A Girl's Wardrobe

A few days had passed since the Dueling Club incident, and the bruises on Malfoy's face had slowly faded. Mordred's life at Hogwarts had officially settled into a routine.

During the day, she either followed Zhang Wen around to sit in on classes or did physical training under Artoria's guidance. In the evenings, she huddled with the Weasley twins, plotting things Zhang Wen did not dare ask about.

Life was going quite well, except for one thing.

Hermione discovered that there was something wrong with Mordred's wardrobe.

... This was discovered on a Saturday morning.

Hermione and Ginny had originally planned to go to the library that day when they ran into Mordred returning from the training grounds.

Mordred was wearing a tight black training outfit today, with a wooden sword tucked at her waist.

"Mordred!" Ginny waved at her.

As a Weasley daughter, Ginny had already become familiar with Mordred through Fred and George.

Whenever her two brothers stole something from the twins' laboratory, they would conveniently give Ginny and Mordred a share.

"Hi." Mordred raised her chin at her.

"Finished training?" Hermione looked her over. "Um... Mordred, I wanted to ask you something."

"Hm?"

"Do you usually wear clothes like this?" Mordred looked down at herself.

"Is there a problem?" "No problem," Hermione hurriedly said.

"It's just that I noticed your wardrobe seemed to be... entirely this style?"

Mordred blinked. "How do you know what's in my wardrobe?"

"The last time you slept over at Assistant Artoria's place, Ginny and I came looking for you to do homework. Your door was open."

Ginny immediately added, "We didn't go in and look. We just glanced inside while passing by."

"And we saw seven or eight identical training outfits at a glance."

Hermione emphasized this.

... Mordred thought for a moment.

"I have wizard robes." "You call that wizard robes?" Ginny held back a laugh.

"That's a military uniform. The cuffs are tight enough to use as bandages, the collar is stiff enough to stand up by itself, the buttons are fastened from top to bottom without missing one, and the belt is tighter than Malfoy's wallet."

"That's called being proper." Mordred answered with complete seriousness.

"That's called... uh..." Hermione searched for the right adjective. "Mordred, don't you think you should own a few clothes that normal girls wear?"

"Why should I wear clothes for 'normal girls'?" "Because you're a girl!" Ginny declared righteously.

"I'm a kni—" Mordred nearly blurted out "knight," but stopped herself in time. "I'm myself. What I wear is my own business."

Hermione and Ginny exchanged a look.

"Mordred," Hermione lowered her voice, her tone becoming very sincere.

"We think you should get some new clothes. Skirts, sweaters, boots—everything a girl ought to have, you ought to have too."

"Skirts?" Mordred frowned. "Who wears those things?"

"I do, Ginny does, and most girls at Hogwarts do."

"Then they're all idiots." Mordred said decisively.

Ginny clutched Hermione's arm, nearly bursting out laughing.

... "How about this?" Hermione took a deep breath and brought out the patience she used whenever Ron Weasley refused to do his homework.

"Next weekend, the few of us can go to Diagon Alley together. Just think of it as accompanying us on a stroll."

"Diagon Alley?"

"It's the magical shopping street in London," Ginny explained.

"It has everything—clothes, books, desserts, all sorts of random little things."

"Oh, right." Hermione remembered something.

"When we move up to third year next year, we'll be able to visit Hogsmeade. That's what you call fun. It's the magical village behind Hogwarts, with Honeydukes, the Three Broomsticks, Zonko's Joke Shop. It's even more interesting than Diagon Alley."

"Hogsmeade?" Mordred's eyes flickered.

"Yes." Ginny nodded enthusiastically.

"Honeydukes' chocolate is the best in all of Britain. Even my dad, who's usually so frugal, buys some every time he passes by."

Mordred swallowed.

Hermione immediately caught that detail.

"So, next weekend. Diagon Alley. Are you going?"

"...No." Mordred turned her head away.

"I don't need any clothes."

Hermione sighed.

... The news reached Artoria's ears that very evening.

Ginny was the messenger. While eating dinner, she deliberately took a detour, leaned close to Artoria, and whispered a few words to her.

After listening, Artoria set down her knife and fork and quietly considered it for a moment.

Zhang Wen sat beside her and watched her expression. "What is it?"

"Zhang Wen." Artoria looked up. "Are you free next weekend?"

"...Not necessarily. It depends on whether I have lessons to prepare for." Zhang Wen became alert. "What is it? Where are you going?"

"Diagon Alley."

"What do you want to buy?"

"It's not for me." Artoria said calmly.

"Mordred needs some suitable clothes. Her wardrobe is full of training outfits. That won't do."

Zhang Wen's heart skipped a beat.

He knew Artoria far too well. This King Arthur usually had an expressionless face, but once she spoke in that tone of I've already decided, there was basically no room for negotiation.

"...Will she agree to go?" Zhang Wen probed.

"She will."

"How are you going to make her go?"

Artoria did not answer. She simply cut another slice of roast beef, put it into her mouth, and continued cutting the next slice.

Zhang Wen shut his mouth.

He decided not to ask. Asking too much would not be good for him.

... That evening, Artoria went to find Mordred.

Zhang Wen did not know exactly what they talked about. He only knew that the next morning at breakfast, Mordred poked at the sausage on her plate with an unwilling expression and muttered,

"...Fine, I'll go. It's not like I've never been there before."

Hermione and Ginny secretly gave Artoria a thumbs-up from the Gryffindor table.

Artoria gave a slight nod.

Zhang Wen watched the scene and silently took a sip of tea.

He suddenly realized that in this "family of three," he did not seem to be the real pillar of support.

... Early Saturday morning, the group of five set off from Hogwarts and used Floo Powder to arrive at Diagon Alley.

Zhang Wen, Artoria, Mordred, Hermione, and Ginny.

The moment they stepped out of the Floo Network, Mordred froze.

The crowds of Diagon Alley, the shops, the countless signs, the flying owls, and the magical objects moving around in display windows made her show a hint of curiosity for the first time.

Though that expression lasted only two seconds before she forcibly suppressed it.

"This place is pretty chaotic."

That was her assessment.

"That's called lively." Ginny grabbed her arm.

"Come on, let's go to Madam Malkin's first."

"Madam Malkin's what?"

"A clothing shop," Hermione said with a smile.

Mordred tried to step back, but Artoria gently pushed her from behind.

"Go." Artoria said only one word.

Mordred said nothing.

She was dragged forward with extreme reluctance, Hermione and Ginny holding one arm each.

Zhang Wen walked at the back, already beginning to mourn his afternoon.

... Madam Malkin's Robes was far bigger than Zhang Wen had imagined.

The moment they entered, they saw every kind of clothing lining the walls and racks: wizard robes, casual robes, formal wear, children's clothing, sportswear—everything imaginable. Madam Malkin herself was a short, plump witch. The instant she saw customers enter, she warmly came over to greet them.

"Oh my, so many young people! What are you here to buy?"

"For her." Hermione pointed at Mordred.

"A full set, from head to toe."

"Why from head to toe?!" Mordred bristled.

"Because those boots you're wearing," Ginny analyzed calmly.

"The soles are almost worn flat."

"I walk steadily."

"Even so, you need a new pair." Artoria spoke.

Mordred immediately fell silent.

Watching this scene, Zhang Wen suddenly found it rather incredible.

Mordred usually dared to argue with anyone. She even bickered with him, her "father," a few times. Yet before Artoria, she was as obedient as a kitten being held by the scruff of its neck.

He guessed it was probably because of the battle where the two had perished together at Camlann. On some level, it had established Artoria's place in Mordred's heart.

Though Mordred would rather die than admit it.

The first one was chosen by Hermione.

A dark crimson dress that fell below the knees, with simple lace trim at the cuffs.

Hermione stuffed the dress into Mordred's arms. "Go to the fitting room."

"I'm not wearing this."

"Teaching Assistant Artoria," Hermione said, turning around. "What do you think?"

Artoria nodded.

Mordred: "..."

She held the dress and glared at the innocent garment as though it were her mortal enemy, then walked into the fitting room with the expression of someone marching to her death.

Half a minute later, her muffled voice came from inside.

"How do you wear this thing?"

Ginny burst out laughing.

"You pull it on from top to bottom!"

"I know you pull it on from top to bottom! I mean, what's this strap around the waist for?"

"That's a corset belt! You tie it around your waist!"

"Around my waist? Not around a sword sheath?"

Hermione and Ginny both facepalmed.

Standing outside the fitting room, Zhang Wen had already begun to wonder whether he would make it back to Hogwarts alive today.

Another minute passed before the fitting room door was pulled open.

Mordred walked out wearing the red dress.

The skirt swayed around her. She stood ramrod straight with a fierce expression, looking exactly like someone preparing to go into battle in a dress.

Ginny covered her mouth. "Oh my God..."

"Don't laugh." Mordred immediately glared at her.

"I'm not laughing,"

Ginny's voice trembled.

"I'm not laughing..."

"It looks good."

Hermione was very serious.

"Mordred, it really looks good."

Mordred froze. "...Really?"

"Why would I lie to you?" Hermione pulled her in front of the mirror. "Look for yourself."

Mordred lowered her head and glanced at the mirror.

The red-haired girl in the mirror really did look completely different from the fierce knight she usually was.

The dress made her waist look slender, and the red matched her hair perfectly, softening her whole appearance considerably.

Mordred's face immediately turned red.

"It's ugly," she said stiffly. "Take it off."

"Huh? Wait!" Ginny grabbed her. "Teaching Assistant, what do you think?"

Artoria walked over, carefully looked Mordred over from head to toe, then said calmly,

"It looks good."

Mordred's face turned even redder.

"...Then we'll buy this one."

She muttered it quietly, then quickly ducked back into the fitting room.

The next two hours became Zhang Wen's nightmare.

More precisely, they became a nightmare for Zhang Wen's arms.

Hermione and Ginny, the two young witches, unleashed an astonishing desire to shop. They dragged Mordred from one rack to another, trying on outfit after outfit.

Dresses, short skirts, long skirts, sweaters, cardigans, shirts, vests, scarves, stockings, boots, flats, little formal dresses, loungewear, pajamas.

After every outfit, Artoria would offer a comment.

"Suitable."

"The cuffs are too loose."

"This color works."

"The waistline is too high."

At first, Mordred kept bristling at everything. Eventually, she could not even muster the energy to do that anymore. Numbly, she went into the fitting room and came back out like a wind-up doll.

Every piece of clothing they decided to buy was neatly folded into a bag with a wave of Madam Malkin's wand.

Then the bag flew into Zhang Wen's arms.

At first, Zhang Wen could still manage. Once the bags piled up, though, he had to bend over and hold a huge stack in both arms, his chin pressed against the topmost bag as he looked at the world through the gaps between them.

"...Artoria."

He spoke weakly.

"Could we put these outside first?"

"We'll be done soon," Artoria said without looking back.

"This is already the fourteenth bag."

"You said before that you were willing to give everything for her."

"When did I say that?"

"At Malfoy Manor."

Zhang Wen: "..."

He had not said that. He really had not said that. But faced with Artoria's calm expression, he could not come up with a single word of defense.

After buying the clothes, Mordred collapsed onto a bench outside the shop like a dehydrated fish.

"I've never been this tired in my life."

She spoke feebly.

"You used to fight for three days and three nights straight on the battlefield without complaining of exhaustion."

Artoria said it blandly.

"...The battlefield is different from this."

"How is it different?"

"On the battlefield, I can split the enemy in half with one sword," Mordred replied glumly. "Here, I can't split Hermione and Ginny in half."

Hermione and Ginny both shuddered.

Zhang Wen piled all the bags beside the bench and let out a long breath.

"Where are we going next?" Ginny asked excitedly.

"Florean Fortescue's Dessert Shop." Hermione's eyes lit up. "I heard they've got a new pumpkin cream pie."

"A dessert shop?" Mordred instantly came back to life and sprang off the bench. "You should've said so sooner!"

Artoria's pace noticeably quickened as well.

Zhang Wen sharply caught that detail.

He looked at Artoria and remembered the number of desserts this King Arthur had eaten back in the Type-Moon Universe.

Zhang Wen's temple began throbbing again.

Silently, he continued hugging the pile of bags and followed after them.

Florean Fortescue's Dessert Shop was packed with customers.

The five of them squeezed around a round table in the corner, its surface covered in all kinds of things Hermione and Ginny had ordered.

Pumpkin cream pie, honey cake, lemon tarts, cream puffs, strawberry ice cream, chocolate lava cake, and a seven-layer cream sandwich that looked like a rainbow.

Artoria picked up a spoon expressionlessly.

Five minutes later.

"...Teaching Assistant?" Ginny stared at her in shock.

"Hm?" Artoria looked up, a little cream still on the corner of her mouth.

"Y-you finished that seven-layer cream sandwich?"

"Mm." Artoria nodded calmly. "It tasted very good."

"That was meant for five people to share."

Hermione reminded her quietly.

"Oh."

Artoria paused.

"Then order another one."

Hermione: "..."

Ginny: "..."

Zhang Wen silently poured himself another cup of tea.

He was far too familiar with this scene.

Half an hour later, the cleared empty plates on the table had been stacked into a small mountain.

Mordred's cheeks were puffed out as she ate, and she still held a piece of chocolate lava cake in her hand.

Hermione and Ginny could not eat another bite. Holding their stomachs, they stared at Artoria across the table with reverence.

Because Artoria was still eating.

The fourth piece of honey cake sat before her.

"Teaching Assistant..." Ginny spoke with difficulty. "Y-you can still eat?"

"Mm." Artoria nodded. "The stomach for desserts is separate from the stomach for regular meals."

"...?"

"That's common sense." Artoria was completely serious.

Hermione's mouth hung open for a long time.

"But you eat so much," Ginny asked carefully. "How do you not gain any weight at all?"

That question voiced the deepest doubt in the hearts of all the witches watching.

Artoria slowly swallowed a bite of cake, looked up, and answered seriously, "Because I burn it off quickly."

"You burn it off quickly?"

"Mm."

"That isn't scientific," Hermione muttered.

"Or magical," Ginny added.

Zhang Wen sat beside them, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

Of course, he knew the real reason Artoria burned it off so quickly. It was Servant-level metabolism. He could not explain it, and he would not explain it. He just wanted to watch the worldview of these two second-year witches get destroyed bit by bit by Artoria.

Ten more minutes passed before Hermione and Ginny finally surrendered.

They clutched their stomachs and slumped in their chairs, looking at the teaching assistant across from them as she elegantly cut into her fifth piece of honey cake. Their reverence had already become devotion.

"Ginny,"

Hermione said weakly.

"I don't want to compete with the teaching assistant in eating desserts ever again."

"Me neither."

Ginny was equally feeble.

Mordred licked the cream from the corner of her mouth. Rarely, she did not mock the two of them, because she herself could not eat another bite either.

She slumped in her chair, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Artoria still eating slowly and methodically.

Artoria wore a light-colored robe today, simply tied at the waist with a dark belt. Sitting there, her movements were as elegant as if she were attending a royal banquet.

Sunlight streamed in through the shop windows and fell across her golden hair.

Mordred stared at her for a while.

Then she shifted her gaze to the pile of shopping bags beside her. Peeking out from the topmost one was a corner of the red dress Hermione had chosen for her that afternoon.

She looked at Artoria again.

Then at the dress again.

Zhang Wen, sitting on her other side, accidentally heard Mordred mutter in a tiny, tiny voice.

"...Mother would look even better in this."

Clink.

Artoria's spoon lightly tapped the edge of her plate.

She looked up and met Zhang Wen's gaze, the edges of her ears turning red at a visibly rapid pace.