I broke up with Merlin [Comprehensive]

This is Arturia's second public appearance.

The first time was when she pulled out the holy sword and confirmed the identity of the heir to the throne. In front of all the competitors, she said her name: Arthur Pendragon.

Not Arturia Pendragon, but "Arthur".

In order to convince the public, it is necessary to hide one's identity and pretend to be a man, and Artoria has no objection.

However, for the vast majority of people in Britain, the succession ceremony of the new king was done in a hurry, and many people failed to see the new king's face.

After that, the palace under a new owner fell magically silent.

People only know that the new king, Arthur, grew up in the countryside. It may be too much for him to let the country boy handle state affairs all of a sudden.Seeing that Wang hadn't appeared in the eyes of everyone for a long time, he naturally couldn't hide his cynicism while slandering him.

What they didn't know was that King Arthur, who was thought to be hiding in the palace and didn't dare to come out, had actually left long ago.

She temporarily returned to the identity of Artoria, and traveled abroad with her teacher and brother as a young knight. The main purpose was to increase her knowledge, sharpen herself, and approach the goal of becoming a qualified king.

Therefore, Artoria traveled abroad for a few years, until not long ago, she came back with her adopted brother Kai who grew up with her.

Why did the magician who worked hard to teach her claim to avoid the limelight and didn't come with her...

Well, I don't know that.

Back to the previous topic.The second public appearance of the new king is now, and this appearance is very important to King Arthur.

Again, King Arthur had no roots in the upper class of nobles.

Moreover, because the country has been in a long-term state of division, many nobles with armies tend to take power independently, and it is not so easy to convince the new king who is just a stunned young man.

Arturia has no real power, nor can she control the army, and the only knights around her are her righteous brothers.

She can only quickly conquer the group of people who will appear at the ball tonight, and step by step, become the real king of Britain...

"……call."

The words say so.

The young Wang frowned, with a solemn expression, but he was still a little nervous.

This step must be taken, so Artoria is not afraid.After restraining her nervousness, she took a step forward resolutely, with only the restless Kai at her side, and the attendants in the palace followed behind.

"Al... Arthur, you may experience a lot of trouble tonight."

Kay babbled on the road, assuming all the possible encounters that night: "The nobles all have a common problem, even if they are dissatisfied with you, they will not say it on the surface, they will only run on you in a weird way. "

"Don't forget, Kai, you are also a child of a nobleman." Artoria revealed the truth helplessly.

Kay (chokes): "I mean, that's usually the case. And basically, the higher the title, the better at being kinky."

"For example, the Viscount Bajo you met before, and the certain prince who came to you to mock you..."

He used examples to prove that it was quite true, because the famous nobles whose names were mentioned did meet the standards that Kai said.

Arturia understood that Yibro was thinking about her sincerely, but to put it bluntly, it didn't sound good to some people.

She accepted it seriously, but she still had to stubbornly put forward her own objection: "You can't say that. Among the great nobles, there must be people who are very friendly to me and have no malicious intentions."

Kai: "The ratio is too small. The majority are those who want to use you. Well, if you say yes, let me give you an example and tell me where—"

The voice just fell.

The group of people who had not yet reached their destination suddenly stopped in their tracks.

They could have kept going, because the unexpected man just waited under a tree by the side of the road and did not block the way.

But he nodded slightly to the knight beside the king.

In a blink of an eye, his soft eyes looked straight at the momentarily dazed Wang. This beautiful young man who seemed to have stepped out of a painting smiled, and said these seemingly rash words.

"Can I have the honor to chat with you alone, Your Majesty? Please forgive me, Lord Knight. I won't delay for too long, just a moment."

"........."

The two people in the lead had an initial amazement, and after a while, doubts surfaced in their hearts.

Yes, although the scene he saw was beautiful, it was too sudden.

The blond young man who appeared in front of them had a pair of clear and beautiful eyes like emeralds. Whenever he saw him for the first time, the first thing he noticed was the pair of gentle watery eyes, followed by his outstanding appearance.

He is beautiful.

It seems inappropriate to use the word beautiful to describe men.But when the word is used on him, it is not at all abrupt.

He looked young, too, about Kay's age, maybe a little younger.

Although the figure set off by the clothes was too slender, his back was always straight. Standing there, the blond young man seemed to reveal a tough heart that was different from his weak appearance.

From Kai's point of view, he would just calm down after being stunned, thinking that the young man who stopped them did not have any malicious intentions.After all, the young man is gentle and polite.

However, on the other side.

Perhaps it is strange to think so.

But the fact is that the first time Artoria saw the blond young man under the tree, she had a very strong affection for him.

Of course, this good feeling does not belong to the affair between men and women, but tends to inexplicable intuition.

If you want to get close to him, you can trust what he says without any scruples.

This feeling, as if they had never met before, was connected by an invisible bond, this bond could not be cut off, it would only quietly bring the strange distance closer.

That's why Arturia was so surprised.Dressed in men's clothing, she kept her doubts in her heart for the time being, and asked seriously: "Before we talk, I want to know, who are you?"

Those who can enter the palace are obviously not those of low status, and the appearance of such an outstanding person who is unforgettable at first sight will leave a deep impression on others.

As expected, the visitor replied: "Cyril Cornwall, this is my name. Your Majesty...ah, look at your expression, have you heard of me?"

"Yes - Your Excellency the Duke. Back to the palace... Cough, I've heard about you before, but I didn't expect to see your true face here today."

Arturia finally showed her surprise on her face, and her eyes were filled with strange colors.

"Your Excellency, please forgive me for my presumptuousness." The young Wang suddenly continued, his serious expression seemed to turn into a slightly stiff and gentle one.

Her tone was quite firm and authentic: "It's a bit strange to say, but when I see your real person, I feel extra joy. The conversation you want is also exactly what I want, please."

Cyrillic:"……"

He was a little surprised. He didn't expect His Majesty the King to speak more bluntly than he said.

However, the real "sister" is more interesting than imagined before coming here, and there are also things that are completely different from imagination.They seemed to be connected, a discovery that could only please him.

"As a place for chatting, it's a bit crude, but due to the special situation..."

"It's okay, let's go a little farther, just go there, there is no need to pay attention."

You and I answered each other in a very harmonious and tacit manner, not at all like a conversation between two people who just met each other for a few minutes.

Kai: "Wait???"

The king's brother-in-law suddenly realized that he had just said that there were too few sincere examples among the great nobles, but there were living examples that bumped into him, and his face was a little painful.

But the crux of the problem is not here.

His first reaction was to interrupt the two of them. Arturia still had to go to the ballroom to show up as a king. If she stayed here for too long, it might delay things.

But soon, all the background details behind the name "Cyril Cornwall" ran through his mind like water.

After weighing, Kai gave up blocking.

The Duke of Cornwall was the first nobleman to court Artoria after she ascended the throne.

Regardless of his intentions for coming here this time, if he can go a step further and get his support, it will be of great benefit to Artoria.

However, perhaps an illusion?

Why does he think that Arturia and the Duke of Cornwall are both blond and green-eyed, and they look inexplicably alike...

The exhausted brother-in-law has made up so much in his brain here, and if he didn't pay attention, the two parties involved were already talking and laughing, and walked aside in a harmonious atmosphere.

That's right, the atmosphere was even better than when we spoke just now.

They really didn't go very far, they just deviated from the original path, walked through the row of bushes where Cyril was waiting, and found the small pavilion hidden in the depths of the path.

It avoids the direct sunlight in the middle of the road, and it is a good place to sit and have a chat.

Gossip——that's what Cyril said, and Arturia thought it was inconvenient for him to say it in public, but she didn't expect that it was really gossip if it was called "chat".

He came all the way, as if he only intended to chat casually with His Majesty the King.

Ask her how she is. The weather has turned cold recently, and she might get sick if she wears such thin clothes.Arturia answered with a dazed face. After chatting for a long time, he smiled and asked her what she likes, specifically referring to food, which unknowingly involved His Majesty's personal hobbies.

Artoria: "...Huh?"

In the past, it could be said that His Excellency the Duke advances and retreats with restraint and is very polite, but now he has become so familiar with it in just a while—however, Artoria is not disgusted at all.

She also answered very seriously.

However, after thinking for a while about her preferences, she answered uncertainly: "Do you like food... I don't seem to have a particular preference, but I recently ate something sweet and it tastes good."

"Okay." Cyril smiled, looking at her with softer eyes: "I've made a note."

This made Artoria even more delusional: Cyril came here to ask this trip, just to know what she likes to eat.

Just superficially to please her?

not like this.Even if there is no evidence, she does not believe it.

Thoughts were drifting away, just when Artoria was indecisive, a soft and pleasant voice sounded beside her.

"Sorry for saying so much before, and finally, I want to ask you a question."

"Ok."

Seems to have finally gotten to the point.

Artoria was waiting for the battle, but she inadvertently noticed that the youth's dazzlingly soft face under the sun was now shrouded in the shadow of the pavilion, showing the solemnity from the bottom of her eyes.

"What do you think of this country?"

asked Cyril.

Arturia was slightly startled, and when she met her gaze, she realized that the other party was asking the question seriously.

So, before she knew what Cyril's intentions were, she also became serious.

——What do you think of Britain that will be ruled by her from now on?

This question seems simple, but it seems to have a deeper, test-like true meaning.

No one had asked her that before.

"Internal and external troubles, riddled with holes, food and supplies are in short supply. People's lives are getting less and less prosperous, and they have to worry about being invaded all the time. In short..."

"This situation continues, and it's getting worse every year."

Cyril took over the voice and saw Artoria's surprise: "I'm not as well-informed as you. What I can see is only the scene in my territory. After a few years, there are more or less Made some discoveries."

He told the king about his discovery.

At first, about three or four years ago, the farmers in his territory worked hard, and after a snowy winter, they would have a bumper harvest in the coming year.

But in the second and third years, no one expected that the originally fertile land would quietly become barren, the grain production would decrease year by year, and the environment would visibly become worse.

Cyril originally thought that this phenomenon only appeared within his territory, but later discovered that in fact, the entire British island was not immune to this change.

"Meaning, is this the cause of the land itself, rather than man-made?"

After Arturia finished her whisper, she didn't forget the thing she remembered before: "I also discovered this problem when I was traveling. However, I heard the anecdote that His Excellency the Duke tried to change the farming method, and it was effective... ..."

"It had some effect a year ago, but it's useless now."

Cyril sighed, unable to hide his worry.

However, when he mentioned this matter, he didn't want to show off what he had done, and these things within the scope of his duties were still circulated, which added much fame to him.

It just so happened that the king fell into deep thought at this moment, and the heaviness on his face was not less than his.Cyril saw all this in his eyes, and seeing that there was no longer enough time, he paused and said softly: "I'm just telling you this to show..."

"That's just one aspect of the problem. The circumstances you're facing add up to a hundred times, a thousand times worse than you imagined."

"Your Excellency Cornwall, did you come here to remind me?"

"Yes, although you may have discovered these problems earlier than me, I still have the audacity to delay your time for so long."

Cyril stood up, as if to end the conversation.

However, the young man retracted his right hand that was raised naturally, as if it was about to reach out to the king. He blocked his mouth with his hand, tilted his head and coughed a few times.

Arturia couldn't help feeling worried, but as soon as the questioning started, Cyril put down his hand, and his face turned around, except for a slightly paler complexion, which seemed to be the same.

"I'll take my leave first, thank you Your Majesty for listening to me."

He saluted the girl who didn't hide her petite figure even though she was dressed in men's clothing. Artoria wanted to stop him for no reason, but thinking that she didn't know the Duke of Cornwall that well, she had to change her words abruptly: "Your Excellency won't attend the dance tonight?"

"I'm very sorry, because there are still things to deal with at home." He said, seeing the disappointment hidden in the girl's green eyes, and gently curled his lips: "Seeing you, my main goal has been achieved."

"what?"

"Actually, I have said so many things that I think are long-winded, and the reminders are secondary. What I really want to do is just to see you."

"……what!"

The king was shocked.

The Duke smiled, and then calmly withdrew.

"........."

Artoria didn't recover until the Duke who came suddenly and left quickly left completely.

Kai came over, and the first thing he said was: "That weird duke is gone, why are you still in a daze."

"Well, it's strange...it's really strange." The girl hung her head and said to herself before she could hear what brother-in-law said clearly.

"Has the Duke of Cornwall left the palace yet? For some reason, I really want to invite him to stay in the palace and have a chat with him."

"I'm afraid it will be difficult for you to meet each other. The Duke is notoriously withdrawn and doesn't like to go out."

The omitted second half of the sentence is that if you leave the door once in a while, it will shake the hearts of all the wives and ladies in the capital, and the men all express that they have to guard against it.

Kay said, "But you can write letters."

"Write a letter...OK." Artoria approved the suggestion.

The turmoil in my heart caused by the Duke's unexpected arrival quickly calmed down. Without looking carefully, the girl who was really [-]% similar to him walked to the hall where the start was about to start according to the plan.

The noble crown was worn on top of her head, and her steps were heavy, as if the weight of the crown was the entire fragmented country.

……

The dance scene.

"Where's uncle?"

"gone back."

"Ah, this is too bad, I have to find... what? Agger, what are you talking about?"

"I said, my uncle has already gone back. I just asked someone to bring us a message, and let us make our own arrangements. It's up to us when we come back or not."

"It's very good—no, I'm full of regrets. I think the ladies who are full of expectations are doomed to be sad tonight."

Ageguiwen (indifferent): "Oh."

The future Knights of the Round Table stood expressionlessly in the crowd, waiting for the arrival of the young king whom they had only heard about in rumors.

……

Cyril got into the carriage driven by the familiar sent by his sister, and the not-so-cold air outside was immediately cut off.

The wind blowing around in the afternoon was not cool, but—how sad.

He deliberately picked a place where there was no sun and the wind was not too strong to wait for someone, and he didn't wait long before he was approached by the old problem again.

"Cough, cough cough—"

Covering his mouth and coughing a few times, the blond young man with a gloomy complexion closed his eyes, as if he wanted to take a rest on the way back.

In reality, however, he wasn't asleep at all.

Closing his eyes is just to clear up the miscellaneous thoughts and facilitate better thinking. This is a habit he has developed in the past four years.

The distracting thoughts brought about by sickness were indeed emptied, but more and more chaotic thoughts filled in.

Cyril classified and confirmed one by one familiarly, and his mind seemed to have never stopped working for a moment.

——I met my second sister today, and I got what I wanted from her mouth, which can be regarded as very rewarding.

——There is obviously a powerful person behind her to help, and it should be the magician that my sister mentioned.Her belief is also stronger than she thought, but it is not so easy to get on the right track at the beginning, it may need... well, she likes to eat sweets, as expected, all girls like it, and so does Sister Morgan.

——After going back, the supply of food can still support the pillar for the time being, but we have to think of other ways.Even if my sister says she wants to help, it's impossible...

This body is only, he has lived so hard up to this point, and he has been burdened with too much pressure that cannot be revealed under the daily accumulation.

But no one knew, including Morgan.

When no one close to him noticed, over the years, Cyril kept himself extremely busy.

There is a lot to do.

There are more things to find a way to solve.

The more he put himself in the deep pool, he couldn't stop himself from thinking about these things.

But how did it turn into this?

What was that important opportunity?

Cyril frowned, he couldn't even think about it.

Moreover, with the superimposition of thoughts, the body that has not healed the root of the disease became unbearably heavy again.

At some point, the drowsy blond youth fell asleep.

The dream that has been lurking for a long time found an opportunity, and it protruded from the deep darkness, sinking the fragile consciousness of human beings deeper.

He should have borrowed this dream to wander to a distant "fairyland" that cannot be explored by human beings, but he failed to arrive in the end.

because……

He forgot.

Forget that I have ever been to the ocean of flowers, and met a white elf there.

He forgot how many times he met the elf intermittently. In his dream, the elf listened to him babbling about what new experiences he had, what books he read, and what he did for the people he cared about.

I also forgot that the elf in the dream sighed regretfully at the end when the memory dissipated like smoke, and said to him: You were originally a very simple child, except for illness, any worries should not bother you.

'You are a variable that shouldn't be there.But even so, as long as you continue to be a protected bystander, in the same position as I am, you can still relax and be happy, instead of—'

'As you are now, the more you know, the more painful it is. '

The elf—it’s time to call him a nightmare—witnessed the human child who was gradually getting rid of his childishness and cried bitterly in his dream, because he finally discovered the tragedy of his parents and sister, and because he realized the danger of the country later. The cruel life that the protected people really face...

Nightmare's sighs are well deserved.

He is used to the suffering of human beings, and the boy's collapse due to his sudden discovery of the cruelty of the world is nothing.

On the contrary, Nightmare was still slightly troubled. The variable represented by this young man was really too difficult to figure out.

Therefore, he did not enlighten him, nor did he escape from the sea of ​​suffering like the imaginary travel notes.

"Even if your cognition is broken and you feel hopeless, don't you still want to give up... I am always happy to see the innocence and tenacity of human beings."

"Then see you in reality, Cyril. The narration in the dream is no longer necessary. I will come to you in person and watch your efforts."

Saying that, the nightmare erased all the boy's memories of these dreams.He was a person who entered by mistake, and it was very easy to clear the unstable memory.

however.

Nightmare... no.

Merlin didn't wake up until a long time later.

This is the most correct thing he has done as a magician to maintain the continuation of Britain.

——This is also the most wrong beginning that he, as a real bystander, pulled away with his own hands for the person he was watching.