Chapter 36: Zod and the 5th Holy Grail War (3)

"Artoria?"

"Hm?... Are you my Master?"

Artoria Alter dismounted from her steed, Llamrei, and dismissed it before looking down at him. Standing at an unexpectedly tall 171cm, she loomed over Zod. Irritated by the strain on his neck from looking up, Zod gestured for her to take a seat.

"Let's sit first. My neck is killing me from having to look up at you."

"If you wish..."

Her voice and presence were identical to the Artoria Alter he already knew. Zod wondered if they were simply different people with the same name, but decided to ask to be sure.

"Your name is Artoria Pendragon, the King of Knights... isn't it?"

"I have only given you my name. How do you know my True Name and identity?"

Lancer Alter spoke with surprise, confirming Zod's suspicions.

"I already summoned a version of you who wields a sword."

"Hm? What do you mean by that?"

Lancer Alter stared at Zod with a look of confusion. Zod began to explain the situation, and Lancer Alter eventually nodded, seemingly convinced by his reasoning.

"I see. To think that an inverted version of myself wielding the holy sword was summoned to you first... how curious."

"That’s my line. I didn't think the King of Knights would have an aptitude for any class other than Saber..."

"It is merely a matter of possibilities. I am the 'Inverted' existence that would have been if I had taken up the spear... My original self has no aptitude beyond the Saber class. Such is my nature..."

"A possibility from a parallel world... is that it?"

"Correct. You are quite astute for one so young."

"I’m actually twenty, despite appearances."

"An adult? That is unexpected."

"Hmph..."

Zod took a sip of his milk tea as he spoke.

"Anyway... does Artoria always end up with such a deceptively... provocative body when she takes up the spear? It’s impressive."

"Excalibur possesses the function of halting the physical aging of the wielder. I used that to disguise myself as a man."

"So the holy sword was the problem."

At Zod's words and his gaze, which seemed to trace the lines of her body, Lancer Alter blushed and covered her chest.

"I don't understand... What is so great about this much excess flesh..."

As she spoke, Lancer Alter shifted, her bountiful chest—larger than two watermelons—heaving with the motion. The sight was enough to make Zod's nose bleed instantly.

"Eek! Master Zod! Are you alright?!"

Mata Hari immediately began dabbing his nose with a tissue. At the same time, she cast a wary glance toward Lancer Alter. To nearly render Zod unconscious (?) with nothing but a jiggle... she realized this newcomer was no ordinary opponent.

"Phew... that was dangerous. If Artoria had grown up properly, she wouldn't have been called the King of Knights, but the King of Temptation..."

"I agree... I never thought I’d feel a sense of crisis from an 'Artoria'..."

Even Mata Hari, who possessed a shapely and alluring figure herself, felt threatened by the explosive curves of Lancer Alter.

"Phew... anyway... what should I call you? I can't call you Artoria because there's already an Artoria here..."

"You could simply call me Lancer."

"It would be a bit awkward to use Class names out in public, wouldn't it?"

"Then what do you propose?"

"........Altria. Let's go with Altria."

Zod pondered for a moment before deciding on the name Altria. The pronunciation was similar, so it wasn't a total departure. Furthermore, Artoria was effectively a secret True Name; unless someone was Merlin, Uther, or Morgan, they wouldn't know it. Unless they had a skill for True Name Discernment, her identity was safe.

"From today on, you are Altria."

"As long as it isn't something bizarre, I don't mind. I look forward to working with you, Master."

"It’s Zod. Use my name when we're in public. Calling me 'Master' will draw too much attention. And also..."

Zod swept his eyes over Altria Alter's physique once more.

"First, let's stop by a tailor's shop."

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.

.

Altria was wearing borrowed clothes from Mata Hari, but they were tight around her chest and hips. To remedy this, Zod took her to a tailor in Fuyuki City. On the way there, the group—Mata Hari with her alluring figure, Altria Alter with her even more 'dynamite' body, and the androgynous, handsome Zod—naturally drew everyone's attention. Men looked at Zod with jealousy, while women cast envious and resentful glares at the two women whose bodies were almost sinfully perfect. The trio paid them no mind.

"You're surprisingly unbothered by the attention," Altria remarked.

"Gazes like these are just a common part of my daily life. The jealous stares of these losers who have achieved nothing only make me feel like a god in the heavens. It's simply the truth; I am on a different level of existence."

"That sounds like a severe case of elitism."

"Oh? Not at all. It's not elitism; it's just that I'm different from these insects who only know how to envy without trying to change themselves. It’s logically absurd to place me on the same level as these bugs who can do nothing but glare with spite, don't you think, Altria?"

"So you truly believe you are a better human than they are?"

"Me? Of course... I'm nothing like these monkeys. I am a different species entirely from these Australopithecus. I am superior, strong, and brilliant. Do you understand, Altria? I am in a completely different class from things like them."

"You are a Master more inhuman than any magus I've known."

"A magus? It's an insult to compare me to those monkeys who waste their time popping off petty tricks. Honestly, Altria."

Altria Alter was taken aback by Zod's speech—a cocktail of extreme elitism, superiority, and narcissism. For a brief moment, she felt a flicker of regret about being summoned by such a Master.

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.

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"I have finished changing... does it suit me?"

Altria Alter emerged in a custom-fitted suit, looking incredibly seductive.

She looked less like a secretary serving a chairman and more like a personal attendant focused on 'handling' the chairman's private needs. Even fully covered by the suit, her natural allure was impossible to suppress.

Slap!

"Yes, it suits you perfectly."

"Nnh! You have quite the unruly hand..."

Zod gave Altria Alter's backside a light slap, expressing his satisfaction. She frowned at the gesture but didn't say anything further.

"It suits her so well it's making me jealous..."

Mata Hari watched Altria's swaying chest and curvaceous hips, puffing out her cheeks in a pout. Zod reached over and gently poked her cheek to let the air out.

"Hari, you're sexy too, so don't be so jealous."

Pat, pat.

Despite his borderline harassment as he patted her backside to comfort her, Mata Hari didn't seem upset. Instead, she let out a soft blush.

"You really aren't sane either," Altria remarked.

"Still, it feels good. Being a woman who is useful to Master Zod brings me nothing but joy."

"You... do you happen to possess Mystic Eyes of Enchantment?"

"Is there such a thing?"

Engaged in light conversation, the three of them soon left the tailor's and found themselves dining at a high-end restaurant nearby. Around Altria, stacks of empty plates were already beginning to tower, forcing the waiter to clear the table multiple times.

"Your appetite is exactly the same as the other Artoria face..."

"Anyone who spent their life forced to endure the miserable excuse for a diet in Britain would have an explosion of appetite later on."

"If it's British food, that's understandable..."

Zod dined elegantly with his fork and knife, reflecting on just how terrible the culinary situation in Britain must have been. He concluded that, as expected, English cuisine was a lost cause.

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