A suffocating silence hung over the cabin's living room.
In his arms, Kay looked down at the small life he held—Gareth.
The baby slept peacefully, oblivious to the world, snoozing softly: golden hair, pale skin. A perfect bloodline of Pendragon.
"Sigh… by the time you wake up, the Great Disaster Battle will probably have begun."
Kay managed a bitter smile and took another swig of his lukewarm ale.
Then.
thud, thud, thud.
The ground trembled.
It was footsteps. But not ordinary ones.
"So you've come."
Kay gently laid Gareth in the cradle and steeled himself.
The doorknob turned.
creak!
The door swung wide, eight girls silhouetted against the blinding sunset.
Each gripped a legendary weapon in hand, standing tall and proud.
It was Artoria who spoke first.
"I have returned, brother! We…"
Her bright smile froze before she finished the sentence.
The expressions of Alter, Lily, Lancer, and the others who followed were the same. Their gazes fixed on a single point.
The basket on the table.
Inside it, the sleeping baby and Kay awkwardly waving a hand beside it.
"…Huh?"
"…A baby?"
Silence.
A suffocating stillness dominated the cabin.
A tension so thick even a pin drop would sound like thunder.
The cabin's temperature plummeted. No, the air itself froze with murderous intent.
Sparks of magical energy zap! flickered from [Excalibur] in Artoria's hand.
"Brother."
Artoria's voice was absolute zero.
"Could you… explain?"
"Wait, calm down. This isn't what you think…"
"While we were out drawing the sword…"
Alter slammed her blade into the floor with a thunk! and growled.
"And you couldn't hold back for that long before going and screwing things up?! What kind of woman are you? What bastard did you fall for to bring a child home? We were only gone half a day, and you went behind our backs?!"
"Brother… I'm disappointed. Without even telling us…"
Lancer's eyes blazed sharper than [Rhongomyniad]. She trembled with betrayal.
Artoria X Alter silently activated her red beam saber, the low hum of its power echoing ominously.
"You tracked down the child's mother and gave her a Force Choke…"
"Brother, congratulations! …I'd love to say that, but my heart aches too much."
Lily collapsed in a heap and started crying.
The cabin instantly turned into hell.
Jealousy, rage, betrayal, and sorrow.
A storm of magical energy fueled by eight different emotions bore down on Kay. At this rate, not just the cabin but all of Tintagel would be blown to pieces.
"Hey! Hey! Stop! Everyone, sheathe your weapons!!"
Kay shouted urgently, wrapping Gareth protectively in his arms.
"He's not my child! He's not!"
"Lies! I smell it! That scent of Pendragon—no, your scent!"
At X's words, Kay yelled back.
"Yeah! Of course he smells of Pendragon! He's your sister's daughter, you idiots!"
"…Huh?"
In an instant, the rampaging magic stopped dead.
Eight pairs of eyes blinked in unison.
"Sis… ramen?"
Lancer Alter's question hung in the air. Kay snapped, exasperated.
"Morgan, you see! Morgan le Fay! That witch came by while you were out and just dropped him off! Like a cuckoo!"
Kay banged his chest in grievance.
"She said she'd give me a kingdom for child support and then ran off! She called him Gareth! He's your nephew, you fools!"
"…Oh."
Alter gaped.
Artoria hastily returned [Excalibur]'s light to its sheath, and Artoria X Alter quietly deactivated her beam saber.
"Morgan's… child?"
"Our… nephew?"
The girls cautiously approached the basket.
When Kay parted the cloth wrap, the blonde baby stirred and yawned.
The resemblance to Pendragon was undeniable. He looked like Artoria but with a softer, more innocent face that hinted at a gentle nature.
"…So cute."
Lily smiled, holding the baby's wriggling hand.
"He's so… tiny."
Alter murmured, marveling at the infant.
"That this child is our nephew."
Artoria Caster looked down at Gareth with a complex expression.
The once-barbaric tension was gone, replaced by a chorus of aunts cooing over their nephew.
Only then did Kay sigh in relief and sink into a chair.
"Ha… getting too old for this."
At that moment, Merlin stepped through the open doorway. He peered inside, puzzled.
"W-What's going on now? Why's there a baby?"
"Why don't you explain, Merlin. Your pupil left him here."
Kay nodded toward Gareth.
The moment Merlin saw the baby's face, his complexion turned ashen.
"Ugh! Morgan's youngest?! Why is he here?!"
"Because your student left him with us. By the way, why are you here?"
"Ah, I wasn't planning to come. But your sisters threatened to kill me if I didn't show."
"…So I'm coming along too. How do I feel about that? Mixed, to say the least."
Kay got to his feet and pulled down the large backpack from the closet. Inside were neatly packed dried meat, bandages, first-aid supplies, and cloth diapers.
"I can cook, but you're going to help with this kid's daycare too."
Kay expertly wrapped Gareth in the cloth sling and hoisted him onto his back.
"…Brother."
Artoria approached, her eyes glistening with tears.
Because of their own stubbornness, Kay was set off on another dangerous journey. And now he had to carry a newborn. Not only did he have to watch over them, but he also had to come along on their mission. This wasn't what he'd signed up for.
"I'm sorry…and…thanks."
"Don't mention it. I'm tagging along because I can't stand the thought of you starving."
Kay said gruffly, giving Artoria a small pat on the head.
Then he turned to Merlin and grinned.
"Hey, Wizard man. You can at least summon a carriage, right? Can't carry a kid on foot all the way."
"…Ha. My life, huh."
Merlin grumbled theatrically, then waved his staff.
A sturdy, spacious carriage appeared in front of the cabin.
Eight maiden knights and Kay, with the baby strapped to his back.
This odd party set off with the Tintagel sunset behind them.
Of course, they stopped to bid farewell to Ector as he returned from his duties.
In a clearing in the forest, a campfire crackled.
Kay was stirring a large cauldron of stew. The aroma of his special blend of spices, developed over the last ten years, filled the woods.
"Dinner…"
From behind him, Gareth stirred, as if waking.
Kay effortlessly scooped the baby into his arms and began warming goat's milk he'd prepared for feeding.
He'd decided that, unlike the Artorias, feeding him meat or meat broth might be too harsh. The kid seemed different.
The eight girls watched in awe.
"…He's a natural."
"Truly a pro. A god of childcare."
Caster and X admired his skillful hands.
Just then, Lancer came over. With her mature demeanor, she sat quietly beside Kay.
"Brother. Aren't your arms tired? I can hold him."
"It's fine. Your armor's too cold, he'd freak out. And you should eat."
Kay refused firmly, handing her a bowl of stew. Lancer pouted but accepted it. Nearby, Alter chewed her meat, grumbling.
"Tch, that kid's so lucky. You didn't carry me when I was small."
"Don't you remember I carried you when you were five? You pooped on my back five times."
At Kay's confession, Alter's face turned tomato-red.
"St-Stop it! My dignity!"
Ha ha ha.
Laughter rang out under the night sky. A peaceful, warm dinner.
But Merlin's gaze as he watched them was colder and darker than the campfire.
He stood in the shade of a distant tree, staring at the laughing Artorias and Kay.
A smile tugged at his lips, but his eyes held no joy.
'…This is a problem. A big problem.'
Merlin toyed with his staff.
A king must be lonely. He must cast aside human emotions and become a system that serves the realm. Only then can he hope to extend the life of this dying Britain, even if by a little.
But these Artorias are too human.
And the reason is simple.
Kay.
This ordinary, talentless man is keeping them tied to their humanity.
He feeds them, makes them laugh, gives them a place to rest.
As long as he's around, the Artorias can never become the ideal king. They will only remain girls who love their brother.
Merlin's eyes narrowed.
Kay is a superb caretaker. That's undeniable. But the nourishing days are over.
What is needed now is trial and loss.
To forge a king, that warm sanctuary must one day be destroyed.
One day… they must be torn away.
Merlin sketched out his ruthless plan in secret.
So that the Artorias can no longer rely on Kay.
Or so that Kay will be forced to leave them, or be kept from meeting them by any means.
With a cruel and certain method, this brotherly game must end.
"Merlin! What are you doing? Aren't you going to eat?"
Kay waved his ladle and called out.
In an instant, Merlin's expression shifted. He put on a friendly smile and replied in an overly bright tone:
"Ah, I'm coming! The smell is so good I got lost in it~"
Merlin walked toward the campfire.
His shadow stretched long in the firelight, flickering as if poised to swallow Kay whole.
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