"Expand Camelot?"
The moment she heard Artoria's idea, Mélusine couldn't help but be a little surprised.
"Are you serious?"
"Of course I'm serious, Mélusine."
"Do I look like I'm joking?"
"No, not really..."
Mélusine shook her head.
"I was just thinking, this isn't a simple matter, is it?"
"It will require a great deal of manpower and resources. Is that really alright?"
"According to conventional wisdom, that is indeed the case."
"But—"
"I now have an unconventional reason."
"An unconventional reason?"
"That's right."
As Artoria responded to Mélusine, she walked over to Ian's side.
Her growth no longer restricted, she no longer needed to stand on her tiptoes to reach his chest, as she had before.
The King of Britain wrapped her arms around his neck and then said softly:
"He is my unconventional reason."
"Eh?"
Mélusine was about to ask what she meant, but then she suddenly understood.
It was true.
Normal construction work was extremely draining, both physically and mentally, for most ordinary people.
That was why expanding Camelot would require a vast amount of energy and manpower.
But what if—
The one doing the work was a dragon?
Having witnessed Ian's dragon form, Mélusine couldn't harbor a single shred of doubt.
"Artoria, doing this, won't it scare everyone?"
"When this guy turns into a dragon, he's enormous—"
"That's exactly the point."
Artoria's fingers gently caressed Ian's cheek.
"A kingdom of dragons should let everyone witness a dragon, shouldn't it?"
"..."
Mélusine said nothing.
She knew this was something Artoria had mentioned before.
Her ambition to turn Camelot, and even all of Britain, into a kingdom of dragons, all to keep Ian by her side forever.
"Mélusine, your silence, are you trying to say you don't support me?"
"Not at all!" Mélusine quickly denied the suggestion.
"Artoria, whatever you do, I will support you!"
"It's just Ian—"
"He won't refuse me."
Artoria said this, then reached out and held the back of Ian's head.
Just like that, under the watchful gaze of the fairy swordswoman, she kissed his lips.
Those eyes that usually looked down upon everything now burned with a passionate fire.
"Right, Ian."
"You will definitely help me."
"Mhm."
Ian nodded.
"Artoria."
"Whatever you want to do, I will help you."
As if she had known this would be the answer all along, or perhaps as if it were intentional, Artoria glanced back at Mélusine and said softly:
"There, no problem now, is there?"
"This is how Ian should be used, isn't it?"
"Y-yes, I suppose..."
Mélusine answered cautiously, but she felt an indescribable sense of unease.
She felt that Artoria's words held another layer of meaning.
The plan to expand Camelot was soon widely promoted with Artoria's permission.
Within days, various opinions arose among the populace.
Those in support:
"If Camelot is expanded, we'll have more living space."
"At the same time, more people will know of us! It will surely create more opportunities!"
Those in opposition:
"Camelot is already big enough!"
"If we keep expanding like this, it will just be a waste!"
Of course, most were neutral and uneasy.
After all—
Such a change, involving the entire city, was bound to make people worry.
And that worry soon evolved into fear.
Because—
A great dragon appeared in the skies over Camelot.
It was a dark, oppressive mass, blotting out even the clouds.
"It's a dragon!"
"Everyone, run!"
Memories of the previous attack flooded people's minds, causing them to scatter in all directions.
No one wanted to be a victim of this dragon disaster.
But...
Someone soon noticed something was off.
A dragon had indeed appeared.
But it was surprisingly calm, and also somewhat familiar.
"This seems to be the same dragon as last time—"
As the first person to realize this stopped fleeing, the tide of escape gradually came to a halt.
They just stared at the great dragon circling in the sky, looking at each other in confusion.
What...
What on earth was going on?
For a moment, confusion abounded, yet no one could provide an answer.
Until—
Artoria descended into Camelot with it.
"The King!"
"It's the King!"
Cries of surprise erupted from the crowd.
The King of Camelot was standing atop the great dragon, which was naturally an inspiring sight.
And Artoria, at just the right moment, began to speak.
"Everyone."
"As you can see—"
"Having experienced the last dragon disaster, as the King of Camelot, I have mastered the means to control it."
"Therefore, there is no need to worry any longer about the consequences of the expansion."
"We now have more than enough power to face all of this!"
Silence, followed by an overwhelming wave of cheers.
Everyone was excited and joyful over Artoria's words.
Only Mélusine's expression was exceedingly complex.
She felt that Artoria was being somewhat radical, but she couldn't find the words to object.
"I hope nothing bad happens..."
Mélusine thought to herself, then quietly left the scene of the cheering crowd.
And on the castle not far away, Morgan, who had witnessed everything from her room's balcony, grabbed her own arm.
She never would have imagined that her own sister would dare to bring him out so directly.
"Artoria!"
Morgan cried out, then looked at Barghest standing beside her.
"Barghest, tonight, you will bring Ian to me!"
"I have something to tell him!"
"..."
"What is that expression?! Barghest, are you refusing to listen to me?"
"Mother, from now on, you should do this kind of thing yourself."
Barghest replied after a moment's hesitation.
She looked at her own hands and turned away.
"That way, no matter what you do, I won't have to know."
"Barghest, what is this attitude!"
"My attitude depends on Mother's attitude—I have business with the King, so I'm leaving."
"Stop, you stop right there!"
Watching her daughter leave on her own, completely ignoring her, Morgan grew even angrier.
"Forget it!"
"I can do it without you!"
"I can find him myself!"