Stepping out of the portal, Saber's group was struck by the sight of chaos and devastation that awaited them.
"It's worse than I imagined," Reaper muttered, her eyes narrowing as she took in the scene of destruction.
The kingdom was almost in it's complete destruction, the walls had a massive hole. People were mourning their love ones and many buildings had fallen.
"The kingdom... It's just a mess," Solis murmured, her gaze sweeping over the crumbling walls and grieving citizens.
"This is expected. The Avalon Kingdom had lost their only hero, Maximus, so the other Kingdoms never saw it's worth protecting."
"Isn't that cruel?" Solis asked, her eyes looking towards the parents who was holding their child's corpse in their arm.
Saber noticed this and closed his eyes. "True, but this was inevitable. Unless a new hero emerges, the other kingdoms won't intervene... No matter how wealthy this place is, a hero is more worthy than money. They prioritize strength above all else."
As they navigated through the wreckage, Saber spotted movement in the distance. A black cat emerged from a pile of debris, shaking off the dust from its fur.
"That cat..." Saber murmured, recognition dawning in his eyes.
Lucky~!
As Saber approached the black cat amidst the chaos of the ruined kingdom, his companions watched with curiosity and confusion. Yuki figured out his intentions through mind reading and let out a deep sigh of exasperation before wandering off to a nearby store.
With a gentle smile, Saber scooped up the cat, which seemed puzzled by his sudden attention. The feline shook off the dust from its fur, its collar bell jingling softly.
Reaper couldn't help but voice her curiosity. "What are you going to do with it anyway?" she asked, eyeing the cat with skepticism.
Instead of answering her directly, Saber turned to Solis, a knowing look in his eyes. "Solis, you like cats, don't you?" he inquired, tilting his head slightly. "Could you take care of this little guy for a few days? I have an audience with the princess."
Solis blinked in surprise, her mind swirling with questions. "Princess? What do you mean?" she started to ask, but before she could finish, Yuki returned, holding a few items in her hands.
"No pens at the store, only these," she informed Saber, passing him the paper, feather, and ink.
Taking the items with a nod of thanks, Saber handed the cat over to Solis, who accepted it with a mixture of surprise and amusement. Cradling the cat in her arms, she glanced at Saber with a raised eyebrow.
"You're going to meet the princess?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.
Saber didn't say anything and began to fix his hair. He took the cat from her and turned his attention to Reaper.
"You know how to draw, right? Those items should be enough."
"What's that have to do with me?" Reaper, annoyed, crossed her arms to her chest.
"Just do it. I'll increase your allowance later as thanks later."
"Tch!"
Reaper spat out to the ground and approached him.
"I'm not really good at drawing, but... Thankfully, my other ex's is." Saber handed her the paper in his hand and sat down on a nearby crater.
"I don't get what you mean..."
"You don't have to... I'm just saying."
With that said, Reaper began to drew some guidelines.
"Try to make me more handsome, alright~?"
***
Little while later.
A knight paused in his tracks, studying a certain poster plastered on the wall. It depicted a man cheekily sticking out his tongue while cradling a black cat in his arms.
The cat... it looked oddly familiar.
[Have you seen this cat? He's mine now, princess.]
As he read the caption below the image, a realization dawned on him.
"Wait a minute... Isn't this Her Highness's cat?"