Chapter 37: The Pendragon Clan -5-

Morning sunlight pushed back the thick fog over the Kingdom of Gore and filtered through the great glass windows into the tower bedchamber.

I scratched at my messy hair and sat up, and on either side of me sat the two Pendragon sisters, naked beneath thin sheets, leaning against me affectionately.

The most surprising change was, of course, Morgan.

The face that would normally have greeted the morning with a cold, poisonous edge and sharp words now held a shy, gentle light, like that of a teenage girl.

Color had returned to her once-pale skin, leaving it flushed like peach blossoms, and her eyes were clear and transparent like a lake in spring.

"Did you sleep well, Arthur? Are you tired?"

At the gentle, softened tone that flowed from her lips, Artoria, who had been rubbing her eyes as she sat up beside me, stared with wide eyes and asked,

"Wow... sister. Is that what your real personality is like? You seem like a completely different person."

At Artoria’s honest question, Morgan gave a faint smile that looked both lonely and embarrassed, then nodded.

"Yes. Long ago, before I was consumed by the goal of becoming the king of Britain... when I was called Vivian of the Lake, this was what I was like. My obsession with the throne and the fixation that I had been abandoned by Father twisted me into an evil witch. Even when I look back on it myself now, the person I was all this time was truly hideous and vicious."

Deep self-loathing colored Morgan’s voice as she repented of her own past.

We got dressed and rose from the bed. Morgan’s expression was still dark.

I lightly wrapped an arm around her shoulders and comforted her.

"It wasn’t all your fault, either. As a fairy, you tried to bear the fate of this island of Britain, but the world itself denied you and pushed you away from becoming king. After suffering through that kind of horrible injustice your whole life, it would be stranger if you had managed to stay sane."

At my warm defense, Morgan slowly shook her head.

"You may be right. In that sense, I may have been a victim. But, Arthur, that does not justify the terrible evils and grudges I have committed. For the sake of my goal, I made far too much blood spill, and I used and discarded far too many people like pieces on a board."

As if anxious, she hugged her own slender arms and trembled.

"Thanks to your special, warm Mana, the witch’s personality is suppressed for now, and I have regained clear reason... but I am afraid that one day, when this Mana runs out, I will turn back into that evil witch again and harm all of you... I am so afraid of that."

Before the dreadful curse that was a fairy’s obsession, she had become nothing more than a fragile woman trembling in fear.

I pulled Morgan hard into my broad chest and held her tightly.

"It’s all right now. I’m not going to let that happen. I’ll stay right by your side and protect you, so what is there to worry about?"

Held tightly enough to hear my heartbeat, Morgan reddened around the eyes and murmured softly.

"...What a foolish thing to say. Your Mana is only a temporary measure in the end. You cannot keep me in this whole state forever."

"Really? If that’s the problem, then I can just pump you full of my Mana every night. Like yesterday."

When I grinned and teased her, Morgan’s cheeks turned bright red and she smacked my chest.

"Y-you shameless pervert...! How can you say something so indecent first thing in the morning...?"

But there was clearly a small smile of relief spreading at the corners of her lips. I let the playfulness leave my face, lightly kissed her forehead, and whispered with complete sincerity.

"I mean it. You’ve suffered all this time, carrying the weight of Britain alone, so from now on, I’ll make you happier than anyone else in the world. Lean on me."

At that moment, from behind my back, Artoria stretched out both arms and pulled Morgan into a tight embrace all at once.

"That’s right, sister! My brother is absolutely right. The love Father never gave you, we Pendragon siblings will shower you with every single day from now on, so you don’t have to worry about anything!"

Artoria’s warm and innocent comfort. Faced with that blind affection from the younger sister she had envied and hated all her life, thick tears finally fell from Morgan’s clear eyes.

"You two... really are... foolish siblings...."

Morgan quietly lowered her head and rested her forehead against my chest, then wept soundlessly like a child, as though pouring out the sorrow and regret she had held back for so long.

We siblings held her in silence, sharing our warmth until her tears finally dried.

That morning, after finishing our preparations to head out, our group gathered on the castle’s broad terrace.

Morgan, standing at my side, was treating the Servants in a manner completely different from yesterday.

"Merlin, it has been a long time since I faced you in a clear state of mind like this."

Morgan greeted Merlin, then even showed proper courtesy to Stheno, who was sitting on the terrace railing.

"Goddess of Greece. This is my first time meeting a goddess from a foreign land. My younger siblings are indebted to you."

At such an utterly polite and courteous change in her attitude, the Servants, including Kay and Oda Nobunaga, gaped in shock as if they had seen a ghost.

Leaning on her staff, Merlin approached with a bright smile and lightly patted Morgan on the shoulder.

"Ah, what a nostalgic and beautiful sight, Vivian. This teacher is truly relieved to see that you have finally regained your clear reason."

"......Please spare me the hypocrisy you do not even mean."

When Morgan still drew a line and kept her guard up around Merlin, Merlin let her usual sly smile fade and answered with a slightly bitter expression.

"I mean it, Morgan. I was always heartsick watching you, my brilliant student, become twisted into a witch, you know? But there was no way for me to save you. All I could do was watch."

Merlin glanced at me and nodded as though proud.

"But as expected, Arthur truly is the one hope capable of changing even Britain’s ordained fate. After all, he has perfectly unraveled the obsession that no one else could break."

"Hey, Merlin. Don’t praise me that blatantly. It’s seriously embarrassing and way too much pressure."

When I scratched the back of my head and waved a hand, Merlin stuck out her tongue playfully.

I turned back to Morgan.

"So, sister. How about you stop fooling around with that stodgy old king and pack your things to come with us?"

It was a blunt invitation to join us.

Morgan hesitated for a moment. The base she had built here in the Kingdom of Gore over a lifetime, and the power she held as a witch.

To abandon all of that, and instead follow behind her younger sibling, who had only just begun walking the path of kingship.

Her wavering gaze passed over me and came to rest on Artoria, who was smiling brightly at my side as if cheering her on.

Then a soft curve formed at Morgan’s lips.

She carefully reached out and clasped my large hand.

"Very well. If I am by your side, I think I will no longer be tormented by nightmares. As your elder sister, I will remain beside you and watch the path walked by the true king of Britain."

With Morgan’s declaration that she would join us, Artoria let out a cheer and threw her arms around her.

It was a historic moment: the Witch of Orkney, once the most dangerous enemy in Britain, became my strongest ally and a member of my harem.

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