The expansive dining hall of North Wales Castle.
From early morning, the air was thick with the aroma of rich soup, fluffy omelets, and freshly baked bread that Kay had prepared himself.
However, unlike the usual clamor, the atmosphere at the table was strangely quiet, humming with a taut, electric tension.
Kay, seated at the head of the round table, cleared his throat and sliced into a loaf of bread. At his sides sat the two sisters, Artoria Lancer and Artoria Alter, both radiating an aura vastly different from the day before.
Their eyes were moist, their cheeks flushed with vitality, and above all, the gazes they leveled at Kay were practically dripping with honey.
“…So.”
After taking a sip of water, Kay carefully addressed the three Servants sitting across from him.
“I’ve decided… to become lovers with these two.”
“…….”
“…….”
Silence.
Tamamo was the first to react. Unfazed, she perked her fox ears and gave her tail a playful flick.
“Oh my, just as I expected. Ever since I cast that perfect transformation spell on my sisters-in-law last night, I knew this would be the result. Congratulations, my husband.”
Tamamo beamed with pride, as if she were the primary architect of the entire affair.
Beside her, Medusa, who had been quietly sipping her tea, nodded behind her blindfold.
“I suspected as much. Well, it is a cause for celebration. In my era, it was far more common for blood relatives to become lovers than for unrelated family members to do so.”
But there was one person who had been completely kept in the dark.
Jeanne d’Arc Alter’s eyes nearly popped out of her head.
“Wh-what?! Lovers?! The three of you?! Since when?!”
Jeanne Alter bolted upright, her chair screeching against the floor as she shrieked.
She didn’t care about the ethical implications of Kay embracing his sisters; such moral codes were irrelevant to her. What truly sent her over the edge was something else entirely.
“You crazy bitch!! You threw yourself at Master while disguised as me?! You dared to steal my face for your nighttime activities?! You devious, cowardly wench!!”
As Jeanne Alter summoned her flag and prepared to unleash a torrent of flames, Artoria Alter merely scoffed and calmly spread butter on her bread.
“Hmph. Don’t make such a fuss just because I borrowed your face for a bit.”
“You—you! Come here right now!!”
“Enough! Stop fighting at the breakfast table!”
Kay hurriedly forced Jeanne Alter back into her seat, scrambling to restore order.
Though the breakfast had devolved into a battlefield, Kay felt a secret sense of relief.
He could see that the dark shadows of obsession, which had layered upon Lancer and Alter over the last five years, had finally begun to lift, replaced by the clear, bright smiles of their youth.
As the meal wound down, Kay shifted his tone, his expression becoming serious.
“First, let’s decide on our future course of action. Wandering aimlessly across Britain to find the others is too inefficient. We need to gather intelligence first and then plan our route.”
“You are absolutely right, brother.”
Artoria Lancer nodded, wiping her mouth. Her voice was infinitely tender.
“As the Queen of North Wales, I maintain a network of informants throughout Britain. I already have a general grasp of the location of the main Arthurian army led by Artoria and Lily. Furthermore, I can send a letter in my own name to Artoria Lancer Alter, who leads the Wild Hunt mercenaries roaming northern Britain.”
“Oh, really? In that case, it would be better to summon them here to North Wales rather than us moving.”
“Yes. I shall dispatch messengers immediately.”
Lancer smiled shyly at Kay’s praise and continued.
“It will take some time for the messengers to travel and for them to gather here. Until then, brother, please stay in the castle and rest. I will personally ensure that the fatigue of the last five years is relieved, day and night.”
Kay flinched at the suggestive remark, prompting Artoria Alter to pinch Lancer’s thigh under the table as a warning.
“And one more thing, brother.”
Lancer suddenly set down her teacup and dropped a bombshell with an air of casual indifference.
“If you wish… I will hand over the throne of North Wales to you immediately.”
“Pfft!!”
Kay, who had been drinking tea, choked violently and burst into a coughing fit.
“Wha—what?! The throne?! Why on earth would you give me a kingdom you built with your own blood and sweat?!”
“I have never had the slightest attachment or interest in the throne to begin with.”
Lancer gazed directly at Kay with eyes as clear and pure as crystal.
The majestic castle, the vast knightly orders, the people under her rule—to her, the position of Queen was worth less than a single strand of Kay’s hair.
“The only reason I conquered North Wales and became the Lion King was because I needed an army and an intelligence network to find you. Now that you have returned, this cumbersome crown is utterly useless to me.”
Lancer toyed with her silver crown, a bittersweet smile on her lips.
“Five years ago, even after losing you, I followed Artoria to save Britain, clinging to the vague hope that you were safe. But my days in Orkney without you were a living hell. It was then I realized that the thought of becoming the ruler of a nation after defeating Vortigern was nothing more than a meaningless, foolish fantasy.”
She reached out and clasped Kay’s hand tightly with both of hers.
“Brother, if you must leave immediately to find our other sisters, I would abandon this country and my knights without a second thought to follow you. Whether Britain falls or not, being by your side is the only happiness I seek in this world.”
It was a blind, almost manic obsession. She was a woman who would throw away every ounce of her pride and responsibility as a queen for the sake of one man.
“Hey, hey! You can’t just abandon a whole country! What about the citizens and the knights? What sin did they commit to be left behind?”
Kay broke into a cold sweat as he tried to talk her down.
“Since you’ve already become king and the country seems to be running well, don’t throw it away. I’ll stay in North Wales for a while and assess the situation anyway.”
“Truly? Do you wish for me to remain as Queen?”
“Yeah, sure. You keep being the Queen.”
Only after receiving Kay’s confirmation did Lancer finally relax and beam with joy.
“I understand, brother. If it is your wish, I shall gladly continue to wear this crown. In exchange, I ask that you oversee all state affairs and operations of North Wales as you see fit. I will be nothing more than a puppet executing your will.”
“You brat! How is that any different from handing me the throne?! I told you I don’t want to work!!”
Regardless of Kay’s frustration, Lancer simply wore an ecstatic smile, thrilled by the prospect of giving him everything she possessed.
After the meal, the group moved to the castle’s most scenic outdoor terrace.
After Lancer finished issuing orders to her messengers, she reappeared on the terrace clutching a mountain of paperwork, rather than returning to her office.
“Your Majesty? Why have you brought these all the way here instead of using your office…?”
When the bewildered attendants questioned her, Lancer clung tightly to Kay’s right arm and answered firmly.
“From this day forward, my office is wherever my brother is. Do you have a problem with that?”
The proud, ice-cold Lion King of North Wales, clinging to the arm of an ordinary man and rubbing her cheek against him—the knights and servants of the castle watched in sheer disbelief, though none dared to cross the Queen.
“Ah, seriously! Let go of my arm so I can read. You’re smudging the ink on the documents.”
“I refuse. We have five years of missed physical affection to make up for, and the interest has piled up quite a bit.”
While Lancer rested her head on Kay’s shoulder and signed the papers, Artoria Alter flopped down on Kay’s left side, using his thigh as a pillow.
“Hmph. As if I’d let you hog those broad shoulders all to yourself.”
With her hair spilling across his lap, Alter held a green grape to Kay’s lips.
“Here, brother.”
Watching the two Pendragon sisters engage in such blatant displays of affection, the other Servants finally reached their limit.
“Goodness! I can’t stand to watch this! Husband, your mouth must be dry; please have some of this special tea Tamamo has brewed!”
Tamamo fluffed her tail and tried to wedge herself into the gap between Kay’s knees.
“Flirting with your sisters, are you? Here, try these. I sneaked into the kitchen and baked them earlier.”
Jeanne Alter grumbled as she set down a tray.
The cookies were misshapen and some were charred black, but noticing the small burn marks on her fingertips, Kay chuckled and popped the most burnt one into his mouth.
“Hmm. A bit burnt, but sweet and delicious. Good job, Jeanne.”
“H-hmph! Of course they’re delicious! Who do you think I am?!”
Jeanne Alter’s face turned as red as an apple. Seeing this, Artoria Alter sat up and glared at her as if ready to grab her by the collar, while Medusa quietly approached from behind and began massaging Kay’s shoulders with a chilling smile.
“Master, please do not overexert yourself. You must conserve your strength if you intend to perform your 'duties' tonight.”
With that single sentence, the terrace once again transformed into a volcanic eruption of chaos.
…I wonder if I’ll survive this.
Kay sighed, weighed down by the beautiful women clinging to his arms and the fierce onslaught of affection, yet he couldn’t hide the smile on his face.
The five years of hellish training in the Abyssal Realm had been endured for this very moment—to return to them and laugh like this.
Eventually, after being tormented all afternoon, Kay had to make a hasty escape from the terrace under the pretext of educating the kitchen staff.
Having fled the scene, Kay found himself in the shade of a tree near the castle’s quiet training grounds, chatting with the First Knight Commander, Galehaut.
“So, Sir Galehaut, did you pass along the cured meat recipe I gave you to the kitchen?”
“Of course, Sir Kay. Thanks to the diet you devised, the soldiers are so moved by the taste of the meat that they are training with joy, even though I’ve doubled the intensity of the North Wales knights' drills. You truly are a magician of the dining table.”
Since the incident in Manchester, Galehaut had become a fervent fan of Kay.
He had long since cast aside his pride as a former king; whenever he saw Kay, he bowed respectfully and acted like a loyal, dependable hound.
It was while the two were sharing this warm camaraderie that a voice interrupted them.
“…First Knight Commander. What are you doing here idling about?”
A cold, sharp voice shattered the peace of the training grounds.
Turning around, they saw a slender female knight clad in sleek, black-and-blue light armor.
She had lustrous black hair falling to her waist, a cold and piercing gaze, and muscles that were firm and beautifully defined—almost unbelievable for a woman.
A uniquely shaped magic sword hung at her hip.
“Oh, the Second Knight Commander. Have you returned from your patrol of the western border?”
Galehaut greeted her warmly and introduced her to Kay.
“Sir Kay, please greet her. This is Sir Calogrenant, the Second Knight Commander of North Wales and leader of the special reconnaissance unit.”
Calogrenant…
Kay tilted his head. The name sounded distinctly masculine, yet the person before him was undeniably a woman with beautiful curves.
In truth, she had originally been a burly male knight, but she was a tragic figure who had been transformed into a woman by the curse of a wicked Pictish sorcerer. Despite this, her martial prowess remained among the highest in North Wales.
“Nice to meet you, Sir Calogrenant. I’m Kay.”
Kay offered a friendly smile and extended his hand, but Calogrenant didn’t even look at it. Instead, she scanned Kay from head to toe with a frigid glare.
“…So you are the survivor of the Abyssal Realm who has bewitched Her Majesty and Commander Galehaut.”
Her voice was thick with unmistakable hostility.
Galehaut, flustered, stepped in.
“Now look here, Second Commander! That is rude! Sir Kay is Her Majesty’s precious companion and a man of immense strength and wisdom!”
“Companion? Hah. I have heard all the tales of your deeds, Commander Galehaut.”
Calogrenant cut him off coldly.
“I am aware that your strength is great enough to crush Taquin in a single blow, and that your culinary skills are sufficient to enchant the soldiers. As a knight of North Wales, I acknowledge your contributions.”
She gave a reluctant, slight nod of her head before glaring at Kay once more.
“However, regardless of your skill, in my eyes, you are the same. You appeared and immediately shook Her Majesty’s composure, and you’ve eroded the discipline of the knights with mere cooking… You are nothing more than a monster gnawing away at North Wales.”
Calogrenant’s tongue was merciless.
Upon returning from her patrol, she had seen Lancer clinging to Kay’s arm with a lovestruck expression.
Having secretly witnessed the Queen’s blind devotion—even to the point of handing over all state affairs—she had fallen into a state of deep despair and suspicion.
“If it is to protect Her Majesty, I will not allow a subversive existence like you to remain within these walls for long.”
The black-haired knight gripped the hilt of her magic sword, radiating an overt, murderous intent.
Just as Galehaut had cast aside his prejudices, another stubborn and troublesome loyalist had now stepped forward to block Kay’s path.
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