'Ideal King' plan, laying bare the ugly and brutal truths before her, all in an effort to make her reconsider.

Now, as the plan unfolded smoothly as Arkhan had envisioned, a twinge of guilt suddenly welled up within him. He felt like a thief, stealing the fruit just when someone had worked tirelessly for over a decade and was about to reap the harvest.

As Arkhan looked into those determined azure eyes, a hint of complexity flickered in his own.

"Lily, perhaps you should think this over. There's still half a month until the day of the king selection. You can discuss it with Merlin and Sir Ector." Arkhan suggested.

"No need, Teacher." Artoria shook her head. "I don't need to consult with anyone. This is my final decision after careful consideration."

Arkhan's words had indeed struck her hard, sowing the idea that she wasn't yet fit to be a proper king. However, what truly solidified her resolve to give up the sword in the stone were the events of today.

Originally, she had meant well, but her own soft-heartedness and immature handling of the situation had almost caused a major disaster.

If she couldn't even handle such a minor issue, Artoria couldn't imagine the calamities that would befall the people if she remained this way after becoming a king. Every small mistake of hers would weigh heavily on the shoulders of the people.

Undoubtedly, she wasn't mature enough to bear the burden of the country at this point. To prevent the people from becoming the sacrifices of her growth, she decided to pass on the throne to someone more suitable.

Artoria harbored no regrets or complaints. She cared more about the country's future than her own fate.

"...I understand." Arkhan sighed. "Since things have come to this point, I'll temporarily manage the country for you. When you've grown enough to shoulder everything, I'll return the throne to you. As compensation, I'll teach you everything I know without holding back."

Artoria seemed like she wanted to say something more, but Arkhan interrupted her.

"This is my decision, and there's nothing more to discuss. Otherwise, I'll just pull the sword from the stone and disappear, leaving this mess entirely for you to handle."

Artoria reluctantly nodded, but the smile at the corner of her lips betrayed her true feelings.

Yulina wore a somewhat peculiar expression on her face. If she hadn't misheard, her new master was about to pull the sword in the stone and become the king? What a tremendous opportunity!

By holding onto this powerful ally, she might soon have the freedom to roam Camelot as she pleased. With Arkhan's displayed abilities, he might even defeat the Vile King Vortigern. Then, nobody in Britain would dare to cross her path.

She would no longer need to hide her identity or fear becoming someone's prey. Even if Altrouge came looking for her, she wouldn't be able to touch her. Wasn't this the life she had always dreamt of?

In an instant, any resentment she had toward Arkhan vanished.

Yulina made up her mind—she would stick with him from now on, and nothing could make her leave. With such a powerful ally, who in their right mind would let go of this opportunity?

"Alright, we should go now. I still need to explain to that lady about her child and the wyvern blood." Arkhan said, gesturing in the direction of the peasant woman's residence.

Artoria nodded and took a step forward, but her expression suddenly froze. She looked around, her pupils shrinking abruptly.

"Awful!"

Arkhan turned to her, puzzled.

"What's wrong?"

"Guinevere! I remember she was with me when we ran here, but now she's missing. It must have happened when there were a lot of people earlier..."

First, she almost killed a mother and child, and now she had lost her friend. For Artoria, who had a strong sense of pride, enduring such significant setbacks in succession had pushed her close to the edge of breakdown.

She could no longer maintain her usual tough appearance and appeared like a fragile little girl, tears welling up in her big eyes.

"It's all my fault..."

Arkhan furrowed his brow slightly. Among the people he knew, he didn't worry about anyone getting lost except Guinevere. Given her personality, something unexpected might indeed have happened.

"Don't worry; I'll find her right away."

Arkhan reached out and wrote [Rune - Search] in the air. The Rune trembled slightly, but unlike usual, it didn't point him in the direction of the target; instead, it slowly dissipated like smoke.

Arkhan raised an eyebrow, pondered for a moment, and then turned to Artoria with a smile.

"Don't worry; she's safe now. Someone has already taken her away."

"Really?" Artoria looked at Arkhan with teary eyes.

"Really, I promise..." Arkhan said with a smile.

As an expert in Rune, he could naturally see that someone had interfered with his Rune just now. And as far as he knew, there was only one person in all of Britain who could do such a thing.

'Morgan le Fay, huh...'

Arkhan said the name inwardly and shook his head; this witch was indeed mysterious, even though he didn't know when she had arrived.

Once Artoria was sure that nothing had happened to Guinevere, she gradually calmed down and followed Arkhan towards the peasant woman's residence.

===

In a dim alley, a tall woman in a black dress with blue edges, her face veiled, watched as Arkhan and the others moved farther away.

"Arkhan..."

The veiled-face woman called his name softly, a hint of interest in her pale golden eyes.

A woman dressed as a maid knelt behind her, trembling all over, her lovely face filled with fear. She knew she was done for, having committed such a serious mistake, not even a god could save her.

"I did intend to give you some punishment, but I'm in a good mood today. I'll let you off for now."

Upon hearing the voice in her ears, the maid was briefly startled. Then, her eyes lit up with immense relief, and she quickly kowtowed.

"Thank you, Lady Morgan!"

The corners of Morgan's luscious lips curled up slightly as she turned and disappeared into the darkness of the alley, leaving only a faint, misty fragrance behind.

"Arkhan, we will meet again soon..."