203 Make a Choice

Ex's statement about Artorius being a strategic weapon was entirely accurate. His mere presence could reshape the entire Servant Universe. At that point, no matter who, a single sword beam from any Saber Artoria could demolish anything!

"Ah, I see... So it's like that..." Artorius suddenly enlightened.

"Don't get the wrong idea, Artorius. Mother still loves you."

"Yeah, that's right."

"That's absolutely right."

"Even if Artorius is a good-for-nothing, we still love you!"

Seeing Artorius appear to have a sudden revelation, All Artorias grew anxious and spoke those comforting words.

"..."

Listening to their words, Artorius's feelings became somewhat complicated.

It's nice that they love him, of course, and he believed what they were saying was true, but to call him a good-for-nothing?

But that wasn't important. What mattered was the information they had just revealed.

Even though Servant Universe was a comedy world, no matter how comedic it was, it was still a proper parallel world. The Servants in that world had developed technology to the galactic level.

There were top-tier cosmic powerhouses, and while the population didn't match the level of a typical galactic civilization, it was still significant—certainly much larger than the world Artorius currently resided in.

The power balance of the Servant Universe was seriously affected by an entity like Artorius. Forget about those who had grudges against the Artoria Species; even allies and neutral parties associated with the Artoria Species might have turned against them. They could have formed groups and invaded this world, wanting to eliminate Artorius to prevent the Artoria Species from becoming stronger.

"It seems you've thought about this as well."

Ex said calmly as she continued.

"Another purpose for our presence in this world is to protect you. Your legend has spread throughout the entire galaxy, but until now, it wasn't taken seriously. That's because, aside from us, the Artoria Species, all other Servants thought it was fake. So, they didn't pay much attention. But now, your world is connected with our world. When the Artoria Species evolves because of Artorius, what do you think will happen?"

"..."

"Speaking of that, we must apologize..." Space Lion King suddenly said while casting a guilty look at Artorius. "It's our fault for bringing danger to you."

"Fortunately, we have a way to remedy this." Ex continued.

"Yes, yes. Aside from that clumsy fool XX, and her Holy Lance Sisterhood dragging along, these two big shots have a 'protection plan' for you, Artorius." Z said cheerfully. Neither Space Lion King nor Ex disagreed with her words.

"Protection...?" Artorius, upon hearing that word, instinctively felt that something was wrong.

"Don't worry, Artorius. We won't harm you." Space Lion King spoke first. "Our purpose is to teach you to become an outstanding ruler. You will become a core member of our Order of Avalon, a central pillar of justice and order for the Sapphire Galaxy and even the entire universe."

After she spoke like that, the group of knights around her earnestly watched Artorius, nodding in approval to their leader's words, filled with hope that he would agree to be part of their righteous cause.

"Isn't that kind of thing just too boring?"

However, before Artorius could respond to Space Lion King, Ex had already stepped forward and, in a calm and indifferent tone, described Space Lion King's purpose as 'boring.'

"..."

The next moment, the members of the Order of Avalon drew their swords, as if they were going to cut down Ex who spoke disrespectfully to their leader.

"Hey, hey... didn't we agree already?" Z tried to calm the situation. "Remember, regardless of whether we're annoyed or not, we still have to let the other side speak, right?"

Of course, they hadn't really agreed on anything, but more like an unspoken agreement as they were in the presence of Artorius.

"..."

Listening to Z, Space Lion King didn't respond. She merely raised her hand, and her subordinates quickly sheathed their swords, returning to silence, showcasing their qualities of military discipline.

"Choose me, Artorius. I am the best option." Ex then said and didn't continue confronting Space Lion King, nor did she engage in conversation with Z. Instead, she kept her eyes fixed on Artorius and finally said what she had been wanting to say for a long time.

"I bet Artorius doesn't like that dull and boring life either. I know, Artorius truly enjoys a more passionate and free-spirited life. In that case, our Dark Rounds is your best choice." Ex said earnestly, looking at him. "With me, you can do everything you want. There are no unnecessary formalities and rules. No one will stop you."

"And I promise you, our organization has grand ambitions. I'm sure you'd rather bring the entire galaxy under your control than just guard its peace, right? You want to build your empire, to conquer not only Sapphire Galaxy but all the world, right? The Dark Rounds can assist you."

"Let's work together, Artorius. Let's paint the whole galaxy with the colors of the villains!"

"..."

"Artorius..."

After Ex said that declaration, Z just smiled without saying a word. While Space Lion King muttered Artorius's name as her gaze toward him became somewhat worried.

Like mother, like son. How could a mother not have known the extent of her son's ambitions and aspirations?

In that case, the Dark Rounds, where Ex belonged, was probably more attractive to Artorius.

'This is truly infuriating.'

As she thought like that, Space Lion King's gaze toward Ex turned fierce and menacing.

'This girl is going to destroy the Pendragon!'

Space Lion King continued to glare fiercely at Ex. She felt that Ex's words had already crossed the bottom line of Pendragon.

Artorius was the future of the family. After all, there wasn't a single Artoria Species who had expectations for the other child, Mordred.

For the family to thrive, the child had to excel. To make the child excel, strict standards and demands were necessary. Children needed discipline and boundaries.

How could you spoil them?

Only through strict requirements could Artorius become the ideal child, her child. But, Ex's wish to pamper him, even tempt him into doing bad things, seemed obvious.

At first glance, it might seem like the child was having fun, and so were you. But what about the future? It was like when other children had already paved their future careers and had successful jobs, yet your child still fooling around and wasting their youth.

Did Artorius have to become a delinquent alongside you? Work part-time jobs, scan barcodes in convenience stores?

Just thinking of Artorius in a convenience store uniform, smiling and serving the ladies in the neighborhood, made Space Lion King's heart hurt, and she found Ex detestable.

However, the consequences of Ex's actions were not just that.

The current situation was like a national election in a democratic country.

One mother said—"If you choose me as your mother, you have to complete your homework on time, study hard every day, play fewer games, watch less TV, strive to get into a top university, and then get a full scholarship. After your studies, become a stock trader or a lawyer."

While another mother said—"If you choose me, you don't have to worry about studying, homework, or anything like that. You can play games for as long as you want every day. Mother will take care of you for life."

In this case, a child with weak willpower would surely choose the latter.

Just like the foolish democratic voters who liked to choose scoundrel politicians promising high benefits—although once these scoundrels took office, they only cared about their own agenda, making money for themselves, and disregarding the country's development.

'Drive out the bad to keep the good.'

Space Lion King's urge to kill grew stronger. She had silently resolved that if Artorius didn't behave and chose Ex, she would ignore all notions of righteousness.

Whatever Z, whatever XX, whatever Ex—anyone who obstructed her, she would cut them down. She had to control Artorius and make him follow the right path!

Artorius, observing Space Lion King's expression, was certain that she was prepared to resort to violence.

In fact, when he looked at Ex again, he could see that this cute, bespectacled girl was thinking the same.

The so-called mediation and civilized talk of Z was bullshit from the beginning.

"So, Artorius, what's your choice?"

As Space Lion King asked that question, she stared fiercely at Artorius, urging him to make a choice.

"Yes, Artorius, you'll definitely choose me, right?" On the other side, Ex asked the same while intensely staring at him.

With both leaders speaking, the two sides were on edge.

If it weren't for the strict orders of their leaders not to interrupt and not to act recklessly, there might have been a showdown between the two organizations already.

"Before I make my choice."

Facing the expectant gazes of the two mothers, Artorius didn't answer directly.

He knew, of course, that whether he chose Space Lion King or Ex, it would be the wrong choice.

The 'correct' choice for him, the one that belonged to him, he had known for a long time. But before revealing that correct choice, there was something crucial he had to do.

That was to question Z.

"What about you?"

Artorius looked at the Heroine in white.

"You've set up such a big gathering, called so many people, and pushed the situation to this point. So, what's your wish? What do you want? What kind of person do you want me to become?"

"Heehee, you're truly my proud son. You immediately grasped the crux of the matter!" Z chuckled joyfully.

As she laughed happily, both Space Lion King and Ex also turned to look at her.

After Artorius's reminder, they realized that it wasn't just a match between the two of them; it was a three-way standoff.

If they both ended up fighting each other to the death, wouldn't Z reap all the benefits without doing anything?

That couldn't be allowed under any circumstances.

So they continued to suppress their displeasure and watched to see how Z would respond.

"I, y'know, my thoughts and wishes are pretty simple..." Z said with a calm smile.

"I don't want to be a keeper of order, nor do I want to play any conquest games. From start to finish, all I want is just you, Artorius!" She exclaimed calmly with a happy tone.

"..."

"So, you want to have a fight?"

When Z said her true wish, both Space Lion King and Ex were clearly displeased. The former said nothing and only squinted her eyes, while the latter questioned.

"Not at all, even though my wish is Artorius, I never thought of having him all to myself~"

Z responded cheerfully without caring about their displeases.

"I can cooperate with you two with whatever goals you want to achieve, even though I'm not interested, I can assist. But it seems like you two can't cooperate with each other and will keep on fighting no matter what. So, only one of you can work with me. As for who it will be, it depends on who offers the higher price~"

"Price? Can you be more specific about what you want?" Space Lion King asked in a low voice.

"Of course, it's Artorius. Didn't I just say it earlier? When it comes to 'sharing' him, it's all about who could benefit the most by spending time with him the longest. Whether it's a date, being together, feeding each other, or even that 'kind of thing'. According to percentages, whoever offers me better percentages, I'll team up with one of you to deal with the other!"

"?!"

"!"

Z's statement immediately left Space Lion King and Ex stunned. Both of them were intelligent. They quickly grasped the cunning nature of Ultimate Heroine Z.

Z wanted to use a mercenary-kind approach to have it all.

First, she would force both Space Lion King and Ex into a bidding war to secure her cooperation and maximize her own benefits.

Secondly, she and the one who won her over would team up against the unsuccessful bidder.

The strategic approach would ensure an easy victory and secure the privilege of being with Artorius the longest, obtaining the most sub-elements from him and thereby maximizing her benefits.

The Order of Avalon and the Dark Rounds fought to the death but ended up making bridal clothes for Z.