Kay, who had walked into the kitchen with a smug smile, froze for a moment. When she saw Gareth, her smile turned into a look of sheer, exasperated amusement.
Kay grabbed the front of her relatively loose tunic and pulled it taut, creating a visible curve across her chest. Though not massive, it was easily a "B" or even "C" cup.
"Look here, brat! I actually have something!"
"That little bit? You're still flat!"
Gareth put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest. "You're not even as big as me!"
Arthur couldn't help but glance over.
Because Gareth looked so much like a child, he had never really paid attention to her figure. But now that she mentioned it, Arthur realized with surprise that while Gareth was small and acted a bit dim, her chest was indeed remarkably well-endowed.
At the very least, she was bigger than Kay.
"You—?!"
Kay looked at Gareth's protruding chest, then down at her own. She pointed a finger at Gareth, utterly speechless.
"What about me? You flat-chested wicked woman, this is the kitchen—the domain of me, Gareth the Kitchen Knight! This is no place for you!"
Normally, Kay would have already started mocking this little girl whose brains seemed as underdeveloped as her height, but now she just stood there, pointing, unable to find words.
I mean, seriously, what gives?!
She could accept Bedivere being bigger; she had been that way since they were kids. She could accept Artoria being bigger; the girl ate like a pig every day and had recently hit a growth spurt that made her taller than Kay, so it would be weirder if she werent bigger.
But why on earth was this tiny, foolish brat—who looked like a malnourished child who didn't get enough to eat—better endowed than her?!
"Alright, alright. Gareth, go back to cooking. I'm going to have a quick word outside with this 'flat-chested wicked woman.'"
"Arthur!!!"
Kay looked at Arthur in total disbelief.
"Come on, don't get so worked up over a child."
Arthur laughed and pushed Kay by the shoulders, ushering her out of the kitchen and closing the door behind them.
Kay didn't resist, but the moment they were clear of the room, she hissed through gritted teeth, "Arthur—no, Artorius! If you have the guts, say what you just said one more time!"
"Alright, take it easy. Why get mad at a kid? Besides, chest size isn't everything."
"Oh, really?" Kay sneered. "Then who is it that 'secretly' stares at his sister's chest every single day?"
"Ahem, ahem! That's just a brother observing his sister's healthy development, isn't it?"
Kay's sneer deepened.
"Hey, you can't blame me for that," Arthur said, looking innocent.
Artoria was constantly wandering around the castle in that low-cut tunic, intentionally swaying in front of him.
He was a healthy young man—no, he was a "Red Dragon" with instincts dozens of times more potent than a normal man's. Add to that the fact that Mery had told him he and Lily weren't blood-related, and what man could possibly resist looking?
"I'm just making the mistake that any man would make."
Seeing Kay's sneer returning as she prepared to drop another bombshell, Arthur quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, was there a reason you were looking for me?"
"I'll settle the score with you later."
Kay shot him a glare and turned around. "Follow me! Lily and the others found some 'goodies' at that dog Oscar's place... Well, at that dog-thing's place. Though he's not nearly as much of a dog as you."
Arthur pretended he didn't hear that last part and followed her into the Great Hall.
In the hall, Artoria was waiting with four knights. There were two men and two women—loyalists she had recently hand-picked from the knighthood to groom as her confidants.
Originally, there were no female knights in the order. However, given Artoria's own exceptional nature, the burly knights who weren't part of Ector's original faction had initially been dismissive of her.
That was, until Artoria systematically thrashed them one by one. After that, they were utterly convinced.
In the knighthood, strength was the only currency that mattered. Artoria had proven that while she couldn't beat her brother, she could handle anyone else with one hand tied behind her back.
Because of her influence, the order had recently recruited several more female knights, and the veteran "brothers" hadn't raised any objections.
To be precise, they were female magi.
A significant portion of magi were creatures who recognized money over loyalty. If you provided them with ample research funding and a relaxed environment, they were more than happy to work for you. Trying to talk to them about "emotion" or "responsibility" was like playing a lute to a cow.
But it varied from person to person.
The so-called "Orthodox" magi were indeed cold and detached, but there were plenty of others, both high-born and low-born, who were more "human" and possessed typical mortal desires.
Furthermore, because Mystery still lingered in this era, their physical constitutions were influenced by the mana in the air. Even if it wasn't abundant, it still made them somewhat superhuman.
While a woman's physical strength might still lag behind a man's, it was a different story when supplemented by reinforcement magecraft. These female knights had been carefully selected by Artoria and Kay—talented young women from Camelot and the surrounding areas discovered with the help of magi refugees from the mainland.
Those with talent for physical reinforcement were sent to the knights for training.
Those with talent in other fields were handed over to the magi to be trained as a reserve mage unit for the knighthood. Of course, Arthur's ultimate goal was to establish a comprehensive academy in Camelot to teach both knightly arts and magecraft. He wanted a production line of magi and knights loyal to him, eventually turning the city into a global holy land for both disciplines.
However, the cost was currently prohibitive. He couldn't even guarantee that his people had enough to eat yet, so that plan had to be shelved until he had more gold.
For now, Arthur didn't intend to send these magically gifted female knights to the front lines. Instead, he planned to have them serve as the inner guard of his castle, responsible for the safety of his maids and female family members.
Given the future legends of Lancelot, Arthur really didn't want men guarding his female relatives.
This world wasn't like his previous one; magic and the supernatural existed here. Tasks that were once only suitable for men could be handled by women in this world. Since that was the case, Arthur preferred using women for these roles to save himself the headache.
"Your Majesty!"
Upon seeing Arthur approach, Artoria stepped forward and bowed slightly, pulling a letter from her robes.
"This is a secret letter discovered in Oscar's chambers. Please, have a look."
Arthur took the letter and scanned it. His expression gradually turned grim. After reading for a long moment, he looked up at Kay.
"Isn't this going a bit too far?"
"It has nothing to do with me," Kay replied, shrugging with a look of pure schadenfreude. "I did have people plant a few letters in his house, but this isn't one of them."
────────────────────────────────────────
Support me here: https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Spring Sale Special – 20% OFF!
Fate : What Do You Mean I'm the Proto-Saber?
Join the journey and become part of the story!
────────────────────────────────────────