Steel and Mana

By the time the Excalibur lumbered back to the walls of Markoth, dusk was already settling in, but it was like skipping a step and heading into midnight at once. By now, both the half-tracks and the mechs had to turn on their spotlights to avoid crashing into anything like the constantly expanding workshops for maintaining the Avalonian machines.

Thanks to the continuous snowfall, darkness came earlier than usual, as the clouds blocked the setting sun's last rays before they had a chance to reach Markoth. As the six-legged mech finally came to a complete halt a few dozen meters from the walls, Galahad let out a slow breath, turning off its systems. Getting out of his 'trance,' the sensation of metal, snow, and the feel of the hydraulics pressing down on the latter had faded from his awareness, replaced once again by the natural weight of his own body and the rhythm of his own heartbeat. He was once again himself, flesh and bones that were less clear for his brain than when being one with the machine. Which was a strange feeling in itself... Still, he blinked away the sudden tiredness from his eyes as he got out of his chair, ready to climb out of the mech itself. Yet, when he tried to stand, he nearly stumbled the moment his boots hit the deck.

"Whoa—!" he gasped, catching himself on the armrest, but before he entirely lost his balance, Fila's tiny hand grabbed his arm.

"Funny legs?" she asked with a smile, helping him straighten up. "You've been piloting for nearly ten hours straight. My butt also hurts! Next time, we will do it in bursts... Agreed?"

"Hehe... Y-yeah... And... S-sorry..." Galahad murmured, taking a deep breath and straightening himself, "It's fine, just a little bit disoriented, that's all."

"You're shaking," Fila added, raising an eyebrow.

"No, I'm—" He tried again but stopped when she gave him a firm look, her eyes going slanted, telling him that he could try and lie, but it wasn't going to work on her. "Okay. I'm shaking."

"Good. Come, I'll help you down." She nodded and didn't tease him any further. Instead, she adjusted her footing and helped get out of the cockpit, then descended the ramp, walking with careful, slow steps, as the cold, metal surfaces could become slippery without warning.

Looking at her, Galahad couldn't help but watch how the strong wind blowing outside caught her hair and pushed it away to reveal a faint blush on her cheeks. Though... It could also be due to the cold or something else... he couldn't tell. But she looked... cute. While thinking about it, they reached the bottom just in time to catch the sudden shift in the wind, and both of them turned toward the horizon at the same time.

"Oh. Dad is here." Galahad said calmly as a massive airship became visible in the distance, coming straight towards the city, its lights blinking on its enormous hull.

"If your father is here in person," Fila murmured, "I wonder what he thought of today's fight."

"Ugh..." Galahad didn't answer immediately, grimacing a little while he just stared upward, his heart beating a little faster now, getting nervous, "I hope he didn't see it..."

...
....
......

The bridge of the Camelot was filled with discussions at the moment, yet I barely registered the sound of my crew. My attention was fixed on the scene projected by the Imaginary, mainly replaying the battle in my head. Ahead of me, standing next to Kustov, were Oleg and Seltana, discussing the positioning of the ground troops and how Pion commanded his troops, countering the beasts. On the other hand, my wives were talking about Galahad's endurance towards my right... and then there were the voices of the bridge crew maneuvering the Camelot towards the city.

As for me, I was gazing at Post Three, moving my eyes to the half-tracks that were now packed with the slain beasts and their carcasses. Then... I finally settled on the walking figure of the Excalibur.

Of course, we all witnessed the same thing unfold. From the first appearance of the small beasts to the Excalibur trying to move into firing position. Not that it would have been helpful, as its weapons would have dealt a great deal of collateral damage amongst the ground troops. I wasn't angry; Galahad was still inexperienced, so what he did here was already great. But also the reason why I ordered Pion in private to accompany him and take command when necessary. It worked out as I expected.

Watching the zoomed-in image of Excalibur coming to a halt and seeing Galahad and Fila dismount side by side made me smile. With that, I took a deep breath and let the noises around me flood in.

"He did well, didn't he?" Luna spoke proudly, her voice bringing me back into the discussion.

"Well," I looked at them, "He didn't panic, and he reacted. That's a good start! More than most people would do in his place, especially at his age."

"The issue was that he tried to do it all alone," Sasha muttered, a sigh escaping her. "Sound familiar?"

"Ugh..." I pursed my lips, "I don't think I'm that type..."

"Yeah, you are! So that wasn't his fault! He got that from his dad!" Luna agreed, defending Galahad at once. "Um, um! It was your fault!"

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"Sure, sure," I chuckled, not taking it to heart, "He inherited the worst habits from me and only the best from you~! That's why he is as smart as his daddy."

"Right!" Luna nodded, crossing her arms, satisfied with my answer... then the little imp finally caught on, "Hey! Not fair!"

"Too late!" I grinned, wagging a finger at her.

"I want to highlight the fact that he stomped two of those kitty-cats into the snow," Yuri piped up from behind Luna, grabbing her shoulders and massaging them to make her relax, "That was a nice move!"

"He indeed did that," Mikan agreed, nodding her head with a bright smile.

"Could have been luck," I smirked faintly, but before Luna could speak up again, I raised a hand, "But it wasn't, not with Galahad. It was a split-second decision, and it was a good one. Still, he will not react the same way next time anyway. I know he learned from it. I know him well. Now, he already understands that it could have been a diversion from a bigger one. It would have had a perfect shot at the Excalibur, distracted like this..."

"Aren't they stupid, though?" Luna asked, and it was Sasha who answered instead of me.

"The earliest winters, if you recall, were all about testing us..." She murmured, remembering the first winters when I only had cannons. "We can't discard the fact that there may be... someone controlling them, doing the same with Markoth."

"Luckily, it was not the case today." Mikan agreed, playing with her fingers, feeling a bit nervous after thinking about it, remembering how the same type of beasts got me... Just when we first met.

Thinking back, it felt like it happened so long ago, heh. However, it also allowed me to see something interesting... Well, not that I need to worry about something cosmic when there is trouble at the front gates. It's best to focus on the present and the immediate issues.

"This was a perfect lesson, and we should leave it at that!" I stood up, clapping. "Let's not dampen his motivation, so we should not bring it up after we land. He brought everyone back safe and sound; that's the most important thing."

"Yeah!" Luna agreed, looking at everyone on the bridge, especially stopping and gazing at Seltana, who didn't even partake in the conversation.

"He looks so small stepping down from the Excalibur," Sasha noted, making Luna finally come out of her mama-tiger mode and switch into mama-bear gears, wanting to go down and hug her son.

"Can we go faster?" She muttered, making me chuckle.

"He almost fell over," Yuri added, making Luna flinch, repeating what she just said but with increased volume, hoping Kustov heard her loud and clear.

"He is fine," I reached out, rubbing Luna's head, watching as Galahad indeed stumbled at the base of the ramp. But... Fila caught him without hesitation; heck, she was holding his hand from the get-go.

"Ah," Mikan murmured, her voice giggly and happy, "So that's happening, huh?"

"Well, well," Yuri joined in with a way-too-wide grin. "Princess Fila, helping our youngest boy down like a proper wife already. We should start preparing for the marriage ceremony. Oh, oh! I need to give him some advice so their kids will be the next Emperor of Ishillia!"

"If her brother doesn't get a kid," Luna said quickly, "that is a big possibility! That would be very... interesting... having a grandson ruling Ishillia..."

"Aaaaand stop you two, right there!" I raised an eyebrow, watching them, especially Yuri, before she suggested we should ensure it goes just like that in some kind of dark, underhanded manner. Damn... these two can be dangerous when they put their heads together. They would either try to castrate poor Veron or turn him gay, so he wouldn't have an heir.

"Mmhm," Yuri hummed, noticing my gaze and ignoring it promptly, "Anyway! I'm calling it now: Galahad and Fila are getting married before next summer. Sasha? Mikan? Wager? You in?"

"Are you going against your own son?" I asked, chuckling, making Yuri roll her eyes before answering.

"Lancy is like me. He will marry, but he will bed lil' Jila before that happens. On the other hand, Galahad is more gentlemanly!"

"Khm..." Seltana cleared her throat, standing ahead of our group, next to Kustov, looking back at us with a weird gaze and a flushed face. Although Yuri said what she said... I could tell the Khulman girl was now worried, knowing her sister's temperament... And the fact that Jila would let it happen. She probably would try to get pregnant to seal the deal as well.

"I am also betting on Lancelot and Jila," Sasha replied without missing a beat and then shot a half-smile at Seltana. "She's practically glued to him at this point. But if they do the deed, I will force them to marry."

"I don't think little Jila needs any forcing to do," Mikan giggled, "But if I have to make a guess... I also think it would be Galahad who marries first. He is more rigid than Lancelot in this manner..."

"See? I said the same thing," Yuri said with a shrug. "We should send a message to Mirian that she won and that we are accepting Fila as our daughter, joining the family."

"Well, don't be hasty!" Luna piped up, "Although, I also say my Galahad will be the first to marry... As he has someone, unlike Arthur or Leyla!"

"They..." Sasha grunted, pinching her nose, "Never mind."

"I wonder if my Morgan will marry..." Mikan sighed, her eyes yearning for the future when she did, "I wouldn't mind if it were a girl..."

"Girls," I looked at them one by one, amazed, "Are we really placing bets on which of our children gets married first? When did it get a race?! Let them be~! They have at least twenty more years before they actually need to consider it!"

"Twenty?!" they called out at once, making me reel back by the force behind their voice.

"..." Tsk... Or not. "Never mind..." I gave up, shrugging, backing down.

"Hmph," they answered in perfect unison, ignoring my protest.

Stay silent, Leon... Just take the L. Telling myself that, my gaze drifted back to the landscape stretching out below us. It was best not to poke the beehive any more than necessary. Soon enough, we stopped close to the city, and after securing the airship, we walked down from it, getting greeted by Galahad and Fila at the base of the Camelot's ramp.

"Good to see you, son," I said, pulling him into a hug and patting his back, "You did well today."

"So you saw it..." he added, and then, his voice, albeit a bit tired but finally relieved, whispered back to me. "Thank you, Dad."

"Mhm." I nodded, letting him go, and smiled at Princess Fila. "Thank you for supporting my son and being with him."

"..." She blushed but gave a curtsied bow, murmuring something under her breath, something I couldn't hear.

Interesting... From what Galahad told me so far, when they are together, alone, she is an entirely different person. Yet... out here, surrounded, she is the most timid kind of person of anybody I know. Heh... Well, my son, you must be prepared if you decide to marry her. Types like her will be a challenge... but from what I have seen, she will stay with you no matter what. That alone is worthy of my support.