Chương 96: Aisha Watches

"It is that boy." Aisha Belka stood outside the room, arms folded, the corner of her lips lifting with interest as she watched the boy chatting and laughing with Haruhime. She had been present yesterday. She had personally witnessed the battle that felt almost legendary. A Lv. 1 had defeated a Lv. 4 Monster Rex that was almost Lv. 5. That should have been impossible. When the impossible happened, it was a miracle, and that boy had created it. The rumor about Level-raising Magic might only be a fake.

Perhaps it existed to draw attention away from the rare Skills possessed by Hestia Familia's members. If everyone focused on him, the others would be safer for now. No matter how strange his Familia members were, people could blame it all on Level-raising Magic. After all, what happened when their wills and emotions came together back then could not be explained by Level-raising Magic alone. Aisha had experienced that power herself, so she would not be fooled like the others.

She did not suspect the boy knew about Haruhime's Magic. That was a tightly guarded secret. Even other major Familias did not know, let alone a member of Hestia Familia who had only recently become an adventurer. Time passed little by little. Cael and Haruhime talked about heroic legends. When it came to heroic stories, Cael knew far too many. He carried an entire Earth's worth of heroic tales in his head, and many of them fit this world's myths surprisingly well.

"Lord Cael is amazing. You know so many stories. I have never heard many of those heroic tales," Haruhime said, cheeks faintly red with excitement.

"I have not heard many of Miss Haruhime's stories either. Maybe different places preserve different legends. But my favorite story is still the legend of King Arthur."

"King Arthur?"

"Yes. The story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. It goes like this..." Cael told her the Type-Moon version of the Arthurian legend. Haruhime listened in fascination, longing shining in her eyes. When she heard the virtues and vows of the knights, her admiration could no longer be hidden.

"Before the Round Table, the knights swore to King Arthur." If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"They vowed to uphold humility, integrity, mercy, courage, justice, sacrifice, honor, and the soul of knighthood."

"To fear no strong enemy. To be brave and loyal. To remain honest, even unto death. To protect the weak and never violate the order of Heaven."

"They swore to treat the weak kindly, to oppose violence, to fight wrongdoing, to protect the defenseless, to help those who asked for aid, to never harm women, to aid fellow knights, to be sincere to friends, and to remain faithful to those they loved until death."

"Under that oath, the Knights of the Round Table were formally founded, establishing an absolute vow for all knights." As Cael spoke, he grew excited too. If he had to name his favorite person in the Type-Moon world, it would absolutely be Artoria. In this world, there was no system that judged what a hero must be. What counted as a hero? It was only people's choice and longing. There was no strict requirement for the qualities a hero had to possess.

"This is my first time hearing such a story, but I already love it," Haruhime said, hands clasped at her chest and eyes full of longing.

"King Arthur and her knights are all heroes. It is a pity such a legend is not widely known."

"I wish a hero from the legend of King Arthur would take my hand and lead me to a better world. But that wish is only a crude daydream."

"Real heroes are not just stories in books," Cael said, shaking his head.

"A true hero does not care how the world looks at him. He simply does what he believes is right, without regret. He saves people with a will as firm as stone. That is a hero." The heroes in many tales of this world were only heroes that people longed for, not necessarily true heroes. Time passed. The moon crossed from one side of the sky to the other. Cael gradually grew sleepy. He leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and soon his even breathing showed that he had fallen asleep.

"Lord Cael is like one of the knights in the legend of King Arthur." Haruhime gently placed a blanket over him. The light in her eyes shimmered. The virtues, oaths, and vows before the king had deeply shaken her heart. But soon, that light dimmed. She no longer had the right to read such beautiful sacred hero tales. She no longer had the right to dream like a princess. She had no right to be taken away by a hero. Even if a hero wanted to save her, how could she shamelessly beg for it?

Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. She wiped them away with a finger and looked toward the full moon outside the window, loneliness filling her heart. Outside the door, Aisha sighed softly. The next morning, the sun rose as usual. Cael washed his face and tidied himself with Haruhime's help. She then walked him out of the building, watching him leave.

"That really was a perfect meeting. I feel satisfied." Then he immediately thought of Hestia's jealousy exploding later. His expression turned lifeless. Lili definitely would not plead for him either. He had spent the night telling stories, but to other people, that was not what it looked like. Before he could think of how to explain, Cael stopped. The street was almost empty because it was early morning.

In the middle of the road stood an Amazoness woman holding a large blade almost as tall as she was, her eyes fixed on him.

"What is going on?" Cael's mouth twitched. He glanced behind himself and saw no one else. All right. She was here for him. Could she have decided he looked good enough to drag away? Also, this Amazoness looked familiar. No, very familiar. Her upper body was wrapped only by purple cloth around her chest, while a purple sash covered her lower body. Without the enormous blade, she would have looked dressed only to tempt men. Aisha Belka. Vice-captain of Ishtar Familia. A courtesan warrior. A Lv. 3 adventurer.

"I have been waiting for you, Cael of Hestia Familia." Before Cael could speak, she called him by name.