The boy's voice was gentle and calm, yet it seemed to carry a certain kind of magic that caused the entire room to fall into silence for a long time.
Leaning in the afternoon sunlight, the boy sat on the edge of the windowsill. The golden-haired woman he had missed for so long sat across from him… This should have been a touching and emotional reunion.
However, when Artoria looked at the young man, her gaze first sharpened slightly, then shifted to Merlin, growing colder and colder.
"Merlin… even now, you want to desecrate the dead?!"
The White Dragon, who had once died beneath the Sword of Promised Victory, was now standing here, alive and well.
To Artoria, there was only one explanation: Merlin had conjured this with illusion magic for his own goal.
It sounded outrageous, but knowing Merlin's personality, it was entirely possible.
Hearing that, the latter was stunned for a moment.
A hint of confusion flickered in his eyes as he looked at the anger quietly surfacing in Artoria's elegant features. He quickly realized her misunderstanding and said helplessly,
"My king, you've misunderstood—"
"Even I wouldn't casually desecrate a soul of the dead."
Artoria locked eyes with him, but Merlin met her gaze calmly, appearing completely sincere.
Not far from her, Alvin looked at the woman sitting in the room, the once and current King Arthur, and quickly found himself captivated by her beauty.
He had to admit, compared to the character illustrations of Artoria, the real one was far more refined and breathtaking.
Her golden hair was tied up neatly, setting off a noble, flawless face.
Her lips were soft and red, her saintly green-blue eyes held a quiet majesty.
At a glance, she looked like an exquisitely sculpted piece of art.
Absolutely beautiful...
Of course, what surprised Alvin the most… was that proud and elegant chest.
Wait… this kind of figure… is something Lily actually has?
In just a few years, she'd really grown… a lot.
While Alvin was still quietly processing that, Artoria, clinging to a small glimmer of hope—turned her head slowly toward the boy not far away fr9m her.
Thump… thump…
In that instant, she felt the Red Dragon's heart within her chest suddenly beat violently.
In the legend of King Arthur, the red and white dragons represent Wales and the Saxons. The red dragon's victory symbolized the Welsh driving out the Saxons.
In Type-Moon history, the White Dragon symbolized the ancient Vortigern—and later, Alvin.
The Red Dragon's heart reacting now meant it had sensed the presence of the White Dragon.
In other words… this wasn't an illusion or trick.
The person standing in front of her… really was Alvin?
But how could that be? Alvin was killed by her own hands back then—
Artoria's mind was in turmoil, but she quickly pushed all her doubts aside as she raised her head and looked at the young man.
She looked like she was holding onto hope, yet afraid to believe—afraid it was all just a hallucination.
In the end, suppressing her emotions, which seemed to burst out of her heart, she asked in a soft, trembling, voice, "…Is it really you?"
Alvin smiled gently and gave a soft "mm," then said, "It's been a while… Lily."
The moment she heard those words, the emotions Artoria had been suppressing finally broke loose as she stepped forward toward Alvin.
Alvin also walked forward, still wearing that warm smile, arms opening slightly.
Originally, he had been ready to quietly slip away from the windowsill… but in the end, Merlin had played the emotional card perfectly and kept him here.
Say what you will, nightmare or not—Merlin had a sharp understanding of human emotion.
He knew very well: with Alvin's personality, he would never avoid Artoria.
It was just that… in the past, Merlin never wanted them to be together. So why was he now trying to bring them closer…?
Just as the thought crossed Alvin's mind, he suddenly felt a gentle hand press against the back of his head.
And then, Artoria pulled the boy into her embrace.
A soft, warm sensation mixed with a faint, delicate fragrance filled his senses and the boy's mind went completely blank for a moment.
"It's really not an illusion… Is it really you, Alvin?"
The warmth of his body, the rhythm of his breathing quickening in her arms, everything confirmed that the boy she held wasn't a fleeting mirage.
It really was him. He had come back.
From disbelief to growing elation, joy began to bloom in Artoria's chest.
Meanwhile, buried deep in her arms, Alvin had quite a few thoughts of his own.
Enveloped by her light scent and the warmth radiating from her body, he couldn't help but spoke up, "Lily, could you… loosen up a bit?"
Isn't there something wrong with the development of this plot?
The lovers who have been separated for a long time meet each other again, overwhelmed with emotion, embracing in a heartfelt reunion..
OK, everything is fine up to this point.
But wasn't he the one who was supposed to be holding King Arthur in his arms?
How come I was the one being held in his arms? Alvin's desire to complain suddenly came out of his heart, and he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
But Artoria didn't respond. She just continued to hold him tightly. And with that soft, supple pressure and the scent lingering at the tip of his nose, Alvin quietly swallowed the rest of his words.
So instead, he gently closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her slender waist.
Yes, he did feel a certain instinctive reaction earlier when he saw how well she had grown up and he even wanted to try what he did in the game ...
but now, actually embracing the girl, those primal urges faded away quite a bit.
Because just being able to hold her like this, Alvin could feel a deep, almost overwhelming sense of longing.
Was it her emotions affecting him…?
Or was it because, when he transmigrated into the Empire of Camelot, the memories of the game's plot had truly awakened in him?
Alvin wasn't quite sure.
All he knew was that, right now, holding the girl, who had missed him so much in his arms, gave him an indescribable warmth and peace.
In a forgotten corner of the room, Merlin stood silently, watching the two with an awkward expression.
Eventually, he quietly backed out of the room.
At the bottom of the stairs, he found a blonde girl standing frozen in place, motionless.
Merlin raised a hand and snapped his fingers as Reines, who had been under King Arthur's oppressive presence until just now, finally felt a long-awaited sense of freedom.
The thought of Alvin still upstairs made her heart tighten, and she quickly looked up at the white-haired mage.
"Mr. Merlin—"
Before she could finish, Merlin raised a finger to his lips and made a Shhh sound… "Keep your voice down. The king's in the middle of doing something serious with your friend."
...
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