Guinevere could not be allowed to die. Artorius knew with absolute certainty that if the Princess perished on his foster father's lands—especially while under his escort—not only would his own life be forfeit, but Sister Kay, Artoria, and Sir Ector would all be dragged to the grave with her. In that heart-stopping moment as the Demonic Boar thundered toward the carriage, there was no time to evacuate, and a blade might not even pierce its hide.
Flashing through his mind was the memory of Merly's "kiss" from the previous night—the kiss that had flooded him with power. He decided to gamble everything on a single, desperate stand.
"Here goes nothing!"
The impact was agonizing, like being struck head-on by a fully loaded truck. Artorius's feet sank deep into the soil as he ground his teeth, forcibly halting the boar's momentum. Man and beast locked into a frenzied struggle of raw strength right before the carriage door. The stench of blood and musk filled his lungs. Under the horrified gazes of the onlookers, Artorius let out a primal roar. His muscles bulged, and he actually heaved the mountain-sized boar into the air, slamming it violently into the earth!
Without missing a beat, Artorius went on the offensive. He leapt onto the struggling beast before it could recover, raining down blows packed with the entirety of his newfound strength. He hammered at its head until the skull cracked and splintered, finally drawing his sword to plunge it deep into the creature's skull, shredding its brain matter.
The entire life-and-death struggle had lasted barely a dozen seconds, yet it had drained more of his stamina than carving his way through half the town the night before.
As the adrenaline began to ebb, Artorius let out a ragged, triumphant laugh. Catching his breath, he looked at the massive carcass. He suspected that the reason the Demonic Boar had been so unusually aggressive this season was that it was pregnant and felt its territory was being threatened.
Just as he prepared to use his sword to open the beast's belly, a warm presence drew close behind him. He turned his head, and his face ended up inches away from Guinevere's. They nearly kissed.
"Princess?! What are you doing out here?"
"Because... it was you who saved me." Guinevere's face was flushed, her eyes shy yet fixed on him. She didn't retreat; instead, she tucked herself obediently behind Artorius to watch his "dissection."
Artorius used his bare hands to pull open the boar's abdomen. Amidst the gore, he discovered a bizarre young creature. It bore no resemblance to a boar at all. Instead, it had long rabbit ears, a fox's tail, and was covered in snow-white, fluffy fur. Its life force was remarkably resilient. Guinevere crouched curiously beside Artorius, chanting a minor water-element spell to wash the filth from both Artorius and the tiny beast.
Artorius picked up the adorable little thing, intending to gift it to the Princess. However, Guinevere didn't reach for the cub. Instead, she gently took hold of his hands—the hands that were currently cradling the creature, covered in dozens of tiny, stinging scratches and bruises from the struggle.
"You're hurt," she whispered.
With this battle, Artorius had not only solidified his status as a "God of War" in the eyes of the Camelot troops—Commander Bart was currently staring in catatonic shock—but he had also completely maxed out Guinevere's favor.
As for that white cub that looks like a mix between a rabbit and a fox... any reader familiar with the Fate series likely knows exactly who—or what—this "beast" really is.
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