"Alright! Let's wrap this up! That's a wrap!"
"Master! Please!..."
As the enemies were finally thinning out, Cu Chulainn, Mordred, and I were all taking a breather. Since Guardian wasn't around and I was bored...
Every time Okita killed an enemy, I shouted 'That's a wrap!' for her. At some point, she started blushing out of embarrassment while she cut them down.
Man, from the enemy's perspective, that's gotta be pure horror.
Killing people while blushing? That's total psycho behavior, isn't it?
"Hey, kid."
"Yeah, big guy? What's up?"
"You see Okita over there killing enemies with a red face?"
"And?"
"Isn't that a nightmare for the guys on the receiving end? A psycho who kills you with a shy look on her face?"
"....You... so that's the kind of stuff you think about?" Okita muttered from a distance. "While someone is out here risking their life to protect you?"
"Ayy, it's because I feel that safe with you that I can even say stuff like this, right? Right, big guy?"
"Maybe I should take back what I said earlier..."
Mordred, listening to the nonsense Cu Chulainn and I were spewing, looked like she was reconsidering the whole 'going to Chaldea' thing. If she backs out now...
Then it's all for nothing.
"Ayy, Your Majesty, a King has to keep their word once it's spoken, right?"
"I still haven't confirmed if you're actually from Britain or not. You might just be the descendant of some immigrant for all I know."
"Hey, if they live in England, they're all people of Britain!"
"You really are a slippery one, aren't you?"
While I was busy chatting, Okita Souji finished off every last enemy.
"This coffee isn't half bad."
I was drinking a 'bootleg cafe latte' I made by mixing instant coffee with powdered milk. It tasted pretty terrible since there was no sugar, but it was definitely better than a stargazy pie. Honestly, considering the current state of Chaldea, even this was a luxury.
"Master, the surrounding enemies have been eliminated."
"Good work, Okita. Want me to fix you a coffee?"
"No, I... that coffee is too bitter for me to handle."
She sure has firm tastes. Should I give her a chocolate bar... Oh, right. I think I have some rice flour and sugar. I should make her some dango.
"Do you like dango?"
I already knew the answer. I remembered her being obsessed with the stuff.
"Huh? You have dango here?"
"No, but with the ingredients I got from Chaldea, I can make something similar. It won't be perfect since I don't have soy sauce, but I can get it close."
"Yes! Dango in a situation like this... that would be such a luxury! If you would make some, then please...!"
Okay, now we just need to go back, grab Guardian, and head to Mordred's place.
"Hey... what's a 'dango'?" Mordred asked.
"There's a country called Japan in Asia. It's a type of... well... dessert? Made from rice, water, sugar, and soy sauce. It'll probably be pretty unique to you and me. You make a dough called mochi out of rice flour... think of it as a cake made of rice. You grill it over a fire and brush it with a sweet and salty sauce. It's not bad."
When I answered, Cu Chulainn chimed in.
"You know a lot of random trivia, don't you, kid? Are you really only fifteen?"
"My dad was a spy... no, that's not a good excuse. I just happened to find out. And actually, I looked up what Okita would like by researching her era and country. Dango seemed like the best fit among the foods available back then, so I 'borrowed' some supplies from Chaldea."
"Then I guess you've thought about what I'd like too?"
"You probably like alcohol. I'm brewing some in Chaldea right now. I've got a batch going in my personal room. Water, sugar, and more rice flour. I only added a little because of the microbes, but I'm fermenting it into booze. It won't taste great, but given Chaldea's current situation, any alcohol is a rarity, right? Otherwise, I could just mix ethanol with sugar and water."
"No, kid. Just give me the fermented stuff. Are you insane, trying to make drinks out of disinfectant?"
"Alcohol is poison. It shouldn't even exist in this world. Alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs—these three things should vanish from the earth."
"Huh? But cider is delicious! You can't take that away. I love cider!" Mordred protested.
This brat with the mental age of a nine-year-old is already into drinking?
"What's with that look on your face?"
"Mordred, I don't know exactly how old you are, but you look about my age. In the era I live in, if someone my age drinks, the police take them away. Hearing you say that gives me a bit of cognitive dissonance."
"In the era I lived in, you're an adult at ten! So don't nag me!"
"I guess that's true..."
I downed the rest of my coffee and stood up.
"I'm worried about Guardian, so let's head back to the base for now."
"Nothing to worry about. Those things don't invade houses. And that serial killer is the same. Strangely enough, they never go inside?"
"We don't know that for sure. That might have been the case until now, but it could change. That serial killer... how old did they look to you?"
Mordred answered my question.
"Looked about ten to me. I saw them once, a week ago. I was surprised when I first saw them. Such a small body, charging at me with twin daggers... I wondered if they even cared about the weight difference."
"We ran into them just this morning. To us, they looked about sixteen."
"What?"
"I don't know why, but that kid who was supposed to be ten or thirteen is now sixteen. They're growing rapidly. I don't know the reason, but one thing is certain: if a Servant's appearance changes, their attributes might change too. Even if they didn't enter houses before, we can't be sure now. If they start breaking into homes to kill, it'll be out of control. The innocent citizens of London will become a psycho's playthings."
"My people... I can't allow that."
Mordred truly considered the citizens of London her subjects. She had a surprisingly diligent side to her.
"Let's head back. Guardian is in danger. He's not that strong, but he attacks with irregular tricks. It was the same during the fight with King Arthur. Okita here has incredible swordsmanship, but back then, she couldn't even leave a scratch with the sword she had. In terms of pure speed, the Altered King Arthur couldn't even catch her. But while she's trying to slit Arthur's throat ten times, Arthur isn't just going to stand there, right? Guardian is the one who made that opening possible. He stubbornly forced Arthur's attention onto himself, meticulously attacking only the eyes. Explosions, piercings... he kept spamming the fastest attacks possible at the eyes. That's why Okita got the chance to cut her down."
I continued, "Just like Okita Souji and Cu Chulainn, he is irreplaceable. I absolutely cannot lose him. You see this Mystic Code? This originally belonged to him. But because he's in a state where he can't protect me himself, he gave me his own Noble Phantasm. To a Servant, a Noble Phantasm is precious. Some value it more than their own lives. He handed that over to me... It's not a matter of whether I need it or not. I'm going to look out for him no matter what. Just like he's trying to protect me even if it means throwing his life away."
I spoke my true feelings.
"I see... He's got a good partner."
"Anyone who spent time with him would think the same as me."
"Is that so? I'll have to see his face for myself then."
Mordred also stood up.
"Let's take him to my hideout. My companion is there; they'll be able to help treat him."
"That would be great. Thank you."
"It's only natural to look after my subjects."
"I'll throw flower petals for you when you finally succeed the throne."
"No, I don't need that."
**
Guardian let out a sigh while he was alone.
"Haaa... Come out already."
With those words, Jack the Ripper revealed herself before Guardian.
"You're going to kill me, right? I know. You idiot, if you're going to end it, do it fast. Want me to tell you one thing? You'll never find your mother as long as you live. Who would want to raise a serial killer as their child?"
Jack the Ripper's expression twisted into something terrifying. She drew a knife with her right hand.
'Yeah... just end it quickly... at least it's better if it's painless...'
Guardian simply closed his eyes.
He had pretended not to notice her until the Master left. There were two other Servants here besides him; an Assassin like Jack the Ripper couldn't win against them, so she couldn't afford to show herself recklessly.
Guardian knew this and kept quiet while lying there, fearing the Master might be put in danger. He only called her out once the Master had departed. If he were killed, the area would be covered in blood; he figured that once the Master saw that, he would immediately go on high alert and avoid a dangerous situation.
Damascus might not be able to handle things he didn't know about, but Guardian had seen him use his head to solve every problem he did know about so far.
He intentionally chose to leave a strong trace so that the boy could find a way to cope. Since he was a dead man walking anyway.
"Mister, do you have any last words?"
Jack the Ripper now had the appearance of a young woman who had just reached adulthood. Her voice was quite delicate, and her body was covered in various large and small scars.
Her body had grown quite beautifully now, to the point where even Damascus would have honestly thought she was pretty. Guardian felt the same.
"Let's go with two things. If you're going to kill me, I'd prefer you to be on top of me while you do it. At least I'll feel good as I go... And one more thing..."
"..."
"You should have shown up in that form from the start... If you had, I would have planted a bullet in your head right then and there..."
"To mock us in this situation... you really are a crazy mister..."
"Screw you and your 'mother,' you little bitch."
With those final words, Guardian died.
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