Atop a building near the school.
Landing from the sky while carrying Artoria, Naoki looked toward the Mion River. "The monster from before, plus this angel… So, two monsters defeated. There shouldn't be many left."
"Huh? Not many?"
Lying in Naoki's arms, Artoria frowned slightly in confusion. "Master, do you know the exact number of monsters?"
"How could I? It's just a guess. Those monsters are manifestations of fragments of Manaka's power. The strength of that power indicates how much of Manaka's power she controls. The one from the day before yesterday was about 20%, and today's was a bit stronger."
"To ensure I could be killed, the monsters' power will only increase, but their total power is limited. At most, there'd be three monsters, right?"
Three monsters.
(A monster even stronger than that angel—could there be up to three more?)
Artoria's mood grew heavy. The sight of the Sacred Sword Armor nearly helpless against the angel left a deep impression on her.
(But since Master's memories have awakened, future battles should be much easier, right?)
With this thought, Artoria's serious expression softened slightly. "By the way, Master, um… could you put me down?"
"Huh? Why?"
Naoki asked with a teasing smile. "Don't like being held like this by me? Or do you want me to hold you even tighter?"
"Master! Please don't joke like that!"
Artoria's face flushed like a young girl's. Though she was the King of Knights, since being summoned, with repeated teasing from Merry and Morgan and her time with Mordred, her feminine side had become more apparent compared to her past, which had been nearly devoid of leisure or rest.
Everyone was delighted to see this.
Bending down to set her down, Naoki flicked her forehead. "Alright, alright, no more teasing. But seriously, Lia, your blushing face is really cute. By the way, I bet Merry and Morgan are watching this live broadcast, aren't they?"
"They probably are… Ahh—!"
Realizing something, Artoria quickly contacted the outside world in her mind. "Merry! Morgan! You—"
[This side of me is just too much, even wanting to send a photo of shy, blushing Lia to him. What a perverted old man.]
[Speaking as if you're any different—you two are basically the same person, aren't you?]
[Ara, Morgan, could you take the tissue out of your nosebleed-stuffed nose?]
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
No need to ask further—Artoria knew her earlier display had been fully seen by her sister and Merry. They'd even used Magecraft to turn it into a photo and planned to send it to Merlin!
How could she maintain her dignity as the King of Knights like this?
"Calm down, Lia. To them, you're more like a little sister than a King of Knights." Naoki laughed. "Besides, it's not just them. I think one other person saw it too—sneaking around isn't a good habit, Manaka. Or did spending too long in my body give you that bad habit?"
"Well, with you two having such a great vibe, I couldn't be so tactless as to interrupt."
On the other side of the rooftop, accompanied by a wave of black mud, Manaka's silhouette appeared. But unlike the playful tone in her voice, her expression and gaze clearly showed something unusual.
That look was very familiar to Naoki. Back when he and Arthur were Master and Servant, she had looked at him like that. Only, it was much more intense then; now it was lighter, and her gaze was directed at Artoria beside him.
(Is that… jealousy and envy?)
After a brief pause, Manaka dropped the look and turned to Naoki. "Slept well, Vixen… no, Naoki. I didn't expect you'd forcibly wake up at this moment."
"Blame your power fragments for forming such an outrageous monster. If the me from ten years ago couldn't beat it, then the me now, ten years later, had to do it, right?"
With his memories sealed, the earlier Naoki was essentially like the Naoki from ten years ago—or even a Naoki who'd never met Arthur, just an ordinary person. Despite having the Holy Sword, his combat strength wasn't high.
The victory two days ago could be considered beginner's luck.
"By the way, was it necessary to seal my memories? Even without that, I—"
"I thought it was necessary."
Manaka cut Naoki off.
"Whether my love for you stems from my love for the Prince or was born from scratch out of my own will—I thought it was important to confirm that."
Confirming the essence of her love was another reason Manaka planned all this with Sajyou Rei.
She felt love, affection, for Naoki. This should've been impossible—her love for the Prince should never have wavered.
But at some point, Manaka realized the impurity in her love for Arthur, and within that impurity was Naoki's presence.
Perhaps it was watching the closeness between Naoki and Arthur, or seeing their connection transcend space and time multiple times, or maybe the result of unconsciously mixing Naoki with Arthur…
In short, from a certain point, Manaka's feelings changed. It wasn't just love for Arthur but also hatred for Naoki.
"You'd love me—even though I vaguely suspected it, it's still a bit hard to believe. From hate to love?"
"Not entirely. Maybe part of it did come from my hatred and jealousy toward you, but more than that, I think I was drawn to your actions—"
Ten years ago, Naoki, with nothing but a pair of Mystic Eyes, endured countless tortures in his dreams, his mind collapsing multiple times, yet still stood before her, showing the courage to die alongside her.
Back then, Manaka only felt hatred and envy toward him. Hatred because Naoki blocked her reunion with Arthur, envy because he could be so close to Arthur.
But after those ten years—the first Servant incarnation, destroying the Class Card that stole Arthur's power, overcoming world barriers to become a Servant and fight her other self… and finally, in this Holy Grail War, directly defeating a berserk Arthur to free him, becoming the third Holy Sword Wielder.
[This is my utter defeat]
That was the only thought in Manaka's mind after Naoki became the Holy Sword Wielder, realizing Arthur was asleep forever.
"Vixen—no, Naoki, my dear Prince."
Approaching Naoki, Manaka pushed Artoria aside and placed her hand on his chest. "The rest of my power can still form one more monster. After it's defeated, my power as the omniscient, omnipotent Root Princess will vanish."
"When that happens, facing a me who's no longer a Beast, can you still pour your love on me, like you did with that Incubus?"