As they gave Kay a quick tour of their base, they also explained to him the nature of their organizations and the upcoming trial that awaited them.
"Chaldea, an organization that was created to preserve the reign of the Human Order... And the King of Magecraft Solomon... It seems like I was summoned to some crazy place." He said as he followed them, ignoring the stares he received from Ritsuka and Mash, both looking at Artoria Lily who walked beside him, her arm linked to his.
"Hmm… Do you have any questions, Sir Kay?" Mash asked him who put his hand around his chin, seemingly lost in his thoughts.
"There was something I was wondering about. You told me that all Servants would be given their own room, but is this base really big enough to accommodate them all?"
"Yes, this base was designed with that in mind, so there's no need to worry about running out of empty pieces to use."
"I see. I kept seeing Servants walking around, so I was a bit curious. Still, it feels weird to be here, fighting alongside all those legendary heroes..." Kay said as he glanced at the Servants who passed by them before he shook his head and looked at Ritsuka. "So, where are you going to take me now, Master?"
"To the cafeteria. It's lunchtime right now, so I believe the majority of the servants and staff are over there. It will be a good opportunity to introduce you to the others."
"Ah, brother. Since we're going to the cafeteria, can you cook me something? It's been a long time since I tasted your homemade meals." Artoria said as she tugged on Kay's arms, her stomach growling with a roar, making him chuckle before he nodded.
"Sure, I don't mind. And I'm sure that they must have some good culinary tools and special condiments, so you can expect my dishes to be better than what we had in our time."
"Better..." She mumbled, unable to hold herself back from salivating at the thought, which made Ritsuka and Mash giggle at the sight.
It was rare for them to see the young King of Knight behave in that manner, as if she was an ordinary teenage girl and not the knight-in-training that she was. And it was also the first time they saw Artoria Lily being so close to somebody, as they never saw her act that way even with the Servants belonging to the Knight of the Round Table.
'I wonder if it's because they are foster siblings... No, I can't help but think that there is more to them...' Ritsuka couldn't help but think as she glanced at the pair in curiosity, especially at their close relationship.
"Mommy!"
"Master!"
And then, she blinked when she heard two particular Servants calling out for her, both running in her direction before hugging her closely.
"Ah, Jack. Nursery. What can I do for you two?"
"It's dinner time and we thought we could eat together tonight!"
"So we started to search for you everywhere. Where were you, Master?"
"Ahaha, I'm sorry." Ritsuka said as she patted the head of the two Servants clinging to her before she glanced at Kay. "I was a little busy giving a tour to our new friend here."
""A new friend?""
Tilting their heads at the news, they both turned their eyes to the person Ritsuka was glancing at, only to widen them when they saw Kay standing there.
"Daddy?" "Father?"
They both said at the same time, surprising Ritsuka, Mash and Artoria as they all looked at Kay who merely blinked in confusion.
"Brother, since when did you have children at this age?"
"Why is this your first question? And no, I don't... and don't start twisting my arm, Artoria." Kay said as he flickered his finger at Artoria's forehead, making her yelp and let go of his arm. Then, he knelt in front of the two girls and gave them a small smile. "Sorry, little girls, but you must have had the wrong person."
"But... you smell like Daddy..." Jack muttered as she sniffled Kay, looking upset as she did it, while Nursery frowned as she observed him for a moment.
"Now that I take a closer look...you are younger than Father, but you give the same aura as him..."
But as a silence lingered in the hallway with the women being confused about the current situation, the one who broke it apart was Kay who was gazed at the children in front of him, deep in his thoughts.
"Perhaps...did you two meet me during a Holy Grail War or something similar?" He said with both kids nodding, causing Mash to bump her fist to her palm in realization.
"Oh yes. I remember Da Vinci-san saying that Servants summoned using the FATE system are able to retain most or even all memory of their previous summonings, including memories of past Holy Grail Wars. We don't know the exact reason for this phenomenon yet though."
"I think that you must have met my future self instead of me, since I got summoned at a time when I was still young."
"So, you're Daddy when you were small?"
"Something like that. Anyway, I'm not really your 'Daddy' or 'Father' so..." Kay started to say before he stopped in his tracks when he saw a sad expression appear on both Jack and Nursery's face, causing him to cough a few times. "Hum... Well, call me what you want. I may not be the same me you both met, but I think I'd be happy if we spent some time together, Jack, Nursery."
"Daddy!" "Father!"
Kay was surprised when both of them suddenly jumped at him and hugged him tightly, making him blink for a few seconds before he let out a smile and returned the hug, wrapping his arms around their small bodies.
"Alright, let's go to the cafeteria together." Kay said as he carried both children in his arms while they nodded happily before he turned to Ritsuka. "Master, sorry for the wait, we can go now."
"Oh, sure... Follow me, the cafeteria is this way."
And as they walked down the corridor, Artoria approached the two children who were chatting with Kay, wanting to ask them something.
"Can I ask you something? In which Grail War did you two meet Brother Kay and what kinds of people were his Master?"
"We met with Daddy in Trifas, he was Archer of Black under Mommy Fiore."
"With me, it was on the moon. Father didn't have a class back then, and he was under Hakuno-san."
"Mommy Fiore and Hakuno-san, were those two Masters women?"
And when they both nodded, Artoria just smiled at Kay who shuddered seeing it.
"Like always, you are popular with women, huh..."
"Why are you getting angry with something my future self did?"
"I'm not... Brother, I will be waiting for you in your room tonight, so prepare yourself to be punished." She said, whispering the last part in his ear, which sent shivers down his spine.
"I'm not going to sleep tonight, am I?"
