"Lamorak! Are you alright?"
Seeing the battered and weak Souya before her, compared to the man in her memory, Artoria's eyes instantly filled with anxiety.
Slightly flustered, she took Souya from Gawain's hands and hurriedly called for the military doctors.
Seeing their King's anxious expression, the surrounding knights all had somewhat strange expressions.
However, they exchanged glances and said nothing.
In the end, these were only their speculations, and they could absolutely never voice them aloud.
"I am fine, Artoris. I just suffered some minor injuries. A few days of rest will suffice."
Sensing the young girl's genuine worry for him, Souya's heart softened slightly.
He smiled at Artoria, as if to comfort her and tell her not to worry.
But the latter clearly did not think so.
"How can it be a minor injury when you are this weak?"
The young girl was a bit angry at Souya's attitude, but she clearly realized that it would be inappropriate to continue speaking under the watchful eyes of so many people.
Thus, Artoria temporarily restrained her emotions. After settling Souya in a room closest to hers in the castle, she dismissed everyone, leaving only an attending military doctor to check Souya's injuries.
Upon seeing the dense array of wounds, large and small, beneath his clothes, Artoria was even more shocked. Her tone involuntarily carried a trace of heartache.
"It must hurt a lot, Lamorak..."
The young girl reached out, dabbed some ointment, and carefully applied it to his wounds, looking as if she wanted to wipe the pain away for him.
Even though the doctor said these were only flesh wounds and Souya's recovery ability was enough to heal them, the young girl still couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache and asked the doctor for the ointment.
For some reason, watching this scene before him felt somewhat familiar.
But he didn't say much; he merely smiled bitterly, shook his head, and spoke.
"I overestimated myself, attempting to challenge the White Dragon, only to be injured and captured by him instead."
"But I truly have you to thank this time, Artoris. Without your help, I fear I would have suffered even more."
Hearing this, Artoria's face instinctively flushed slightly, and even the ahoge on her head swayed side to side.
"It was only what I ought to do. After all, didn't you save me in the past too, Lamorak?"
Having said that, she seemed to remember something and looked up at Souya.
"Speaking of which, Lamorak, why did you suddenly go to assassinate Vortigern? Was it an order given by my Royal Sister?"
Hearing the young girl's question and detecting the imperceptible hint of anger and complaint in her words, Souya hurriedly explained.
"No, this has nothing to do with Lady Morgan. It was my own desire to assassinate Vortigern and end this war."
"In the end, it was because my skills were inferior that I ended up in such a state."
"Is that so?"
Hearing Souya's words, Artoria's expression softened slightly.
But then, both of them fell silent, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.
Artoria looked at the knight she had yearned for for so long, hesitating whether to speak certain words.
She still remembered that before Merlin went into isolation, he had told her more than once that according to the trajectory of destiny, Lamorak was bound to join the Knights of the Round Table and fight alongside her.
Yet now, they had almost fought their way to Londinium, Vortigern's doorstep, and Lamorak's path was still parallel to hers, never intersecting.
Upon hearing of Lamorak's deeds this time, she felt this was very likely the opportunity Merlin spoke of.
It was just that... from his words just now, although it was only a short sentence, Artoria could still detect a hint of his thoughts from Souya's respectful title for Morgan.
So she was hesitating now whether she should ask that question.
After all, if she asked, they might not even be able to remain friends. But if she didn't ask, could she truly be reconciled with that?
Thinking this, the young girl's expression became increasingly conflicted, her ahoge standing up one moment and drooping the next.
Time passed minute by minute in this atmosphere, until the air became increasingly stifling. The young girl finally couldn't hold back and spoke.
"Lamorak, if we are to fight Vortigern, would you be willing to join us?"
"Artoris, if you don't mind, could you let me join you?"
"Eh?!"
Hearing this voice ring out simultaneously with her own words, Artoria instinctively looked up at him.
Meeting her eyes was Souya, looking at her with equal astonishment.
"Y-y-you, what did you just say?!"
Hearing these words that had almost only appeared in her dreams, Artoria was stunned almost instantly.
Almost the moment she reacted, the young girl's excited voice rang out again.
"Really, Lamorak?! Are you truly willing to join the Knights of the Round Table and fight alongside me?!"
Looking at the young girl's expression—like a gambler who had just won the lottery—and her ahoge spinning like a propeller, Souya smiled while also feeling a bit hesitant.
He truly didn't expect to hold such a position in Artoria's heart.
Merely hearing him say he wanted to join the Knights of the Round Table made her so happy she lost her composure, such joy welling up from the bottom of her heart.
It's just that I am ultimately destined to betray her expectations...
I am truly not a decent person.
"Yes, Artoris. I want to join you, to defeat Vortigern together with you. It's just..."
At this point, Souya lowered his head, somewhat afraid to look at Artoria's expression and eyes.
"Please tolerate me continuing to call you 'Artoris'."
"I am sorry, Artoris."
Hearing Souya's words, Artoria's joyous emotions slowly subsided until they vanished.
Although it was merely a difference in how he addressed her, the young girl naturally understood the meaning behind Souya's words.
She stared blankly at Souya, her eyes turning somewhat dim, as if losing their light.
"Is it because of... my sister, Morgan?"
The young girl's tone was low, the hidden disappointment impossible to conceal.
"I am sorry, Artoris. My life and body were entirely bestowed by Lady Morgan. Without her, there would be no Knight Lamorak. Therefore..."
Therefore, I truly cannot swear an oath of loyalty to anyone else.
"I am sorry, Artoris. I am sorry."
Souya didn't know what else to say. He only kept his head down, continuously apologizing to the girl before him.
"It is fine, Lamorak. It is fine."
Artoria raised her hand to cover Souya's lips, stopping his apologies. It was just that the latter could feel the temperature of her hand was ice-cold.
"As long as you are willing to be with me, it doesn't matter if you don't call me King. After all, we are friends."
The young girl replied with a smile. She carefully controlled her tone, trying to make herself seem less bothered, but anyone could tell she was forcing a smile.
"Alright. Since you are willing to become a member of the Knights of the Round Table, Lamorak, I will call you Sir Lamorak from now on. You don't need to call me Artoris either. Just call me Al."
"It's getting late. We can discuss the welcoming ceremony tomorrow. I will take my leave now. You should rest early too, Sir Lamorak."
Watching the back of the blonde girl as she dropped the ointment and left in a hurry, Souya lowered his head in silence.
He hadn't considered completely hiding this matter from Artoria.
But if he did that, it would not only be disloyal to her but also disloyal to Morgan.
Even if everything he was doing now was born from a lie, in this particular matter, Souya truly did not want to deceive anyone.
Gentle like water, twisted like water, and formless like water.
"How hypocritical, Lamorak."
Silently picking up the ointment dropped on the bed, Souya muttered to himself.
[Sorrow.]
[Even though none of this was what you wanted or wished to do, for the sake of the ultimate plan, you still went ahead and did it.]
[However, even knowing you did not acknowledge her as King, Artoria still allowed you to join the Knights of the Round Table and become the Third Seat, beneath only her and Kay.]
[According to her, this seat was inherently reserved for you.]
[It was just that this seat not only exceeded your expectations but also aroused the resentment of the other knights.]
[After all, no one could accept a newcomer—whom they had just rescued not long ago, and who even had a history of siding with the enemy—standing above them.]
[Even if you had long been famous, and even now the name 'Lion of Britain' thundered in people's ears, in the Knights of the Round Table where the strong gathered, no one felt they were inferior to anyone else.]
[Thus, under such circumstances, on the second day after you recovered, you received a challenge from the Knight of the Lake, Lancelot.]