IBHJ Chapter 868

Shirou and Artoria were inseparable. To others, this wasn't surprising; it seemed like their feelings had simply deepened, and everyone gave them warm smiles.

Shirou wasn't too bothered, but Artoria felt rather embarrassed. To outsiders, it seemed like the roles of the King of Knights and the Eternal King had reversed.

Fortunately, Artoria rarely went out, so it didn't cause a huge stir. More importantly, Queen of Sheba had recently provoked Gilgamesh, who was now focused on training Iskandar and others, preparing to put her group in their place. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

One day, Artoria's phone received a text message. Shirou picked it up and raised an eyebrow.

Artoria, who had just brought out a large pot of rice from the kitchen, looked at the frowning Shirou and asked, setting down her oven mitts, "What's wrong, my king?"

Living together and waiting for the vortex's effect to wear off, they had settled into a routine: he handled the grocery shopping, while she cooked delicious meals.

"Nothing major, just Ayaka calling me to the public area."

He casually tossed the phone aside and sat down at the table, immediately met with a delicious aroma that made his stomach rumble slightly.

Artoria had indeed made good use of those years he was gone, her cooking skills now seemed to be catching up to Emiya's.

"Ayaka?" she looked worried. "My king, if you're going to see Ayaka, please be careful of Altera."

"Mmhm." he popped a piece of meat into his mouth, then saw her concerned expression and teased, "You've become a bit motherly."

She lowered her head shyly.

After finishing the meal, he left for the public area.

Watching him go, she hesitated for a moment.

"I should still follow him. My king doesn't know Altera's weakness, and if she loses control, it would be too dangerous for him in my body. Yes... I should follow."

With that thought, she took a deep breath and stepped out the door.

She looked incredibly serious, as if she wasn't just going out, but heading into a major battle. She had to play the role of the king well and not let anyone know about the swap, especially Gilgamesh.

...

Following Ayaka's text, Shirou soon arrived at the designated spot. It was in front of the fountain at the center of the garden.

Ayaka spotted him and waved.

"What's wrong, Ayaka?" he asked as he approached.

"Your Highness, this..." she looked a bit embarrassed, unsure how to begin.

Then, Altera's head popped out from behind Ayaka's back.

"G-Good morning, Artoria Pendragon." Hiding behind her Master, Altera peeked out, looking timid as she greeted him, her voice barely a whisper.

He turned his head slightly, looking at Altera behind Ayaka, and offered a gentle smile. "Good morning, Altera."

"Mmm..." she ducked her head, trying to hide her nervousness. "Um... about what you said before, about wanting to be friends with me... was that true?"

"Of course," he said with a smile, "because I like people with kind hearts, like Altera."

Hearing this, she ducked her head again, her face even more flushed. "Th-that... I..."

He gently clasped her hands and looked at her with a smile. "I know, Altera, you were the one who invited me out, right?"

Altera fidgeted with her hands, then nodded. "Mmhm..."

"That's perfect," he said with a gentle smile. "I wanted to get to know you again too, Altera. Not as an enemy, but as a friend."

"Me too..." she mumbled, lowering her head shyly.

Ayaka looked at him and said, "Then Your Highness, I'll leave Altera to you."

He nodded. "Mmhm."

With Ayaka gone, Altera, who had been hiding behind her, was completely exposed.

Looking at the shy Altera, he couldn't help but be taken aback. She was wearing a light yellow sundress with a pale yellow choker, giving her an innocent look.

Altera hugged herself, looking at him timidly.

"Altera, is this...?"

"Master and Kiara dressed me... i-is it too weird? It's... so embarrassing..." she mumbled, biting her lip.

"No," he shook his head and said gently, "It looks lovely on you."

She lowered her head, meeting his bright eyes.

"So, let's get to know each other again. I'm your friend, Artoria Pendragon."

"I'm... Altera."

"Shall we take a walk, Altera?"

"Mmhm..."

The King of Knights and Attila strolled through the street, enjoying a peaceful walk in the public area, leaving everyone dumbfounded.

"Y-You're kidding, right?" Someone exclaimed in shock.

"Is the sun rising from the west?" Another person wondered if they were hallucinating.

People were stunned. Artoria and Altera were sworn enemies - every encounter was like a chemical explosion, damaging everything around them.

Therefore, the golden rule in Chaldea was to never let the King of Knights and Altera cross paths.

But now?

Now Artoria was casually strolling down the street with Altera!

And judging by their behavior, they not only showed no signs of fighting, they even seemed quite happy?

Especially Altera, who was shyly looking down the entire time, her timid demeanor blowing everyone's minds!

"Is the world ending?" someone muttered to themselves.

Of course, they didn't know that the current Artoria was actually Shirou in disguise.

But even if someone did know, they would still be shocked.

Like the real Artoria, hidden in the bushes, observing Shirou and Altera.

She looked completely dumbfounded, then filled with admiration.

"Even Altera has submitted... as expected of my king, able to easily accomplish what I couldn't."

Okay! This woman's thinking has taken a strange turn again!

After walking until they were tired, Shirou and Altera settled into a milk tea shop and ordered two drinks.

The shopkeeper cautiously handed them their milk teas, repeatedly begging them not to destroy his shop.

Shirou smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, Altera and I are good friends now. We wouldn't do that."

The shopkeeper, his mind blown, stumbled back to the counter in a daze, while Altera lowered her head even further.

"Here." He pushed the milk tea towards Altera, then opened his own, took out the straw, and as he sipped, said with a smile, "I'm really glad to be able to have a peaceful conversation with you like this, Altera."

Watching him enjoy his milk tea, Altera gathered her courage several times, then looked up at him seriously. "Me too!"

Taking a deep breath, she continued, "Actually... Master and Kiara have been helping me understand human emotions lately... and I, I just realized that my desire to destroy you was actually my way of seeking your attention. I, I've wanted to be friends instead of enemies with you for a long time..."

Ah?

No way?

Shirou was stunned.

"Is, is that so?"

"Mmhm..." She lowered her head, fidgeting with her hands. "I'm a weapon born for destruction, it's my instinct. But I don't actually enjoy destroying. I never thought about resisting my instincts until 1.500 years ago, when I met you."

"All the enemies I encountered were terrified just hearing my name, either surrendering or fleeing. Even though the gap in our strength was vast, you refused to yield an inch to me and always fought back. At the time, I didn't understand, but your determination sparked a desire in me to resist my instincts... Back then, I wished that our war would never end..."

Shirou: "......"

"But..." she fidgeted with her hands, troubled. "But that was ultimately selfish of me. In the end, you chose to ally with the Roman Emperor, disguising yourself as a Roman princess to assassinate me. Actually, I had already recognized you then, because your aura and eyes were unmistakable. The only one who could make me feel that way was you. But I was indeed caught off guard, which led to you killing me..."

Realizing what she had just said, she frantically waved her hands. "Ah... I don't mean that if I hadn't been surprised, you couldn't have killed me. That, that..."

With her limited emotional intelligence, she struggled to explain, but he reached out and gently held her small hand. "It's okay, that's in the past. We're friends now."

"Mmhm..." she murmured, lowering her head.

Looking at the dejected Altera, he didn't know how to react.

Who would have thought there was such a backstory!

Altera had actually longed to be friends with Artoria, not enemies. But due to her own issues, every time she saw Artoria, she would lash out and attack her - like a child acting out to get the attention of someone they care about.

It made sense now why she had manifested alongside Karna, Arjuna, and others to help Artoria during the Fuyuki invasion.