When I opened my eyes, a familiar ceiling greeted me. I winced as the morning light spilled through the window, but forced my body to sit up regardless.
"Ugh... Grah!"
I collapsed back onto the bed immediately. That was right—Lancelot's strike had nearly taken my entire side. Peering down, I saw that my torso was wrapped tightly in layers of white bandages.
Looking at my upper body, one might have mistaken me for a mummy.
Nevertheless, I could not remain bedridden forever. Gritting my teeth against the surging agony, I forced myself upright once more.
As I finally managed to sit up, a familiar voice drifted from beside me, accompanied by the sweet fragrance of flowers.
"It would be wise not to force yourself yet, wouldn't it?"
"...And why are you telling me this only after I've already strained myself, Merlin?"
"Oh, I don't know. It was rather entertaining, watching you groan and struggle so pitifully."
In short, she had enjoyed watching my suffering. A flash of irritation flared within me, but I suppressed it just as quickly.
It wasn't as if this was the first time Merlin had acted this way. Of course, every time she did, the urge to kill her was palpable. Still, I had to endure. For better or worse, she was the Court Magus of Britain.
I let out a heavy sigh, causing Merlin to narrow her eyes playfully.
"I have a feeling you were just thinking something very rude..."
"Consider it the weight of your own karma, Merlin."
"Regardless, it truly is impressive. To sustain a point-blank True Name Release of Arondight, have your side torn open, and yet wake up within a single day—you really are something else."
I let out a hollow laugh at her remark.
"Haha... Be that as it may, what is the current situation?"
Ignoring Merlin's curious gaze, I asked the question that weighed most heavily on my mind.
Hearing my inquiry, Merlin's voice softened, taking on a tone of uncharacteristic solemnity.
"...Sir Kay survived, though his injuries are severe. However... Sir Agravain is dead.
Guinevere has been charged with adultery, and Lancelot is currently held in the dungeons under charges of murder and high treason."
"I see... is that so..."
Is the Round Table falling apart? No, the collapse had already begun. Starting with Tristan, then Galahad and Percival... and now, even Agravain.
A bitter taste filled my mouth. I knew well enough that as knights, we would all face death eventually, but to think we would fall to internal strife rather than on the battlefield...
Watching me sink into gloom, Merlin shook her head and spoke with forced cheer.
"Hmph! My lovely little Elius is acting like a wounded puppy. How could this peerless beauty, Big Sister Merlin, possibly stand by and watch!"
Merlin leaned in toward me. I looked at her with a face full of weary exasperation... Wait.
While Merlin blithely ignored my look of disgust, the door behind her opened silently.
There stood Artoria. Judging by the hollow, lifeless look in her eyes as she stared at the Magus of Flowers, she had heard exactly what Merlin just said.
Unaware that a literal reaper of her own making stood behind her, Merlin thrust her face closer to mine.
"Let this kind, beautiful, and charming sister comfort you with her generous bosom! Come, into my arms!"
"......"
You're dead. Merlin, misinterpreting my look of sheer horror, tilted her head with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Hm? Why do you look so terrified? Is there some reason you cannot be embraced by me?"
"—Yes. There is a problem. You, Merlin."
"...Hic!"
Merlin froze mid-air. That voice—familiar, yet dripping with a cold, murderous intent—had come from directly behind her.
As Merlin remained paralyzed by shock, Artoria stepped forward. Her hands moved with clinical precision, one gripping the top of Merlin's head and the other seizing her jaw.
"What exactly do you think you are doing to a patient, Merlin...? Ah, it seems you have far too much free time. It just so happens I needed someone to take over Elius's administrative duties. This works out perfectly. You shall handle them all."
Though a smile played on her lips, Artoria's eyes remained utterly devoid of light. I shuddered at the sight.
Merlin seemed to feel the same existential dread, her voice trembling as she spoke.
"...A-Ahaha, ahahaha. I must decline, My Lord... I-I am quite busy at the mo—"
"Ah, I'm afraid 'no' is not an option."
*CRACK!*
"Gah!"
With that single cold statement, Artoria twisted Merlin's head a full ninety degrees to the left.
With a sickeningly crisp sound of bone snapping and a short, strangled cry, Merlin's body went limp. Artoria caught the back of the magus's neck before she could hit the floor and unceremoniously dropped her beside the bed.
Then, she turned toward me, offering a warm smile so gentle that one would never guess she had just snapped someone's neck.
"Ah, you've finally awakened, Eli."
"U-Uh, yes, Artoria. I just woke up. But... are you alright?"
I nodded awkwardly and looked at her. Her appearance was harrowing.
Her signature ahoge was wilted, her hair was unkempt and dry, and dark circles shadowed her eyes. She looked like the very definition of overwork. Yet, she merely nodded as if nothing were wrong.
"I am fine. It is you I am worried for, Eli. Are you truly well?"
"Ah, yes. I'm okay."
At my confirmation, a look of profound relief washed over her face.
"That is a mercy... Do you have any idea how much I worried? When I saw you lying there, covered in blood... I truly thought..."
Artoria's hands began to tremble. She had been terrified. I reached out and took her shaking hand in mine. She immediately gripped it back with surprising strength.
"Eli... Elius, please... Do not leave me. Do not leave my side."
Her eyes were clouded with fear. She was a king who had walked through countless battlefields and witnessed a sea of death.
But this was different. To see the Knights of the Round Table—those she trusted, those she was meant to protect—fall and depart one by one... this was a first. The realization that the precious things always by her side could vanish, and worse, that the man she loved could disappear, filled her with dread.
Seeing her vulnerability, I lifted her hand and pressed a gentle kiss to the back of it.
*Chu.*
"...Ah."
"I swear it. Until my dying breath, I will always be by your side."
Artoria froze, blinking in stunned silence at my action before her face flushed a brilliant crimson.
When I offered her a bright, final smile, Artoria seemingly reached her limit and scrambled to her feet in a panic.
"U-Ugh... I-I must be going now, Eli! You are still a patient, and I have disturbed you far too long! I shall have Sir Merlin here handle all the duties, so please, rest well today!"
"Wait, just a mo—"
*Grab! Thud, thud, thud—SLAM!*
Before I could even attempt to calm her down, Artoria snatched the unconscious Merlin by the collar and dragged her across the floor, rushing out of the room. I was left staring blankly at the door she had slammed shut with startling force.