To Become a King and a Magician 741-745

Title: Saving Warrior Naoki

Several minutes later.

Near the now sufficiently destroyed ice mountain, which was previously built from Naoki and Arcueid’s Imaginary Manifestation.

After treating Ritsuka’s arm with Healing Magecraft, Rei smiled: “There, it’s all better now.”

“Thank you, Rei-senpai.”

Ritsuka moved her arm. Though she was only slightly grazed by the lightning, it honestly hurt a lot, so she felt extremely fortunate to be healed now.

Seeing the other three who were also more or less injured, Rei sighed softly: “So, all of you were thrown here at once.”

Yes, the reason Ritsuka and the others appeared here was due to the storm and thunderstorm caused by Arcueid’s roar earlier.

Ishtar stomped her foot irritably: “Seriously, what was that True Ancestor’s deal? We came to help her, but she attacked without a word, and even triggered that excessive thunderstorm—is she blind?”

“More or less.” Rei nodded. “Because Arcueid is currently in a pretty extreme condition.”

“Extreme condition?”

【Do you mean the Vampiric Impulse?】

The one answering Ritsuka’s question was Roman.

Ritsuka raised her wrist: “Do you know something about Arcueid-san, Dr. Roman?”

【Rather than knowing, her story has become common knowledge in the mystic world】

Roman explained.

【Arcueid Brunestud, the Princess of True Ancestors born eight hundred years ago. Just like Natsukawa, she is a planetary sensor, a type of fairy. However, unlike Natsukawa who is a perfect form, she is a being with a flaw.】

【Namely, the Vampiric Impulse】

The bloodsucking impulse, an inherent flaw in the True Ancestor species. All True Ancestors have a desire to suck human blood, and this generates a physical urge based on that desire.

【True Ancestors themselves are existences close to fairies. They can alter the world’s form just by thinking, a race where all members can use Imaginary Manifestation. However, to suppress the impulse caused by their flaw, they use nearly all their thoughts and power to hold back the Vampiric Impulse.】

【Even the Princess of True Ancestors is no exception】

(Using her full power to suppress her own flaw...)

Ritsuka frowned: “So, that means Arcueid-san right now is...”

“She voluntarily released her Vampiric Impulse.”

Rei revealed the truth.

“Arcueid normally uses seventy percent of her power to suppress the Vampiric Impulse. With her strength, even with thirty percent, the number of people worldwide who could match her wouldn’t exceed ten. So, she never considered voluntarily releasing her power before.”

“However, clearly Tiamat isn’t an enemy she can face with thirty percent of her power. So, to respond to Master’s request and to protect Master from Lahmu and Tiamat, she chose to release her power fully.”

With one hundred percent full power, plus support from the planet, only then did Arcueid succeed in suppressing Tiamat.

“However, in exchange, her Vampiric Impulse can no longer be suppressed. And to avoid becoming a monster that only knows how to suck human blood, Arcueid set an absolute Resolve for herself.”

“Resolve...”

Recalling the earlier situation, Ritsuka asked: “You mean... Protecting the Department Head and Defeating the Beast?”

Rei nodded: “Probably something like that. I don’t know the details myself, but judging from the situation, that’s the only possibility. That’s why she attacked you all earlier.”

Arcueid mistook Ritsuka and the others who came to rescue as enemies who would harm Naoki.

After all, she was currently unconscious, with only two simple thoughts in her mind. Perhaps besides Naoki and Tiamat, she could no longer distinguish anyone else.

“Then, how can we save Big Brother?” Mash asked confusedly. “Do we have to... defeat Arcueid-san?”

“No, that’s impossible.”

Rei shook her head: “Arcueid is an existence that absolutely cannot be defeated. Even the South American Chief Goddess over there can’t do it. Because for a fairy’s enemy, the planet will automatically grant the fairy sufficient power for a suppression battle.”

“In simple terms, anyone facing Arcueid will only be suppressed and beaten senseless by her. Plus, Arcueid has immortality. Even if she dies, she can resurrect in a way similar to time reversal. So, she absolutely cannot be defeated.”

Absolute suppression power, and time-reversal immortality.

The information revealed by Rei made everyone shudder. Quetzalcoatl, used as an example, slightly puffed her cheeks, then immediately deflated them.

“Then, what should we do?” Ishtar asked in a helpless tone. “If she’s there blocking and attacking indiscriminately, we can’t bring Naoki back at all, right? By the way, she’s also one of the people we need to bring back. Is it okay to bring her back in that condition?”

She was worried the entire Uruk would be destroyed by Arcueid.

After pondering for a moment, Rei stood up: “Then, let’s do it this way—I, Kingu, Ishtar, and Quetzalcoatl will distract Arcueid. Fujimaru and Mash, use the opportunity to bring Master back.”

“Distract? Is that possible?” Quetzalcoatl was somewhat unsure. “As you said, that girl can’t be defeated. Plus, she’s acting based on the resolve to protect that child. Can we distract her?”

“That’s not a problem either.” Rei smiled. “Though she can perform suppression battles on anyone, adjustment also takes time.”

Adjustment?

Ishtar and Quetzalcoatl instantly understood Rei’s intent and smiled meaningfully.

Rei looked up at Kingu in the sky: “You heard that too, right, Kingu?”

“Yes, we must bring Master back.” Kingu lowered his altitude slightly. “Indeed, the time gained now is sufficient. If it drags on longer, Master won’t be able to hold out—but I think there’s no need for everyone to distract that True Ancestor. I alone should be enough.”

“Fujimaru and Mash stick to the original plan, go and bring Master back. As for Arcueid, leave distracting her to me. The rest of you, please stay here and deal with the Lahmu swarms; their numbers haven’t decreased at all.”

As Kingu said, though many were wiped out by the shockwaves from Arcueid’s earlier attacks, the Lahmu numbers kept increasing, not decreasing. If no one held them back, casualties would surely mount in Uruk with their combat power.

Taking a deep breath, Ritsuka clenched her fist: “Can we leave it to you, Kingu?”

“I think so.”

“Then... let’s go, bring the Department Head back.”

-

Title: The Department Head Turns Into a Little Kid!

So tiring.

This was the only thought in Naoki’s mind right now.

Fighting non-stop for nearly fifty hours, and maintaining full power at every moment—even with magical energy support from the planet, Naoki truly felt exhausted.

Though he was prepared to risk his life to delay Tiamat, in reality, Naoki never intended to actually risk his life. His life wasn’t just his own. If he died, many people would grieve, and it might trigger various bad things afterward.

So, if possible, Naoki wouldn’t let himself die.

But now, he truly felt like he was going to die from exhaustion. A massive amount of Mana flowed from the planet into his body, then was expended in an instant, and immediately refilled at the same time.

This constant jumping between full and empty made him feel like his magic circuits were about to break.

“Time... should be enough by now.”

Naoki didn’t keep track of how long he held out; he just thought to endure as long as possible, as long as he could. After all, preparation time was never sufficient. The longer he held out, the higher the chance of victory in the final battle.

Therefore, even though he was too tired to stand and could only kneel, Naoki still didn’t stop his power output.

He was certain that if his power stopped for even a moment, the Sea of Life would immediately expand again. To suppress it once more, he would truly have to risk his life.

And now wasn’t the time for him to risk his life.

(By the way, Arcueid...)

With great difficulty, Naoki lifted his gaze to that figure starting to go somewhat mad. Guilt welled up in his heart.

Though it was to respond to his request, turning Arcueid into the kind of figure she hated the most, Naoki truly felt deeply guilty toward her for making her do the thing she hated most.

After this, he had to give her proper compensation.

(But that has to wait until Tiamat is defeated...)

Right now, his main focus remained on suppressing the Sea of Life.

And right at that moment—

“Department Head...”

A somewhat faint voice sounded from the distance in Naoki’s ears.

The one calling him “Department Head” in this Singularity seemed to be only Ritsuka.

(They’ve come?)

Slightly lifting his head, Naoki tried to spot Ritsuka’s figure, but because of the world of fire formed from the Heat Mirage he unleashed, his entire field of view was red, completely unable to see clearly.

Even with fairy senses, in this situation, he couldn’t focus on sensing Ritsuka—that was used to suppress the Sea of Life.

“Department Head...!”

It came again. Judging from the direction, it seemed from above.

“Department Head... Department Head...”

Closer, right above him.

Naoki looked up to the sky—

“Department Head!”

What he saw was Ritsuka calling him loudly, reaching out fully toward him.

Riding the Wind God Dragon summoned by Quetzalcoatl’s authority, Ritsuka and Mash had now arrived above Naoki.

“Department Head! Sorry for making you wait! Preparations in Uruk are basically complete! You can return and rest!”

Basically complete?

Tiamat would arrive in Uruk in about two days. That meant the remaining parts could be finished in two days.

“A bit... slower... than I thought...”

Naoki smiled weakly: “What about Arcueid?”

Ritsuka paused for a moment: “Arcueid-san, she’s currently unconscious. Rei-senpai said her resolve is too strong, so she sees everyone except you as enemies. Kingu-san is holding her back.”

“Haaah.”

After a moment of silence, what responded to Ritsuka was a sigh.

So it really turned out like this?

Naoki looked at Ritsuka and Mash: “Fujimaru, Mash, sorry, you two go back first.”

“Eh?”

Both were instantly stunned.

Supporting himself with the Holy Sword, Naoki took a deep breath and quickly recovered his stamina: “You came all this way to pick me up. I’ll follow soon after finishing a few things here.”

“Department Head, are you planning—ugh!”

Before Ritsuka could finish her words, the lava at Naoki’s feet suddenly boiled and raged, with pillars of fire suddenly shooting into the sky!

【Get out of there immediately! Fujimaru! Mash! That temperature is extremely dangerous for you! If you stay at that distance, you’ll burn to ashes!】

Roman, who had been continuously observing the situation here, immediately warned, and Mash quickly pulled the Wind God Dragon to fly farther away.

“Big Brother!”

“Don’t worry, Mash, I’ll follow soon.” Naoki smiled and waved. “By the way, the one fighting Arcueid over there is Kingu. Tell him to go too. Leave the rest to me.”

“Department Head...”

Ritsuka bit her lip: “You’ll come back.”

“Hey, hey, I’m not going to block a strong enemy to protect you all. Don’t look like I’m going and not coming back.”

Naoki laughed bitterly: “I’ll just make her rest a bit. Both she and I are truly exhausted after fighting so long. If we keep fighting, we’ll be late for the next stage of the battle.”

“So... I’ll calm her down.”

As those words fell, the fire pillars surrounding Naoki instantly blazed stronger.

Seeing that, Ritsuka could only nod, and with Mash, they quickly left that overly hot space on the Wind God Dragon. And right after, within seconds, the Heaven’s Chains flying in the sky also quickly vanished from view.

“Aaaaaaa...”

Arcueid seemed somewhat confused, but right now she had released her thoughts. In an instant, she redirected her target back to Tiamat—she had to keep suppressing her!

However, just as Arcueid prepared to continue her attack, Naoki below raised the Holy Sword.

(Considering the situation after I stop suppressing, the remaining time to stop Arcueid... one attack?)

Stopping the rampaging Arcueid with just one attack.

A fantastic idea, but it had to be done. The current Arcueid couldn’t be communicated with by words at all. Stopping her could only be done with force.

“I’ll treat you to birthday cake for the next hundred years, so now let me hit your head once.”

Staring at that figure, Naoki raised the Holy Sword. The fire pillars encircling him suddenly danced, transforming into blazing red dragons!

Holy Sword, full power release—

*BOOM!*

Accompanied by a collision and rumble like a volcanic eruption, several blazing red dragons merged, and a giant fire dragon head spurted out from the lava! With lightning speed, it crashed into Arcueid flying toward Tiamat!

*ROAR!*

The intense flames instantly engulfed Arcueid entirely. Not even leaving a moment for her to resist!

A massive, extremely beautiful firework bloomed in the air!

And the next moment, in the eyes of Ritsuka watching the fireworks from afar, a point of light suddenly appeared, and that light rapidly grew... No, more precisely, it was flying toward him!

“That’s—uwaa!”

The rapidly growing light directly crashed into Ritsuka’s embrace. The hard impact nearly made him fall off the Wind God Dragon’s back. Fortunately, Mash beside him quickly steadied him.

And after seeing the true form of the light in Ritsuka’s embrace, the Master-Shielder pair was instantly stunned.

Because it turned out to be a pair of...

—A little kid whose face was eighty or ninety percent similar to Naoki and Arcueid!

-

Title: Little Naoki Who Almost Gets Ground to Death

Inside Uruk’s Ziggurat.

“.......”

“.......”

“.......”

Everyone gathered here, including Gilgamesh, who had been waiting for Ritsuka and the others to return with Naoki, now fell silent.

The reason was, of course, the little boy sitting on Ritsuka’s shoulder, and the unconscious little girl in Mash’s arms.

“Fujimaru, these two children are...”

Even Gilgamesh was surprised and confused. Though he vaguely sensed the truth, he still needed confirmation.

Before Ritsuka could answer, the little boy on his shoulder spoke: “Even though I’ve shrunk, you don’t have to not recognize me. King Gilgamesh, it’s me, Natsukawa Naoki.”

“No, this King knows it’s you. The issue is, how did you end up like this—“

“So cute~~~~!”

Before Gilgamesh could ask further, Merry swiftly jumped and pulled Naoki from Ritsuka’s shoulder, hugging him tightly.

“Naoki in child form... Hehehe~~~ Truly adorable, no less cute than little Arthur~~~”

“Ugh... Haa—!”

Struggling to pull his head out from Merry’s ‘valley,’ Naoki, with flushed cheeks, stomped his feet irritably: “What are you doing, Merry? Put me down!”

“No way~~~”

With a somewhat worrying smile, Merry pressed Naoki’s head back: “Little kids have to obey big sis, you know. If you’re not obedient and move around too much, you’ll get punished~”

“Ugh...”

With great difficulty stretching out half his head, Naoki looked toward Rei.

(Rei! Help me!)

(Understood, Master.)

After finishing the telepathic conversation, Rei approached Merry and grabbed Naoki’s outstretched hand.

*POP!*

Accompanied by a somewhat odd sound, Naoki was pulled out from Merry’s embrace by Rei, then hugged into hers.

Merry raised an eyebrow: “Oh la la~~~ So loyal to your Master, Rei. Let me hug him again~~”

“Sorry, I refuse, Merry. This would disturb Master. Master is currently a child, not suitable for excessive contact with women. Please keep your distance from Master for a while.”

(No, you watch your own actions too!)

Seeing Rei saying that while secretly enlarging her chest size and pressing it on Naoki’s head, everyone didn’t know how to react or what to say.

Enduring the weight on his head, Naoki could only resign himself after realizing he couldn’t fight back for now.

“Better to discuss the main issue first. As for why I became like this, it’s actually a kind of side effect.”

“To suppress the rampaging Arcueid, I used all the power I could at that time. As a result, part of my physical existence was also burned as fuel.”

Nearly fifty hours without sleep and outputting full power, Naoki’s judgment and control abilities must have declined. Plus, to suppress Arcueid on time, he released his power without thinking.

“In the end, both my existence size and Arcueid’s shrank by sixty percent. After recombining, we could only reincarnate to this level. Consider our condition as returning to youth.”

“Hmm... I see, this King understands the situation. You’ve worked hard, Holy Sword Bearer. You’ve truly sacrificed too much for Uruk this time.”

Gilgamesh said with a serious face: “But this is truly troublesome. Originally, this King hoped you’d rest for two days, then continue as the main force against Tiamat, but now... does this form affect your power?”

Naoki nodded: “Of course. First, my Mana output is only about one-tenth of before. My physical abilities have also dropped drastically. In Servant terms, maybe equivalent to all D ranks. My endurance and Mana aren’t affected, since planetary support still applies.”

Frankly, Naoki’s frontal combat ability had dropped drastically. Compared to his previous all-rounder type, now he was more suited as a traditional Mage providing remote support.

“Additionally, my mental state might also be a bit younger.”

(No, your mentality was always young.)

Everyone couldn’t help but think.

“Is there a way to recover?” Gilgamesh asked. “Consider this a reward for delaying Tiamat. Is there a way for you to recover?”

“Give me the Holy Grail from your treasury.”

Gilgamesh’s Holy Grail.

“The reason I became a child is the loss of existence size. To overcome this, it actually just needs a massive amount of Mana. The key point is to shorten the time. With the Holy Grail, the recovery time that originally took years can be shortened to a few days. Considering we’ll fight Tiamat in two days, I think I can recover fastest to around twenty years old.”

Hearing Naoki say that, Gilgamesh firmly took the Holy Grail from his treasury and threw it to Naoki—it was a reward he deserved, and in matters of reward and punishment, Gilgamesh was never stingy.

But...

【Stop him!】

“Okay, I got it~”

A voice suddenly sounded from Ritsuka’s wrist, and the Holy Grail thrown to Naoki was immediately intercepted midway by Merry.

【Wait, Miss Touko?! Why are you suddenly barging into the control room?! Leonardo—sorry Roman, Touko says she doesn’t want to see that innocent little child turn back into a white-stained adult—what? Wait, Atalanta-san, Gray, and the Director too—BIP—!】

Amid the loud commotion, communication from Chaldea was forcibly cut off.

Ritsuka and Mash’s faces became somewhat awkward.

“Over there... something bad seems to have happened?”

“The Doctor should... be fine.”

“After all, it’s Touko and Tama (Atalanta), so it’s natural.” Merry said while playing with the Holy Grail.

In Rei’s embrace, Naoki struggled hard to stretch out his tiny hand: “Merry, what are you doing? Give me that Holy Grail!”

“Hehehe~~~ Should I return it? Should I~~~~~”

With a mischievous smile, Merry brought the Holy Grail in front of Naoki: “If you want...”

This person is definitely thinking bad things!

Naoki immediately shouted: “Rei! Grab it!”

“Ah~~~~ By the way, I want to sleep hugging little Naoki tonight. If someone wants~~~”

Rei, who was about to move, instantly froze, then looked extremely hesitant.

Seeing this, Naoki couldn’t hold back and yelled: “Hey! We’re still in wartime! Think about those things after the battle ends! And Rei, don’t get tempted by just one sentence. I’ll sleep with you later! Now give me the Holy Grail—muumph!”

Before finishing speaking, Naoki’s mouth was covered by Merry’s hand.

Merry smiled gently: “Alright, be a good boy, little King. Don’t worry, I have no bad intentions.”

“Muumph liar!”

Naoki struggled hard.

“Arcueid’s condition is also very bad. I have a way to help her recover to normal. Consider this for Arcueid’s sake; you don’t want her unable to recover.”

“......”

Seeing Arcueid still sleeping in Mash’s arms, Naoki, who was struggling hard, hesitated for a moment, glared angrily at Merry, then stopped.

(Ehehe~~~ Success!)

Like an evil big sister who succeeded in her plan, Merry smiled, then rubbed little Naoki’s cheek, and looked at the others: “Then, I’ll leave Naoki to me and Rei to take care of for the time being.”

“Eh... is this not...”

Seeing Naoki who looked reluctant, and the two adult women sandwiching him, Ritsuka suddenly felt his teacher was heading down an irredeemable path of evil.

Meanwhile, on the throne, Gilgamesh, as if seeing something, sighed helplessly: “Is this drama over? Then, this King entrusts the task of guarding the young Holy Sword Bearer and True Ancestor to you, Flower Mage and Root Princess. Make sure they’re ready for the battle against Goddess Tiamat in two days!”

“Yes, yes, yes~~~”

-

Title: Send Them All to the Police Station!

Chaldea’s Embassy in Uruk.

After Gilgamesh confirmed the matter of guarding Naoki and Arcueid, Merry and Rei brought the two back here.

Inside the Embassy, seeing Naoki and Arcueid returned in child form, Merlin and Morgan who were guarding there were also shocked. They only understood the situation after hearing Merry’s explanation.

“So, the next thing to do is to restore you to your original state as quickly as possible within two days?” Merlin asked.

“Yes, but the problem is the Holy Grail that Gilgamesh gave me was taken by Merry.”

Naoki, who was forced into Merry’s hug, nodded irritably, then pushed Merry’s stomach: “Now I can talk. Merry, what exactly do you want to do? Though you’re usually someone who doesn’t care about anything for the sake of fun, you understand the current situation.”

Tiamat would arrive in Uruk in two days. Even without Naoki, with the current combat power, they might be enough to face Tiamat, but casualties were likely unavoidable.

If possible, Naoki didn’t want anyone to fall this time, so he needed to recover to his original form as soon as possible.

Hearing Naoki’s words, Merry instead smiled, leaned down, and quickly kissed the little boy in her arms: “Of course I know, but compared to such a big issue, I prioritize satisfying my own interests. After all, that’s who I am.”

Like Merlin, Merry as a leading king-maker in the world, if manifested as a Servant, would have the Hero Creation skill. But unlike Merlin’s EX rank Hero Creation, Merry’s Hero Creation is only B rank.

The reason for this weakening is simple: because Merry’s character is Of course the big picture is important, but the fun side is more important.

Just like now.

Though she knew Naoki’s power was crucial for the next battle, seeing him shrunken in her arms, Merry couldn’t hold back from exploiting it for fun.

The last time she interacted with a child like this was when facing little Gray. That was over a dozen years ago. Even further back, it was only teenage Arthur.

Now getting a potential fun-generating machine like this, how could she not exploit it?

“Don’t worry, I’ll know the limits. I’ll definitely make sure you’re ready for the final battle, so don’t worry. Leave all the next time to me, big sis!”

While saying that, Merry didn’t care at all that Naoki was still a child. One of her hands directly went into Naoki’s clothes.

Seeing this, Morgan, who had been just observing, immediately stepped forward and held back Merry’s hand. After brushing it off, she pulled Naoki out from Merry’s demonic grasp.

Blinking, Merry was slightly surprised looking at Morgan: “Morgan, what are you doing?”

“I want to ask what you’re doing,” Morgan stared coldly at Merry. “This child’s physical age is now around eight years old. What do you plan to do to an eight-year-old child?”

“Of course what a Succubus should do.”

Merry answered with an innocent face—this person was no longer a Dream Eater, but had become a Succubus.

No, actually Dream Eater and Succubus are the same beings.

“Besides, over these years, I’ve always been the one teased in that regard. Now, it’s rare to have a chance to turn the tables and bully Naoki. I must exploit it!”

Called Stamina Sardine and Stamina Rookie every day, though it was fact, always being defeated in an instant also made Merry harbor resentment in another sense. Now she had to vent it!

Seeing Merry who looked serious and not joking, Merlin thought for a moment: “But, are you sure Natsukawa won’t take revenge after he recovers later?”

“Gu-uh—“

Merry made an unpleasant sound.

Seeing her reaction, she hadn’t thought of it at all—this Succubus was truly hopeless.

Merlin looked to the side: “By the way, Miss Rei hasn’t made a sound since earlier... What are you doing? Closing your eyes to rest?”

“No, I’m suppressing my other self who’s starting to lose sanity.”

Rei, sitting nearby with eyes closed, answered: “Since earlier, my other self’s mental state has been very unstable. It can be said she’s going mad and fighting for control of the body. To avoid Master being in danger, I’ve been continuously suppressing her.”

(Over there too?)

Merlin smiled wryly: “Oh dear~~~ This is the consequence of not paying attention to relationships with women. Natsukawa, now you’re bearing the consequences.”

“Instead of wasting time on sarcasm, better help me,” Naoki rolled his eyes irritably. “Considering Merry and Rei’s conditions, it seems I have to follow Morgan for these two days. Merlin, please hold back Merry.”

“Alright, leave it to me. I’m actually quite skilled at childcare.”

Morgan, who gave birth to half the Round Table and was hated by half the Round Table, said with full confidence—Merlin didn’t even know where she got that confidence from, just because she successfully built a good relationship with Mordred in the last ten years?

However, just as Morgan prepared to take Naoki back to the second floor, Merlin spoke: “Ah~~~ Actually, my situation is also somewhat unpleasant.”

“Eh?”

Naoki turned: “What’s unpleasant?”

“It’s in Avalon. I set up some Magecraft there that can observe the Singularity. After all, there are only flowers; though beautiful, seeing them continuously can get boring. I don’t mind of course, but the others don’t.”

The others—referring to Artoria, Mordred, Ayaka, Aoko, Ciel, and Riddell currently living in Avalon.

“They all saw your current form. They’ve been clamoring to come here since earlier, especially a certain Mage; she almost turned into a Berserker.”

“......”

Honestly, Naoki wanted to smack Merlin’s head.

(Why did you set up a Rite to observe the Singularity if there’s no business?)

(Turns out now I’m pinched from both sides? By the way...)

Feeling Morgan’s heartbeat starting to quicken above his head, Naoki knew that this time he might not escape; he would truly be captured by this group of women.

(I’m just turned into a kid? Why are these women’s reactions so excessive? Do you all want to go to jail!)

“Then, why don’t we just go back to Avalon?”

Suddenly, Merry suggested.

“After all, there’s the issue of Arcueid that needs handling. Relying only on a few of us here, our capabilities are still somewhat limited. There are many people in Avalon, so it’s easier to resolve.”

“What do you really want to do?” Naoki showed a resigned expression. “Did some weird switch get flipped in you?”

“No, I’ve always been like this. Just this time I want to try something different.”

Merry said with a smile.

“Then—I’ll leave him to you for now, my other self. We’ll return before the final battle starts.”

After saying that, Merry snatched Naoki from Morgan’s embrace, and together with Rei, they turned into flower petals and vanished from the room.

Smiling bitterly helplessly, Merlin looked at Morgan: “Oh, oh, oh, seems like this time it’ll be big trouble... Do you want to join too? I can open the door for you. For you, this is a last chance in a certain sense.”

“Later.”

-

Title: Super Genius Miss Merry

Inner Sea of the Stars.

Avalon.

The Ideal City that only the sinless can enter, paradise on the inner side of the world.

It could be said, this is the purest place on the planet.

But now...

“Naoki! Come here quick, let Big Sis Aoko hug you!”

One of only five Magicians in the world, the super cool Aoko in battle who has become a reliable adult woman, charged forward without any shame upon seeing the small figure appear not far away.

The sinful people openly displayed their sins in this sinless world.

Seeing Aoko coming, Merry, who was hugging Naoki, cooperated by throwing her king out of her embrace.

“Merry, you—“

Before Naoki could even utter a single word, his entire body was once again buried in a ‘valley.’

Though he did like them big, but only at times like this did he feel that ones like Artoria and Mordred were quite nice—at least he didn’t have to worry about suffocating to death.

Seeing the eight-year-old child-form Naoki in her arms, Aoko couldn’t hold back from pinching his cheek: “Truly super cute. Turns out little Naoki was this adorable when he was small.”

“Don’t pinch uumph uumph uumph!”

The protest Naoki had just voiced was immediately forcibly interrupted by Aoko’s cheek-pinch attack—as a child, he had absolutely no initiative against this group of women over thirty years old.

After Aoko, the other women also surrounded him.

Ayaka poked Naoki’s cheek: “Really turned into a little kid, huh... A bit like Big Sis when she was little. Can I hold him for a bit, Big Sis Aoko?”

“Hmm, sure.”

“I said, you all... Don’t you feel I’m heavy? Back when cleaning, you said you couldn’t lift a table.”

Naoki, handed from Aoko to Ayaka, said in a helpless tone.

Ayaka smiled faintly: “Back then there was Big Sis—Kyaa!”

“Now it’s my turn to hug!”

Before Ayaka could hold him longer, like snatching treasure, Mordred rushed from the side and snatched Naoki, then ran back to Artoria’s side: “Queen Mother! I brought King Father back!”

“Ugh! Mordred, don’t say nonsense!”

Artoria, whose cheeks were slightly flushed, glared a bit at her beloved daughter, then received Naoki and set him down: “Sorry, Master. Mordred is a bit rough and rude.”

“It’s fine... Still, Lia is the most mature, unlike the others who are crazy.”

Seeing Artoria still very normal, Naoki felt relieved. Honestly, wasn’t he just turned into a kid? Did these people need to act so enchanted, one by one heading toward madness?

Or could it be that his current form actually had some kind of alluring ability? Handsome Youth Full of Charm (Red-Face Beautiful Boy)? Super effective against women?

“Uhuk uhuk uhuk!”

After clearing his throat, Naoki looked at Merry: “Alright, stop the foolishness here. Merry, let’s talk seriously first. How to deal with Arcueid’s condition... What’s that in your hand?”

“Nothing.”

Casually making the camera in her hand disappear, Merry took the still-sleeping Arcueid from Rei’s hands: “Well, true. Though it’s fun seeing the King teased by the girls, important matters can’t be ignored.”

“Since some might not know yet, I’ll explain again. This time we returned mainly for two things: one, help Naoki and Arcueid recover their original bodies to fight Goddess Tiamat afterward. Two, resolve the Vampiric Impulse issue in Arcueid.”

Seeing Merry start explaining seriously, Aoko and the others couldn’t help but adopt proper attitudes.

“The first issue isn’t too difficult. Just need enough Mana to greatly shorten Naoki’s recovery time. With so many of us here, it’ll be quick.”

“You mean so many people...”

Aoko seemed to realize something: “Hey, Merry, don’t tell me you want to...”

“Yes, recharge Naoki’s Mana together.” Merry laughed. “Though we got the Holy Grail from Gilgamesh, it can only restore Naoki to two-thirds of his original prime. To face Tiamat as an opponent, it’s still a bit short.”

“So, the rest we’ll fill—and there’s a part for Arcueid too.”

Not just Naoki turned into a kid.

Aoko rubbed her forehead: “So... here?”

“Yes.”

“Me, you, Rei, plus Riddell?”

“Everyone, you know.”

*CRASH!*

The words from Merry’s mouth immediately made everyone stagger, crashing into many things in Avalon. Then, they all stared at Merry with shocked and embarrassed gazes.

“Everyone!?”

Even Naoki was slightly surprised.

“Merry, you’re serious?”

“Of course. After all, some have delayed too long.” Merry laughed. “For example, little Ayaka. She and Naoki met about fourteen years ago. Don’t you feel it’s unfair to her to delay until now? Especially since she chased here from a parallel world.”

Ayaka’s cheeks flushed uncontrollably, and she leaned on her big sister.

“Then there’s Ciel. Well... I don’t need to say anything about you.”

“I’m fine.” Ciel said with a calm face. “After all, he’s the one who saved me, took me in when I was useless, and raised me for years. Now, helping him is only natural.”

Truly befitting a former Executor from the Holy Church. She was very straightforward about this.

“Besides, my Mana is excessive with no place to use it, so giving it to him is also right.”

Ciel was an extraordinary existence in terms of total Mana. If a normal Mage’s Mana is set at 20, Ciel’s is around 5000. As she said, usually her energy was too much to use.

“As for Lia and Mordred... that’s up to Naoki to decide.”

“Hey!!”

Naoki couldn’t hold back from shouting.

However, completely ignoring his protest, Merry continued her explanation: “Additionally, this is actually also to resolve Arcueid’s condition.”

“The Vampiric Impulse is an inherent flaw. Besides Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, it can’t be fully removed. And even with Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, perhaps only with that noble figure’s intervention can it truly be killed. Ryougi Shiki is still a bit short.”

“So, if we want to resolve it now, we can only replace the concept.”

Replace the concept?

Rei frowned: “You mean... replace the Vampiric Impulse with another impulse?”

“Yes, with my Illusion, it can be done. For example... Mana Drinking Impulse.” Merry laughed. “Change Arcueid’s bloodsucking impulse, through Illusion, into a desire for Mana. That way, we just need to give her Mana.”

Indeed, this way, without needing to suppress it deliberately, Arcueid wouldn’t become a monster craving fresh blood. And with Arcueid’s self-control, giving her a little Mana every month would be more than enough. In fact, as a fairy, the Mana continuously supplied by the planet alone would suffice.

(Right, this way the Vampiric Impulse issue can be resolved without troubling Shiki. Wait, earlier Merry said there’s a part for Arcueid too...)

Naoki’s eyebrows twitched violently: “Merry, don’t tell me you want to...”

“Yes, that’s what you’re thinking.”

“First, through the Holy Grail and us, we give Mana to Naoki to help him recover to his original form. Then, Naoki gives Mana to Arcueid, resolving the Vampiric Impulse, while also helping Arcueid recover to her original form, and satisfying a bit of the Princess’s hidden feelings—all can be resolved at once.”

Merry felt she was a super genius.

Then—

*BAM!*

This super genius was kicked hard by Naoki, flying from the top of Avalon all the way out of Avalon.