Chapter 125. The End of the Holy Grail War 1/?
When I woke up, I felt well-rested—both physically and mentally. More than that, I was ready to bestow the radiance of the Princess of Judgement, the ruler of Nirvana of the Night, upon everyone. Especially, I wanted to shower one particular fake fox with my benevolence.
— Where is she...? — My recent mood faded, replaced by mild confusion. After all, Yae Rin was nowhere to be seen, unlike a small note on the nightstand by the bed.
"Your Majesty, I hope you enjoyed our time together. If you ever need someone to comfort you again, you know you can always turn to me ♥"
— So, no strings attached, huh? — I sighed. — And here I thought she was going to steal my heart...
— Well, never mind. Relationships aren't something to start on a whim; besides, I still have my dear Mordred. — Remembering the looks Yae made and imagining Mordred in her place, I couldn't help but lick my lips.
— All right, let's find out what the situation is. — Pushing away these obtrusive thoughts, I focused on what was happening in Nirvana of the Night, and soon found Mordred, who was at that moment sitting at a table with my knights, having breakfast.
— How's everything going? — I asked, suddenly appearing behind Yae Rin and hugging her from behind. Curiously enough, this girl who had come on to me so boldly yesterday now froze, her face flushed red to the ears.
— What's wrong? You weren't this shy yesterday, — I whispered in her ear under the knowing gazes of Kevin and May. Meanwhile, Mordred didn't understand what was going on.
— Your Majesty... — Rin practically whimpered in embarrassment, so I let her go.
— All right, all right, no more teasing, — I said with a light smirk before sitting down between Rin and Mordred.
— You slept for more than a day? — Mordred asked.
— Ha, well, I guess it was like a dream, — I shot a sly look at Rin, who didn't know where to hide.
— That blond guy was strong, — Mordred nodded, noticing nothing strange, as she tossed a piece of meat into her mouth. — But his wine is amazing.
— I was holding back. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stood a chance. Next time I won't make that mistake... I hope. — After all, depending solely on the ability for instant kills could eventually leave you unprepared for a situation where you'd have to battle an enemy immune to the Eyes of Death Perception. Still, as for finishing off enemies that way—better not hesitate again.
— Milady, I believe you should devote more time to mastering the energy within you. Your body is already lagging behind your energy development, which is why your last attack had those side effects. Even though you didn't use much of your origin energy, your body needs to properly adapt to using it freely. This should also strengthen you, — Oz said, suddenly perching in crow form on my shoulder.
— Yeah, you're probably right, — I agreed with him. If your own power is harming your body, something's off and it needs to be fixed.
As we continued chatting, a young woman in a maid dress approached, setting a plate, utensils, and a glass in front of me. I began loading my plate with whatever caught my fancy.
— By the way, about the wine Gilgamesh gave me—I've managed to partially replicate it. Unfortunately, I couldn't weave in the legend that, in this world, directly affects the taste and effects.
— So soon? — I asked in surprise, sliding my glass towards her. — Let me try.
May produced a corked bottle seemingly out of thin air, popped it open, and poured wine into my glass.
— Mmm! The taste is almost the same! — I exclaimed after a small sip. It really was that same phenomenal flavor, though there was one important difference. — Though, it seems that unlike the wine of the goddess of winemaking, this one can only get ordinary mortals drunk.
— Hmm... what do you think, May? Could you put this wine into mass production? And if I share my memories with the analysis of Gilgamesh's wine's history, do you think you could fix the legend deficiency?
— It'll take some time, but I think it's doable. The only thing is, we'll need to pay more attention to growing the right grape variety, but I'll handle that. Still, Your Majesty, it'd be good to attract some immigrants—we're short-handed. Among the knights there are couples, but population growth is slow that way.
— I'll think of something. But first, I have a promise to keep to Mordred. That will take some time. I'm not going to bring in just anyone—there could be trouble.
— That's fine, we're not in any rush.
— Is my wish really that complicated? — Mordred asked, frowning slightly.
— No. Did you really think I'd just throw you in front of Caliburn?
— No?
— Of course not! Silly girl, you're not getting away from me now, so I'll just be your queen, — I said, ruffling Mordred's hair.
— Enough, already, — protested the knight-girl at my rough treatment of her hair. Then she seemed to realize what I'd just said. — And what do you mean, queen?!
— Well, as king, you'll have to get married, obviously. Or... will you prefer Guinevere over me? Oh, my heart is wounded! — I clutched my chest theatrically.
— What?! I wouldn't let that wretch who deceived my father within a kilometer of the castle! Nor that idiot Lancelot!
— Oooh, then who will be your queen? — I grinned, already hatching a not-entirely-honest plan to make her mine completely.
— Well, Father was king—he can't just be a knight now, can he? — Mordred hesitated.
— Oh my, are you saying you're into incest? Father and daughter... As they say, Pendragon relationships are a family business, — I nodded seriously.
— That's not what I meant. ARGH, that's it! I'll be your king! And you'll be my queen, got it?! — The knight-girl burst out in a huff, making my smile even wider.
— Of course, Your Majesty, I'll take good care of you, — I purred, delighted at having tricked my dear servant. — Come on, we need to talk with your father, then deal with the Grail.
Taking Mordred by the hand, I led her through a portal to the outside world, right near the Einzbern castle.
— She didn't actually realize she just agreed to marry the princess, did she? — Yae Rin asked uncertainly, watching the portal close behind us.
— I doubt she even really knows what marriage involves, — Kevin shook his head.
— So she took advantage of her innocence? — Rin asked again, feeling a little awkward.
— Well, here's to the princess's success, — Oz raised his glass.
— To the princess! — came the chorus, and all the knights drained their cups.
— Speaking of taking advantage of someone's innocence... Rin, yesterday morning I noticed an interesting prototype disappeared from my lab, — May began.
— I-I know nothing about that! — Rin immediately blushed, squirming on the chair, still feeling a bit discomfort from yesterday.
— Are you sure? You know, my computer got some very interesting data from that device. I could let the others have a look.
— Don't you dare! — Rin jumped up, causing Oz to finally burst out laughing, soon joined by the rest of the knights.