Artoria opened her eyes and gazed at her master. “Master.” Her voice echoed in the dojo. “How long have you been standing there?”

“To not sense my presence, isn’t my sword slacking off in her duties?”

Haruki’s provoking grin didn’t have any effect on her‌. She stood up and took a deep breath. “I was reflecting upon my past, Master.”

“Is it related to Mordred?”

Artoria gave a slight nod of her head and looked down at her hand. “The Treacherous Knight… Our last battle was a clash of different ideals. Mordred fought for her rebellious cause, and I raised my sword to quell the chaos brought by that rebellion. We both lost when the sun went down Camlann Hill… Mordred perished, whereas Sir Bedivere carried me to Lady Lake to recover… where I had to make my choice between death or eternal pursuit of redemption.”

Artoria fell quiet, realizing she spoke too much for no reason. As a knight and king, she didn’t need to dwell on her emotions. She recovered her serious, calm expression with the realization.

“Let me guess. You aren’t sure about Mordred’s purpose this time. Will she oppose you as your heir or an enemy servant? Is that eating you from the inside?”

Artoria shook her head. “No, that doesn’t worry me in the slightest. I was just thinking about a possibility… what would have happened if I relinquished my throne to Mordred on time? Could it have prevented the downfall—”

Haruki placed a finger on her lips, silencing her before her jar of regrets opened for real. “Artoria, you’re a terrible mother, you know that? I want to see Mordred kick your ass.”

Artoria gripped his wrist as a deep frown flashed on her face. “Master, are you saying you’ll cheer for our enemy over me? …Am I that worthless of a human being?”

Being the stiff knight she was, she took his joke at face value.

“Geez, what do I do with you?” Haruki folded his arms and sighed. “You had your reasons to neglect Mordred, your own blood. I won’t delve into them. You’ll head into the battle as my servant, as my sword, and fight for my victory. Whether it is Mordred or Gilgamesh, you’ll raise your sword for my purpose. Is that correct?”

“I shall.” Artoria nodded her head under his firm tone. She failed to create the promised utopia for her people. She could be useful to his cause and win the war at the same time. “Without any hesitation.”

“You know, Artoria, wallowing in regret is the last thing a king should do.”

Artoria could see the disappointment in Haruki’s eyes. She had a better grasp of others’ emotions than her own. A habit that stemmed from her low self-worth. She couldn’t do anything to improve his mood, however, since her mind was set on changing the fate of the country that had once been her kingdom.

Haruki breathed another sigh. ‘Simple words won’t get to that thick skull.’

He lifted her chin with an icy gaze. “Toss me a wooden spear. I am in the mood for some training.”

“Yes, Master.”

Artoria walked to the training weapon holder with a confident gait and reached for the spear.

“Pick a weapon for yourself.”

She frowned a little, then nodded, accepting his suggestion. Throwing the spear over to him, she assumed a close sword stance. She lunged at Haruki without a warning and slashed with her sword.

He didn’t move an inch. The wooden sword struck his chest with a thud.

Artoria’s eyes widened. She had seen his battle with Medusa, where he matched her blow to blow. Reacting to this attack should have been a piece of cake for him. Yet he didn’t dodge or decided not to react to her attack.

“Why, Master?”

“Do you doubt my status as a dragon?” He narrowed his eyes and slapped away her wooden sword. “Put more strength in your blows. How will I learn something new without finding my limits? Use your Mana Burst and your Noble Phantasm if need be. Let me experience the sword of the King of Knights.”

He couldn’t imagine fighting Artoria the day he discovered his lack of special abilities. Yet, here he was, unflinching against her slash, even if that attack was as casual as it could get. Now that he had a chance, he would make the most out of it and enjoy a good battle.

A fight to improve upon his lack of techniques.

Artoria sensed his fighting spirit and his hunger for battle. Squeezing the hilt in her grip, she let the magical energy flow through her and the wooden sword. “A wooden weapon can only last one blow if I use Mana Burst with it.”

“You are mistaken.” Kaede’s voice echoed around them. “I will never prepare cheap equipment for my son’s training. I made these weapons with a reinforcement spell in mind. In fact, their core structure is denser. If your weapon breaks, I’ll immediately transfer a new one to you.”

His mother foresaw everything, or she just designed the mansion to give him the best treatment.

Artoria shouted a battle cry and swung her sword. Haruki quickly channeled reinforcement through his spear and intercepted Artoria’s wooden sword. A blue light flashed from Artoria’s sword as their weapon made contact.

A clang resounded throughout the dojo.

Artoria leaped back a couple of meters and gazed at him with a hint of shock in her eyes. He took her blow head-on without taking a step back.

Haruki felt his trembling fingers. The destructive force behind Mana Burst couldn’t be dissipated by a mere parry. “What a beast of strength. I’d be flying if you used it with your Excalibur.”

He expected no less from the legendary king with a dragon core.

“I will use my reinforcement to the max. You should use your Mana Burst to its maximum power.”

“Please do. I do not want you to hold back. Show me everything. Then we can devise a route to refine your strengths.”

Artoria wouldn’t be saying this if her master was a normal mage. Her Master, however, was a monster with extreme potential. A valuable war asset in their war against All World’s Evil.

Violet sparks flew from Haruki’s fingertips before wrapping around the spear like a dragon.

“Come.”

Artoria didn’t refuse him, instead smiled. With a fierce cry reminiscent of a lion, Artoria leaped forth, releasing her magical energy. Her stomp shook the earth, her speed piercing the sound barrier.

Sword and spear clashed. There was no hatred or rage between the fighters. Only two warriors relishing their first clash.

The wooden weapons were strengthened enough to classify as a Noble Phantasm even if the weakest one.

Since the battle started, Artoria went on a complete offense, stepping so close that swinging his spear became harder and harder. She pushed him back with aggressive attacks, forcing him into defense.

Unknowingly, Haruki’s cheeks drew into a grin as he blocked another quick slash. “I can’t always stay on defense. I will try something new.”

Haruki gave up on defense and went on offense. With a spirited roar, he stomped the ground and stepped forward. Violet and blue radiance swelled instantly. His herculean strength launched Artoria back, but as expected of a Saber-Class, she leaped into the air and dashed back to him. She immediately slashed at his wide-open shoulder. A series of dragon scales bloomed before the mana-coated wooden sword contacted his shoulder. The scales cracked like a piece of glass.

“Master, your pure strength exceeds mine.” She never thought she’d say these words to anyone, much less a youth. He was that much of a monster — a dragon in her eyes. “But your attacks lack finesse — the decisiveness.”

In a battle of raw strength, he’d win ten out of ten times. A battle didn’t solely depend on brute power. She couldn’t have triumphed over the White Dragon Vortigern if that were the case.

“I know that much, Artoria. That’s precisely why I’m learning abilities.”

Haruki showed the dragon scales that now gleamed with blue light — his scales absorbed her magical energy and gained a hybrid of magical and physical resistance.

“Now let’s go at it seriously. Medea’s new Noble Phantasm can heal me even if I lose a limb or two.”

He gave her reassurance and jumped back into the fight. The violet and blue clashed again. Every time Artoria’s sword reached him, his scales materialized and protected him. He didn’t mindlessly cover himself in a layer of dragon scales like armor — that’d slow him down and his reaction time. He only used the scales whenever Artoria hit him. To achieve this, he had to be mindful of every little movement of her sword.

[Awakening Progress: 9.99%]

His eyes morphed into narrow slits, like those of a snake, or more precisely, a dragon. He reached the threshold for another awakening.

Artoria gazed into his eyes and felt her body numb. Her Magic Core revolved, pumping her limbs full of magical energy, and freeing her from captivity.

“Master—”

“Keep swinging.”

He was in the zone. Artoria wasn’t the only one with a strangely active Magic Core. His Magic Core continuously channeled magical energy, which reinforced his tough body even more.

Artoria never liked battle as it led to death. The death of the innocent. The death of sinners. Nothing good came out of violence for the sake of violence. But she never drew back from a battle, either.

‘Then why am I feeling this way?’

She wasn’t swinging her sword to train Haruki. As if infected by his fighting spirit, she was enjoying the battle. Enjoying the thrill of trading blows with her master. Fighting to show respect to her master, who was more of a dragon than she ever was.

Sakura, who came to call Haruki for breakfast, became speechless at their battle. The dojo was humongous, and the battle occurred miles away from her. Sakura couldn’t even see any attack, even with her improved stats. The legendary battle crushed all her hopes of providing any support to him. What use was archery if she couldn’t track her opponent?

“It’s a minor trick. Don’t worry.” Kaede reassured her. “Sakura-chan, why do you look gloomy?”

“Oba-san… I have a request.”

“Go on. I’m all ears.”

“Can I become useful in this war…?”

“No. This Holy Grail War has no place for rookie mages like you.”

Sakura hung her head and clenched her fists. Hearing the bitter truth from Kaede’s mouth made her heartache. The war happened with her as the grand prize. She was the ultimate cause of this conflict, yet she couldn’t provide any help.

“But.” Kaede took a long pause. “You’re forgetting one thing. You have a new authority to store items inside your bosom. I wish I had it too. I’d force him to touch my chest every day. Hmph, that’d be so fun.”

Sakura’s face turned red. “Oba-san!”

“Oh, dear me. My repressed feelings are surfacing now that Haru accepted my love.”

“Thank you… Oba-san.”

“Your gratitude is unnecessary. Haru is fighting this war because he loves you. He wants to protect you.”

Sakura nodded, this time with a firm gaze. “I’ll ask Medusa to give it her all.”

“Well, you can do something that’ll be an immense help to Haru.”

Her eyes glittered. “What is it?”

“It’s nothing much. Just ask Medusa to have sex with Haru.”

“Oba-san—”

“I’m not joking, Sakura-chan,” Kaede continued in a solemn voice. “Didn’t you witness it yourself last night? Haruki can learn new authority and skills through sex.”

Sakura couldn’t give a reply. Haruki’s ability made her speechless to her core.

“I know it’s very cruel to ask you, his girlfriend, to let him sleep with other women. But my hands are tied… Haru is reserving himself to protect your and Medea’s feelings… More authorities will give him more chances to win this war.”

“I… I’ll do it, Oba-san,” Sakura said in a calm voice, contrary to her messy thoughts. “There is no other choice.”

“Thank you, Sakura-chan. I knew I was right about you prioritizing Haru over everything. I love you.”

Sakura nodded and tried her best to observe Haruki.