Wait, come to think of it... this fog. Wasn't it supposed to disappear when day breaks? Why isn't it going away?
How are people even living like this?
If they run out of food and water later...
They're just gonna die, right?
Ah, man. It’s not going to be easy fighting while trying to keep people alive.
And even though Guardian is awake now, his physical condition is terrible, so we have to play it safe for the time being.
Things got messy thanks to that damn Jack the Ripper.
That little brat... next time, I'm taking her head.
"Hey, Guardian. Let me ask you one thing. Do you have a Geas or something?"
"Uh... yeah, exactly... I can't really do anything against minors.
It gets worse the younger they are.
There are occasional exceptions, but it didn't apply to that one."
This is a headache. It looks like it’ll be hard for Guardian to be a proper combat asset in this Singularity.
"Alright, I get it."
For now, we have to head out. Staying holed up here won't solve anything. I'll leave Guardian behind.
"Cu Chulainn, Okita. Let's go scouting. There’s no point in staying here."
"Understood, kid."
"Understood. I shall follow you."
I cast one more Recovery spell on Guardian and spoke.
"Stay here until you're fully healed. And don't drink any alcohol."
"Wait, wait. At least take my friend with you."
"Friend?"
"Yeah, this one. Take it. You'll need it more than I do right now."
It was Guardian's revolver-type Mystic Code.
"She’s asleep right now, but once she wakes up, she’s incredible. She’s an Ego Weapon. She has her own consciousness, so she can attack on her own if you're in danger, think with you, worry with you, and give you answers...
Uh... well, only when she's awake, of course. Anyway, you'll need her."
It felt like he wouldn't let me leave if I didn't take it.
Since Guardian couldn't go himself, he was trying to give me a weapon instead. There was no reason to refuse.
When I actually took it and felt it, I realized it was a masterpiece.
Crafted from marble, leather, steel, and gems—just touching this Mystic Code told me it was no ordinary item. Who exactly is Guardian?
The tactical baton, the sword, and now this Mystic Code... every single one of them was top-tier.
"Alright. I'll return this once you're fully recovered."
"Oh, right. If she wakes up, call her Chongsuni and give her a little headpat. She likes being called that."
"Got it. I'm off then."
I injected mana into Chongsuni and stepped out the door.
"We are leaving now, Mr. Guardian."
"Yeah, take care, Okita."
"Yes!"
"Cu Chulainn, take care of Master."
"Yeah, leave it to me."
With that, we left the hideout, leaving Guardian behind.
"Phew... Checkmate, huh?"
Guardian muttered those words and closed his eyes.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Killing dolls, golems, and homunculi were swarming around, trying to catch me.
This stalemate had been going on for 30 minutes.
"There’s seriously no end to them."
"Agreed, kid. Even I'm getting sick of this."
Individually, they were nothing, but we had drawn so much aggro that a massive number of homunculi had gathered here.
"Ugh, what a pain."
I fired my gun at a homunculus shooting arrows from a rooftop.
Those archers were only targeting me.
Okita was too fast, and Cu Chulainn had Protection from Arrows so they couldn't deal any damage to him, which left them obsessively aiming for me.
But so what? Okita blocked everything, so I didn't get hit once.
"Get lost! Just get lost! Die, you bastards!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
I aimed and fired at them one by one.
I had to be careful because if the buildings were destroyed, the people inside might get hurt.
"Okita, this isn't working. I'll stay hidden, so go kill those assholes on the rooftops."
"Yes, Master!"
As soon as I finished speaking and took cover, Okita dashed to the rooftops and began slaughtering the homunculi.
She’s seriously fast.
On the other hand, Cu Chulainn was a bit slow. Since the surrounding area was residential, I told him not to cause collateral damage. He had to fight while parrying magical projectiles and stone arrows that would have otherwise ricocheted into nearby buildings, so he had no choice but to be slow.
"Kid, you and your annoying orders..."
"Hahaha, sorry, big brother. Hahaha."
Hey, you're listening to me anyway, aren't you? Honestly, you don't like hurting civilians either, do you?
One thing was for sure: bringing Lancer Cu Chulainn here was an excellent choice.
If it were Caster Cu Chulainn, he probably would have smashed the buildings and everything else. He would have been less efficient than his Lancer self in this situation.
And another thing—Okita is just unreal. Seeing her move at such high speeds while still killing enemies so quickly is amazing. It seems like she really couldn't show her true skill when she was fighting King Arthur with a sword that didn't suit her style.
Go Okita, go! Sweep them all away!
She's on a completely different level compared to that mental patient who calls himself a Guardian but is actually an Avenger.
Still, there's no end to them. How many are there? Okita must have handled over a hundred homunculi by now, but they just keep coming.
I infused mana into the bullets and fired eight shots. The homing bullets only hit one target per shot, but the funny thing is, no matter where I aim, they fly straight to the enemy. They even dodge obstacles, making them perfect for firing from behind cover.
As the three of us continued to thin out the enemies, a loud voice echoed from somewhere.
"Shut up! Die!"
That voice... sounded like Mordred. Come to think of it, Jekyll and Mordred were in London, right? And was it Frankenstein? If I coax them well, I might be able to recruit them to Chaldea.
"Who the hell are you guys?"
Oh, it's Mordred. Seeing her in person feels great.
"I am Damascus, a Master from Chaldea. These two are my Servants, Saber and Lancer, who are protecting me."
"Is that so? I am Mordred, the son of King Arthur."
If a daughter pretends to be a son, wouldn't the parent feel like crap? I'd probably treat her like she didn't exist too... Ah, Arthur did that anyway, so I guess it doesn't matter.
"I don't like the look on your face."
This brat... she's just like her father, sharp as a tack. Was her Instinct rank high?
"I had a head-on clash with King Arthur in the last Singularity and it was rough. I can't exactly have a happy face when the child of King Arthur is standing in front of me."
"Huh? You fought my Father? How was it?"
She asked while casually hacking away. As expected of a 5-star, she’s great at brawling.
"You're different from King Arthur. Oh... well, I met the Altered version, so of course you'd be different."
"How am I different? Oh, you're a Master but you actually know how to fight?"
Mordred noticed me using my Mystic Code to kill three automatons that came my way and two homunculi that tried to close in with spears and swords while I was hiding behind cover.
"Actually, it's only possible because the equipment is good. Compared to those two, I'm just a loser."
"I thought you were a total softie from the way you talked at first, but look at you switching your tone immediately."
Mordred briefly pushed back the homunculi with Mana Burst and swept away five at once with a single slash.
While Okita handled them one by one with high speed, Mordred slaughtered enemies in batches using her monstrous strength and unique combat sense.
"I figured your Instinct was good since you take after your father. My expression probably only flickered for a second, but you caught it. I realized that if I tried to lie or act, you'd see right through me, so I changed my approach."
Cu Chulainn seemed to have figured out a rhythm, holding his spear short and starting to butcher the enemies. He truly was a Great Hero. It was only because I gave him orders that didn't fit his style, but once he got the hang of it, he could quickly find his own pace. Of course, if it were a fight between Servants, I would have just told him to fight however the hell he wanted, regardless of the buildings, but since that wasn't the case, he was fighting while granting my request.
Wait, now that I think about it, I asked him? But he calls it an order? Sir, that's a bit much.
"Right. So, according to you... uh, what was the Altered Father like?"
Mordred asked awkwardly. Wow, this brat. She’s showing her emotions so leisurely in a situation where one slip of the finger could mean death? A civilian like me couldn't even dream of doing that.
I guess I can afford to because I'm fighting from the back, but she isn't.
"Her swordsmanship was incredible, and above all, the backup from the Holy Grail was insane. She used Mana Burst like it was nothing and used her Noble Phantasm without hesitation. After a minute, the surrounding area melted from the heat of the Noble Phantasm, making it hard to even stand. And the crazy part was that fire didn't work on her. See that fast Saber over there? She slashed her neck more than ten times, but it wouldn't cut! We barely won."
"What? Her neck wouldn't cut? How the hell did you take her down?"
Mordred also seemed to be getting bored, so she lightly used Mana Burst and sent a shockwave that took down the enemies in front of her. The slash penetrated about 10 meters before disappearing.
"We won because the sword of a guy called Guardian was special. It’s a sword that never rusts, never dulls, and always maintains its peak condition. But it can’t release those insane heat beams like you or your father. If Guardian is telling the truth, the sword he uses is also Excalibur. Though he said some witch modified it?"
"Excalibur? Then it should be mine! I was the one who was supposed to inherit the throne!"
"Oh, come on. Without that, he's a total loser in close combat. He needs that to survive, so give him a break. I'm English, you know? A descendant of Britain. I'm doing work where I could die at any second, so as the next king, couldn't you show a little mercy? A good king should be able to look after the suffering of their people."
"What does that mean?"
? Oh? Wait. I think I can play her like a fiddle if I handle this right.
"Look, in a way, aren't I one of the descendants of your people? But in this situation, where even the fact that people ever lived could disappear if we make a mistake, I—who might be a descendant of Britain—am fighting to stop that. The problem is, I'm just a civilian, so I don't know how to do anything. I've only survived through the help of these wonderful Heroic Spirits. Think about it. Someone like me, who doesn't know anything and can't even use magecraft properly, almost couldn't even summon a Servant. So how did I survive? It was all through help. And right now, that sword is one of the precious pieces of equipment belonging to one of those people. If you take it away and efficiency drops, and I die because of it... then the fact that King Arthur existed, the fact that you are King Arthur's child, and even the fact that the country called Britain existed will all vanish. Would the next king of Britain and the true successor of King Arthur ignore that just to get back one of her possessions? That wouldn't make for a very good king. You would have definitely become king in the future. But if you're going to be a king, you should be a good one, right?"
I just babbled whatever came to mind from behind cover.
And fortunately, it worked.
"Fine. I'm more broad-minded than I look. If that's the reason, I'll let you borrow it as much as you want. Not only that, I'll join your fight too! If the next king of Britain and the child of King Arthur fights alongside you, it'll obviously be a reliable boost to your forces, right?"
Wait, holy crap, what a jackpot.
"Huh?! Is that okay?! Really? That’s great for me! I look forward to working with you! Whoa!!! This is a total win! This is so sweet! Oh!"
I shouted in excitement.
"Are you that happy?"
Mordred asked, half-surprised and half-expectant.
"Of course! A Knight of the Round Table—and Mordred is incredibly famous! Not only did you give permission to use your father's weapon, but you're even joining us? How could I not be happy?"
"Right?!"
They said her mental age was about 9, and it’s true. Jackpot. I get to take another great Servant with me today. What a sweet deal.
"Yeah, of course! What kind of king would just stand by when their people are in danger?! I'll gladly help!"
Hooked another sucker today.
Total win.
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