Chapter 841

"..."

Shirou slowly closed his eyes.

After shutting down vision, the other five senses also become more acute.

You can hear the voice of the Fae Consort, and there's a seductive fragrance.

Then, even the smell of breath could be detected...

Shirou and Morgan exchanged breaths.

Then.

Just as their lips were about to touch—

"Bang!"

Shirou sensed a gust of wind.

He opened his eyes and saw a dark shadow fly past him.

That was Morgan, who had been sent flying. The witch screamed as she crashed into a large tree by the roadside.

As for the person who attacked her, Lion King cupped Shirou's cheeks and kissed him.

*************

Volume 10: Chapter 498 The Lion King: It still has to be CCB...?

Let's rewind the clock by about half an hour.

For immortal gods, the concept of time is very vague.

Therefore, although only a few minutes had passed since Shirou left with Morgan, the Lion King felt as if several years had gone by.

She stood frozen alone in the empty room, reaching out her hand in the direction Shirou had disappeared.

"..."

The pain of parting from Shirou far exceeded the goddess's imagination.

In the Lion King's original plan, she should have disappeared from Shirou's world in a very dignified manner.

Since he is now a god, he will not suffer greatly from being unable to speak to a human or see that human's smile again.

But that's the reality.

Just recalling Shirou's words, "Our relationship is over," made her feel as if her chest was being ripped apart.

Shouldn't the spirit of a deity be immune to harm?

Then why am I in so much pain?

Her expression was a mixture of distress, confusion, and despair as she pressed her hand to her heart.

The most painful thing Artoria Pendragon experienced was witnessing the destruction of her homeland.

Unable to bear it any longer, she even sold her soul to the Counter Force.

But compared to the despair we feel now, even that seems insignificant.

Although the goddess lacked human emotions, she vaguely understood the source of her despair.

Up to this point, what she fears is not saying goodbye to Shirou.

The Lion King's greatest fear was that he would not be able to hold a place in his heart.

As long as Shirou can still remember him, there's nothing to fear even if he returns to the Inner Sea of the Planet.

"Ahhh... ahhh..."

The goddess weakly cupped her face in her hands.

If even Shirou doesn't care about himself—then it's no different from death.

After the battle, Irisviel led her daughters home.

Because they received Shirou's message, "I'm going home first, don't worry about me!", they rushed back as well.

The woman who called herself True Magic ☆ Meli was taken away by Rin and Luvia and, as usual, locked in the basement of the Edelfelt Mansion.

As soon as I entered, Sella came running over, making a huge fuss.

Although she usually makes a mountain out of a molehill, she was exceptionally exaggerated today.

"Husband, husband, husband, wife! Oh no! Shirou, he's back with a woman!"

"What? My brother brought a woman back!?"

Illya and Chloe stared wide-eyed.

They immediately thought of that possibility... Could it be the Goddess Rhongomyniad!?

"Is the woman my brother brought back a stunningly beautiful blonde foreigner, like a goddess?"

"She has a great figure, is very tall, and has bigger breasts than Liz?"

Sella: "Yes... Oh, do you know Miss Illya too?"

Ritseliete: "Is this what defeat feels like...? It's the first time I've encountered such an invincible foe."

Hearing the maids say that, Illya and Chloe exchanged a knowing glance.

It really is that goddess!

This... this is the same plot development as Miss Bazett's!

If they aren't stopped soon, the number of women in the harem will increase again...

Stop this already, you idiot brother!

"Sella, where is that woman now?"

"It's upstairs, in Shirou's room."

Upon hearing this, the girls hurriedly tried to run towards the stairs, but Irisviel picked them up like kittens.

"Illya and Kuro are in the living room. They must be tired tonight. They should get some rest downstairs," Irisviel said.

"But, Mom!"

"That's right, Mom! We can't let my brother be alone with that woman!"

Illya and Chloe struggled and protested in mid-air.

Sella said, "No, Shirou just went out."

"Huh? Isn't my brother home?"

"But didn't you say the guest was in my brother's room?"

Sella explained to the two of them, "There were two women who came back with Shirou. He took one of them with him, and the blonde woman you mentioned was left upstairs."

Illya and Chloe were dumbfounded. What was with bringing back two people?

"Anyway, you two stay in the living room... I'm going to see her."

Irisviel, carrying one in each hand, placed her daughters back on the sofa.

"Mom, are you okay?"

"Illya asked with concern."

She had personally experienced how powerful and ruthless that goddess was.

Irisviel smiled slightly upon hearing this, "It's alright, I'm just going to see some old friends."

Leaving behind these puzzling words, she went up the stairs to the second floor.

Artoria Pendragon.

In terms of friendship, she and her friend even predated her acquaintance with Shirou.

Although she didn't fully recover her memories from the previous world, Irisviel still knew... that both she and Artoria were women who were saved because of Shirou.

When Irisviel learned that Illya and her companions' final enemy was Artoria, she began to worry about her.

As a woman, Irisviel certainly knew how important Shirou was to Artoria; he was a special person to her.

However, Artoria is a particularly oblivious girl and probably cannot fully understand her own feelings of love.

"... well."

Things feel complicated.

Why would Shirou abandon Artoria and go out with other women?

Irisviel didn't understand what was happening, but decided to observe the situation first.

She carefully opened Shirou's room door and was immediately surprised.

"Artoria...!!"

Artoria was different from the image in his memory, was there.

Despite her drastically changed appearance, Irisviel recognized her immediately.

That noble and dignified face was exactly the same as the female knight in my dream from my past life.

However, something was wrong with her.

Artoria collapsed onto the floor.

A pale face, a blank expression, empty eyes, and parted lips.

She, who had remained unmoved by any difficulties, was now suffering a mental breakdown.

Irisviel quickly entered the room and went to the Lion King's side.

"Artoria, it's me."

She gently shook the goddess's shoulder.

A few seconds later, the Lion King belatedly reacted and turned his head to look over.

"Irisviel..."

"Yes, it's me... What happened?"

"I was abandoned by Shirou."

"Ah?"

"Shirou... doesn't want me anymore..."

The goddess possessed a noble face that inspired awe, yet she spoke like a child.

Irisviel was speechless.

Shirou would just abandon a girl like that... especially Artoria? Even if Human Order were to end, that kind of thing couldn't happen!

"... It's all over." The goddess finished speaking and began to smile bitterly.

From that hopeless tone, Irisviel could tell she wasn't lying.

What exactly happened...?

"Uh... Artoria, you're crying!?"

Irisviel was surprised to find that the Lion King was shedding tears.

She wore a sorrowful expression of utter despair, and tears streamed down her face.

--Tick-tock, tick-tock.

The floor was constantly soaked by the falling tears.

Shirou said... I have no right to interfere in his life...

The Lion King murmured, his shoulders trembling, and turned his unfocused eyes this way.

"Irisviel, what should I do?"