"Saber, can I come in?"
"Yes, please."
I was surprised by her calm and normal reply as I slid the door open. Feeling a sense of unease, I stepped into the room. Saber was lying on a futon in the center of the room. She wasn't wearing her usual suit, but a cute white pajama set that she'd bought on a shopping trip the other day. It seemed Irisviel had helped her change.
Saber even had a gentle smile on her face.
My sense of dread grew.
"Are you feeling alright?"
"Yes, I apologize for the trouble."
She couldn't be alright... She was definitely pushing herself.
"Hey, Saber, you don't have to push yourself, you know? I know how terrible the enemy's attack was and that it was painful for you. So—"
"So, what am I supposed to do?"
Saber had reacted. Once the dam broke, there was no stopping it. The fragile levee wasn't strong enough to hold back the waves of emotion.
"I can't hold that sword anymore. I can't swing it. I can't believe in my own ideas, in myself anymore."
Her ideals of kingship had been denied during the Holy Grail discussion, the glory of her Knights of the Round Table had been twisted by the madness of Berserker, and during the Civil War, she had been torn apart by the very people she had tried to protect and save.
It was as if everything she had ever done was completely denied.
"I...! Someone like me...!"
If everything she had done was a mistake, and if it had led to the downfall of her kingdom, she would naturally arrive at one conclusion.
"I shouldn't have been a king...!"
"That's not true."
But I immediately retorted. Saber immediately bit back, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. She sat up from the futon, spitting mad.
"That's not true...? Don't say such irresponsible things! So many people died because of my foolish ideals! If someone else had been king, they would have done better than me, so much better...! Rider was right. The light of that Holy Sword was too heavy for me...!"
Saber's floodgates finally broke. A single tear fell onto the futon.
But Saber, you're missing the point.
"Wait, wait. I didn't say anything about your ideals."
"...? What do you mean?"
She was completely mistaken. She had gotten ahead of herself. What I had said was much more fundamental.
"I said that you becoming a king wasn't a mistake."
"..."
Saber looked like she had no idea what I was talking about.
"Becoming a king. Don't you think it sounds absurd?"
"H-Huh...?"
"You can't just pull out a Holy Sword and become king and rule a country, you know? It's not a realistic story, and you definitely can't do it with a full understanding of everything. You can't even do it if you want to make the country better."
"...That's..."
"It's courage. It's the emotion of courage. Everyone has it, but it's hard to show. I think that's why Merlin tried to make Artoria a king, because he saw that in you."
"Courage, courage..."
Saber repeated the word over and over, as if savoring it.
"And it's okay to have ideals. You lived in a different era and under different circumstances than Rider and the others, didn't you? It would be worse if you thought the same way as them."
"That... might be true..."
Saber looked away as if she had just realized something. By all accounts, she had been swayed by the atmosphere of the moment. I guess there was also a rivalry between kings.
In the first place, even though they were both kings, Saber, the model student, and Rider, the wild card, had little to compare. Saber was a little too serious.
But,
"That's as far as the good part goes. Saber, did you talk to your Knights properly?"
"Uh, that's..."
"Don't tell me you got comfortable with them just nodding along whenever you spoke, did you?"
"...Yes."
"That's no good."
"...Yes."
Saber nodded obediently. She had become incredibly submissive. Build her up, then tear her down, then comfort her when she's weak. It was a high-level technique. Heh heh heh, just as planned—just kidding. I didn't aim for that.
"Then, what should I have done?"
"You should have been spoiled."
"Huh? Spoiled? But you said that was no good..."
She let out a strange noise. She was making a huge mistake... No, was she so used to carrying everything herself that she couldn't even think of such a simple thing? Seriously, I wish I could have been a harem protagonist and gone to her world back then to support her.
"That's not what I meant. It doesn't mean you shouldn't talk to them."
"Then, what do you mean?"
"It's simple. You should have consulted them."
"Consulted them?"
"Yeah. You should have shared your pain with someone. You should have expressed your feelings honestly. If you had, there would have been many people who would have helped you. There must have been people who would have tried to correct your mistakes. The fact that you didn't, well, that's the worst."
"Ugh..."
Saber's expression had been so rich just now. When she was the King of Knights, she was cool and dignified. To the point where she'd look good even in men's clothes. But if she were to wear men's clothes now, 80% of people would say it didn't suit her. It was as if the tension had left her face.
She's cute. The gap moe is amazing.
"Cute."
"!"
Whoops, I said it out loud.
"You say such things so easily... You did before too."
"Did I?"
Ah, come to think of it, I had panicked during the last battle and just blurted out a bunch of random things. I don't remember the exact contents—of course, I do. I have a perfect memory. Ah, I said something that sounded like a confession.
"Did you forget? Back then, you said out of the blue that I was important to you and that you didn't want me to get hurt... If you say such things to just anyone, you'll get hurt someday."
"So, it's a bad idea to be flaky, huh?"
I answered while desperately looking away in my mind. I was looking away so hard that my eyes were all white. Those were the last words I should be saying to anyone in this world.
"Of course. There were some Knights of the Round Table who would talk to women once they found out. Honestly, if it weren't for that, they would have been amazing Knights..."
"Haha..."
I can think of some people. Or rather, how many decent people were there in the Round Table anyway?
It was fun to talk to Saber like this, but there wasn't enough time. I had to rest and recover my magical energy. The final battle was just around the corner.
"Do you feel a little better?"
"Yes. After this battle is over, I'd like to talk to each and every one of the Knights of the Round Table."
That would take a long time. Most of the Knights of the Round Table are probably in the Throne of Heroes, and you can't just go there and meet them. And their memories... Oh, that's right, Artoria is special. Still, she'll have to wait until they are summoned together someday. It feels like an eternity.
"Still, I will wait. I am a Heroic Spirit who protects humanity until the end of time. One day, I will have that opportunity."
Okay, this should be good enough for now. I had no idea what would happen, but it seemed like we were ready for the final battle in the best possible condition.
"Alright, I'm going to get some rest. Saber, you should—"
"Irregular."
She stopped me.
"Do we have a chance of winning this battle?"
"As I've said many times, it's definitely going to be tough. If we rely on our individual abilities, we're guaranteed to lose. We have to do something with teamwork and guts. We also have to be prepared for casualties."
"Are you telling the truth?"
"Are you telling the truth?"... What did she mean by that?
"Are you really saying there's no way to increase our combat power? Is there something you have? Something you're hiding from us?"
"Ah..."
A way to increase our combat power, huh? There is one. But... there's not no one, you know. Of course, I'm not talking about Sakura-chan, but the person right in front of me—
"No, no, no. That's too rude."
I insisted on the principle that a new power could be obtained as a result of an act (even if it was in an unwilling form). I would never perform an act for the sake of power. That was a line I couldn't cross. Otherwise, I would become just like him.
"Rude? What's rude about that?"
"Um..."
It was my fault for making her think there was "something." It didn't seem like Saber was going to drop the subject. She wasn't going to let me escape.
"Actually, I can get a new power from having sex."
"..."
"..."
"...Huh?"
After a long silence, Saber tilted her head, looking utterly bewildered.
"I can get a new power by having an intimate relationship with a woman."
"No, I understand that. Yes. I understand, but... why?"
"Well, you say 'why,' but... it's just how my body works."
"What kind of body is that?!"
I thought the same thing.
"No, but... if I think about it calmly, isn't this convenient...? Is this the first time that me being a woman will be useful?"
She was muttering something, but it seemed like the conversation was over.
"So, you don't have to worry about it, Saber. Just get some rest."
"Wait."
"Something else?"
"I'll do it."
What did she say?
"Pardon?"
"It's not a problem. Even I have some knowledge about the act between men and women... Though it will be my first time."
Instead of answering my question, she revealed some very charming... ahem, irrelevant information. And my unfortunate son, perhaps having felt a little bit of hope, twitched and the blood began to rush.
"Listen, Saber. Because of my constitution, I'm very careful about the motivation for the act, okay? If you're thinking about it for a power-up, I want you to stop."
"Irregular, don't make a fool of me."
Saber sat up and gracefully sat in the seiza position.
"That's a nice seiza."
"Don't change the subject."
"Okay."
I also naturally sat in seiza.
"I am a king. You understand that, right?"
"Of course."
"Then why don't you understand the meaning? With how sharp you are, you should know immediately."
"...Given the timing, it's unavoidable to think it's for a power-up. Noblemen don't care if peasants see them changing clothes."
It was a Zero no Tsukaima thing. Even a teenage boy wouldn't care if his familiar saw him changing clothes.
"What a foolish thing to say. There's no way I could change in front of you. I can't stand being stared at. My body isn't something to be proud of as a woman, either..."
She looked away as if she had realized something from her own words. I, who Saber called sharp, easily knew what she was going to say next.
"I have no complaints about your body, Saber."
"If you have complaints about my body and you hate it... huh?"
I gently embraced Saber. Saber wrapped her arms around my back. The strength in her arms gradually increased.
We collapsed onto the futon in a hug. The expensive futon that I had bought with money gently cushioned our rough landing.
"...You smell like Saber."
"Y-You idiot! You don't have to say things like that!"
Even if she said that, there was nothing she could do about the smell. It was a little disappointing that I couldn't see Saber's face blushing with shame, but I'll enjoy this nice smell a little longer—
"Whoa!"
"I told you to stop!"
She was on top of me. I had held her tightly and pinned her down with all my strength, but she easily flipped me over. I was no match for Saber's physical strength.
"Stay still. I'll do it."
"!"
My already rock-hard son twitched inside my pants. I don't think Saber, who was sitting on my stomach, noticed. It was starting to get sweaty and uncomfortable, and my body began to move.
"Is something wrong?"
"I'm enjoying the feeling of your butt."
"Hya!"
Saber jumped off me. She was braced, as if protecting her butt with both hands.
"Honestly, you. You don't let your guard down at all."
"I don't think it's that big of a deal."
And then,
"Besides—ah."
Finally, Saber's gaze fell on the bulge in my pants. Saber wasn't so naive that she didn't understand what that meant. Realizing what state "that" was in, she began to compare my face and "that."
"In a situation like this—"
"Hmm?"
"In a situation like this, should we... should we follow the steps...? But your... "that" is so big..."
"If we don't, you'll be in pain, Saber."
"I can endure any amount of pain!"
That's not what I meant.
"I can't allow that. We have to prepare properly."
"Ah, ah."
"T-Then!"
Saber's voice was about to crack.
"Could you help... with that preparation?"
"With pleasure."
We calmed down and sat back on the futon. Saber leaned her back against me, her body stiff.
I reached out and began to unbutton Saber's pajamas, one by one. There were four buttons in total.
First, the bottom one. Saber was watching my hands with a tense expression. She was being undressed by someone after being told, "We're going to do it now." It was only natural for a girl experiencing this for the first time to be nervous. The first button came undone smoothly.
The second one. As the button was about to come undone, Saber's arms twitched. She seemed uneasy. She was probably holding back the urge to stop my hands.
The third one. It was right in the middle of her chest. Saber, who had been staring, finally looked away. Her eyes were tightly shut. The redness on her face had spread to her ears. My hand was a few centimeters away from touching her breasts. I managed to hold back.
The fourth one. This was the last one.
"Saber, this is the last one."
"Y-Yes. You don't have to say it... Just get it over with!"
"Okay."
Spurred on, I unfastened the last button with a single finger. The thin cloth that had been protecting Saber could no longer fulfill its purpose.
In front of my eyes, two cherry-blossom colored buds trembled uneasily.
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