My name is Levi, and I work in anime.

“Artoria, it’s been a long time.” The female knight, whose appearance was almost identical to Queen Medb, nodded. “Could you introduce this young man to me? I feel the guidance of his soul and smell the scent of destiny.”

Artoria: "..." Something's wrong with you!?

Chapter 49 Best Friendships Are All Made of Plastic

"Hello, my name is Li Wei."

Confucius said, "Is it not delightful to have friends coming from afar?"

Although they had never met before, since the leader of this royal clan had shown him such favor, it was only right and proper for him to step forward and greet him.

"Hello, my name is Noknare Yalandu, the leader of the Royal Clan. I am one hundred years old, 154cm tall, and weigh 41kg. I am currently unmarried."

With a generous grasp, the pink-haired girl grabbed Li Wei's hand, looking extremely happy, and proceeded to explain her situation clearly, as if pouring out beans from a bamboo tube.

Fortunately, the boy was also very popular at school, and he had seen this kind of enthusiastic attitude many times before, so he didn't feel uncomfortable.

You become accustomed to the fragrance of orchids in a room and no longer notice their aroma; you become accustomed to the stench of abalone in a market and no longer notice its stench. The power of habit is just that strong.

Behind them, in Artoria's heart, Noknare's image of calm wisdom and unwavering composure was shattered.

"Can I call you Avi?" The pink-haired girl was overjoyed and took advantage of the situation.

“Sure, that’s what everyone calls me.” The boy didn’t see anything wrong with it either.

“That’s great. Avi, you can call me Nare. That’s my nickname, and that’s what everyone calls me.”

Artoria: "How come I didn't know about this? Noknare, you never told me this before!"

"Really? Maybe I forgot." The pink-haired girl shrugged, looking indifferent.

As the conversation progressed, Artoria's reputation for keeping her word and valuing loyalty over wealth crumbled.

“I’ve already seen what happened between you and Lia in the letter. To give up the riches and honors you’ve already obtained for the sake of a promise, and to send her all the way to complete her pilgrimage, Avi, you really are a gentleman.”

Pink Hair seems to have an exceptional talent for praising people. In her words, Li Wei is simply a combination of all the virtues of Wei Sheng embracing the pillar, Liu Yi delivering the letter, Guan Yu hanging up his seal and gold, and Zhao Kuangyin sending Jingniang a thousand miles away. She describes him as something that is beyond compare.

This made Li Wei a little embarrassed.

"Nare, you flatter me too much."

"No, no, I was just telling the truth."

Artoria: "Avi hasn't officially called me Lia yet. Ugh, what's with this super annoying feeling of being a complete outsider who can't get a word in edgewise?"

"Hey Avi, what clan are you from?" the pink-haired girl asked, pretending not to care, showing no intention of kidnapping the boy.

"I don't have a clan." I'm not even a fairy, so there's no way I could have a clan. If I had to consider it, I might consider joining the Wild Boar Clan that Artoria establishes in the future.

"Then would you like to consider joining our royal clan? There's a very important position currently vacant." Nokleina's eyes lit up.

Artoria: "No way! The position you're missing is clearly that of the Queen of the Royal Clan, isn't it?!"

I'm starting to regret it a little. I shouldn't have told my best friend so openly. It would have been so much better if I had just quietly come over, rang the bell, and left. Now even my man is being lured away!

What's wrong with you all, you vixens? Don't you think there are any other men in the world? Why are you all fixated on the one I've got my eye on? Every day, even just going out to buy a lollipop, I see eight men who are lusting after Avi.

In her mind, Noknare's image of being pure, innocent, and aloof from men vanished.

"So, Lia, what's your relationship with him?" Pink-haired girl looked at her fake best friend.

“Um…” Tintagel’s girl fell silent instantly.

Are you suggesting we've slept in the same bed but never officially confessed our feelings? That would clearly be more than friends but less than lovers, and it wouldn't have any impact whatsoever.

Heh, in the end, I'm just a country girl, while Nokleina is the leader of the royal clan and will be the woman of the King of Britain in the future. There's no way we can compare.

Then, seeing Artoria's grayed-out state, Li Wei grabbed the child and said, "We have a relationship that goes beyond friendship. We've made a pact to share joys and sorrows and to go through thick and thin together. If there's any danger, I will definitely die before her."

"Eh--!"

Hearing Li Wei say this, the pink-haired girl, who felt certain of winning, seemed to have a new understanding of the boy. She carefully looked him up and down and then came to a conclusion.

He truly lives up to his reputation as the boy I've chosen; he's promising and responsible.

Only men of this caliber are qualified to be the queen of the royal clan.

“Avi…” Artoria looked at the boy with tears in her eyes.

At the same time, in her heart, the reputation of Noknare as someone who shared weal and woe and weathered storms together vanished.

"Um, sir..."

Noknare's adjutant behind her spoke up, instantly snapping the pink-haired girl out of her romantic fantasy.

Oh no, this is the first time in my hundred years of life that I've seen such a beautiful young man who perfectly matches my sensibilities. It's really inappropriate for me to lose my composure like this.

Artoria's man... It's not good to just take him by force. How about we split it in half? I get Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and she gets Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. We'll share Sunday.

It seems like someone was left out... Oh well, it's not important anyway.

“This is not the place to talk. Recently, because of Morgan’s magic tax, many fairies have turned to banditry. Let’s go back to Edinburgh first.”

Noknare reverted to the valiant and regal figure she had been when they first met. Under her command, the royal guards firmly protected the carriage, preventing any untoward incidents.

The royal clan's troops were highly professional, comparable to Morgan's Queen's Army. There was no need for Livy to drive the carriage himself; naturally, more professional grooms would take his place.

Therefore, the boy had the rare opportunity to sit in the carriage with the two girls.

"Nokleina seems a little different from what you described," the boy asked, somewhat puzzled.

He didn't sense any aloofness from them at all; on the contrary, they were quite warm and hospitable, which made him feel a little embarrassed.

“Because she has a very important position reserved for you.” The savior’s answer was resolute.

"She wants to knight me too?" If I could get a different title, it wouldn't be out of the question. I'd be happy with anything, anything but Guinevere.

Of course, if he were to be offered the title of Fairy Knight Meryl, he would politely decline.

"In short, we can't just agree to her request."

When it came to matters of future happiness, Artoria was more serious than ever: "If you dare to say anything nonsense, I'll never speak to you again for the rest of my life!"

As she spoke, the girl tried to appear fierce to make her words slightly intimidating.

Unfortunately, in Li Wei's eyes, this was no different from whining. He wasn't scared at all; in fact, he almost laughed.

“Okay, I promise you.” The boy answered without hesitation.

Only after receiving an affirmative answer did Artoria finally relax a little.

Just a little bit.

Chapter 50 is rumored to include swimsuit fan service in episodes seven and eight.

Noknare, as expected of the leader of the royal clan, acted swiftly and decisively. When Li Wei and his party arrived at Nare's house, the fourth pilgrimage bell was already placed in the living room.

This bell-ringing ceremony went much more smoothly than Gloria's, with no complicated steps whatsoever, making it a one-stop service. All Artoria needed to do was have someone come and chant the incantation.

The primordial bone bell guides lost children back home. — Forgive their sins!

Caster was surrounded by dazzling starlight, then transformed into a shooting star and entered her body. The next moment, the light of redemption shone brightly, shooting into the sky and turning the dark clouds into a clear blue sky.

Noknare clapped with a relieved smile: "Celebrate! She is Artoria, the chosen one, who bears the responsibility of saving the future of all Britain and redeeming all the sins of the fairies! At this moment, she has rung the fourth pilgrimage bell, and is one step closer to completing the great cause of redemption!"

When a leader speaks, Aquarius is truly impressive. Li Wei was so excited listening to him that all the other subordinates stood up and applauded, almost ready to pull out their notebooks and start taking notes.

After the bell-ringing ceremony ended, all irrelevant people withdrew, except for a few maids who escorted the trio to change clothes and receive a welcome feast.

During this process, Li Wei sensed that something was not right.

In other words, the Noknare maids were clearly being a little too respectful to him.

These fairies were not of low status—only daughters of lower-ranking noble families were qualified to serve as maids to the leaders of royal clans. However, when facing Li Wei, their demeanor was incredibly humble, even surpassing that of women in the real world who dreamed of climbing the social ladder in one step.

Even if I'm Noknare's friend, this is too much to ask. Caster is even closer to her, they're best friends. None of the maids acted this way. I wonder what orders Nare gave.

If the way the maids looked at Artoria and Gareth was out of respect for their distinguished guests and their master's close friends, then the way they looked at him was more like they were preparing for a long battle to figure out his personality and preferences. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was going to stay in the royal clan forever.

"Don't let your imagination run wild. She's going to be the Queen of Britain someday."

Li Wei said to himself, "According to historical records, once a powerful heir appears in a royal clan, Morgan must pass the throne to her until she is reincarnated. What would she want from me, a mere human?"

It can't be because you think you look good, or because you're wearing a tight leather suit that's so embarrassing it almost outlines the piercing spear of death, right?

Lost in his own thoughts, Li Wei stepped into the hot spring to relax. Amidst the disappointed looks of the maids, he chased them all away and immersed himself in the water, closing his eyes in comfort.

This place is arguably the most heavily guarded place in the Fairy Kingdom besides Camelot, so the boy doesn't have to be constantly on edge.

Everything in the royal clan's palaces and ceremonies was built according to royal standards.

Even the hot spring water that Li Wei is currently soaking in contains magic; its effects are first-rate, whether it's restoring physical strength or healing minor wounds.

The area was very large, and there were even artificial mountains planted with exotic flowers and plants and strange rocks. If you consider that the maids were supposed to stand by his side to provide him with drinks and all kinds of reasonable or unreasonable services, it is hard not to think of terms like "uninhibited gathering" or "a wine pool and meat forest".

Ah, really, it's all Aurora's fault. Her primal instincts are getting a little hard to suppress, and she keeps thinking about strange things.

Thinking of this, the boy felt an urge to drag Aurora over and stomp on her head, leaving no stone unturned.

"Let's rest a little longer before heading out."

As the boy thought this, his eyes wandered aimlessly around, and then he spotted Gareth trembling in the corner.

Li Wei: "...?!"

He was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized: "Gareth, why are you here... no, when did you get here?"

"Well, I can't stand being waited on hand and foot, so I just asked the maids where the bathing area was and decided to take a bath by myself." The puppy-dog girl curled up in a pitiful ball: "But I hadn't even been soaking for three minutes when Avi, you came too."

No wonder the door was unlocked when I arrived, and there were no other servants around. It's not surprising that Gareth would do something like that, given his personality.

Because she hadn't expected the boy to come, the dog-girl wasn't even wearing a towel. Luckily, the surrounding area was filled with hot spring steam, so you couldn't see anything unless you were looking closely.

"Then you stay here, Gareth. I'll go out for a bit."

Just kidding, how can you explain this situation clearly?

Without a word, Li Wei stood up from the water and turned to leave. Seeing this, Gareth panicked and rushed towards him with both hands and feet.

"It's okay, Avi, don't worry about me, just treat me like a dog... Ouch!"

Whether Gareth was too nervous or the hot spring pool floor was too slippery, the child lost his balance and fell down with a "Ah!"

The boy, realizing something was wrong, immediately turned around to help her up—every year, quite a few people are injured and go to the hospital because of falls in the pool, but he himself fell into the hot spring water, splashing water everywhere.

Fortunately, because he was acting as a cushion underneath, Gareth was completely unharmed.

The two were in a slightly awkward position, with the dog-girl practically riding on the boy's back. Anyone who saw them would have a wonderful misunderstanding, thinking they were replenishing their mana.

Their faces were very close together. The boy quietly looked at the face less than five centimeters away from him, and neither of them spoke.

She was a real beauty in the making; she would have grown up to be a stunning beauty. It's just a pity that she was killed by Lancelot in the real world. The Knight of the Lake was truly a man burdened with sin.

"Gareth."

"Don't say anything, that's fine."

Before the boy could say anything more, the dog-girl interrupted Li Wei, saying, "Li Wei, you've never been alone with me like this before. Let me enjoy this moment."

"Um..." Do you consider this some kind of perk?

Having said all that, the boy couldn't really do anything, so he simply maintained that ambiguous yet warm posture. Gareth clung to Levi like a puppy that had found its owner, and whether it was the effect of the hot spring water or shyness, the girl's body temperature was noticeably higher than usual.

Even so, she was unwilling to give up this rare opportunity to be alone.

The two, who seemed to be in a particularly harmonious atmosphere, enjoyed a rare moment in the hot spring water.

Chapter 51: Facing a minotaur in person is still a bit too exciting for a child.

"Avi~"

Environment is an important factor in shaping personality.

In the ambiguous and solitary hot spring water, even Gareth, a timid and gentle dog-girl, suddenly became noticeably bolder.

"Huh? What's wrong, Gareth?"

The boy curiously touched the girl's head, and the gentle touch made Gareth close his eyes comfortably.

Do you know the prophecy I was asked to make when we first met?

"of course."