"So you got this for her?"
Mélusine looked at the shield Baobhan Sith had brought out and couldn't help but frown.
"Does this look like something a knight would use?"
It wasn't that Mélusine's standards were particularly picky, but the shield Baobhan Sith presented did indeed look rather plain.
It seemed...
There was nothing special about it, nor could it be called particularly outstanding.
"Is it no good?"
Baobhan Sith retorted.
"Plain and simple is best. Are overly flashy weapons necessarily a good thing?"
"Or perhaps—"
Baobhan Sith didn't continue speaking, but her gaze had already focused on the sword at Mélusine's waist.
There were supposed to be two Arondights, but one had been broken in the last battle, leaving only the weapon Mélusine now carried.
The unspoken meaning, naturally, was "If you think flashy weapons are the only good ones, then why did your own weapon break?"
Of course.
Baobhan Sith herself definitely didn't say it out loud; this was something Mélusine realized on her own.
"But is a weapon like this really suitable for Mash?"
Mélusine pouted.
"I don't think she'll be able to use this thing well."
"Whether she can or not isn't for you to decide."
"You have to at least let her try, right?" Baobhan Sith said, walking over to Mash's side and asking with a smile.
"Mash, do you want to give it a try?"
"Eh—"
A hopeful light appeared in the little girl's eyes, and she quickly nodded.
"I want to try!"
"Hmm?"
"What about you?" Having gotten Mash's approval, Baobhan Sith turned back to ask for Mélusine's opinion. "Is that okay?"
"..."
With things having come to this, Mélusine knew she had to agree whether she wanted to or not.
"Fine, let's give it a try then."
Even so—
Although Mash held 120% hope for the shield Baobhan Sith had brought, her lack of physical strength was still something she couldn't ignore.
"It's so heavy..."
Holding the shield, Mash bit her lip. You could tell she was trying really hard.
But even so, she still couldn't lift it properly.
"Why is it so heavy?"
"This..."
Faced with her daughter Mash's question, Mélusine didn't have a good answer for a moment. She just looked at Baobhan Sith beside her, her eyes full of inquiry.
The latter just smiled and then answered:
"Because this is a knight-standard item."
"Eh, a knight-standard item?" A sparkle appeared in Mash's eyes. "If I can lift it, does that mean I can become a real knight?"
"That's right~"
Baobhan Sith gently stroked Mash's head, expressing her approval in this way.
"That's it."
"You might not be able to lift it now, but if you want to become a true knight, you have to be able to."
"..."
"Isn't this a little too strict?"
Looking at the silent Mash, Mélusine couldn't help but ask.
"She's just a child."
"Children can become knights too, can't they?"
"Mélusine, you have to believe in Mash."
"This—"
Mélusine glanced back at Mash and finally nodded.
However, facts soon proved that Mélusine's worries were somewhat unnecessary.
Because Mash, having been modified by Morgan, was growing at a speed that couldn't be measured by ordinary standards.
In just a few short days, her physical strength was already completely different from before.
The shield that had been difficult for her to lift could now, little by little, be "moved."
And Mash herself was naturally quite happy with this achievement.
"Look!"
Mash said happily, holding up the shield. It was clear she felt a heartfelt joy from this.
"Aren't I amazing!"
"..."
Although Ian didn't quite know how to praise Mash, he knew how to let her know her efforts were recognized.
He just swept Mash up in his arms and then, as if "showing off," spun around with her.
The whooshing sound was so loud that one might suspect he was about to toss Mash out like an object in the next moment.
However—
That didn't happen.
Although the movements looked exaggerated, Mash never once left Ian's embrace.
"..."
Mélusine, who had been a little worried at first, gradually relaxed after seeing this scene.
Phew—
Isn't this kind of scene the very reason I wanted a child?
"Feeling happy, aren't you?"
Baobhan Sith suddenly appeared beside Mélusine, startling her.
"Don't just appear like that. It's too scary."
"Only people with a guilty conscience get startled."
Baobhan Sith smiled.
"If you were startled by me, it must mean you have something on your mind."
"As for what that is... I wouldn't know."
"..."
"You're so annoying."
Mélusine gave Baobhan Sith an irritated look.
"Always stirring up so much trouble."
"If you used your mind for anything else, things wouldn't be like this, would they?"
"You sound just like my mother."
Baobhan Sith clasped her hands behind her back and smiled faintly.
"But no matter what, at least regarding Mash, I was right, wasn't I?"
"..."
Although she wanted to find a reason to deny Baobhan Sith's words, Mélusine quickly realized it was pointless.
Because the moment she saw Ian playing with Mash, as Mash's mother, she knew she had already deeply approved of this path.
"Fine."
"This time, you were right."
"Mash is indeed not very suited for a sword, but rather a knight who is more suited for a shield."
"I... admit your judgment was correct."
"..."
A smug smile appeared on Baobhan Sith's face.
It was clear she was quite satisfied with Mélusine's concession.
"It's good that you know."
"My judgment is as accurate as my mother's, you know."
"But speaking of which, this is probably just the beginning—"
"The beginning?"
Mélusine hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"Are you saying there's more to be done?"
"Isn't that obvious?"
Baobhan Sith smiled faintly.
"This is the first child in Camelot to inherit the 'dragon' bloodline in the strictest sense, after all."
"Do you think Artoria wouldn't prepare a gift?"
"Wh-What?"