"It looks like he's not coming today," Artoria murmured to herself, watching the misty sea as the ocean breeze brushed against her.
Since that training session a few days ago, she hadn't seen Arthur again. Artoria didn't know whether the bridge connecting the island—previously mentioned by Arthur—had disappeared, or if there was some other reason.
In short, three days had passed, and Arthur had not reappeared during that time.
"Forget it. I'd better focus on my training." Artoria averted her gaze and continued practicing her strikes and the runes Arthur had taught her.
This magic was truly marvelous; it allowed weapons to be imbued with runes, producing additional effects that were nearly impossible to defend against.
He must trust me a great deal to teach me this magic without holding anything back.
As Artoria worked with the runes, she couldn't stop thinking.
Splash!
A wave rolled in, and a flicker of flames shimmered at the tips of Artoria's fingers, seemingly on the verge of being extinguished by the sea breeze.
This was one of the runes Arthur usually used to grill fish. After several days of training, Artoria had finally managed to make the flame the size of a fingernail.
Before, she had thought the flame Arthur created was small, but now, looking at the tiny flame on her fingertip, she realized just how remarkable it had been that Arthur's flame that day had been the size of a hand.
After practicing repeatedly for two hours, Artoria looked up at the gradually darkening sky and realized that Arthur truly would not appear today. She was just about to leave.
"Hello!"
At that moment, a shout came from afar. Artoria turned her head and saw a familiar figure walking toward her through the mist.
"Arthur?!" Artoria's face lit up with surprise, but that surprise quickly settled into calm.
Then, she drew her sword.
"Good afternoon… um, I wanted to greet you in a friendly way, so could you please put your sword away first? You look a bit scary," Arthur said. His expression was odd, his eyes fixed on the sword Artoria had drawn at some point, and he didn't dare take another step forward.
"Is it really you?" Artoria stared at Arthur intently, her eyes still wide with alertness. "Could you be his ghost or something?"
In this world, ghost-like creatures truly existed. Some of them could even take human form. Arthur had disappeared for two days and then suddenly reappeared, which made Artoria more than a little suspicious.
"Are you already wishing for my death?" Arthur smiled bitterly. "I had a really hard time escaping from my master."
Scáthach had grounded him for only two days, but he slipped away early the very next morning. If he were discovered, he would likely be punished.
Still, there was nothing he could do about it. When Arthur returned to his room, he immediately thought of Artoria and wondered whether she might still be waiting for him. On impulse, he came to check.
Surprisingly, he was right.
"Didn't we eat grilled fish together a few days ago? You seemed really hungry back then." Seeing that Artoria still looked doubtful, Arthur continued trying to prove himself.
Artoria's caution eased slightly. "Is it really you?"
"It's really me. If you don't believe me, I'll catch some fish and grill them for you. As long as they taste the same, that should prove my identity, right?"
Artoria finally lowered her sword. "I'm sorry. Something happened at the palace these past few days, which caused some unrest. I hope you can understand."
"It's fine. I understand," Arthur said, waving his hand. He picked up his spear, walked toward the sea, removed his upper garments, and jumped into the water.
"What are you doing?" Artoria asked, puzzled.
"I'm going to catch some fish," Arthur replied.
"Don't I need to prove my identity?" he added with a grin.
Artoria remained silent.
Sometimes it was very difficult to understand what this guy was thinking. He deliberately jumped into the sea to fish in order to prove who he was.
What kind of strange method of proof was that?
"You're not coming into the water?" Arthur raised his hand and waved from the sea. "The water feels amazing!"
Artoria stood still, only speaking after a while. "I'm not interested."
"Could it be that the great Artoria Pendragon doesn't know how to swim?" Arthur called out loudly.
Displeasure flickered across Artoria's face, but she didn't refute him.
She really couldn't swim.
"It doesn't matter. I'll catch everything myself. Wait here for me," he said, and with that, he truly dove into the sea like a fish.
The runes activated instantly, filling him with magic and allowing Arthur to dive easily into the shallow waters.
Artoria walked barefoot across the sand, slowly heading toward the shoreline.
Thirty seconds passed… one minute… two minutes… and Arthur still hadn't returned.
Just as Artoria began to feel uneasy, bubbles suddenly rose to the surface of the sea, and a hand emerged from the water in the distance, followed by a head shouting, "Help!"
After saying that, he sank back into the sea.
A flash of panic shone in Artoria's eyes. Without thinking twice, she ran toward the water. The moment she reached the shore, Arthur—who had just sunk—suddenly resurfaced.
"You were worried about me?!"
Their gazes met for an instant.
The tide crashed hard against the rocks, sending sprays of water flying and soaking Artoria's white dress, instantly drenching her hair and clothes.
Then, after staring at him for three seconds—
"Wait, wait a second! It was just a little prank—"
Artoria ignored Arthur's voice and silently shoved his head back into the sea, only to be pulled into the water herself moments later.
---xXx---
Dry wood crackled as it caught fire, illuminating the girl's shining eyes. Arthur looked at her and said, "Your water runes are really good now."
"I achieved that by practicing every day," Artoria replied calmly, without looking at him.
"Are you still angry?" Arthur asked.
"I hate men who play pranks on others," she said evenly.
"Don't hold such a grudge. It was just a joke," Arthur said, glancing again at the white dress Artoria had taken off and left to dry. "Even if it did get your clothes wet."
She didn't look at Arthur even once, staring instead at the fish inside the pot.
"About what you mentioned earlier—the situation at the palace… what's going on?" Arthur asked. He had been dazed for a moment, but after a while, he turned his gaze to the girl beside him.
"Of course, if it's a secret, then forget it. I have no intention of prying into other people's secrets." Seeing Artoria's solemn expression, Arthur quickly waved his hand, indicating that he had no intention of uncovering her secrets.
Still, he couldn't help feeling a bit curious. He was quite curious to know why, in just two short days, Artoria had suddenly become so cautious—so much so that she doubted whether he was even real when she saw him.
(End of Chapter)