"So good!"
Illyasviel's eyes lit up as she drank the milk tea.
"But…"
She suddenly closed her eyes and sniffed the air. Her small nose twitched as she walked straight toward Sella, standing on her toes to smell her more closely.
"Sella, you smell a little strange."
"And Leon smells the same."
Faced with Illya's question, Sella calmly folded her hands in front of her and answered without changing her expression.
"Lady Illyasviel, that scent comes from Mr. Leon's failed experimental heather lemon tea."
"Would you like to try some?"
"Really?"
Illya looked suspicious.
But the moment she took a sip of another cup Leon produced—this time a glutinous lemon tea mixed with a bit of heather—
She immediately spat it out, spraying Sella's face just like Leon himself had done earlier.
"Blech—!"
"That tastes awful!"
Illya stuck out her pink tongue, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. The flavor assaulted both her taste buds and her sense of smell at the same time.
"Hahahahaha!"
Leon burst out laughing without mercy.
In retaliation, Illya launched a rocket-like headbutt at him.
Meanwhile, Leysritt calmly pulled out a handkerchief and began wiping Sella's face with her usual meticulous precision.
After playing around with Illya for a while, Leon stepped outside the castle.
In the snowy courtyard—
Artoria, dressed in a blue dress, sat cross-legged on the ground.
Snowflakes drifted down continuously, nearly piling up around her until she resembled half of a snowman.
Hearing footsteps crunch through the snow, Artoria opened her eyes.
Before she could speak, Leon asked first.
"Saber, what are you doing?"
"Preparing for the coming battle."
"I have a reason why I must win."
"Is that so?"
Leon raised an eyebrow and casually plopped down beside her in the snow.
This time, Artoria asked first.
"Leon, what is your wish in the Holy Grail War?"
"A wish, huh?"
Leon leaned back with his hands pressed into the snow behind him, sitting in a relaxed posture as he gazed up at the gray winter sky.
"I don't really have any wish that must be fulfilled."
"Because there's nothing in my life that I regret."
"I heard from Irisviel that your wish is to correct the regrets of your past—to save the Britain you once failed to protect."
"In that case…"
"The dream of someone like me, who has no dream, is to fulfill your dream, Saber."
"Why?"
Artoria's emerald eyes flickered as she studied Leon's profile.
"As the wielder of the Holy Sword, you should have some kind of mission."
"Just like the duty I had to fulfill as King Arthur."
"Although after the Sword in the Stone—Caliburn—broke, it was I who, guided by Merlin, sought the Lady of the Lake and obtained the Holy Sword."
She added the last sentence quietly.
"So… no, not really."
Leon shrugged.
"No?"
Artoria frowned slightly.
"Yeah. I don't have any so-called mission."
"When I realized what was happening, the sword was already in my hand."
"And the Lady of the Lake you mentioned? I've never even met her."
Leon summoned the Holy Sword.
The blade shone with its eternal golden radiance, immediately capturing Artoria's gaze.
Memories surfaced in her mind—
The days of Britain.
The battles fought alongside the Knights of the Round Table.
Victory after victory.
And then…
Because of an "accident," the loss of the invincible sheath, Avalon—
Which led to the first and final defeat of King Arthur.
"…."
Artoria fell silent.
"Precisely because I have no dream," Leon continued seriously,
"The dream you once had as the wielder of this Holy Sword… is my dream now."
He looked at her with an absurdly affectionate gaze.
The kind of look that seemed capable of expressing deep emotion even toward a stray dog.
"Why?"
"Leon… you don't have to do this."
Artoria genuinely could not understand why he was so persistent about helping her.
Taking the opportunity, Leon gently lifted one of her hands.
It was slender—far too delicate for someone who wielded a sword every day.
He placed a light kiss on it.
"Well… there's no helping it."
"Because the moment I saw you for the first time—"
"I was completely captivated by you."
"Captivated… meaning?"
Artoria still didn't understand.
She had never thought of herself as a woman, and she had no idea how much charm she might possess as one.
Born as a king—
She had never lived for herself.
"Captivated means captivated."
Leon smiled.
"Love doesn't follow logic."
Of course, he wasn't about to let Artoria keep digging into the question.
After all, he couldn't exactly say:
"I've been attracted to you for years already."
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789