THE HEARTBREAKING NEWS

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In the morning, a ray of sunlight streamed in through the window, touching Naruto's face. Rubbing his eyes, he sat down on the edge of the longboard where he had slept the night before. The pine wood floor felt cold against the soles of his feet. He stretched his aching leg, scratched his back, and yawned.

Naruto looked at the wooden table beside him and found a cup of coffee that was still steaming hot, along with a full glass of water. He smiled sadly as he gazed at the coffee. Parvati had treated him very well.

"You're awake, Naruto?" a voice greeted him.

Naruto turned to the source of the voice and found Parvati walking towards him. The girl was wearing a white apron over her purple dress.

Naruto smiled gently in response to Parvati's greeting. "If you have already drunk the water, you may have the coffee," Parvati said after standing in front of Naruto.

"Um, thanks," Naruto replied in a slightly hoarse voice. He then took a glass filled with water and sipped it slowly until he finished half of its contents.

Parvati smiled at him. She was indeed a very caring person, and almost all of Greyhal's population knew and greatly appreciated her wonderful nature.

"I'm going grocery shopping after this. Can you look after the house for me?" Parvati asked while wiping her wet hands on the apron.

Naruto immediately turned to Parvati. "Let me do the shopping," he replied quickly.

Parvati blinked a few times. "But you haven't drunk your coffee yet," she said.

Naruto smiled a little upon hearing that. "I'll drink a little first. It doesn't matter if it's just left for a while," he said more subtly.

Parvati smiled and said, "Okay then, I'll make a shopping list for you," as she turned away from Naruto.

Naruto continued to hold his smile until a moment after Parvati passed in front of him. After that, he took the cup of coffee that Parvati had prepared for him and took a sip of it. After savoring the liquid, Naruto stood up from the board he was sitting on and stretched his arms to relieve the stiffness in his body.

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Naruto's legs carried him along the market streets in the city of Greyhal. In his right hand, he held a basket containing the groceries he had just bought, and in his left hand, he carried a sheet of paper with the shopping list that Parvati had written for him earlier.

Naruto scanned the shopping list on the paper, making sure of what else he needed to buy to complete his current shopping. While engrossed in the list, his ears caught a conversation that immediately grabbed his attention.

Naruto stopped in his tracks, turning his head towards the people who were talking, the reason for his sudden halt. He moved a little closer to listen.

"That's right! I heard about Camelot being in the coup."

Naruto was shocked to hear what one of the middle-aged men said.

'Camelot ... in the coup? Who could have done that?'

"Moreover, King Uther was killed by his colleague, Lord Goetia."

Naruto was shocked again by this piece of news. His eyes darted frantically, his mind reeling as he remembered the noble girl's father's name, whom he had saved yesterday.

Without hesitation, Naruto approached the group of people discussing the Camelot coup.

"Excuse me, gentlemen."

The group turned their attention to him, surprised by his sudden interruption. Naruto ignored their reaction.

"Is it true that the kingdom of Camelot experienced a coup? When did it happen?" Naruto inquired urgently.

"Yes, I heard about it last night. From what I gathered, the coup occurred two or three days ago," answered a middle-aged man with a slight stutter due to Naruto's forceful question.

Upon hearing the answer, Naruto's eyes widened with tension. He stood still in front of them for a few moments, creating a tense atmosphere.

"Son, what's wrong?" a middle-aged woman asked.

Naruto realized he was being addressed and turned to her. "Sorry, I'm fine, madam," he replied.

He then turned to the man who had answered his question earlier, bowing his head slightly in gratitude. "Thank you, sir."

With that, Naruto hurried away from the group, leaving them amazed by his sudden demeanor.

Running with disbelief etched on his face, Naruto made his way toward Parvati's house, accompanied by one question spinning in his head.

'How could this be ...?'

Naruto's footsteps echoed as he hurriedly entered Parvati's house, his face showing deep concern.

"Parvati! Where are you?"

Within moments, Naruto heard hurried footsteps approaching. Parvati ran out of the room towards him, her expression filled with worry.

"Thank goodness you're home, Naruto. There's something I want to—"

"I have something to tell you!"

Naruto cut off Parvati's words as soon as she reached him. Parvati froze, her eyes widening in surprise.

"W-wait a minute, I have something important to say," Parvati said nervously.

"What I want to say is important too, Parvati. Very important. It concerns the Pendragon princess," Naruto replied with a fierce tone. He felt like a stranger to himself for behaving in such a manner.

Parvati fell silent upon hearing this, her purple irises glimmering with anticipation as she associated the princess's name with the crucial matter Naruto wanted to discuss.

"Could ... could you have heard that too?" Parvati asked anxiously.

Naruto, who was about to share the news he had heard at the market, was taken aback by Parvati's question.

"What do you mean?"

Parvati was about to respond when a crash interrupted them. Both turned their gaze towards the source of the sound and found Arturia standing weakly in the doorway, leaning against it for support.

Upon seeing Arturia, Parvati rushed to her and supported her body. Naruto also approached Pendragon's daughter.

"You should have stayed lying down, Your Highness." Parvati scolded with concern as she sat on the floor with Arturia in her arms.

Ignoring the rebuke, Arturia suddenly broke free from Parvati's grip and clung to Naruto as he reached their side.

Her hands weakly grasped at Naruto's shabby clothes, her eyes filled with agitation as she looked at his face. Naruto gazed back at Arturia with deep concern.

"My father ..." Arturia's eyes began to well up, "... h-have you heard about my father?" she asked, her voice trembling with fear as she embraced Naruto.

Upon hearing Arturia's question, Naruto's expression, previously filled with worry, turned grim. He lowered his head to avoid Arturia's intense gaze.

Arturia tightened her grip on Naruto's clothes, frustration evident in her voice, "Say something!" she cried out in anger.

Naruto raised his head again, looking at Arturia with bitterness. His lips quivered, and he managed a feeble smile. He then gently touched both of Arturia's hands.

"King Uther ... he's gone," Naruto finally spoke, delivering the heartbreaking news.

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