Fate: I Will Eventually Become the Hero of Justice

Chapter 114

Old knight Ector looked bewildered as he stared at Kay, who had a serious expression on his face. "What did you say? Merlin pulled you into a dream to simulate a kingdom, but you and Guinevere easily defeated him?"

Ector had been sound asleep when Kay abruptly woke him up. Initially, he had been quite angry, but after hearing Kay's story, his anger gave way to confusion. "I can't believe it," was written all over his weathered face.

"Kay, have I ever taught you to lie?" Ector couldn't help but ask.

He was utterly flabbergasted. Even though it was only a fantastical game conjured up by Merlin and it felt so far removed from reality. Yet the fact remained that Merlin and Artoria, working in tandem, had been defeated by Kay and the boy they had taken in just a year ago.

He wondered if what Kay had told him was even possible.

As Artoria's mentor, Ector was keenly aware of just how formidable the fifteen-year-old had become. When it came to swordsmanship, she was every bit his equal, and even managed to surpass him, a once-renowned knight.

Moreover, thanks to the Dragon Factor, Artoria's body possessed an endless source of strength. Even during his prime, Ector wouldn't dare to assert that he could defeat Artoria in combat at this very moment.

As for Kay, Ector was also keenly aware of Kay's strengths and weaknesses. While Kay was every bit Artoria's equal in terms of swordsmanship, without the Dragon Factor, he couldn't match her strength, agility, and other physical abilities.

As for military strategy...

Merlin was a wise man whose eyes had seen much of the world. It seems unlikely that he would take on a student who was lacking in military strategy. However, Kay claimed that he not only defeated Artoria but also outwitted Merlin and trapped them both in a prison. This seemed highly improbable.

The notion that the ideal vessel for the king, accompanied by the wise Merlin, could be defeated by his own son and a seemingly ordinary boy of unknown origin was difficult to believe.

"I'm not lying, Father. I know it's hard to believe, which is why I came to report it to you," Kay said.

In truth, Kay was grappling with doubts about the situation himself. It all seemed too fantastical.

Could it be that, with Shirou's aid, he truly had overcome Merlin and Artoria and united Britain?

Was the ambition Kay held in his heart actually realized in a dream?

It all felt so surreal, almost as if it couldn't possibly be real.

Kay found himself questioning how they could possibly gather so much food in the dream realm.

Despite his doubts, Ector approached Artoria to inquire about the truth of the matter after she had woken up from the dream.

Before he could even speak, however, he saw the devastated expression on her small face and the hollow, self-doubting look in her eyes. Ector knew that it was real and there was no need to doubt it.

He understood Artoria's temperament all too well.

Short of being utterly defeated and crushed, there was no way that Artoria, who was always so serious and strong, would doubt her very existence to such an extent.

With a resolute voice, Ector made a decision: "Artoria, your lessons in swordsmanship and horsemanship are on hold for now. You must go and recruit Guinevere as your knight. This is the only task you must accomplish."

"Ah--?" Artoria looked up at Ector with vacant eyes, still struggling to recover from the beating she had received at the hands of Shirou.

Ector spoke with patience, "If you wish to become the king and defeat Vortigern, the usurper, you cannot do it alone. You must recruit him!"