Spearmanship (II)

"How's it going, Little Mo? How do you feel?" Artorius, who was still lying there, calmly asked Mordred.

"It's really powerful..." Mordred responded with a tinge of emotion. "If we're talking about physical abilities alone, I'm confident I won't lose to her by much. But when it comes to technique, the gap is quite wide. No wonder even when we fight her together, we couldn't defeat her. She truly lives up to the legend."

"Yeah, I agree..." Artorius nodded, confirming that Mordred was not mistaken.

"However..." Mordred continued, jumping up and appearing revitalized, "I won't just give up like that! I will learn everything she taught and surpass her! I'll become a warrior even stronger than Scathach because that's the only way to live up to the title of brother's protector."

"Little Mo..." Artorius watched his sister's radiant smile and felt a slight surge of excitement in his heart. 'Ahh, she's really my sister, so adorable, so brilliant. Umu, I must cherish and love her properly!'

At the same time, back at the castle's upper level, Scathach looked through the window and wore a joyful smile.

"I don't dislike such a child..." she said, referring to Mordred.

Both Mordred and her brother had successfully passed Scathach's assessment and adeptly grasped the crucial 'Thrust' aspect of the foundational spearmanship during an hour of training. After that, they learned other techniques such as 'Parry', 'Disarm', and 'Entangle'.

It took Scathach a day to teach the basic foundations of spearmanship and all the fundamental moves to Artorius and Mordred—not merely informing them but guiding the Pendragon siblings to master all of that foundational spear techniques to the 'utmost' level.

Without Scathach's instruction, Mordred could still be able to effortlessly thrust using a spear like before. However, this 'instruction' aimed to push the Pendragon siblings to their limits in mastering these foundational spear techniques.

Now, their utilization of these moves had reached a level of perfection, though this perfection was limited by Artorius and Mordred's own strength, intelligence, and understanding, rather than the techniques' inherent limits themselves. Nonetheless, it was still commendable.

'In the past, it took me a day to teach my best disciple these things...' Scathach thought, 'Their talent is no less than that guy's.'

She felt even more satisfied with her disciples.

===

And so, the first day of training was complete. After flawlessly blocking thousands of spears with his move called 'Guard', Artorius earned a nod of approval from Scathach. At the same time, both he and Mordred had reached their limits.

Although their bodies didn't tire in the dreamland, the mental exhaustion from the exertion still left them feeling weary.

"Let's rest now," Scathach said. "Take three hours off and come back here for the second session."

The reason they weren't given time for sleep was that Artorius and Mordred were already 'asleep'. Even if they were to sleep more, it wouldn't provide additional mental recovery.

"Ah..."

As Scathach departed without hesitation, Mordred swayed her body and leaned against Artorius's shoulder. "I'm so tired, big brother."

The adorable sister half-playfully and half-seriously coaxed Artorius, saying, "I can't walk anymore~"

Artorius understood Mordred's underlying message, of course.

Whether it was 'carry me on your back and hold me' or 'wake me up with a kiss.'

Under normal circumstances, Artorius wouldn't refuse Mordred's small pleas.

But today, Artorius had a better plan.

"I see. In that case, let me take you somewhere that I'm sure you'll be satisfied with."

Artorius said with a cheerful smile and then, under Mordred's curious gaze, he took her hand. In the next moment, the scenery around them changed, and they appeared in a forest beside the holy spring.

The air here was fresh, and the True Ether was thick, creating a pleasant sensation for Mordred, who was a dragon.

"So, where is this..."

"Medb? Medb! Are you here?!"

As Mordred wanted to ask her big brother about their location, Artorius looked around but didn't see the pink-haired woman. After calling out a couple of times and still not seeing anyone.

"She's not here, so it's not a problem." Artorius muttered to himself and then said to Mordred, "This is a hidden place I found in Ireland. If you take a bath here, you can quickly replenish your energy."

"Really?"

Mordred was very interested in this.

"Really."

"Great! Let's give it a try!"

"Yeah, let's try it!"

So, they all tried it together.

The effect was truly as Artorius had described. The mental exhaustion caused by their intense training was completely recovered. Mordred even felt that she could immediately dive back into training without needing to wait for three hours.

"Then let's go directly to find Teacher Scathach."

Artorius was pleased to see Mordred so 'motivated' for 'power'. After all, the stronger she became, the greater the benefits for him. A certain silver-haired guy sitting on his plastic chair would also be delighted.

"Yeah!"

Thus, the Pendragon siblings happily left the holy spring.

After their figures disappeared, a certain pink-haired individual who had been hiding in the bushes carefully emerged.

Her heart was filled with regret.

Because the moment she sensed Artorius's presence, she felt like she was going to explode.

After waiting for Artorius to call out—"Medb, are you here?", she quickly hid instead of responding.

And then, she could only watch Artorius bring another woman and enjoy the holy spring that had originally belonged to her.

"Damn it! Does he think he owns this place?"

"I am the true owner here!"

"Everything here belongs to me, doesn't it?"

After Artorius and Mordred finished their enjoyment and happily left, Medb's inner regret reached its peak.

'Why did I hide anyway? I didn't do anything shameful... No, I did do something shameful, but Artorius doesn't know...'

'So what am I afraid of if he doesn't know then?!'

'Damn it, damn it, damn it all! It's so damn frustrating! That rascal! I'll make him mine no matter what!!!'

She swore in her heart.

*Glug, Glug, Glug, Glug*

And so, today, Her Majesty the Queen filled her belly with the holy spring's water, or rather bath water once again.