Chapter 95: A Fairy’s Prank -3-

The unprecedented "shota scramble" that had turned Camelot upside down was finally brought to a close by a dramatic peace treaty brokered by Tamamo and Jeanne d’Arc Alter.

"Everyone, please calm down! At this rate, my husband... no, our adorable little Master is going to suffocate!"

Tamamo stepped in to mediate, her tails puffing up with urgency.

"For the time being, I shall take full charge of the meals. For the sake of Master's mental health, let us agree to a rule: only one person may look after him per day! Anyone who disagrees can prepare themselves for Tamamo's curse!"

Faced with her threat, the predatory crowd, who had been practically salivating, reluctantly stepped back.

And the first person drafted for this "caretaking" duty—which was essentially a date—was Artoria Lancer Alter.

"Hmph. I have no confidence in my ability to look after a child... but since the turn has been decided, it cannot be helped."

She crossed her arms and let out a haughty snort, but a glimmer of unmistakable anticipation danced in her eyes.

If anything, she looked slightly regretful that she hadn't studied how to handle children. Of course, Kay was in a position where he wanted to scream at them to stop treating him like a toddler.

The following afternoon, in the gardens on the outskirts of Camelot Castle, where the warm sunlight bathed the landscape.

Kay, now in the form of a young boy, was strolling through the garden with Mordred, who happened to be roughly the same size as him now.

Trailing silently behind them was Artoria Lancer Alter, dressed in light attire and holding a parasol.

"Is anything uncomfortable?"

Though she maintained her characteristic cold tone, her voice was remarkably delicate and tender.

"Are your shoes too large? If the sun is too piercing, I shall lower the parasol further."

"No, I'm fine. It's not hindering my walking," Kay replied, hitching up his baggy trousers.

"Fou! Fouuu!"

Fou, who usually perched on Kay's shoulder, seemed to be very fond of the current small and squishy version of Kay, curling up contentedly atop his silvery head.

"But... I'm not actually going to stay like this forever, right? That guy just vanished without even giving us an antidote."

Kay murmured anxiously, clenching and unclenching his tiny palms.

Artoria Lancer Alter shook her head while keeping the parasol steady.

"Do not worry. No matter how much mystery is imbued in that water, it cannot possibly have a permanent effect. If it did, it would be a miracle akin to the elixirs of immortality from the Age of Gods, rather than a mere work of magecraft."

She continued,

"According to Caster's analysis, the liquid is simply a high-density mass of magical energy that temporarily reverses life force. Based on the rate at which the mana will naturally deplete... you should return to your original body in about a month."

"I have to stay like this for a whole month?! *Sigh...*"

As Kay let out a heavy sigh, Mordred, who had been picking flowers nearby, came running over with sparkling eyes.

"Really?! You're going to be the same height as me for a month, Dad?! Wow!! That means we can be friends for the whole month! This is awesome!!"

"This brat of a princess keeps calling her father 'friend,'" Kay grumbled, though he reached out and gently patted Mordred's head.

Once Mordred scampered off to the corner of the garden to chase butterflies and Fou, Artoria Lancer Alter spread her cloak like a picnic mat beneath the shade of a large tree.

"Let us rest for a moment. Come here."

She patted the cloak and gestured toward her lap.

"Huh? No, I'm not tired—"

"This is an order. Listen to your sister."

As her red eyes emitted a strange, commanding pressure, Kay eventually gave in, awkwardly approaching and carefully resting his head on her thigh.

He hadn't noticed it when he was an adult, but from a child's perspective, Artoria Lancer Alter's thighs were incredibly broad and firm, yet wonderfully soft.

"...Ugh."

However, less than three seconds after lying down, Kay knit his brows.

"Is it uncomfortable?"

"No, your lap is soft and nice... but I can't see the sky."

What was blocking Kay's view wasn't the blue sky, but rather two overwhelming, towering peaks—her breasts.

Due to the angle, her chest quite literally eclipsed the entire sky.

"...Ahem."

Artoria Lancer Alter's pale cheeks flushed a light red. She cleared her throat and tried to shift her chest slightly to the side, but given their sheer mass, it was impossible to fully clear his line of sight.

Ultimately, she set aside the parasol and began to stroke Kay's soft hair with her large hand, slowly and with extreme care.

"...This is a strange feeling. Long ago, I often fell asleep with my head on my brother's lap."

Artoria Lancer Alter murmured with a wistful smile.

Kay closed his eyes and chuckled softly.

Silence fell between them, and a gentle breeze brushed through their hair.

In Artoria Lancer Alter's touch, there was no trace of the cold, merciless tyrant. There was only the infinitely tender and warm touch of an older sister.

"...Brother."

"Yeah?"

"Seeing you like this... it makes my heart ache."

Her voice trembled slightly.

"I remember vividly what you did during those childhood years to support us sisters. You couldn't throw tantrums or run around like other normal children. You had to force yourself to act like an adult just to keep us fed... and with that small, fragile body, you risked your life fighting the beasts of the forest, staining your hands with blood."

Her cool fingertips caressed Kay's cheek.

"Our selfish greed and incompetence completely robbed you of the most precious and sparkling days of your youth. That fact has always remained a heavy weight of guilt in a corner of my heart."

Though she never showed it, she felt a profound sense of debt for the growth she had achieved upon the foundation of Kay's sacrifice.

Listening quietly to her heavy confession, Kay slowly opened his eyes and looked up at her, gazing past the chest that shielded him.

He answered with a maturity that contrasted with his clear, childlike voice.

"Don't be silly. Don't let it weigh on you so much."

"..."

"Those days were definitely cold, hungry, and hellish. There were times I almost lost a finger fighting a bear, and nights I spent awake being hunted by magical beasts."

Kay gave a small grin.

"But even if I were sent back to those days with these memories... I would make the exact same choice without hesitation."

"...Why?"

"Because thanks to me staining my hands with blood and cooking for you, you all survived and grew up to be wonderful. That's enough for me. My childhood had value because of that."

It was a calm consolation, devoid of any regret or resentment.

At those words, the knot of guilt in Artoria Lancer Alter's eyes melted away like spring snow.

She leaned down and gently pressed her forehead against Kay's small one.

"...You are too kind."

A faint, beautiful smile spread across her lips—not the smile of a tyrant, but that of a woman.

"But still, please allow this. Even if it is but a fleeting moment created by fairy magic... we wish to compensate you, even if only a little, for the peace and love you lost in your youth."

Faced with her sincere request, Kay pondered for a moment before letting out a resigned sigh.

"Sigh... The thought of my sisters' suffocating affection continuing for a whole month already makes me feel drained... but fine. For one month, I'll play the part of the pampered child and enjoy being looked after."

"Very well. I shall adore you until your bones ache."

Artoria Lancer Alter flicked the tip of Kay's nose and laughed playfully.

Just then, Mordred came sprinting back from the distance, wearing a flamboyant flower crown and holding another one in her hand.

"Daddy!! No—friend!! I made a flower crown!! Fou helped me!!"

Beaming with joy, Mordred placed the clumsily woven wreath of wildflowers atop Kay's head.

"Wow, Kay, you're so pretty!! Prettier than Mama Lancer!"

"This brat... she's getting way too comfortable with her speech," Kay grumbled, though he adjusted the crown and looked up at the blue sky.

The warm sunlight, the affectionate gaze of his sister, and the laughter of Mordred—his daughter and his friend.

*Well... compared to blood-soaked training, maybe this kind of lazy peace isn't so bad for once.*

The cook of the Mystic Realm set aside his heavy burdens for the first time, quietly savoring the afternoon of a lost childhood gifted to him by a fairy's prank.

Of course...

"What... what is that? A proud man of Britain, yet he has no problem being reduced to a weak child? Absurd... when fairies played such tricks in the past, most men would rather have died than suffer such a blow to their pride. What kind of monster is he!"

Morgan, who was secretly observing Kay, found his peaceful daily life utterly irritating.

And yet...

"...Family, is it?"

Artoria Lancer Alter, looking every bit the mother. The beaming Mordred, the mature Kay, and the purring Fou by their side.

The scene looked like a harmonious family. No, it *was* a real family.

It was a dreamscape that Morgan had never experienced, a vision she had longed for but could never grasp.

"...Such things are utterly futile."

It was nothing more than a longing from a childhood she had abandoned long ago. In the end, emotions were useless in the face of reality.

What use were familial bonds? What meaning did blood kinship hold?

Because she trusted, she was betrayed; because she hoped, she was wounded.

*Tone, Rico... my precious children...*

"...That Alter woman. She's bringing back irritating memories."

It was likely no coincidence that Artoria Lancer Alter reminded her of her own mother—the woman who, despite her innocence, had been forced to die unjustly after Uther declared her a witch.

"Eventually, they will fall into despair. All humans eventually betray... and are betrayed. Human history is the proof."

Forcing herself to deny it all, the witch watched the happy daily life of Kay's family from the lonely depths of the shadows.

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