When we got back to Carmarthen, Ector asked me to give Artoria a quick tour of the rural village, so she could get used to the areas, while he and his wife got her room ready for her to live in.

"Still, I'm a bit surprised his wife wasn't so shocked when Ector told her that Artorius would be living with you all as your newest member of the family. I expected to hear her shouting about him being unfaithful or throwing a few chairs and knives at him, not for her to just nod her head and go prepare a room for the little guy here." Merlin said as she followed us out of boredom.

"It just shows how much she trusts him. And you should know how the old man is, I'm sure he'd rather cut it than cheat on Mother."

"Yeah, you're right. That man was always seen as the ideal of knighthood when he was still active... No, even now, he's still regarded as such by the soldiers under Uther's command. Never seeking fame nor riches, he simply went and followed every of Uther's orders as an exemplary knight. And even though he fought on many battlefields, he never sought any kind of rewards like honor or riches since he wasn't interested in them. Honestly, there isn't a single gossip to be spread about him which is quite boring in my opinion." Merlin said as she tried to flick her finger at Artoria's hair antenna which, to my surprise, dodged the blow.

Does it have a will on its own? Well, that aside, it was true that Ector never sought any rewards for his service under Uther. Even though he was a knight for many years, he chose not to receive titles, lands or even wealth of his own free will. Honestly, I think he could have at least afforded the latter. It's not like we're poor or anything, at least compared to most people living in this era, but we're not wealthy either.

Well, I do have that monthly salary from the Company so I think I won't be in trouble if I'm in need of money…Hm?

Feeling my shirt being tugged on, I glanced down to see Artoria who was trying to get my attention.

"Is there something wrong, Artorius?" I said as I knelt down to her eye level and saw her point at a certain area where pigs could be seen.

"What's that?"

"Ah, that's the barn where livestock are housed. Wanna see them?"

Seeing her nod enthusiastically, I couldn't help but let out a smile before we all headed towards the barn where Artoria would be fascinated by the animals scattered across the fields.

"Big brother, what is this?"

"That's a pig."

"And this?"

"A chicken." I answered as I glanced at Artoria who was observing the animals with utter curiosity in her eyes.

I wonder if this is the first time she's seen animals...

"Hey, Merlin. What was Artorius's lifestyle these last years?"

"Her lifestyle? Hmm... Nothing too extraordinary, I guess. Since his birth was a secret one with only Uther, Igraine, Morgan, her wet nurse and I knowing about it, he was made to be raised in absolute secrecy in a cottage hidden from civilization. Oh, but compared to children his age, I could say he had it worse since he was never allowed to step outside his home, only learning about the world and the outside from talks with Morgan and I."

No matter how I see it, that's not the kind of lifestyle a child should have...

"You said that you and Morgan talked with him but what about Uther and Igraine? Did they get involved in his life?"

"Not really. Uther did check on Artorius a few times but only to see if his tool was in good health, nothing more. As for Igraine, she never so much as visited him even once since she possesses no love for her own children."

"Don't call him 'tool', especially when he's around..." I glanced at Artoria who was engaged in a staring contest with a hen, too preoccupied to listen to our conversation. But Merlin only shrugged before she continued to talk, all with a serene smile on her face.

"I'm just stating the truth. But well, there was no love between Igraine and Uther, their union being solely for the purpose of granting him the best heir he could get. And unfortunately for him, neither of his children were men as he wished. I had a blast when I saw the disappointment on his face when he first saw Artorius!" Just as Merlin started to laugh, I felt a headache that made me frown.

Even if Uther sired Artoria so she could be his heir, I thought that he would at least care for her as his daughter, even if it's not much, and not consider him her tool. And Igraine... While I know that marriages in this age are mostly made for political reasons, I thought that she would at least have some maternal instincts in her, making her care for her own flesh and blood... No, I suppose I was expecting too much from them.

Even in modern times, not every parent loves their own kids, so it was my mistake to think it wouldn't be the same in this era.

Really, despite her upbringing, it's a miracle that Artoria is well-behaved for someone her age, even if she's a little shy… No, perhaps it's all thanks to Morgan that she's like this. She really was a good sister to her, that's for sure.

I don't know about the wet nurse so I can't say anything about her, but I don't think Merlin is capable of raising a child properly.

Well, now that she'll be living with us, I hope that she'll be able to receive with Ector and his wife the parental affection she couldn't receive from her parents.

"Big brother, why is Merlin laughing?" I heard Artoria ask, looking down to see that she was looking at Merlin, tilting her head in confusion.

"Ah, that's because she said something she thought was funny while looking at a pig."

"What did she say?"

"She said something like this... "Grow, and become my nourishment"!" I said as acutely as I could, throwing my head back while pointing my finger at a pig, which made Artoria giggle while Merlin, who stopped laughing, just looked at me with a bewildered face.

"Is that how you see me?"

"Jokes aside, how about we go see other places now? If there is something you're interested about, don't be shy and ask away. We still have some time before your room is finished."I said to Artoria who nodded, and so, we started walking along the barn to our next destination.

"Wait, Kay! Is that really how you see me?!"

After a long march that lasted until sunset, we went back home where we were greeted by my parents who were awaiting for us with both Artoria's room ready to be used but also a feast which was kind of surprising since I don't have any memories of having any in this life.

Well, I say feast, but it was just a whole roast pig, lots of fruit, vegetable soup and a few loaves of bread. The typical kind of meal of this era but the taste isn't on par to modern cuisine. I don't want to complain to my mother who took the trouble to do all this but honestly, the only dishes I could say were decent on the table were the fruits and the pig which could have been better if we had spices, but unfortunately, they were luxury items in this age, meaning that they aren't something we would be able to get our hands on. Heck, even black pepper is treated like gold.

As for the soup, the taste is so bland I feel like I'm drinking hot water, and the bread, just dry and hard.

Even though this body is used to the taste, my mind isn't and I crave for delicious dishes.

Thankfully, I have my little lure [Faerie Feast] which allows me to make dishes that are supernaturally good even if I don't use seasonings, even creating miracles from the worst ingredients. Although, I'm sure that if I had some condiments, I would be able to create dishes that would make people climax just like in Shokugeki no Soma.

Still, as long as it's good, I have no complaints. I guess I'll have no choice but to start cooking on my own. It's going to be a waste of time, especially when I could have used that time for training instead, but I feel it's worth it. Oh, I could also try and hunt for game tomorrow. I could use that as archery and stealth training by both pursuing prey and shooting them. I feel like I'm going to be really busy from now on…?

I blinked when I heard someone knock on my door, making me stand up from my bed and walk to it. Slowly, I opened the door and I was surprised to see Artoria standing behind it, holding her pillow in her arms.

"Is there something wrong, Artoria?"

"Can... I sleep with you tonight? I'm scared to sleep alone..."

Well, I guess it's only natural for her to do so. She's only five years old and it's her first night in an unfamiliar environment. If I was in her place at her age, I would also be scared too...

"Sure, I don't mind but why me and not the old man? You would probably feel safer by his side and mother, no?" I couldn't help but ask her, thinking that it would be natural for a child to seek an adult in those kinds of situations instead of a youngster like me. But to my surprise, Artoria shook her head as she grabbed the hem of my shirt.

"I prefer sleeping with you."

"Well, if that's what you want, come in then."

And as she was being let in, Artoria entered shyly before going to the bed and climbing onto it while I simply followed her after turning off the light, blowing out the fire from the lantern. Then, I laid down on the bed with Artoria doing the same, looking at me as I put the blanket over us before I heard her hum to herself.

"It feels like I'm sleeping with big sister Morgan."

"Is that so?" So, she and Morgan used to sleep together. I'm sure the sight of the two sleeping together would make a great picture. Still, she's really a good sister she is, which makes it sadder that Morgan le Fay is so antagonistic towards her.

It makes me wonder how the three personalities in her interact with each other. Are they aware of each other? Do they talk to each other? Do they know which one is in control of the body or know what the others have been doing?

There are many questions I have in mind but unfortunately they will remain unanswered. I don't want to be targeted or distrusted by others for knowing information I shouldn't know, although keeping those secrets to myself may make it worse if they discovered that fact and didn't tell them about it. I guess it's just a secret I'll have to take to my grave.

"Well, time for you to close your eyes now. You said you wanted to feed the horses tomorrow so better sleep now or Ector will wake up before you do."

"Good night, big brother." I heard her say as she closed her eyes, making me smile before I did the same.

"Yeah, good night to you too, Artoria."

The next morning, after helping Artoria feeding Ector's horse at the house's stable, I went to the forest to hunt for game while Artoria was busy being educated by Ector. And unexpectedly, I won the jackpot.

I never thought I would be able to find a boar that quickly. As expected, the Calalog's perks can't be underestimated. Now I just have to take it to the butcher. Even if I know how to cook, butchery is not part of my skills... Oh, is that water over there?

Just as I was starting to return to town, carrying the boar I had shot an arrow at between the eyes on the head, I heard something flow from a certain direction some distance from my position. A bit curious, I walked towards the sound and was surprised to see a small river flowing into a lake.

I didn't know there was a lake here... Well, I have to say, I'm quite lucky today. Since I've been trying to run and weave through trees while focusing my Magical Energy on my feet, increasing both the distance and speed I could cover in one step, I've worked up a lot of sweat so finding this lake is quite fortunate. It doesn't help that the sun is beating down pretty hard right now since it's summer. Alright, a quick dip to cool off before heading back won't hurt anybody, at least not me.

Without a care in the world, I stripped out of all my clothes, throwing them on a nearby rock before entering the lake.

"Uhh... It's cold... but it feels pretty nice."

As I splashed my body with water, I felt tempted to go deeper and swim around for a bit. But before I could take a step forward, I stopped moving once I felt a pair of eyes land on me.

...Who? Don't tell me... is this Merlin? But how? Now that I bought the immunities, she shouldn't be able to see me with her Clairvoyance anymore... Or did she tailed me ever since I left the house? Great, so now, she's not only a voyeur but also a stalker... I guess she deserves some punishment.

Just as I took a deep breath, I immediately focused my Magical Energy on my feet before I rushed in the direction I felt the stare, which was behind one of the trees in the forest nearby.

"Alright, I won't listen to any of your excuses so prepare yourself, Mer...?!"

The moment I land my eyes on the voyeur, I was took by surprise when I saw it wasn't Merlin like I initially suspected, leaving her the opportunity to leave as she quickly disappeared in a burst of light.

"Why the hell was she doing here? Isn't she supposed to be at Uther's castle, or in her way to Orkney by now?"

As I kept staring at the sky, it could only wonder why a blue-eyed, blond-haired Morgan was spying on me taking a dip in a lake...

I didn't expect this to happen when I came back home...

Apparently, after training a bit with Ector, Artoria decided to take a nap in my room where she had a little accident.