Tiamat, I'm going to find a girlfriend!

"lie."

Melyuchina reached out and gently tapped Mashu's head.

“Your father would never say such a thing; only you would—”

“Mash, lying to your mother is not a good thing.”

"Hey, we've been found out..."

Mashu covered her head and stuck out her tongue.

"Okay~"

“My dad definitely didn’t tell me I was going to do this kind of thing.”

"but--"

"He did tell me what kind of things he likes!"

"..."

Melyuchina was already concerned about what Bavanshi had said before, and Mashu's mention of it made her even more concerned.

What kind of things do you like?

"Mash, could you explain in more detail?"

"Well--"

Mashu rested her chin on her hand, clearly trying to recall what Ian had mentioned to her.

Soon, she spoke again:

"Dad asked if there was anything you particularly wanted or anything you were really looking forward to."

"..."

The same.

That's exactly what Bavanshi meant.

That's right.

This must have been Artoria who made him do it.

"That--"

"Meliuqina asked cautiously."

"How did you answer? Can you tell your mom?"

"Hehe~"

Mashu picked up the battle-damaged shield beside her, a satisfied expression on her face.

“I told my dad that it would be great if I could have a stronger shield.”

"..."

"Is that all? Don't you have any other wishes?"

"Meliuqina continued to ask."

That's all~

Mashu obediently shook her head, and it was clear that she meant what she said.

"I think receiving a gift like this would be wonderful."

"..."

"is it?"

Hearing these sensible words, Mei Liuqina couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

She found that sometimes she seemed to be less capable than a small child.

"alright."

"Since you want a gift like this—"

Mei Liuqina waved her phone.

"Mom will give you one."

"Really, really?"

Mashu's eyes gleamed with anticipation.

"Are you really giving it to me?"

"no sooner said than done."

As she said this, Meliuchina extended her hand.

"Hang yourself with a hook."

"Unchanged for a hundred years!"

"Hmm~"

Meryuchina, who had displayed her maternal charm in front of Mashu, had a pleasant memory.

That being said—

In the time that followed, she became somewhat worried.

Although Bavanshi didn't prepare any particularly good shields, that doesn't mean what she brought out was cheap stuff.

On the other hand, Melyuchina also wanted to prepare a nice gift for her daughter—this was the first time she had ever done so.

After a while, Mei Liuqina found that she really couldn't fulfill this wish.

what can we do about it……

As a mother, Meliuchina finds herself in a strange predicament.

Finally, having exhausted all other options, she could only seek Ian's help.

As the chief of the Knights of the Round Table, he must have some way of doing it.

"Eh?"

"You mean you're preparing for this too?"

Although she had already learned of Ian's actions from Mash, Meryuchina was still somewhat surprised when she actually confirmed it.

"And everything is almost ready, so we can get our hands on it today?"

"Correct."

Ian nodded, and then he very naturally took Melyuchina's hand.

"Come with me and take a look."

"..."

Although she didn't know what kind of shield Ian was talking about, out of curiosity and because she was wondering about Ian's whereabouts, Melyuchina nodded without hesitation.

"Okay, let's go."

Ever since——

The two walked down the streets of Camelot like a married couple, a rare occurrence for them.

of course.

When necessary, Melyuchina will still be very mindful of her behavior—even though Artoria said she didn't mind such things, Ian will still be her husband no matter what.

However, what pleased Melyuchina was that the more she tried to get away from Ian at this moment when she needed to "explain," the more forcefully he pulled her back to his side.

Forget it...

There's really nothing I can do.

Melyuchina stopped struggling and then obediently followed him.

But not long after, she realized that something seemed a little off.

how……

Are we getting closer and closer to the castle?

Just as Melyuchina had remarked, the place Ian led her to was not somewhere else, but the very castle where Artoria was, and also where Morgan and Ian lived.

"Are you going to get a shield in a place like this?"

"Correct."

Ian nodded, confirming Meryuchina's statement.

"Isn't that right?"

"No, that's right."

Without a word, Ian stopped all of Melyuchina's doubts and led her deeper into the castle.

only--

The situation deep within the castle surprised Melyuchina even more.

There, you could see that Artoria wasn't alone; Morgan was also there.

Realizing something was wrong, Melyuchina turned to leave, but Ian grabbed her arm.

He then spoke directly to the British sisters before him:

"I just happened to run into her."

"is it?"

Artoria's eyes were smiling.

"What a coincidence."

"elder sister……"

“Hmm.” Morgan nodded. “Let’s take this opportunity to hand it over to her.”

"Wha, what?"

Morgan ignored Melyuchina's confusion and doubt, and instead turned around and took something out of there.

When Meiliuqina finally saw it clearly, all that remained in her eyes was shock.

Because it was engraved with a pattern that was almost exactly the same as the round table, the workmanship was a first-class surprise.

Moreover, if I'm not mistaken, it even seems to have a magical aura about it.

"what is this?"

"A gift we gave to Mashu."

Artoria took the shield from Morgan and brought it to Melyuchina.

"Go."

"Go and give it to Mashu."

"She will be very happy."

159. I need you, Melyuchina

"..."

Mei Liuqina was stunned for a while before speaking, after confirming that she hadn't misheard.

"Was this shield prepared for me?"

"Do not."

Artoria shook her head.

"But it's pretty much the same."

“It’s for Mash, didn’t Ian say that?” Artoria smiled slightly. “Now is the perfect time.”