[Simulation Start – Simulation No.1002]
[Year 2018 of the Queen's Calendar. After your hometown village was burned down and your beloved grandfather gave his life to protect you, you fled from Tintagel and wandered into Salisbury.]
[…]
[Guinevere has joined your party.]
[The two of you set out on your journey together.]
[Before the journey begins, you stop Guinevere, wanting to ask him a question that has long been buried in your heart.]
["Guinevere... why would you want to travel with someone as plain as me—a fairy with average magic, ordinary looks, no noble lineage, and not even a remarkable personality?"]
On the screen, Artoria, after hesitating for a long while, finally musters the courage to voice the question.
As she speaks, she lifts her head and looks earnestly at Guinevere's face, waiting for his answer.
…
When Guinevere sees the question Artoria has asked, he can't help but laugh.
"Why would I help you? Is that even a question? Do I need a reason to help my wife?"
After all, who in their right mind could ever refuse a Dullahan-banged Saber?
If someone really could, then they must have never seen C-Saber!
As a player who picks characters based purely on affection rather than power levels, Guinevere only pulled two five-star units during Chapter 2.6—Mysterious Heroine X (Alter) and C-Saber.
Even if it means death, even if he has to leap from a cliff, die outside, and be nailed inside a coffin, he'll still shout with his decaying voice:
"C-Saber is the best in the world!"
(Of course, Heroine X Alter is still his queen—but that's another matter.)
But could he actually say something like that out loud?
Of course not.
"Confessing to a girl you've only known for less than a day? Yeah, that's way too much."
So, Guinevere thinks for a moment:
"Better come up with a more plausible excuse."
…
"What other reason could there be? Obviously, I'm doing it for myself.
You're the prophesied one, after all. The one destined to be king, right?
If I tag along now, I'll get to be part of something great. Who'd pass up a chance to hitch their wagon to a future big shot?"
Hearing his answer, Artoria widens her eyes in astonishment.
—That was a lie.
Guinevere's soul emitted colors that made the truth unmistakably clear.
Born of paradise, Artoria was gifted with the "Fairy Eyes"—a power that lets her see the colors of people's souls, discern all lies, and even catch glimpses of their inner thoughts.
She had always resented this ability, having been exposed to countless falsehoods, malicious intents, and hidden schemes behind every smiling face since she was young.
Every time she closed her eyes, it was like a storm of deceit crashing over her.
It had caused her endless pain.
But just this once, she found herself thankful—
"Ah… having Fairy Eyes is actually pretty great."
Because this time, it let her hear Guinevere's true thoughts:
"Because I will always love Artoria!"
So that's how it was.
The reason Guinevere had gone to such lengths to help her… it was because he liked her.
That made sense… wait, what?!
"—Eh?"
"Eh? Eh? EH?!"
Only then did the meaning of those words hit her, and Artoria's face turned completely red.
H-He likes me? Me? Someone so worthless?
T-This—This—This—This—This—
Receiving love from someone for the first time in her life, Artoria's mind boiled over like a kettle, practically letting out a "pop" as it went off.
What just happened?
Wasn't that lie and inner voice… reversed by mistake?
…
[Due to your answer, Artoria's affection toward you has greatly increased.]
"…Huh?"
Guinevere blinked, stunned.
What was going on?
Wasn't that a totally normal response?
How did that increase her affection so much?
Could it be…
That even something so mundane was already a rare treasure to her?
Just what kind of people has she met before?
Guinevere felt his heart ache for Artoria.
No matter what, he resolved to truly pay attention to her feelings from now on.
From then on, aside from investing most of his action points into improving his own attributes, he made sure to reserve at least one point per round for chatting with Artoria.
According to the system, conversations could improve her mood and might even affect their relationship status.
[Artoria's affection toward you has decreased.]
"…What?"
…
[Guinevere talked with you.]
[During the conversation, he casually mentioned that your legs were a little short.]
[You felt a bit upset.]
[He failed to notice your mood and brought it up again later.]
[You began to feel angry.]
[You used your Fairy Eyes and confirmed that he was completely sincere in saying it—not lying at all.]
[You grew even angrier and made a mental note to get revenge.]
"…"
She was definitely mad.
Even just watching this play out on the screen, Artoria puffed up her cheeks with visible frustration.
[You decided to teach him a small lesson.]
[You considered casting a one-time spell that makes chili peppers cause extreme coughing.]
[You deemed that too cruel, so you changed it to a spell that causes someone to choke when drinking water.]
[That night, during the watch shift, Guinevere offered to take the first half while you took the second.]
[You slept soundly and felt well-rested.]
[When switching shifts, you noticed dawn was nearly breaking.]
[You looked around and found signs of Guinevere's training during the night.]
[You realized all his hard work was to become someone more helpful to you.]
[You felt extremely guilty for wanting to get revenge earlier.]
[You decided to slightly make it up to him.]
["Wait, no—I didn't actually go through with the prank, so I don't owe him anything!"]
[Still, you thought he must be very tired after the night watch, so you cast a spell to keep him warm while sleeping.]
[You then searched for ingredients nearby, preparing to cook him a hearty breakfast.]
"Ah…"
Even though she knew the figure on the screen was herself, Artoria couldn't help but feel like she was watching someone else fall in love.