A Villainess pulled out the Sword instead of the Hero.

 

All three looked at each other and seemed to take a moment to assess the situation.

 

In the meantime, Morgana cleared her throat.

 

‘First, the general situation is, uh, no!’

 

A mercenary from Britain pointed a sword at a man from Avalon.

 

Did they know who each other was?

 

Taking a step back and holding up fumbling hands, Morgana calmly suggested.

 “Look, why don’t we just put down our weapons and talk?” 

Arthur pointed his sword at Kellive.

 “If he’ll sheath his sword, I’ll sheath mine.” 

If he came out like this, Confucius wasn’t going to take kindly to it.

 “Then I’ll think about it when you do.” “Who are you, I need to know if you’re in league with them.” 

Morgana quickly cut off the conversation as he watched Arthur fix his sword before Kellive could finish.

 

If he provoked him too much and there was a real clash of swords, war was imminent.

 

The only bright spot was that, according to Arthur, they still didn’t know who each other was.

 “All right, then, put your swords in one, two, three. I don’t get to see the point very often, and I’m feeling a little dizzy right now.” 

At her words, the two men just glared at each other.

 

As if their nature was such that they couldn’t get along even if they were dead.

 

Morgana slowly approached them. Cautiously, she raised her hand and pointed at Arthur, attempting to make a statement.

 “This, uh, is the, uh, mercenary I hired as my escort. This, uh, is…” 

Not a man of Avalon. Not even a Briton.

 

Morgana felt like tearing her hair out, but she forced a smile and pointed to Kellive.

 “He’s a provincial Confucius I know.” 

His hand twitched at the word Confucius.

 

For a moment, the two men exchanged an ambiguous glance.

 

Morgana took advantage of the moment and shouted.

 “Now, then, you sheath your sword! One, two…!” 

Before Morgana could count to three, Arthur had his sword sheathed, straight and clean.

 

Confucius didn’t know where he’d left his scabbard and couldn’t think of a good place to put it.

 

He simply set it down with a thud so that the tip was on the ground.

 

‘Where did that sword come from?’

 

He wondered, but the presence or absence of a scabbard was not his immediate concern.

 

‘Why the hell is an Avalonian in Britain!’

 

Morgana quickly yanked on Kellive’s arm as soon as the threatening blade was out of sight.

 

He followed her pull better than she expected.

 

When they were some distance away, Arthur asked.

 “I hope you’re not hurt, and I apologize for the delay.” “I’m fine, Ah….” 

Morgana paused barely before speaking his name.

 “…I just collapsed on top of a mountain after eating some herbs for a while, so the group that kidnapped me probably thought I was dead.” 

Perhaps it’s best not to give out the name of the man from Avalon.

 

Morgana held up the dagger, reassuring Arthur.

 “I’m sorry, I was borrowing it for a while, thank goodness I was able to sneak away, or I would have been dragged away with it.” “That’s okay, it’s a dagger made for that purpose.” “Thank you for your understanding. They were vicious. They buried me in the mountains. With flowers on top.” 

Confucius’s arm twitched this time, as if afraid to let her finish.

 

‘His hands trembled. Is he ill?’

thought Morgana.

 

When Morgana looked up, he smiled and shook his head.

 

What, I just got a weird feeling…?

 

Feeling unnecessarily creeped out, Morgana frowned at him.

 

She’d hired him as an escort, so he was here to rescue her, but his purpose was unclear.

 

He didn’t seem to be in cahoots, judging by his lack of interest in the kidnappers scattered about.

 

From the looks of the group’s faces and their conversation, it was clear they had been commissioned by the Duke of Fay.

 

Morgana gripped the dagger tighter and turned to Arthur.

 “Lend me a few more minutes, I’m going to have a word with Confucius.” “I’ll come with you.” 

Arthur took a step toward him, but Morgana’s reply stopped him in his tracks.

 “I can’t. There’s something me and this Confucius need to discuss.” 

Uneasy inwardly, Morgana pointed to Carnwennan, a little farther away, but still in full view of Arthur.

 “I’ll talk to him over there instead, but if there’s any danger, come get me, okay?” “Yes, my lady.” 

Arthur lifted his head, which had been bowed in a short, polite bow.

 

The stranger was being obediently dragged along by Morgana, who was almost half-coercing him.

 

The man had dodged his sword with a simple motion.

 

At the very least, it meant he wasn’t a mediocre swordsman.

 

They must have known each other, judging by the way the man was being dragged away so casually.

 

Behind Morgana, the man silently extended his hand to grip his sword as he walked along, seemingly unperturbed.

 

The sword hovered in the air for a moment, then disappeared without a trace.

 

Arthur squinted at the sword at his waist.

 

Unlike the ordinary sword he held, the man’s blade seemed to be enchanted.

 

Arthur could see her running forward, carrying Carnwennan.

 

It reminded him of the way his mother had left him one day.

 

A strange unease washed over him.

 

Arthur knew in an instant,

‘I can no longer live as a shadow.’

  “Weren’t you from Avalon?!” 

Morgana shouted in disbelief as soon as he was far enough away from Arthur that her voice was inaudible.

 

The subject had come all the way from a foreign land, and he was snickering for all he was worth.

 “I don’t think I’m the only one from Avalon, there’s a lady right in front of me.” “No, I’m from Britain, so it doesn’t matter!” “Then… from the Duke of Fay…” 

This guy must be crazy. Where the hell does he get off saying such horrible things?

 

In a flurry of panic, Morgana covered his mouth with her hand.

 

She could feel his twitching lips against her palm.

 

She looked around carefully to make sure no one was around, then called out in a whisper.

 “This is Britain, here, my, uh, there. Let’s not talk about our distant neighbors.” 

The man didn’t answer, just smiled down at her.

 

Morgana narrowed her eyes and repeated.

 “Let’s just call it ‘over there’ instead of that kingdom. Nod your head if you understand.” 

Seeing Confucius nod obediently, Morgana let go of the hand clamped over his mouth.

 

It was only then that Morgana realized he no longer had the sword in his hand.

 

‘Ugh, where did it go?’

 

At least it wasn’t big enough to be concealed.

 

As she looked around him, for some reason, Confucius took a step forward and blocked her view.

 “I stopped by Britain for a moment to look for someone, and there you are, right in front of me.” “Ah, I heard that there have been a lot of marriages among the nobles in Britain lately. You must be one of them!” 

He ran after her and ran into Arthur.

 

Seeing someone kidnap someone and then being confronted by a man with a sword was suspicious enough.

 

Morgana breathed a sigh of relief as his suspicions were allayed.

 

The man who spoke, however, did not look happy.

 “Yes, there are many, who wish to marry into the noble families of Britain.” 

The smile was familiar but strange.

 

He mumbled something low and vague, as if to himself, and then smiled again.

 “Are you here for the marriage, too? You say you’re from Britain, so I assume that’s where you came to stay.” “I was kidnapped by a strange band of men.” 

Morgana knows he’s not asking about kidnapping, but she decides to play it straight.

 “I ate a scone and woke up chained to this mountain.” “So you were poisoned.” “Yes, I guess so.” 

Confucius stared at Morgana’s without answering.

 

Realization dawned on him, and he rushed to add.

 “I, uh, ate some herbs in the mountains, and they detoxified me.” 

Needless to say, I was stung.

 

If he was from Avalon and visited the Dukes of Faye, he must know about powers.

 

There was no point in prolonging the subject.

 

Morgana would be able to continue the conversation quite naturally. Perhaps.

 

If anything, Morgana was spontaneous.

 “So, Confucius, how long will you be staying in Britain?” “I don’t know. A week or so?” “Very well, then take care, it was a pleasure to meet you!” 

With a neatly raised hand in greeting, Morgana walked over to Confucius’s side.