Chapter 191: Truth
Artorius thought of an ancient legend. Two women fought over a child, and a judge ruled that whoever could pull the child to their side would be recognized as the mother. The biological mother, out of love for her child, couldn't bear to use force, so the other woman won.
Could he adopt this approach and let the two X compete for him? Whoever tried harder would prove themselves as the real X?
Artorius did a quick mental simulation and imagined both X fighting over him.
Of course, with his robust physique, he had nothing to fear if they tried to pull his arms. It wouldn't work at all.
So, where should they pull then?
What part of him would make Artorius feel pleasant—no, feel pain? To the point where he'd become so vulnerable that he couldn't resist two X fighting over him?
Thinking about this, his expression became somewhat subtle.
The next moment, Artorius imagined 26 X.
These bunch of X were identical in appearance, dressed the same way, and had the same personalities. They were refreshing with a hint of mischief, full of vitality, and criminally enticing. Their faces all wore incredibly seductive smiles. One by one, they tugged at him, pulling him into a sea of X.
"Artorius~"
"Artorius~"
"Artorius is mine~"
"Mine, mine~"
They joyfully shouted like this, either hugging his neck, riding on his belly, pressing against his back, or tugging at his limbs as if they wanted to crush Artorius or tear him apart.
In any case, he was both in pain and pleasure.
The next moment, Artorius abruptly opened his eyes. He looked at the two X with a confident gaze.
"I know what's going on."
Artorius's words made the X duo nervous.
"You're both Mysterious Heroines." Artorius spoke calmly, and before the X duo could protest loudly, he continued, "But there's only one X."
The Artoria Species saturation phenomenon is another one of those silly and funny phenomena unique to the Servant Universe.
When the number of Artorias becomes exceptionally high, strange variations of Artorias start to appear. And this particular special Artoria Species is...
"The Ultimate Heroine Z. The ultimate heroine, the most powerful heroine, a superior breed from the even more distant future X..."
Artorius earnestly delivered the cringe-worthy speech, leaving both X in front of him dumbfounded.
"Artorius, what are you talking about?! I'm not Z, I'm W—shoot!"
The vulnerable X—or rather, W, instinctively blurted out before covering her mouth halfway through, looking at Artorius in panic.
'Aah! What are you doing you fool!' W screamed inwardly.
If only being cute would get her out of this situation.
'Just a little bluff, and she'd self-destruct...' Artorius thought calmly. Even though he said otherwise, from his perspective, the more foolish the Artoria Species were, the more he liked them.
"Now the truth is out! Truly worthy of Artorius, seeing through it so quickly—though she fooled you for quite a while, it doesn't matter!"
Saying this, X prepared once more to step forward, unsheathing her sword to strike.
"Eh?!" W shouted in panic.
"Wait." Artorius stopped X again.
"Artorius, why are you stopping me again?!" X said with frustration.
"Because we don't know what she's up to..." Artorius said with a calm tone. "We must pass judgment. W, you won't disappoint me, will you?"
Seeing Artorius narrow his eyes and make such an assertive statement, W couldn't help but shiver.
"N-No, I can't."
Though terrified and flustered, having undergone Artorius's various punishments or 'fixing' before, she had essentially developed Stockholm Syndrome. But W promptly refused his request.
"I can't betray the Heroines; otherwise, Z will definitely kill me!"
It seemed that despite her fear and affection for Artorius, her emotions for him were slightly less than her fear of Z.
"Who's that rascal?! So arrogant?!"
Hearing W's words, X was understandably irritated. She thought what Artorius said earlier about this 'Z' was just a bluff to fool W, but that Z really existed?!
She was the Saber of Sabers, the enemy of all Sabers, the nemesis of the Artoria Species, yet even she wasn't that arrogant. Why did that Z act so smug?
As she thought like that, X wanted to attack W once more. Of course, before that could happen, Artorius held her back.
"No need to be afraid." Artorius gently reassured W. "I'll protect you, no matter what X, Y, Z, Alpha, or whatever, believe me, okay, W?"
As he finished speaking, Artorius smiled gently, then walked over, removed W's restraints, and embraced her.
Being held by Artorius, she felt warmth and safety. Her previously tense body slowly relaxed.
"..."
"So... can I count on you?" Artorius asked gently.
As an Artoria Species, there was no resisting Artorius's tenderness. So, quite smoothly, W yielded.
"I-I understand..."
"Good child." Artorius pressed further on W, his fingers kneading her shoulders gently. "C'mon, spill the beans. What's going on?"
"Artorius..." W responded, her thoughts growing even more chaotic under the intense gaze of X. "B-But..."
"Believe me, W, I have no ill intentions towards the Artoria Species." Artorius assured her. "I just want to help you all. So, if you trust me, tell me everything. I'll set you free, treat you kindly, and bring happiness to all of you. I promise."
"Artorius..." W's confusion deepened.
Although a voice in her head constantly reminded her not to reveal anything, her instincts led her to act contrary to reason.
"..."
W silent for several seconds, then said defiantly:
"We're actually an organization, working behind the scenes to conquer all Artoria Species. Whether it's the Holy Lance Sisterhood, the Dark Rounds, or the Order of Avalon, we control everything. Killing that Omega earlier was part of our plan. Infiltrating your side and replacing X, it was all part of the plan. I just didn't expect..."
At this point, W shot an annoyed glance at X. If she could truly replace X, she could enjoy the favor of Artorius before the Ultimate Saber Plan was completed.
"Even though they promised to send assassins..." W muttered, frustrated. "Really useless..."
Although she had been captured and 'fixed' by Artorius's punishments, W couldn't resist ridiculing her fellow members.
"I see..." Artorius responded, his interest piqued.
"Could you provide more details? I'm quite intrigued by this." As he spoke, Artorius increased the pressure of his kneading. "Explain it to me in more detail."
"B-But... wouldn't it be betraying the organization?" W questioned, her voice conflicted. However, seeing how she practically leaned into him as he continued to knead her, it was clear she had mixed feelings.
"Is it really betrayal?" Artorius asked gently. "Do you want to keep living in the shadows? Do you want to continue treating me with these sinister schemes and conspiracies?"
W hesitated with her brows furrowing. She kept making "Umm..." noise as if she were struggling with something.
However, even though she appeared torn, Artorius knew that W couldn't hold out much longer. It was only a matter of time before he pried the truth from her.
===
At the same time, in a 'crack of the world' that didn't belong to Earth, a group of Artoria Species gathered together. Some were sitting, some were lying down, each in their own chaotic manner.
During Artorius's interrogation of W, the conversation of this group had reached a crucial point.
"That fellow is done for."
"Well, W is the weakest among us, after all."
"X has become surprisingly strong though."
"It's understandable since X was the first of the Artoria Species to join Artorius."
"Strictly speaking, wasn't it the Artoria of Earth who joined Artorius first?"
"We're talking about the ones from Sapphire Galaxy here."
"Enough talk. Our plan has fallen apart. What's our next move?"
"We do what we have to do! The plan must be set in motion ahead of schedule!"
"Agreed!"
"Hehehe..."
"Kukuku..."
"Hahaha!"
Lightning from the sky illuminated their wicked laughs.
Afterward, this group of Artoria Species suddenly disappeared from their location, carrying with them a formidable power capable of shaking the entire galaxy, down upon Earth.
===
At the same time...
"Here's how things are..."
W told Artorius everything she knew while continuing to watch his expression eagerly.
She was physically and mentally exhausted. Despite being hungry, she had engaged in intense physical activity almost consecutively, and her stamina was running dangerously low.
"..."
"Now, take a good rest, W..." Artorius said after a brief pause, and he escorted her directly to the dining room. "Have a good meal and get some rest. By the time you wake up, things should have settled down."
As for any punishment, in the current situation, there was no need to punish W anymore.
"O-Oh..."
W wasn't entirely satisfied with Artorius's decision. If she could, she wanted to help him further. But she didn't dare to protest against him. So, she reluctantly ate her meal and felt a sense of relief, leaving everything to him.
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