My Mom is King Arthur Chapter 6

Chapter 10: Illegal Underage Smelting

That same evening.

A complete victory.

King Arthur's army had, of course, achieved a complete victory.

But because another battle awaited them tomorrow, the king's forces had not yet fully relaxed.

The fortress city of Londinium had been retaken, but the Low King Vortigern was not yet dead. Tomorrow, King Arthur's great army would march on Vortigern's throne, the Northern Royal City where he resided.

So today, after a modest celebration, everyone returned to their own tents to rest. Mordred did the same.

Exhausted from the day's work, she muttered to herself, "That Arthur guy... isn't he way too strong..." while removing her armor.

Unlike ordinary knights, who had several attendants to help them, even as a Knight of the Round Table, she remained perpetually alone, huddling in a corner of the army camp to avoid being noticed.

The reason for this came from her "mother's" teachings.

"Never let anyone discover your true face."

So even when sleeping, the Helmet of Unchastity could not be removed. If she heard any sound, she had to put it on immediately. Attendants were out of the question. Whether putting on or taking off her armor, she had to do it all alone. Even sleeping offered no peace...

These things, Mordred had grown accustomed to.

"As expected of Father King's son."

After this reflection, she thought happily.

Contrary to what many believed, at this time Mordred had not yet awakened the emotion of "jealousy." Instead, loving the house and its crow, because of her unparalleled admiration for King Arthur, her impression of Arthur was quite favorable.

But that was all.

She didn't even consider Arthur her brother.

Ah, of course, whether it was Gawain, Gareth, or Agravain—the same went for them too.

This leisurely mood lasted until the next second, when footsteps sounded outside the tent.

"Ah, uh!"

Mordred hurriedly put on her helmet while reaching for the greatsword beside her. Then Artorius II's voice came from outside the tent.

"Sir Mordred, it's me, Artorius."

The Bishonen's crisp voice rang out, making Mordred feel a bit strange.

"It's quite late, Your Highness." She asked in a low voice, "Is there something you need?"

"Yes, there are some words I wish to say to you," Arthur replied. "May I come in, Sir Mordred?"

"..."

"Please, enter."

Mordred's heart was somewhat flustered.

Though she appeared to be a young girl, as a homunculus, her actual age was far younger than her appearance. Thus, she was not mature, nor did she have a mind of her own.

"Pardon the intrusion."

And so, the Bishonen hailed as bearing all the glory of Britannia, the perfect one, entered the tent.

Perhaps King Arthur in his youth, in terms of "appearance," was not inferior to Artorius.

But the environment King Arthur had grown up in back then was far too harsh. Like a pearl covered in dust, he could not emit a perfect, brilliant light.

Thus, Artorius's beauty as a Bishonen was the highest in all of Britannia's history. Even on a worldwide scale, he ranked among the top three.

And so, when he sat before Mordred, reached out, and took her hand, Mordred inexplicably felt her heartbeat quicken.

"Sir Mordred, in truth, there are some words I wish to say to you."

Arthur spoke to her in a serious tone.

"Th-that, what is it?"

Mordred stammered.

"I have always noticed that you are alone," Artorius continued. "In the Knights of the Round Table, it seems you have no friends either."

"..."

"I've never seen you engage in any recreational activities. Chess, song, dance—when everyone invited you hunting or fishing, you never went. And you always wear your helmet."

"That..."

"So, Sir Mordred, do you have some difficulty you cannot speak of?" Arthur said. "In yesterday's battle, I saw your figure. Though valiant, it was as if you were venting something. Are you troubled inside?

I kept thinking about it afterward, and then I couldn't help myself—I came to find you."

"..."

Naturally, Mordred was at a loss, overwhelmed by the Bishonen's sincere tone and caring gaze.

The illegal underage girl, far younger than Artorius, had received only hatred and malice from her "mother," Morgan le Fay.

And after joining the Knights of the Round Table, she had gained no friendship either. No one cared about her, paid her any attention. Even her longing and hopes for King Arthur had never received any response.

Because she couldn't reveal her face, she had to live in seclusion to hide her identity. She couldn't find friends either... Of course, due to her "strangeness," there weren't many people in the Knights of the Round Table willing to befriend her either.

Except for Arthur.

A bishonen approaching a pure young girl (specifically in terms of soul age) with ulterior motives.

"So, Sir Mordred, is there anything troubling you? Any worries, or something you want to confide? You can tell me anything!"

Arthur continued radiating the charm of Europe's number one bishonen, saying words that made Mordred both happy and troubled.

Whether happy or troubled, it all came down to confusion about friendship.

Before this, Mordred had always been alone.

Mordred had never received any emotions.

Whether it was familial love from parents and relatives, friendship from companions, or romantic love. Mordred had nothing.

Because she had nothing, she craved it all the more. And because she had nothing, she was at a complete loss.

Even though her heart was overflowing with emotions, she didn't know how to express them, so she was left tongue-tied.

"You don't want to say..."

Thus, the bishonen's anticipation and earnestness turned into disappointment and helplessness.

"It's nothing, it's nothing."

Then came a forced smile.

"After all, I haven't spoken much with Sir Mordred before this. It's only natural you don't trust me... But! I'll pay more attention to you from now on! I believe that one day, you'll open your heart to me!"

Unlike King Arthur, who always maintained a noble, even "cold" demeanor, Artorius—knowing he couldn't radiate that kind of flawless brilliance—was better at using more "ordinary" ways to express his emotions and resonate with others.

Just like now, after saying the above, he spread his arms and tightly embraced Mordred. He held the young girl's small, soft body, so similar to that of "Father King."

Author's Notes:

Unlike the twisted Little Mo who was betrayed by King Arthur after becoming a Heroic Spirit, the Little Mo of this period is truly the easiest woman in Chaldea to handle.

Chapter 11: The Round Table Host Club Gains Another Member

"What a good kid."

While holding Mordred, Arthur couldn't help but think.

Unlike your mother, who stopped growing after wielding the holy sword, Mordred could theoretically continue to grow—even to the level of Lancer Artoria, not impossible.

But in reality, that wasn't the case.

Even as time moved toward the Battle of Camlann, Mordred remained the same as Artoria.

She, too, had stopped growing.

No childhood, no future. Forever stuck at the level of a fifteen-year-old girl.

Thinking this in his heart, Arthur let go.

"Sorry."

He apologized for his sudden, overly intimate behavior, then turned to leave. But before that—

"Your Highness."

Just as Arthur had hoped, Mordred called out to him.

"Um..."

"I understand."

While Mordred was pondering how to say it, and "what she wanted," Arthur had already given the answer directly.

"I'll find time to come again."

Arthur said to her gently.

After saying that, he turned and left completely.

Behind him, feeling her face burning hot, Mordred took deep breaths and sat down right where she was, as if all her strength had been drained away.

An unprecedented feeling welled up inside her, making her feel happy, excited, and uneasy.

"Look who's here."

After this, on his way back to his own tent, as expected, a certain flower mage appeared. He spoke to Arthur in a relaxed tone:

"The rising star of the Knights of the Round Table. A playboy who charms women. You know Mordred's true identity, right? She's still a child."

"So, you came here just to say that to me?" Arthur asked calmly in return.

"Of course not." The other party unhesitatingly indicated that he was just here to watch the fun. It made Arthur lose the mood to continue talking with him. But before he could go back to sleep, Merlin still spoke:

"So, are you planning to go the womanizing route from now on?"

"Who isn't?"

"..."

Merlin thought for two seconds. Several faces flashed through his mind.

Lancelot, Gawain, Tristan, Kay... then he confirmed that Arthur's words weren't wrong at all.

As for the saying about a rabbit not eating grass near its own nest... well, think about Lancelot, and Tristan.

Merlin declared himself speechless.

The Round Table Host Club had too much dark history and too low a bottom line. So they had absolutely no standing to criticize Arthur.

As for Merlin himself.

His dark history was even greater, and his bottom line even lower. So he had even less standing to criticize Arthur.

But because he was shameless, he didn't give up:

"So, this is your method for saving Britannia?"

"I can't reach the level Father King did." Arthur's tone was light. "So to make myself popular, I have to use other methods, don't I?"

"Power, status, strength, wealth, emotion. As long as you apply them properly, everything can become a weapon."

The first was the Lady of the Lake Vivian. But because she wasn't human, it interfered with Arthur's judgment.

The second was Mordred. Embracing his mother's clone gave Arthur an unprecedented feeling.

Little Mo would eventually grow up, would eventually like someone. So why couldn't that someone be him?

"Be careful you don't overplay your hand, Arthur." Behind Arthur, the Flower Mage spoke in a light, airy tone.

"What did you see?" Arthur turned to look at him, then asked: "Didn't you say my future was a complete chaos, something even you couldn't see?"

"That's not seeing, that's experience." Merlin tapped his own head. "Toying with a maiden's heart is a very immoral act, you know. You'll get hunted down by maidens, then have your head chopped off and thrown into the English Channel."