After The Battle

“Mmm…”

Feeling a soft touch on his forehead and a person’s warmth, Arthur let out a groan. When he opened his eyes, through the hazy view he noticed Kei in a maid’s uniform staring at him in surprise.

“Ah, Kei… what on earth…?”

“Lord Arthur, you’re awake!! You were out for two whole days—I was so worried. I’m really glad!!”

“Waaaugh!?”

The moment he tried to sit up, he was pulled into an embrace and cried out. He noticed the soft sensation as his head was pressed to Kei’s chest, but more than that, he was struck by the fact that Kei was holding him and crying.

He let her do as she wished until she was satisfied. Finally released, he apologized to her a bit awkwardly.

“Seems I made you worry a lot… um… I’m sorry.”

“Lord Arthur… it’s all right. This time, you told me properly that you were going. I’m the one who worried on my own.”

She smiled as she said it, but he could see dark circles beneath her eyes. Maybe… no, not maybe—she must have been nursing him the whole time.

‘So that’s why I didn’t have any nightmares…’

Moved by Kei’s devotion, he watched her gentle smile.

“Lord Arthur, at times like this, instead of ‘I’m sorry,’ I’d love to hear ‘thank you.’”

“Right… thank you. You stayed by me the whole time, didn’t you…”

“Of course. I’m your personal maid (your big sister), after all.”

Puffing out her chest with proud, matter-of-fact kindness, Kei warmed Arthur’s heart.

After a sip of the fruit water she’d brewed for him, he asked what had been on his mind.

“So… what happened to the ‘Golden Wheat’? I remember defeating that so-called Five Great Calamity, but things are fuzzy after that…”

He’d been swarmed by disgusting bugs and, thanks to Elaine, blasted by magic—quite an ordeal—but honestly he wasn’t interested in the Five Great Calamities.

The Golden Wheat mattered more. He’d worked for it so he could eat it with Kei… and with the orphans and even Morgan. If it hadn’t survived, then all his effort was meaningless. He remembered it turning into some gigantic tree from his healing… and, being honest, wondered if it even counted as wheat anymore.

“They say every stalk in that area turned into Golden Wheat… Lord Hervé reported, quite happily, that we can harvest a great amount. He also said to look forward to the items he promised.”

“For real…?”

He’d worried his healing might make it taste awful, but that fear proved unfounded. As Arthur exhaled in relief, Kei continued.

“They say it was thanks to you and Lady Elaine… Not only did you defeat a Five Great Calamity, you set up mass production of Golden Wheat. As expected of you, Lord Arthur. Amazing!!”

“Y-yeah… I am Arthur Pendragon, after all!!”

He didn’t really know what part had been “thanks to Arthur,” but since Kei smiled and patted his head, he decided to just accept it.

She was clearly treating him like a child, yet strangely, he didn’t dislike it. If anything… it soothed him.

Wasn’t Hervé the one getting all the benefits here? His knights weren’t that useful either… he thought, quite rudely.

“And, um… Lord Hervé brought something for when you woke up.”

“Hm? Oh. I see… this is…”

Kei lifted the lid off a tray on the desk behind her. With a toasty aroma, a rainbow of cakes came into view.

They almost seemed to shine—it wasn’t his imagination.

“He had his personal chef make them. He said it was the least he could do in thanks.”

They had agreed he’d bring cakes made from Golden Wheat regularly, but to prepare them this fast… pretty capable, actually, Arthur thought—promptly forgetting how he’d dissed him a moment earlier. Ever so mercenary.

Then Arthur grinned at Kei and cracked a joke.

“Oh? You did well to wait till I woke up. Good girl.”

“Honestly, I’m not that much of a glutton. I’ll just make some tea now…”

At that moment, two stomachs growled. One was Arthur’s—woken up and staring at delicious cake—and of course the other was Kei’s, after nursing him so diligently.

Seeing her blush bright red, Arthur spoke gently.

“Forget the tea… let’s just eat together. I’m starving.”

“Lord Arthur… well… all right. I’m your personal maid, after all. I’ll accept your kindness without hesitation. But if anyone scolds us, you have to apologize with me, okay?”

The old Kei would have refused—Someone like me shouldn’t eat such expensive things… But now she understood what kind of person Arthur really was.

That’s why she could trade such easy banter—banter that would make others faint if they heard it.

“Don’t worry. They used to call me the ‘spoiled prince.’ People will tolerate a little selfishness.”

“Hehe, no one would call you that now. Well then, let’s eat. My stomach’s about to stick to my back.”

Arthur matched Kei’s quip with one of his own, looking truly happy—not just because of the tasty food.

Then Kei cut a slice and held it out to him.

“Here you go, Lord Arthur—say ‘ahh.’”

“Mm… that’s good…”

As if it were the most natural thing, Arthur took a bite. Seeing his pleased smile at the sweetness filling his mouth, Kei tasted hers too.

“Mmm—this is even better than at the Founding Festival. Incredible!!”

“Yeah, this won’t be enough. Next time, tell Hervé to bring more.”

Watching Kei’s blissful smile, Arthur remembered the cookie she’d given him in prison in his previous life.

He wouldn’t forget that cookie’s taste—just as he wouldn’t forget this shared cake and Kei’s smile. And he hoped Kei would remember too.

‘Ah… so that’s it. I was working for this smile…’

When the Good Deed Notebook told him to resolve the food crisis, he’d only thought of the pain of hunger and the desperate wish to avoid it.

But with plenty of good food, everyone could smile like this. His acquaintances—no, his companions—could smile too.

“What is it, Lord Arthur?”

“I was just thinking… being with you makes me happy, Kei.”

“Hehe, how sweet of you. I’ll serve you forever, Lord Arthur. So don’t worry.”

“Yeah…”

Until now, he’d acted only for self-preservation. But perhaps because he finally had some breathing room, Arthur found himself wanting to protect the smiles of Kei—and of everyone lending him their strength.