Chapter 705: Ria, Sella, Leysritt, Irisviel—All Replenish Mana!
"Who am I?"
"Where am I?"
"What... exactly should I do right now?"
Artoria Pendragon stood at the foot of the lavish canopy bed, her hand resting instinctively on the invisible hilt of her sword. Her heart was a storm of bewilderment and chaotic emotions.
This was Artoria's true inner reflection at this very moment.
She had just retrieved Avalon, the scabbard of the Holy Sword, from within Irisviel. It should have been a triumphant occasion, a moment where the King of Knights regained her invincibility.
But the reality before her eyes shattered her regal composure.
Ren and Irisviel had completely disregarded her presence. They treated the King of Great Britain as if she were a piece of furniture—and began to act shamelessly right in front of her.
It was déjà vu.
Just as it was the first time she met Ren in her own world. The only difference was that the skilled, combat-hardened Kanae on top had been replaced by the inexperienced, delicate Irisviel on the bottom.
The air in the room was thick, heavy with the scent of musk and magical energy.
Artoria had been standing there for a full half an hour. Her legs felt like lead.
Logic dictated that she should turn into her Spirit Form and vanish. A Servant should not intrude on their Master's private affairs.
But she couldn't move her feet.
Her emerald eyes were glued to the scene. Staring at Irisviel, whose usually dignified red eyes were now hazy with pleasure, whose pale skin was flushed with a vibrant pink, Artoria felt a strange, twisting sensation in her chest.
It wasn't just embarrassment. It was projection.
Subconsciously, she projected herself onto the white-haired woman.
If Ren treated me like this... how would I react?
He has kissed me many times... He has filled me with his mana... Shouldn't he take responsibility for the King?
Artoria's mind and body were intertwined with chaotic, unbidden thoughts. The image of Ren's lips, his hands, his warmth—it all came flooding back, breaking down the mental fortress she had built over centuries.
She had completely lost the cold, detached demeanor a King should possess. She was just a girl standing in the corner, feeling left out.
"Ria."
Suddenly, Ren didn't stop his rhythm, but he turned his head slightly. His dark eyes locked onto hers, burning with a fire that made her knees weak.
He smiled faintly, a devilish curve of his lips. "You look less like a cold King now... and more like a woman who wants to be loved."
"!!!"
Artoria's heart trembled violently.
A woman…
Is that how I appear in Ren's eyes? Not a tool of war, not a symbol of leadership, but a woman?
When… when had she ever been seen like this?
Perhaps… never. Before she pulled the Sword from the Stone, she was a squire. After she pulled it, she was a King. She had sacrificed her womanhood for her country.
But Ren stripped that sacrifice away with a single sentence.
As if she had finally understood something, Artoria made a decision.
Her silver armor dissolved into motes of light. The blue battle dress faded away.
Was she going to spiritualize and leave?
No.
Ren calmly turned back to face Irisviel, who was passionately calling his name, lost in the waves of euphoria.
"Ren... ah... Ren!"
Until, a new warmth and softness pressed against his back.
Artoria, having spiritualized only her clothes, hugged him from behind. Her skin was hot, feverish against his. Her arms wrapped tightly around his waist, her face burying itself in the crook of his neck.
She smelled of steel and lilies.
With a resentful yet pleading gaze, she bit his shoulder lightly.
"Master..." she whispered, her voice trembling with shy desperation. "I... I need mana replenishment too."
Ren paused for a second, then grinned. A triumphant, predatory grin.
He reached back and grabbed her arm, pulling her closer.
"Alright," he said, his voice husky. "Then I'll replenish mana for both of you. Tonight, I'll make sure you have enough energy to win the Holy Grail War ten times over!"
The night in the Einzbern Castle was long, and the snowstorm outside was nothing compared to the heat inside.
…
Meanwhile, in the hallway.
"Illya, are we really going to find your mother right now?"
Sakura Matou tugged lightly at the sleeve of the girl in front of her. Her expression was hesitant.
"Yeah! Don't worry, Sakura-chan!" Illya beamed, her red eyes sparkling with innocence. "Mom will definitely like you! She always wanted another daughter!"
Illya and Sakura had spent the last hour bathing together in the castle's grand bath. In the warm water, stripped of their defenses, they had shared their stories.
Illya learned of Sakura's pain. Sakura learned of Illya's loneliness.
They both felt sorry for each other, and a bond of sisterhood had formed rapidly. Illya, eager to cement this bond, wanted to introduce Sakura to Irisviel immediately so her mother could officially accept Sakura as a younger sister.
So, dragging Sakura by the hand, the little silver-haired girl marched towards the Master Bedroom.
"That's strange," Illya mumbled. "Sella and Leysritt are usually guarding the door. Where are they?"
The corridor was empty.
"Maybe they went to sleep?"
"Look, the door is slightly ajar!"
Illya thought her mom might already be asleep. It was late, after all.
But when the two girls pushed open the heavy oak door, the scene that greeted them made them both freeze in the doorway.
It wasn't just Irisviel.
Ria... Sella... Leysritt... Irisviel… they were all there!
It was a tangled mess of white hair, blonde hair, and bare skin. The air was thick with a scent that made Sakura's head spin.
And Ren… was at the center of it all.
Illya, in her infinite innocence, blinked. She didn't understand the context. She only saw everyone huddled together, sweating and panting.
She called out loudly, "Sella! Leysritt! Mom! What are you all doing? Is it a wrestling match?"
"!!!"
The three women—Irisviel, Sella, and Leysritt—stiffened instantly. Sella let out a high-pitched squeak and tried to hide under the sheets. Leysritt blinked slowly, her face blank but flushed. Irisviel looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her whole.
But Ren didn't panic.
He calmly pulled the silk sheet up to cover the critical areas, smiled perfectly, and turned to Illya.
"Ah, Illya. You're just in time to learn," Ren said with the straightest face imaginable. "I'm helping your mother and your sisters fix the physical defects of their artificial bodies."
"Fixing... defects?" Illya tilted her head.
"Yes," Ren nodded solemnly.
Irisviel, Sella, and Leysritt were all Homunculi—artificial humans created by Einzbern alchemy.
They each had fatal flaws designed into them.
Irisviel had a drastically shortened lifespan; she was built to be a vessel, not a human.
Sella possessed complex emotions and magical circuits but had a physically weak body that tired easily.
Leysritt was a combat model with immense strength (Halberd wielder) but lacked complex emotional processing and had a limited lifespan due to overclocking.
These were the flaws in Einzbern's technology. They couldn't create a 'complete' human. They always sacrificed one aspect for another.
Even Illya, the supposed masterpiece, had a flaw. Her body stopped growing. She would remain a child forever, while her internal organs aged rapidly.
"!!!"
Illya didn't see Sakura's face turning as red as a ripe apple behind her. Sakura, having grown up in the Matou household (even if briefly in the worm pit), had unfortunately learned things no child should know. She understood exactly what "fixing" meant in this context.
But Illya was pure.
Hearing that the defects of her family could be fixed, she became excited.
"Can it really be done?!" she gasped, her eyes widening. "Can Mom live longer? Can Leysritt have feelings?"
"In that case, wouldn't Sister Sella and Sister Leysritt become true humans?! That's great!"
She clapped her hands happily, bouncing on her toes.
Sella and Leysritt exchanged an embarrassed glance from beneath the sheets.
They had originally come into the room when they heard Irisviel's cries, thinking she was being attacked. Instead, they found... well, Ren. And then, Ren had pulled them in, citing that he could 'tune' their bodies.
And truthfully... what Ren said was accurate.
Their defects had been cured by him.
Sella felt a vitality in her limbs she had never known. Leysritt felt a strange, fluttering sensation in her chest—emotions, embarrassment, shyness—that she had never processed before.
It worked.
Only the method was... unconventional. Tantric, even.
"I want to be fixed too!" Illya shouted, taking a step forward.
"!!!"
Sakura panicked. She immediately grabbed Illya's arm and pulled her back.
"Illya-chan! No!" Sakura whispered frantically, her face burning. "Let's go back for now! Brother Ren needs to... needs to concentrate! This is a very delicate... uh... ritual!"
"Oh, oh, indeed!" Illya nodded understandingly. "Magic rituals require focus. I shouldn't interrupt."
She waved her hand cheerfully. "Then, Ren! You must do your best! Make Mom healthy!"
"Haha, your brother will. Don't worry," Ren chuckled, winking at the mortified Irisviel. "Right, Irisviel? If there's a chance in the future, let's also check on Illya's growth plates."
"Ren..." Irisviel whimpered, burying her face in the pillow.
"I'll close the door for you!"
Sakura thoughtfully pulled the heavy door shut with a loud click.
Finally, before the latch clicked, she took one deep, longing look at the room. Her purple eyes lingered on the intimacy, the warmth, the belonging.
There was envy in her eyes. Not jealousy, but aspiration.
Sakura wants to be Ren's bride too... when I grow up.
…
The next morning.
The blizzard had stopped, leaving the world outside wrapped in a pristine white blanket.
Irisviel, Sella, and Leysritt were still asleep, exhausted by the "treatment" that had lasted until dawn. Their breathing was synchronized and peaceful, their faces glowing with a health they had never possessed before.
Ria, however, woke up groggily.
Her hand reached out to the side, seeking warmth.
Cold sheets.
"Ren?"
Seeing that Ren was not beside her, she felt a sudden spike of anxiety.
Without thinking, she quickly cleansed herself using her Servant ability—cleaning her body with magical energy instantly—and re-materialized her casual clothes.
She practically ran out of the room to look for him.
She found him in the courtyard.
Ren was playing with Illya and Sakura in the snow. He was helping them build a snowman that looked suspiciously like a deformed tank.
Laughter echoed in the cold air. Illya was throwing snowballs at him, treating him completely as her big brother.
Ren felt there was nothing wrong with that. It was fine for everyone to have their own roles. Lover, brother, protector.
"Ria, you're here."
Noticing Ria's arrival at the terrace door, Ren stopped his snowball assault.
He walked over, his breath visible in the air. Before she could speak, he pulled her into his embrace and kissed her soft, slightly cold lips.
"Mmph..."
After a moment of stiffness, Ria melted.
She very obediently wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her tiptoes to deepen the kiss.
The anxiety in her heart relaxed. The fear of abandonment vanished.
With Ren, she experienced a woman's feelings for the first time in her life. She wasn't King Arthur here. She wasn't the Savior of Britain. She was just Ria.
She experienced what it truly felt like to be loved, to be needed, to be touched with such intense passion that it burned away her regrets.
Now her thoughts had changed.
She still wanted to fulfill her wish for Great Britain to find peace.
But… she no longer wanted to return to the past to be the King. She didn't want to erase her history. She wanted to move forward. As a woman belonging to Ren.
Their lips parted, leaving a silver thread connecting them.
Ren smiled at her, but Ria's expression was somewhat sad. Her emerald eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
"What's wrong?" Ren asked gently, brushing a snowflake from her eyelashes.
Ria looked up, her voice trembling. "Ren, I… I want to be with you forever. But I am a Servant. A Heroic Spirit."
She placed Ren's hand over her heart, where her Spirit Core pulsed.
"After the Holy Grail War ends… the contract ends. The World will call me back to the Throne of Heroes. Or back to Camlann Hill to die."
"I might not be here anymore."
Tears finally spilled over.
"Ren… I… I'm so sad. I don't want to go."
Ren's gaze softened. He looked at the weeping King, and a confident, arrogant smile played on his lips.
"Is that what you're worried about?"
He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him.
"Don't worry, Ria. You won't leave me. You won't be able to run even if you try. I don't allow it."
"The Throne of Heroes? The World? Alaya?"
Ren scoffed at the sky.
"I'm going to completely separate you from this world forever. You are mine now, not the World's."
"Ah?"
Ria blinked, shocked by his declaration. "Separate me...?"
Before she could process his words, the atmosphere shifted.
Hummmm!
The air grew heavy. The mana in the atmosphere screamed.
She felt it. A massive, crushing pressure descending from the sky. Gears turning in the void.
It was the Counter Force.
The World had sensed Ren's intention to steal a Heroic Spirit permanently, and it was reacting!
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