"I'm dreaming, right?"
Artoria looked somewhat brokenly at Galacta and Morgan, each holding a Baby. But from a close distance, Artoria could feel the resonance of bloodlines from the two babies. She could confirm these two children were hers. When did this happen? Artoria was very confused. Anyone else would probably be just like Artoria. This kind of'suddenly becoming a parent' thing once was enough, but now it had happened a second time. Artoria felt she should learn from those races that could hide their DNA and put a security lock on her genes so that no one could steal her genes at will anymore.
With just one look, Artoria understood who had stolen her genes to create these two children. From the looks of it, Galacta and Morgan were definitely the mastermind and assistant in this matter. The one who could steal her blood at will should be that bastard Galacta. She had actually been deceived by her'silly and sweet' personality and forgotten that this kind of personality is often fooled by others into doing things for them. So Galacta was the assistant, and Morgan was the mastermind. An artificial human 'Mordred' had already appeared during the British period, yet she hadn't learned her lesson and created them again. Royal Sister, you've gone a bit too far. Thinking of this, Artoria's face became more and more grim.
"Artoria, look how cute this Baby is."
The'silly and sweet' Galacta didn't notice Artoria's expression at all. She walked up to Artoria holding a 'newborn' Little guy. This child's hair was black, but the eyes were Holy Green like Artoria's. The Little guy had a small hand in its mouth, staring with big eyes and observing the surroundings curiously. This cute appearance made most of Artoria's rising anger vanish instantly. But Artoria didn't want this kind of thing to happen again in the future. So Artoria took the Little guy directly from Galacta's hands. The Little guy wasn't afraid at all, instead nuzzling against Artoria's large chest.
"Tell me! When did you get my DNA?"
Holding the Little guy, Artoria composed herself and looked at Galacta and Morgan with a very serious expression. This caused the originally happy and lively Galacta to instantly become dejected. From beginning to end, Morgan didn't dare to look Artoria in the eye. After all, the cause and process of this matter were not very honorable. It felt like a young couple who couldn't get approval from home, so they went outside, made it a done deal, and then brought the child home. Anyone seeing a child appear suddenly would definitely not react with a pleasant surprise first, but with shock. Morgan was well-prepared; she had long anticipated this situation, so she remained silent. But Galacta had never prepared for such a thing. She looked at Artoria innocently, then at the child in Artoria's arms. Wasn't this quite good? In her mind, there weren't that many complications.
"It was that time I bit your hand."
Facing Artoria's increasingly unfriendly expression, even if she was simple-minded and lacked guile, she understood that Artoria was angry. Although she didn't know what Artoria was angry about, she still obediently answered Artoria's question, her voice getting smaller and smaller as she spoke, like a child afraid of being scolded for doing something wrong. Seeing her like this, Artoria couldn't continue to be angry, but if she didn't educate them, something even more serious might happen next.
"Galacta, this is wrong. Once my genes are leaked out, some outlaws might use them to clone countless versions of me. What do you think would happen to the world then?"
Thinking of the twenty thousand Misaka Sisters in a certain Imagine Breaker's world, Artoria's heart twitched. If such a thing really happened, how should she, the original, face her clones? This was an ethical issue Artoria couldn't answer. If they were made as soldiers, she might feel slightly less guilt, but if they were used for... unspeakable things, the thought filled her with uncontrollable rage.
"An... Artoria, are you okay? You look terrible!"
Galacta watched Artoria cautiously; it was her first time seeing such an expression on Artoria, and it frightened her. Nearby, Morgan also watched Artoria nervously. She hadn't expected this to impact Artoria so much. Hadn't Gaea done it too? Thinking carefully, the clever Morgan immediately understood the difference between them and Gaea. Gaea had once boasted about the process of Mordred's birth: she used divine arts to collect Artoria's genes, combined them with her own, and formed an eggshell. When the shell broke, Mordred was born. It wasn't a child created through technology; there was no difference from a naturally born child. Most importantly, she hadn't collected Artoria's blood or kept any backups. Morgan, however, had used technological means to create two children by collecting Artoria's blood. With a backup of Artoria's genes, she could create countless children with Artoria at any time.
"I might have done something wrong again."
Suddenly realizing something, Morgan gave a bitter smile. She finally understood where she had erred. Without intimacy or mutual consent, how was this different from a thief? She should have discussed it with Artoria. Even if Artoria disagreed, as long as she knew, it would be better than this sudden appearance, even if Morgan had gone ahead and created the children against her wishes later.
"I'm sorry, Artoria. I should have talked to you beforehand. I apologize for not choosing to communicate."
Knowing she was wrong, Morgan no longer remained silent. She stepped forward to apologize. A child is the crystallization of two people's love and the cornerstone of a family; if one party doesn't accept it, the home collapses instantly. Dropping a child out of nowhere without any prior notice—except perhaps for infertile couples—would be hard for anyone to accept. Artoria's current inability to accept it stemmed from being deceived and the suddenness of it all. This'surprise' was like a giant boulder rolling down a mountain and stopping right in front of her; it was shocking enough, but there was no joy to be found. She was nearly scared to death; how could she be happy?
"I Hope there won't be a next time. The birth of life is infinitely mysterious and should never be interfered with by artificial technology. Such behavior is not only irresponsible toward life but also disrespectful to the children. Fortunately, these two are very healthy. If a sudden genetic mutation or cell rejection had occurred, you would have had to watch helplessly as their little lives faded away. How would that make you any different from those mad scientists?"
Artoria harshly scolded Morgan and Galacta. Then, she picked up the other child. This one shared many features with Morgan, with pale blonde hair and purple eyes, staring curiously at Artoria. The two little ones lay motionless and well-behaved in Artoria's arms, not fussing at all. Artoria gently nuzzled the two little things and left the room. With two extra children, she had to let Maria see them; she hoped Maria wouldn't laugh her teeth off with joy.
"It seems she has accepted the children. There's no need for that laboratory to exist anymore. Galacta, destroy it later. Since Artoria doesn't like seeing us disregard life, we won't touch such things again."
Seeing Artoria leave, Morgan breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed Artoria accepted the children's existence, but she would never allow this to happen again. Morgan spoke to Galacta, who nodded quickly. She had been terrified just now, fearing Artoria would tell her to leave in anger. But it seemed the result was good; Artoria accepted the cute little babies. Although she wanted to play with them, she'd let Artoria have them for now to quench her anger.
"I'll head out now."
After hearing Morgan's instructions, Galacta didn't overthink it. Their goals were now aligned: to appease Artoria's anger. With a clear objective, Galacta acted decisively. She gave Morgan a word and vanished on the spot. Morgan mused that Psychic Teleportation was indeed useful, but the priority now was making Artoria happy.
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