At the same time, inside the Palace of Orleans, or rather, within the ruins of the palace, X looked around and exclaimed inside her mind.
'Ohhh, how amazing! We really traveled back, huh? Truly worthy of my son!'
'What principle is this? Just drifting? Or because of the summoning system of the Holy Grail War?'
'If I use this trick, could I deal a dimensional blow to the Artoria Species?!'
X became lost in her fantasy.
She imagined some Artorias strolling down the street, eating, or getting into a fight, and suddenly, she would emerge from behind them and strike with her sword, taking them down in an instant.
Then, X would step on their head, one hand holding the sword and the other embracing her son, shouting—"I am the strongest Saber!"
The feeling was beyond satisfying.
"Hehehe..."
X, lost in her thoughts, revealed a joyful smile. But then, an out-of-place sound reached her ears:
"Mfmfmf..."
"?"
X looked left and right and then lowered her head, only to realize something was off.
It was Artorius who got pinned underneath her, unable to breathe.
They still maintained the position they were in during their drifting for the first time—close contact between her crotch and his nose.
The earlier sound of 'Mfmfmf' was Artorius's effort to move.
"..."
"Ahaha, sorry, sorry. I got carried away and forgot you were here, Artorius~"
X was taken aback for a moment, then quickly scrambled off Artorius.
"Whatever."
Artorius looked at X with a reproachful look, wanting to say a few words, but in the end, he decided against it.
Let this foolish girl continue being blissfully ignorant.
Among Artorius's various 'Mothers', only X and Ex displayed a more lighthearted presence. Maintaining a cheerful personality like Mordred's could also be considered a good thing for his mental health.
"You've always been like this."
While saying this, Artorius took off X's baseball cap and headpat her, much like stroking a mischievous kitten.
"Artorius..."
Forgiven so easily by Artorius, X felt a bit embarrassed.
Meanwhile, Artorius's touch made X feel both embarrassed and happy. After all, she thought of herself as Artorius's mother—even the mother of a parallel world still counts as a mother.
But here she was, being treated like a little girl, as Artorius ruffled her like some kind of doll.
However...
'It's really comfortable~' X thought with a blissful expression.
Truly, her own child understood her 'buttons' quite well.
Thinking that way in her heart, X moved slightly closer to Artorius.
'You and I have gone through hardships together.' Artorius said in his mind as he watched X's expression.
Although they had returned here together, the Einzbern maids were absent, leaving only the two of them—did this mean their relationship was even stronger, tighter, and more intimate?
The familiar face of his favorite Artoria.
More lively and charming than the usual Artoria.
Dressed more stylishly, with an air of casualness and freedom, yet still exuding a peculiar sensuality.
Beneath her sports jacket was a crop top that exposed her belly button. She wore shorts and sneakers on her lower half. Occasionally, she would pair them with dark blue custom-made stockings—though not now, her two fair legs were bare. Quite a revealing look. It gave people the urge to steal a second glance.
Additionally, she had been wearing those shorts for who knows how long; the zipper was completely broken and unable to close properly. The opening was spread apart. As if inviting remarks about X's sloppiness while igniting a desire to explore.
Much like now.
'Without those Einzbern maids, without those Tohsaka sisters, and without that Oni Shuten-douji. Without anyone else, it's just the two of us now, Artorius~'
Leaning on Artorius's shoulder, X thought to herself and displayed a contented smile.
'Artorius~'
With her child by her side, feeling Artorius's cool body, Mysterious Heroine X revealed a foolishly happy smile.
She even forgot about chasing Artoria Species and forgot about her responsibility to eliminate Sabers which continued to increase. She simply wanted to stay with Artorius right now.
If someone were to ask her right now "Why aren't you saying something like 'I'm your mother'?" She would surely retort confidently "What for? He's obviously my own child, no need to declare here and there."
If anyone dared to protest, X would undoubtedly shout and make an accusation "Are you a spy sent by the evil god?!" and then strike without hesitation.
A rebellious, unreasonable, delinquent girl who followed her own way. This was the truth of the Mysterious Heroine who had fallen into the tender domain of motherhood.
"Artorius, you smell really nice~"
X spoke to Artorius with a mischievous grin, then wrapped her arms around his neck.
"By the way, you've been with those Einzbern maids all this time and never paid attention to Mom~"
Saying those words, X maintained her foolish smile while rubbing her head against Artorius's chest like a little cat.
Rather than a mature mother or a dignified mother figure, it was more like a teenage girl whining to Artorius like a cute little kitten.
"Bad child, you need a good punishment to prevent you from becoming a pawn of the Evil Artorias~"
Stating that strange reason, X emitted a peculiar scent. Without hesitation, she pressed the half-resisting Artorius onto the floor.
"You're always spouting nonsense out of nowhere and impossible to deal with." Artorius sighed a bit helplessly.
Although it wasn't the best timing, refusing X would probably lead to even more trouble. It would be harder to handle then.
So, why not just accept it naturally?
And besides, X is also an 'Artoria'. Which means, she is his 'Mother'.
"Artoria..."
'Artoria' is the most important to him.
In other words...
"Kyaa~!"
The next second, X was held by Artorius and was pushed down as their position got reversed.
"Well, you brought this upon yourself."
Artorius's eyes gleamed with lust, causing X to swallow hard and her body to tense up. Of course, that tension was released with a single move from him, leaving her relaxed again. Like a toy being toyed with.
Until the next second.
"Big Brother!"
Shouting anxiously, Mordred swung her sword, cutting through debris and ruined walls, and ran over to the room, disregarding the danger.