Artorius Way
'What a good kid.'
Artorius couldn't help but think as he held Mordred.
Unlike his mother, who had stopped growing after wielding the holy sword, in theory, Mordred could continue to grow and even reach the level of his mother's version of Lancer.
But in reality, it wasn't so.
Even when the time-shifted to the Battle of Camlann, Mordred remained the same as Artoria.
She had also ceased to grow. No childhood, no future. Forever stuck at the age of fifteen.
With these thoughts in mind, Artorius released his grip.
"Sorry."
He apologized for his sudden, overly intimate behavior and then turned to leave. But before that happened...
"Your Highness..." Just as Artorius had hoped, Mordred called out to him. "I..."
"I know."
While Mordred contemplated how she should express herself and what she wanted, Artorius had already provided the answer.
"I will make time to come back," Artorius said gently to her.
After finishing his words, he turned around again and left completely.
Behind him, Mordred felt her face growing warm. She sat down abruptly as if all the strength had drained from her body.
An unprecedented feeling surged within her, making her feel happy, excited, and yet apprehensive.
===
"Look who's here~"
As Artorius made his way back to his tent, as expected, a certain bastard mage appeared. He struck up a conversation with Artorius in a casual tone.
"The rising star of Knights of the Round Table. The playboy who enjoys deceiving women. You must know Mordred's true identity, right? She's still a child, you know?"
"So, you came here just to tell me that?" Artorius asked calmly.
"Of course not~" Merlin said without hesitation. He claimed he was merely here to enjoy the show. It left Artorius uninterested in continuing the conversation.
But just before he turned back to go to sleep, Merlin spoke up. "So, are you planning to go down the womanizer path from now on?"
"Who isn't?" Artorius replied.
"..." Merlin pondered for a moment, recalling a few faces.
Lancelot, Gawain, Tristan, Kay... and then came to a realization that Artorius's statement had no issues at all.
Merlin found himself with nothing to say.
The Round Table's history of debauchery was too extensive, and their moral boundaries were too low. Thus, they had no right to criticize Artorius.
As for Merlin himself...
He had an even longer history of misdeeds, and his moral boundaries were even lower. Therefore, he had even less right to criticize Artorius.
However, since he was a shameless bastard, he didn't give up and give a fuck.
"So, is this your way of saving Britain?"
"I can't reach the level of my 'Father'..." Artorius said casually. "So, in order to make myself popular, I have to use other methods, don't I? Authority, Status, Strength, Wealth, and Emotions. As long as they are used properly, everything can become a weapon."
The first target was Vivian. But because she wasn't human, she was quite unpredictable and it quite bugged his determination.
The second one was Mordred. Embracing the clone of his own mother gave Artorius an unprecedented feeling.
The young Mordred would eventually grow up and develop feelings for someone. So why couldn't that person be him?
"Be careful not to get too carried away, Artorius~" Merlin said in a light-hearted tone behind Artorius.
"What did you see?" Artorius turned to look at him and asked, "Didn't you say that my future was a chaotic one, something even you couldn't see?"
"It's not about seeing, it's about experience," Merlin tapped his head. "Toying with the hearts of maiden is highly immoral and dangerous, you know. They might come after you, chop off your head, and throw it into the English Channel."
"..."
Artorius remained silent, but his disdainful gaze conveyed it all, "Do you, a scumbag, have the audacity to say these things to me?"
"A~ah being mocked, huh~" Even so, Merlin didn't feel disappointed at all. On the contrary, he was looking forward to it.
He was anticipating Artorius's upcoming performance.
===
That night, Mordred tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. Having suffered from insomnia throughout the night, and as expected, she performed poorly in the battle against the White Dragon Vortigern's Army the next day.
Artorius, on the other hand, once again distinguished himself, effortlessly breaking through the ranks of the White Dragon's Army with the usual trio of Gareth, Galahad, and himself, creating a gap in the front line.
The White Dragon's Army consisted of either the terrified Saxons or the dissatisfied Britons to King Arthur.
The battle encountered only minor setbacks, causing these people to scatter like frightened rabbits. The path to the White Dragon's throne was clear.
"My King, we can continue the attack."
At this moment, standing beside Artoria was her nephew, Gawain. With Excalibur Galatine in his hand, he appeared quite excited.
Well, that was normal. As long as they defeated the Usurper King, the war situation between Britain and the Saxons would achieve a temporary victory.
Just like the propaganda Artoria had always proclaimed:
"Once we win the war, everything will improve."
"The current harsh climate in Britain is all because of the Usurper King's misdeed."
"By defeating the enemy, a life of happiness will come."
Even though it was far from the truth.
Afterward, Artoria and Gawain accompanied by a group of elite knights entered Vortigern Pendragon's castle.
"..."
"Hey." Next to Artorius, Gareth reached out and stopped the prince as he began to move forward. The valiant wolf girl was somewhat surprised. "Your Highness...?"
"I'm a little curious." Artorius said to her, "What kind of person is that Usurper King?"
"He's a vile king who has brought evil barbarians as allies to try and rule all of Britain," Gareth replied naturally, using the official propaganda of Camelot.
"Perhaps... but more than that, I want to see for myself."
"But..."
As Gareth hesitated, Artorius walked straight into the castle, with Galahad calmly following behind him.
"Eh? Eh? Eh?"
"If you want to keep up, then hurry." Without even looking back, Artorius said to her.
After a few seconds of hesitation, Gareth joined them.