When he woke again, it was already broad daylight. Sunlight spilled through the window in golden sheets. Artorius was roused by the sound of hurried footsteps echoing down the hallway, drawing closer by the second.
BAM!
The bedroom door was violently flung open. A black-haired girl in a knight's tunic—Kay—rushed in, looking frantic. Upon seeing Artorius sitting safely in bed, she let out a visible sigh of relief and threw herself at him, pulling him into a bone-crushing embrace.
"Thank goodness you're alright! Thank goodness!"
"Sister?"
Artorius was still a bit groggy. As he sat there bewildered, another figure appeared at the doorway, dressed in a snow-white knight's uniform. She had long, snowy hair, large eyes, and skin as delicate as cream—she looked as exquisite as a porcelain doll.
"Sister Bedivere? Why are you here?"
"Because of what happened last night, your sister was worried sick about you," Bedivere said, her lips curving into a gentle smile. "Besides, Princess Guinevere is arriving. To prevent any further accidents, my brother sent me with an escort to protect the Princess."
"Guinevere?!" Artorius's eyes widened, his voice jumping an octave.
Guinevere was a name that carried immense weight in this era. As the only daughter of the King of Cameliard—who was famously devoted to his late wife and had no sons—whoever married her would essentially inherit the entire kingdom. Coupled with the traveling bards' songs naming her "Britain's Greatest Beauty," she was the dream of every knight in the land.
More importantly, the King of Cameliard possessed the Round Table gifted to him by the late King Uther, with the pact that his daughter would be wed to the "New King" when they appeared.
In Artorius's memory, however, she was the Queen whose affair with Lancelot shattered the Round Table and indirectly led to Mordred's rebellion. He didn't have any romantic designs on her; he was simply curious to see if the woman who had turned so many powerful men into fools was truly as beautiful as they said.
"Would you like to come with me to receive Princess Guinevere, Lis?" Bedivere offered.
"Wait, really? Is that okay?" Artorius's eyes lit up.
"Of course. After all, the Ector household is primarily responsible for the local security anyway."
Artorius looked down at Kay, who was still clinging to him. "Sister, let go. I'm fine, but you're going to squeeze the life out of me if you keep this up."
Kay snapped her head up and glared at him fiercely. "You ungrateful brat! I rushed back here without even stopping for a meal!"
"Alright, alright, I really am fine." Artorius clenched his fist experimentally. "I feel so strong right now I could probably punch a demonic boar to death."
Last night in the dream, the "liquid" Merly had passed to him through that "kiss" had caused his mana and physical stats to skyrocket. He was brimming with confidence; if he ran into that Saxon leader again, he felt he could smash through the man and his armor in one go.
Kay eventually decided to stay home. "I won't go. I can see her well enough when she arrives at the castle. Just remember to behave yourself and make a good impression in front of the Princess."
Kay was running a little mental calculation: Cameliard was a powerful kingdom. If either Artorius or Artoria pulled the sword and took the throne, marrying Guinevere and securing their support would be vital for stabilizing Camelot. If Guinevere fell for Artorius, that doting father of hers would undoubtedly throw his full weight behind him.
"Don't worry, I'll definitely give it my all!" Artorius thumped his chest, looking supremely confident. "I'll make sure the Princess sees my worth. That way, when the New King eventually marries her, she can put in a good word for me as his chief minister!"
Kay: "???"
Did you actually understand a single word of my hint?!
────────────────────────────────────────
Support me here: https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Chainsaw Man : The Chainsaw Man World Doesn't Need a Perfect Idol
Join the journey and become part of the story!
────────────────────────────────────────