Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

However—the hidden rules of the Holy Grail War were still broken.

"Unbelievable... Caster was actually able to command such monsters?"

Irisviel's voice was tinged with an undisguised fear.

Shirou shook his head: "No, the term 'command' is not accurate. It was simply summoned by that magic book."

Simply put, what was initially a small interdimensional portal has now been expanded considerably due to the intervention of the three Command Seals.

"What... will this monster do next?" Irisviel asked in astonishment.

"There's only one thing we can do: think about why Caster used children as human sacrifices."

Saber and Irisviel turned deathly pale.

Shirou said in a flat tone, "Caster invited the monsters to this world under the guise of a meal, and of course, there is only one thing it has to do next."

A monster of this size could devour an entire city in less than a night.

—The sea monster was summoned to this world not to fight, but simply to feed.

As if to prove the boy's deduction correct, the fully formed sea monster ignored Shirou and the others who were closer and began to leave the forest and move towards the densely populated city.

"..."

Artoria's clenched fists trembled; she could not allow such a monster to run rampant in the cities where people lived.

In her anger, the girl regained her composure.

That sea monster was indeed terrifying, far beyond the comprehension of modern society. However, in Britain, where the aura of the Age of Gods still lingered, Artoria had fought monsters of similar size before.

With her "anti-city treasure," she could easily destroy the sea monster in one strike.

The problem is that the Sea Demon is currently located right behind the town of Fukayama.

The sea monster's size was so enormous that Saber had to expand the range of her Noble Phantasm as much as possible, but in doing so, she might also drag innocent civilians behind her into the attack.

Saber needs someone to cooperate with her to lure the monster away from the deep mountain town.

And at this scene, there was only one person who could do this.

After a brief silence, Saber turned to the red-haired boy she had just rebuked for having ulterior motives.

"I--"

"My name is Shirou."

Shirou looked at Saber and introduced himself.

"Hey! Aren't you called Shinji?!"

"Alice, please keep quiet."

"Oh, okay, I'm sorry."

Irisviel obediently covered her mouth with her hands.

"Shirou..."

Saber repeated the name softly with a subtle expression, then lowered her head.

"I'm really sorry for what happened earlier. I suspected you of having ulterior motives before I even understood the situation."

Shirou asked, "Have you finally calmed down?"

Saber replied, "Mm."

"That's good, you don't need to apologize."

Shirou nodded in satisfaction and responded calmly.

Saber just mistook him for a criminal.

But this can't be blamed on Saber.

After all, Shirou himself almost mistook Saber for someone else at first.

Furthermore, when he approached Irisviel, he did indeed harbor malicious intent and even murderous thoughts.

So that evens things out.

"Aren't you going to hold my previous offense against me?"

Saber asked in surprise.

Shirou's nonchalant attitude in the face of slander not only impressed the girl with his magnanimity but also stirred a deep sense of shame within her.

Artoria thought to herself, "This is probably what they mean by judging others by one's own standards."

Although it was to protect my Master, what I did was really... terrible.

Just minutes before, they had their backs to each other's teammates, but because of a small misunderstanding...

It's no wonder that a king as fickle and indecisive as me met such a tragic end.

"........."

Suddenly, nightmares from the past surfaced before Artoria's eyes.

That was the despairing end-of-the-world landscape the magician had shown her when she was 15 and drew the sword on the chosen day.

The battlefield at dusk on Jianlan Hill is a continuous mountain of corpses and a river of blood.

More than a decade after the sword was pulled out, the magician's prophecy finally came true.

Former comrades turned against each other, and the unified kingdom fell apart.

The root cause of all these disasters lies in the inability to understand the human heart—

"King Arthur shouldn't be making that kind of face."

Shirou interrupted the girl's painful recollection.

Saber froze the moment she looked up.

Although it was the face of an 8-year-old boy, for some reason, Artoria's mind conjured up what he would look like ten years later.

Artoria recalled the beautiful, dark aurora that had captured her mind, and quietly thought:

He... Shirou might just be the "ideal king" he's always dreamed of.

Volume 1, Chapter 58: Alice: When are you two going to let me hold my grandson? (7000 words)

"!"

Suddenly snapping out of her inner turmoil, Saber then stared blankly at Shirou Amamiya's face.

"A hesitant and confused expression is not suitable for a king, at least not in front of others."

Shirou stared into those emerald eyes and asked, "Did I say something wrong?"

"……Do not."

Artoria stared blankly at the red-haired boy in front of her, not knowing how to answer for a moment.

The boy looked so young, but his eyes were full of penetrating power.

When that gaze was fixed on her, Saber felt as if she had been stripped naked, her armor and underwear stripped away, and everything about her was laid bare before the boy.

It was precisely because he understood himself that he was able to say such things—

"The king should not show hesitation or confusion in front of others."

This was also Saber's code of conduct during her lifetime.

This time, as Irisviel's Servant pursuing the Holy Grail, she is more inclined to be a "knight" than a "king" on a spiritual level.

That's why she momentarily forgot her duty as queen.

In the end, it was Shirou who reminded her of something she herself had forgotten.

Artoria thought to herself, "This child seems to know everything about me."

Obviously——

She was never understood by anyone during her lifetime.

Her comrades-in-arms did not know her gender.

Her blood-related sister and son turned against her.

The magician who led her down this path did not understand human emotions.

From beginning to end, Artoria was alone.

but now.

For the first time, Artoria felt that she had found someone who understood her.

Her gaze shifted back and forth between the red-haired boy and the black holy sword.

Even after searching every corner of her memory, she had no recollection of Shirou.

It is certain that this is indeed their first meeting.

Although his identity remains highly suspicious, however—

The courage and inspiration that is welling up in the young girl's heart today is not fake.

Artoria said seriously, "I'm sorry to have shown you this embarrassing side of yourself."

"Is everything alright now, Saber?"

Shirou's question was somewhat unnecessary.

Saber's hesitation and confusion had vanished, replaced by her usual composure and confidence.

She nodded resolutely: "Thank you, thanks to your encouragement, I feel much better now."

Next, I will use my performance to atone for my past mistakes and the damage to your reputation.

"Shirou, could you please set aside your past grievances and fight alongside me once again?"

"Ah, I also look forward to fighting alongside you again, Saber."

This is the truth.

Although she wasn't Morgan, Shirou didn't feel frustrated at all; on the contrary, he felt much more relaxed.

Now he can wholeheartedly throw himself back into the Holy Grail War.

and……

To say that Shirou was completely unattracted by Saber would be a lie.

It has nothing to do with that face.

The image of the silver-clad figure and the flash of the golden sword from that night still holds a special place in Shirou's heart, even after many days.

Me (Arthur) in Pan-Human History...

I had assumed she was a man among men, a knight among knights, but I never expected her to be such a beautiful and dignified young woman.

Shirou was also filled with mixed feelings.

At this moment, the silver-haired android, who had been left out of the spotlight by the two passionate lovers, spoke up sourly.

"Saber has an expression that looks like she wants to eat Shirou up."

"……Varied!"

Artoria's cheeks instantly flushed: "Please don't say things that are so easy to misunderstand, Irisviel!"

"Saber's face is so red~ You really think Shirou is cute too, right?"

"It is indeed very cute... but! This is a completely different matter from that!"

Shirou watched Saber being teased by her master in silence, his cold expression softening slightly.

"Oh dear... Has my Master fallen for Miss Saber?"

Shirou took a deep breath: "Big sister Avalon, you were planning to mislead me into thinking Saber was Morgan, weren't you?"