LOVE

In the garden of Avalon, by the azure lake, amidst a vibrant sea of flowers, Artorius once again encountered the fairy.

"Artorius! It's really Artorius! Oh my goodness~"

Embracing Artorius tightly and rubbing against him, the woman who was desperately seeking attention was Vivian. The Lady of the Lake herself, a fairy big sister figure. She had beautiful silver long hair, like an adult version of Emilia from 'Re:Zero'.

Although Artorius was already an adult, she still treated him as if he were a child. While she was doing the usual 'face cleaning' to Artorius, she spoke to him in a cheerful tone.

"You know, your big sister always waiting for Artorius to come here every day. I bake cakes and prepare tea every day, hoping that Artorius will come to me and we can do all sorts of fun things together. But..."

At this point, the big sister with crimson eyes loosened her grip on Artorius a little, making sure he could look into her eyes.

With her terrifying, dark, and intense gaze, she asked, "But why don't you come? Every day, your big sister waits for Artorius. Why don't you come? Why? Why? Why?"

Her 'empty' eyes stared look directly at Artorius as if stared directly into his soul, as she continued again, "Your big sister waits for Artorius every day. Why don't you come? Do you dislike your big sister? Are you tired of your big sister? Your big sister will cry, you know. Hehehe, hehehe..."

Danger.

Artorius.

Danger.

Artorius realized that something was off about the big sister in front of him. If he didn't find a way out, she would likely chop off his head and carry him into the lake while hugging him.

So...

"I miss you too, Big Sis Vivian~"

In the next moment, Artorius, with even more passion and emotion than the big sister, threw himself into her embrace.

"..."

This kind of approach was not part of her plan. As a result, Vivian's functions momentarily paused. She was somewhat at a loss as she said to Artorius, "Even if you act like this and pout at me, I won't forgive you..."

Artorius completely disregarded her statement.

"Oh, Big Sis Vivian~ it's so great to see you again~"

He spoke to her in a slightly childish tone, not quite matching his sixteen-year-old self. He joyfully rubbed against her soft bosom, saying with a happy voice, "I never want to be separated from Big Sis Vivian again."

"Artorius~"

In an instant, the frustration, resentment, and various negative emotions that had built up over nearly two years of being ignored and forgotten in Avalon dissipated by about half. As she looked at the adorable boy in her arms, with his beautiful silky hair and eyes as beautiful as sapphires, the remaining fraction of negative feelings quickly faded away.

"B-But..."

But she still needed to clarify the situation. Why hadn't Artorius come to see her in these past two years?

—Of course, it was definitely not because Artorius had been preoccupied with his cute little sister and had disregarded the troublesome fairy big sister.

It was because...

"It's because of work. I've been incredibly busy. I couldn't even make it back to Britain."

Artorius wore a troubled expression on his face. Afterward, he turned to Vivian to pour out his grievances, magnifying every problem he had faced in the past two years by tenfold or twentyfold.

The harsh weather, the unforgiving environment, the savage barbarians, and the jealous Roman bureaucrats who constantly hindered his progress from behind. Faced with all of this, Artorius was just a child—weak, pitiful, and helpless. He could only suppress his urge to cry, just like the protagonist in a shonen anime, and move forward with his will, strength, and power of friendship.

"I've been through so much hardship, Big Sis Vivian..." Artorius said, and at the end, he collapsed into the arms of the fairy, taking a deep breath. After hearing his account, Vivian chose to forgive him.

"It's truly been so tough..."

Looking at the adorable yet resilient boy, even a Fairy couldn't help but feel a surge of affection. After all, this kind of emotion wasn't exclusive to humans alone. Gods, Beasts, Phantasmal Species, and even Monsters—all species capable of reproduction experience love for their offspring. Fairies were no exception.

Though they had never tried it, Fairies as Phantasmal Species were evidently rich in emotions, with many of them being related to 'love'.

Despite their different thought processes, diverging from those of humans, the Lady of the Lake couldn't escape the fate of being deceived and used by Artorius because of love.

"If it's so difficult, why continue?" Vivian asked. "Then, Artorius, stay in Avalon from now on. Be with me forever and ever~"

To dwell eternally in a timeless paradise far from everything, alongside the silver-haired, crimson-eyed fairy big sister... What kind of heaven was this?

No, it was more like, what kind of hell was this?

No matter how beautiful and well-shaped she was, because fairies had fragile principles, any form of jest could be entertained, but in the long run, it would become tiresome.

In other words...

"No."

Artorius appeared solemn and heroic, his eyes gleaming as if brimming with tears, as he gazed at the silver-haired, crimson-eyed fairy big sister. "It's my responsibility, and I must take charge. I'm not just a prince of Britain, but also the overall leader of the Roman-Germanic war zone. My people need me, and I can't abandon them. So..."

As he spoke these words, Artorius once again threw himself into the embrace of his big sister. "I've managed to find the time to come back to Britain and see you, Big Sis Vivian. There's absolutely no other reason... I simply wanted to see you again."

Upon hearing Artorius's words, Vivian felt deeply moved instantly. She fully understood.

Artorius, just like his 'father', the King of Knights, was a ruler who took his responsibility for his subjects very seriously.

So, in such a chaotic external situation, he dedicated almost all his energy to governing the people and waging war, without any spare thoughts for matters of love and romance. His days were spent like an ascetic monk, resembling his 'father'—a virtuous and upright king.

'He's still just a child.'

Thinking this, Vivian couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache. She believed that she owed this child a lot.

Apart from that, the fairy big sister felt immensely happy. Even in such a busy and preoccupied state, Artorius had overcome countless obstacles to see her.

What did that signify?

LOVE! Of course, it was LOVE! It represented Artorius's intense affection for her.

When the person you love also loves you back, what could bring more joy to a fairy in this world?