One pot of clear soup was certainly not enough to satisfy the abyss-like King's Stomach.
Su Shu, attempting to corrupt Saber with sugar-coated bullets, opened up his entire food supply. All kinds of carefully collected wild game emerged from his shadow as if by the miracle of the five loaves and two fish, making the girl's eyes sparkle.
"I can afford to treat you to a meal. These are all ingredients from the forest, so don't hold back."
"I... how could I be so kind—
Half an hour later.
"...Hiccup~"
After enjoying some post-meal berries, the golden-haired girl finally lay back on a pile of wheat, rubbing her stomach and letting out a satisfied burble.
"Ahh... I've never been so satisfied in my life. I'd have no regrets even if I died right now."
"Is that so..."
Su Shu looked at his storage shadow, which had been depleted by more than half. That was enough food for three grown men for half a month.
Well, well, the truth behind the fall of Britain has been found.
"What an enviable appetite."
Indeed, to be able to eat is a blessing.
But... looking at Saber's figure, as flat as a man's, where on earth did all that fat get consumed?
It's one of Britain's unsolved mysteries.
But as the ancient saying goes, "If one's chest is not flat, how can one bring peace to the world?"
Perhaps it was because she held the vision of world peace in her heart...
Sitting beside the girl, Su Shu gently ran his hand over the nicks on his sword.
The ground was littered with broken wooden swords, but the one he had picked up was used from start to finish without a single visible crack.
Mastering the technique of reinforcing with magical energy could turn grass, wood, and stone into weapons. Su Shu's shadow attribute could also add characteristics like "Concealment," "Silence," and "Visual Distortion." Although not as sharp as a Noble Phantasm, he was a true master of weapons.
It was on this point that Artoria had been at a disadvantage... As their blades clashed, Su Shu's magical energy eroded hers, leading to the inevitable deterioration of her sword in a prolonged battle, putting her at a disadvantage.
"I believe you've noticed it yourself.
"The gap between us isn't actually that exaggerated.
"Although my sword technique is more refined than yours, the reason you lost is that you are too conservative, Altoris—you are always on the defensive, almost never using lethal moves."
The girl tilted her head.
"But you're not my enemy, Senior Alvin. If I accidentally hurt you, it would be a lot of trouble to deal with."
"What about yourself?" Su Shu questioned. "It's not okay for others to get hurt, but it's fine if you get hurt?"
"I can heal. I'll tell you a secret, my body is naturally this tough~"
Wiping the bloodstains from her face with a coarse linen cloth, her words were light and cheerful, as if there was no frustration about her defeat at all.
Su Shu was silent for a moment.
It's this personality of never considering yourself that leads to your tragedy...
"...You seem so happy even after being beaten up. You don't have some weird fetish, do you?"
"Of course."
The girl naturally didn't understand Su Shu's teasing and said with a smile,
"Because it's really nice to make a friend... not to mention you treated me to a meal."
Hearing this, Su Shu was taken aback for a moment.
"A friend...
"—I mercilessly beat you to a pulp, yet you think I'm your friend?"
"And an admired senior, too. You were clearly holding back to take care of me. Even someone as dense as me can see that..."
Looking at her brilliant smile, Su Shu looked away.
...Holding back?
No, I was like someone who found an interesting toy, wanting to take you apart...
Faced with the girl's reply, he couldn't bear to look directly into those clear, jade-like eyes.
"From the looks of it, you've been training alone for a long time..."
The silver-haired boy lowered his gaze, trying to change the subject.
"Altoris, don't you have any friends?"
"It's a bit embarrassing to say, but unlike you, Senior... I don't have any popular qualities."
It sounded like a humble statement, but in a way, it was the truth.
An overly handsome face would only invite jealousy among peers.
And because of her special identity, she knew she couldn't be conspicuous.
Her foster father was seen by outsiders as just a down-and-out old knight. What attractive qualities could he have?
As she herself said—
"I don't have any popular qualities."
Plainness and low-key living were the girl's everyday life.
...Her origin was both complex and special.
Why did she have to live disguised as a boy? Why did she have to practice swordsmanship, study state affairs, and be told to abandon her human emotions from the time she could remember?
Simply because... the girl was expected to become Britain's "Ideal King."
Weak humans have their limits.
Uther, who lost to Vortigern, understood this.
So, if one wasn't human, perhaps one could transcend human limitations and cast aside human troubles.
Thus, following this line of thought, Uther and Merlin attempted to create an "Ideal King" to perfectly rule Britain.
She was designed and created with this purpose, a... "vessel" for a king.
And for this reason, the girl had never seen her real parents' faces.
In fact, she couldn't relate any emotion to things like King Uther's hopes or wishes.
She didn't feel any special mission or emotion from her teacher Merlin's daily teachings.
In these eleven years, the only thing that truly motivated her was the peaceful everyday life she spent with her foster father and foster brother, and the joyful sounds of the people living in town.
...But that was neither admiration nor love.
It was simply because she wanted to protect this peace—such a thing seemed like a good deed to her.
Without indignation, without doubt, without any resentment...
The girl calmly accepted her fate.
She occasionally thought about how wonderful it would be to be a member of the town, to live a stable and peaceful life with her family—but she didn't dare to have such a luxurious wish.
Even if she sometimes painted such a happy picture in her mind, she would immediately and calmly dismiss the thought.
That's because the girl knew from the bottom of her heart—if she chose that path, she would lose everything.
The life of the girl named Artoria existed for the sole purpose of becoming king.
The vast land of Britain could not allow for this single person's happiness.
But at least, a "friend"...
She sometimes fantasized about having a close friend to talk to...
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