Excalibur Trial

An ancient and vast aura permeated this secluded realm of fantasy, causing an inexplicable heaviness in everyone's hearts.

It felt as though a powerful presence, situated at the pinnacle of all living beings, was gazing upon this place.

"Gaia..." Arkhan muttered as his gaze flickered slightly.

This sensation lasted only for a brief moment before returning to normal.

"Hmph."

Vivian's expression soured for some unknown reason, and she let out a cold snort.

"Go ahead and try, see if you can pull out that holy sword."

Artoria nodded and ascended the small hill.

Staring at Excalibur standing before her, she suddenly felt as if she had returned to the day of the king selection.

Though it wasn't the same sword, the challenge she faced was equally difficult.

She glanced back at Arkhan, Guinevere, and Merlin, all of whom were sending encouraging looks her way.

"Believe in yourself, Lily! That sword was born for you!" Arkhan smiled and encouraged her by shouting in full spirit.

Artoria took a deep breath, and her azure eyes grew even more determined.

"Teacher! I won't let your trust go to waste!"

She turned around, stretched out her hands, and firmly grasped the hilt of Excalibur.

*Buzz—*

The holy sword trembled slightly, and the radiant sacred light surrounding it suddenly burst forth, engulfing Artoria's figure in blinding brilliance before spreading to every corner of Avalon.

Countless curious fairies who had been watching from a distance quickly hid behind trees, tightly shutting their eyes.

Merlin shielded his eyes with two pink flower petals, while Arkhan used protective magecraft on his and Guinevere's eyes to shield them from the blinding light.

Only Vivian remained seated calmly on the floating vines, gazing peacefully at the sacred radiance that no ordinary person could withstand.

After an indeterminate amount of time, the light gradually faded, and everyone's vision returned to normal. They saw that the holy sword that had stood on the small hill had disappeared along with the pure, lily-like knight.

"Where's Lily?!" Guinevere panicked, looking around.

"She's currently undergoing the trial of the holy sword." Vivian said calmly. "Unless she succeeds or fails, she won't be able to return for the time being."

"How long will it take?" Arkhan asked calmly.

"Who knows..." Vivian's tone remained unchanged. "Excalibur has its own will, and this is the first time it's been attempted to be pulled out after its creation. I can't predict what will happen."

Guinevere suddenly rushed forward, gripping Vivian's shoulders tightly, her golden eyes flashing with the anger of a leopard.

"I don't care about some holy sword trial! Give Lily back! She's my sister!"

Staring at the two arms gripping her shoulders, Vivian tilted her head.

"Do you know, even I can't remember how many years it's been since anyone touched me..."

"What does that have to do with anything?! Just because you're the oldest fairy, I—"

*Thud!*

Vivian suddenly headbutted Guinevere on the forehead, causing her to collapse, her eyes spinning like mosquito coils.

Gently adjusting her slightly askew pointed soft cap, Vivian looked at Guinevere sprawled on the ground and disdainfully huffed.

"This is the consequence of offending a primordial fairy."

"Hahh..." Arkhan sighed.

He distinctly remembered that fairies were depicted as the most elegant beings in the Age of Gods, so how did things seem different with this ancestor of all fairies?

Arkhan glanced at Merlin beside him and suddenly had a realization. No wonder this mage of flowers, who was half-incubus and half-fairy, liked wielding swords to cut people.

"Take her, Merlin will show you to your resting place. Until the trial is over, you're allowed to take a break in Avalon." Vivian calmly stated.

"Thank you, Lady Vivian."

Arkhan slightly bowed and then picked up Guinevere in a princess carry, following behind Merlin as they walked into the distance.

Vivian sat on a floating vine in mid-air, waiting until Arkhan and his group had gone far away before refocusing her gaze on the empty hill.

"Artoria, I hope you can pull out the holy sword."

With a light sigh, the figure of the primordial fairy gradually disappeared into the void.

===

"Hmm...."

Guinevere's long, thick eyelashes trembled gently, and she furrowed her brows slightly. Her eyelids slowly lifted, revealing a trace of confusion in her pale golden eyes.

"You're awake."

A familiar and gentle voice came from beside her, and Guinevere instinctively turned her head to see a young man with black hair and eyes sitting in a chair, smiling at her.

"Arkhan?"

Calling out the name of the person in front of her, memories from before flooded her mind all at once.

Guinevere's eyes widened instantly, and she sat up abruptly, her gaze filled with terror as she stared at Arkhan.

"D-Did I just...?"

"Yep..." Arkhan replied with warmth and sincerity. "Congratulations, Guinevere. You've done something that even the gods have never done. Threatening the world's oldest fairy—this miraculous honor alone is enough to leave your mark in history."

Guinevere, who was already on the brink of mental collapse, fainted once again upon hearing that.

"..."

Arkhan scratched his face awkwardly. He had only wanted to tease Guinevere a bit, but he hadn't expected such a strong reaction from her.

He could only be thankful that Merlin wasn't here right now, or else he'd be enthusiastically saying something like—"Wonderful, Your Majesty! Have you finally grasped the essence of pleasure when teasing someone?"

About half an hour later, Guinevere finally woke up again.

Seeing her eyes filled with terror once more, Arkhan hurriedly said, "Don't panic, Vivian is not angry with you, and she has no intention of punishing you, okay?"

After two hours of soothing, Guinevere finally began to believe his words, and her emotions gradually stabilized.

"I'm sorry, I got a bit too excited earlier..." She said with a deep sense of embarrassment, clutching a corner of the bedsheet tightly. "I just thought she didn't want to let Lily take the holy sword, so she made up that excuse."

Arkhan smiled helplessly and gently stroked Guinevere's hair.

"I get how you felt, but in reality, she hopes even more than you do that someone will take that sword."