There was no denying that Artoria's speech was a success. That was due in large part to the title she had long carried as the "King of Ever-Victory."
Thanks to her countless victories at the head of the knights, never once tasting defeat, her record of triumphs had left a deep impression on all her knights. They believed—this time will be no different.
Even if they had suffered a small setback in the previous battle, they were still confident that the final result would be a victorious one!
Several of the Round Table Knights who trusted Artoria the most were already half-kneeling on the ground, offering the knight's salute while declaring, "Victory to our king!" Though this was merely a ceremonial act, it was nonetheless necessary.
After all, in this time of crisis—first the cataclysm that had swept the entire island, and then the continued stalemate of the war—the soldiers had recently experienced a defeat. Their morale desperately needed a boost. Since they had just secured a victory, this was the perfect moment to rally and press onward!
Aslan stood calmly watching it all. Behind him, a regular knight bowed his head respectfully. He understood clearly that these powerful figures before him would soon once again head out to challenge the darkness looming over the island. The fact that none of the knights who had accompanied the king in the last raid had returned alive already spoke volumes.
It was clear—the elite unit that had charged in with the king had been annihilated.
At this moment, there were not many soldiers who could remain composed enough to think things through, and even among those who could, none would say a word. Smart people did what was smart. Undermining morale at a time like this?
Only a fool would do that.
And he had seen their king, surrounded and attacked by countless enemies. If it weren't for this Mr. Aslan leading a team in to rescue her… what would have become of their king? No one could say for sure.
Perhaps… even if it was just a guess, even if it was just a possibility—what if they hadn't come to her aid? What if their king had been captured here? Would this entire island have then completely fallen into darkness?
Few knights dared to imagine such a possibility—but this one did. And because of that, his respect for Aslan only deepened. While the rest were still mostly concerned about King Arthur, this knight was beginning to worry even more about Aslan.
"Mr. Aslan, we truly owe you for this time. Also… in the battle to come, I hope you'll be especially careful. I regret that I don't have the strength to follow you into battle against the Dark King…"
He paused mid-sentence.
He couldn't help but feel a chill crawl up the back of his neck—as if some beast had locked eyes on him.
Aslan gently patted the knight on the shoulder and then turned around helplessly toward his own dragon.
Indeed, the gaze and threatening aura that the knight had sensed was coming from none other than Melusine.
When their golden eyes met, Aslan instantly understood the message in her glare. Her golden eyes were practically shouting, and the flames of jealousy were clearly burning inside them.
Aslan! Seriously?! We already exchanged contract rings! I'm supposed to be your closest partner! I could let those fairies cling to you. I could even put up with those warrior women hanging off you. But now… besides Balin, you're even attracting male knights too?! Hmph!
Aslan could practically picture Melusine angrily biting and tugging on a handkerchief in frustration.
What could he do? Even when she was pouting, his dragon was just too adorable.
After leaving the knight behind, Aslan walked over to his dragon, gently pulling her into his arms. He ruffled Melusine's snowy white hair and rested his chin atop her head.
"Don't get jealous so easily," he said softly. "That guy just respects me, that's all. Why is it that ever since we exchanged those contract rings, your jealousy's been off the charts?"
Lowering his head to look at her face nestled in his arms, he poked at her dimple.
"What should I do with you? I wanted to sprinkle a little more sweetness into our time together, but at this rate… is my dragon going to turn into a sweet and sour dragon instead? Just like the sweet and sour fish you like so much~"
Melusine pouted and twisted her body in protest, then turned around and began lightly pounding her fists against Aslan's chest.
Feeling the girl squirming endlessly in his arms, clearly in a huff, Aslan simply hugged her tighter. He leaned in close to whisper something only the two of them could hear, right into her ear:
"Hey now, don't start acting up here. We're not alone, you know. If we accidentally light a fire, let's see how you plan to put it out."
Melusine immediately froze, then a blush bloomed across her cheeks. She shot Aslan a fierce glare, but ultimately said nothing more. She simply stayed nestled quietly in his embrace, enjoying this brief moment of peace amid the chaos of war.
During this time, aside from finalizing battle plans, everyone was doing their last bit of preparation.
The island had already begun to sink further into darkness. The vegetation across the land had started showing signs of withering. If they didn't take down that demon dragon soon, even if they managed to rescue half or the entire island, it might no longer be habitable for humans.
So, the group would now rush toward the castle where Vortigern was.
Aslan silently lifted his gaze, looking far off in the direction where the darkness was thickest.
That's where his so-called "cheap old man" was.
Aslan raised his hand and noticed it was trembling slightly. An unexplained fear rose in his heart. He hadn't noticed this before, likely because he'd been too caught up in constant battles. Now that he had a moment to rest, this small problem was finally revealing itself.
It wasn't Aslan who feared—it was a lingering instinct within this body.
After all, he hadn't been born into this world. This body had grown up living under the shadow of that so-called father, and had retained a deep-rooted fear of Vortigern.
Looks like delivering this "Father's Day gift" ahead of schedule was the right move after all.
Maybe, once he was done delivering this little gift, he'd get to recreate a truly iconic moment.
Just then, a call to assemble came from outside the room.
Aslan gently released Melusine, tidied his clothes, and smiled faintly.
"Ready? Old man—your son's come home to see you."