In the world of Type-Moon, it all begins with becoming Morgan's husband!

"Artorius."

"Ok?"

Upon hearing Ian call his name, Artorius, despite being captivated by the delicious food before him, politely stopped eating.

"What is it, Mr. Ian?"

Yes, they even changed the way they address each other to honorifics.

Ian actually appreciates that.

"Where are you from?" he asked.

“A small village,” Artorius replied quickly, “some distance from here.”

“I see.” Ian nodded. “No wonder I felt you were a little strange.”

You started chatting with Artoria.

Out of gratitude for the meal he had given you, he answered each of your questions very carefully.

You've learned about his family background and that he's not the only son in his family; there's a young man named Kai living above him.

In addition, you also learned that he made a promise to return within three days.

You realize his situation is completely different from those knights, and you cannot kill him now.

After all, if Atolis doesn't return as agreed, the situation will become much more complicated.

You've started thinking about more suitable methods.

“Um, Mr. Ian.”

Artorius's throat moved slightly.

"May I continue to enjoy these things?"

"Oh..." Ian nodded, snapping out of his daze. "Of course, no problem."

With Ian's permission, Artorius once again indulged in a very graceful manner.

This prompted Ian to ask, "Artorius, you seem really hungry."

"It's not entirely hunger."

“It’s more important to store more in your body.” Artorius finished off the plate.

"The land is producing less and less. If we don't prepare like this at all times, we may not have the strength to take up arms and fight back when the enemy comes."

This answer surprised Ian.

He never expected that Artorias, who looked so young, would be thinking about such a question.

"So, according to you, you want to become a knight?"

“Not necessarily a knight,” Artorius replied to Ian before him, “but at least I hope to do what I can for Britain, just like you, Mr. Ian.”

"..."

Ian felt something touch his heart.

He smiled slightly and reached out to pat Artorius's head.

As expected, his golden hair was even smoother than I had imagined, almost like a fine woolen rug.

The only drawback might be that stubborn tuft of hair that just won't go down no matter how hard you try.

"Then eat your fill."

"Hey you over there, bring me a few more plates."

Finally, Artorias stopped when another small mountain of plates had appeared on the table.

Looking at his satisfied expression, you don't know if you did the right thing.

But you can at least be sure of one thing.

That means Atolis trusts you completely now.

You realize this might help you kill him.

You tossed down two heavy bags of gold coins, then left the tavern with him.

You bought all his apples and arranged for him to stay at the best hotel in the capital.

Of course, you weren't doing this out of kindness.

You instructed the innkeeper to keep a close eye on Artoris and report to you immediately if anything unusual happened.

Although you have a vague feeling that this might not be very useful.

"Mr. Ian."

Artorius's voice came through.

Ian turned around.

Artoris straightened his clothes and washed away the dust he had picked up on his journey with water.

Ian found it hard to believe he was a boy because of his delicate features.

That absurd illusion bloomed before my eyes once again.

But now that I've verified it myself, even if I don't believe it, I have no choice but to accept the fact.

"Artoria, what's wrong?"

“I want to express my gratitude to you.” Artorius bowed deeply to Ian.

"Thank you for your generosity. I am deeply grateful, words cannot express my gratitude."

“Artorius, you’re too kind,” Ian said, feigning a smile.

"Since you need to sell apples and I need apples, we're just skipping some steps in the process."

"From this perspective, I should be grateful to you."

"But the blessings of good food and shelter are still bestowed by you."

Atolis clasped his hands together in front of him.

Despite his petite stature, he actually looks quite youthful at this moment.

"If possible—"

"Mr. Ian, would it be possible for me to return the favor by treating you to a meal tomorrow?"

26. Obtaining the princess's permission is no simple matter.

You heard an invitation from Artoria.

You didn't answer immediately, but instead looked at him silently.

This made him worry that he might have said something wrong.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Ian, if you’re busy, then please don’t bother.” Atolis politely offered himself an out.

"However, I am still very grateful for your help."

After saying that, Artorius turned around, ready to return to his room, feeling awkward.

"Wait a minute," Ian said, trying to persuade them to stay.

Are you... sure you want to do this?

"If I remember correctly, all you have left is the money from selling apples, right?"

This isn't Ian talking nonsense.

He had already searched Artorius's body under the guise of a body search—he couldn't possibly have any possessions other than what Ian had generously given him.

"Is it really okay to take it out and spend it like this?"

“No problem,” Atolis said immediately, sensing a glimmer of hope. “Although these are the gold coins I got from selling apples, I can still spend some of them.”

"Besides -"

Artorius looked directly at Ian and smiled slightly.

"If my elder brother and father knew that I had received kindness from others but did not repay it, it would surely bring shame upon them."

The boy's eyes were so sincere and direct that Ian couldn't really refute them.

After a moment's hesitation, he gave a somewhat uncertain answer.

"Okay, I understand."

"However, I'm not entirely sure if I'll have any free time. How about this: if I don't show up at the hotel entrance by noon tomorrow, just pretend I'm busy, okay?"

"Noon?"

Artoria nodded, her expression conveying an attitude of having "completely memorized" the words.

"I understand."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, you bid farewell to Artoria.

You're only now realizing how late it is.

You thought of Morgan.

You hurried towards the royal court.

You carefully avoided being seen along the way and finally arrived safely in front of Morgan's room.

You gently knocked on the door, waiting for Morgan to open it for you.

creak-

As the wooden axle turned, the sturdy door slowly opened.

However, Morgan did not appear behind the door as usual.

Ian was somewhat puzzled.

But now that the door was open, he knew that staying outside like this wasn't a good idea.