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Matou Mansion.
It was late into the night, and Sakura Matou was already fast asleep.
"So what you meant by being together forever… was turning into a demon?"
Medusa stared at Minato with a strange look. "Is that… even possible?"
After all, her 'knowledge' of the modern world was just some implanted memories.
"I'm not completely sure," Minato admitted. "This is all from some newly developed technique. We don't even know if it'll work on a Heroic Spirit."
"Then let's try it. What do I need to do?"
Minato pulled out a Knight chess piece. "Just place this inside your body."
Artoria, who had been eating a bento nearby, suddenly opened her eyes wide.
Wait, is this… serious?
That chess piece… how exactly is she supposed to "place" it?
Just imagining it made her feel a bit uncomfortable.
Medusa's lips twitched. "Are you being serious right now?"
"Absolutely. That's how the ritual works."
Gulp.
Medusa swallowed nervously. Her lashes trembled.
A few seconds later, she seemed to have made up her mind. Her hands moved toward her lower clothes, getting ready to…
"Start with taking off your outer clothes first."
"...…"
Medusa froze, staring at Minato like he had lost his mind.
Minato: "..."
Crap. That came out too fast.
Still… this woman's a bit too willing, huh?
Medusa gave him a glare, but actually seemed a little relieved.
Taking off her outer clothes wasn't as bad as what she'd been imagining.
Then—
Medusa stripped off her outerwear, now down to her underclothes.
Because of how quickly she moved, her soft curves bounced slightly.
Keeping a perfectly serious face, Minato pressed the demon chess piece against her.
"Mm…"
Medusa shivered, her face reddening.
Even though the chess piece was in the way…
This was her first time being touched like that by a man.
"Looks like it's working."
A magic circle appeared beneath her as Minato smiled, satisfied.
Out of reflex, she glanced over at Artoria.
"…Why are you looking at me?" Artoria's ahoge trembled, and she said sharply, "Don't even think about it."
"Hey now, I'm just offering you a choice," Minato said, suddenly serious. "You've seen it yourself—Medusa's turned into a demon now, she's no longer bound by the Holy Grail War."
"And if you're willing, I'll help you win. I'll make sure you get the Grail and can make your wish come true."
"You expect me to believe that?" Artoria asked suspiciously. "We're talking about the almighty wish-granting machine here."
"Of course!" Minato replied casually. "I'm a demon, sure—but I take contracts seriously."
The Grail?
It's already been corrupted. Totally useless.
Getting Artoria on his side was the real prize.
As for her finding out the truth later… well, he never lied.
Contract spirit, huh?
Artoria's eyelid twitched, and she stared hard at him.
A demon saying something like that…
Can he really be trusted?
"If you don't believe me, you can wait until I've fulfilled my promise before holding up your end."
Minato smiled. "I trust you completely."
Hearing that, Artoria's face turned a little red.
As a king… how could she be outdone by a demon?
She took a deep breath. "Alright. It's a deal."
If there was a real chance to make her wish come true… then what was a deal with a demon, really?
"And you understand the price, right?" Minato asked.
"I'll become one of your followers, right?" Artoria answered calmly. "As long as you keep your word, you can have this body."
"Perfect."
Minato's grin widened.
Meanwhile, Medusa was already dripping with sweat.
At first, she could still follow their conversation.
But now… all she could hear was her own heartbeat, thumping in her chest.
As the demon chess piece entered her body, she could feel it—she was starting to truly have a real, living body again.
"What… is this feeling…?"
She bit her lip as her back began to twitch and shift with strange movement—
"Hmph!"
With a low grunt, a pair of demonic wings suddenly burst out from her back.
A petite tail, way too small for her body size, slowly poked out as well.
"Hehe, that's so cute!"
Medusa's eyes sparkled as she stared at the tail.
Minato: "..."
This woman's taste in beauty was just impossible to understand.
She had a killer figure, totally illegal in all the right ways—
But for some reason, she thought being small and cute was the real standard of beauty.
Even though he was silently judging her in his head, this side of Medusa… was pretty awesome, actually.
Noticing Minato's gaze, Medusa blushed and quickly hid her tail.
"You don't have to hide it, y'know."
Minato smiled. "By the way, has your power or Noble Phantasm been affected at all?"
"Nope!"
Medusa stood up, took a moment to feel her new body, and then smiled brightly. "If anything, I feel better than ever."
She had a real body now!
It felt totally different from before.
"....."