In a hotel in Trifas.
After setting up several Surveillance Magecraft spells at the Greater Holy Grail's location, Naoki, Jeanne, and the others returned to Trifas and checked into a hotel.
Though they currently controlled the Greater Holy Grail, making it their base and defending it was the optimal choice, the problem was the lack of beds nearby. Naoki and the other adults could manage, but Gray couldn't. Despite Jeanne's insistence that she'd be fine, Naoki didn't want her to catch a cold.
So, after symbolically placing some Magecraft, they headed to Trifas. After all, Amakusa Shirou would soon arrive with his Hanging Gardens. No matter how many Defensive Magecraft spells were set up, they'd be useless. It was better to face him head-on later, crushing him into bankruptcy with a single Moon Fall.
'Ever since gaining Arcueid's power, I seem to rely more and more on Moon Fall.'
Naoki thought as he lay on the bed, raising his hand to examine the Red Moon tattoo on the back of it. Arcueid hadn't commented on his actions, even seeming somewhat pleased. Perhaps for her, as long as she could help him, that was enough.
"Master."
Mordred's voice came from the sofa—since she'd gained a physical body, Naoki, who used to sleep alone, now had to share space with her. Nearby were Gray, Caren, and Angelica, who didn't need sleep.
"What's up?"
"After the Holy Grail War ends, what are you going to do?"
"Huh? Why ask that out of the blue?"
"Just curious. Look, now that I have a body, and if nothing goes wrong, I'll have to follow you from now on. I should at least know what's in store for me, right?"
Recalling the days after being abandoned, Naoki smiled. "Well, nothing much. At most, you'd just need to drop Gray off at school or pick her up. You can do whatever you want, as long as you don't cause trouble for me."
"What's that? I thought I'd have to work."
"If you want to, you could, but your behavior might stir up problems. By the way, how old are you now?" Naoki asked suddenly.
Mordred was a homunculus, aging rapidly from childhood to adulthood in just a few years. Though she now looked like a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl, she should actually be much younger, right?
Propping her chin as if deep in thought, Mordred spread her hands. "Forgot. It's been so long since I died, I've lost track of age or whatever! If I had to say, twenty!"
'You think you're a twenty-year-old adult?'
With her bratty demeanor, Naoki would believe it if Mordred said she was ten.
"Alright, it's late. Go to sleep, Little Mo. You're not a Servant anymore. Now that you have a body, you need to rest properly and take care of yourself, got it? When you sleep, make sure to cover up well, don't catch a cold, and your sleeping position—"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it! Geez, even Father King wasn't this naggy."
'No, those words weren't me…'
Touching the part where Arthur's power might be stirring, Naoki sighed in resignation, closed his eyes, and drifted off.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
"Good night, my beloved King."
In a fantastical dreamscape of flowers, Merlin sat cross-legged behind Naoki's head, gazing at her King.
Naoki reluctantly opened his eyes and glared at her "I'm trying to sleep."
"Mm, I know, that's why I pulled you here."
She deliberately didn't want him to sleep!
"I want to hit you."
"Oh, would you have the heart to hit me?" Merlin laughed. "It's fine, this is just a dream. Your body and mind will rest fully, so it won't tire you out. I'm very considerate and would never do anything bad to you. But…"
She leaned in, gently pinching Naoki's nose and pouting. "For a selfish King who abandons his old lover after having a child, even with all my patience, I'd get upset."
"Mordred isn't my child, and haven't you been the one avoiding pulling me here lately?"
"That's your fault too, my King. I don't mind if you seek out your Guinevere, but… if it's a puppet, that's a no-go." Merlin looked a bit conflicted. "Though I don't want to lose to a puppet either."
"Are you a mother picking out a daughter-in-law for me?"
Rising from Merlin's lap, Naoki pulled her into his arms. "So, what kind of Guinevere do you want me to find?"
Leaning casually against his chest, Merlin pondered.
"No special requirements. I respect your choices."
"Then Angelica—"
"No way~" Merlin pressed a finger to Naoki's lips. "Enough, enough, let's drop the lover talk. This is my domain, so at least here, focus on me."
'Weren't you the one who brought it up?'
Naoki realized many people around him loved shifting blame first.
But that was fine.
He never found Merlin boring. In the end, he now clearly understood that the only person he truly liked was Merlin—though his love and frustration for her were equal.
"Focus on you…?"
Leaning on Merlin's shoulder, Naoki inhaled the floral scent emanating from her.
"Haven't I always done that? You're the one who keeps steering the conversation elsewhere, ever since that night."
That night, of course, referred to the first time they opened up to each other.
Though they acted no differently afterward, in truth, both were slightly affected. For Merlin, in her thousands of years, it might've been her first time.
"Merlin, are you avoiding me?"
"No." Merlin turned her face slightly. "I just don't want trouble. Back when I served as court Mage, Sir Gawain, Sir Lancelot, and the Queen often suspected me. It's a hassle to deal with later."
"So, you plan to do the same now?"
"I know my place. Dream dates like this are the limit. Of course, if my King wants to play husband and wife with me, it's not impossible. Just don't expect me to help you smooth things over if your harem gets rowdy."
In fact, she'd probably stir up the chaos.
Watching Arthur entangled in love conflicts was her favorite drama, second only to seeing him descend into despair.
Naoki understood Merlin's thinking perfectly. The Arthur within him echoed similar complaints and protests. Though Merlin was the benefactor who raised him, Arthur couldn't help but harbor some grievances—Naoki was now experiencing what Arthur had!
It was almost triggering psychological resonance!
"Merlin."
Taking a deep breath, Naoki decided to give her no more room for excuses. For this cunning woman who knew how to keep her distance, playing push-and-pull would only leave him battered. The most effective approach was—
"Five years from now, when I return, I'll drag you straight to a church to get married. No running away."
"Eh?"
Merlin froze.