Preparing for The Inevitable

After meeting with God, they were transferred back into the dungeon. Since Artoria felt that it was enough for Ray, they went back to his room.

It was still an hour before the promised date. Ray knew they would be late so he was not in a rush. Rather, he was calming himself so his emotion will not rampage when they see them.

Ray has a feeling that both Nadia and Brian will come here together, which didn't bother him at all.

So he was going to take a bath and wear a simple shirt and jeans.

Artoria sat down on his bed still contemplating something. So before he took a bath Ray asked, "Can I ask what are you thinking about?"

"...Am I a human being?" Artoria answered with a low voice.

Ray knew more or less why Artoria felt that way. After knowing that the world she came from was the imagination of a person, she started to doubt her existence.

Ray sat down next to Artoria and hug her from the side and said, "Artoria, what did you feel right now?"

"I feel sad and confused. It feels like everything that I have lived for until this point was just a character from a story. I don't know if I'm a real person or just something that was created because of a human's imagination." Ray also thought that it was kind of cruel. She became a King and erase her human emotions to rule Britain. She was betrayed by her people and slew by Mordred, her kin.

Ray held both of Artoria's shoulder and said, "If you can feel emotions, that means you are human, Artoria. A character from a story cannot feel anything, even if they can, those feelings are fabricated by the human that created them... If you feel a sense of touch, if you can taste, if you can see, and if you can think, it is a sign that we are alive."

He saw Artoria still feeling sad. Ray didn't know what to do but to say, "Artoria, forgive me."

"Wha- hmph!" Ray kissed Artoria.

Artoria's lips are small and soft like a pillow that was filled with duck feathers.

Their lips didn't move, but their bodies did. Although it was just Artoria slowly hugging Ray's neck and Ray hug her closer to his body.

Both of them felt warmth coming from the bodies of the other.

Ray wanted something like a french kiss, but he abstained himself. He didn't want Artoria to think that he was a beast, a perverted beast. He also tried to cover up his third leg from touching Artoria because it already went full mast.

They slowly separate their lips from each other. Since it was just a simple yet long kiss, there were no threads of saliva coming out of their mouths.

Ray said with his eyes burning with determination, "I know this is sudden but, I love you, Artoria."

Artoria's face and even her ears went full red. She didn't dare to look at Ray so she looked down, only to be greeted by a tent. Because of it, she became more embarrassed and looked to the side instead.

"Ah!" Ray went and covered his pitching tent with a nearby pillow.

"...Sorry, I can't help it." Ray was referring to his tent.

"It's... okay..." Artoria mustered her courage just to say those 2 words. She was too flustered that she wanted to hide into a hole and never came out.

There was an awkward silence, but Ray remembered that he needed to 'prepare' for his date with Nadia and it made him felt sour.

"Artoria... I will um... take a shower first." Ray grabbed his clothes and quickly went to the bathroom, forgetting to take the towel.

A sound of a running shower filled the awkward atmosphere inside the room.

While he was showering, Ray thought, 'Should I buy a condom?'

Truly, a perverted man's imagination is like none other.

From the outside, Christina planned to have a conversation with Ray and Artoria but when she opened the door, she saw Ray and Artoria kissing each other. Thankfully, she didn't saw them entering and exiting the [Training Ground].

Christina felt a pang on her chest when she saw them. She can only encourage Artoria and Ray together and support them.

She also plans to ruin both the bitch, Nadia, and the backstabber, Brian, so they can feel as much pain as possible.

'For their happiness, I will do whatever it takes!' Christina thought in her mind. She closed the door and she looked back towards the door for a second before preparing something in her room.

10 minutes later, Ray just realized that he forgot to bring the towel with him.

Ray opened the door as little space as possible and said, "Ummm... Artoria, can you fetch me the towel please?"

"Ah... yes, please wait." Artoria got up from the bed and fetched the towel on a nearby clothes stand.

She saw Ray's forearm muscle, which was not as big as a bodybuilder, but strong enough even ordinary people can see that he's strong.

Artoria was standing in front of the bathroom door looking at his muscles.

"Artoria? What's wrong?"

"Ah, sorry. I was thinking about something." Artoria gave him the towel before going back to bed.

While Ray was wiping himself, Artoria currently having an internal fight with herself.

'What are you thinking?! It was just his muscle... But the kiss...' She touched her lips with 2 of her fingers.

'This feeling...' Artoria was smiling, thinking back when Ray kissed her.

It was not a rough kiss that she saw her people did when she was observing Camelot when she was feeling tired. It was a soft kiss that transfers Ray's feeling towards her, literally.

"You can use the bath now, Artoria." Ray had put his clothes, a dark T-shirt with blue jeans.

"Do you... have women clothes?" Artoria asked.

"Oh yeah, please give me a sec." Ray browsed Hana's shop function and was looking at the women's clothing section. Soon, he bought a light blue shirt, a coat that spans to her hips, dark-colored jeans with black sneakers. He then gave the clothing except for the coat.

"Umm... the underwear..."

"...I forgot... here," Ray bought a matching set of bras and panties with different colors. Although he tried to look away, he still saw it when he was browsing the section.

After letting Artoria chooses her underwear, he placed it in his inventory for Artoria's later use.

************

There was a grey car waiting for the traffic lights to go green. It was a car that can fit 4 people easily, but there are only 2 people in front of the car.

Outsiders may think that the people inside are a couple, but it is very far from the truth.

A boy was driving the car and the girl leaned her head on his left shoulder. The boy was wearing an open buttoned shirt with square patters, jeans, and black sneakers. While the girl was wearing a T-shirt covered with cardigan, similar colored jeans, and brown wedges shoes.

They are Brian and Nadia.

"Is it okay for me to come to your... date... as well? I don't want us to get caught, at least not yet." Brian said with concern and a little bit of fear in his voice.

With how Ray's personality suddenly got hostile, he became very afraid of him.

Of course, Nadia cheating with him was because of his deceit. If Ray knew that fact, he felt that he could die.

"Don't worry, darling. I'm sure he won't catch us because he is a muscle head... I'm sure..." Nadia mumbled the last part.

She was also afraid of Ray's changed personality. Nadia still remembered how he can beat up those strong thugs all on his own and even made them almost died.

Although she's using a hijab, it is not a sign that she's a good woman.

"By the way, what did he mean by that earlier?" Brian was referring to when Nadia and Ray were in a call.

"He said that he wanted to introduce me to someone."

"Huh, wonder who it was." Brian suddenly shivered all of a sudden. It was like a death row inmate in the last days of his life.

Nadia looked at Brian and said, "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm okay. It's quite cold in here though," Brian turned down the AC on the car.

************

It was near 9 A.M., the promised time.

Artoria already dressed and was waiting for Ray to finish cooking a snack for her... at least in her perspective.

While Ray waited for Artoria to finish her bath, he baked chocolate chip cookies. Ray made 32 cookies in which he baked in 12 cookies per baking tray.

The oven in the boarding house can fit 3 baking trays, so Ray can finish baking 32 cookies in a single baking session.

Because of the smell from the oven, Artoria went to the kitchen after she finished wearing her clothes. It also attracts the residents of the boarding house like when a shark smelled blood in the water.

So Ray ended up making 64 chocolate chip cookies. It only took him 10 minutes to make the dough and 10 more minutes to bake the cookies.

It was also a chance for Artoria to get to know the residents of the boarding house, which was dominated by male workers. Since Christina allowed cohabitation, it is also a fair assumption that there will be small families too living in the boarding house.

On a side note, Ray gave 32 cookies for the rest of the boarding house residents to share while the other 32 are for Artoria's stomach only.

When the residents taste the cookies, it tastes heavenly. Although there is no chewy texture in the middle, it was not hard to eat the cookies. Because Ray also uses dark chocolate chips, he used vanilla extract and a little bit of sugar so the bitterness from the chocolate won't overpower the overall taste of the cookie.

"Ray, this is delicious" "I'm not going to believe you bake this if I didn't see it first hand" "Ray-onii, this very delicious!" The residents threw compliments after compliments which made Ray very happy.

He liked cooking, especially if it's for his significant other.

In his past life, he cooked for Nadia a lot. Simply seeing her smile because of his cooking can him feet good in the coming days.

But all that was in the past.

Christina came to the kitchen to see what sort of food can create a delicious smell all the way to her room. When she saw Ray and the other residents eating a cookie, she can only sigh in defeat because her cooking is not as good as what Ray can whip up.

"Good morning Ray, can I taste one?" Christina came towards Ray. She also didn't forget to say her greetings to Artoria and the rest of the residents.

"Sure, here you go." Ray grab one cookie and gave it to Christina.

Her reaction is similar to what the residents have.

"Ray! This is really good! If you want to open a cafe or a restaurant, just tell me okay." Christina complimented. Even without her husband's money, she can easily create a small restaurant.

"Funny for you to say that, matron. I actually have a cafe already."

Everybody, except Artoria of course, looked at Ray and said, "Huh?"

"Well, it is not ready yet. The cafe will open in 7 more days. If any of you bring your key room, I will give you a 50% discount for every menu that we have." Ray said. He took the opportunity to market his cafe.

"I just have one requirement though."

"What is it?" One of the residents asked

"To post the menu that you ordered to your social media accounts, preferably Instagram."

"Oh, it's easy then. Just tell us when your cafe will be opened in 3 days."

"I will give you brochures so don't worry." Ray already has the design for the brochures on top of his head. He just needs to apply it digitally and print it in a printing store.

The residents were talking with each other when Nadia and Brian came.

"Hello, Ray," said Brian.

"Hello," Ray answered the greetings before continuing, "I see you bring Brian here as well, Nadia. It's fine though."

"Uh, I'm sorry. You know, since we are all best friends, going out with the three of us is a-"

"Wait a minute, I want to introduce you to someone." Ray grab Artoria's shoulder and said, "This is Artoria. She's my sword fighting teacher."

Ray points his hand to Brian, "Artoria, this is Brian."

After that, Ray points his hand toward Nadia, "And this is Nadia."

Brian was surprised by the existence of Artoria because, in his eyes, she was the most beautiful woman that he ever witnessed.

Nadia was, for the lack of a better way to describe her feelings, jealous. Although she's cheating on Ray, she still has feelings for him, even if it's just a little.

'So this is Nadia.' Artoria thought. She's not as beautiful as Artoria thought and wonder why Ray chooses her.

Even from the perspective of an inexperienced like Artoria, she can conclude that Nadia and Brian have something more than friends. And with her nose, courtesy of her factor of the dragon, she can smell that Nadia is not a virgin while Ray is one.

Artoria put her hand in front and said, "Nice to meet the two of you."

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Hello readers,

In this sentence ("Although she's using a hijab, it is not a sign that she's a good woman."), I mean that even though she's a Muslimah (can also be called a Muslim woman), wearing a hijab and pray 5 times a day didn't mean that she's a good woman. The saying above is from my parents actually and I put it to heart till this day.

So it's like the saying, "Don't judge a look by it's cover", but more specific.

I'm a Muslim though, so I don't mean to berate Muslim women or people in general.

There are A LOT of women doing 'bad stuff' even though she's wearing a hijab, like stealing and stuff. But I think you get the point already.

All that aside, I hope you can enjoy the chapter because I don't really like the result of the edit. Reason? Well, because I have to go out and eat with my family right before publishing this chapter.

P.S.: The airstrike yesterday, or is it 2 day earlier, is kinda frightening. Although I don't live in America or in the middle east, I hope the aftermath of the attack won't escalate too much.