C129

The night sky was pitch black, with a crescent moon hanging alone in the air, casting a faint and chilly moonlight upon the land. Within a dark forest, a small and gentle campfire flickered, casting a warm glow upon the silent night.

Shirou leaned against a tree trunk while examining a map of the kingdom provided by Merlin, while Kay retrieved blankets from their luggage. Artoria sat beside the campfire, roasting some meat.

"Merlin, judging by our progress, we should be able to reach Garrod by tomorrow noon, right?" Shirou turned to Merlin and asked.

"Yes, at our current pace, we should arrive by then."

Shirou rubbed his chin. It had been three days since they left the town, and the initial sense of excitement had faded away during the journey. Fortunately, they were traveling as a party, so he didn't feel lonely.

"My king, the meat is cooked. Please try it," Artoria offered a large piece of roasted meat to him.

Shirou put down the map and looked at the piece of grilled meat in front of him, which was slightly burnt and even emitted a faint, pungent smell.

He smiled nonchalantly and then took it. Just as he was about to take a bite, he noticed Artoria staring at him eagerly. So, he put down the meat and said helplessly, "Artoria, why don't you eat too?"

She responded eagerly, "But how can I eat before you? As your knight, it is my duty to wait until you have eaten. What if you haven't had enough?"

He let out a chuckle and said, "Don't worry, I don't have as big an appetite as you do, so just eat."

Merlin joined in the laughter and added, "That's right, Lily."

Kay teased, "Don't worry, no one can match your appetite, because you're a pig."

"Brother! I feel offended when you describe me like that!" Artoria said in an angry tone. She then turned her head away, feeling embarrassed and added, "And, I'm already controlling my portion size, okay?"

Shirou chuckled and said, "I told you not to worry about that."

"How can I do that?" she said firmly. "As a knight, I cannot let my king go hungry. Even though I'm only a trainee knight, I will never let my king go hungry! So, you guys go ahead and eat. I'll take care of the rest."

Artoria's tone remained firm, but her gaze shifted towards the roasted meat in the hands of the three.

Shirou smiled and told Kay to go ahead and eat first. Once they had finished, Artoria began to eat and devoured all the remaining roasted meat.

Later that night, Artoria was tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep.

"I'm so hungry!" She held her stomach, looking uncomfortable.

Artoria knew that as a knight, it would be a great shame to let her king go hungry. She was aware of her own appetite and had been consciously controlling it since the day in town. However, despite her efforts, she couldn't help but feel famished.

"I'm so hungry! So hungry!!" she held her stomach, tossing and turning in makeshift bed, unable to sleep. She could only close her eyes and try to find some comfort.

"Artoria--" A gentle voice called out to her ear.

She opened her eyes and saw Shirou squatting beside her, smiling at her warmly.

"Your Majesty...my king!" she sat up quickly and asked in a worried tone, "Did I wake you up? If so, please forgive me..."

"No," he replied, shaking his head with a smile. "I woke up hungry, actually. Would you like to join me for a hunt?"

Artoria's eyes lit up, and her hair on her forehead fluttered as she responded earnestly, "Absolutely, let's go!"

Shirou led Artoria away, and Kay, who was only half-awake, contemplated for a moment before closing his eyes and settling back down. Meanwhile, Merlin leaned against the trunk of a tree, holding his staff and snoring loudly.

Shirou and Artoria wandered through the forest, searching for prey. However, it was more accurate to say that Artoria was leading the way, rather than Shirou. He didn't possess any special hunting skills, and his "Evil Flower" was only capable of detecting and absorbing human evil, rendering it useless against non-human beasts.

Artoria, on the other hand, possessed superior hunting skills, particularly when she was hungry. She could almost instinctively pinpoint the location of prey just by sniffing the air around her. Eventually, she detected a boar that was out foraging.

"Snort, Snort!"

A towering boar, standing at three meters tall and as massive as a tank, locked eyes with Shirou and Artoria with a ferocious gaze. It was evident that the boar saw the two of them as its prey.

"Thud, Thud!!!"

The boar charged towards Artoria, its razor-sharp teeth glinting like blades in the silvery moonlight. It thundered towards her like a tank, and the wind howled as it approached.

Artoria kept her gaze fixed on the charging boar, her piercing blue eyes flashing with greed. In a swift motion, she reached out her slender hand, clad in a white glove, and seized the boar's razor-sharp teeth with a grip resembling that of a dragon's claw. With a display of immense strength from her waist, she hurled the boar to the ground with a resounding boom.

"Rumble rumble——!!!"

With a calm and composed gaze, she then used her other hand to plunge into the boar's abdomen, seizing hold of its heart, before crushing it with a single squeeze, producing a distinct "crack" sound.

"Splash, splash, splash..." The boar's blood gushed out like a fountain, drenching her white armor in a crimson hue, rendering her an eerie yet stunning sight, akin to a blood-stained white lotus. The beast groaned a few times before finally succumbing to its wounds and passing away.

She stood up, wiping the blood from her face, before turning to look at Shirou. "My King, it's been taken care of," she said calmly.

As Shirou gazed upon Artoria, who was now coated in blood, he couldn't help but break out into a cold sweat. He forced a dry smile and muttered, "That was...incredibly efficient. A bit scary, to be honest."

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Shirou continued, "Let's drag the boar to the river and wash it off first."

"Understood," Artoria nodded in agreement. She then reached for the boar's teeth and began to drag the warm, lifeless corpse of the animal behind him.

Shirou led Artoria to a small stream nestled in the forest and instructed her to toss the boar's carcass into the river to be washed by the current.

Artoria leaned over the riverbank and scooped up handfuls of water to cleanse the blood from her face. Afterwards, she removed her silver-white armor, leaving only her white evening gown. She then proceeded to use the river water to rinse away the bloodstains from her armor.

Once she finished rinsing her armor, Artoria set it aside and removed her black stockings. Dipping her delicate white legs into the cool water, she used a handful of water to carefully cleanse the bloodstains from her skin.

As the pale, chilly moonlight illuminated her surroundings, casting a shimmering silver veil over the lake's surface, Artoria noticed the fireflies flitting about in the grass along the riverbank.

They appeared like tiny stars, dancing and twinkling amidst the darkness, their beauty both breathtaking and captivating. Even Artoria, who usually lacked any romantic inclination, couldn't help but gaze at the enchanting sight for a few moments longer.

"Artoria, Artoria," Shirou called out as he approached her, holding something in his hands, and sporting a smile on his face. "Can you guess what I have here?"

"Is it food?" she inquired.

Shirou shook his head. "No, it's not food."

He opened his hands, and a cluster of fireflies began to emerge, resembling tiny, twinkling stars hovering in front of her.

"What do you think? Aren't they beautiful?"

She responded with a troubled look on her face, "My king, please don't treat me like just a girl. Yes, I may be a woman, but above all, I am a knight."

He grinned at her response. "It's precisely because you are a knight that I wished to share this with you."

She gazed at Shirou, her expression one of confusion and bewilderment.

"Don't limit yourself to serving and protecting others," he suggested. "Take a moment to appreciate the beauty of what you've sworn to protect."

She pulled out a notebook from her pocket and began jotting down her thoughts.

He looked at her in surprise. "What are you writing down exactly?"

"I'm recording this experience because I want to learn from it."

Shirou chuckled and settled down beside her, his gaze fixed on Artoria's slender legs as they dangled in the water. "Why did you go through all that trouble to clean the bloodstains instead of using Caliburn?"

"My king," she responded, a troubled expression on her face. "Caliburn is the sword of a king. It shouldn't be used casually in a place like this."

"The King's sword may be a symbol of power and authority, but it is still a sword at its core, meant to be wielded," He gestured towards Caliburn in her possession and added with a grin, "If it remains sheathed all the time, it'll cry."

She seemed troubled by his words. "But Caliburn is the sword of the King. As your knight, it would be inappropriate for me to wield it so casually."

"Does that concern you?" Shirou inquired. "Then as your King, I hereby grant you permission to wield the sword during my time as the King of Camelot. You are my loyal knight, and I trust you with the responsibility of protecting me with the sword."

Artoria's expression shifted, and she responded earnestly, "As your knight, my loyalty to you goes without question. I have already pledged my unwavering fealty to you and have entrusted my sword to your care."

Shirou took Artoria's hand and gently guided it towards the hilt of Caliburn. "Next time, you must use the sword. Otherwise, I won't feel safe."

Although she appeared hesitant at first, she eventually nodded in agreement. "I understand, my king. If that is your wish, then I shall use the sword, as you permit."

With the cleaning complete, she proceeded to wash her stockings once again. To avoid disturbing the rest of their companions, Merlin and Kay, the two of them set up a new campfire by the riverbank.

Artoria's armor and stockings were still drenched from the earlier washing, and thus were left out to dry by the fire. Meanwhile, she donned her lily-like dress and appeared somewhat troubled as she used Caliburn to carve up the boar and gather branches to prepare for roasting it over the fire.

"Hold on a moment," Shirou interjected, taking the roasted meat from her grasp with both hands. He then proceeded to flip the meat over and explain, "You can't just cook a small portion of the meat. Doing so will result in some parts being undercooked, while others will be overcooked and burnt. You need to distribute the flames evenly, like this."

Under Shirou's guidance, the meat in his hand sizzled as it cooked to perfection. Golden, hot oil droplets slowly trickled down the surface of the tender meat and fell into the fire, causing the flames to dance and emit a mesmerizing sound.

A mouth-watering aroma of richly-roasted meat wafted through the air, causing Artoria's eyes to light up and her mouth to water. However, she wasn't solely focused on the roasted meat before her. Instead, she turned her head to gaze at Shirou's profile, seemingly lost in thought.

Shirou touched his face, "What's the matter? Do I have something on my face?"

She lowered her head slightly and spoke in a tone of shame, "No, it's not that. I'm just frustrated with my incompetence. Even something as simple as cooking food is beyond me, and I find myself relying on you to teach me."

"There's no need to feel ashamed," he reassured her with a warm smile. "No one is born knowing everything. If there is something you don't know, just learn it. Even I had to learn from someone else at some point."

She gazed at Shirou's face, taking in his comforting words, and then nodded resolutely.

After enjoying a hearty meal of roasted boar, Artoria's stomach finally felt satiated. The two of them then proceeded to extinguish the campfire and returned to their original resting spot.

Sensing their return, Kay secretly opened his eyes and stole a glance at Shirou and Artoria. Upon seeing that they had already dozed off, he relaxed and repositioned himself to sleep more comfortably.

Merlin, who had been snoring loudly, silently opened one eye and cast a quick glance at the trio before adjusting his posture and clutching his staff. He then closed his eyes once again, settling in for a peaceful slumber.

...

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