Chapter 40: A Distant Dream

The rain seemed to have stopped.

Li Xiang noticed this and instinctively looked out into the distance.

The oppressive atmosphere had vanished, and sunlight broke through the clouds, casting warmth across the land. Quickening his pace, he made his way toward the farmland.

When he arrived, the area was unrecognizable.

The outer edges were lined with deep trenches, arranged in a pattern, each filled with pools of rainwater. From a distance, it looked like a circular terrace, with layers of ridges extending outward for a few meters before abruptly stopping.

The air was still thick with residual magic.

Blue and black mana clashed like enraged bulls, occasionally popping with sharp, thunderous bursts that sent ripples through the silence, startling anyone nearby.

Li Xiang carefully searched for a safe path through the area.

But the ground was littered with irregular, deep cracks—narrow and menacing. He took a deep breath, imagining the fierce battle that must have taken place here.

Lifting his gaze, he saw a lone figure standing in the middle of the field.

The once pristine white armor had been scorched in places, marred with blackened, burnt patches. The knight's helmet was nowhere to be seen, and his face was smeared with a mix of rain, dirt, and fresh blood. Yet, despite the grime, his sword remained bright—glowing faintly like the ocean, as if water was flowing just beneath its surface.

Li Xiang scanned the area again. There was no one nearby. Far off in the east, a group of people hid within the forest, their armor gleaming under the sunlight. To the west, a few others stood apart, clearly not part of the same group. Behind him, several squires who had completed the selection tournament stood frozen, about ten meters away, shocked by the devastation of the battlefield.

"How did the selection tournament go?" Kay's voice broke the silence, his tone weary.

"There are ten squires who qualified, myself included," Li Xiang replied, walking closer to Kay and offering his hand to support him. But Kay waved him off.

"I'm not that bad off yet," Kay said with a faint smile, brushing aside the offer. "You did well. You remind me of the knight selection tournament back in Londinium, the royal capital. That was the first time I met Merlin. He was King Uther's court mage back then, always busy with his mysterious experiments."

Li Xiang listened quietly.

Such ancient stories were secrets that few would ever hear, except perhaps those who had lived for centuries. The rest were left ignorant.

Sometimes, Li Xiang envied them. But he also knew that understanding the truth of life and death was far harder than ignorance.

'Was Londinium the precursor to Camelot?' he thought.

Currently, Camelot was occupied by King Vortigern, but Artoria would later rebuild it and claim her throne there.

The royal capital's knightly tournament was undoubtedly the most prestigious and challenging. Hosted by the king, it promised the brightest future for anyone who caught their eye.

As for Merlin's experiments, they must have been part of the plan between Uther and Merlin—the creation of a new king, one born beyond the reach of mortal men.

By combining the royal bloodline of the Pendragons, the power of the Red Dragon of Britain, and a noble female lineage capable of harmonizing the two, Artoria was born.

A tragic life.

Her fate had been sealed even before her birth.

No matter how much she struggled, no matter how grand her ideals, her personal will was like dust drifting through an endless desert—unseen, uncared for.

Kay continued to talk about the royal capital, leading Li Xiang back to the hill overlooking the village.

In the dim light of the setting sun, a lone figure stood before the large sword embedded in the stone.

Kay stopped talking.

He gazed at Artoria, standing alone.

Her golden hair was tied back with a simple blue ribbon, her clothes plain and coarse, the typical garb of a commoner. Except for her delicate and refined face, she looked like an ordinary boy.

'Does an ideal king really exist?' Li Xiang thought, falling silent.

Perhaps the girl before him was the ideal king that Uther, Merlin, and the people of Britain had hoped for. But knowing the end of her story, Li Xiang understood the bitter truth—there was no such thing as an ideal king.

He wanted to step forward and tell her.

'Tell her it's all just a dream.'

But his reason held him back.

Artoria, bathed in the golden light of the setting sun, walked slowly toward the sword.

She reached out, placing her hand on the hilt.

It felt surprisingly natural.

Her heart raced as mana surged from deep within her body.

The sword in her hand felt lighter and lighter. All she needed to do was give it a gentle tug, and the sword would come free.

"Before you take up that sword, you should think carefully."

Artoria turned at the voice.

Standing before her was a familiar figure—the mage who had appeared in her dreams every night for as long as she could remember. Merlin.

"Once you draw that sword, you will no longer be yourself. You will lose your humanity and become something else entirely—a monster in the eyes of the people. They will hate you, scorn you, and you will walk a path destined for ruin. This is not an empty warning; it is your inevitable future."

Artoria hesitated.

The Sword in the Stone radiated warmth in her hand, and she thought of the life she had led for the past fifteen years—with Ector, with her foster brother Kay, and with the people of this village.

So many had placed their hopes in her. So many had smiled at her.

Surely, this couldn't be wrong.

Even if her destiny was one of inescapable, lonely destruction.

She pulled the sword free.

Warm sunlight flowed from the hilt, stripping away its disguise and revealing the golden blade beneath.

A power beyond comprehension surged into her body, causing her physical form and appearance to freeze at the age of fifteen, forever unchanged.

"She chose this path after all," Kay said with a sad smile, straightening his posture. "My dear sister, miracles always come with a price."

He slid his knight's sword—previously used as a cane—back into its sheath. He glanced at Li Xiang and patted him on the shoulder.

The sunlight enveloped the lone knight in a soft glow.

Li Xiang opened his mouth to say something, but darkness engulfed him in an instant, and Kay's last words were lost to him.

"Do your best, Master."

The dazzling sunlight streamed through the window.

Li Xiang found himself back in his dorm room, as though waking from a long dream.

"Did I pass the trial?"

As he regained his senses, reality slowly settled in. He stood and walked to the window.

The fairy seed still hadn't sprouted.

"I never got to see Scáthach again. Who knows when the next time will be?" 

After a long pause, he sighed and muttered, "Why did it end so abruptly?"

He had thought that after completing the knight's battle, he would return to the Land of Shadows and have time to say goodbye to Scáthach.

"Forget it... it was just a memory," Li Xiang consoled himself, rubbing his stomach as he realized he was hungry.

A glance at the system clock showed it was 5:30.

He'd have enough time to grab dinner and still make it to tonight's club performances.

Leaving his dorm, Li Xiang greeted Kris in the hall before heading to the General Fundamentals Department cafeteria.

Because of the performances, the cafeteria was more crowded than usual.

Li Xiang waited in line for half an hour before finally getting his dinner.