"Mama, you have a bite too~"
Inside the tavern, Mash was happily eating the food in front of her.
And beside her was the shield Baobhan Sith had prepared.
After this period of training, it already bore many marks—making it look somewhat worn and battered.
But Mash herself didn't seem to mind.
For her, this seemed to be the "tempering" her father, Ian, had mentioned.
"You eat."
Mélusine smiled faintly, then pushed the food Mash had offered back in front of her.
"Mama isn't hungry."
"You have to eat even if you're not hungry!"
"Otherwise, Papa will be very unhappy!"
Mash said, looking at her mother Mélusine with utmost seriousness.
"Papa told me to supervise you every day."
"..."
"Liar."
Mélusine reached out and gently tapped Mash's head.
"Your father wouldn't say something like that. Only you would—"
"Mash, it's not a good thing to lie to Mama."
"Ehehe, you found out..."
Mash covered her head and stuck out her tongue.
"Alright~"
"Papa didn't actually tell me to do that."
"But—"
"He did tell me what kind of things he likes!"
"..."
Already concerned about what Baobhan Sith had said before, Mélusine naturally became even more interested now that Mash brought it up.
"What kind of things he likes?"
"Mash, can you be a little more specific?"
"Uhm—"
Mash pressed a finger to her chin, clearly trying hard to remember what Ian had mentioned to her.
Soon, she spoke again:
"Papa asked if there was anything I especially wanted, or something I was really looking forward to."
"..."
Exactly the same.
It meant the exact same thing as what Baobhan Sith had said.
That's right.
Artoria must have made him do this.
"Then—"
Mélusine asked cautiously.
"How did you answer? Can you tell Mama?"
"Hehe~"
Mash hugged the battle-worn shield beside her, an expression of complete satisfaction on her face.
"I told Papa that it would be great if I could have an even better shield."
"..."
"Is that all? No other wishes?"
Mélusine continued to ask.
"Nope~"
Mash shook her head obediently. It was clear she was speaking from the heart.
"I think a gift like that would already be wonderful~"
"..."
"Is that so?"
Hearing such sensible words, Mélusine couldn't help but feel a little emotional.
She realized that sometimes, she wasn't even as mature as this little child.
"Alright then."
"Since that's the gift you want—"
Mélusine waved her hand.
"Mama will get you one."
"R-Really?"
A hopeful light appeared in Mash's eyes.
"You'll really get me one?"
"I promise."
As Mélusine said this, she held out her hand.
"Pinky promise."
"For a hundred years, no changing~"
"Mhm~"
Having successfully shown off her motherly charm in front of Mash, Mélusine created a pleasant memory.
However—
In the time that followed, she found herself in a bit of a pickle.
Although Baobhan Sith hadn't prepared a particularly fine shield, it didn't mean the one she provided was cheap.
On the other hand, Mélusine also wanted to prepare a proper gift for her daughter—after all, this was her first time doing so.
Between one thing and another, Mélusine found that it was actually quite difficult to fulfill this wish.
What should I do...
Mélusine, the mother, found herself in a strange predicament.
In the end, with few options left, she could only seek Ian's help.
As the head of the Knights of the Round Table, he surely had a solution.
....
"Eh?"
"You're saying you're preparing one too?"
Although she had already heard about Ian's actions from Mash, Mélusine was still inevitably a little surprised when it was confirmed.
"And it's almost ready? You can get it today?"
"Yes."
Ian nodded, then very naturally took Mélusine's hand.
"Come see it with me."
"..."
Although she didn't know what kind of shield Ian was talking about, out of curiosity and her lingering questions about Ian's whereabouts recently, Mélusine nodded without hesitation.
"Okay, let's go."
And so—
For a rare moment, the two of them walked through the streets of Camelot like a married couple.
Of course.
When necessary, Mélusine was still very conscious of her actions—even if Artoria said she didn't mind, Ian was still her husband, no matter how one looked at it.
However, what made Mélusine especially happy was that the more she tried to pull away in moments that might need "explaining," the more forcefully he would pull her back to his side.
Oh well...
I really can't win against him.
Mélusine stopped her "struggle" and obediently walked along with him.
But not long after, she realized something seemed a bit off.
Why...
...were they getting closer and closer to the castle?
Just as Mélusine had noted, the place Ian was leading her was none other than the castle where Artoria resided, and also where Morgan and Ian lived.
"We're getting the shield from a place like this?"
"Yes."
Ian nodded, confirming Mélusine's words.
"Isn't that a bit strange?"
"No, it's perfectly right."
Allowing no room for doubt, Ian cut off all of Mélusine's questions and led her deep into the castle.
However—
The situation deep inside the castle surprised Mélusine even more.
She saw that it wasn't just Artoria there, but Morgan as well.
Realizing at once that something was amiss, Mélusine turned to leave but was held back by Ian.
He spoke directly to the British sisters before them:
"I just ran into her."
"Is that so?"
Artoria's eyes were smiling.
"What a coincidence."
"Sister..."
"Mhm." Morgan nodded. "Let's take this opportunity to give it to her."
"Wh-What?"
Morgan ignored Mélusine's confusion and turned around, bringing out something from within.
When Mélusine got a clear look, her eyes were filled with nothing but shock.
Because it was engraved with a pattern almost identical to that of the Round Table, and its craftsmanship was first-rate.
And if her senses weren't mistaken, it seemed to carry the aura of magecraft.
"What is this?"
"Our gift for Mash."
Taking the shield from Morgan's hands, Artoria brought it before Mélusine.
"Go on."
"Go and give it to Mash."
"She will definitely be very happy."