Chapter 7: A Friend's Mother
Half an hour later.
Eikou and Gawain stepped out of the police station with tired expressions.
"No matter how you look at it, we finally managed to persuade the officer to let it slide this time. The specific situation will have to wait until Babbage-sensei is discharged from the hospital to be confirmed…"
"But Sir Tristan wasn't so lucky. I'm afraid he'll have to spend the night in the detention center," Gawain said with a worried look.
"If Tristan has managed to survive this long, there must be something exceptional about him. No need to worry."
Eikou gently patted his shoulder.
"Sir Eikou, we really caused trouble for you today—not only did you lose your job, but you were also interrogated by the police. I hope you won't hold it against us," Gawain said with a bit of guilt.
"It's fine. Honestly, it was kind of thrilling."
Eikou didn't feel any regret at all.
Today may have seemed like a wasted effort on the surface, but in reality, it brought back something quite valuable.
[Today you went through hardship with two Knights of the Round Table. This crisis has brought you closer together. Tristan and Gawain's affection toward you has increased significantly.]
[Through your interactions with Gawain and the others, you have learned a few unique things from them.]
[You have acquired "Charisma E" from Gawain]
["Charisma E": You possess the command and leadership ability of a leader, enabling your Servant allies to perform better.]
[You have acquired "Magic Resistance B" from Tristan]
["Magic Resistance B": You have higher resistance to weak debuff states.]
As expected, his earlier speculation was completely correct.
As long as he actively interacted with Servants, he could learn their skills.
Therefore, whether it was working part-time or studying, there were all kinds of ways to improve oneself.
"There are already so many ways to get stronger—do I really need to go out of my way to build a good relationship with Baobhan Sith? Why hang myself from a tree, when I can just seriously improve my abilities and still deal with the Holy Grail War at the end of the school year?"
"All things considered, why do I even have to improve myself to participate in the Holy Grail War? Isn't living a peaceful life just fine?"
Eikou couldn't come up with a single reason why he "had to win no matter what."
A quiet school life like this suited him far better.
He just wanted to lie down and live.
"Sir Eikou, are you still planning to attend the exchange meeting?" Gawain asked.
"Probably not… With my current finances, I really can't afford it." He gave a wry smile, glancing at the evening sky gradually darkening. "Instead of that, why don't we go have dinner?"
"Actually, I was about to have dinner with my family, but if you don't mind, you're welcome to join!"
The Knight of the Sun extended the invitation with a natural, hearty tone.
"Family? You mean Gareth and Mordred?"
Before Gawain could answer, from the other side of the street, a black luxury car suddenly sped toward them.
Sunset like this, just as the two of them were stepping out of the school gate, with a luxurious car exuding immense presence—every element of the scene made Eikou's DNA instinctively tremble.
Looking closely, it seemed like he had seen this car somewhere before…
The car window slowly rolled down, revealing a familiar face in the driver's seat—a noble and icy cold face.
It was Morgan—the Queen of the Fairy Kingdom, the one who sent him selfies every night.
"Didn't expect to see you here, Eikou-san."
With a voice full of majesty yet gentle, she spoke to him.
"..."
Eikou froze in place, thinking to himself: Why is she here?
He'd just run into an assassin. Only, the assassination target… seemed to be his own chastity.
Gawain bowed politely and said, "Good evening, Mother-sama."
Mother-sama?!
Eikou was startled, thinking: Wait a minute, isn't this Morgan a Lostbelt King?! How can she be your mother?!
"You two… you're really mother and son?" he asked quickly.
"I'm adopted," Gawain replied. "I, Gareth, Mordred, and even Baobhan Sith were all children taken in and raised by Mother."
"..."
"And I've always been single, never married. You can be completely at ease about that," Morgan added softly.
Why emphasize that all of a sudden? What exactly am I supposed to feel at ease about? If anything, this makes me feel even more uneasy!
Eikou couldn't help but complain inwardly.
Baobhan Sith is understandable, but why would this Lostbelt King adopt so many children from Proper Human History? Her maternal instinct was on a whole different level…
Which meant—the person texting him every night… was actually the mother of the guy who slept in the bunk below him?
It sounded like a complicated relationship, but could really be summed up in a few words:
「My friend and his mom.」
"Gawain, I heard you caused some trouble during your part-time job, so I came here personally," Morgan said, sweeping her deep blue gaze across the two of them.
"But since you've already been released, I assume the situation has been resolved?"
"Mother-sama, as of now, we still can't be certain," Gawain replied seriously.
"I see."
Morgan nodded.
"If there's trouble, I'll find a way to help you deal with it. Now get in the car, both of you. Let's not just stand here on the street talking."
"I'm getting in too?" Eikou asked.
"Of course. Come have dinner with us," Morgan replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Sir Eikou, didn't you say you haven't eaten yet? Then come with us," Gawain also warmly invited him.
"Uh… well…"
"Are you feeling awkward because of Mother-sama's presence? Don't worry, she might seem scary, but she's actually very gentle."
"..."
Yes, awkward. And yes, scary. But the kind of scary he meant… was probably not what Gawain had in mind.
Since things had gotten to this point, Eikou had no way to politely refuse. He obediently stepped into the car.
"Oh right, Gawain, can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"If your adoptive mother is the CEO of the Orkney Group, then you're basically a young master, right? So why do you still need to work part-time for these parties?"
"Haha, in my household, there's a child-rearing policy: sons stay poor, daughters get rich," Gawain replied nonchalantly. "So my wallet's always empty."
"I see…" It sounded like a joke, but Eikou could feel it was actually quite sincere.
[You followed Morgan to a high-class restaurant.]
[After listening to both of you recount the entire incident, Morgan—speaking as a responsible adult—immediately grasped the key point: if the Edison factory really had serious security flaws, then the ones who deserved compensation should be you.]
[And so, your hopes of attending the social gathering were rekindled once more.]
[But Morgan became quite curious: why were you two so desperately in need of money in the first place?]