188 Awkwardness

Artorius thought for a moment and then decided.

"Give them two more days."

He felt sorry, but sometimes one needed to punish their loved ones when they were at fault.

Today's excessive pampering could lead to rebellion tomorrow.

They nearly destroyed the Earth. If he let them off too easily just because he felt sorry for them, Artorius might as well not have an empire. They could all commit mass suicide and have a feast on the Throne of Heroes.

"..."

Hearing Artorius's decision, Scathach's lips curled upwards, a fleeting smile that seemed to show her strong support for his decision. Or perhaps, she simply found it amusing to see her 'rivals' in a tough spot.

The other members of the harem probably felt the same way, except for Artoria and Mordred.

Despite their intense animosity towards the Artoria Species from the Servant Universe, they knew that those Artoria Species were somewhat their counterparts, especially Artoria. Seeing someone who looked almost identical to them crying and whining because they couldn't eat, gave them a strange sense of schadenfreude.

Just thinking about what would happen if this situation were to fall into their laps made Artoria and Mordred shudder.

They would go out of their way to please Artorius, trying to cuddle and lick him as if to show how well-behaved and obedient they were. They also knew when to leave him alone and give him some space if he was busy or didn't want to be disturbed, unlike those 'sisters' from the parallel world who always caused trouble everywhere. Furthermore, they didn't want to be seen as troublesome women in need of constant pampering.

'Now, this is what an emperor should be like.' Scathach thought with contentment as she watched this scene unfold.

A true ruler should wield both kindness and authority, especially when dealing with companions who fought alongside them to conquer the world. These people, relying on their merits, could easily become arrogant and unruly, posing a threat to the grand cause.

In such situations, an excellent ruler should take preventive measures and act as a healer, guiding and saving their comrades. Evil rulers, on the other hand, would simply initiate a purge, executing all their fellow warriors without mercy.

Artorius was undoubtedly an excellent ruler, and he had never considered cutting down his loyal officials and generals.

But some adjustment was necessary. It was all for the greater and their own good, after all.

===

"Artorius, Artorius, don't go! I know I was wrong!"

"Uhh... huhh...uhh..."

There was a table full of dishes, but Artorius only ate a little before pushing the table away and getting up.

Watching Artorius like that, XX continued to shout in vain, while X stretched her neck desperately as if trying to inhale the last bit of the food's aroma.

But whether it was XX or X, Artorius paid them no attention.

He ignored the pitiful 'mothers' and left the dungeon. As Artorius grew farther away from them, he eventually disappeared around a dark corner, leaving X and XX shedding tears of regret.

At the same time, as he walked up the ascending stairs, Artorius pushed aside the matter of Artoria Species and decided to change the subject.

"How's the analysis of Dun Stallion II going?"

"To be honest, it's not going too well..." Scathach said calmly. "Our technology isn't compatible with theirs. The crucial problem is that there are many inexplicable substances in their technology that don't exist in our world."

"..."

Scathach's words plunged Artorius into deep thought.

Thinking back to the Servant Universe, Ex's infinite bean paste, Alterium, Artorium, and so on. They were all comical substances. Legitimate universes didn't have these things.

"Can we find alternatives? Or perhaps understand their technology and create something similar?" Artorius inquired further.

"It's possible, but... it might not be worth the effort." Scathach continued and shook her head, further dampening his enthusiasm.

Artorius understood her point. Gradually climbing the technological tree was one thing, but recklessly pursuing a bunch of fringe technology without understanding its underlying principles was another. The former might be slow but had a solid foundation, while the latter, although momentarily impressive, was like a drifting weed without roots.

If Artorius had unlimited power and resources, perhaps he could consider all options. However, the empire's resources were limited, and the loyalty of the mages serving the empire was questionable.

As everyone knew, most mages were inherently selfish individuals. Their desires to reach the Root or achieve their own goals often outweighed the interests of the empire and the tasks assigned to them by the empire.

In such a situation, progress in both the Illuminati and the empire's expansion, as well as the development of the Mage's Association, was slow.

This situation was likely to persist for decades, or even longer, until the empire cultivated a new generation of mages loyal to the empire from birth.

"What about the Atlas Academy?" Artorius asked next.

The Atlas Academy's goals were similar to Artorius's, aiming to ensure humanity's survival and avoid its eventual extinction. However, in the original timeline, the Atlas Academy's ways were extremely 'inhuman.'

The results of their relentless research, designed to 'save' humanity and prevent 'doomsday', were all terrifying. They were large-scale weapons; each one had the potential to destroy the world.

"The Academy has only agreed to limited cooperation with us." Scathach calmly replied. "They don't seem to take us very seriously, or perhaps they simply view us as just another 'empire' out there. So, should we resort to violence?"

"No need..." Artorius said calmly. "Let's continue increasing communication. We can afford to wait. I believe that in the future, the Atlas Academy will understand our sincerity in saving humanity."

"Let's hope for that day..." Scathach said with a hint of pessimism.

"In the meantime, let's leave it at that..." Artorius shook his head. "Our top priority remains the research on the 'Throne of Heroes' to create our own version. Everything else can wait."

"Alright."

Artorius's decision didn't surprise Scathach.

Although their research on the 'Throne of Heroes' hadn't yielded much yet.

The closest thing to the future 'Throne of Empire' currently only exists as an imperfect Master-Servant summoning system. It's akin to a rough version of the summoning system from the 'Holy Grail War' in the late 20th century.

"What's next? Would you like to have a meal together?" Scathach asked calmly as they approached the exit of the dungeon.

"..."

Facing his teacher's invitation, Artorius instinctively glanced at her. He found that she remained as calm and aloof as usual, prompting him to consider accepting.

But before he could answer...

"Your Majesty."

The voice of someone with a receding hairline and noticeable traces of recent stress could be heard from nearby.

Obviously, it was Agravain.

"Any developments?" Artorius asked calmly.

"Yes." Agravain nodded and instinctively glanced at Scathach.

It wasn't a lack of trust; it was just that there were regulations in the intelligence field—you can't involve someone who is not under your jurisdiction.

Scathach understood Agravain's intent.

"We'll talk about it next time..." She said casually to Artorius before turning and leaving.

After Scathach's figure couldn't be seen, Agravain began to open his mouth.

"It's about the vampires and... Artoria Species."

When Agravain mentioned the term 'Artoria Species', even a serious character like him had a somewhat strange expression. It was evident that he was struggling to hold back his desire to make sarcastic comments.

"The Black Knight—Rizo-Waal Strout, is missing, but we found this man at the sewage treatment plant."

As he spoke, Agravain handed Artorius a photo. It showed a disheveled, blond, bare-bottomed handsome man. He looked very wretched, and a dog was lifting its leg to urinate beside him.

"This man is..." Artorius narrowed his eyes.

"One of Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors, the White Knight Blood—Fina-Blood Svelten." Agravain nodded.

"..."

"You're not joking, are you?"

Listening to Agravain's explanation, Artorius raised his head and looked at Agravain with raised eyebrows, his expression once again becoming very strange.

Agravain didn't speak, calmly watching the emperor, making it clear that he wasn't joking.

"Well... alright..." Artorius nodded. "Has this guy provided any valuable information? Whether it's about the Black Knight or the Black Princess."

"We are interrogating him, but before that, we need to mend his mind... this vampire seems to have suffered a significant shock, so..."

Agravain pointed to his temple.

"..."

"What a pity..." Artorius sympathized with Svelten for a few seconds. "Who did it? Besides us... could it be... the Artoria Species?"

"I suspect the same, Your Majesty."

"..."

"..."

After this conversation, Artorius and Agravain looked at each other. For a moment, they both felt a bit awkward, unsure of what to say.