Skeptical

Artorius's magecraft talent was originally just 'average' at best, excelling mostly in reinforcement magecraft.

However, after acquiring the Third Magic and mastering Sword Arts (Sword Beam), he no longer paid much attention to magecraft.

As an emperor, with a single command, countless top mages answered his call. His ranks were filled with elite mages beyond measure, excluding the useless Merlin, of course.

Including the renowned Barthomeloi family, famous in the world of Fate, many renowned mages had become the emperor's subordinates.

Concerning magecraft, Artorius no longer needed to worry. He delegated any issues to his subordinates and entrusted research projects to them. He only needed to provide ideas and orders.

Power, status, strength, wealth, resources, riches, and glory—all these combined to form the concept of 'Dragon Emperor Artorius', which was better than the Holy Grail.

Therefore, while he might speak about studying magecraft with Scathach, deep down, Artorius wanted something else.

That soft, perfectly contoured body clad in the distinct tight attire, the large and pleasantly soft breast resembling jelly, the woman called 'Scathach'.

Just these aspects were enough to set his heart racing. Enough to make him eager, to motivate him to find ways to make her his own, to hold her tightly in his arms.

He yearned to kiss every inch of her body.

He wanted to act like a child, pouting and seeking her attention, or like lovers, just simply cuddling together. He even wished to impersonate a father figure, letting her rest contentedly in his embrace, offering her tenderness and solace.

Artorius Pendragon desired to take his relationship with Scathach a step further. He wished for a connection like Mordred's, like Morgan's, like Vivian's.

Yet, it was just his wishful thinking.

As if she could see through Artorius's thoughts, Scathach declined him.

"Study magecraft with me?"

A sarcastic smile curved her lips.

"Before that, review the basics of Rune." Scathach said to Artorius, her voice carrying a hint of resignation. "It's been a while since you underwent magecraft training, Your Majesty."

"..."

Artorius felt a tad embarrassed and rubbed his nose; he felt it wasn't entirely his fault. After all, in this world, there were countless more enticing pursuits than just studying magecraft for him. Plus, he was an emperor with numerous important affairs to attend to.

"You mastered several Rune back in the day..." Scathach remarked in a helpless tone. "I thought you might continue my legacy. Yet here you are."

"Teacher..."

Clearly, while Artorius excelled at being cute, he couldn't easily deceive Scathach. It seemed that the matter of rubbing her breast required careful consideration.

===

It was already afternoon.

Walking through the corridors of the Palace of Orleans, Artorius felt a slight sense of confusion.

"Now, what should be the next step?"

There were certainly things to do if he wanted to. Whether it was going to the office to handle the empire's affairs with the government officials, or conducting magecraft research at the magic factory, there was no shortage of tasks. He could work long hours to pass the time.

However, as everyone knows, there's this period of lethargy after the summer break, also known as the 'May Blues'.

Clearly, the previous journey was supposed to be a vacation, and yet, it was followed by a grand battle that decided the fate of the world against the vampires.

Returning from the late 20th century to the late 5th century, a span of fifteen centuries along with the psychological turmoil, left Artorius temporarily skeptical.

Perhaps he needed some more time to fully recover and get back into the rhythm.

If someone were to hurry him, maybe he could recover a bit faster. But that's a bit difficult. After all, Artorius is the emperor, so of course, no one dared.

A bit lost, he stood in the middle of the corridor, turned towards the window due to the noise, and approached its edge. Peering through the window, he caught sight of the courtyard not far from the palace.

There, the imperial knights were engaged in training, clad in the finest frostsilver armor, the successor to frosteel armor.

The equipment, weapons, techniques, and levels of training were all of the highest calibers.

First was practicing their cavalry formations. After a dozen formations, maneuvers, and group charges, there was training in dismounting quickly, and then forming dense formations.

At this point, their mounted lances would temporarily turn into spears. The best swordsmen would guard the flanks of the formation, forming small hollow squares.

In addition, the knights were also proficient with bows, crossbows, and other ranged weapons.

The finest and strongest warriors wielded magic swords, ready to unleash sword beams—although the number of knights with sufficient magical energy reserves was not too many. However, Artorius firmly believed that on this continent, there wouldn't be any organization or force with a superior army.

"Mordred, huh."

Among these elite and robust knights, Mordred stood out the most, as expected.

The Princess Knight of Dragon Emperor wore crimson armor. She carried two Gae Bolg which were a gift from Scathach. The longer one is used for combat, while the slightly shorter and heavier one is for throwing.

Mounted on a fiery red warhorse, she stood out so vividly and brilliantly with her striking armor. Anyone would notice her immediately.

Enemies would focus all their firepower on her, while allies would be greatly inspired by her charging at the forefront.

Those were both points that Mordred hoped to see.

As one of the mightiest knights of the Holy Roman Empire, Mordred had long been prepared.

Whether it was expeditions against the Eastern Slavic tribes and cities, or traversing Moldavia and Bulgaria and leading the imperial army straight to the Queen of Cities, the most famous medieval city, Constantinople.

The strongest enemies, the toughest battles, Mordred had long been prepared to charge at the front.

Listening to Mordred's shouts and watching her train so diligently, Artorius's heart softened and he quickly made a decision.

'Tonight, spend some time with Little Mo... come to think of it, it's been a while since I've been with her.'

From Mordred's perspective, she had always been with her dear brother. But from Artorius's point of view, it had actually been quite some time since he had seen her.

'Yeah, it's decided.'

Artorius made up his mind and turned back toward the magic factory.

As Scathach had said, it had been some time since he engaged in magecraft training. Practicing a bit wouldn't hurt.