Strangeness

Whether it was the evil Artoria or the good Artoria, the corrupted Artoria like a demon, or the divine Artoria like a goddess—since it involved Artoria Species, it had to be done, no matter how challenging.

All Artorias must be brought under his banner! He gotta catch 'em all!

"But speaking of that..." Mordred suddenly interjected. "Can the empire's finances handle recruiting hundreds of fathers? Are we not going to collapse due to a food crisis?"

"..."

After hearing Mordred's words, everyone became silent.

"Who do you think I am?"

As everyone fell into an inexplicable fear of the Artoria Species' enormous appetite, Artorius spoke and smiled confidently.

"I can definitely feed all the Artoria Species." Artorius's words filled everyone with strong confidence. "No one said that we must grow food, raise fish, or hunt for meat, right?"

"Third Magic..." Morgan said this word, not with jealousy but with admiration, a rare state of mind for a witch like her. It was evident from this how she felt about Artorius.

With the materialization power of Third Magic, Artorius could create something out of nothing. However, his previous uses were mainly objects like Pure White Sword, Frosteel Armor, and equipment that enhanced the empire's military power. When it came to basic living necessities, he hardly used the power of materialization.

This was because it would disrupt market dynamics and affect the established production order of the empire. An unlimited supply of costless goods flooding the market would inevitably impact agriculture and manufacturing.

Farmers and craftsmen would go bankrupt in large numbers, and relief measures would be necessary to maintain stability, leading to a vicious cycle that would eventually cause the empire to collapse happily.

So, unless there was a sudden disaster in some area, and the empire couldn't provide relief or supplies, Artorius wouldn't use the Third Magic to create food directly.

But it was different for the Artoria Species. They were creatures that exceeded the bounds of production order and market rules. Using the Third Magic to feed them wouldn't create any negative issues.

"In that case, it's not a problem."

Hearing Artorius say that, Mordred nodded without thinking much. On the other hand, Morgan on the side had a thoughtful expression.

Feeding the Artoria Species with magically materialized food meant supplying them with magical energy, which, in turn, replenished their own magical energy reserves. Since Servants were energy beings, restoring their magical energy also meant restoring their stamina, allowing them to engage in tireless sex.

'These women... how envious.'

The witch was, as always, thinking too much. She looked at X and XX with an abnormal gaze.

'How shameless.'

Clearly, she had acted like a 'masochist' in front of Artorius—no, it wasn't like she acted like one; she was truly one. Yet, Morgan dared to look down on the Artoria Species.

"I see, I see." XX, who had no idea how she was seen in her parallel world's sister's heart, earnestly nodded her head. "That is indeed a convenient ability... should I think about acquiring one for myself? Hmm..."

If an ordinary person heard XX say this, they would definitely mock her nonsense. But Artorius knew that what XX said had a real chance of becoming reality.

In the Servant Universe, True Magic wasn't as rare as it was in this world. Strictly speaking, everyone in the Sapphire Galaxy was an undying energy being because of the Third Magic.

So, even though XX didn't possess the power of materialization, as long as she put in sincere effort and the circumstances aligned, her chances of gaining this power were much higher than an average person's.

'Really...'

Artorius felt a bit complicated for a moment.

His exclusive Third Magic was greatly discounted in that world and turned into a mass-produced thing. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, indeed.

===

Everyone continued their conversation as they left the Palace of Orleans, guided by XX, heading towards the former headquarters of the Holy Lance Sisterhood.

The operation earlier to gather the Artoria Species which had been prematurely halted due to Omega's assassination was about to begin once more.

The Pendragons had set out with the goal of subduing the desires and appetites of Artoria Species, carrying with them a grand aspiration to bring happiness to all. The Dragon Emperor intended to catch them all.

However...

"The trail of energy ends here..." XX said, sounding somewhat puzzled.

After over half an hour, the group arrived at a manor on the outskirts of Orleans.

At the same time, Artorius cast an inquisitive gaze towards XX, seemingly awaiting further explanation.

"I sense something similar here. It's indeed strange..." X chimed in.

As X said that, XX glanced at X.

X returned the look, clearly not pleased.

It was like 15-year-old you, looking at your 20-year-old self.

'What the hell? Do I become like this at that age?! Look at that fat, she must've gained a few pounds more than me.' X cursed inwardly when glancing at XX's chest.

'It's embarrassing.' XX complained in her mind as she felt ashamed whenever she saw X.

The 20-year-old XX thought that her 15-year-old self was the dark history of her 'chuunibyou' phase, but the 15-year-old X was far from pleased with the 20-year-old XX, who now seemed like a sloppy single lady.

Fortunately, XX wasn't single now.

And, since Artorius was here. Together, X and XX wouldn't resort to swords for conversation and start hacking at each other.

"What about you?"

As X and XX both expressed confusion, Artorius turned his gaze toward Artoria.

"..."

If possible, Artoria didn't want to speak. Morgan smiled and nodded at Artorius, while Mordred spoke up and brought up a topic that piqued her interest.

"Indeed... there's a strange sense of familiarity... hmm, it's really strange..."

Unlike the Artoria Species from the Servant Universe, the local Artoria Species hadn't seen many of their kind gathered in one place. Therefore, while they could sense the 'Artorium', they were not as sensitive and couldn't make the clear judgments that professionals like X and XX could, who seemed to have a radar to detect Artoria Species.

"Then this should be the place."

Different from the local Artoria Species who still found it a bit strange, Artorius quickly confirmed the truth of the matter by surveying the surroundings.

"Those Artoria Species of Holy Lance Sisterhood, have been annihilated." Artorius calmly uttered the words that surprised both X and XX.

"What?! How is that possible?!"

The Holy Lance Sisterhood was one of the three major organizations of Artoria Species, on par with the Order of Avalon and the Dark Rounds. Despite being the weakest of the three major organizations due to their lower harmony and internal disputes, they still had nearly a hundred Artorias!

'Who could have defeated all of them in such a short time, even I...'

As XX pondered, her pupils suddenly contracted as she considered a very grim possibility.

"It's... Mysterious Heroine..."