The ship navigated rivers and seas before finally docking at the pier in North Wales.
"We’ve arrived. Haah, from Ireland to the Fairy Kingdom... that was quite the spectacular itinerary for just a few days."
Kay stretched as he stepped off the deck. Behind him, the hulking Bagest served as a dutiful porter, laden with loot and a vast array of mysterious ingredients acquired from the Fairy Kingdom.
"Master! Should I take these supplies straight to the kitchen?!"
"Yeah, go ahead. Just make sure the spices are kept in a cool place so they don't get damp."
Just as Kay, accompanied by his Servants and Caster, was about to enter the inner fortress...
The massive doors of the reception hall flew open, and someone burst out like a cannonball, charging straight into Kay’s arms.
"B-Brotherrrr!!!!"
"Ugh?!"
Thud!
Kay had withstood the overwhelming mass of Bagest's attacks before, but caught completely off guard by this ferocious physical charge, he was sent stumbling backward several steps.
The figure clung to his waist as if trying to crush it, burying her face in his chest and sobbing uncontrollably.
It was the princess knight, Lily. Her once-pure white armor was smeared with mud and sweat, and her face looked far more gaunt than it had five years ago.
"Li-Lily?! You... when and why are you here...?"
"Waaaaaah! Brother! I missed you so much! I really, really missed you! *Hic*, sob... Every single day, I craved the meals you used to make, and I wanted to be by your side and be praised... I can't even tell you how much, how much...!"
Lily threw all decorum and knightly pride to the wind, bawling like a small child as she gripped the hem of Kay’s clothes tightly.
Her green eyes were blurred with tears, yet the gaze she cast upward at Kay was clouded with a blind, sticky obsession that was almost chilling.
"First, just calm down. Stop crying, or you're going to hyperventilate."
Though flustered, Kay did as he always had, stroking Lily’s head with his large, calloused hand. At that familiar, affectionate warmth, Lily seemed to lose all strength in her body and collapsed entirely into his embrace.
...Tch. For a tearful reunion with a sister I haven't seen in five years, this is getting pretty clingy.
Kay’s clothes were now a mess of tears and snot, but having raised her since she was an infant, he was well-accustomed to it.
Artoria Alter, who had walked out of the reception room with her arms crossed, let out a scoff, while Artoria Lancer simply shook her head with a bitter expression.
Following behind Lily, a girl dressed in a jersey trudged out, cradling a thick, swaddled bundle in her arms.
"Welcome back, Brother. I trust you secured some delicious ingredients from the Fairy Kingdom? My Alter Reactor is currently warning me that it will self-destruct if it isn't fed meat immediately."
"Et-chan? You're here too? Wait... earlier, the Fairy Kings—or rather, those women—said they were waiting for me. Did they mean you two?"
As Kay asked in bewilderment, Artoria X Alter slid her glasses up and thrust the swaddled bundle directly in front of his eyes.
"Yes. And we are not the only ones who have been waiting for you, Brother. Now, please greet her. This is your daughter."
"...Huh?"
The bundle opened, revealing a blond newborn who looked exactly like a blend of Lily and Artoria X Alter. The baby beamed a bright smile and reached out a tiny hand, gripping Kay’s finger tightly.
"Goo! Kyah!"
"...Wait a minute. Daughter? My daughter?! When did I ever make a little thing like this?! I've been in the Abyssal Realm for five years!!"
As Kay shouted in horror, Artoria X Alter continued her bombshell declaration in a flat, emotionless voice.
"She is a pureblood Pendragon homunculus artificially cultivated by Sister Morgan, using the genetic material of Lily, myself, and all our other sisters. While not a single drop of your blood is mixed in, Brother, you must become this child's father."
"What?! That witch finally went and did something truly insane! And why the hell do I have to be the one to raise her...! Haah, damn it."
Images of his younger sisters clinging to him and begging for food flickered through Kay’s mind. Then, he felt the warmth of the baby smiling brightly while holding his finger.
...Haah. Seriously, is my destiny just to be a nanny?
Kay eventually pressed a hand to his forehead and let out a deep sigh. The prowess of a warrior from the Abyssal Realm and overwhelming martial power were utterly useless against childcare and the pleas of his sisters.
"Fine. I'll raise her. Whether I'm the father or just the cook, I'll do it. It's not like I was ever destined to be some bachelor noble anyway."
"Hooray! Brother, you're the best!"
"As expected of my husband! This Tamamo shall nurse and raise the child herself!"
"You... produce milk?"
"There are ways, you know? Heheh."
Kay decided to pretend he hadn't heard that.
"So, what's her name?"
"You should be the one to name her, Brother."
"...Mordred. It means a valiant child."
And so, the pureblood Pendragon baby was named Mordred.
Once the commotion surrounding the baby subsided...
Kay, now settled on a sofa in the reception room, listened intently to the grave news Lily had brought.
Artoria X Alter, her glasses glinting, began to brief him in a dry tone about the desperate situation Artoria Pendragon was facing, as reported by Lily over the last few days.
The fact that Gareth had assassinated the North Wales messenger sent to deliver the news of Kay's return.
The fact that Merlin was thoroughly concealing Kay's existence to keep Artoria pinned to the throne of Camelot like a museum exhibit.
And the state of Artoria herself—slowly losing her mind, on the verge of a total mental collapse, and even being forced to eat mashed potatoes mixed with stone dust.
"......"
As he listened, Kay's expression grew cold, mirroring the frozen depths of the Abyssal Realm.
The kind, jovial older brother was gone. The temperature in the room plummeted, and a terrifying bloodlust emanated from him, enough to make the Servants and even Bagest hold their breath.
"Merlin... that half-baked incubus bastard... is finally testing the limits of my patience," Kay murmured lowly.
He could be generous enough to understand the necessity of making Artoria the king.
However, he could never forgive the fact that Merlin had treated his precious sisters like pawns, shattered their spirits, and driven Gareth to become a killer.
"Now I see why Gloriana and Oberon told me to go to Logres. The gears are completely stripped."
Kay stood up abruptly.
Adjusting the sword at his hip and the Golden Axe on his back, he declared in a resolute voice:
"I'm going to Camelot."
"Brother..."
Lily looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Medusa, get ready. Just you and I are going first."
"I always seem to be treated as the transport, don't I?"
"Well, you're the Rider."
Just as he had done with Taquin in the past, Kay decided to advance on Camelot with only Medusa.
"But Brother, going with only two people is too reckless. There is no telling what schemes Merlin has devised," Artoria Lancer urged, trying to stop him.
Kay replied with a furrowed brow, "Have you forgotten my personality? You're telling me to leave Artoria suffering for a few more days? Sorry, but I can't do that."
Before his eyes, a memory flickered of a young Artoria toddling toward him.
"Once we arrive, Caster, can you teleport me to the coordinates?"
"Hmm. Tamamo-san, I'll need your help with this."
"Collaborating with magecraft is never simple, but I shall try."
Medusa summoned Pegasus, and Kay immediately climbed up behind her.
"I'll be off then."
As Medusa pulled the reins, Pegasus soared high into the sky, becoming a silver meteor.
"Wait for me, Artoria. Your brother is coming."
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