Leon sat in the snow chatting with Artoria.
The physical contact between them never went beyond holding hands or kissing the back of her hand.
Leon didn't push any further or behave offensively. Instead, he treated Artoria like a girl he had only recently met—someone he intended to pursue properly.
That much was enough.
As for Artoria—
Although she couldn't understand why Leon was so persistent about her, she didn't feel much resistance toward him either.
Perhaps because both of them were past and present wielders of the Holy Sword, there seemed to be a strange sense of mutual attraction between them.
For someone like Artoria, who had always presented herself as a man, having someone treat her as a girl was an incredibly unfamiliar experience.
This is the first time…
What exactly is this feeling stirring in my heart?
She stole a glance at Leon's profile beside her.
Some instinctive unease and impulse stirred faintly within her.
But soon—
Those feelings were drowned out by her obsession with obtaining the Holy Grail and rewriting the tragic history of Britain.
Until that goal was achieved, she neither wished nor believed she had the right to think about anything else.
As she thought this, her delicate brows unconsciously knitted together.
Seeing this, Leon stood up and brushed the snow from his clothes.
With the Holy Sword in hand, he casually spun the blade in a neat flourish before pointing its tip directly at Artoria's face.
"Want to cross swords for a bit?"
"Of course."
Artoria agreed immediately.
She also wanted to test the capabilities of this new wielder of the Holy Sword.
Slowly rising to her feet, the hesitation and worry between her brows vanished instantly—replaced by the excitement of a warrior encountering worthy prey.
She summoned her own sword.
The invisible blade recreated through the Holy Grail system appeared in her hand.
She then deliberately dispelled the wind surrounding it—
Invisible Air.
The wind barrier vanished.
At once, a golden Holy Sword identical to Leon's revealed itself.
From the moment she had been chosen by the Grail War, that sword had manifested as her Noble Phantasm, embodying the legend of King Arthur.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Boom—!
The moment their eyes met—
The duel began instantly.
Two blurs flashed across the snowy field faster than the naked eye could follow.
Only the sharp ringing of steel proved the fierce clash between them.
Feeling the force transmitted through the blade, Artoria was deeply surprised.
She had assumed that since Leon had only recently become the Holy Sword's wielder, even with the sword enhancing his body and granting him eternal youth, he wouldn't be able to match a Servant like her.
But reality proved otherwise.
Leon could perfectly keep up with her movements.
His strength was also completely comparable.
He was practically fighting like a Servant himself.
Of course—
That was only because Artoria had not yet released her Mana Burst.
Still, Leon's combat ability was already impressive enough to delight her.
However—
There was one thing she absolutely could not tolerate.
Golden magical energy suddenly erupted around her body.
Mana Burst!
Her power surged dramatically.
With one overwhelming strike, she sent Leon flying backward through the snow.
Then she frowned in irritation.
"Leon, what exactly are you doing?"
"What do you mean?"
"Aren't we testing swords?"
Leon asked innocently.
"Are you sure you're wielding a sword and not just swinging an iron club?!"
Artoria nearly choked on her breath in frustration.
During the fight, Leon had relied entirely on his speed, reaction time, and raw strength to keep up with her.
There had been no sword technique whatsoever.
It was like watching a street brawler swing a metal pipe.
To Artoria, the feeling was unbearable.
It was as if her beautiful former spouse had broken up with her peacefully—
Only to be taken by a reckless new partner and forced to haul bricks at a construction site like a beast of burden.
Even though there were far more elegant ways to make use of such a treasure.
She felt so frustrated she could almost cough up blood.
Why had the Holy Sword chosen someone who clearly didn't know how to use it properly?
Taking a deep breath, Artoria dismissed her sword and marched toward Leon with determination.
"W-what are you doing?"
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Leon's mouth—as if everything were going exactly according to plan.
Yet he clutched his chest and drew his knees inward like a frightened girl about to be assaulted.
"Give it to me."
Artoria snatched the Holy Sword from Leon's hands.
Her small body pressed closely against his tall frame without hesitation.
She grabbed his hand and began guiding it directly.
Hand over hand, she corrected his grip.
She showed him how to hold the sword, how to swing it, and how to properly block incoming attacks.
Of course—
Leon's "God of Combat" title had already allowed him to perfectly replicate Artoria's swordsmanship the moment he witnessed it.
But learning it like this—
From zero, guided by her personally—
Was a very different experience.
Most importantly—
From an outsider's perspective, their posture looked extremely intimate.
Rather than a knight instructing someone in swordsmanship, it looked far more like Leon had wrapped his arms around the petite Artoria from behind.
Yet she herself seemed completely unaware.
Artoria was focused solely on teaching.
Meanwhile, Leon—who was quietly taking advantage of the situation—had far more things to consider.
Time slowly passed.
The longer she taught him, the more shocked Artoria became.
Leon was like a flawless mirror.
No matter what technique she demonstrated, he could replicate it perfectly.
In less than two and a half hours, Artoria realized she had nothing left to teach him.
His talent was terrifying.
Perhaps this was the true reason the Holy Sword had chosen Leon.
Artoria unconsciously filled in that explanation herself.
Gradually, she became accustomed to being held in Leon's embrace.
That feeling of complete trust—
Aside from the companions of the Round Table, she had never experienced it before.
Even though she had once suffered a betrayal too painful to speak of.
In Artoria's mind, Leon had quickly changed—
From a stranger Master…
To a fellow Holy Sword wielder…
And now to someone who felt like both a teacher and a friend.
Someone she strangely felt she could entrust her back to.
But what exactly was he to her?
Artoria couldn't quite define it.
In her eyes—
Leon was the exact opposite of her Master, Kiritsugu Emiya.
One was stern and expressionless.
The other carefree and playful.
One seemed to harbor an inexplicable dislike toward her.
The other treated her with warmth and closeness.
She wanted to say Leon was someone like Gawain or Lancelot—
A like-minded companion.
A trusted friend.
But people had always said:
"The king does not understand the human heart."
And so instinctively, Artoria resisted placing Leon in the same category as the Knights of the Round Table.
Yet even that instinct—
She couldn't fully understand or explain.
"Leon… was everything my fault?"
"Do I really… not understand the human heart?"
For some reason, in front of this man she had known for less than three days, Artoria revealed a vulnerability she could no longer suppress.
She wasn't even sure whether Leon truly understood the question she was asking.
But Leon simply wrapped his arms around her gently from behind.
His voice was warm and reassuring.
"It's okay."
"There's nothing wrong."
"As long as I'm here, everything will be fine."
"…Mm."
Artoria softly responded.
Then she subtly leaned back, allowing more of her weight to rest against him.
Maybe… I can rely on Leon a little more.
After all, we're both wielders of the Holy Sword.
She used that excuse to convince herself.
"Saber?"
"!!"
Irisviel's voice suddenly called from not far away.
Artoria instantly jumped away from Leon's arms like a startled bird.
Her face flushed bright red—
More expressive than any confession.
She was never an emotionless vessel meant only to bear the burden of kingship.
She had simply grown accustomed to sealing away the heart of a young girl—
From the day she first drew the Sword in the Stone and became king.
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