After hearing Kay's answer, Arthur set out at noon that same day. However, he told only Kay and Sir Ector, did not say goodbye to Artoria, and left the island quietly.
Arthur was too afraid to tell Artoria. After he had refused her request, her attitude toward him had changed drastically. Although their usual banter continued, Artoria had become far more serious and fierce than before, which truly exhausted Arthur mentally.
After all, even though he could compete with Artoria, he did not like seeing that expression on her face.
Arthur stood beneath a large tree, gazing at the distant castle.
The castle was surrounded by walls and moats, with the solid foundations of the ramparts exposed. Several large bridges rose across the area, with tributaries of the river flowing beneath them, making the overall view quite spectacular.
However, such a scene was nothing new to Arthur. He was not surprised in the slightest and stepped forward.
A faint rumble of thunder sounded not long after, as the sky darkened.
Soon, rain began to fall. The raindrops mixed with a cold wind. His hood was lifted slightly by the gusts, revealing his serious expression.
He was dressed in dark clothing with a hood that concealed his face. As he stepped forward, he instantly activated his runes. Moving decisively, he leaped and landed atop the city wall.
After surveying his surroundings, Arthur finally fixed his gaze in a particular direction. His eyesight was excellent; even though the rain had shrouded the entire castle in a thick mist, he could still tell that the area in that direction was sparsely populated. If he was not mistaken, that was Morgan's residence.
Many pedestrians were running back and forth through the city to escape the rain, but this did not affect his pace at all.
After all, he was not walking on the ground—he was leaping across rooftops toward Morgan le Fay's residence.
As Arthur continued to jump forward, another figure in a white hood secretly followed him. The hood covered most of the person's face, but as they leapt, a strand of golden hair and a pair of bright blue eyes could still be seen.
After discovering that Arthur had refused to take her to see her elder sister, Artoria decided to follow him in secret.
If Arthur had not appeared, she might never have seen Morgan again. But Arthur's words had awakened her memories of the past, and no matter what, she wanted to see her once more.
There was no need to speak with Morgan. Just observing from afar would be enough.
Perhaps it made no sense at all, but at least it proved that she had done something for their relationship, even if it was nothing more than self-deception.
As she continued to follow Arthur secretly, Artoria suddenly thought of something strange.
Why was Arthur so determined to see my sister? Is it really just to express his gratitude?
Lost in thought, she kept following him.
Then, Arthur suddenly stopped and turned to look in a certain direction.
"Who's there?"
Artoria stiffened slightly, hiding behind a rooftop, too afraid to come out.
"Who's following me?" Arthur asked again.
As he continued toward Morgan's residence, he had felt that something was off.
Arthur had trained under Scáthach for many years. Sometimes, when he went to train with her, Nessa would secretly follow him. Over time, he had developed the ability to sense when someone was tailing him.
At that moment, he sensed someone secretly watching him, so he suddenly turned his head to look.
Of course, there was no one behind him.
Even so, Arthur did not give up and said calmly, "Come out now. I know where you're hiding."
"I know who you are," he continued.
Artoria slowly emerged from behind the rooftop, removed the wide-brimmed hat shielding her from the rain, and looked at Arthur.
"How did you figure it out?"
Arthur smiled calmly. "Just a guess."
He was secretly shocked.
Artoria actually followed me?!
To be honest, Arthur had not even been sure that someone was following him; he had only tried to bluff a little. He never expected to truly scare Artoria into revealing herself.
It could only be said that Artoria was still very young, and thus fell into Arthur's trap.
"I'm also going to see my elder sister." After being discovered, Artoria decided to stop beating around the bush and stated her thoughts directly.
"What do you want with her?" Arthur asked.
"…" Artoria fell silent for a moment, unsure how to answer.
She had not thought about that question. She had simply been moved by Arthur's words, which made her suddenly want to see Morgan. As for her purpose, she did not know.
"If there's no reason, what's the point of you going to see Morgan?" Arthur asked seriously. "Morgan has a very strange temperament. What if she gets upset and locks you in her castle? Have you thought about that?"
"You also think my elder sister is a bad person?" Artoria frowned.
"I don't think your sister is a bad person, but I don't think she's a good one either," Arthur said. "I'm only going to see her because I have something to do, and she wouldn't have ulterior motives toward me. But you're different. It wouldn't be good if she did something to you."
"I'll take responsibility for myself." Artoria did not retreat at all, meeting Arthur's gaze head-on.
Arthur thought to himself, Then who's going to take responsibility for me? If your adoptive brother or your father finds out that I brought you to Morgan's place and she locked you up, I'll never be able to face them again.
Despite thinking this, Arthur did not say it out loud. He simply shook his head once more.
Just as he was about to refuse again, he raised his eyes and saw the determination in Artoria's gaze. He swallowed the words of persuasion he was about to say.
"Then be careful. If anything happens, leave immediately," Arthur said, having no other choice.
Given the current situation, he had no option but to give in. If he ignored Artoria or rejected her outright, she might go to Morgan alone. In that case, it would be far better for him to travel with her.
And since they had already come this far, that woman had probably noticed them the moment they entered the city, right?
Arthur raised his head and looked in the direction where Morgan was.
After all, Morgan was no longer just Morgan le Fay, but also the Goddess of Death, Morrigan. With her power, she could easily use a premonition spell.
"What are you looking at?" Artoria's voice came from nearby.
"In the direction of your sister," Arthur replied.
"My sister's castle is to the left. You're looking to the right," Artoria reminded him.
Arthur froze, then scratched his head.
This is a bit embarrassing.
(End of Chapter)