Mordred

On that evening, victory was achieved.

King Arthur's army naturally achieved a resounding victory.

However, since they still had to face another battle tomorrow, the king's army hadn't completely relaxed yet.

The fortified city of Londinium had been reclaimed, but the Usurper King Vortigern had not been defeated. Tomorrow, King Arthur's great army would march into Vortigern's throne, the Northern Capital.

So, after a little celebration, everyone returned to their respective tents to rest and recuperate. Mordred did the same.

Exhausted from the day's events, Mordred muttered to herself, "Artorius is just too strong..." as she removed her armor.

Unlike other knights who had several attendants to assist them, Mordred, even as a member of the Round Table, always remained alone. She kept herself hidden in the corners of the army, avoiding being noticed.

This stemmed from the teachings of her 'mother' that always said—never let anyone discover your true identity.

Even when sleeping, she couldn't remove her helmet. It had to stay on in case someone unknowingly saw her face. There were no attendants either. So whether equipping or removing armor, she had to do it all alone. Even when sleeping, she couldn't find peace...

Mordred had become accustomed to all these things.

'Indeed, he truly is the King's son.' After sighing, she thought to herself with a hint of delight.

Contrary to what many might think, Mordred had not yet awakened the feeling of jealousy and hatred at this time. Instead, she loved everything related to King Arthur so much that she held Artorius in high regard.

But that was it.

She didn't even consider Artorius as her own brother.

Ah, of course, it was the same for Gawain, Gareth, and Agravain.

This relaxed mood continued until the next second when footsteps were heard outside the tent.

"Damn!"

Mordred hastily put on her helmet and reached for her large sword, all while hearing the voice of Artorius from outside the tent.

"Mordred, it's me, Artorius."

The clear voice of the prince reached Mordred, causing her some confusion.

"It's already late, Your Highness..." Mordred responded in a deep voice, asking Artorius, "Is there something you need?"

"Yes, there's something I want to talk to you about," Artorius replied. "Can I come in, Mordred?"

"..." Mordred felt a bit flustered inside. "...Please come in."

Although she appeared older than Artorius, as a homunculus, her actual age was much younger than her appearance. Hence, her thinking was not mature and quite naive.

"Sorry for the intrusion." Thus, the pretty boy, who bore the glory of all Britain, entered the tent.

Perhaps, in terms of 'appearance', Artoria as the male King Arthur, was not inferior to Artorius during her youth. But at that time, Artoria's living conditions were extremely harsh. Like a dusty pearl, she couldn't emit a perfect radiant light.

That's why Artorius, as Artoria's son that was born attractive, surpassed everyone in Britain's history. He even ranked among the top three in the world.

Therefore, when he sat in front of Mordred and extended his hand to grab her hand, she inexplicably felt her heartbeat quicken.

"Mordred, in fact, there's something I want to tell you," Artorius said with a serious tone.

"W-What is it?" Mordred stuttered.

"I've noticed that you're always alone..." Artorius continued. "It seems you don't have any friends in the Knights of the Round Table."

"..."

"I haven't seen you engage in any leisure activities. Chess, singing, dancing, no one has invited you for hunting or fishing, and you always wear your helmet."

"That..."

"Therefore, Mordred, do you have something you find difficult to talk about?" Artorius asked. "In yesterday's battle, I saw your figure. It was valiant, but it seemed like you were venting something. Is there inner turmoil within your heart?... I've been thinking about this for a while, and I couldn't help but come to find you."

"..."

Naturally, Mordred was left speechless by the sincere tone and caring gaze of the boy.

As an illegitimate child much younger than Artorius, she received nothing but hatred and animosity from her mother—Morgan le Fay.

Even after joining the Knights of the Round Table, she hadn't gained any friendships. No one cared about her or paid her any attention. Even her admiration and expectations for King Arthur had never been reciprocated by the King.

Because she couldn't reveal her appearance, she had to live in seclusion to hide her identity. It was impossible for her to find friends... And of course, due to her 'quirk', there weren't many people in the Round Table willing to befriend her.

Except for Artorius.

The pretty boy had approached the innocent girl with no ulterior motives, yeah of course.

"So, Mordred, do you have any questions? Is there anything troubling you or something you want to share with me? You can tell me anything."

Artorius continued exuding the charm of Europe's number one attractive boy, speaking words that made Mordred feel happy and troubled at the same time.

Whether it was happiness or distress, it all ultimately stemmed from her confusion about friendship.

Until now, Mordred had always been alone. She had never experienced any emotions. No matter whether it comes from the affection of parents, relatives, friends, or even lovers, she had none.

Because of having nothing, she yearned for it even more. Yet, because of having nothing, she was at a loss.

Even though her emotions were about to overflow from her heart, she stumbled over her words, not knowing how to express herself.

"Don't you want to say anything?"

As a result, the boy's hopes and earnestness turned into disappointment and helplessness.

"Well, this is as expected, really..."Artorius immediately continued his speech with a forced smile. "After all, I haven't had many conversations with you before this. It's natural not to trust me... but, I will definitely pay more attention to you from now on. I believe that someday, you will open your heart to me."

Unlike Artoria, who maintained a noble and even 'indifferent' attitude, Artorius, who knew he couldn't emit that kind of perfect radiance, was better at expressing his emotions in a more 'ordinary' way to resonate with others.

Just like now, after saying those words, he opened his arms wide and tightly embraced Mordred. He held the girl, whose delicate and soft body resembled his mother in his arms.