Standing in stark contrast to the first two in both build and presence were two more Artorias.
The first was the alternate possibility born from the Holy Spear Rhongomyniad itself. In the Sixth Singularity, she had manifested in the fully matured adult form befitting a king—body grown to match her royal stature through the power of the spear. Unlike the innocent, emotionally distant Artoria, this version understood the human heart perfectly, and her figure had developed to an impressively commanding degree.
She sat astride her steed Dun Stallion, gazing down at the battlefield with a stern, unyielding expression.
This was Artoria Pendragon (Lancer).
Beside her stood another Artoria clad in pure white armor, a girl as delicate and radiant as a blooming flower. She looked exactly like Artoria at the very beginning of her path to kingship—still carrying the fresh bloom of youth, her features soft and endearing like a cherished lily. She was an immature knight-princess, not yet hardened by the weight of the throne.
In her hands she held the sword that had come before Excalibur—the blade of the king-selection trial, the undefeated golden sword.
This was Artoria Pendragon (Lily).
"You came too?" the original Artoria said, staring at the trio lined up beneath the sun.
"Yeah. We were all in the same room chatting when you suddenly vanished. We got worried, and the next thing we knew, Master had summoned us here as well," Artoria (Caster) replied, recalling the moment.
They had been seated around their usual round table, looking serious on the surface while actually just gossiping. The topics had ranged from which meals tasted best to how many times each of them had been used by Master that week, and who had the highest bond level with him. The conversation had finally turned to which Artorias had shared the most intimate moments with Master. Reactions varied, but Artoria (Caster)'s Fairy Eyes told her every single one of them had secrets.
She had just caught the scent of something juicy and was about to dig deeper when the original Artoria disappeared—followed immediately by their own summons.
Damn it. I was so close to learning everyone else's progress. Master's going to have to make it up to me when we get back.
Artoria (Caster) was already fantasizing about her compensation.
"Aw… too bad. I didn't even finish my snack," Artoria (Lily) sighed, remembering the delicious pastry she had been savoring right before being pulled away. She had wanted to take her time with it, but if she had known she was about to be summoned, she would have devoured the whole thing on the spot.
Still, she glanced sideways at Adam and quickly changed her mind. Oh well. Master needs me, after all.
The moment she thought that, the craving for sweets vanished. A surge of boundless energy filled her body. Being needed by Master was the greatest motivation she could ask for.
"Master, what's the current situation?" Artoria (Lancer) asked, the most composed of the group. From the instant she had appeared she had calmly assessed the battlefield and immediately noticed Lancelot clashing with Artoria (Saber). She had wasted no time ordering the quickest long-range attacker—Artoria (Caster)—to intercept.
Adam stepped forward to give them a quick briefing.
"Ladies, as you can see, that Lancelot is an enemy from this Singularity—an enemy-summoned Berserker-class Lancelot. I'm sure you all remember his obsession in this form. That's why I summoned you. The rest is up to you—handle it however you see fit."
Artoria (Lancer) gave a small nod.
"I see. Sir Lancelot seeks the punishment he believes he deserves for the sins of his past. Understood, Master."
Her tone was completely emotionless, her face an unchanging mask. The cold, divine yellow-green light in her eyes radiated an aura of lofty detachment. To anyone watching, her bond with Adam appeared to be below even level 1.
Artoria (Lily) tilted her head in confusion at the icy attitude.
"Huh? Even my future fully-grown self is still this cold toward Master? She's never changed—not once. Always the same stiff face and frosty voice. That's weird… Master talks to her all the time, doesn't he?"
In her memories, Adam often sought out Artoria (Lancer) for long conversations. When young Lily had asked why he paid her so much attention, Adam had answered, "I don't want to see her stay so aloof and alone forever. If her current state is that of a lofty god, then I'll find a way to pull her down to earth."
Over time, Artoria (Lancer) had started joining the weekly Artoria gatherings and seemed less icy during them. But her attitude toward Master remained as distant as ever. Young Lily couldn't fathom the deeper meaning behind it.
Artoria (Caster), however, had already seen straight through Artoria (Lancer)'s heart with her Fairy Eyes.
The moment she did, she froze.
Her eyes widened in disbelief. She rubbed them, double-checking that her Fairy Eyes weren't malfunctioning.
In her vision, Artoria (Lancer)'s normally divine, ice-cold yellow-green pupils were practically sparkling with hearts as they stared at Adam.
Master… I like him~
Like like like like like… ×N
Ah~ Master… you're even willing to fulfill the pathetic obsession of my subordinate? Is it because he's one of "my" knights?
I can't… just looking at Master's face is already too much…
Artoria (Lancer) kept her divine, stoic expression perfectly in place while riding. But her thighs and the hand gripping the reins trembled ever so slightly.
This is gonna be good.jpg
Most of the group missed the tiny tremor. Only Artoria (Caster) caught it.
She had witnessed the entire internal meltdown and was left speechless. She never would have guessed that the woman who always looked like an emotionless goddess could be hiding such an overwhelming flood of lovestruck thoughts.
So Artoria (Lancer)'s bond level with Master wasn't below 1 after all. There was a zero hiding behind that 1—it was actually 10.
[Artoria (Lancer) Emotional Value +10]
[Artoria (Caster) Emotional Value +10]
...
Artoria (Lily) pondered Adam's words, then turned her gaze toward Lancelot with a thoughtful frown.
"Obsession…? My future chief knight still carries some regret even after death?"
"Isn't his current state just the result of some witch's magecraft?"
Although she possessed the knowledge of future Lancelot, she had never experienced it firsthand. The memories felt hollow, so she couldn't fully grasp why he had become like this.
Artoria (Caster) also looked at Lancelot—the Round Table knight from Pan-Human History, so different from the Fairy Knight Lancelot of her own world.
The Holy Grail knowledge of his life flashed through her mind, but her focus lingered on the part involving Lancelot and King Arthur's queen, Guinevere.
"Hmm… Lancelot, huh~ No matter the world, he's always the one who loves stealing someone else's partner!"
Her expression turned comically exaggerated as she recalled the one Fairy Knight she had never been able to handle—the one who kept sneaking around. The title of Fairy Knight suited him perfectly. He really was just a thieving dragon who loved eating other people's partners.
At that moment, the original Artoria (Saber) stepped forward. Hearing Lily's question, she gently explained:
"Sir Lancelot ended up like this because of the regret that consumed the rest of his life. The choices he made did, to some extent, contribute to the fall of my kingdom."
"Though I never believed it was truly his fault."
"In any case, as Master said, this Sir Lancelot is the Berserker version summoned by the enemy in this Singularity. He has completely lost his reason."
"I tried to awaken his sanity during our fight earlier, but I failed."
"With all of you here, however…"
Artoria (Saber) turned her gaze toward the most magecraft-proficient member of the group—Artoria (Caster).
Artoria (Caster) immediately began searching her repertoire for spells that could restore sanity. Even though this Lancelot had nothing to do with her own world, the bond between all Artorias made her willing to help her parallel self.
Just as she located the appropriate ritual—
"No, Saber-version me. What we need to do is not awaken Sir Lancelot's sanity."
Artoria (Lancer), who had been quietly listening, suddenly spoke up and rejected Artoria (Saber)'s plan.
"Huh? Why?" Artoria (Saber) blinked in surprise.
Artoria (Caster) silently put away the spell she had been preparing.
Meanwhile, Lancelot had slowly climbed back to his feet. He shook his head to clear it, then looked up toward the Artorias and started to roar on instinct.
"Ar~thur…??"
The roar died in his throat. He froze.
Because there were four Artorias standing right in front of him.
Lancelot's eyes widened in disbelief. He raised a shaky finger and began counting each one, one by one. No matter how many times he counted, the result was the same—four.
He should have realized something was wrong the moment he started counting, but the sight had short-circuited his brain.
Lancelot: "?????????"
After the brief moment of stunned silence, the realization that four "King Arthurs" stood before him hit like lightning. His excitement exploded. He raised Arondight high overhead, and for the first time since his manifestation as a Berserker, his slurred cry came out loud, clear, and almost human.
"AR~~~~THUR~~~~~~~~~!!!"
[Lancelot Emotional Value +10]
[Lancelot Emotional Value +10]
[Lancelot Emotional Value +10]
......
With that roar, Lancelot burst forward at a speed he had never shown before, charging straight toward his personal paradise.
But halfway there, four slender blue-green rhombi shot out and blocked his path.
On the other side, Artoria (Caster) stared at him expressionlessly, one hand raised as she controlled the four floating constructs.
While Artoria (Saber) and Artoria (Lancer) debated how to handle Lancelot, Artoria (Caster) had decided to stall him until they reached a decision.
Artoria (Lancer), still mounted on Dun Stallion, looked down at Artoria (Saber) from above.
"Even if we awaken Sir Lancelot's sanity, his desire will remain unchanged."
"What we should do is honor his wish and deliver the appropriate punishment to this subordinate who committed a grave mistake."
Artoria (Saber) was taken aback.
"But… even so, I still believe we should awaken his reason first."
"We need to tell Sir Lancelot that we don't blame him. The fall of my kingdom wasn't because of him—it was because I failed to rule it properly."
She still clung to her belief that the destruction of Camelot had been entirely her own responsibility as king. Lancelot's regret stemmed only from not knowing that she held no grudge against him. If they could restore his sanity and make that clear, he would finally be freed from his torment.
Artoria (Lancer) gazed down at the naïve younger version of herself and slowly shook her head.
"I know what you're thinking, Saber-version me."
"You want to awaken Sir Lancelot's reason and use your words to help him open his heart."
"But you must understand—the core of Sir Lancelot's knot is your forgiveness. The purer and more flawless your forgiveness is, the filthier his sin feels to him."
"The more you absolve him, the more his conscience torments him."
"What we must do is understand his feelings and his decision, then give him the punishment he craves. That is the only way to truly help him."
Artoria (Lancer)'s golden-green pupils reflected the innocent, youthful face of Artoria (Saber).
Artoria (Saber) fell into a long silence after hearing those words.
In that moment, she recalled the conversation she had once shared with Adam back at Chaldea.
Lia, your nobility is a wonderful thing, but as a king, pure nobility alone is not enough. You must learn to read the hearts of your subordinates and act only after you truly understand what they need.
"…I understand."
The realization dawned on her. She glanced toward Adam with deep affection in her eyes.
Artoria (Lily) watched the exchange between her two older selves in complete bewilderment. To her young, innocent mind, the conversation was far too advanced. She decided it was best to simply remain the pure, flawless knight-princess she was.
[Artoria (Lily) Emotional Value +10]
[Artoria (Saber) Emotional Value +10]
...
Everyone turned their attention back to Lancelot.
This time, they had reached a decision on how to deal with him.
"I'll amplify the damage of your Noble Phantasms," Artoria (Caster) said, then activated her own.
The forest that had been flattened by the earlier battle instantly transformed. The scenery shifted into the twilight of Camelot. Artoria (Caster) stood atop the castle wall as several blue-green rhombi gathered behind her, glowing with intense light.
[Round Table of the Star of the Promised Victory]!
***
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