It was the same ten minutes later.
The area around Anno was littered with the severed limbs of Orcs, and scarlet blood stained the ground. Yet Anno stood amid it all with a calm expression, wiping the Chalk Holy Sword with a handkerchief, though it had barely been stained with blood.
His bright silver armor gleamed in the sunlight. His imposing bearing and rugged good looks left a deep impression on the three youngsters.
"Uncle Anno, you're so strong!" Kay cried out.
"Father is the strongest!" Anno's adopted son, Lancelot, said proudly.
Artoria said nothing, but a hint of admiration crept into her gaze as she watched Anno.
"You all have excellent potential." Anno slid the Chalk Holy Sword back into its scabbard and walked over. "Over the next year, I'll turn the three of you into the strongest executioners." His tone was as calm as if he were discussing what to have for dinner.
After that, Anno rarely took action himself. Instead, he picked suitable opponents for the three youngsters.
He only chose humanoid creatures that craved flesh and war. He didn't disturb the fairies, dwarves, or elves.
These friendly beings had helped him during his past journeys, and he wouldn't disrupt their peace.
At heart, Anno was both someone who held a grudge and someone who knew how to be grateful.
So it wasn't so much Britain itself that he cared about as the Pendragon bloodline. That was also the main reason he didn't take the throne.
During their training, Artoria was the most reckless and impulsive of the three. Whenever she saw an enemy, she charged in first, with Kay and Lancelot following after her.
As a result, Artoria suffered quite a few injuries.
At night, she also had to study with Merlin, learning everything a king needed to know.
She was incredibly earnest and eager to learn, which left her brother Kay sighing again and again.
"Why would this country choose to make a little girl its king?" he muttered.
"It's a choice both ways." Anno sat by the campfire, holding a huge piece of roasted meat. "Britain chose her, and she chose Britain. That's all there is to it."
"Hmm." Kay shook his head. "I don't really get it."
"Sometimes it's better to be a little clueless, especially when you're a subject." Anno stood up, patted Kay on the shoulder, and smiled. Then he handed the meat in his other hand to Artoria.
Kay scratched his head. Wasn't that meat for me? And why was it better to be clueless?
Lancelot sat off to the side, holding another skewer of roasted meat, and watched with amusement as Kay got lectured without any meat of his own.
"Ah, thank you, Mr. Anno!" Artoria turned to him and happily accepted the meat.
Then she devoured it in just a few bites.
Anno watched and swallowed hard.
That piece of meat was as big as a thigh.
He'd heard from Ector that the little girl had a huge appetite and ate very quickly, but this was just...
In any case, it was incredible.
Looks like I'll have to improve my cooking skills.
"Does she always eat like that?" Anno asked Kay as he picked up another piece of meat and roasted it over the campfire.
Kay nodded, taking it in stride. "Yeah, Lia's always had a great appetite. But no matter how much Lia eats, she never gains weight."
What an enviable constitution.
Lancelot focused on eating. He hadn't even finished a quarter of his skewer of meat.
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