To become a king and a magician

Lying face-to-face with Artoria on the bed, with the holy sword held between them, Natsukawa Torama looked at her and said, "Alright, now you can explain things to me properly, Pendragon. Who exactly are you? What's this about the monster? And what happened just now?"

It's been half an hour since they defeated the monster. After firing that powerful beam that completely destroyed the monster, Natsukawa Torato and Artoria flew into the sky, found a secluded spot to land, and transformed back into human form before returning.

Now that the monster has been defeated, it's time for Artoria to tell everything she knows.

"Yes, I would explain it to you even if you didn't tell me, Master. However, there might be some parts that you might not understand right now, so I need to organize my thoughts and explain it to you in terms that we can both understand."

That's what they say, but in reality, it was Melie who was responsible for narrating the story; Artoria was just relaying it.

After a moment of silence, Artoria spoke up: "Let's start by talking about monsters first—Master, your understanding of monsters probably comes from Ultraman, right?"

"Ah."

"Most of the monsters in Ultraman are man-made or ancient creatures, right? But the monsters we just defeated, and the monsters that may appear in the future, are different. They are actually fragments of someone's power. Someone shattered their power into fragments, and these fragments became monsters because of their own characteristics—that's roughly it."

Someone?

Natsukawa Tora frowned: "Don't you know who that person is? Since that person created the monster, why not just go and defeat him?"

"Even if we defeat that person, it won't help, because the other party deliberately shattered their own power, and that power no longer belongs to them. All we can do is defeat the monsters formed from the fragments one by one. Besides, I don't know who that person is."

No, he should know, but judging from the current situation, Natsukawa Torato and Sajo Aika's relationship is abnormally good. Even if the memories in his mind are false, he may still do something extreme because of these false memories—that's what Meryl judged.

Therefore, before everything settles down, it's best not to let Natsukawa Torato know that the mastermind behind it all is Sajou Aika.

"Alright, I'll leave the monster matter at that, I won't ask any more questions. Next question, who are you? Why did you approach me and claim to be your Master?"

“I am... a spirit attached to this sword. In Japanese mythology, there are things called tsukumogami, right? I am similar to that.”

Tsukumogami (神物神).

The explanation is generally that old objects absorb resentment and vital energy, transforming into demons and monsters.

Is Artoria a similar being? Or is she a part of this sword?

Natsukawa Torama looked at the sword in front of him: "This is... the real thing?"

"Yes, it is indeed the legendary sword used by King Arthur, the Excalibur. I am a spirit attached to the sword... You can think of it that way. And now, you are the master of the sword, so you are naturally my master. From now on, I will fully support you in the fight against monsters."

"I am the master of the Holy Sword...it chose me?"

"You could say that. It's fine for you to think that way for now. I'll explain more later when I have the chance, as that part is something you can't understand right now."

Can't understand?

Natsukawa Tora sighed softly: "Alright... then next—why me?"

"You mean... why did the Holy Sword choose you? Or why is it that only you can defeat the monster?"

“Yes, I do.” Natsukawa Tora clenched his hands slightly. “But don’t misunderstand, it’s not that I don’t want to defeat the monster. I’ve always been unable to muster any enthusiasm for anything, and I always feel that it’s not something I should take seriously. But when the monster appeared before, and when I was fighting the monster, I really felt a sense of fulfillment.”

"Fighting monsters is what I should do with all my might"—that's really what I thought at the time.

"But why? Why me? Why would I have such thoughts? That's what I want to ask you."

This is a bit complicated to explain, since it will inevitably involve Aika Sajou.

The monster is a fragment of Ayaka Sajou's power, and you are the third Holy Sword Wielder who will save the world. Given the complex relationship between the two of you, it's only natural that you would want to defeat the monster.

—This is definitely not something that can be said to Natsukawa Tora now; it can only be said after he has regained some of his memories.

"Regarding this... it's actually the destiny of the Holy Sword Wielder." Artoria repeated what Meryl had said. "I don't know if you've read the Arthurian legend, but in the legend, Arthur's nemesis, the white dragon Vortigern of Britain, fought against the beings that plagued the world and ensured peace. All those who wield the Holy Sword share this same destiny."

"That's why you want to fight monsters. When you were chosen by the Holy Sword, you already had to do it."

"Is this all you can tell me right now? Is this all I can understand at this point?"

Artoria nodded.

After a moment of silence, Xia Chuanhu sighed helplessly, "Alright, it seems that even if you spit it all out at once, it won't work. I'll compromise here and accept the explanations you're giving me now."

"I'm sorry, but I promise you that you will know the truth in the future, and that day is not far away."

"Hopefully—so one last question, what about our appearance just now... and what about that giant's appearance? It seems we've become one..."

“That is the power of the Holy Sword. In order to deal with the enormous being that is scourged on the world, we also need to become an equally enormous being. That is why we appeared in that form. The place we were in before was the space of our merged consciousness. Consciousness has no need to wear clothes, so... please understand this.”

This setting is actually somewhat unnecessary to explain... After accepting the matter of the monster and the holy sword, Natsukawa Torato doesn't care much about such trivial matters now.

Reaching out to touch the holy sword before him, Natsukawa Torama took a deep breath: "...Let's leave the questions here for now. If any more monsters appear in the future, I'll fight them. I'm not opposed to it, and I'll need your help then, Pendragon."

"Just call me Lia, that's what you've called me before, haven't you?"

"Was that just a spur-of-the-moment decision...? Is it okay to call you Lia directly? Wouldn't that be a bit too intimate?"

“It’s alright, it actually makes me more comfortable this way. After all, we’ll be fighting side by side for a long time, and calling each other by our surnames all the time would just make us feel distant,” Artoria said with a smile, then touched her fingertips together in front of her. “I look forward to working with you from now on, Master.”

"Oh...oh, nice to meet you."

(By the way, isn't this etiquette used at weddings?)

11. Who is the person you want to live with?

The next day, early in the morning.

Waking up to the alarm, Artoria rubbed her eyes and sat up from her bed on the floor: "Is it morning? Master... it seems you woke up before me."

Last night, after finding out that Artoria's address was a lie and that she actually had nowhere to stay, Natsukawa Torama simply let her sleep on a makeshift bed on the floor in his room.

Since they'd be partners fighting monsters together anyway, living together wouldn't be a problem. Artoria had no objections to this.

Now, looking at Natsukawa Torami's empty bed next to her, Artoria couldn't help but feel a little sentimental.

She didn't even notice that her Master had gotten up. It seems she's been too lax. As a Servant, such a lapse in behavior is really inappropriate. She must be more alert in the future.

"Let's get up first. Master... should be downstairs."

As she thought this, Artoria took off her pajamas and put on her own clothes that were folded to the side—by the way, the pajamas were also Natsukawa Tora's, and because of Artoria's figure, they fit her surprisingly well, only a little big.

It's already 8 AM. According to Artoria's observation yesterday, Natsukawa Tora should have already gone to school with Sajō Aika from next door by now.

"Huh? This tastes like this?"

On her way down to the second floor, Artoria suddenly caught a whiff of a delicious aroma—the aroma of meat, which smelled like bacon.

Is anyone in the kitchen?

"Master?"

Upon arriving in the kitchen, Artoria saw Natsukawa Tora busy at work. Hearing Artoria's voice, Natsukawa Tora turned to the side and said, "Oh, you're awake. Go brush your teeth and wash your face first. I'll be done here in a bit."

"Are you making breakfast? Bacon, eggs, sausages... Is it English style?"

“I think you’d like to eat this, after all, you’re British in a way, right? Also, these sausages were brought back by my parents and have been sitting in the fridge, so we can use them up now—oh right, could you check the bread machine over there? It should be ready by now.”

Because his parents had always worked in England, Xia Chuanhu had learned a little about British meals. Although he really couldn't agree with the level of food there, breakfast was at least normal.

Thinking about it carefully, this was the first time he had made breakfast in the last four or five years.

"But why are you suddenly making breakfast, Master? I remember your breakfast was made by Sajō-kun..."

"Isn't it because you moved in? My share of love songs can help me. If you don't eat, won't you go hungry?"

"It's okay, I don't actually feel hungry—"

Guh~~~~~~

An untimely voice made Artoria freeze in place, her pretty face instantly flushing red. Natsukawa Tora couldn't help but chuckle: "Alright, alright, hurry up and wash up, then eat and go to school."

"it is good."

........

Sajou Aika felt that something was off today.

As usual, after calculating the possible time when Xia Chuanhu might come out based on the records so far, she left home four or five seconds later than that time. If nothing unexpected happens, she will be able to meet Xia Chuanhu as soon as possible today.

It's been like this for the past ten years. Saying goodbye to Natsukawa Tora every morning is the thing that Sajo Aika looks forward to most every day.

But something's not right today.

Xia Chuanhu did not appear at the time she expected.

(Could it be that he overslept? Or does he have a stomachache?)

Several possibilities flashed through Sajou Aika's mind, but since such unexpected events had happened before, she was not in a hurry and stood quietly waiting at the door of the Natsukawa family's house.

Anyway, it's still early before I go to school.

But......

"So slow, Tiger."

Glancing at the time on her watch, Aika Sajou couldn't help but look towards the Natsukawa house. Even if it was ten minutes later than usual, it was still quite unusual. Could it be that he really hadn't woken up? The alarm hadn't even woken him up?

Should we go in and check? If he really overslept and hasn't woken up, he might be late for school if we delay any longer.

"Forget it, let's wait a little longer. We'll definitely have a good talk with Tiger when he comes out."

Just as this thought crossed Ayaka Sajou's mind, the door to the Natsukawa family's house suddenly opened. Before Ayaka Sajou could look over with a mixture of joy and reproach, two voices entered her ears one after the other.

"Oh no, Aika is probably still waiting for me at this hour, right? Lia, you can eat so much!"

"I'm sorry, Master, the breakfast was so delicious that I couldn't resist..."

One is Natsukawa Tora's voice. There is absolutely no way that Sajo Aika could mistake it. Even if she were deaf, she would definitely recognize it immediately.

But another voice...

Sajō Aika looked behind her stiffly, only to see that besides Natsukawa Tora, Artoria was also walking out of the Natsukawa house with him. The two were chatting and laughing, seemingly getting along well.

(Huh? Why is Pendragon at Torato's house? Do they live together? Is she staying over? I've never had someone stay over before, and she's already staying over? Huh? Is that even allowed? I remember there's only one bed at Torato's house, right? Are they sleeping together?)

Countless thoughts flooded Ayaka Sajou's mind, while at the same time, Torata Natsukawa and Artoria saw her standing at the door waiting for them.

"Aigo, good morning. Sorry I'm late because I had to cook for Liya. Have you been waiting long?"

"No, it wasn't long... More importantly, Pendragon... stayed overnight last night? Tiger, didn't you take her home?"

"About this... actually, her house is gone." Xia Chuanhu explained, "Didn't the news say this morning that there was a gas explosion in Weiyuanchuan? Her house was right near the center of the explosion and was blown up. So she can only stay at my house temporarily for now."

This is not a lie, but the truth. While having breakfast, Natsukawa Tora checked the news to find out what happened after last night's battle. He found that there was no mention of the monster or the giant he had transformed into. The news only said that a gas leak caused a series of explosions. Even the extent of the damage shown on TV was different from last night. Fuyuki Bridge was still intact, even though it was destroyed by the monster last night.

[It's probably the self-repairing mechanism of this consciousness space, right? Or maybe Ayaka Sajou intervened a little to ensure the stability of the plan—in any case, although your battle with the monster did happen, it will soon be replaced by some minor disasters that are completely unrelated to it.]

This is the explanation that Merry told Artoria, and it's also the explanation that Natsukawa Tora heard from Artoria. Of course, Artoria omitted the part about Sajou Aika.