Chapter 92: The Pushover’s Meal -5-

The time remaining until the duel with Acolón was exactly two weeks.

During that period, Artoria decided to devote herself entirely to her training with Kay, entrusting all the state affairs of Logres completely to her sisters.

"…Hmph. Thanks to that guy, look at the ordeal we're stuck with."

Artoria Alter snorted as she stared at the mountain of approval documents and petitions from the lords piled before her. Normally, she would have found it a drag and simply stayed in bed, but since Kay had given strict orders, she continued to scratch away with her quill, despite her grumbling.

"Sigh, I'm so jealous. Two whole weeks of a training camp alone with Brother Kay… I wish I could receive one-on-one special training from him instead of doing all this paperwork."

Artoria X complained, shifting her weight onto one leg.

The air in the meeting room quivered slightly at their words. In truth, every one of the sisters remaining in the inner keep was fiercely jealous of Artoria for spending those two weeks alone with Kay.

However, before beginning the special training, Kay had set up a barrier at the entrance to the training grounds behind the castle and left them with a stern warning.

"This duel is a real fight where lives are on the line. I need to focus all my attention on Artoria alone, so don't come around for a while. I'm leaving Mordred in someone else's care, too."

At dusk, when the sky turned a deep red and the training paused for the evening.

"Husband~ Please take a little break~"

Tamamo approached the training grounds, her tail wagging happily as she carried a pitcher filled with warm milk.

"Oh, Tamamo. Just in time—I was starting to get thirsty."

Kay walked over, wiping away his sweat, while the dust-covered Artoria sank to the ground, catching her breath in ragged gasps.

"Now, have a glass. I squeezed this milk myself, you know?"

Tamamo lifted the pitcher and poured the creamy white milk into Artoria’s cup.

Artoria took the cup and was about to take a sip, but she suddenly paused, staring blankly at Tamamo’s chest as she leaned over to pour.

With every movement, that overwhelming fullness swayed heavily.

It was the symbol of a perfectly mature woman—a stark contrast to the flat chest of fifteen-year-old Artoria, whose growth had been frozen in time.

"…Um, Tamamo?"

"Yes?"

"This milk, could it be…?"

As Artoria asked while gazing at Tamamo's bust, Tamamo jumped in surprise. Her face flushed crimson as she hurriedly covered her chest with both hands.

"Wh-what?! Oh my, what a mischievous joke! Well, if my husband really wanted it, it's not impossible for me to squeeze it directly from my breasts, but—no, that's not it! This is obviously fresh milk from the cows outside the castle!"

As Tamamo twisted her body shyly and babbled incoherently, Kay, looking utterly exasperated, gave Artoria a sharp flick to the forehead.

"Ouch!"

"You idiot! Of course it's from a cow! Did you sweat so much that your brain dried up? What on earth were you thinking?!"

"Ugh… b-but…."

Artoria rubbed her forehead, looking down at the warm milk in her cup with a defeated expression.

"Um, Brother."

"What."

"Since I lost Excalibur, the blessing that stopped my growth has been lifted. So… if I drink this milk every day, will I… grow as a woman, like Tamamo, Jeanne, or Medusa?"

A deep sense of self-loathing tinged Artoria's voice. Whenever she saw the voluptuous and alluring Servants hovering around Kay, she felt an intense complex regarding her own immature body.

Kay let out a hollow laugh at the absurd question.

"Who knows. X didn't suffer as much from the holy sword's side effects, so she's developed some curves, even if she's not quite on the level of the Lancers… You'll eventually grow too, now that you're without the sword. Though I can't guarantee you'll end up as huge as the Lancer girls."

"I… I see."

Artoria’s eyes wavered.

The holy sword had granted her invincible power, but it had also been a shackle that robbed her of a normal woman's life and growth.

"…Then I just won't find the holy sword again. The country is stable anyway, and if it means I can grow as a woman, I don't care if Acolón or whoever keeps it. I'll reveal that I'm a woman eventually, anyway."

As Artoria hugged her knees and muttered softly, Kay clicked his tongue and stepped closer, gently patting her head.

"Growing physically doesn't make you an adult, Artoria. If you truly want to stand by my side, you shouldn't obsess over your appearance; you need to mature from within. Now, I'm going to go cook some dinner stew, so just warm yourself by the fire and rest."

While Kay stepped away toward the barracks to prepare the meal, Artoria remained alone by the campfire and let out a heavy sigh.

"Sigh…."

"You'll dig a hole in the ground with that sighing. To think a King is moping over chest size."

Jeanne d’Arc Alter had approached unnoticed and plopped down beside Artoria with a click of her tongue. Medusa sat on her other side, and Tamamo stood quietly behind them.

"Jeanne… Medusa, Tamamo. Thank you for your hard work."

Artoria greeted them weakly.

Medusa gently wiped the scrapes on Artoria’s hand with a soft towel.

"Master is right. Growth of the heart is more important than growth of the body. You've spent so much time acting as the perfect king that you've simply forgotten how to be loved or how to stand beside someone as a woman."

"I… I know that. But all of you built such deep bonds with Brother while crossing the line between life and death in the Shadow Realm. I'm just… a weak little sister who has always been protected by him."

Artoria looked at the Servants with envious eyes.

Jeanne d’Arc Alter smirked and tossed a twig into the fire.

"Life and death, my foot. You probably think we spent every waking moment in that shadow land covered in blood, but people lived there too. In fact, it was a place overflowing with the most absurd romantic dramas."

"Romantic dramas?"

Artoria’s eyes widened.

"Yeah. A total love comedy caused by that clueless, oblivious idiot of a Master."

Jeanne d’Arc Alter chuckled as she began the story.

"Listen. You know Scáthach, the haughty Queen of the Celtic Shadow Realm? One night, that Queen barged into Brother's room wearing nothing but a thin, translucent scrap of cloth."

"What?! Queen Scáthach herself?!"

Artoria’s jaw dropped.

"Yep. Medusa and I were peeking through the crack in the door. The Queen sat seductively on his bed and tempted him, saying, 'My wonderful pupil, tonight I shall let you taste the abyss of the Shadow Realm.'"

"And?! What did Brother do?!"

Artoria asked, swallowing hard.

Medusa smiled faintly and picked up where Jeanne d’Arc Alter left off.

"The moment he received that fierce and seductive invitation, Master suddenly brought out a pot and shoved a bowl of boiling garlic eel stew into the Queen's hands."

"…Stew?"

"Yes. Then, with a completely serious expression, he told her, 'Teacher, the night breeze is cold; you'll catch a cold if you dress like that. Eat this and go to sleep early. I'm busy because I have to prep the breakfast ingredients for tomorrow,' and he kicked the Queen out of the room."

"Pfft…!"

Artoria let out an involuntary giggle.

"The look on the Queen's face as she stood outside the closed door holding that stew was priceless. That night, dozens of red spears of fury and shame rained down across the entire Shadow Realm."

Jeanne d’Arc Alter clutched her stomach, laughing.

"That wasn't all," Tamamo added.

"Once, Scáthach actually went through the trouble of secretly obtaining a love potion and slipping it into Master's tea. It was a terrifying drug that caused one to lose all reason and go into heat for the person in front of them."

"My goodness… so?! Did Brother drink it?!"

Artoria asked in horror.

"He did. Scáthach waited with great anticipation for Master to finish the tea. But after taking one sip…."

"W-what happened?!"

"He beamed and shouted, 'Teacher! Where did you get these tea leaves? There's no better spice for removing the gamey smell of monster meat!' Because Master's body had been steeped in the poisons of the Shadow Realm, a mere aphrodisiac had no effect on him."

"Ah…."

"Then, he handed a sickle to the mood-struck Scáthach and dragged her to the most treacherous thorn-cliff in the realm, forcing her to harvest herbs all night long. The great Queen Scáthach had to cut grass with a miserable face until the sun rose. And she only put up with it because she loved my husband so much."

"Ahahaha!!"

Artoria finally lost it, rolling on the ground in fits of laughter. It was a bright, pure smile of a fifteen-year-old girl, casting aside the dignity of a king for the first time since the theft of the holy sword.

After the laughter subsided, the heavy stone that had been weighing down Artoria's heart vanished completely.

"See?"

Jeanne d’Arc Alter rested her chin on her hand and looked at Artoria.

"That guy lived true to himself even in front of all those beauties. Do you know what he was thinking about whenever he rested his blood-stained chin in his hand?"

"…?"

"He was only worrying about you."

At Jeanne d’Arc Alter’s sincere words, Artoria’s heart leaped wildly.

"The reason Master endured that hellish training and chose to leave the Shadow Realm was to return to you, and no one else."

Medusa warmly enveloped Artoria’s hand in hers.

"So please, don't feel discouraged just because you look like a child or because you don't have your holy sword. To Master, you are already a precious person."

Artoria looked around at the Servants.

Perhaps they were rivals for Kay's affection or objects of jealousy, but in this moment, they were reliable older sisters and comrades-in-arms who truly loved and understood the man named Kay.

"Thank you."

Right. Brother pushed through that hell just to protect me. If that's the case, I shouldn't hide inside the safe shell of a 'little sister'… I must stand before him as a confident woman he can lean on.

Her physical complex and her weak obsession with the lost holy sword faded, and in their place, a firm and mature feeling of love began to take root.

"It seems there's still some time before Brother returns. Could you… tell me more?"

"Oh my~ Then what kind of story would you like to hear?"

After spending some time chatting with them.

"Alright, what are you all gathered for? The midnight snack is ready. Tonight's special is eel herb stew."

Kay returned to the training grounds, carrying a large pot and stirring it with a ladle.

Jeanne d’Arc Alter, Medusa, and Tamamo stood up with smiles on their faces.

"We'll be heading out now. Don't overdo it."

As the Servants cleared the area, Kay and Artoria were left alone once again.

Just as Kay was about to hand Artoria a bowl filled with stew—

"Brother."

Instead of taking the bowl, Artoria tightly grasped Kay’s large hand with both of hers. Her gaze was no longer that of the immature child who had been complaining earlier.

"…Hm? What's wrong? Are you hurt somewhere?"

"No. I just… wanted to say thank you."

With her cheeks flushed red in the glow of the campfire, Artoria gave Kay the most beautiful smile in the world.

"Thank you for coming back from the Shadow Realm for me. Thank you for not giving up on me and for training me. And… thank you for loving me."

"Uh, uh… where did this sudden confession come from? You're making me blush."

Kay cleared his throat and tried to avoid her gaze, but Artoria did not let go of his hand.

"I will not lose the duel. Even without the power of the holy sword, I am the King of Britain… and I will prove to you that I am a woman worthy of standing by your side."

That firm, mature declaration.

It was the growth of the human Artoria, breaking through the artificial shell of the Knight King—the very thing Kay had hoped for.

Kay let out a small laugh and gently bumped his forehead against hers.

"Alright. Prove it. If you win and come back, I'll throw you a party with the finest wine that only adults drink—no more cow's milk."

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