The next day after the little session with Artoria was definitely interesting.

Kay seemed to have cooled down after ranting for hours and decided to 'punish himself for speaking like that to his king' by spending the entire day in the training fields.

It's already noon and he was singing his sword in the field since he woke up.

Merlin acted as if nothing happened beyond being more quiet. I see him open his mouth to say something every now  then while looking at me but he slowly closes it without saying a thing.

As for Artoria herself? She, surprisingly, went back to work, though decided to start her day with paperwork and not meeting anyone. The meeting with Tristan to finish his report was pushed to the noon.

She would flich every now and then, as if the memory of last night would suddenly pop in her head, but she would always shake her head and get back to work.

Speaking of the meeting with Tristan, it was finally happening and the Knight alongside the Captains that went with him on the mission.

"Sir Tristan, I apologise for the... sudden departure yesterday," Artoria started speaking, taking a glance at my direction.

Tristan though, didn't seem that bothered. "It's nothing, your majesty. As Excalibur's chosen wielder, you are always expected to be ready for another test t you right to hold the Sacred Sword."

"Right..." Artoria mumbled, knowing that last night had nothing to do with Excalibur's test of being worthy. Taking a deep breath, she looked at Tristan and, instead of returning to her emotionless facade, gave them a smile. "Regardless... I would like to still express my apologies. You had just returned from a mission and were giving your report when I left you as you were speaking. And so, I'm sorry, and well done on your mission, Sir Tristan."

Tristan's eyes, for once, were wide open. His jaw was hanging and he was looking at Artoria like she had actually grew a second head. The knights behind him were very much the same.

They stayed like that for a few moments before I finally decided to say something and wake them up. "Hey, buddy, you may wanna actually respond to your king."

That seemed to knock Tristan back into reality. He violently shook his head and, if possible, knelt even lower. "You grace me with your words, your majesty! Truly, you have nothing to apologise for!"

The knights behind him seem to share the same sentiment while also looking a bit... guilty? That's odd.

Oh, wait, wasn't one of the reasons Camelot fell because the knights left out of thinking Artoria didn't care for them? I guess they were already starting to have those thoughts.

Guess this made them rethink their view on their king.

The rest of the meeting went in a mostly professional manner. I sat mostly because Tristan and the knights were acting as if God graced them when Artoria smiles. After the meeting, I just left telling Artoria I've got work to do.

That was a lie. I just didn't want to spend the day looking at her do politics.

I went to one of the taverns to just sit down and wait for the day to be over. I don't need to eat, even in the puppet body since it uses the Yggdrasil's wood heart to stay healthy, but I can still do it as a form of pleasure.

The tavern was a nice place. Big with two floors, wooden tables and chairs everywhere and lamps on every wall. Though since the sun didn't set yet, the windows were just open to let in light.

I was sitting on one of tables near the window, enjoying a drink and looking out at the city. While it wasn't finished yet, Camelot was still a rather beautiful place during the day. I'm not a fan of all the white, but the light reflecting off it made the city seem kind of holy.

Someone came in and sat on the other side of the table. Looking at who joined me, I saw non other than the Mage of Flowers himself.

"Shouldn't you, as a court Mage, be at Artoria's side?" I asked, taking a sip from my drink.

"I placed an illusion in my place. No one will notice I'm gone for a while," Merlin replied before looking at the waitress. "Excuse me, can I get some ale? Thank you. The man in front of me is paying," he ordered, placing it on my tab without a care in the world. "And what about you? What's your excuse for letting Excalibur's wielder out of your sight?"

"There is no excuse. I just don't like politics," I answered bluntly.

"Hahaha! You don't mince words, do you!" Merlin laughed as the waitress brought in his drink. "Thank you," he took a sip from it and looked at me again. "I've been meaning to ask, what was exactly the purpose of last night?"

I guess there's no reason to not tell him, and I don't doubt he placed an illusion around us to hide what we talk about. "Artoria pretty much solidified the idea that she needs to be perfect on her mind. She needed to be reminded of her flaws. You and Kay know her the most in Camelot. As such, you two were the best choice to remind her that she, like everyone else, is flawed."

"I do apologise for that. I'm the one who told her that being king means not being human," Merlin actually sounded like he meant it.

"This actually reminds me," I started, giving him a serious look. "When you were preparing Artoria to be king... did you base your idea on Solomon?"

"My, you REALLY don't mince words, do you!" Merlin just smiled. "First, let me ask, were you referring to Sorcerer King Solomon yourself when you asked Artoria what she would do with endless power?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Yeah. I didn't know Solomon, but I know OF him and am friends with people who personally knew him," I answered. "So, did you base your idea on him?"

Merlin's smile actually turned somewhat reminiscing and he looked down at his drink. "Sorcerer King Solomon... the Perfect King, born to be higher than humans. I don't think there's a single person in the world of Mage-craft that doesn't respect, revere, or at least fear his name. Even that witch Morgan Le Fay most likely avoids saying his name altogether," he mumbled before turning his gaze back at me. "To answer your question... I don't know. Maybe I did? Or maybe I was trying to convince Artoria to avoid such a path? I'm not exactly an expert when it comes to actually feeling emotions. But... I wish I hadn't. Because of what I said, Artoria began avoiding who sh me is, and trying to paint an image over herself for people to worship."

"You cared for her so much that you screwed up, huh?" I couldn't keep the sympathy out of my voice even if I tried. "I know how that feels."

"You do?" Merlin looked surprised.

"I... had a daughter once," it never gets easier to talk about this. "I cared for her so much that I didn't see what I was doing for her and messed up big time. It haunts me to this day."

"So that's why you helped Artoria despite insisting to not guide her, huh?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yup," I held my mug upwards. "To loving our daughters to the point of messing up."

Merlin looked at my mug for a few seconds. Hesitantly, he raised his own before finally clicking it with mine. "To loving our daughters to the point of messing up."

We both took a drink from our mugs and mine became empty. "Excuse me, another mug of apple juice!" I called out.

Merlin chocked on his drink and nearly did a spit-take. "A-Apple juice?!" He sounded like he was about to burst in laughter.

I just shrugged my shoulders. "Not really a fan of beer, ale, or booze."

Alcohol has no effect on the puppet body beyond making its reactions to my commands slower. So, I really don't experience being drunk. That makes Alcohol just another drink but with a bitter aftertaste and slight burn on the throat.

If there's no difference between alcohol and juice, then I'd obviously pick the tastier one.

(A/N: Sorry for the late update. Last week I burned my fingers and decided to take a break to recover.

Discord Server: https://discord .com/invite/ 4q2EJhqW)