Lying across Scáthach's soft thighs, Arthur pondered something.
The Master is right. A person's age really should be judged by the condition of their skin. After all, there isn't the slightest sign of age on her.
The same was true of Morgan's sister as well… But if that was the case, why did they care so much about age?
"What are you thinking about?" Scáthach's voice pulled Arthur back to reality.
Naturally, Arthur was not foolish enough to voice those thoughts. Looking at Scáthach, she said, "I was thinking… is fate really immutable?"
"Fate?" Scáthach murmured to herself, then said calmly, "I suppose it is immutable."
She had witnessed the fates of many people, and without exception, all of them perished according to their predetermined destinies. Even if they wished to change them, they could not. It was as if the threads of fate were already bound to them and could not be cut. Even if they struggled and tried to find other paths, in the end they would still follow that single thread to its conclusion.
Arthur fell silent for a moment.
If that was the case, would Artoria eventually draw the sword?
From Morgan's perspective, he hoped she could fulfill her wish and let Artoria live a happy life as an ordinary girl. However, through his interactions with Artoria over the past three months, he had sensed that she herself also wished to become king. Though confused, she remained resolute.
Was there no solution where everyone could win?
"I have great expectations for you." Scáthach's voice brought Arthur back to reality.
"If it were you, perhaps you could change things."
"Master, that sounds like a lot of pressure you're putting on me," Arthur complained.
"I'm not trying to encourage you," Scáthach shook her head, placing a finger on Arthur's face. "You don't belong to this world, and that is precisely why you have this opportunity."
Scáthach's fingers were cool and slender, and it felt very comfortable when she placed them on his face. However, Arthur had no intention of enjoying that comfort and was so startled that she almost sprang up from Scáthach's lap.
The Master already knew I wasn't from this world?!
"There's no need to panic. It's no surprise that I know. In fact, I can glean a great deal from the stories and characters you tell me every night," Scáthach said calmly. "I don't know about your past, and I won't investigate it if you don't want to talk about it. Right now, you're simply a citizen of the Land of Shadows—my disciple, isn't that so?"
As her initial anxiety faded, Arthur secretly let out a sigh of relief. When she looked at Scáthach again, her eyes carried a hint of emotion.
Deeply moved, she rubbed her head against Scáthach's thigh and said, "Thank you, Master."
"You're still just like you were years ago—always acting cute, even though you're already fifteen." Scáthach looked helplessly at the boy lying in her lap, gently stroking his face with her fingers. "You should get used to sleeping on your own."
"In time, I will," Arthur said. "Once I manage to defeat you, I'll sleep on my own."
"You're that confident you can defeat me in the future?" Scáthach's eyes showed surprise.
"No, I have absolutely no confidence at all," Arthur said. "But that way, Master can come find me anytime in the future."
Scáthach raised a finger and tapped Arthur on the forehead. "A strong person must have confidence in themselves. Cú Chulainn does that better than you."
"I am confident too—I'm just not sure I can defeat you, Master," Arthur replied. "If you had Cú Chulainn come fight you right now, he definitely wouldn't dare say he was confident. If he really were that confident, why would he have stopped mentioning his age?"
The air around them seemed to turn cold in an instant, and the word danger seemed to hover over Arthur's head.
"What's wrong with my age?" Scáthach asked casually.
"N-no, nothing…" Arthur shut his mouth just in time upon noticing Scáthach's lingering gaze and immediately changed the subject.
"By the way, Master, may I ask you something?"
"No," Scáthach said.
Arthur: "…"
"Just kidding, go ahead." Scáthach couldn't help but smile faintly when she saw Arthur looking as if he'd lost his patience.
Her disciple had always liked doing things unconventionally, which was why she had decided to try something different today—and the results were surprisingly good.
And… seeing him flustered was quite amusing.
"Is your relationship with Lady Aife really that bad?"
Scáthach's smile faded considerably. "Why are you suddenly asking that?"
"The guards must have told you before that Aife broke into Dun Scaith while you were away, right?" Arthur asked.
"She doesn't like to lay a hand on the weak, so she didn't hurt you or Nessa, did she?" Scáthach said.
Arthur nodded slightly.
In truth, he had been worried about this matter for three months, but he hadn't been able to find a suitable opportunity to ask Scáthach. After all, he trained every day, and when he told stories at night, Nessa would sometimes squat by the door and secretly watch.
Speaking of which… could Nessa be at the door right now?
Arthur suddenly felt a twinge of guilt, but quickly shook his head and dismissed the thought.
It shouldn't be that bad. If Nessa were at the door, the Master would have already noticed.
"What's wrong?" Scáthach asked, confused by Arthur's silence, her red eyes filled with doubt.
Arthur quickly composed himself and cleared his throat lightly. "Master… what do you think of Lady Aife?"
"Her?" Scáthach fell silent for a moment. "She has a strong personality, so she's quite troublesome."
"So that means you 'don't dislike her,' right?" Arthur asked thoughtfully.
Scáthach nodded slightly. "Why are you asking this all of a sudden?"
"I just sometimes wonder—if you don't hate each other, why is your relationship so bad?" Arthur asked curiously.
"Our relationship isn't bad, it's just not good," Scáthach said, shaking her head.
"So it's not bad, right?" Arthur blurted out.
When Aife had spoken to him that day, her expression and tone hadn't been fake; she genuinely hoped to gain her sister's approval.
However, Scáthach was not only highly skilled in martial arts, but also possessed exceptional magic. Coupled with her strong personality, earning her approval would not be easy.
"In any case, she is now the Queen of Alba, and I no longer have any ties to her, so let's not talk about her anymore." Scáthach ended the topic.
Seeing his master's firm attitude, Arthur had no choice but to give up.
He could only hope for another opportunity to learn more about this matter. If possible, he still hoped the two sisters could reconcile.
It was only a misunderstanding… or rather, simply a case of a sister with a bit of a sister complex wanting the other's approval, nothing more. So why had it ended up turning into enemy kingdoms?
(End of the Chapter)