Ignoring the gasped exclamation and paying no mind to the stares of the other patrons, the old man looked at the empty seats in the tavern and walked directly to the table where Aozaki Rin and his companions were sitting. He tapped his fingers lightly on the tabletop and spoke.
"Do you mind if the two of us sit here?"
Merlin silently turned his face away, saying nothing.
The old man before them was someone he had known back when King Uther was still on the throne. If the man saw his face, everything would be understood immediately without a word needing to be said.
Opposite the old man, Artoria subconsciously tightened her grip on the Sword in the Stone hidden beneath her cloak.
She never imagined that she would run into her fated enemy the moment she entered his territory. Even though she had long been mentally prepared, her heart was still pounding with tension.
Of course, Kay, who sat beside her, was in a similar state of mind. But compared to his sister and Merlin, Kay's expression was far more natural. Firstly, Vortigern didn't know him. Secondly, their identities had not yet been exposed; their current situation was purely coincidental. If they were to act nervous for no reason, it would only make them look suspicious in the other man's eyes.
However, before Kay could refuse, Aozaki Rin spoke up first with a smile.
"Of course not. But it might be a little crowded."
"Hehe, I don't mind things like that."
The old man unbuckled the sword from his waist, placed it directly on the table, and gestured for the magus beside him to sit down as well. He chuckled.
"It's just that you all looked so nervous earlier, I thought you were going to refuse me."
Hearing this casual, smiling remark, Kay's heart leaped, then settled in relief.
Indeed, they were currently in Vortigern's territory; it was common sense to avoid contact with him as much as possible. But the man had already approached them, and his identity as the local lord had been revealed by the other patrons. At this point, if they had refused, it would have been either suspicious or brazen.
Thankful that his adoptive brother was indeed more thorough in his considerations than he was, Kay discreetly observed the old man opposite him.
But soon, like Artoria beside him, his expression turned from wary to puzzled. The old man's current words and actions were somewhat different from the rumors.
"Five mugs of ale for us here, and... one glass of milk."
Glancing at the cloaked Aozaki Rin, the old man called out to the tavern owner. When the owner came over with the drinks, trembling, he pushed three mugs of ale and the glass of milk toward them and said with a smile.
"Drink up. It's on me, as compensation for disturbing you."
"Thank you, Sir."
Aozaki Rin expressed his thanks. Unlike the other three, who were too cautious to touch the cups the man had pushed over, he felt for the glass of milk, held it with both hands, and very naturally took a few small sips, leaving a white milk mustache on his upper lip.
"Sir? That's a rare title indeed. You don't know me, child?"
The old man showed a hint of surprise. He put down his mug of ale and sized up the boy with keen interest.
"I apologize. Because my eyes cannot see, I am not very clear on some matters. If I have offended you, please allow me to apologize."
As he spoke, Aozaki Rin lifted his face, revealing his unfocused eyes. The old man paused for a moment before nodding in understanding.
"I see... Well, there's no offense to speak of. If anything, it was I who was impolite. And I was just intrigued by the title you used."
"But while your attire looks like that of wandering knights, your boots are a bit too new. Have you recently arrived from elsewhere?"
Hearing this, Artoria's body tensed subconsciously. She didn't know if the old man truly suspected them, but her body was already prepared for battle.
"Yes. To heal my eyes, my brothers brought me on a journey. We have been to many places," Aozaki Rin replied with a nod, his tone as natural as if he were stating a fact.
"Is that so? Your brothers must truly love you, then. It's a little enviable..."
As if recalling something, the old man paused, his gaze lingering on Artoria in the middle for a few seconds before he shook his head with a light chuckle.
"Speaking of which, Sir, you seem to be very famous. Why would you come here?"
"How do you know I'm famous?"
"Because everyone has gone silent."
As if to illustrate his point, Aozaki Rin turned his head to "look" around the tavern, which had been dead silent for some time. Only the voices of the old man and the boy, like a normal grandfather and grandson chatting, could be heard.
"Heh, you're quite clever. But it's not something worth hiding, so it's fine if I tell you. Consider it my apology for my earlier discourtesy."
The old man smiled and then said casually.
"Because when spring comes next year, there will be war again. I am merely conducting some preliminary reconnaissance."
"War?"
"That's right. Although most of the time, war is an unjust act, there are some things that you can only protect through war. So if you have such a 'thing' that you wish to protect, child, I advise you to protect it at all costs. This is... my experience as an elder, I suppose."
"...Although I don't quite understand what you're saying, I will remember your advice."
"Hehe, it's nothing. I suppose it's been a while since I've spoken to someone like this, so I got a bit carried away. Do you find me annoying? If you don't mind, you could chat with me a little longer."
"While I would be happy to, my brothers don't seem to know how to interact with a famous person such as yourself. Also, we should be getting on our way, so... I apologize."
Aozaki Rin apologized, declining the old man's invitation. The old man didn't seem to mind and simply waved his hand.
"It's fine. In that case, you should go ahead."
"But I have a premonition that we will meet again very soon. After all, there are not many children in this country as special and mature as you."
With a light chuckle, the old man picked up his ale and began to drink. After bidding farewell, Aozaki Rin stood up and left the tavern with Artoria and the others.
The moment they were out the tavern's wooden door, Artoria subconsciously let out a sigh of relief.
But before she could fully relax, a young and serious voice sounded.
"Our identities have been exposed, Sister."
"What? But just now..."
Recalling that the boy's conversation with the old man had seemed flawless, Artoria was utterly confused. But seeing the serious look on Aozaki Rin's face, she knew he wasn't joking, nor was it a mere feeling.
"En is right. This time it was my lack of consideration. You may not be aware, Lily... Vortigern won't exchange a single word with someone he's not interested in."
"The only reason he didn't expose our identities just now was likely because of En."
"After all, the 'White Dragon' and the 'Red Dragon' are both fate and fated enemies. Under such circumstances, how could he possibly not sense the power hidden within your body? In any case, we must leave this place as soon as possible. This journey must end ahead of schedule."
Merlin said with a serious expression. Without hesitation, he cast an illusion on their group to confuse onlookers. Then, the party of four quickly left the vicinity of the tavern and headed toward the distant forest.
At the same time, inside the tavern.
"As I thought, you're playing your little tricks again, are you, Merlin? In the end, she is nothing more than a 'tool'. What right does she have to inherit this island?"
With a sneer, the old man drained the ale in his cup, a slight smile playing on his lips as he thought back on the boy he had just spoken with. He could sense that the child had an attractive quality, but that wasn't why he had played along just now.
He had a faint inkling that the child was perhaps of the 'same kind' as him.
"My lord, shall we let them go?"
The magus asked respectfully. From the very beginning, the old man had secretly signaled to him that there was a problem with the people at their table, so he had already used telepathy to gather the troops who were on standby nearby.
But the old man didn't answer the magus's question. Instead, he asked one of his own.
"How many minutes has it been since they left this tavern?"
"About ten minutes."
"Is that so? That should be enough. I have given them their chance, and I only give one. So let me see... Merlin, is this 'tool' you've chosen truly beloved by destiny, or is it merely a laughable mistake?"
His voice growing cold, the old man rose from his seat and strode out of the tavern, his aura as imposing as cold, hard iron, his face grim.
The fierce wind and blizzard whipped at his large black cloak