CHAPTER 2 The Saint of Salvation & the Red Knight After Vivian left, the sun sank below the horizon, beckoning night. In twilight, the world seemed completely severed from daily life. Those of the illusory world acted behind the scenes, and night had manifested itself. “But…I can’t believe we’ll be taking down the outsider interfering with the succession battle… The future is looking bleak.” Walking along the deserted city streets, Luna looked up at the night sky, obscured by silhouettes of skyscrapers, and sighed. At that moment, Rintarou, Luna, and Sir Kay, along with Felicia and Sir Gawain, were in the middle of wandering the streets at night with no destination in mind. Luna and Felicia were armed with their Excaliburs, and Rintarou held his familiar long sword and hidden sword cane. Sir Kay and Sir Gawain were wearing their knight equipment that had been woven with their auras. Without a moment to waste, they had started their search for the one who was creating these Rifts. “This might be one of the few situations where I agree with Luna,” Felicia replied, nodding. “In these circumstances, when will we actually start the quest for the four treasures that make up the crux of this fight?” Oddly enough, the conditions for victory in the King Arthur Succession Battle were not an unconditional win in a battle royale. Instead, the rules stated that the one to obtain all four treasures hidden on the artificial island would be the victor. Fighting wasn’t their only means of achieving that goal. “…It’s been several days since the battle started. The administration hasn’t shown any intention of starting the great treasure quest at all, plus…we haven’t come across any Queens. I’m starting to feel nervous,” Felicia mumbled with a sigh. “Hmph. Just give it time. They probably have specific conditions for starting the treasure quests,” Rintarou snapped back from the very end of their procession. “…Conditions?” “Yeah. Once those are fulfilled, they’ll officially announce the treasure search… I’m willing to bet that’s the rule. Those smarmy Dame du Lac love shit like that.” His tone was prickly. Rintarou had been in a foul mood ever since their talk with Vivian in the afternoon. “Anyway, it’s too early to start thinking about treasure now. Just worry about what the other Kings are doing. Hmph… That’s simple enough for you to understand, right?” “Seriously… How much longer are you going to be mad, Rintarou?” Luna objected, observing his annoyance. “…For real, though. Why are you hating on Vivian?” When she hit straight at the crux of the issue, Rintarou went quiet. For a while, they remained in silence…until he finally opened his mouth as though he had thought of something. “…No reason. It’s not Vivian so much as the Dame du Lac that peeves me.” Rintarou unsteadily started his explanation despite spitting out his words. “The Dame du Lac is an organization that’s set out to separate this world from the illusory one by expelling the apparitions and gods, thereby making this place into a world only for humans… That’s the objective of these half-fey creatures.” “But it doesn’t sound like they’re doing anything bad? If we had apparitions and gods strutting around this world, humans wouldn’t be able to build a peaceful society or live their lives.” “I’ll acknowledge that they have their merits. This world exists because of their extensive work anyway. All the rumors say that they were the ones who wove the Curtain of Consciousness, too.” “…Then why do you hate them?” “Like I said, they just rub me the wrong way,” Rintarou grumbled. “They act like they supervise all humans. Since they’re half fey and the ones who warded off illusions using the Curtain of Consciousness, they can intervene all they want in this real world. In other words, they’re the most powerful organization right now. They’re taking advantage of powers that originated from the illusory world to their fullest extent. They’ve burrowed their way into the upper echelons of every country to influence politics. The reason this artificial island got to be created in eastern waters was because they’ve been pulling strings behind the scenes. They’re nothing but some damn nobodies, but they’ve pushed aside the ones with actual power. They act all smug and pretend they’re in charge of this world… I can’t stand their arrogance.” “Ha-ha-ha… You’re such a grouch, Rintarou.” Luna smiled wryly. “On top of it all…they thought of Arthur as nothing but another one of their tools in the end,” he added, unusually solemn. Luna opened her eyes slightly wider. Her intuition told her this was actually bothering Rintarou. “To make a world where the humans could be free of the reign of apparitions and old gods…they chose Arthur and used him as the leader of humankind. They pushed him around until they had no use for him. They’re the ones who forced him into Camlann Hill. They’re so full of it.” “…” “After they had their way with him, I tried to help Arthur; they… Those bastards…!” Suddenly, Merlin’s memories in Rintarou came back to life—of a smiling girl from the Dame du Lac, facing him, Merlin. It was a dreadful memory: betrayed by someone he had believed from the bottom of his heart… It was bittersweet. “Anyway! I can’t trust the Dame du Lac! I despise them!” “Seriously, dude? How can you say that when you’re a part of the succession battle organized by them…?” “Like I said! I’m gonna turn the tables on them and mess with them good!” Rintarou whined, childlike. At the same time, he knew things rarely went according to plan. I’m most worried about that girl who leaked the succession battle info to me… Rintarou recalled that certain someone. He hadn’t known her identity as she had clothed herself entirely in black to hide her face and whole body with a hood and robe. She was the person who had told Rintarou about the succession battle and Luna. The girl had introduced herself as being part of the Dame du Lac, but…if that was the case, why hadn’t Vivian caught on? And then, there was the outsider interference that had started alongside the succession battle. A foreign element that was not originally part of the sacred magical ceremony had come into the mix. It was obvious that the outsider had come in from the start and made calculations of unknown depths behind the scenes. Rintarou was starting to feel that this succession battle wouldn’t simply stop at deciding the next King Arthur. But Rintarou grinned and chuckled to himself. Well, I guess that’s fun, too… I don’t care as long as the battle is entertaining for me. Who cares about her identity and motives? Who gives a shit what that intruder is planning? If they try plotting something to stand in my way, I’ll stomp all over their little plans, Rintarou thought arrogantly. “Geez… Your previous memories have a stronger influence on you than I expected.” Luna shrugged as though she was exasperated at that point before she beamed at him, radiating self-confidence. “But I’m fine! I won’t end up like my ancestor! That’s because I’m the person who’s meant to become the true King who rules this world! And more than anything, I’ve got you!” “!” Despite himself, Rintarou blinked several times and watched Luna. “You’re gonna protect me, right? And you’re gonna make me King, right?” She looked straight at Rintarou, holding trust of unknown origins in him. Her gaze was somehow nostalgic… “…Tch. You annoy me.” Rintarou clucked his tongue and turned away from her. Well, it’s not like I’m going to stop having fun with this fight… Propping up King Airhead to become King Arthur would just help him add to his fun. Luna continued watching Rintarou with a grin as he was lost in thought. “…Rintarou, over here… Here it is,” Sir Kay called, and Rintarou came to the forefront. They were in Area Two, where Rifts had apparently been found frequently as of late. This was the business district. Between the standing skyscrapers in a claustrophobic corner of an alleyway was a shadowy void. It was as if it had been formed by a giant claw tearing a hole through the ground. It was most certainly an opening, gouged into the world by something. The people of the real world, who were imprisoned by their common sense, would never be able to recognize the schism. At first glance, it would have certainly looked like a physical hole, but in actuality, it wasn’t. The thing was a hole that had opened in humankind’s consciousness itself. “Huh. It really is a Rift… And it’s probably been a while since it opened, too.” “Urp… Then, does that mean apparitions from the illusory world have already invaded ours?” Luna asked. Ignoring her, Rintarou scraped VANISH in old Celtic Ogham letters over the Rift using the tip of his sword. He was Breaking the Curse. “Nah. At least, not any apparitions that we should be worried about. I mean, it’s a scrawny hole. Well, there will probably be some mischief. You know, machines moving of their own accord, chores being magically finished at night, talking cats. All that jazz.” Once he finished carving in the Ogham letters that looked like Nordic runes, they glowed for a moment. Then, the opening closed as though it had never existed. “But I don’t think the future gaps will be this small,” he added. “Right. That’s already the third one on the first night.” That was right. For some reason, it was almost as though Rifts had been forming ahead of Rintarou and the others even as they wandered aimlessly around. “…But what’s this culprit really trying to do? These gaps are obvious and conspicuous. They’re obviously going to be closed back up.” “Yes, their intentions are cryptic. It seems all we can do is directly capture the culprit,” Sir Kay replied to Rintarou’s suspicions. “Mr. Magami!” A small fairy girl was floating above Rintarou’s head, flapping her wings. It was a Messenger Pixie that Felicia had employed with magic. “Over here! This way! I’ve found another opening! Heh-heh! See what happens when you rely on me?” “Yeah, yeah. I got it. Great job.” Rintarou sighed as he stood up and swept up his bare sword, then sheathed it. “…All right. Luna, Sir Kay, we’re on to the next one.” Like that, Rintarou dragged along Luna and Sir Kay to head to the next one. But around this time, he had started to feel a sense of unease wash over him. …I dunno why… But the Rifts that we’ve found tonight are arranged in a way that feels…somehow off. It’s almost like they’re leading us somewhere… It feels…intentional, he thought. But they didn’t have any other choice but to follow the trail. They went around the streets searching for the holes that continued to crop up, seemingly leading Rintarou’s crew somewhere. As they continued to follow the openings, they finally came upon a park. There was a jungle gym, a seesaw, a sandbox… And in the middle of all that play equipment— “…And that makes seven. It looks new, too.” At the tip of Luna’s pointed finger was another Rift. “How much time do they have on their hands? Seriously… If we don’t find the person doing this and crush them, we’re just going to be playing catch-up,” Rintarou bemoaned, fed up. He started Breaking the Curse. All they had been doing was closing up these fissures. There hadn’t been a single change or development in their situation. Felicia and Luna were losing interest in the identical tasks. But in the unchanging developments, it seemed their vibe was less tense until… “—Ngh?!” Out of the blue, it felt as if an ice blade had been mercilessly gouged into their backs. A sharp chill ran down the spines of all those gathered there. They sensed bloodlust—thick and deadly, like the delight of a feral predator that had found its prey. Something was watching them. Rintarou drew his swords and looked around his surroundings cautiously. “Heh… Found ya. ” The voice of a young girl came from above their heads. It was almost pure and innocent, like a child enjoying a game of hide-and-seek. “Oh, my Lord. Our Father in heaven, I am grateful you have led us to this meeting. Amen.” “—Hnh?!” Rintarou quickly looked above his head. A girl was on top of one of the rows of lights in the park. She swung her legs under her as she sat on the T-shaped light. She drew a cross on herself with her right hand as she looked down on Rintarou and the others. What the—? When did that kid get up there?! I didn’t notice her at all! He felt a shiver… A faintly chilling shudder ran up his spine. Rintarou gazed at the girl, who resembled a monster more than a shadow in the light of the lamp. She was slender, petite, young. She couldn’t have been older than ten. In fact, she wasn’t so much a girl as a child. Even in that shadowy night, her hair glowed brilliant crimson. The long strands flowed freely, fanned up in the night’s wind, undulating like it housed a roaring fire. As she looked down on Rintarou, her large, sharp eyes glistened like droplets of blood. They were opened wide, glinting ominously like rubies in the darkness. Her youthful face was constructed like a porcelain doll, and she wore an innocent smile, but…beneath that purity was unconcealable venom and cruelty. That girl wore scarlet knight’s armor and looked straight down at Rintarou and his companions. Of course, she wasn’t anyone to trifle with. Radiating from her every cell, her aura simply wasn’t normal. Sir Kay and Sir Gawain were no match for her. To put it humbly, she might have been a formidable opponent even for Sir Lancelot of the Round Table, and on top of that— It need not be repeated that she was not an ordinary person. She was a Jack. “Tch, you’re—” “Y-you—” “Wh-wh-why you?!” Rintarou, Sir Kay, and Sir Gawain instantly recognized the girl. She looked down on the three, who were filled with dismay and distress, and flashed a lopsided grin… Just one corner of her mouth went up. She spoke as though she were reciting a love poem. “Oh, Merlin. How I longed to see you. With the passing of time, your physique may have changed, but the light of your soul is unforgettable—immutable. Oh, I have yearned to see you—” In that moment, the girl made her move—launched herself with a quiet flip into the air. She had used the springs in her body to move quickly. She ran down the light pole in a split second and rushed at a right angle all at once. “Cantate et exsultate et psallite—Sing and revel and frolic… Ah-ha! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!” She recited a psalm, cackling like a foul fowl as she ran at full speed. The girl bent forward as she dashed toward them, low enough to be crawling along the ground. She wielded a cruciform claymore with her thin arms. Like the white teeth of a predator hunting its prey, her frosty blade reflected the moonlight. They were faced with the girl pursuing them so fast that she didn’t even leave an afterimage— “Ah—?!” “Tch—?!” In positions closest to the incoming girl, Sir Kay and Sir Gawain faced against her, weapons raised. Her sword flashed a single time—carving through the air in the shape of an ominous crescent moon that sliced the night in half. There was a roar from the impact. The girl had swung her sword too quickly to be perceived by the human eye and sent Sir Kay and Sir Gawain flying. “Aaah?! Why does this always happen to me?!” “Whoaaa?!” boomed Sir Gawain. As if struck by a bullet, Sir Kay and Sir Gawain were sent flying horizontally. Sir Kay was sent to the bounds of the park, where she scraped the ground as she skidded. Sir Gawain crashed into the jungle gym, which crumpled upon impact, leaving it unrecognizable and unsalvageable. “Keep back, you lackeys!” Though the two Jacks had been forced away from the fight, the girl did not stop her full-speed pursuit. She charged at them, aiming at Rintarou and the others. With another reckless burst of acceleration, she resolutely came after them. Heh, I’ve got no clue what’s going on, but— Rintarou took his beloved pair of swords—his red long sword on the right and his white one on the left—readied them, and eyed the approaching girl. When their eyes locked, Rintarou was certain: I’m the one she’s after! That moment, Rintarou took a step forward. “Luna! Get back—” The girl closed the ten yards between them, clashing with Rintarou. Her claymore struck down like lightning, meeting his crossed swords. The sound of metal rang out as sparks flared up into the air. Upon impact, the force from the blades swept a storm, blasting aside Luna and Felicia, who were overcome in shock. Rintarou was on the receiving end of the girl’s terrific attack, holding her back with his crossed blades. She ostentatiously pushed him back, subduing him. On the defensive, the soles of Rintarou’s shoes scraped against the ground, pushing up a mound of dirt as he began to slide back. His surroundings started to whizz past him. Even if he tried to persevere through it, her power and the intensity of her pursuit could be compared to the likes of a steam engine. “You can put up a fight, Merlin… But you’re missing some of your intensity, no?” “Gah—?!” With the momentum of her charge, she mercilessly shoved Rintarou back. “When it comes to the man of her affections, a girl wants to be pursued, not be in pursuit… You know.” “Oh, shut up!” Rintarou hated shoving matches. He flipped around the weapon with his hands, parrying the almost transcendental force with which the girl came at him with her claymore, and deftly moved to go past her. “RAAAH!” “Ha! Fine, come at me!” she snickered. The two of them instantaneously took different positions, turning back to each other—and struck. Rintarou’s two swords danced through the air, as though they were striking lightning. Like a violent storm, her claymore wailed. They clashed time and again, facing each other directly. They exchanged blows. They parried. Her claymore tore through the air, slicing and running through the space between them. Rintarou jumped away to avoid her sword sweeping from the side. Her strikes pressed at him. She continued to bring down her weapon to strike him as he used his dual swords to block her. When her sword flashed, he narrowly managed to meet her blade and swipe it to the side. The pommel of her sword aimed to strike at his chest as she pounced on him, and he stopped it with the bottom of his feet. He turned away her sword when she jabbed at him like a high-power laser. The flickering sparks blinded his eyes. Their sword dance was one-sided. Her claymore had completely overpowered him. The weight of her attacks was an order of magnitude different from his strikes. When their weapons met, even the atmosphere quaked. Rintarou couldn’t help but waver from the sword’s impact. As Rintarou tottered, she assailed him, coming at him with less mercy and more severity each time. He didn’t even have a moment to breathe. The blows had to be strong enough to collapse a building with a single stroke, and they continuously assailed Rintarou. “Hmm? Is that all you can do with a sword? You think you can satisfy a woman with that little thing?” “—Hgh!” “Now, Merlin! Deeper! Oh, ravish me! Harder!” She provoked Rintarou, who was nothing but on the defensive. As though she were intoxicated and just straight out of her mind, she continued to assail him with her sword. Rintarou gritted his teeth as he continued to meet the blows. Slowly, the claymore’s tip grazed Rintarou and scraped him. It cut him. And when Rintarou eventually missed the girl’s claymore, he lost his balance. “—Rrk?! No—” “Amen!” Like a thunderbolt, the claymore flashed, bisecting Rintarou and severing his body down the middle— —or at least, it tried to. “Haaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” With desperate resolve and determination, Luna intervened between them in that moment. She held her Excalibur diagonally over her head, meeting this lightning bolt of a weapon, and parried it. Jshhh! groaned the weapons, as if a gnashing sound of an industrial grinder. Sparks came from the Excalibur Luna held, bursting forth as they burned and cut through the shadows of the night. The blow sent Luna flying. However, the claymore the girl brought down on Rintarou just barely missed him, grandly passing by his side. “Rintarou! Now—,” yelled Luna, even as she rolled along the ground. In that moment, her claymore was more than half buried in the ground, and she was rendered immobile. His liege had given him the opportunity of a lifetime by putting herself on the line. “AAAAAH! DROP DEAAAD!” This time, Rintarou swung his swords, aiming to send her head flying. The girl had been completely taken by surprise, and she couldn’t intervene on the attack— —or she shouldn’t have been able to. “—?!” Everyone expected her arteries to spray blood through the air as though blooming red flowers. But instead, she unleashed a spark that pierced with whiteness through their vision. It was completely unexpected. It was the tip of his own sword being sent aside. When he looked, he saw three red heater shields that had been deployed at some point to each float in the air to the right, left, and behind the girl. One among those shields had stopped Rintarou’s swords. She chuckled as she calmly yanked out her claymore and swung it at Rintarou. Rintarou jumped away—two, three times before fully escaping. They reached an intermission in their sword fight and stared at each other with several yards between them. Rintarou breathed roughly with his shoulders. Sweat trickled down from his whole body. He felt dead as lead. On the other hand, his opponent had shed not a drop of sweat, and she looked invigorated. “Oh, Merlin. Though boorish liaisons do exist…that was something, huh?” She readied her sword again and lavished him with praise. “I know I was going easy on you, but I never would have imagined you’d make me use the Rothschild…” Shivers went down his spine. His opponent licked her lips in ecstasy, gazing at Rintarou as though she had finally found her long-lost love. That heater shield had easily fended off Rintarou’s lethal attack. The shields were still floating to the right, left, and back of the girl with no supports. “I feel as though the very core of my body burns with passion. I wonder how long it’s been since my body was overcome in pleasure before this night? Ha-ha-ha. Hee-hee-hee… Now, Merlin, if you would be so kind… Can you satiate this excitement of mine…with your sturdy sword?” The girl laughed with dubious charm and lavished him with allure at odds with her youthful features. She swiped off Rintarou’s blood from her claymore with her plump fingertips… A sliver of tongue peeked out from between her lips, licking his blood, as she watched him. “Tch… You little pervert!” Putting aside her incredibly weird actions and behavior for now, he didn’t have a doubt in his mind, piecing together her overwhelming valor and—more than anything—that Rothschild… He knew her identity. “Fine! I’ll shove this sword in your pathetic little body and make you gasp and pant—Lamorak of Gales!” She was the fourth seat of the Round Table, Sir Lamorak of Gales. A knight rivaling the strongest of the Round Table—Sir Lancelot and Sir Tristan—stood before them. Answering Rintarou’s will to fight, Sir Lamorak grinned and slowly readied her claymore. “Nice, Merlin. You make my heart soar. The night is still young. Hee-hee… How about we savor the moment together? Oh, and also…” Sir Lamorak glanced at Luna and spat out unpleasantly, “You there… I’ll only allow one affair. You were brave enough to jump into the carnage at risk of your own life. I spared you out of respect, but…next time, if you try that again…you’ll die.” “Urp…” Luna gulped, intimidated by Sir Lamorak’s dreadful gaze. Sir Lamorak wasn’t bluffing. At least, that was what Rintarou had gathered from his intuition. In that last bout, Luna would have become two lumps of meat if Sir Lamorak had decided to end her on a whim. And that was a testament of her terrific power. She took no notice of anyone but Rintarou. That was their only saving grace. Let me observe this current battlefield… I’ve got no clue about the statuses of Sir Gawain and Sir Kay, and this is completely out of Luna and Felicia’s league. He looked over at the two Jacks who were in a terrible state, beaten and lying facedown on the ground, and then at Luna and Felicia, who were so lacking in combat ability that they could only be paralyzed from shock. I don’t know why, but I’m her target. Rintarou looked at Sir Lamorak once again and stuck his right sword into the ground. Trying to retreat from her won’t work. He grabbed his left sword with his right hand and gave himself a shallow cut, then on the backs of both his hands, he drew an evil eye. And…I can’t die. I said I’d make her…make Luna into the King… Heh… Which means I can’t die here. In that case— A black aura swelled from Rintarou’s whole body as he invoked his Fomorian Transformation. His eyes glittered gold. His hair grew long and white like one of the Two Lions from a famous Kabuki play. His black battle robes billowed. In that instant, Rintarou controlled an immense power and skill incomparable to his abilities until that point. “…Hmm?” Sir Lamorak’s eyes glittered with glee as she watched. “Rintarou?! Y-you can’t use that power—” Luna winced as though she were in pain. He knew that even without her input. Originally, this Fomorian Transformation had been Rintarou’s last and greatest trump card. According to Ireland’s myths from the Irish Lebor Gabála Érenn mythology, there was an evil Danann of darkness—the Fomorian line. This power temporarily brought back the Fomorian ancestral line of Merlin, and it was a serious burden that would impose reactionary damage to Rintarou’s body and soul, as he was nothing more than a modern human. On top of that, he had used the transformation in their fight against Kujou just a few days prior. He still hadn’t finished healing from that refractory damage. Even maintaining his Fomorian Transformation greatly strained his whole body. It seemed to scream from its own destruction, and he felt as though he was going to faint. But—I’ve got to try! As far as Rintarou understood it, Sir Lamorak was an equal to Sir Lancelot, praised to be the strongest of the Round Table. Perhaps she was even better. In that case, there was no other means to beating her except the Fomorian Transformation. Rintarou readied himself and prepared his swords. However, even though Rintarou was releasing all the intensity that his aura could muster, Sir Lamorak didn’t seem eager to fight at all, grinning in glee. “How wonderful. It seems my eyes did not deceive me. I had the faintest thought that it wasn’t Sir Lancelot or Sir Tristan who was the strongest of the Round Table…but you, Merlin.” “…?” “You have still a way to go before getting back to your former strength…but, eventually, I’m sure you will regain your power. Yes, when I defeat you, I will show that I am the strongest…and prove God’s love for me.” With a bloodcurdling laugh, Sir Lamorak readied her claymore once again. The three shields that had formed around her released a crimson glitter as they cut through the night. “Now, let us begin. Under the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit… We shall see who has received the love of God—you or me. Let us ask what his divine will is with our swords… Now,” Sir Lamorak declared. In that moment—there was silence. The world was in stagnation. The air froze in place. All sounds were extinguished. Time stopped ticking. And after that— “AAAAAAH!” “HYAAAAH!” Rintarou and Sir Lamorak kicked at the ground, whizzing toward each other. They ran so fast they seemed to almost disappear. Their spirits had been strained to their limits and even made time go awry. A moment stretched into eternity, and Rintarou and Sir Lamorak both slowly closed in on each other. It took forever for the two of them to be lured into their deadly meeting point. Rintarou’s pair of swords and Sir Lamorak’s claymore sluggishly closed the distance on each other. The space between Rintarou and Sir Lamorak became shorter and shorter and shorter. Finally, the two of them made contact—and it happened in just that moment. “That’s enough,” called out a clear voice, deescalating the situation. “—Ngh?!” A sword pommel had stuck out right in front of Rintarou’s nose. “Wha—?!” A sword tip had been thrust in between Sir Lamorak’s eyes. In the moment before they crashed into each other, they stopped and froze—or rather, they had been forced to freeze. A flag billowed in jerky movements. The flow of time went back to normal, and color returned to the world. When they realized it, there was a girl standing between Rintarou and Sir Lamorak. “Please lay down your swords.” At first glance, the girl between them seemed plain with her heavy, unkempt bangs and her plaited platinum blonde hair. On the whole, she was slender and petite, and her torso seemed oddly muscular. She stood up straight, and she didn’t give off any sense of being unreliable at all. The demure curve of her body seemed proof of her purity and impeccability rather than her fragility. There was a certain dignity about her. Something about her that made her appear as collected as a saint who had gained enlightenment. When paired with the untarnished and pure religious robes she solemnly wore, she could be described in one word as a saint. On her slim waist, she wore a dangling talisman engraved with IV. In her willowy hand, she held a peculiar sword. Its handle and blade were equal in length. The guard of the cruciform sword had a majestic battle flag furnished on it, which was fluttering in the night’s wind. It was more like a flag on a javelin that would be held over one’s head to rally one’s allies on the battlefield than a sword. But the sword released a strange glint. It had to be forged from some precious metal that was neither gold nor silver. It had to be an Excalibur. There was no doubt about it. She had stopped Rintarou and Sir Lamorak right before they clashed with that flag-javelin of an Excalibur. Is this girl a new King?! Rintarou’s eyes peeled open. He couldn’t believe it. Standing with her back facing Rintarou, that mysterious girl was not at all stronger in comparison to Rintarou and Sir Lamorak. There was just no way. If things had gone awry as she stepped between the two of them, she would have become mincemeat. Regardless of that, she had intervened. Her skill at wielding her sword might have been beyond the average, and yet, she was proof that it was better to bend than break. Rintarou was overcome by his surprise as he watched that girl’s aloof back. “Oh? What? You’re already here? …That’s not what I was promised… What a killjoy,” Sir Lamorak muttered cryptically to herself. “Sir Lamorak, I don’t think these people are responsible for the Rifts…,” the girl started. “I think they might be Kings who received the same request as we did from the Dame du Lac. Just look at the Excaliburs of those two girls,” she urged in a cool voice. “…Oh my! They do have Excaliburs. I didn’t notice in the slightest.” Playing dumb, Sir Lamorak glanced at Luna and Felicia. The girl started an insistent sermon. “Sir Lamorak! If they are fellow Kings, you first ask for their version of justice. And then you can tell them about your own ideals. You must have a fair battle and ask God: Who is in the right? Our battle is a holy inquiry to God of whether we have the capacity to be King!” “Ha-ha… I see you’re perfectly fine. Well, I just thought these guys could have been the culprits responsible for those openings. I mean, the two of us were separated by some strange magic earlier. I thought it might have been because of these guys, you see?” Sir Lamorak transparently vaunted. Sir Lamorak’s passionate will to fight and cold-blooded ferocity had all but disappeared. She grinned, abandoning her preparation for war, and put away her claymore. Following suit, the Rothschild—her three red shields invoked around her—also turned transparent until they disappeared. The heightened tension had been strained to its limits and broke all at once. Luna wiped sweat from her forehead as she breathed out, and Felicia sat right down where she had been standing. “I did this just to save you even a moment sooner… Is that so hard to understand?” the girl implored. “Really now…? I’m fine, as you can see.” Then, the girl turned gracefully to face Rintarou and the others. That was the first time the girl’s face became clear to Rintarou in front of him. “To the two Kings, I would like to issue an apology. My Jack was out of line. I—” She was about to politely lower her head. “You’re…?” gasped Luna. “H-hold up…?!” stammered Rintarou. “No way…,” blubbered Felicia. All three of their eyes opened wide at the girl. “Aren’t you Emma? You’re that transfer student I met at lunch! You’re a King, too?!” Luna shouted. “You’re Emma Michelle?! Aren’t you the prized pupil at the Religious Order of Saint Joan…?!” Felicia yelled. Ignoring Luna’s and Felicia’s outbursts, the girl—Emma—looked straight at Rintarou. “Master?!” she yelped. In the same moment, Rintarou’s face soured, and he turned away. “Master! It’s been so long! It’s me! Emma!” Without minding his reaction, Emma ran to Rintarou like a puppy and grabbed his hands as she smiled. The stern vibe around Emma disappeared. In that instant, she was like an innocent girl, fitting for her age. “I can’t believe I’m meeting you here! It’s a dream come true! Have you been doing well?!” Emma grinned at Rintarou, overflowing with fondness and doing a complete one-eighty from her hard expression from before. “…More or less.” In contrast, Rintarou’s attitude was blunt and half-hearted. “What’s the meaning…” “…of this?” Luna and Felicia looked at them with unimpressed eyes and tilted heads, finishing each other’s sentence. “Ugh… S-someone, please treat us soon… Gah…” “Urgh… All the bones in our bodies have been pulverized, if you wouldn’t mind…” From far off, Sir Kay and Sir Gawain were in tatters, groaning with tears in their eyes. “Oh dear. You knew each other? …This might make things complicated,” Sir Lamorak remarked, smiling coldly and bewitchingly as she watched Emma cling to Rintarou happily. “…Now, how will things go from here?” Sir Lamorak had a smile that didn’t reveal any of her thoughts as she continued to observe Emma with Rintarou. For the time being, Rintarou undid his Fomorian Transformation. They healed Sir Kay and Sir Gawain, who were nearing death, with Healing magic. They introduced themselves to one another and began to explain the situation. “Oh, but…it’s been so long, Sir Gawain. I just noticed you now. It’s not as though a dragon pays any mind to the ants that crawl beneath its feet… I’m sorry about that.” Sir Lamorak approached Sir Gawain with the creepiest smile. In the same moment, Sir Gawain turned blue, and his back started shaking uncontrollably. “Heh-heh… But I’m so happy that you’ve decided to participate in this battle… If anything, there are many things I need to pay you back for… Right?” “EEEEEEEK!” Sir Gawain was acting like a frog that had been eyed by a snake, but that was beside the point. Rintarou ignored Sir Gawain and the rest of them as he continued to indifferently explain the situation. “So that’s that. There was a period in my life when I skipped school on the mainland and wandered the world aimlessly for a year, right…” “…I’ve asked this before, but what the heck were you even doing?” As usual, Luna stuck her nose in dutifully at his flighty behavior. “I was bored out of my mind at school… Well, I met her while I was wandering around Orleans in France.” “Yes, I learned so much from you during that time, master!” Emma’s spine was stick straight as she saluted Rintarou. “I’ve been wondering: Why do you keep calling him master?” Luna scowled at Emma. “Well, that’s because as a representative of the Religious Order of Saint Joan, which will bring salvation to the world, I was chosen to fight as a King in the King Arthur Succession Battle. While I was under the guidance of the priests in the order, I spent my days going through religious training to learn the ways of magic and the sword… Back then, I was in a rut.” Emma turned to Rintarou with an expression full of confidence. “That was when my master appeared before me. My master only taught me the ways of the sword for a very brief time, but…because of him, I improved tremendously.” “Ha… It was a mistake having those nobodies teach you in the first place, Emma, when you’ve got your wit and mana. Would an ant teach a young dragon how to fight?” Rintarou snorted as though it were nothing. “I—I guess we should’ve expected that from Merlin’s reincarnation… He was the master who taught King Arthur the sword and magic after all…,” murmured Luna. “He was an arrogant man who followed the doctrines of the Spartans, but he’s unexpectedly good at teaching others.” Sir Kay nodded in agreement. “…Well, you’ve done more than enough, Mr. Magami,” Felicia interjected with a sigh. “The Michelle family is one of the family lines that King Arthur’s blood has continued to run through in modern times. The Religious Order of Saint Joan has protected the Michelle line for generations. They uphold order and herald world salvation. At face value, it appears to be a group that has dedicated their lives to church work, but underneath, they’re grooming a powerful King to prepare for the eventual King Arthur Succession Battle and the Catastrophe… That’s the gist of it.” “Are they really?! I had no idea!” Luna marveled. “Hold up! How do you not know? You’re not an outsider like me!” Rintarou interjected. “And taking on the duties for the present-day Michelle family… Emma’s outstanding bravery as King is compared to that of the former hero of France, Joan of Arc. She is called La Pucelle, the Saint of Salvation. Alongside that Kujou and me—Felicia Ferald—she is counted as one of the first-choice champion candidates for the King Arthur Succession Battle!” “It’s not like you’re actually a first-choice champion,” Rintarou said with unimpressed eyes as he waved his hand at Felicia’s smug face. “Ah…but what can I say? She’s an underclassman and a King… And Mr. Kujou was a King, too… I wonder if the world is smaller than expected when it comes to this line of work?” Luna muttered to herself. “But you were so mean to me, master…,” Emma said, sulking as she completely ignored Luna. “One day, you suddenly left me after saying those words. I can’t believe you just went off somewhere…” For a moment, Rintarou seemed to be at a loss for words. “…Sorry…about that,” he eventually muttered. “You could have at least let me say good-bye… I was planning on opening up to you about the King Arthur Succession Battle to ask whether you would join me…” “Huh… Back then, I didn’t even have an inkling that there was a battle as interesting as this one being planned behind the scenes…” “Oh, master. But I don’t mind. That’s just me being greedy.” Emma laughed surreptitiously and looked straight at Rintarou. “Hey, master. I’m able to fight as a King, and I attribute it all to your teachings. This is all thanks to you, master. Thank you so much for everything!” “…But this isn’t the reason I taught you,” he muttered with a peculiar expression.
Chapter 20
34 min read