Chapter 217: I Am Selfish.
[You have arrived at the rumored location.]
[But you do not see any powerful Divine Servant — instead, you see a magnificent arena and its referee, the Hero King Gilgamesh.]
[As the arbiter, he orders the Gym Challenge and the League to be held right here. Whoever wins will gain everything.]
[This is a battle you must win.]
There was still some time before the official matches began.
Eikou quietly surveyed the competitors around him.
Charlemagne of the Twelve Paladins, Jason of the Argo team, and Caren's team — though no one knew which Servant she possessed.
These three Trainers were the opponents who had alarmed him the moment he stepped inside.
Eikou had never once seen Caren summon a Servant, while beside Jason stood the great hero Heracles along with the Argonauts — just thinking about it was enough to make one's scalp tingle.
The only ones he had actually fought before were Charlemagne and the Twelve Paladins, but they were no easy opponents either…
"Hm…"
Meanwhile, his own forces consisted of Medusa Lily and Artoria Lancer; in both numbers and raw strength, he did not hold the advantage.
There was a very real chance this would be an extremely difficult battle.
Eikou could only hope he wouldn't be placed in the same bracket as them.
"Master…"
Just as he was deep in thought, Anna tugged lightly on the corner of his coat.
"What is it, Anna?"
He lowered his head and asked.
"I want to go up to the rooftop and take a look, is that okay?"
Anna blinked her adorable purple eyes, filled with childlike curiosity, and pointed at the arena's second floor.
"Of course, but the matches are starting soon, so don't run too far."
Eikou said gently.
"Yes!"
Anna nodded with excitement, happily running up the steps of the stands, her cloak fluttering behind her.
[Taking advantage of the time before the matches start, Anna wants to explore the surroundings.]
[And you and Artoria are left with a bit of time alone.]
[Although it isn't quite the right atmosphere to talk about this now, with the battle approaching, you hope neither of you will be distracted.]
[So…]
"Artoria, there's something I want to tell you."
Eikou began.
"Wh… what is it?"
Hearing him say he wanted to talk, Artoria immediately stood upright, her green eyes nervous yet full of anticipation focused on him.
Clearly, she also wanted to talk about what happened yesterday.
But the surroundings were full of noise — not the right place for a serious conversation.
"I know this isn't a suitable place to say much, and we don't have the time to go into detail…"
More importantly, I still owe your sister a very important confession.
Eikou thought.
The next three days off — he had to spend them entirely with Morgan.
But…
Artoria's feelings at this moment couldn't be ignored either — they had to be cherished properly.
"There's something I must make clear to you."
Eikou took a deep breath, tense and uneasy, rubbing his own neck lightly.
"If you like someone like me, then you need to be prepared. Because the real me is a very selfish person — greedy, possessive, lustful, and constantly thinking all sorts of heavy thoughts…"
He looked toward Artoria and stepped closer.
"..."
Eikou gathered all his courage, took her hand, then pressed his forehead against hers — fair and warm.
He could feel Artoria's warm, rapid breathing, her soft golden hair brushing against his cheek, carrying a gentle, refreshing scent.
"If you stay by my side, I'll become more greedy every single day. I won't just want to keep you close — I'll keep demanding your affection again and again, endlessly troublesome. If you become my target, then even if you regret it, I'll cling to you forever."
"Besides those things, there are so many more I want to tell you. I'll tell you all of them one by one in the future, so you'll understand just how selfish of a child I really am. If you can accept someone like me, then I will never let you leave my side again."
"Umu..."
Hearing this confession that was no different from a love declaration, Artoria gently nodded, listening to every word with utmost seriousness.
"I will listen carefully to everything you say from now on, Eikou."
"Then, about what's coming next, let me tell you how serious it is first…"
Eikou leaned closer to her face, gently and delicately sensing the other's hormones. Artoria's soft, pink lips seemed to be breathing out a sweet warmth.
"I want you to know just how strong my desire to possess you is…"
He softly bit her lips, their fingers tightly interlaced, and then he began to demand without restraint.
At this point, Eikou no longer cared if anyone else was around. He simply closed his eyes and kissed Artoria's lips — gentle yet forceful.
Artoria was not repulsed by his boldness at all. On the contrary, she held the boy before her tightly, returning his kiss with tenderness.
[The two of them just held each other and kissed for a long while.]
[Only when the sound of drums signaling the start of the match rang out did they separate, both of their faces slightly flushed.]
[Anna quickly returned to their side, seemingly sensing that something was off.]
[But no one had time to care about what just happened, because the first match of the League was about to begin.]
[You all steadied your minds, composed your spirits, and prepared to enter the match in your best condition.]
"The first match is a team battle."
King Gilgamesh spoke in an authoritative tone that allowed no resistance.
"You mongrels down there are too many; this king has no interest in watching you step onto the field one by one. Besides, that kind of match is boring as hell, it doesn't excite this king at all. Instead, form teams of two and let two teams tear each other apart."
In other words, two trainers per team, and the opponents are also two trainers?
With the Servant of each trainer included, this was practically a miniature version of a Holy Grail War.
That means…
Who would be his teammate, and who would be the enemy?
Eikou nervously swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
And on the grand stage before them, the matchups for the first round were quickly announced.
Seeing the names clearly, Eikou widened his eyes in shock.
It clearly read:
[Caren Hortensia, Mochizuki Eikou]
[VS]
[Charlemagne, Jason]
Oh god, he really ran into those people?! Damn it, the very thing he feared the most actually happened!
Eikou smacked his palm onto his forehead.
Then who was his teammate…?
He turned to look at the silver-haired girl standing not far away.
So it was Caren?