AN: Surprise! Double update!

After interrogating James Wright about Rin's whereabouts, Saber returned home. By the time she arrived it was too late to bother about sleeping, so she sat at the kitchen table to sip a cup of tea.

She wasn't yet sure that following this lead would be of any use yet, but Saber was content in knowing that she had finally done something other than merely surviving.

However, now she had to trust and rely upon that loathsome Magus. Granted, as far as Magi from the Clock Tower went Gerard DuFall was perhaps the least worrisome of the lot.

His interest in Rin was never hostile, which was probably why she had agreed to work with him in the first place. All things considered he hadn't been worse than any other man showing an interest in a pretty woman of Rin's caliber.

He was never crass about his interest either, though he was certainly quite obvious. Besides it wasn't like Saber didn't know where he was coming from.

Rin was a fine woman under every aspect. It was only natural that Gerard would show interest in her.

Different from other Magi, he was doing his part to help Rin, so Saber decided that she would temporarily reconsider her previous judgement of his character, pending confirmation.

'Reconsidering things had become a frequent occurrence as of late,' she thought to herself.

In the past few weeks, she had to reevaluate her opinion of Gerard and Howard. She had to rethink the meaning of womanhood and the nature of her own body, not to mention the meaning of duty.

In her time, recreational sex wasn't really a thing, especially not with people other than one's spouse. Of course it still happened, but it was extremely frowned upon.

Her opinion did not change just because she had manifested in the modern era and to be entirely honest it conflicted with her relationship with Rin and Shirou.

Having a liaison with two people at the same time was something highly immoral in her time, as well as something unusual these days.

However this era had a live and let live attitude. As long as one didn't rub your business into other people's faces, one was free to do as they wished.

Saber considered this approach to life to a little too loose for her tastes, but in light of the recent turn of events she had to reconsider that as well.

'Maybe I was excessively narrow-minded,' she thought to herself. Direct experience had revealed that there wasn't necessarily a correlation between character integrity and sexual conduct.

Her employer Howard for instance was extremely promiscuous, but he was nonetheless an honorable fellow who held the well being of his subordinates in high regard, Saber included.

Perhaps Gerad DuFall was similar in that aspect, but Saber was prejudiced in his regards because he was a Magus.

Knowing what she knew now, would she still hold him in contempt if he wasn't a Magus?

'No, probably not,' she decided. He was still a Magus, and therefore she couldn't just trust him blindly. However she knew now that being a lecher wasn't a bad thing in and of itself. 'Especially not when Rin gave him cause to be that way.'

Excellency breeds admiration, and Rin was excellent in every way. She was not at fault for this, of course, but she was the cause to an effect, therefore she was responsible.

'One cannot live in this world without expecting their existence not to cause ripples around them.'

Saber knew this quite well. As a King, she had been the receptacle of both admiration and expectations. It had been her choice and thus she had the responsibility to bear that burden was on her.

Rin had chosen to live as a high profile Magus, therefore she was responsible for both the hostility and the admiration she received because of it.

It was up to her how to deal with it, of course. She didn't have to take the hostility laying down nor she had to answer the admiration in kind, but she couldn't put blame on others either.

Granted, everyone was responsible for their own actions, their own existence. No one had to approve of Rin, but if they acted against her that was entirely on them, and Saber would be more than happy of delivering retribution.

In fact, she was itching for it. She had been itching to bring her sword to bear against the Clock Tower ever since they had forced Shirou to run for his life, and this incident only reinforced that.

Of course, she knew it would be a war she could not win. Ultimate Magic Resistance or not, barring surgical strikes, all wars boiled down to who had the most resources to bear. Saber's lonesome self couldn't match the resources and manpower of the Clock Tower, therefore she could not prevail in an open conflict. It was that simple. It would be a different matter if was had unlimited Mana and if she didn't have the fatal weak spot - common to all Servants -of requiring a Master.

No matter how powerful she could be, Saber could not attack and protect at the same time. There was a limit to what one person alone could accomplish. Of this cruel reality, Saber was all too much aware.

She spent the night mulling over her thoughts, until dawn came and with it the time to head out for work.

She had granted Gerard two days to figure out what he could about the warehouse at the docks before she would move out and figure out things on her own.

In the meantime, she would have to gather as much Mana as she could in preparation.

"Yes, the time before a conflict is the most crucial," she said to herself, licking her lips at the thought of her current source of Mana. A good meal was always something worth looking forward to.

[br]

"Slrrp. Slrrp. Slrrp."

Rin's mouth let out sloppy wet sounds as her head bobbed up and down onto Lord Crawford's cock. He was sitting at his desk, taking care of some mundane affair.

He didn't have that much free time that he could actively entertain himself with her. He had other things to attend to.

Conversely, Rin had nothing better to do with her time than to lavish on the dick of a man that loathed her. Someone who thought that her only worth was as a cocksleeve and a cumbucket.

He was wrong, of course. Rin potential as a Magus was much greater than his own and Rin herself knew it. She wouldn't bother correcting him anytime soon, though, because she didn't care about being a Magus at all anymore. She much preferred to see herself in the same place where Lord Crawford and his peers wanted to put her.

At their feet, pleasing their dicks with her body while they treated as the degenerate whore she chose to be.

At this point being a first-class Magus served only to elevate herself so that she could be brought down over and over again. It was her way to build up sexual tension within herself and whomsoever bought her body. It was a complete waste of everything her ancestors sacrificed through the centuries and an utter betrayal of their efforts.

If her father still lived and knew he would be utterly heartbroken and that knowledge tuned Rin on in a way unlike any other.

'I love being a backstabbing bitch so fucking much,' she sighed around the cock in her mouth, while her eyes crossed wantonly from the pleasure brought by her own rotten thoughts. 'Kirei, I think I finally know how you felt. Still, you deserved to die for killing daddy before I could disappoint him. I bet I would have come just from seeing the dumb look on his face. Hnng!'

She brought herself to an orgasm with the combination of her depraved fantasies and the stimulation of the cock in her mouth. Her modified body was becoming more sensitive with each passing day and given sufficient arousal she could reach a climax just from sucking cocks.

Lord Crawford had bound her hands and feet to prevent her from stimulating herself but she no longer required that to reach an orgasm.

'Sorry Alexander,' she thought amusedly. 'I'm a too much of a whore for you to handle with your meager skills. Even on my knees I can still outmaneuver you.'

No longer after thinking that she felt him tense into her mouth and eject another load right into her throat. 'Thanks for the meal~!'

Appreciation for semen was another thing she had acquired in her tenure as a whore and it was quickly becoming her favorite. Moreover, every man tasted somewhat different, making it a complex and refined taste. Nutritious too.

Not only it was high in proteins, it also provided additional Mana that her body would consume to develop further. Her breasts had become noticeably bigger and her ass was much plumper, in spite of her waist which remained quite slender. She was starting to develop the hourglass figure she always wished she had. Even her thighs had become thicker without making her look fat thanks to the couple of inches in height she gained.

Her Zettai Ryouiki game was on point. She would be willing to bet that, in time, she could make a man bust a nut just from catching a glimpse of her legs.

'That would be fun to see.'

It was not enough to degrade herself. She might be a whore now but that didn't mean she no longer had ambitions. She wanted to leave a mark on the world and the only proper way for an evil bitch like herself to do it was by degrading others as well. Her ultimate goal was no longer reaching Akasha but rather becoming so attractive that no man could resist her charms. She wanted to become everyone's wet dream. The kind of beauty that even the most righteous of men would cheat on his wife and sell everything they owned just to lay with her even just once. The kind of beauty that other women couldn't help but envy even though they despised her.

She wanted to be a true succubus; a Goddess of Lust. She wanted to bring the world to its knees with her just like she was doing with Saber.

'Oh, Shirou, Shirou, Shirou. You have no clue what you'll find once you come back, but I can assure you that it will be so much fun. Well... for me at the very least.'

She put aside those plans for the moment. She had more immediate concerns to worry about, like the cock lodged in her throat that still demanded her undivided attention.

Rin was more than happy to oblige and resumed sucking it with a passion.

Life was good.

[br]

Halfway through her shift, Saber was going about her work in a relatively good mood. With the investigation in Rin's disappearance finally gaining a little bit of traction, she felt like things would be resolved relatively soon. Furthermore, with the passing of time, Gerard's theory that Rin wasn't at risk of death started gaining a little bit of credibility.

Certainly that didn't mean she could take it easy, but it was reassuring knowing they weren't being pressed for time. It gave them room to maneuver, which was much better than rushing in blindly, hoping for the best.

Most importantly it meant that a good portion of tension was released from Saber's shoulders. Her newfound trust for her temporary ally helped her in that regard as well. Until recently, she felt that everything depended entirely on her.

It was a feeling she used to be familiar with, but that in recent years she had almost forgotten it thanks to her closeness to Shirou and Rin. Only now she realized that she had started feeling alone again ever since Shirou had been forced to leave.

Although her love for Rin was true and genuine, ultimately it was their affection for Shirou that brought them together. Without him, they had started to fall apart a little bit, to the point that it took Saber over ten days to notice her disappearance.

That was an unforgivable shortcoming and one that she did not intend to repeat ever again.

But for the time being she had other things to think about, and other things to look forward to as well.

By now, Saber had to admit that her time spent in Howard's service was… amazing. She found herself reminiscing about it whenever she wasn't actively engaged in something else and even then it was always in the back of her mind.

A part of her was always thinking of his cock. That superlative manhood had burned its place into her mind, and into her body. She realized that she craved it constantly, that she felt cold and empty without it inside her.

Funny thing, she didn't even think it was strange. In fact, she thought it was perfectly normal. Saber always had a deep respect for talent when she saw it, and she could not deny that Howard was brimming with it.

'This is the body of a woman after all. It is only natural that a man such as him would be able to make it react.'

It was not unlike receiving a wound from a powerful opponent during a duel. The scars they left never stop hurting and one just had to live with them.

As someone who had been able to leave a mark on her, Saber had nothing but utmost respect for Howard.

'As a man and as a male, he is worthy of being my partner. It's a shame that this is just a temporary arrangement. If I weren't into a committed relationship already, I would not mind if this situation became long term.'

It was the first time she expressed something akin to regret for being in a relationship with Rin and Shirou, but she didn't even notice it. She was just too busy fantasizing about the forbidden pleasure to pay it any mind.

Thus, she just went about her job eager for the day to finish, so that she could live that experience first hand.

[br]

Veronica was ready. She had waited long enough and gathered a sufficient amount of material to make her case. Now all that was left to do was delivery the payload. Clara was already aboard. Not that she knew her plan, but she already accepted her invitation.

All that mattered now was getting Saber onboard.

She tracked her superior through the corridors of the villa and she found her walking towards the East Wing on her own. Good, that way she didn't have to lure her somewhere private to talk.

Before approaching her Veronica examined the figure of the other woman carefully, and wondered if Saber had noticed her how changes. Her previous soldier gait now had an extra sway to her hips, and much like it had happened with herself, Saber's curves were a little more pronounced than they used to be.

Veronica didn't know the first thing about biology, so her theory was that upon having her womanhood awakened by the cock of a real man, her body blossomed to its full potential.

Even without all the footage she had collected, she would know that Saber had her fair share of Howard's cock just from that.

Of course, that didn't mean Saber was no longer in denial. She was more stubborn and prideful than Veronica had ever been, so naturally she wouldn't admit the truth. That just meant that Veronica had to prove it beyond the shadow of a doubt.

"Miss Saber, do you have a moment?" she called out as she approached.

"Oh. Veronica. Of course, what can I do for you?"

"There's… I would need an opinion over a personal matter."

"A personal matter?" Saber frowned. "I'm not sure I would be qualified to help then."

"No. I'm sure only you can help me," Veronica insisted.

"Well, if you are sure… What is it?"

"There is… this friend of mine that has a problem," she explained, "but she just refused to admit it and I know it's eating her from the inside out."

"Hmm. That does sound troubling. Have you tried talking to her with it?"

"Yes, but she just blew me off and denied everything. What do you think I should do?"

"It is hard to say. It would depend on your friend's character. Objectively speaking, you should find undeniable proof and confront her with it."

Veronica had to restrain her smile lest it gave her away. "Do you really think so? Do you think it would work?"

"I can't guarantee that. It could make matters worse, but if the alternative is doing nothing…"

"I see," Veronica nodded. "That's what I thought as well but I wasn't sure. Thank you."

"Think nothing of it," Saber nodded. "If that is all, I should resume my duties."

"Wait a minute. Look at this for a second," Veronica said, taking out her smartphone form a pocket of her uniform.

"Veronica. Personal communication devices are forbidden during working," Saber reprimanded sternly.

"I know, but I have to show you this," she insisted turning the screen toward Saber.

"Fine," she huffed. "What is this?"

"The undeniable proof I found about my friend," Veronica said smiling like that cat who ate the canary.

[br]

Saber watched the screen of the smartphone intently, and with each passing second she felt the blood drain from her face.

In the recording, she saw herself walking inside Howard's office. The video skipped several times, but each section showed her having intercourse with her employer. Because of the size of the screen, it was difficult to make out the details, but it was impossible to mistake the woman on her knees, sucking Howard's cock, for anyone other than herself.

"So you see," Veronica said mischievously. "This friend of mine really cannot admit the truth. She probably doesn't even realize it, but I'm sure it's eating her from the inside out."

"T-this isn't… It's not… I'm not…"

For the first time in memory, Saber could not find the words. There were not words that could make up for the shame she was feeling. There couldn't be.

"It's not what it looks like? I'm not like that?" Veronica mock asked. "See, even in the face of facts you deny it."

"I'm not denying anything! It's just not what you think it is," Saber protested, having found her voice. "Yes, Mr. Ogdenson and I have been having a liason, but there are reasons that-"

"There are always reasons, Miss Saber. Always. I had reasons too, you know? But that doesn't change the facts. You have seen it for yourself. You must have felt it for yourself. The true purpose of a woman."

"NO! That is absurd and I won't agree with… such a notion."

"Well, prove it then," Veronica challenged. "Your truth against my own."

"P-Prove it, how? How do you even expect me to do something like that?" Saber asked, bewildered.

"Easy. There's going to be a party tonight. Clara and I are both going. I want you to come with us. You don't have to do anything. In fact, you mustn't do anything. If tomorrow morning you can face yourself in the mirror and say those words without spitting at your own reflection, I'll admit that you were right and I was wrong."

"... No. That is ridiculous," Saber refused. "I don't have to listen to a thing you have to say and I don't need to justify my actions to you. Now go back to work. I don't want to hear about this matter ever again or I-"

"I'll release these images to everyone I'll ever come across if you don't."

"-will see that you are -What!"

"You heard me," Veronica nodded. "If you don't agree to come with me, I'll make sure everyone see this video."

Saber felt her blood run cold. "You wouldn't dare."

"I would."

"Mr. Odgenson has signed a nondisclosure agreement. If those images are made public he will…"

"Have his reputation ruined, sure enough. Nevertheless."

"You would go as far as ruin a man who did so much for you?" Saber challenged. She knew that everyone held Howard in the highest of regards, so she was honestly shocked.

"I won't. You will. The decision is in your hands. Besides I'm not asking you to do anything other than back up your own words with facts."

"That's… I cannot believe you Veronica."

"Hush. I'm not the one who has problems admitting the truth. Now, what will it be? Will you come to the party, or will you not.

"... you will delete those recordings and never speak of them again when I win."

"I will delete them anyway, either way this goes."

Saber was fuming, and if not for the fact that she couldn't cause a commotion she would seriously contemplate the idea of killing Veronica where she stood. Saber did not condone murder, but no one threatened or blackmailed the King and got away with it. However, her hands were tied. There was no telling what backup plan Veronica could have made.

The best solution, for the time being, was complying with her ridiculous request.

"Fine! Have it your way," Saber conceded. "But I don't want to hear about this nonsense ever again."

"If you pass this test, I'll pretend I never knew about it."

"I'll hold you to your word."

"Don't worry, I'm not a hypocrite."

Saber snorted. 'Tell that to your husband,' was what she wanted to say, but didn't. For one thing, exacerbating this tension wouldn't help anyone. Moreover, it wasn't like she was without sin.

'No… that's exactly what she wants you to think. I did my duty, nothing else. We are not the same.'

Veronica left without another word, but Saber could see from the way she walked that she thought she had already won. She really didn't know Saber. She would not fall to some cheap trick or psychological warfare.

She was better than that, she was better than her, and she would prove it.

Saber went back to work, her previous good mood having completely evaporated. Worse, she couldn't forget Veronica's taunting words. They struck a chord within her, which set off a symphony of doubt and self-recrimination.

She would definitely prove her wrong. There was no other alternative. This time the next day, this wouldn't even be a bad memory.

[br]

Later, after he shift was done, Saber had to excuse herself with Howard because she had to concede to Veronica's blackmail. Of course he couldn't tell him that. Knowing him, he would be hurt over her colleague indiscretions.

As usual, Howard was perfectly understanding of her circumstance and did not let his disappointment show.

Still, Saber didn't take kindly to disappointing people, even involuntarily. Yet another reason to get over and done with this farce.

She changed into her casual clothes and left the villa. Clara and Veronica were already waiting for her in the latter's car. Saber got in and glared at the driver.

"Don't be like that, Miss Saber. You'll have fun, I promise you."

"Just drive. The sooner we get there, the sooner we'll be done with this bad joke."

"As you wish. I'm sure you'll sing a different tune tomorrow."

Saber snorted and looked out of the window, refusing to say anything else. Words were clearly wasted at this point. She would let her actions speak on her behalf.

The car sped away towards the city, with the sun setting behind the skyline of London. By the time they got there, it would already be dark.

Just another layer of darkness to encroach upon the King of Knights.

[XXX]