Simulator in Type-moon, Starting with becoming Morgan husband!

Chapter 37. Protective Magic from the Petal

[Morgan's words make you alert.]

[You will not let anyone harm Morgan.]

[Carrying Morgan on your back, you grip your longsword tightly.]

[The Talent "Blessing of the Lake" activates.]

[With enhanced magic resistance, you sense a faint aura lingering in the air.]

[However, you cannot identify what it is.]

[But according to Morgan, it is likely the trace of Magecraft.]

"Ian, put me down."

"Yes, Princess."

Between the Princess and the knight, there always exists a burning, hidden yearning. But in crucial moments, they bury it deep within their hearts.

It is not only for their own sake but also for the other's.

Once her feet touch the ground again, Morgan still cannot find stability in her heart.

"Ian, something feels off."

"Yes." Ian nods.

"Princess, even I can sense something unusual at this moment."

"What… what is this?"

"It's unclear."

Morgan no longer shows the cheerful demeanor she had while on horseback.

Instead, her gaze is now more serious—the icy expression she often wears in front of others.

"Ian, be careful."

"Yes, I will, Princess."

[You draw the longsword from your side, remaining vigilant of everything around you.]

[You shield Morgan behind you, vowing to protect her at all costs.]

[Your focus reaches an unprecedented level.]

[But some things seem unavoidable, even with complete focus.]

[You and Morgan continue to explore the dark and ominous space.]

[A shadow lunges directly toward the two of you.]

[By the time you react, it is already right in front of you.]

Ian had never imagined that any creature could appear so suddenly, right before him.

It was late into the night.

Within the eerie forest, Ian could not discern what it was, but the instincts in his blood surpassed all rational thought.

"Careful Princess!"

Without hesitation, Ian drew his new sword.

Even though he wasn't fully accustomed to it yet, this was no time to complain about such things.

The only thing he needed to do was to wield the sword for the Princess!

"Clang!"

The sound of metal clashing echoed throughout the dark forest.

With just one simple clash, Ian immediately felt the overwhelming strength of his opponent—this force was far from ordinary!

But the most shocking revelation was yet to come.

The clouds that had shrouded the sky were swept away by the wind, revealing the radiant full moon.

The once-dark forest was now bathed in the moon's gentle light.

Ian widened his eyes, unable to believe what he was seeing.

What stood before him was not an attacker or a wild beast but… a suit of armor!

To be precise, it was an empty suit of armor moving on its own, holding a massive greatsword in its hands!

Was that what he had clashed with just now?!

Ian took a deep, cold breath, yet his resolve to fight did not waver in the slightest.

Because behind him was the one he had sworn to protect with his life.

Retreat?

That was something he would never do—not even in death!

Whatever dared to lay a hand on Morgan, he would stand in its way without hesitation!

However—

Just as Ian was about to charge at the armor again, Morgan stopped him.

"Ian, there's no need to fight anymore."

"It's no longer moving."

"What?"

Hearing Morgan's words, Ian realized that the empty armor had remained completely still since it had revealed itself. Its aggressive demeanor from earlier was gone.

He took a deep breath and cautiously thrust his longsword toward the opponent.

The moment the blade made contact, the armor disintegrated into petals, scattering to the ground with the wind.

Ian could hardly believe his eyes, but he quickly understood that this was the result of some form of Magecraft.

He turned to Morgan, who stood beside him.

"Princess."

"It's Magecraft," Morgan confirmed Ian's suspicion. "Let's search the area one more time."

"Understood."

[You and Morgan resumed your search.]

[Before long, the two of you discovered more suits of empty armor identical to the first.]

[However, each suit behaved exactly like the first one you encountered—they performed a single heavy slash and then ceased all activity.]

[And when your blade made contact, those seemingly menacing armors dissolved into petals and vanished.]

[After a few encounters like this, Morgan stopped you.]

"Princess."

Ian looked down at the scattered petals on the ground.

"What on earth is this…"

"Most likely another trick by the Magus who hid the unnamed successor last time," Morgan replied, her tone slightly restrained.

"These armors might have been nothing but petals from the start, but we mistook them for armor."

Magecraft capable of making someone mistake petals for armor?

If someone else had said this, Ian would have found it impossible to believe.

But the person standing before him was Morgan.

Despite their intimate nights together, Ian had never forgotten that she was an exceptional Magus.

Her words regarding Magecraft had never been doubtful.

However, Ian quickly realized another issue:

"Princess, then why do these armors only strike once and then stop?"

"Because—"

Morgan glanced at the knight beside her, still holding his longsword.

"They're likely just gatekeepers, meant to reinforce the effect of a certain type of Magecraft. Perhaps the Magus behind this didn't anticipate someone like you would dare to face these empty suits of armor head-on, did they?"

"Ian, your courage has allowed me to uncover these truths."

Hearing Morgan's words, Ian only smiled faintly before sheathing his longsword.

"Princess, I'm merely fulfilling my promise."

"As long as I am here, I will never let anything harm you."

"But Princess, I do have one question—if such measures were set in place, why not create fully functioning combatants? It would've been a more thorough approach, wouldn't it?"

"Could it be… that this Magus is simply that lazy?"

"I don't know."

Morgan appeared deeply conflicted.

"But I can sense that new challenges may soon appear before us."

"Ian, will everything we have now be destroyed once again?"

Seeing Morgan's expression, Ian didn't respond with words.

Instead, he gently pulled her into his arms, softly stroking her back as he said:

"No."

"Princess, I swear with my life."

"No one will be able to take away what is rightfully yours."

"The one who will ultimately sit upon that throne can only ever be you."