C245

Shirou groaned and slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was an intense pain in his back, as if someone was trying to snap his spine in half. He instinctively reached for his lower back, wincing as he propped himself up on the bed. As he tried to sit up straight, a wave of dizziness washed over him, making him feel like he had just emerged from the depths of the underworld.

"What the hell happened?" he muttered to himself, feeling very uncomfortable. Had he been sitting in the same position for too long yesterday? He tried to remember, but all he could recall was finishing up the last of the paperwork before falling asleep.

Shirou couldn't understand why his back was hurting so much. He had sat for a whole day before without any discomfort. Could it be an accumulation of fatigue?

He tried to stand up, but the dizziness intensified, making him sway on his feet. He steadied himself on the edge of the bed and took a few deep breaths.

Shirou used the black muds, which quickly restored his physical strength. He stood up, but his head was still spinning.

Despite its ability to repair physical wear and tear, black mud could do nothing to heal Shirou's mental fatigue. The influence of [Vampiric Evil] and the corruption of the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad left him feeling mentally drained and wanting nothing more than to lie down and go back to sleep.

Despite his weariness, Shirou knew he couldn't afford to be lazy. As the king, he had a lot of work to do. So, he gathered his strength and made his way back to the Throne Room.

As he entered the room, he found it empty, save for Guinevere, who was on all fours, frantically writing at the table.

Taking a seat on the throne, he asked, "Where is everyone? What time is it? Has any paperwork been brought here yet?"

Guinevere replied, "They all arrived early, and I've sorted everything out." But as she looked up at Shirou, resentment flashed across her face.

"What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"

"It's been two whole days! You've slept for two days straight!" she exclaimed resentfully. "All your work has piled up on me!"

Shirou's frown deepened as he pointed to himself and asked, "You're saying I slept for two days?"

She nodded, her expression resentful. "The situation is stable now, and everyone assumed you were too exhausted, so no one went to check on you. They thought you were just sleeping."

"That can't be right..." he muttered, shaking his head. "I remember only sleeping last night."

Camelot was still a new city, and the walls were not yet fully built. Many administrative departments had yet to move from Cornwall, making the palace seem relatively deserted, with only two or three guards standing watch. The others had been sent by Shirou to do labor work.

As a result, the palace was empty, and there was no one around to wake Shirou up. He had always relied on his own self-discipline to maintain his daily routine.

However, the fact that he had slept for two whole days didn't make sense.

Shirou couldn't believe he had slept for two whole days, as it went against his self-discipline and well-established biological clock. Even when he had crawled out of the Land of the Dead, he hadn't disrupted his routine.

But then, a memory surfaced of Morgan Le Fay smiling as she offered him a bowl of chicken soup. Combined with Guinevere's mention of sleeping for two days and the continued dizziness, a terrible thought struck him.

Shirou's hands and feet turned ice-cold as the terrible thought consumed him. He glanced over at Guinevere, who was humming a tune and poring over documents. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, "G-Guinevere...have you heard any strange noises in the palace over the past two days? Specifically, in my room?"

She looked at him, clearly puzzled. "No, why would anyone go to your room without a reason? You even dismissed the palace guards."

"Everyone wants you to rest well. And besides, you've delegated all your affairs to me..." Guinevere trailed off, her resentment palpable. "Wait...is something wrong? You don't look too good. Did something happen?"

Shirou broke out in a cold sweat and replied, "Nothing...I just didn't sleep well." He then asked, "What about Morgan? Where is she?"

"Princess Morgan is packing her bags and, as per your orders, is planning to leave for Cornwall," Guinevere replied. She paused for a moment before adding thoughtfully, "As for Artoria, she's already left and gone to Tintagel."

"Nevermind Artoria, where is Morgan now?"

"In her workshop."

"Good work," he said before quickly departing with a solemn expression.

"What happened? He looked so serious..." Guinevere muttered to herself. She shook her head and returned her attention to the paperwork, humming a tune that made the work seem more enjoyable.

But then, a thought struck her. Why was she feeling so happy doing this work?

Guinevere's face stiffened.

...

With a serious expression on his face, Shirou hurried towards Morgan's workshop, ignoring the greetings of those who passed by him.

He couldn't shake the fear that he had fallen into Morgan's hands. Despite always using [Evil] to cover himself and keeping Morgan at a distance, he knew that her mastery of alchemy made her methods unpredictable and mysterious. It was possible that she had created something that bypassed his [Evil] judgment and charmed him without his knowledge.

Despite [Evil] being able to automatically defend him and prevent Morgan from getting close to him, Shirou knew that if he approached her himself, [Evil] wouldn't be able to protect him.

The thought of being secretly attacked by Morgan and ending up sleeping with her filled Shirou with panic and fear.

What if a child suddenly appeared, calling him "dad"? Shirou felt like he would collapse.

He had never been a father and had no plans to settle down in this era. Otherwise, at that time, where would he have the courage to leave?

"Don't...don't let anything happen," Shirou lamented silently to himself

When he arrived at Morgan's workshop, he found her dispatching people to move her belongings, while Bedivere took inventory on the side.

"Your Majesty!" Morgan greeted Shirou with a smile.

His eyes subconsciously flicked towards her belly, unsure of how to broach the topic. "Have you been packing up your things these past few days?" he asked hesitantly.

Morgan raised an eyebrow. "Yes, why? Starting to miss me?" she teased, quickly approaching him.

Shirou instinctively activated [Evil], keeping her at a distance.

Morgan: "..."

She gnashed her teeth.

He carefully observed Morgan's expression and found nothing particularly unusual. Had he been mistaken about her intentions? He couldn't be too sure, but for the moment, it seemed like a false alarm.

Shirou coughed twice, wanting to comfort Morgan, but she snorted and turned away from him.

Feeling at a loss for words, he quietly pulled Bedivere over.

"What's wrong, Your Majesty?" Bedivere asked, looking puzzled.

Shirou glanced at Morgan's belly before turning back to Bedivere. "Bedivere, I need to trouble you with something."

"What is it?" Bedivere asked, blinking in surprise.

"Well..." he pondered for a moment before speaking. "After you leave for Cornwall, please keep an eye on Morgan for me. If her belly suddenly grows or if a child appears by her side, you must immediately inform me. Don't keep it from me!"

Bedivere's breath hitched and he trembled at the implication. "A child? Could it be...?" he trailed off, feeling like he had stumbled into something serious.

Shirou's eyes narrowed slightly as he said, "Don't think too much. I haven't done anything. And there are some things you shouldn't ask or say. Do you understand? Otherwise, I won't spare you."

Bedivere quickly nodded, closing his mouth tightly. He looked at Shirou with pleading eyes, like a golden retriever begging for a treat.

"Be careful not to get caught."

Bedivere nodded in agreement, but Shirou still didn't feel at ease with just him. He disrupted his own plans and called Agravain, explaining the situation to him.

"Your Majesty...are you suggesting that Morgan might be carrying your child?" Agravain asked hesitantly.

"Don't talk nonsense!" Shirou exclaimed nervously. "Just keep an eye on her. If it's true, you have to tell me. I trust you the most."

Agravain nodded seriously. "Please rest assured, Your Majesty. I will keep a close watch on her."

Shirou brought Agravain to join Morgan's team, hoping to keep a closer eye on her movements.

As he watched Morgan and her team depart, Shirou was filled with fear, his hands and feet growing cold. "I hope it's not what I'm thinking... I really can't stay in this era."

He was deeply suspicious of Morgan, but had no evidence to prove his fears. Everything would have to wait until a year later, when the truth would finally reveal itself. Until then, he could only hope for the best and pray that his worst fears were not realized.

Compared to Artoria, Morgan was a much more troublesome woman. While Artoria had difficulty expressing her emotions, she was reliable, easy to deal with, and could be completely trusted.

Most importantly, Artoria followed Shirou's instructions and left Camelot for Tintagel before he even had to ask her to.

Mordred...

Shirou let out a deep sigh, realizing that he was not in the mood to read the paperwork that Guinevere had sorted for him.