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"Looks like Master took care of everything," Artoria said, watching the sludge stop flowing.
She let out a deep breath.
The shimmering light around her faded like a dream.
But as the dust settled...
She felt oddly empty inside.
The Holy Grail... had become that.
All her struggles...
Felt like a joke.
Her emotions were a chaotic mess.
Meanwhile—
The glow of a teleportation spell lit up, and Minato slowly reappeared.
Thanks to that 'Evil of the World,' his power had grown more than ever before.
He even felt like he'd gotten closer to his ultimate goal—no longer needing to eat beef.
Maybe next, he could try sparring with a Demon King or even a god.
Once Esdeath and the others had finished clearing the wreckage, Minato gave everyone a quick rundown of what happened.
A moment later, Asia looked up at him, eyes sparkling with admiration."As expected of Minato, even the Evil of the World couldn't stop you!"
Yup—Minato was the best.
Maybe... maybe even God could be surpassed one day.
Without realizing it, that little thought popped into Asia's head.
She probably didn't even notice that, ever since she learned God had fallen, her beliefs had started to shift.
"Master... the Holy Grail can't be used anymore, can it?"Artoria looked at Minato with a soft, almost pleading expression. "Is it really beyond saving?"
"It might still grant a wish," Minato said after a pause. "But the way it'd do it... probably wouldn't be what you're hoping for."
"I figured as much."
Artoria gave a bitter smile. "I just... can't accept it."
"Don't worry," Minato said gently. "If I ever get strong enough, I'll make your wish come true myself."
"In that case... I'm counting on you, Master."
She smiled—genuinely, this time.
"You really trust me that much?" Minato asked, amused.
Artoria answered firmly, "I believe in you, Master."
"Haha, no need to be so serious," Minato waved it off. "Yeah, I lie all the time, but I'd never betray the trust of someone who follows me."
Utaha rolled her eyes. "That's true. Even if Master's a total perv, he is trustworthy."
"I'll take that as a compliment... I guess," Minato chuckled. Then he turned seriously to Artoria. "Now it's time for you to uphold your end of the deal."
After everything he'd done—it was finally time for the reward.
And with someone like Artoria, it was at least SSR-tier.
She blinked in surprise, then gave a deep, decisive nod.
"You didn't even need to remind me—I would've brought it up myself."
"From this day forward, I'll be in your care."
Her answer was firm, without a trace of hesitation.
A promise was a promise.
And to someone like her, a king's pride meant never going back on her word.
Not to mention...
The Holy Grail was useless now anyway.
At the very least, Minato was willing to mess with fate and rewrite history—for her.
She'd be lying if she said she wasn't touched.
So, she'd already made up her mind to completely sell herself to the surrounding devils.
After all...
Right now, Minato was her last hope.
"Well then, King of Knights—from now on, you're mine. You belong to me."
Minato stared into her eyes. In his hand, a demon piece shaped like a castle floated gently.
"Master tricked another pretty girl again~"
"Yay! Another family member for Minato's group!"
"Hmm~ she's strong. I like her already."
"..."
Utaha and the others had already surrounded them.
Each of them had a different expression—most were just here for the show.
"E-Ehh?!"
Artoria's cheeks flushed a deep red, steam practically rising from her head.
Just undressing alone was already super embarrassing...
But now? With so many people watching?
This was… too much! Way too embarrassing!
Even though she was a king and used to standing before crowds… this kind of situation? First time ever.
"No need to be so tense. We're all family now," Minato said casually. "Go ahead and take off your top."
"..."
Hearing that, Artoria took a deep breath, trying hard to calm herself down.
After a long pause, her face was still red as a tomato, but her expression had regained its composure.
"I was being shy... That was unbecoming of me."
Her armor shimmered and vanished, replaced by casual clothes. Then, she slowly took off her top.
She crossed her arms in front of her, but that didn't really hide much of her natural beauty.
No wonder they call her the King of Knights… she's really soft-looking.
Minato examined her for a moment and said, "Move your arms—kinda blocking the view."
Artoria's body trembled slightly, then hesitantly shifted her arms aside.
With that, the mysterious allure she gave off became even more obvious.
Minato flashed a sunny grin. "Yeah… that's much better."
And then, like he'd done it a thousand times, he pressed the demon piece gently against her skin.
The unfamiliar sensation sent Artoria's body into full red-alert mode. She nearly passed out.
But right after that came a wave of warmth that made her eyes fly wide open.
BZZZ!
A dark red magic circle lit up beneath her feet.
At the same time, a powerful aura burst out from her.
"As expected of the King of Knights... she's seriously strong."
Minato could feel her overwhelming energy and couldn't help but smile.
With both Excalibur and Avalon as her Noble Phantasms, Artoria, reborn as a demon, was definitely no lightweight.
Another super strong addition to his family.
Utaha's eyes sparkled.
"That aura…"
She subconsciously glanced over at Esdeath nearby.
Looks like this new girl was also going to be one of the strongest rivals in the group.
For a moment, Utaha felt kind of conflicted.
But then her gaze grew firm again.
She had been getting stronger this whole time.
And with the Fire God's essence Minato gave her, she was no weaker than anyone else.
Thinking that, her mood improved a lot.
"....."