[FMMIKA] Chapter 290: Birthday Gift

At first, Jalter struggled a bit, but she quickly gave in, resting in Artorius's embrace. She seemed somewhat comforted but still had an overall grumpy behavior.

"Why are you doing this, anyway?"

"..."

As Artorius asked Jalter, he only received her silence.

"Well, if you won't tell me, should I take a guess?"

As for Jalter's reason for sulking, she still hadn't directly stated it or said anything else. So, Artorius continued to speak.

"You've worked hard these past two years."

He was referring to the two years during which the empire had been embroiled in wars, and Jalter had played a significant role.

She and Mordred could be considered the two powerful generals of the empire in this singularity. Many challenging wars were fought and won by them.

Some might find this strange. Even though the empire had advanced technology far beyond other nations, why were there still difficult wars?

The answer was quite simple—the existence of the world of magecraft.

While wars in the regular or surface world could be easily won by the steam army, there were remote corners of the world and even some countries that worshipped supernatural and monstrous entities.

Many of them were no slouches on the battlefield, matching the prowess of the Servants. They could accumulate resources and, in an instant, summon mysterious and uncanny puppet-like machines, giving the steam army a run for their money.

In such cases, it was up to Jalter, Mordred, and the elite team of Servants from Artorius's harem to handle the situation.

With these repeated encounters, Jalter's achievements had piled up considerably, and she had earned the qualifications for a general, even the title of an imperial consort upon entering the emperor's harem was normal.

"Mmm..."

After Artorius mentioned how hard she had worked, Jalter's emotions seemed to calm down a bit.

However, just as Artorius spoke his next words, Jalter's emotions took a turn for the worse.

"Two years, and you still haven't found your own path?" Artorius asked calmly, causing Jalter to lower her head again.

"I've found it... I just need war and battle..." Jalter mumbled while looking down. Then she raised her head and declared with a loud tone, "It's the battlefield! The meaning of my life lies in the war and battlefield! My destiny is to be a warrior, to fight amid fire and blood until—"

"Fool!" Artorius interrupted her.

"There's no such thing. War is merely a means to an end and one of the worst and most dreadful means in this world. No one is born for war, only lunatics whose humanity has been twisted by the disease of war thought like that."

"What do you mean by that? Do you think I'm a fool?! I've done so much for you!"

Hearing Artorius speak that way, Jalter became even more agitated.

This stemmed from two years ago, when her true origin and identity had been exposed, leaving her in a state of confusion. Thereafter, as the empire began its conquest of the world and rewrote human history, she voluntarily expressed her intention to join the Imperial army.

And it had led to this.

Jalter hadn't found her sense of purpose in war, only the distortion of her soul amidst blood and slaughter. Though it wasn't as severe as in the original story, it still affected her self-perception. It even made her believe that 'killing, blood, war' was the meaning of her existence, a misguided feeling.

Of course, this didn't fully resolve her inner turmoil, and it couldn't entirely convince her of her self-worth.

Thus, despite having reasons to reassure herself, she still felt restless, leading to her envy of Jeanne, who lived a peaceful, happy life as a shepherdess. This was why she sometimes cosplayed as Jeanne.

As for why she wore Jeanne's clothes and took on Jeanne's appearance when around Artorius, that was a different matter.

She didn't dislike Artorius.

Even when she appeared as Jalter, she had often engaged in various forms of physical contact with him and witnessed the tenderness between Jeanne and Artorius.

Therefore, it wasn't surprising for someone who had always envied Jeanne to behave in such a manner.

"Okay, you're not a fool, you're just too young to discern the facts." Artorius gently said. "Of course, it's my fault for leaving you to your own devices like this."

"I'm not a child!" Jalter protested, still somewhat displeased.

"Alright, you're not a child. So what?"

"I..." Jalter's confidence waned once more, as her confusion prevented her from providing Artorius with an answer.

"We can't continue like this."

"What should I do then?!" Jalter asked in frustration. "If I'm not going to be a warrior, do you expect me to become your woman or something?!"

"Well, that's not impossible—uh, what I meant was, there's another option."

"Another option...?"

"Your life."

Artorius said calmly while looking at Jalter's eyes.

"You were created by that guy, instilled with false beliefs, and now you want to make amends but find yourself helpless. It's like being a newborn baby who has to face the problems that adults face. Did you ever wonder, why other people don't experience such confusion?"

In Jalter's mind, she had a feeling that Artorius was taunting her. Before she could throw another tantrum, he continued:

"Because they grow naturally. From infancy to childhood, and then from teenagehood into adulthood. As they progress step by step in their journey, they become who they are today. Along the way, there are certainly failures, moments of confusion, and areas where things don't go as planned. But it's precisely because of all this process that they become 'human'—complete human beings."

"So, I had no childhood, no memories of being a child, nothing... so, are you suggesting I'm not a complete human being?"

'Well, in the end, I still think you're too dramatic...' Artorius said inside his heart while looking at the window nearby. 'Look at all the maids in my service, they are homunculi born as adults like you. Have any of them had problems? Isn't it just because you have too many concerns?'

Of course, Artorius didn't actually say that out loud; he was afraid it might shatter Jalter's sensitive mind.

"So, I have a solution. Let's turn you into a child, start fresh, and experience a complete life from childhood."

"..."

Hearing Artorius say that, Jalter widened her eyes, her expression a mix of surprise and longing.

"Can... it really be done?" Jalter asked slowly with hesitation.

"Yes." Artorius nodded and affirmed. "It can."

"But if we do that..."

"If we can't 'do it' for ten years, it might be a bit disappointing. But don't worry; those ten years will fly by like nothing." Artorius smiled gently as he spoke to Jalter, who was once again hesitating.

"I'm not worried about that!"

Jalter protested a bit frantically, but the next second, Artorius lifted her up and headed towards the bed.

"W-What are you doing?!"

"Think about it. The next time will be in ten years, and it feels like a missed opportunity." Artorius happily replied. "So, before we change you into a little girl, let's have one last time."

"What?!"

"No, that's not happening!"

"Let go of me, you bastard!"

"Ahh, help!"

Despite her best efforts to resist, Jalter ultimately surrendered.

After Artorius had his way with her, she fell into a deep slumber.

As he looked at her sleeping figure, with her Jeanne-like appearance gone and her silver hair and pale skin restored, he gazed at her with affection and gently kissed her.

"When you wake up again... you'll be able to enjoy a perfect life."

"Jalter."

"You won't have to suffer for this anymore, and you can start fresh with joy."

"This is the best birthday gift I can offer you."