I, Guinevere, am going to crush you, you curry stick, today!

*******

Outside the woods, the sudden battle did not last long.

Swish!

The sharp blade sliced ​​open the strange bird's head at an angle, the eerie blood-red color in its eye sockets vanishing. Its previously flapping skeletal wings suddenly lost their power, and it crashed to the ground, raising a cloud of dust. In that instant, something seemed to have left its body.

Guinevere sheathed her longsword and looked back. Artoria and old Maet were approaching, and further on, there was a dilapidated hut that had lost its roof and one wall. To be honest, the fact that this hut had survived until now was already an amazing miracle, but in any case, its state made it completely uninhabitable.

It seems I have no choice but to set off to retrieve the wet clothes CG—cough cough, I must delete that sentence when I write in my diary tonight—does this mean I have to risk getting soaked on my way? Trying to suppress the slight joy in her heart, Guinevere sheathed her sword. At that moment, Artoria arrived beside her. Before the other could ask a question, she turned around, revealing a smug smile: "Solved! Artoria, didn't I look especially cool just now?"

Upon hearing the question, Artoria's smile froze. Then Guinevere realized that Al couldn't see the bone bird, meaning that from Al's perspective, she had been wielding her sword and casting spells alone, leaping and bounding about, racking her brains to outwit thin air... Not laughing was already a sign of good manners, and she had actually asked if he was handsome... She was so embarrassed she just wanted to disappear into a hole.

The next moment, Artoria nodded: "Yeah, he's pretty handsome."

"You don't need to be so polite..."

“It’s not just polite talk.” He smiled, but his eyes were serious. “Although I can’t see it, I can roughly imagine what kind of opponent it was from your movements and reactions, Fina. If it were me, I might not be able to win so quickly and easily. So, this is not a joke, nor is it just polite talk.”

"Al."

"Ok?"

"Let's get married!"

“Okay, if your parents, Hector and Kai, all agree.”

This wasn't the first time Fina had suddenly announced marriage without warning. At first, Artoria was genuinely startled, feeling shy while trying to figure out how to politely refuse without hurting Fina's feelings. She was even prepared to reveal her identity at the last minute. But just a few minutes later, Fina herself explained with a smile.

"This isn't a formal proposal. It's just what people in my hometown like to say. It means that the two people have a good relationship or really like someone. Other ways to say it include 'I want to have your children,' or, to be a little more joking, 'I want to have your babies'... Al, why don't you try saying that too? Don't be shy... Okay, okay, it's my fault, it's my fault. I sincerely apologize and promise never to do it again, so... put down your sword sheath, okay?"

According to Fina, it wasn't just girls who said that; many men would also shout things like "I want to have your babies" to other women. Looking back, Artoria shuddered. She simply couldn't imagine what kind of magical place that kingdom to the north, called Scotland, truly was…

But as the saying goes, practice makes perfect. The initial embarrassment was only temporary. When Fina said similar things a second and third time, she was mentally prepared and responded much more confidently. Having answered, Fina still wouldn't let it go: "The other three are one thing, but what does this have to do with your sworn brother? If he dares not agree, I'll beat him up!"

"Alright, alright, then I'll be counting on you then." Knowing that the more earnestly Artoria played along, the harder it would be to end the conversation, she readily agreed. Fina, equally confident, replied, "Leave it to me!"

……

Meanwhile, in a small town, a young man who was showering a girl with sweet words suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, as if a bad premonition was welling up from the bottom of his heart...

"Kai, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." But he didn't take the premonition seriously at all, casually waving his hand: "My silly little brother who's off on vacation is probably starving and gnawing on tree bark right now. Hahahaha—"

……

"However... including the demonic boar from before, this is the second skeleton monster we've encountered."

After the initial laughter, the conversation turned serious. Guinevere looked at the motionless pile of giant bird bones and said softly. Artoria, standing beside her, also looked thoughtful: "This can't be a simple coincidence."

"If it's not a coincidence..."

"You suspect that this matter is also related to that Terena?"

"I'm not entirely sure either. As far as I know, Terena's sword mark has the effect of cutting and strengthening, making a rusty sword temporarily incredibly sharp, even capable of easily cutting through a boulder. But this strange thing that makes bones move seems completely unrelated to a sword mark..."

Guinevere shook her head again after saying this: "But it's also possible that she naturally possesses similar magic... In any case, no matter how talented Britain is, I don't think it's possible for such a skeleton that can run on the ground and fly in the sky to be born normally. There's no doubt that someone is secretly doing something behind the scenes... Al, I want to go in and take a look. You and Ete stay here..."

“Let’s go together.” Before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted: “You’re injured and it’s not suitable for you to act alone.” After saying that, Artoria’s gaze fell on her right shoulder.

Having just encountered the bone bird, Guinevere deliberately created a small opening to ensure the wind bullet hit, resulting in a minor injury. Her clothes were torn on her right shoulder, revealing a few claw marks, but they weren't deep, and the bleeding had stopped; it didn't look like they would leave scars. Hearing this, Guinevere turned her head to look at the wound and said with a smile, "It's alright, just a small injury. Besides, I'm a left-handed swordsman... Even if a monster appears, like the bone bird just now, you might not even be able to see it..."

“Even if we can’t see it, we’ll always find a way to deal with it. I’m worried about you going in alone, and besides, Fina, your forte is actually dual swords. Isn’t that right?”

"Um... the main problem is that the woods are too narrow. If there's any danger, I might not be able to keep an eye on the horse..."

“It’s alright, the two of us will go in and check, Aite can stay outside.” Artoria reached out and patted the horse’s back, and the old horse neighed in response: “It’s smart, it will immediately run away if it senses anything is wrong.”

"That's it."

Having said all that, Guinevere felt she no longer needed to refuse. Ultimately, it wasn't that there was any reason why Artoria couldn't come along; it was just that she wasn't used to such frank kindness and subconsciously tried to decline. But just as she was about to agree, a thought suddenly popped into her head—

He didn't trust her to go in and check the situation herself, but he trusted Aite to leave a horse outside. Could it be... that in Artoria's mind, this horse was more reliable than herself?

Haha, that's impossible.

impossible……

No...

Do not……

Guinevere sadly discovered that she... truly couldn't completely deny this possibility. And so, for a while afterward, her gaze towards Artoria held a hint of melancholy...

P.S.: I'm not feeling well today, so only one chapter. I'll try to make up for the missing chapter in the next few days.

Then tomorrow I'll pre-register for Onigashima to pull for Raikou. I'm making a wish here: if Raikou gets a +1 NP, I'll add one more update this month; if she gets a +2 NP, I'll add 10,000 words!

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Bloodlust (Part Two)

Never enter a forest. Especially not a dark and unfamiliar one. Often, such an environment is enough to stir up unease, as if every rustle of the wind is the work of something lurking in the darkness—perhaps a ferocious beast, perhaps an equally vicious bandit, or perhaps…

They are the ghosts and monsters that exist in folk tales and legends.

"Fina, did you hear anything?"

Artoria tilted her head slightly, asking with some confusion. Perhaps because she was multitasking, she took a step while speaking and suddenly tripped over a protruding tree root, nearly falling. However, relying on her exceptional sense of balance, she only swayed twice before regaining her footing. As if sensing something, she turned around and saw Guinevere extending her right hand, seemingly wanting to help her up. The latter's arm froze, unsure whether to withdraw it.

She smiled and offered her hand: "Watch your step."

"it is good."

Guinevere laughed, clasped her hands together, and deftly stepped over the "hidden" tree roots. It was pitch black all around, and they had no torches or oil lamps for lighting—they had, but they had unfortunately been destroyed in a previous downpour and hadn't had time to replace them. Now, they could only rely on the occasional flashes of lightning overhead to vaguely illuminate the surroundings of the woods.

This is why the two were very close, not quite to the point of being able to hear each other's breath, but almost shoulder to shoulder, able to clearly hear each other's heartbeats. This was also because the forest was so quiet; since entering, they hadn't even seen a single bird or rabbit. Only the rustling wind and the occasional rumble of thunder, which, after it subsided, only accentuated the surrounding silence. Guinevere listened carefully for a moment, then shook her head: "Crying? I didn't hear any crying..."

"Hmm, it seems to be coming from the front."

The bone bird from before could only be seen by him, but now there is another cry that only Artoria can hear.

Both of these things are very strange, but... so many messy things have happened already, so even if that's the case... there's really nothing strange about it.

What kind of crying was that?

“How should I put it…” Artoria pondered, “It seems to be a human… a child crying. But I’m not quite sure, and… in a place like this, it’s a bit too strange to have a child crying.”

"Then let's stick to the original plan."

Guinevere wholeheartedly agreed with the strange claims about Artoria. Even a fool could guess that in this eerie, bizarre place, the sudden sound of a child crying was most likely a pitcher plant-type trap. Once you got there, you'd find that the crying "child" was actually some indescribable creature that would trigger a sanity check upon sight, and had inexplicably lost its life.

She's run through at least ten of these modules in her past life!

Of course, it's also possible that some child might genuinely be trapped in the woods, crying for help. If that were the case, then they would be essentially abandoning the child to their fate. However, given Artoria's usual tendency to immediately overturn tables when she sees injustice, the reason she didn't insist on going to check this time was probably because her intuition told her that following the sound of crying wouldn't lead to anything good—in Guinevere's own words, her famous "ahoge radar" had cooled down and started working again.

She was happy to be relaxed. Seeing Artoria nod, she immediately flipped her left hand, and the moment the green leaves appeared on the back of her hand, she established a connection with something in the forest: "This... there is indeed something, but it shouldn't be the Sword Mark." The Nine Witch Marks were linked in aura and could sense each other within a certain range, something Guinevere had known all along.

After receiving the Wind Seal from Terena, whenever Terena appeared around the castle, she would try her best to deceive her father and the old knight who was her guardian, sneaking out of the window so that Terena could take her out to play. Back then, if the seal reacted, it meant that a pleasant day was about to begin. But now...

A sense of unease crept over her. Guinevere forced a smile, pointing in a certain direction: "It should be over there, let's go—"

After speaking, he led the way forward. He could feel Artoria's gaze on his back. The other's intuition was almost precognitive, and she was especially sensitive to other people's feelings. She had probably already noticed his sudden disappointment, and might even have guessed the reason, but she didn't offer any words of comfort... This should also be considered Artoria's gentleness.

"...the sound of crying."

The two walked in silence for a while. At some point, Guinevere started leading, then they walked side-by-side, and finally Artoria led the way, occasionally turning back to lend a hand so Guinevere wouldn't trip in the dark. They passed two more large trees, a flash of lightning streaked across the sky, and before the white light faded, a deafening clap of thunder roared. Amidst the thunder, they vaguely heard Artoria say something. Guinevere cupped her hands to her ears and leaned closer: "What did you say?"

"The crying sound... is getting closer!"

"Crying?"

She still couldn't hear anything, but seeing Artoria's serious expression, which didn't seem like she was joking, Guinevere nodded: "Where is it coming from?"

Artoria pointed ahead: "There."

"The aura that seems to be the Nine Witches' Mark is also there... There might be some connection between the two."

"Go and see?"

"Okay, you lead the way."

……

A flash of lightning and a clap of thunder illuminated a small figure crouching and weeping beneath a tree. The next instant, darkness returned, and her eyes, which had gradually grown accustomed to seeing, were plunged back into complete darkness after this alternating period of light and shadow. The child's cries filled the air, overflowing with sorrow, and even she, merely hearing them, felt a pang of sadness.

Artoria stopped in her tracks.

With a soft thud, Fina seemed caught off guard and bumped into her back: "Ouch—ah... Al?" Perhaps because she bumped her nose, her voice sounded muffled. The soft body immediately pulled away: "Wh...what's wrong?"

"Shhh."

"..."

At her soft words, Fina immediately fell silent. The slight movement behind her suggested that Fina had already gripped her sword hilt, ready to strike. But Artoria didn't reach for her weapon. She looked at the child under the tree ahead, who was burying his face in his knees and crying sadly. His brows were slightly furrowed, and lightning flashed overhead, but only the outlines of the child and the trees could be vaguely discerned.

No weapons...

But Fina couldn't see the child, nor could she hear him crying...

Not an ordinary child...

But I didn't sense any hostility or murderous intent from this child...

Fina started staring at her hair again...

Various thoughts raced through her mind, but before she could make a decision, the child's crying suddenly stopped ahead!

"who is it?"

The voice was so hoarse that it was impossible to tell whether it was male or female. In the deep darkness, the figure crouching under the tree slowly raised his head, revealing a pair of red eyes—the pupils were blood-red, and they seemed to be flowing, swaying in circles with the gaze—just one glance was enough to make Artoria feel dizzy.

She instinctively wanted to look away, but those blood-red eyes seemed to possess some strange magic, staring straight at her, and even her thoughts stopped. She didn't want to think about anything, didn't want to do anything. Looking into those eyes, a mature female voice naturally rang in her ears: "Come here—" It was a voice she had never heard before, yet for some reason, an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia welled up from the bottom of her heart.

"come over……"

"return……"

The unfamiliar yet familiar female voice gradually became clearer.

There seemed to be another childish voice mixed in: "Big sister..."

"Did you come here to play with me? Could you...?"

……

Suddenly, I felt something cold on the tip of my nose.

Guinevere instinctively looked up and saw something falling like a thread through the dark clouds. It took her a couple of seconds to realize—it was raining.

In just a few seconds, the rain intensified, turning the surroundings into a misty haze. She raised her hand to shield herself, but the raindrops still stung her slightly.

"Al, it's raining, we..."

Artoria, who was walking ahead, had suddenly stopped for some reason, causing her to bump her nose, and hadn't even apologized. But seeing that the other woman seemed to have noticed something, the magnanimous Artoria naturally wouldn't be so foolish as to pursue such a trivial matter at this moment—of course, she would pursue it later—and she stood guard with her sword at hand. However, several minutes passed, and Artoria remained motionless, without sending any signal, which left Artoria somewhat puzzled.

Just as she was thinking of trying to wake her up by tapping the back of the head if there was still no response, Guinevere turned around and suddenly opened her eyes wide: "You, your neck—"

Under her gaze, Artoria remained standing in place, but suddenly, specks of blood appeared on the exposed half of her snow-white neck!

……

"Can you..."

The two voices intertwined, and the child's voice suddenly amplified, drowning out the other mature woman's voice: "...Stay here and be my friend?"

Before she could finish speaking, a sharp pain shot through her head. It wasn't a severe pain, more like a needle prick, but enough to refocus Artoria's slightly scattered mind. Her gaze sharpened, and she realized the child who had been crouching under the tree was now standing before her, a step away. His two thin, bony arms were outstretched, and on his mud-covered face, a bright, almost eerie smile bloomed: "Good friend—"

The blood around his mouth was still wet, and when he opened his mouth, there was still some blood and bits of flesh left on his teeth.

Before she could answer, the child took a step forward and suddenly grabbed her! In that instant, she felt an unimaginable force from those thin, withered arms, which held her tightly. The stench of blood rushed in, and the child opened his mouth wide, revealing two sharp teeth that pierced her neck!

……

click!

A soft sound.

Half a snow-white tooth traced a beautiful parabola in the torrential rain.

……

Artoria stopped using magic to strengthen her skin and looked expressionlessly at the child clinging to her like a sloth, at those strangely flowing red eyes.