Meeting in another world, enjoying...
Ahem, let's try that again.
Artoria and Sakatsuki were a knight and his king who had formed deep bonds across multiple worlds—the Fourth Holy Grail War, the Second Singularity, the world of Prisma Illya, and even a summer island.
Now reunited in this new world through the single-summon chance of a Servant summoning, this should have been a joyous reunion after long separation.
If only someone hadn't opened his mouth at the wrong moment, blurting out:
"Who are you?"
Instantly, the spring-like warmth in her smile turned murderous. The regal woman's saintly blue eyes sharpened as spiritual particles coalesced into a storm spear, its tip aimed directly at Sakatsuki's throat.
"It seems some have forgotten their duties as knights after manifesting through an Assassin's Saint Graph," declared the silver-armored king in a low voice, her contemptuous gaze sizing up her Master like an unforgivable criminal.
"..." Cold sweat trickled down Sakatsuki's temple. He instinctively looked at her ahoge, wanting to argue, but his eyes caught on her current form and twitched at the corners, leaving him speechless.
My king, have you seen how much you've changed?
The golden hair shining like sunlight? Saintly blue eyes? All normal.
The slender frame clad in silver armor? Still normal.
But why did her face look noticeably more mature, exuding newfound grace and allure?
Why was the inner thigh lining inexplicably shorter, revealing delicate skin?
Why were there shoulder cutouts exposing her collarbones and smooth underarms?
Not to mention the insufficient fabric barely containing her upper curves...
My king's measurements could never be below an A-cup.
Quick—where's the flat-chested King of Knights?!
Though he'd seen Lancer Artoria's card art before, encountering this version in reality made Sakatsuki unable to suppress his complaints.
Are you absolutely certain this is a knight-king's underarmor and not some call girl outfit or otaku-baiting cosplay special?
As if hearing his mental commentary, Artoria's face flushed red. Her regal demeanor shattered as she withdrew her spear with an embarrassed cough.
"Please wait a moment."
The radiant holy spear dissolved into motes of light. From the spiritual mist emerged the familiar figure of a sword-wielding maiden—her hair now properly tied up, dignified and elegant.
Seeing Sakatsuki's wide-eyed disbelief, the now sword-wielding Artoria pressed her lips together worriedly and waved a hand before his face.
"What's wrong? Is this form unfamiliar to you now, Sir Sakatsuki?"
Snap—his hand caught hers. The black-robed young man stepped forward, eyes blazing with fervor.
"My king! Can you change back to that other form?"
"Eh? Y-Yes, if I release Rhongomyniad—"
"Bravo! But how is this possible? If I recall correctly, your body was permanently fixed by Caliburn at 154cm as a teenage girl—"
"Don't mention the height! For this... I must thank Merlin. He asked if I wished to appear as my grown self."
Artoria spoke while secretly trying to free her hand from Sakatsuki's grasp, but the man's grip was surprisingly strong. Even with her B-rank Strength, she couldn't break free, her face slightly flushed as she continued in a low voice:
"After the Fourth Holy Grail War, I've let go of my emotional burdens. Since I chose to lay down the duties of a king, there was no need for pretense anymore, so I agreed to Merlin's suggestion... Ah, come to think of it, this outfit was also altered by Merlin for me. Otherwise, I'd still be troubled over what to wear after growing up."
Well, mystery solved.
Sakatsuki withdrew his hand, his lips twitching even more violently.
From the King of Knights who "didn't understand human hearts" (and kept wearing more layers), to the "Lancer Artoria" and "Northern Hemisphere" versions who did understand hearts—no wonder the changes in the Saber-face were so drastic!
Can clothes meant for someone 154cm tall fit a 173cm beauty? Does Avalon have no spare fabric or what? Merlin, you old bastard, you did this on purpose, didn't you? Taking advantage of Artoria's naivety about men and women to do whatever you wanted?
Sakatsuki didn't hesitate to condemn such deception of an innocent maiden. Yet recalling the alluring figure of Lancer Artoria, he couldn't help but blush, silently giving a thumbs-up to that old rogue hiding in Avalon.
Though reluctant to admit it—well played, Sword Saint of Avalon!
The discussion about Artoria's wardrobe changes came to an end. With a great battle imminent, there was no time for king and knight to reminisce.
Especially when one was now an Assassin and the other a Ruler.
"My king, what's with your class?" Since she was his Servant, Sakatsuki asked directly without pretense. "This isn't Chaldea, and I didn't perform any irregular summoning. A Ruler shouldn't be summonable by a Master."
"Indeed, I should have answered the summon as a Lancer," Artoria nodded in explanation. "But before departing, Merlin said since we rarely go out, we ought to bring more good things along. So he modified my Spirit Origin to become a Ruler."
"...Merlin modified it?"
"Yes. Is something wrong, Lord Sakatsuki?"
"No, nothing."
Opening his Servant's status screen as her Master, Sakatsuki fell silent as he beheld Artoria's ridiculously luxurious equipment that could blind a dog.
An A++ Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm—the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad—and the EX-rank Holy Sword Excalibur. The C-rank but highly practical Invisible Air... Even more terrifying was the EX-rank Bounded Field Noble Phantasm capable of blocking Ea—the scabbard Avalon had been brought along too!
This is way beyond dowry territory (not)!
"This... my king, what's the deal with the scabbard?"
"Oh, that? After the Fourth Holy Grail War ended, Merlin helped me retrieve it."
Great, Merlin again. Though that inhuman incubus had no morals, he was genuinely thoughtful when it came to Artoria.
Is this what you call "bringing more good things"? This is bringing the entire armory! The current Artoria is practically a Super Servant-tier combatant!
What to do when your summoned Servant is stronger than you...
There was one more thing Sakatsuki didn't mention to Artoria—the issue of her Spirit Origin modification.
From Artoria's perspective, Merlin was practically an omnipotent magus, so she naturally harbored no doubts about him. But Sakatsuki was different—he understood the rules and systems of the Holy Grail War.
A Servant's class was not something that could be changed on a whim. Merlin was not a Beast, nor did he possess bug-tier Rune magecraft, let alone modify a Spirit Origin as unique as Ruler's.
Merlin, a candidate for Grand Caster alone, was utterly incapable of expanding Artoria's Spirit Origin to allow her manifestation with so many high-tier Noble Phantasms.
So, had the Counter Force of the planet and humanity intervened?
Meanwhile, Artoria observed Sakatsuki, now clad in black robes and exuding a far colder aura, with a slight frown.
Though she had met Sakatsuki through her Servant vessel in Chaldea, from the perspective of Artoria's true self, the Fourth Holy Grail War was merely a fleeting dream.
She had come to know Sakatsuki within that dream. When it ended, she called for Merlin's arrival, accepted the guidance to the paradise of Avalon, witnessed the legend of King Arthur reach its conclusion, and began writing Artoria's story anew.
A thousand years had passed since she answered Sakatsuki's summons.
Perhaps the span of time was too vast, blurring the faces of old acquaintances. Yet Artoria's intuition told her this young man before her was different from before.
Hmm. The beloved scent (of the Round Table) clinging to him had faded considerably, while some unpleasant, suspicious aura had increased. There also seemed to be a mark left by that Mountain Hermit...
Sakatsuki's voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Having your assistance pleases me greatly. But my king, let us first address other matters—such as—"
The young man turned his gaze toward the newly acquainted 'mother and child' pair in the room.
"Master Reika Rikudou, and your Servant Assassin—Jack the Ripper. I require you to declare your stance."
A pistol materialized as Sakatsuki spun the grip with practiced ease, his tone deceptively calm yet dripping with killing intent:
"Otherwise, I won't hesitate to eliminate you first."
***
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