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Artoria welcomed him into the estate, while Merlin—still being chomped on by the baby dragon—came in all teary-eyed.

"Help me, Lily! She's biting me!" Merlin cried, pointing to his breast while struggling with the baby, who had a fierce expression and a mouthful of teeth.

After greeting him, Merlin pointed at the young dragon and wailed, "Oh no! Please help me get her off! I feel like she's going to bite me to pieces! She's so small, where does she get such strength from? My king, do you think her mother is a dragon?"

Shirou regarded the crying Merlin with a pleased expression and remarked, "Tsk tsk, it seems you've made too many enemies! Even a child can't tolerate your antics!"

And then, just like that, Kay unsheathed his sword and started chasing Merlin.

Young Shirou remembered this whole thing.

Because this was the first time he caught sight of Merlin all dolled up like a magical girl, and the image was so stunning it was etched into his brain.

However, the next part made him squint his eyes.

Kay chased after Merlin and asked, "What are you trying to do?"

"I'm just dispelling the doubts in the King's heart," Merlin replied.

A crease formed between Kay's brows, "And what's that supposed to mean?"

With a sigh, Merlin explained, "Your approach isn't going to fool the King, that's for sure. All I need you to do is play along and leave the rest to me."

Shirou stayed around the estate for a few days, observing Artoria's routine, all the while Merlin paraded around with the baby dragon, practically shoving her in Shirou's face. He even turned it into a guessing game, asking him whose kid it was.

Without missing a beat, he flatly stated that the child was his and Artoria's.

Isn't this to be expected? Before Merlin took off from Camelot to track down Zelretch, he had been using this trick to deceive, scare, and tease him. The first time he said it was Morgan, the second time Scathach, the third time Guinevere, the fourth time Gareth, and he guessed that the fifth time would be Artoria.

However, after constantly flaunting it in front of him, he grew suspicious and suspected Merlin was hiding something from him. So, he seriously questioned him. But Merlin, with a serious expression, told him that this was their child, and he had conceived it from his dreams... too disgusting. He immediately sent Kay to chase Merlin.

He also sensed that Artoria was hiding something from him. Later, she went to his room herself and confessed. She didn't want to be King, willingly giving up the throne. He agreed.

These memories were all there, exactly the same, with no changes.

Young Shirou knew this was true, but the world outside the door was what he didn't know.

Once Artoria said her goodbyes, she left the room.

Agravain and Merlin gathered together.

"Truly impressive. To be able to predict the King to this extent," Agravain remarked.

Merlin gave a bitter smile and replied, "Let me be honest with you. This time, my intention wasn't to deceive the King. If he had harbored suspicions and confronted me, I would have confessed everything. However, he didn't... I've tried countless times to deceive him, just to witness his frustration and embarrassment. Despite my efforts, I've never succeeded even once. Yet now, when I genuinely had no intention to deceive him, I succeeded... Life is truly unpredictable."

Pausing for a moment, Merlin added, "Bring Mordred and the other war orphans to the capital. This way, the King will find it hard to piece together the truth."

Agravain gave an acknowledging nod.

As seasons changed, shifting from spring to autumn, the capital became the home of not only the growing baby dragon but also the other war orphans.

From a small, helpless hatchling, the baby dragon gradually grew into a cute little girl with golden hair.

However, compared to her adorable appearance, her personality was far from lovely.

Just as Merlin predicted, the baby dragon's personality was the type that refused to be outdone, willing to bite back even in the face of death – not a child who would simply accept being mistreated.

When Artoria wasn't around, some kids would give her a hard time. A few boys thought it was funny to mess with her beautiful golden hair, and she wasn't one to back down. She'd stand her ground and give them a taste of their own medicine.

But the problem was, she had her mom's genes running through her veins, so her strength was pretty strong. Every time she stood up to those bullies, it ended up looking like she had made them cry instead. That didn't sit well with her mom, who would give her an earful.

Fortunately, she was carefree and didn't take these things to heart. Even if she had quarreled and fought with others the day before, leading to her mother's rebuke, she would happily share food and play with them the following day.

As a result, she got along well with clumsy boys, but not so much with thoughtful girls.

There was this one time when she had a big fight with another girl. But she didn't hold grudges. So, the very next day, she went up to the girl and said, all cheerful, "Wanna play?"

But the girl didn't look too happy. She frowned and replied, "We're not friends anymore."

She was puzzled. "Huh? Why?"

And the girl, with a pretty displeased expression, shot back, "I'm really upset with you, so we're not friends anymore!"

She responded in confusion, "That's a weird way of looking at things. If you're mad, just tell me. We can sort it out, maybe even have a little argument, but we'd still be friends, no hard feelings. And don't worry, I won't run and tattle to mom."

"Jeez, Modred, you're such an idiot!"

But despite her efforts, she couldn't patch things up.

Mordred wasn't a typical girl. She had this boldness about her, almost like a guy. Holding grudges wasn't her thing. After a fight, she'd just forget it ever happened and go back to having a blast with everyone else.

That's why she was admired by many boys and enjoyed playing with them, but she was kept at a distance by the girls.

Meanwhile, Young Shirou watched this whole scene quietly.

—What do you think?

He didn't say a word. He simply turned his gaze towards Mordred, watching her playing with carefree smile on her face.

Later on, in the next scene, it was time for the coronation ceremony.

On the night before the big event, he visited Artoria's place.

All the kids there felt a mix of excitement and nervousness as they gazed at him.

They had actually made a flower crown, hoping to give it to him. But when it came to actually stepping up and offering it, everyone got cold feet.

They were afraid and hesitant but Mordred gave her chest a pat and boldly took the lead. Stepping forward, she offered the flower crown and gently placed it on his head.

Then, she darted away like a rabbit and blended into the crowd, her eyes fixed on him with a mix of anxiety and curiosity.

Once he and Artoria were gone, the teasing began. People poked fun at her, poking holes in her courage for not staying with him, and instead, melting into the crowd like a shy ghost.

She said unhappily, "Oh come on, you guys are the real chickens here! You strut around like fearless warriors, mocking everyone else as scaredy-cats, yet a tiny roach sends you squealing! Just remember, it was me who squashed that bug last time! You're the real fraidy-cats! Nyahaha!"

She pulled a goofy face for added emphasis.

—And what's your take on this, O King of Men?

Young Shirou couldn't help but chuckle, his tone playfully mocking. "Impressive illusion, I must say. You've really gone all out, creating this elaborate illusion with a full-fledged character and storyline, haven't you, Crimson Moon?"

—You're still deluding yourself. Take a look at your situation now.

As Shirou looked at his surroundings, his eyes widened in surprise.

He had actually gone inside the illusion!

"From being an observer on the sidelines, you've now become a part of this illusion. It's a sign that your subconscious has recognized what you're seeing as the truth."

A mirage of the Crimson Moon materialized beside him.

It looked just like Arcueid, but with the long hair she once had.

Her hair cascaded down, and she was dressed in white. Yet, the air of aloofness and coldness from over a thousand years ago was nowhere to be found. Instead, her eyes gleamed with a human-like cunning.

She reached out her hand, gently touching his cheek, and said, "You might be fooling yourself, but you can't fool me. Do you have any idea how long I've been residing in your heart? A good ten years! I'm the one who understands you the best."

...

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