Artoria the Big Liar

"But... Isn't this shopping for you to buy clothes?"

"That's what I planned, but I suddenly changed my mind." After a pause, she continued: "Isn't this what shopping is like? Go shopping, look around, buy what you think is suitable, and buy it if you don't." Go to another place. Now I found something suitable for you, and I want to buy it for you, just like the ice cream just now. If you don’t like it, you can keep it in the closet and don’t wear it in the future. Anyway, it’s my card The money is the gift I gave you at that time?"

"...Have you French always been like this, have you not changed over the years?"

"Huh? Am I similar to the French at your time?"

"Not at all. I'm talking about the French of today. Although the birthplace of Rationalism, Romanticism prevails. Everyone yearns for a better life, everyone seems to know they should..."

For the first time, in the middle of my sentence, I was interrupted by others, and it was interrupted by the witch in front of me: "Arthur, didn't you agree that you are not allowed to think about unhappy things today?"

"...I never made a promise, did I?"

I just mentioned it before buying ice cream, but I didn't take it seriously, let alone promise it.

The witch raised her eyebrows, raised her forehead proudly, and began to babble and preach.

"I said, Arthur, can you stop thinking about those inexplicable things? You are just Arthur now, not a king or a knight. The past has nothing to do with you. The dead will not come here to chase their lives. The living people have also disappeared into the past, and everything has been completely interrupted with your death. It just so happens that the pace of this city is not fast, so enjoy the present life—at least today, don’t think about so many unhappy things, okay? ?”

The sun fell into the witch's golden pupils, shining and shining, as if all the light of the sun gathered in them.

It's beautiful, really beautiful.I am like the dragon Smaug who plundered the heart of the mountains, staring in a daze.

Then, as if his body and mind were bewitched, as if his will no longer belonged to him, he said in a strange way——

"……it is good."

Then, in a daze, like a manipulated doll, I walked into the clothing store.

Looking at the dazzling array of men's clothing, I fell into a long-term sluggish state, and I didn't know how to choose.

When I came back to my senses, I had already left the clothing store and was walking on the street.

"How about it, isn't it beautiful?"

The witch's voice brought me back to reality.

At this time, I finally realized that I had changed into another suit.

This is the ubiquitous suit, also known as "formal suit".Black coat, black trousers, black leather shoes, only the shirt is as white as snow, only the tie is as red as blood.The coat is a men's long-collar formal suit, which is purposely unbuttoned and looks extremely strong. With my calm expression and golden vertical pupils, the overall feeling of oppression is full, and it is easy to make others intimidated.

After waking up, I made a corresponding comment based on my heart【"

"It's okay...it's just a little hot. It's summer now, and black clothes are easy to get hot."

"Wait until it gets colder before you wear it? Or you can just don't wear a coat at ordinary times, and you see that people on the street don't wear coats either. However, you still have to wear a tie. It always feels like a disadvantage if you don't wear it. I believe you think so too. Bar?"

As for clothes, I really don't have any feelings.

However, I have a special feeling for something.

"...Witch, do you know how much this dress is worth?"

"About [-] meals? Just count as last night's dinner."

The corner of my eye twitched again.

I made a total of twelve dishes last night, and the total ingredients added up to about [-] yen.

One hundred times four thousand yen is 40 yen, which happens to be the price of this suit.

It's not that there are no cheap suits in the clothing store, but that this witch never chooses the right ones when shopping, only expensive ones.

The previous Haagen-Dazs was estimated to be the same, but she bought it only because Haagen-Dazs was the most expensive, without checking the taste, packaging, weight and price and other factors at all.

In my heart, in addition to "stupid" and "illiterate", this witch has been added the label of "prodigal".

"...Your calculation is quite accurate." I was almost speechless.

"It's more expensive. Food is so cheap in this era anyway. Of course the money should be spent elsewhere." The witch looked relaxed, completely ignorant of the preciousness of money. "However, with only one suit, it must be easy to get tired of wearing it? Do you want to try other clothes?"

"One suit is enough. There are still a few sets of clothes in the room. Just change and wear." I said perfunctorily.

"Don't you want a dress?"

The witch asked again, forcing me to shake my head quickly.

"I don't have much interest in getting dressed. There's enough for now."

"You used to only have three sets of clothes? Isn't that too little? You are also a king after all, right?"

"That's really boring."

"If you want to unify Britain and make Albion prosperous, you have to save it. My first fund was the booty from the ambush of the Saxons. Later, the country grew larger and taxes increased. But the ceremonies and ceremonies became more and more There are more and more palace expenses. And the army is the foundation of Albion, in order to balance the expenses, I must save as much as possible.”

The witch didn't respond.She just smiled and looked into my eyes.

The sunlight kept refracting in her pupils, like bright golden diamonds, exuding a charm that I couldn't feel before.

"There will be no need for this in the future? Arthur, you are no longer a king."

"But...the money in Cary is limited. Mordred and I eat a lot, and we are both students. If you don't save money, it will be used up soon. Once the family's finances fall into a broken state, things will happen. It's very troublesome. What's more, the money in your card is much less than ours."

"Then let's wait until the money is gone? You and Mordred are so powerful, making money is not easy? Taking advantage of the weekend to work as a part-time bodyguard, or taking some orders that others are not easy to handle, isn't it all possible?" Got a lot of money?"

That's right.But I still shook my head after all: "If possible, I would prefer my life to be peaceful."

"Pfft..."

For the first time, the witch couldn't help laughing.

This annoys me a little.I squinted my eyes, with a downcast face, and asked her in a low voice——

"What are you laughing at? What's so funny about it?"

"Ahem..." She laughed so hard that she coughed! "I said, Arthur, why do you still want to live a peaceful life? Do you think we, the dead from the past, can have a peaceful life when we come to this era? I am a witch, you are an evil dragon, and hell is it." Our home. Do you think this remote town will be heaven? Do you think we will be allowed to enter heaven? Why don't we enjoy it while the city is still calm now? It's not in vain Shall we go?"

(5137 words in this chapter)

Chapter Eighteen: Crystallization of Memory

I really have nothing to say about witches.Just think I'm really running away.Even if it's just for a short time, I want to live a peaceful life.Therefore, he could only respond to the witch's question with silence.

Seeing that I had nothing to say, the witch took my arm again and walked on the street with few pedestrians.

She didn't seem to want anything, or she was caught in the difficulty of choosing when she saw the dazzling array of products, and she didn't know what to choose, so she had no choice but to reject them all.Even if she is as casual as she is, there is basically no shopping in the center of the modern city.

Until the square in the city center, the witch stopped.

Following the witch's line of sight, I saw a pair of old people in the middle of the square.

The old couple are obviously foreigners. Their hair is completely white, and age spots can be clearly seen on their foreheads. Their bodies are heavily fattened but rather tough. They are at least 70 years old.The old man is holding the camera and facing the old woman, while the old man is wearing an English sun hat and dark brown sunglasses, leaning on a marble statue of someone who doesn't know, and smiling at the old man.Then, with an imperceptible click, the old man pressed the shutter.The grandma walked to the side of the grandpa with staggering steps, and looked sideways at the camera and at the digital photos that had been saved on the screen.

They laughed happily, and spoke a language I hadn't been exposed to - the accent should be German, and they communicated in low voices.

Even at such an old age, they still travel to the other side of the world and take pictures.

The witch watched for a long time, as if she was observing, but also seemed to be trying to imprint the images of these two old men in her mind.

Then, she nudged me lightly with her elbow, pointed to the pile of cameras that the old people regarded as treasures, and asked curiously——

"Hey, Arthur, what are they holding?"

"Camera. A device that freezes a picture."

"Freeze it? Like drawing a picture?"

"It's not a painting, but a complete copy of the picture at that moment." Considering that the witch's modern knowledge reserve is almost zero, I patiently explained with an analogy: "...It is similar to a special mirror. As long as Press the button, you can freeze the appearance in the mirror, turn it into data, and save it in the device. These data can be extracted, copied to a printer to print a photo, or copied to a computer for simple modification.”

"Like amber with worms in it?"

This statement made me raise my eyebrows instinctively—amber is not something that ordinary village girls can touch.

Amber in Europe is mostly produced in Friesland and Northern Europe. It is regarded as a precious gemstone, which is believed to contain the energy of the sun and has the effect of warding off evil spirits and avoiding disasters.It is said that in BC, the ancient Germans mined it, resold it through a long trade route, and finally came to Egypt, where it became a decoration on the crown of the pharaoh.

As far as knowing Amber is concerned, the identity of the witch must not be simple.

However, this idea and speculation only stayed in my mind for a moment.I turned to answer the witch's rhetorical question.

"Almost. It's all about the freezing of time, and it's used for memory retention."

The witch folded her chest and rested her chin.

She thought for a while, then asked me, "Arthur, I gave you such a nice dress today, how about a camera in return?"

"Aren't you not interested in these electronic devices?"

"I don't want to touch it because I don't understand it, I'm afraid it will be broken, and I'm not really not interested. But for the camera, you only need to press the button. It's very easy to use, right? I think it's easy for the elderly to use. , nothing complicated. Even I should be able to use it easily, right?"

"It's really simple... at least it's much easier to use than a computer."

"Then give me one?"

I hesitated for a moment.Because I don't know what the witch really wants a camera for.

However, it is just a camera after all, a product of modern technology and industry, and has nothing to do with magic.

Even in the [-]th century, there were rumors that cameras could take away people's souls, but now they are basically digital cameras, and these rumors are no longer mysterious.The result of forcibly adding magic power will only cause the camera to malfunction or even be damaged by a short circuit.

Thinking of this, I looked at the witch—the pale golden pupils were shining with anticipation and longing. It seemed that the camera was not just a device, but had a special meaning, and it was a meaning that I didn't understand at all. .

So, I asked, "What type do you like? Is it lightweight, or one with clearer images?"

"Can't it be both light and clear?"

"Modern technology products are like this. There is an irreconcilable limit between lightness and performance, and there must be a tendency. Even the 'perfect' products defined by the public, when the purchase is completed, the advertised and packaged products depreciate into The description of perfection ceases to exist because of this depreciation. As a used utensil, the advantages do exist, but the part that was covered up before will be revealed—there will always be dissatisfaction, there will always be There are deficiencies, and there are always unreasonable places. As a result, "buy what you want" will also be depreciated as "buy something that disappoints you less". When the passion for shopping dissipates, facing the full Defective merchandise is put aside, damaged over time, and eventually discarded.”

Sure enough, the witch looked confused.But she is very smart, much smarter than I imagined—or maybe she just has an insight into my feelings based on the witch's ability, so she understands the meaning of these words.

She pouted, her cheeks puffed up, she turned her head to the side, like an awkward cat, muttering, as if a witch was cursing, and said in a low voice: "I have said so much, and the co-author is to teach me not to Buy whatever you want? Seriously... If you don't want to buy it, just say it, there are so many twists and turns, who are you fooling... I want it if I want it, what do you want to do so much..."

Headache, very headache.The witch's attitude really gave me a headache.

If it was before, I could have given orders as a king.But not now.In front of Mordred, I can barely be King Arthur.In front of the witch, I'm just "Arthur", and I can't say commands or force words.The whole day today was just a witch pulling me to go shopping together, if I messed up, it would be too puzzling.

So, I exhaled and held her hand—this was the first time I held her hand, it was unexpectedly warm, or too warm, my 22-year-old heart that has rarely fluctuated There was a ripple in my heart.

"The camera is my gift to you, of course I have to give it. However, it is better not to make judgments lightly on things you don't understand. Those liars like you the most. People who don't care and don't think .”

The witch gave me a blank look, and said rather unconvinced: "Isn't it you? Besides, it's because I don't understand that I want you to pick one as a gift for me? You said so many ugly things to do." What? Did I make you dissatisfied?"

That's how capricious a woman's mind is—no, I'm a woman myself.

In short, the witch's femininity is so strong that I didn't know how to react for a while.

The witch let out a sharp breath through her nose and pursed her lips.Obviously I was the one who held her hand gently, but she turned her back and held my hand tightly—then, very reluctantly let go.

"Okay! I'll forgive you this time! As compensation, you have to choose the best camera that satisfies me the most, understand? If I'm not satisfied, then choose the one that satisfies me. So far! You have to watch carefully!"

She doesn't understand modern technological industrial products at all, as long as the appearance looks good and the clarity of the photos is not bad, she will not be dissatisfied-but, I can't do this kind of thing, and she also knows that I can't do it this matter.

Shaking his head helplessly, he looked around - sure enough, there is a mall here that specializes in selling electrical appliances and digital products.

I walked into the mall, considering the needs of the witch, I chose left and right, asked about various parameters and functions, compared the many options, shopped around, thought for a long time, and finally chose the most moderate and the least error-prone It is a card machine with the highest praise rate and only focuses on the function of taking pictures.

It has a beautiful burgundy shell, light and compact in shape, and can be easily put into a women's satchel.It is easy to operate, and all irrelevant functions are not added. You only need to press the shutter, and you can get quite good quality photos.It can realize automatic photo taking, no need to adjust the focus, no need to pay attention to the exposure, even newcomers who don't know how to shoot at all can get full photo fun from this card camera.

If one day the witch has in-depth study and research on photography, wants to take the best photos, and even learns to use photo editing software, then just buy her a high-end SLR camera—but look at her This look, shouldn't be considered so long-term.

When she came to the witch, she unpacked the camera and put it in a shopping bag as a warranty certificate. The witch fondled it fondly, as if it were an extremely precious emerald.And I, on the sidelines, taught her how to use the camera and explained all the basic concepts of taking pictures.After all, it’s just a card camera, and there’s nothing profound about it. In addition, it has the functions of auto focus and auto recognition. Most of the time, you only need to press the switch, aim at the object you want to shoot, and press the shutter.

After getting acquainted, the witch suddenly pointed the camera at me.

"Arthur, have a laugh?"

But before I had time to react, the witch immediately pressed the shutter button.

She uses the buttons to quickly find the photos from the album, and then displays them on the screen.

"Wow! Really! It's exactly the same! Even the best Italian painters can't do this! And it's just a push of a button, no need to wait for years - it's incredible, too Incredible!"

She was about to jump for joy.The golden eyes stared at the screen intently, slowly moved to my side, and gently touched my arm with his elbow: "Arthur, look at me, how did I take the picture?"

I looked at the camera screen.It shows what I look like.

I have to say that the witch is very talented as a photographer.She didn't take the photo straight away, but deliberately tilted it by about 20 degrees, so that the photo can present more information, and also camouflaged the effect similar to lens distortion.And because of this tilt, I can't help but tilt my head when looking at the photos, and the mood when looking at the photos will immediately change, from pure appreciation to nostalgia for the past.

Reminiscent of her understanding of clothing, it seems that this woman has a natural understanding of the concept of "beauty" far beyond ordinary people.