Was this a dream?
Or was it reality?
Vivian could no longer distinguish between the two situations. Her senses swam.
The only thing echoing in her mind was the single sentence he had just replied to her.
"Yes, alright."
Those were words identical to the promise he had made to her when he was a knight. A vow from the past.
"Whatever you desire, I will go and fight for you."
So—
Had he remembered her? She thought, hope flickering within her.
Was that why he had come here at this moment, to accompany her and admire those ethereal flowers together?
Had he remembered?
He must have remembered, right?! Her heart pounded with fervent hope.
A smile, one that had not appeared in a thousand years, surfaced on the witch's face.
It was an inner thought that could only possibly surface when she was facing him. Her true feelings broke through.
"Ian!" Vivian couldn't help but call out his name. Her voice was filled with emotion.
However—
Facing Vivian's initiative and enthusiasm, Sir Ian's reaction appeared quite ordinary. He seemed unfazed.
Or rather, he seemed a little puzzled by her call, but felt compelled to respond out of politeness.
"Yes, I am here," he replied, his voice calm.
"But if I may—"
"I hope Teacher Vivian won't be so agitated," he said gently, noting her emotional state.
"..."
Just this one sentence was enough to instantly shatter the hope that had just appeared in Vivian, grinding it into cold reality.
Because—
The address he used was still Vivian, the witch's alias in the world. He used her false name.
It wasn't the name of the revered and feared new Queen, Morgan. He didn't use that name.
He still hadn't recognized her, after all. The realization hit her hard.
Thinking of this, Vivian sobered up a little. The haze of despair began to lift, replaced by a sharp pain.
However—
If this was truly the case, it didn't mean there was no hope at all.
Because it meant that she still had a chance to awaken his memories.
Everything, she thought, still had a possibility of changing.
[You did not know the emotions Vivian was feeling at this moment.]
[From your perspective, she seemed to be thinking about something. Her gaze was distant.]
[Combined with her previous behavior beside Tohsaka Sakura, you couldn't help but feel a little worried. A sense of unease stirred within you.]
[You decided to break this silence.]
[Even though you knew that you actually didn't need to do this.]
"Hmm—"
Sir Ian looked at the Vivian before him, who was quite mature in both dress and demeanor.
"Teacher Vivian," he said, his voice gentle.
"You said you wanted me to accompany you to admire the flowers, right?" he confirmed her earlier words.
"If that's the case, can we begin now?" he asked, ready to comply with her request.
"Huh?"
Hearing Sir Ian say this, Vivian finally recalled her unconscious murmurings from earlier.
She realized that he had taken what she said casually as a genuine need that existed. He saw her words as a request to be fulfilled.
If that was the case—
It was better to go along with it for now.
Otherwise, it would surely make him suspicious. She needed to maintain the facade.
"Yes... that's right."
Vivian turned around, looking at the flowers in the courtyard, her eyes appearing quite appreciative. She feigned interest in the blossoms.
"This is my first time in Japan, you see," she said, making up a reason.
"Seeing these beautiful flowers, I couldn't help but say that," she explained.
"It's a pity that I don't recognize any of them; it would be great if you could tell me a little about them," she added, giving him a task.
It was a reasonable request.
It sounded completely flawless.
And more importantly, although he hadn't obtained any information about his previous identity.
Due to the existence of "Knowledge Correction," Sir Ian was quite familiar with the place where he had been summoned (which was Fuyuki). The local knowledge was readily available to him.
He was naturally quite knowledgeable about these local flowers before him.
"I see."
"I understand," Sir Ian replied.
[Following Vivian's request, you began to introduce her to the flowers in the Tohsaka family's courtyard.]
[As the "Phantom" who had accompanied Tohsaka Sakura for over ten years, you knew that Vivian, being from the Clock Tower, knew very little about Japan.]
[So you explained in great detail, afraid that she wouldn't understand something. Your explanation was thorough and clear.]
[However, what you didn't know was this.]
[Vivian wasn't actually listening carefully to what you were saying.]
[Her attention was completely focused on your movements.]
That's right.
This was him. His familiar gestures, his way of being.
Only he would explain the purpose of each flower to her like this.
And only he knew what she cared about when looking at flowers. He understood her tastes.
Vivian thought this, her hand involuntarily covering her chest.
She felt her heart beating at a rapid pace, as if it could burst from her chest at any moment.
The flame symbolizing hope was constantly emitting light, slowly bringing the heartbroken witch back to life. Hope surged within her.
"Hmm... if it were purely for the aesthetic beauty of the garden, I would actually prefer flowers like Spirea—"
After expressing his opinion, Sir Ian looked at her beside him.
"Teacher Vivian, what do you think?" he asked for her input.
"Huh?"
Vivian quickly shifted her gaze away from him, and then, pretending to have listened very carefully to everything, she replied.
"I don't know much about this," she said, feigning ignorance.
"However, it sounds like you indeed have a very good point, and I also strongly agree with your view," she said, agreeing readily.
"Is that so?" Sir Ian smiled faintly.
"Then—"
"Teacher Vivian, was my explanation helpful to you?" he asked.
"Or if there's anything you think is wrong, you can tell me," he offered, inviting feedback.
"Of course, it was too short," Vivian murmured softly. "I haven't seen enough yet..." she added under her breath.
"What?" Sir Ian tilted his head slightly.
"Nothing," Vivian quickly reined in her emotions.
She looked at him before her, and the small flame of hope in her heart suddenly began to flicker again. It hadn't been extinguished.
"Then—"
"Can I ask you one more question?" she asked, her voice filled with renewed hope.
"Of course, you can," Sir Ian replied politely. "Within what I know, I will try my best to answer Teacher Vivian."
"You definitely know."
Vivian extended her hand, pointing towards the dazzling array of flowers in the Tohsaka family courtyard.
"What do you think would happen if all these flowers were replaced with roses?" she asked, the question seemingly simple.
Vivian didn't ask this question on a whim.
To this day, she still remembered the garden outside the corridor in Camelot that had witnessed her love with him. The memory was vivid and precious.
It was precisely because of this that she had unconsciously blurted out the "command" for Ian to accompany her to admire the flowers in her earlier delirium.
Since she remembered—
He must surely have some impression of it too, right?! She clung to this possibility.
Holding onto this thought, Vivian said what she had just said.
However—
Things didn't go as smoothly as imagined, but they weren't as bad as imagined either.
[Listening to Vivian's words, you found that a certain extremely familiar scene from the past seemed to appear before your eyes.]
[It was a situation that matched perfectly with her description of "replacing these flowers with roses."]
[But you still couldn't remember where that was.]
[And at the same time, you couldn't be sure if Vivian intentionally mentioned this, or if it was a coincidence created unintentionally.]
[You decided to temporarily hide your thoughts and choose to answer her in the most normal way possible.]
Vivian was even more agitated now.
Because she saw that when she asked those questions, Sir Ian hesitated noticeably. His reaction was telling.
A person (or rather, a Heroic Spirit) would absolutely not hesitate without reason.
Either the words she just spoke made him feel awkward;
Or he thought of something that happened to match her words.
And from the flowing conversation just now, it was clearly unlikely to be the first case;
Then—
There was only one possible outcome left now.
Ian had indeed remembered something that matched her request to replace all the flowers here with "roses." A memory had been stirred.
She needed to be more proactive, she decided.
Having determined this, Vivian pretended to be worried and once again stated her request to Sir Ian.
"Um—"
"Was what I said too much?" she asked, her voice slightly uncertain.
"Then... you don't have to answer me," she added, offering an out.
"Not at all," Sir Ian shook his head. "I was just thinking about how to answer better." he explained his hesitation.
"Have you thought about it now?" Vivian asked, full of hope, pressing for an answer.
"Barely; please forgive me if it's not quite right," Sir Ian said apologetically.
Sir Ian's gaze swept over the flowers in the courtyard before him, and his tone also became gentler.
"Teacher Vivian, you perhaps like roses very much," he observed.
"But—"
"This kind of environment, I think, is not very suitable for planting roses on a large scale." he explained the practical limitations.
"However, it's not impossible." he added, offering a glimmer of hope.
"Not impossible?" Vivian became a little uneasy. "What do you mean?" she asked quickly.
"Oh, what I meant to express is—"
Sir Ian's gaze moved away from the sea of flowers and shifted to Vivian.
"If you truly wish to see roses, I can convey the request to the Master for you," he offered helpfully.
"I think... planting a few should not be a problem," he suggested, indicating his willingness to assist.
"..."
A blush appeared on Vivian's face.
This was a level of consideration she hadn't felt in a long time. His offer touched her deeply.
"Is that necessary?" The witch's voice became hesitant. "I... I just mentioned it casually," she mumbled, trying to downplay her desire.
"Mentioning it casually is often a manifestation of a true wish."
Sir Ian's voice remained as gentle as ever.
"After all, if you even mention something like this in an unintentional remark, it means you must think about it often, right?" he reasoned, his words insightful.
"Considering it from this perspective, I think it's very necessary to make it happen."
"Furthermore—"
"You are Sakura's teacher."
"Your wish, she will surely be willing to fulfill," he stated, believing in Tohsaka Sakura's kindness.
Hearing this, Vivian sobered up considerably, and a hint of bitterness welled up inside her.
There was a time when he was so attentive to her. He had cared for her deeply.
Only... she had lost all of that. It was her own fault.
Now, was he showing this much care mostly because of her identity as Tohsaka Sakura's teacher? The thought was painful.
"Yes," Vivian nodded very reluctantly. "I understand."
"Then please ask Sakura for me," she requested, her voice soft.
"Understood," Sir Ian replied.
"..."
"..."
"Speaking of which—" Sir Ian initiated the conversation. "Teacher Vivian, can I ask you a question?" he inquired.
"Huh?"
Vivian felt a tiny spark of hope again.
Drowning in despair, she naturally used all her strength to grasp this last straw of hope.
"Yes," she said, her voice eager.
"You can ask anything."
"That's wonderful," Sir Ian said, thanking Vivian and continuing politely.
"Why... why do you think my name is Ian?" he asked the crucial question.
"Is it because you have encountered such a person somewhere?" he probed, seeking an explanation.
"..."
Hearing this, Vivian felt her heart sink.
On one hand, it indicated that he might truly not remember the past events;
But on the other hand, it also showed his acceptance of the name she had given him—after all, not everyone could accept a sudden address like that. His willingness to consider the name was significant.
After a moment of hesitation, Vivian could only give an ambiguous answer.
"Because the name has a special meaning."
"Special meaning?" Sir Ian echoed, intrigued.
"Yes," Vivian nodded, then carefully explained.
"The potential impression this name gives is absolute loyalty and trustworthiness."
"I think... doesn't that suit you very well?" she asked, hoping her words would resonate and trigger a memory.
Vivian was hoping for a miracle to happen.
However, everything remained the same, except for Sir Ian's thanks. The recognition she craved did not come.
"I see, Teacher Vivian, thank you very much." he said sincerely.
"..."
"Is that all you feel?" she asked, her voice filled with disappointment and renewed despair.
Having finally grasped onto hope, Vivian despaired once again.
[You realized that Vivian seemed to want you to understand something.]
[But you found that you truly couldn't understand anything more from it.]
[Yet you could still feel Vivian's sadness. Her sorrow was palpable.]
[Your reaction at this moment seemed to be a great pain for her.]
[You didn't want to see her like this. Her distress was evident.]
[You decided to do the utmost you could within your power.]
"I apologize, I truly don't know what I should feel," Sir Ian politely expressed his inner thoughts.
"However—"
"You seem to be very sad because of this." he observed, seeing her pain.
"If there is any way to make you stop crying—"
The unnamed knight performed a standard knightly bow. His posture was formal and respectful.
"Please tell it to me," he said, his voice sincere.
"..."
These heartfelt words were so similar to those from all those years ago, yet to Vivian at this moment, they sounded like piercing arrows. Her heart was wounded.
Her throat moved slightly, as if she was trying to formulate words that would make him remember the past.
But in the end, she found it was all in vain. The right words eluded her.
However—
The flame of hope within the witch's heart still refused to give up. It flickered stubbornly.
He belonged to her, and could only belong to her! Her possessiveness flared.
"Then—"
Vivian looked at the knight before her, a hint of unwillingness in her eyes.
She would continue to try. She wouldn't give up yet.
"Can you hug me?" she asked, her voice soft and vulnerable.
"I... I want to know what it feels like to be embraced by a knight," she said, a desperate plea.
"..."
"Of course, you can."
Granting Vivian's request, Sir Ian opened his arms and hugged her without hesitation. His embrace was gentle.
But, it only went to that extent. There was no deeper recognition.
He truly didn't remember her; his actions were only based on his inner feelings. Compassion guided him.
In that familiar yet unfamiliar embrace, Vivian's emotions completely spiraled out of control.
She tightly wrapped her arms around his waist, buried her head in his chest, and cried softly. Her body trembled with sobs.
She knew she had completely lost him. He was right there, yet unreachable.
But it couldn't be.
She absolutely could not let him forget her like this.
He was her knight alone! Her mind reeled in denial.
The witch, in her despair, denied all the facts. She clung to a delusion.
She rekindled a self-deceiving hope—this would lead her to seek out more ruthless methods. Desperation would drive her to dark actions.
However, neither Vivian nor Sir Ian noticed one thing at this moment.
A pair of beautiful blue eyes was secretly observing them from the corner of the corridor.
That was the gaze of Tohsaka Sakura.
Looking at the scene of the two embracing before her, she murmured to herself:
"How can this be..." she whispered, a sense of confusion and unease washing over her.
The simple girl, at this moment, felt a certain ineffable sense of crisis. Something felt deeply wrong.