"Gather every large cauldron inside the castle and bring them to the central plaza immediately! Get firewood from the forest outside the walls—oak dry enough to burn!"
The central plaza of Camelot.
Just a few hours ago, this place had been the site of a brutal battle to stop Kay's invasion, but now it had been transformed into a massive outdoor kitchen.
Kay rolled up his sleeves and stood in the center of the plaza, directing knights and soldiers with a booming voice.
By his side stood the ladies who had raced all the way from North Wales, waiting perfectly to assist in the cooking.
"Jeanne! Get fires under the cauldrons! Don't let the flames get too strong or the pots will melt—keep them at a steady simmer!"
"Ah, seriously! What am I, a stove hearth? …Well, it's still better than those garbage potatoes."
Jeanne d'Arc Alter grumbled, but skillfully sparked black flames beneath dozens of huge cauldrons.
"All right, Tamamo. Bring out the ingredients I prepared."
At Kay's words, Tamamo drew dozens of blue talismans from her sleeve and scattered them into the air.
"Leave it to me, milord! Your special ingredients, preserved perfectly with [Permanent Preservation Spell], are at your service!"
Fwah!!
As the talismans glowed, the air before them rippled open and an enormous amount of ingredients poured forth.
This wasn't ordinary beef or pork from Camelot's stores.
It was Kay's own special homemade hams and sausages he had hunted, prepared, aged, and cured during his time in the [Abyssal Realm], and a deep emerald broth he had simmered for days from the bones of some unidentifiable monstrous beast.
"Good. Pour the stock into the cauldrons first!"
Kay hefted the emerald-green stock, then chopped thick, crimson sausages and ham into hefty chunks and dropped them in.
Next went in leeks, onions, beans, and the key special seasoning paste—a perfect blend of chili powder, garlic, and aged fermented paste.
Bubble bubble bubble~!!
As the paste melted and the broth turned blood-red, the plaza fell into stunned silence.
The fierce, spicy, umami-rich aroma violently struck the noses of the soldiers, who until now had lived on mealy potatoes and boiled chicken.
Gulp...
A chorus of swallowing echoed across the thousands of troops.
"Just the smell makes my tongue burn—so why is my mouth watering like crazy?"
"G-Gawain's mashed potatoes are on a whole different level! This scent shakes the soul!"
"All right, it's ready! Line up to be served!!"
With Kay's crisp call, the grandest and most glorious meal service in Camelot's history began.
Knights, ignoring their pride, scooped broth into their helms as bowls, while soldiers dunked bread into the red soup and shoveled it into their mouths.
Chomp.Slurp.
And then—
Aaaah... Aaaaaargh—!!
"This taste…!! It's spicy! But I can't stop!! The way the sausages soak up the juice and the bold broth…!!"
"Oh, gods! What on earth were those potatoes we've been eating? This is heavenly food!! Ah, the taste of home I'd forgotten!!"
Camelot's plaza instantly turned into a frenzy of tears and snot as everyone devoured the army stew.
The hearty, savory red broth warmed their cold, hardened guts worn down by endless war with the Saxons and harsh military discipline, and the mysterious meat filled their malnourished bodies with explosive energy.
"O big brother…! Sob, it's so good…! From now on, I never want to look at a potato again…!"
Even Artoria, who moments before had been stupefied by drugs, flung aside any notion of regal dignity and sat at the table Kay had prepared, tears of gratitude streaming down her face as she ate.
It was as if even the residue of [Osekisan] in her stomach was being washed away by the spicy broth.
"Take your time eating. You'll choke. Chew the meat too."
Kay ladled out his own portion and gently stroked her head.
Artoria bit into a big chunk of ham, her face lighting up in bliss, then suddenly tilted her head.
"But, big brother… These meats are so incredibly tender and brimming with mana. What beast could they come from? No wild boar or cattle in Britain tastes like this. And this rich broth—what bones make such depth?"
...
For a moment, Kay's hand froze.
He tapped the ladle against the pot without a word, and instead, he gave her a deep, enigmatic smile tinged with darkness as he turned his gaze toward distant mountains.
'I can't tell her. No way I could. If she knew this ham came from the eight-legged beast crawling in the depths of the [Abyssal Realm], and the broth from the spine of an ancient dragon I slew there, she'd faint.'
When Kay kept silent and offered only a compassionate smile, a sudden chill ran down Artoria's spine.
"O big brother? Why won't you say anything…? Did you put something weird in it…?"
"Here, I'll get you a second bowl—eat up, don't leave any. Look how thin you've gotten."
Quickly, Kay filled her bowl to the brim and changed the subject.
Although she felt uneasy, she couldn't resist the addictive flavor and resumed eating vigorously.
Watching the heartwarming sibling meal from a distance were two more figures.
"Here, you two, eat something too."
It was Gawain and Gareth, the sibling duo, struggling to wrap their heads around the sudden turn of events.
"…We were enemies just moments ago. And didn't you say you hated me?"
"I did. But on special days even enemies hug and enjoy themselves together. World War proved that."
"?"
"I still hate you. I'm a fool who couldn't take care of my own sister and made garbage out of potatoes!"
"Then why…?"
"Even a fool like you, I love. Eat—if your belly's full, you won't cause trouble, right? Since you're crazy about potatoes, I added extra tofu."
"Tofu?"
"It's made from beans. Try it and tell me if you want more."
Gawain casually handed her a bowl and gave Gareth a sidelong glance.
Gareth flinched and looked away, stepping back. Having been one of Merlin's confidants, she assumed someone who hated Merlin couldn't look kindly on her.
But Kay reached out to stroke her head and offered her the bowl.
"Eat plenty."
"......"
"Let me make up for what I failed to give you all this time."
"…Yes."
Gareth couldn't grasp the meaning behind his words, but somehow she found his touch comforting.
After the serving was mostly done and the soldiers lay sated across the plaza, a timid voice came from the edge of the square where Artoria was clearing her tray.
"…Artoria big sister."
When she turned around, Lily stood in pure white armor, tears glistening in her eyes.
Beside her were Artoria X Alter nibbling a hot dog, Artoria Alter with her arms crossed, Artoria Lancer, Artoria Lancer Alter, and Artoria Caster.
The Pendragon sisters—scattered until now—had finally gathered in one place.
"Lily. You…"
Artoria's green eyes trembled.
Lily, the sister who had betrayed her and deserted Arthur's army—a crime worthy of immediate execution.
But this Artoria was no longer the mechanical queen of days past.
"…You foolish girl. What would I have done if you'd wandered the wilderness and died alone?"
Tears streamed down Artoria's face as she opened her arms wide to Lily.
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry I made things so hard for you."
Waaaah! Lily threw herself into Artoria's embrace, crying aloud as the sisters washed away their accumulated pain with tears.
Artoria Alter snorted, "Hmph. How melodramatic," and turned away, while Artoria Lancer watched with a faint smile.
And there, scrubbing a pot, a sticky shadow silently slid up to Kay.
"Big brother."
Artoria X quietly approached, slipping an arm around Kay's waist and whispered,
"Leave the tearful sisters to themselves… How about tonight?"
"Hey, hey! Get your hands off!"
"Oh my, are you planning to cut in again?!"
From nowhere, Artoria Caster—having sniffed him out like a specter—grabbed Artoria X by the hair.
"Let go of her! You slept in the same bed as big brother in the Fairy Kingdom just yesterday, didn't you? No shame!"
"Milord!! Hurry and slip into the soft embrace of your proper wife…!" Tamamo shouted, flaring blue magic as she leaped in.
Even Bagest, her face flushed, burst onto the scene:
"My lord! I will reenact on Camelot's people the naked dogeza from the Fairy Kingdom… So please, tonight is for me…!"
In an instant, Camelot's central plaza turned into a bizarre carnage of two scenes at once—the tearful reunion of Artoria and Lily, and a ferocious catfight as everyone fought to claim Kay.
"...Sigh. Well, this isn't so bad in its own way."
Kay looked at the empty cauldrons, lifted his gaze to the sky, and let out a deep sigh.
Annoying as it all was, this peace wasn't so bad.
"…Artoria. Since the family's all here, how about we visit Tintagel if we have time?"
"Yes?"
"I'd like to see Father's face after a long time. We'll finally have a little breathing room."
"Ah… Lancer. Haven't you told big brother yet?" Lily asked.
"…With the sisters already in such a state, I thought it might make things worse if I told him…" Lancer replied reluctantly.
Kay tilted his head in confusion. "? What is it?"
Lily's next words cut like a nightmare:
"Big brother, Black Knight Ector… passed away two years ago."
While I was banished to the [Abyssal Realm], our father, Black Knight Ector, passed away.
As his only child, I couldn't be by his deathbed nor give him a proper funeral.