Clearly, Tower of White Chalk had the fairies' blessing and could resist magic. Yet Morgan had still gotten in! Sending all the Knights of the Round Table away had indeed lowered Camelot's defenses to an unacceptable level, allowing Morgan to slip inside.
Thinking of this, Artoria reached for the longsword beside her pillow.
Just like Arthur, in these chaotic times, any veteran of the battlefield kept their weapon somewhere they could grab it at any moment.
She gripped the Sword of Victory and Vows—the legendary Excalibur—and pointed its blade at Morgan.
Only after grasping her weapon did Artoria relax slightly. Even so, her gaze remained wary as she looked at Morgan.
"Calm down, my dear sister."
In contrast, Morgan merely smiled, looking utterly unconcerned. "I didn't come here to fight you."
"No matter what, you aren't welcome here!"
Perhaps Artoria would not have acted this way before. But she had suffered at Morgan's hands several times already. There had even been several occasions when Morgan had nearly driven her to death—though she did not yet know that her good son Arthur had already avenged quite a few of those wrongs on Morgan.
In short, after learning that her elder sister was a wicked woman with a twisted heart, Artoria no longer held any illusions about Morgan.
With Britannia on the verge of destruction, Artoria had no time to play games with her evil sister.
"Leave at once!"
Rather than attacking her outright, she was merely telling her to leave. This was already the greatest concession Artoria could make.
"Don't be so hasty."
Yet Morgan was still smiling.
"I told you, I didn't come here to fight you. And do you think I would come to a place like this if I had nothing to do?
Camelot is dreadful. Every corner reeks of decay. Every second I spend here makes me sick!"
"Then leave!"
"Nope~ At least, not yet."
Morgan smiled happily. "Because I was asked to stay in Camelot for a while."
"..."
"Asked?"
"You still don't know?"
Seeing Artoria's puzzled expression, Morgan looked as though she had found something immensely amusing.
Her lips curled upward in a delighted smile before she said to Artoria:
"By your son."
Morgan le Fay happily told Artoria, "I didn't sneak in, nor did I break in. I was properly invited—invited by my dear nephew—so I came here. My dear sister~"
"Arthur?! That's impossible!"
"Why is it impossible?!"
Morgan raised her voice without hesitation. "Because he is your son? Or because he is your subordinate?!
Neither. My dear nephew has his own standards for judging people. He would not turn someone away simply because of some stupid reason like you disliking them.
In that adorable boy's eyes, I am an important person, my dear sister~"
"..."
This time, Artoria could not say anything.
Because she knew her evil sister was telling the truth.
At least, it sounded true.
"Well then~"
Having said all that, Morgan seemed satisfied. "I came today just to say hello. From now on, I will be staying in Camelot. Farewell, sister."
Yes, from the very beginning, Morgan had called King Arthur "sister." She was one of the people who knew Artoria's true gender. Moreover, she had always kept King Arthur's secret.
"..."
"I'll be watching you."
Only then did Artoria speak in an unwilling tone:
"I will keep a close eye on you, and I will ask Arthur. If you are lying..."
Morgan did not hear what came next, nor could she be bothered to listen.
She had found a new obsession. Things like Bear Sister had already fallen from first place to second in her heart.
And the gap between them was growing wider and wider.
Now that she had a new "hobby," her fixation on Artoria was steadily fading. It had nearly become insignificant.
Author's note:
Morgan, always chasing the new and discarding the old, was trash.
Auntie, You're Overthinking Things Again
Mom's paw.jpg
"What an idiot."
Walking through the corridors of Camelot Castle toward "her own" room, Morgan le Fay thought this with delight.
Yes, as a Princess of Camelot, she still had her own room in Tower of White Chalk.
Even if she was a Witch, even if she stood opposed to King Arthur, her status as a Princess—and, more importantly, the treatment she received—would not change because of all that messy nonsense.
Though she loathed Tower of White Chalk and called it a "filthy, stinking place," having a room to rest in was rather convenient under the present circumstances. Morgan did not mind making use of that convenience.
"Damn it. Bastard."
At the same time, Artoria Pendragon lowered the hand gripping her sword. A flood of negative emotions surged through her.
On one hand, she worried that her evil sister would do something wicked to her dear, innocent, kind, pure, and fragile son.
On the other hand, Artoria was also worried that things might truly be as Morgan had said.
That Morgan had really been invited to White City by Artorius.
Considering the news that Artorius would soon return to Camelot, what Morgan said was very likely true. At least partly true.
If that was the case, then the scene Artoria least wanted to see would likely come to pass—
Her dear, pure, kind son had been bewitched by the evil Morgan le Fay.
"I see. So everything Arthur has done over the past two years was Morgan's instigation?"
Having conveniently found a Tohsaka Tokiomi for her son, Artoria's hatred for Morgan le Fay rose once more.
Of course, Aunt Morgan did not care.
If she knew what Artoria was thinking,
then apart from finding it absurd and wondering, Do you really not know what kind of person your precious son is? she would probably only feel amusement and indifference.
Though they were father and son living together, their understanding of one another was inferior to that of an "outsider" like her, who had only met Artorius twice.
Her amusement needed no explanation. Her indifference came from the same reason as before.
She no longer regarded Artoria as her primary target.
Thinking about it, it was rather funny.
Artoria still considered her the greatest enemy, while she no longer cared about Artoria.
If she rounded that up, didn't that mean she had already beaten her stupid little sister?
"Hehehe."
Her good mood came quickly and went just as quickly.
Defeating her secondary enemy in such a strange field could no longer make Morgan happy for very long.
The only person who could now grant her supreme joy was Artorius.
She had to utterly defeat him and repay the humiliation he had inflicted on her a hundredfold, a thousandfold.
She had to pour all her emotions onto him.
She had to mock him, beat him, curse him, abuse him, despise him, hate him, imprison him, raise him, kiss him, bully him, praise him, serve him, violate him, love him...
She had to seize everything he possessed, every last thing, and make him completely hers, body and soul.
Only then could Morgan le Fay experience supreme pleasure.
"Hehehe. Last time, I was careless. But this time, I won't let you win so easily, my dear nephew. Hehehehehe~"
At the same time, Artorius, still more than half a day's journey away from Tower of White Chalk, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
It was as though some evil, mature, lovesick, perverted aunt had set her sights on him.
"Morgan, has that woman still not given up?"
"It seems the lesson I gave her last time was not profound enough."
Before falling asleep after exchanging good nights with Little Mo, Arthur began devising Morgan le Fay's re-education plan.
He had to properly teach Auntie how to become a gentle, kind, pure, good woman.
"First this, then this, that, then this... hehehehe..."
"Big Brother's smile is so scary..."
Before they knew it, Arthur and Little Mo had both fallen asleep.
It was neither Avalon nor the Holy Spring.
The sky was dark, as though covered by storm clouds, yet it also resembled the depths of night.
The surrounding woodland, trees, shrubs, and grass were all dark as well. Gray, purple, black. They looked eerie and ominous.
"Is this the Shadow Country, Big Brother?"
As could be seen now, Little Mo had already been taught by Arthur into becoming an obedient and polite good child.
As for the current situation, it was naturally because they had previously agreed to undergo Teacher Scathach's training.
Likewise, as Arthur had agreed with Teacher Scathach before, he had brought Little Mo along as well.
Though Little Mo was somewhat displeased about being taught by someone else, Big Brother's orders were absolute. So she had agreed to come along.
As for Little Mo's question—
"Probably."
Arthur had never been to the Shadow Country before either. But judging from the terrain and vegetation around them, this had to be the Shadow Country.
"So what should we do next?"
Little Mo looked at Arthur with eager anticipation, while Arthur himself felt somewhat troubled.
Come to think of it, he had agreed with Teacher Scathach to go to the Shadow Country yesterday and receive some loving instruction. But yesterday, he had taken a detour to Avalon in one go. And while he was there, he had thoroughly won over Big Sister Vivian.
That was certainly a good thing. But from another angle, Artorius had stood Teacher Scathach up.
Though they had not spent much time together, Arthur could tell that Teacher Scathach was rather petty.
So now, it would be better to be cautious. Very cautious.
With that cautious mindset, Arthur led Little Mo forward.
After passing through the grayish-purple forest, the view suddenly opened up. The beautiful sight before them made Mordred cry out in surprise—
It was a sea of flowers filled with seductive crimson Manjusaka.
Within that sea of flowers, the one blooming most brilliantly, most bewitchingly, and most dazzlingly was Scathach, holding twin spears and possessing a graceful figure.
"You're late, Artorius."
"Um, please let me explain, Teacher Scathach."
Before you continue