Little Garden 61-65

Title: So Why Are There So Many Chinese Dishes?

The method Algol provided was excellent—a way to converge individuals from parallel worlds to obtain Spirit Status. But the only difficulty was that it required a Reference Point.

A Reference Point capable of interfering with all parallel worlds at once. Like the Dragon’s Vein in Naruto, or the Root in this world, or like the Umbrella Corporation research base Aslan created while observing worlds from Little Garden’s Central Core, which became a convergence point for countless parallel worlds.

Of course, the above could be done under any conditions, but besides these special locations, there was another possibility.

Namely, a Historical Transition Period. It could also serve as a Reference Point for convergence.

However, the first method was easier to operate, required less energy, and was simpler for convergence.

Whereas the second, Historical Transition Periods weren’t so easy to determine and trigger.

But one thing Aslan could be certain of was that the Holy Grail War was definitely a Special Node in the Type-Moon World.

It could be used to converge Sakura from parallel worlds and grant her Spirit Status.

Yet, Aslan would rather enter the Root once and save all Sakuras from all worlds.

“Let’s consider it a dream come true—entering and exiting the Root.”

Aslan gently stroked Sakura’s head and said with a soft smile.

“Prince, I made some cookies. Would you like to try?”

Just as Aslan and Sakura were watching anime together, Manaka arrived right on time with a plate full of cookies.

She showed a hopeful expression, her face slightly flushed.

“Since I didn’t know what flavor you liked, I made a little of each kind.”

Looking at the girl before him, who had tied up her hair and wore an apron like the perfect housewife, Aslan wasn’t worried about Manaka’s cooking tasting bad.

He knew very well how extraordinary the cooking skills of the Root Princess were.

“Sakura, want to try?”

Aslan picked up one cookie and asked Sakura.

Sakura looked at Aslan, smiling, the cookie in his hand, and Manaka showing a perfect smile beside him.

“Umm, I want Brother Aslan to feed me.”

(Sorry, Brother Aslan, please let me be a little selfish.)

Sakura didn’t want to give up in front of Manaka, the one who wanted to take Aslan away.

The perfect smile on Manaka’s face, on the other hand, seemed slightly broken, with a hint of forcedness.

Even the plate she held cracked slightly, but she quickly repaired it with Magecraft.

Aslan smiled indulgently and fed Sakura. He also took one for himself and put it in his mouth.

“Delicious. You did a great job, Manaka.”

Delicious—that was Aslan’s first impression after eating it. Of course, after all, he was just an ordinary person, so he couldn’t give a better evaluation.

Delicious was already the highest praise.

“Umm.”

Hearing Aslan’s compliment, Manaka couldn’t help but smile happily.

It wasn’t the insincere, overly perfect smile she had before. Only now did Manaka look like a real girl.

“Manaka, you should try it too.”

As he spoke, Aslan also took one and placed it into Manaka’s mouth, who was still holding the plate.

He wasn’t a completely dense person. He could naturally sense Manaka’s and Sakura’s feelings toward him.

Though he didn’t know why a little girl like Sakura could have such thoughts, he did have the idea of raising her from the beginning.

For this, Aslan naturally accepted it with pleasure.

Yet, he knew the principle of treating everyone equally.

“Umm~~”

A cookie personally fed by the prince.

Instantly, an unmistakable blush of shyness appeared on Manaka’s face. She decided—tonight she’d prepare a satisfying meal for the prince.

She wanted more, much more...

Seeing Manaka, lost in her thoughts, Aslan immediately pinched her cheek.

“Manaka, what are you thinking about?”

“Manaka won’t tell the prince.”

Manaka puffed her cheeks and said proudly. She was preparing a surprise for Aslan tonight.

If she told him, wouldn’t there be no surprise?

“Alright then. I’ll look forward to the surprise Manaka has prepared.”

Aslan shook his head helplessly. Honestly, Manaka was now too easy to read. Especially when approached slightly, her girlish side would explode.

She was too cute.

Aslan now even felt like he was being conquered by Manaka.

Now he could drop the “felt like.” Manaka had indeed conquered him.

But, it had to be admitted—this feeling was quite comfortable. It was also the first time he’d ever felt it.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

On the other hand, Manaka was struggling.

The prince was Chinese, so for dinner, it was better to prepare Chinese cuisine.

Manaka reconnected with the Root to obtain information about Chinese dishes.

“……”

Seeing hundreds of dishes that could be made in just one province, and reading all that information in her mind,

There was even information in her mind that in the future, a gourmet promised to try all Chinese dishes in a month. Yet, after a year, he hadn’t even left a single city.

“So, why are there so many troublesome dishes?”

Manaka, who was shopping for ingredients for dinner, felt dizzy.

Especially because many ingredients couldn’t be bought here.

Manaka had no idea what dishes Aslan liked.

If it were just English cuisine, no problem—but why Chinese?

There were too many choices.

For a moment, Manaka couldn’t help but feel annoyed toward China for having so many delicious dishes.

With so many delicious dishes, when would she find the prince’s favorite?

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

“By the way, you made way too much, Manaka.”

Aslan admitted his appetite wasn’t small—and even larger after absorbing Arthur Proto’s Spirit Origin.

But what Manaka made was too much, right?

Aslan froze when he saw the dishes filling several tables and the entire kitchen.

This was almost equivalent to the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast (a lavish Chinese banquet), right?

Aslan seriously doubted whether the five people present could finish all these dishes.

“It’s delicious.”

Even Sakura was amazed facing such a massive amount of food.

“Umm, this is definitely the most delicious food I’ve ever eaten.”

Draco’s hands even moved so fast they created afterimages while grabbing dishes.

“Manaka, this is delicious. But next time, no need to make this much.”

As for Aslan, he had to admit Manaka’s cooking skills were indeed extraordinary.

It was just that she made too much. Even Aslan, who inherited a king’s appetite, felt full.

But luckily, nothing went to waste in the end.

[Scene:
Writing romantic scenes is very difficult. I feel unsatisfied no matter how I write it, so I gave up after trying.
Next time I won’t write them again. It’s more fun to just focus on battles and causing trouble.]

-

Title: On How Many Forms Saber Has

While Aslan enjoyed delicious food and the admiration of beautiful girls,

Other Masters chosen by the Holy Grail had also successfully summoned their Servants.

In Germany, inside the Einzbern Church.

“Fill, fill, fill...”

“Let your three great incantations, from the wheel of inhibition, the guardian of balance, fulfill.”

Accompanied by light from the glowing Summoning Array, which then faded.

A girl in a blue dress, golden ornaments on her armor, her long golden hair gently fluttering in the light, holding a golden Holy Sword with a determined expression, appeared in the center of the Array.

“Excuse me, are you my Master?”

Saber, or Artoria Pendragon—the strongest swordsman summoned with the Holy Relic Avalon.

Artoria looked at the man in a coat with a cold expression, her gaze curious.

The Holy Grail’s contract told her this man was her Master.

But for some reason, she felt her compatibility with him wasn’t very good.

“Lia, step aside. Let me speak to him.”

A voice very similar to her own, yet far more mature, echoed in her mind.

Artoria Pendragon, summoned as Saber in this Holy Grail War.

Of course, she was also granted a Grand Spirit Origin by the Counter Force, but her strength still differed greatly from a true Grand Servant.

So the Counter Force ignored Artoria’s consciousness and directly inserted another Artoria into her body.

This included, but was not limited to: Saber (in a dress), Saber Alter, Lancer Artoria Alter, Saber Lily, Mysterious Heroine X, and Mysterious Heroine X Alter.

Of course, since she descended in the form of normal Artoria, her primary consciousness remained Saber, the king wrapped in a cloak—the original Saber.

The one who just spoke was the most mature Artoria, the one who had drawn the Holy Lance.

Compared to Saber, who firmly held onto idealism and chivalry, Lancer Artoria was more mature and Machiavellian.

[T/N: To prevent future confusion, I will use different names for different personalities.]

Therefore, Lancer Artoria’s compatibility with Emiya Kiritsugu, the Ally of Justice, was far better.

“Umm.”

Facing her more mature self, Saber chose to trust.

But this didn’t mean they got along well—rather, as the same Artoria, each had their own desires and rejected one another.

Now, they were only temporarily setting aside their differences to deal with the Outer-Demon God who might destroy this world.

However, Saber, as the dominant personality, still had much initiative.

When Saber agreed to switch, Artoria’s girl-like body gradually grew, and the Holy Sword in her hand transformed into the Holy Lance.

Rhongomyniad!

“Master, I won’t talk much. Have you found any useful information about that person?”

Lancer Artoria appeared very resolute. After all, this was a matter concerning the survival of the world—there was no room for relaxation.

Kiritsugu’s expression remained cold, but it was clear his mood had greatly improved.

He knew very well that someone like him didn’t have good compatibility with a straightforward, chivalrous Saber.

Many of his tricks might be despised by her, but the Lancer Artoria before him was far better.

There was some compatibility between them. Both were people who wouldn’t hesitate to use any means to achieve their goals.

“I haven’t found any clues. Even Fuyuki City remains as peaceful as usual.”

Kiritsugu shook his head helplessly. For the past few days, he and Maiya had followed the Counter Force’s clues and investigated the entire Fuyuki City.

They even dealt with a murderer who kidnapped and killed children.

“However, I haven’t checked Fuyuki Church, the Tohsaka family, or the Matou family yet.”

“Perhaps...”

Kiritsugu didn’t continue. No one knew better than he, a Magus Killer, what kind of people Magi were.

In the eyes of Magi who wouldn’t hesitate to seek the Root by any means, if the Outer-Demon God could give them a chance to find the Root, even rebelling wouldn’t be surprising.

“Then, let’s mark these three locations as suspicious.”

“If there’s no other choice, we’ll enter directly.”

Lancer Artoria said casually. In her eyes now, the desire for the Holy Grail or anything like it wasn’t as important as saving the world.

The Counter Force promised that after dealing with the Outer-Demon God, the Holy Grail War would return to normal.

As for directly entering the Matou and Tohsaka families possibly affecting innocent people?

Sorry, before saving the world, this was a necessary sacrifice.

Lancer Artoria would mourn for them, but she would never hesitate.

Kiritsugu was even more so—he would be far more resolute.

Even before achieving his primary goal of saving the world, Fuyuki City itself could become a casualty.

“Don’t rush. Wait a moment. Wait for the reactions of the other Holy Grail War participants.”

Kiritsugu wouldn’t believe he was the only one chosen by the Counter Force to summon a Grand Servant to save the world.

He had an intuition that perhaps all the Holy Grail War participants were chosen by the Counter Force.

So the Masters participating in this Holy Grail War might not only be allies to save the world, but also competitors in the Holy Grail War.

He had already set up surveillance cameras at various locations in Fuyuki City and hacked into the city’s monitoring system.

Faced with the Outer-Demon God whom the Counter Force claimed could destroy the world, no preparation was excessive.

After that, Lancer Artoria also left, and Saber returned to her previous Saber state.

She understood the conversation between Lancer Artoria and Kiritsugu, but if she truly had to do it, it might be slightly difficult for her.

After a while, Kiritsugu also said,

“Then, Iri. As planned, you’ll replace me as Saber’s Master?”

Kiritsugu spoke to the beautiful woman with snow-white silver hair.

Although he also didn’t want his wife to take this risk, to save the world, he had to hide in the shadows and investigate.

Though it was extremely dangerous for Irisviel.

But Kiritsugu could only believe that under Saber’s protection, Irisviel was the safest among them.

“It’s fine, Kiritsugu.”

Irisviel agreed with a smile. She knew very well what kind of man he was, but for her husband, she was willing to take this risk.

Saber had no objections to this. After all, she preferred acting with Irisviel over Kiritsugu.

-

Title: Has the Holy Grail War Been Advanced?

Fuyuki City, Tohsaka Residence.

*KNOCK!* *KNOCK!*

The sound of knocking echoed, and the door slowly opened. Kirei entered.

“Kirei, you’re right on time. I thought this thing wouldn’t come.”

Tokiomi said with pleasant surprise. In his original plan, this Holy Relic—the fossil formed from the world’s earliest molting serpent’s scales—would not arrive.

After all, in his original plan, this object wouldn’t reach their hands until at least a year later.

Now, it seemed due to Counter Force’s intervention, this object had arrived early in their hands, allowing them to catch up with this Holy Grail War advanced by one year.

And also enabling them to face the existence even the Counter Force called an Outer-Demon God.

“If we can use it as a medium and successfully summon that Heroic Spirit, I’m certain that both that Demon God and this Holy Grail War will guarantee our victory.”

Tokiomi said with great confidence. He couldn’t imagine what kind of existence could defeat that Heroic Spirit.

Defeat the King of Heroes.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

Fuyuki City, the old couple Makiji’s house, where Waver Velvet was staying.

“What’s going on? Why did I suddenly steal my teacher’s bag, as if my mind suddenly burned up?”

Waver held his head in distress. His thesis wasn’t finished yet.

He didn’t know what had happened. Today, he suddenly acted like this.

Suddenly, his right hand hurt, and three red Command Spells appeared on it.

The information appearing in his mind also told him what had occurred.

He had been chosen by the Counter Force to participate in the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City, to summon a Heroic Spirit to fight the Outer-Demon God that might destroy the world.

“Ah? This is a lie, right? Can I really do this?”

Although Waver considered himself a genius, he also carried the arrogance of a genius and the inferiority complex from being constantly looked down upon.

Though he desperately wanted to prove himself, was he truly worthy of a world-saving mission?

He doubted himself slightly.

But even so, he still made a decision and resolved to summon a Heroic Spirit to participate in this Holy Grail War.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

Hyatt Hotel, on the same floor rented by Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald.

This Holy Grail War seemed to be advanced by one year, yet it also seemed not advanced.

Perhaps only the Holy Grail War meant to occur a year later had been advanced by one year.

Of course, this could also be due to Counter Force’s interference.

“I am Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald who reserved the upper floor of this hotel. I’d like to ask, has the room I reserved been cleared?”

A voice full of arrogance echoed. The front desk clerk lifted his head from his work, and upon seeing the honored guest specifically notified by the boss, he immediately set aside his work.

He stood up and said in an extremely sweet voice.

“It’s been cleared, Mr. Archibald. Please follow me. I’ll serve you completely.”

“Good.”

Kayneth gave a slight nod. Even in nodding, his movement was minimal, always maintaining a high viewpoint, giving an arrogant impression.

“In fifteen minutes, I want you to prepare the bathing items for my fiancée. One hour later, I want you to deliver the pre-arranged meal. Is this not a problem?”

As he spoke, the red-haired woman beside him always showed an elegant smile and gently held Kayneth’s arm.

Clearly, this woman was the fiancée mentioned by Kayneth—her full name Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri. She came from the same noble family as Kayneth and was a leading family among the magical nobility.

As a noblewoman, she elegantly held Kayneth’s arm. Though the smile on her face looked slightly fake to sharp-eyed observers, to the people present, it perfectly matched the beauty of high society.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

“Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill.”

“Repeating, it’s the fifth, but the time of fullness is the time of abandonment.”

The Heroic Spirit Summoning Array drawn with blood began to shine.

“With hate and iron as the origin.”

“With the duke of stone and contract as the foundation.”

“With the wall to block the descending wind.”

“Close the four gates.”

“Come from the crown.”

“Circulate endlessly at the three-way intersection leading to the kingdom.”

“Hereby declared.”

“Your body will be my command, your destiny will be my sword.”

“Follow the Holy Grail’s request, if you wish to follow this intention and reason, then respond!”

“Hereby sworn.”

“I am the one who accomplishes all good deeds in the world, I am the one who purges all evil in the world.”

“Let your three great incantations, from the wheel of inhibition, the guardian of the balance, fulfill.”

At the same time, in different locations, four different Masters recited incantations to summon Heroic Spirits.

Along with the Summoning Array’s light slowly fading.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

In the basement of the Tohsaka Residence.

A noble golden figure appeared in the Summoning Array.

“King of Heroes, your humble servant greatly desires you to bring the final victory, along with the prize.”

Before Gilgamesh, the most ancient King of Heroes, Tokiomi spoke respectfully.

As if he were truly a loyal subordinate to Gilgamesh.

“Annoying mongrel.”

Gilgamesh could naturally easily see through Tokiomi’s falseness. If the man were slightly more honest, he might grant the Holy Grail as a reward.

“My younger self, don’t be so irritable.”

“Yes, my younger self.”

Suddenly, two voices—one old, one young—echoed in Gilgamesh’s mind.

Yes, this was Gilgamesh who had merged three personalities: Kid Gil, Archer Gil, and Caster Gil.

“Silence, both of you!”

If there was someone who couldn’t understand themselves from different periods, Gilgamesh was certainly one of them.

Even if the three forms of Gilgamesh shared identical memories, they would never understand or approve of themselves from that period.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

In the old couple Makiji’s house, within the Summoning Array drawn with chicken blood.

A tall, muscular red figure appeared within the Array.

“Where is the Demon God destroying the world? I can’t wait to conquer him.”

A voice full of excitement and enthusiasm came from the red figure.

This was Iskandar, the King of Conquerors, who had obtained a Grand Spirit Origin.

Faced with the Counter Force’s request, he immediately agreed without a second thought.

Now that he had obtained the Grand Spirit Origin, he could be said to be extremely confident and invincible among Heroic Spirits.

Because after obtaining the Grand Spirit Origin, the Heroic Spirits within Ionioi Hetairoi could also unleash their Noble Phantasms, with costs covered by the Counter Force.

He didn’t believe there was any existence in this world that fifty thousand Heroic Spirits couldn’t defeat.

-

Title: Cu Chulainn, You Can’t Handle This Level of Battle—Leave It to Shishou

In the Land of Shadows, a purple-haired, red-eyed queen trained as usual.

She had seen the unchanging scenery of the Land of Shadows too many times. She, Scáthach, Queen of the Land of Shadows, still hoped that one day an existence would appear capable of killing her.

Of course, if it were her useless disciple, that would be even better.

Suddenly, she stopped sharpening her spear skills. A hint of curiosity appeared in her crimson eyes.

Wisdom of Dún Scáith, which she had trained to reach an omniscient state, informed her that an interesting existence had appeared in the world.

She narrowed her eyes and gazed into the world. Though she was an undying Demi-God exiled beyond the world, she could still observe developments within the world, just like Merlin.

Even from an omniscient perspective, she and Merlin couldn’t be said to never communicate.

But the highly unexpected part was that the Counter Force had actually reduced their rejection of the Land of Shadows, giving her the possibility to descend into the world.

A moment later, Wisdom of Dún Scáith informed her of the reason. An unknown existence that might destroy the world had appeared.

“Interesting? An existence capable of destroying the world? Could it kill me?”

Scáthach was deeply curious about this—or rather, this was exactly what she had hoped for.

Whether a beautiful death or a gruesome one, she simply wished that one day she could finally welcome her own end.

As she spoke, she shifted her gaze to the still-empty Heroic Spirit Summoning Array.

Seeing a blue figure holding a red spear appear in the Array, the corner of her mouth couldn’t help but lift.

It was her most prized disciple, Cu Chulainn—the one she had long hoped would one day kill her.

Child of Light of Ireland.

Now, she wanted to test her disciple’s ability and see if his progress in combat skill had grown enough to kill her.

“Gate of Skye: The Gate Leading to the Haunted Land, Brimming with Death!”

The Boundary Gate she used now as a Demi-God, of course, wouldn’t be limited like a Noble Phantasm—especially now that there was no longer suppression from the Counter Force.

She could truly bring anyone from within the world to the Land of Shadows.

“Cu Chulainn, let me see your ability. Let’s see if you’ve grown enough to kill me.”

Scáthach said with great enthusiasm. To her, whether she was killed by her disciple or by that unknown existence, it was all the same.

But if she had to choose, she’d prefer to be killed by the warrior she had trained with her own hands.

“Truly Shishou?”

Cu Chulainn smiled helplessly. The moment he was summoned, he had already considered the possibility that his Shishou would come looking for him.

Yet, he hadn’t expected to be pulled away even before landing.

Cu Chulainn gave up resisting and allowed the Gate of Skye to pull him into the Land of Shadows.

Seeing the tall purple figure holding a Demon Spear, Cu Chulainn didn’t hesitate and immediately charged with his spear.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

After fighting for several days and nights, Scáthach finally drove her spear into Cu Chulainn’s Spirit Core.

“As expected, I’m still far from being able to kill Shishou.”

Cu Chulainn said with great magnanimity. Since he hadn’t succeeded in descending to save the world, fighting his Shishou again had already fulfilled his wish.

“After all, for years in the Land of Shadows, I could only hone my skills.”

Scáthach smiled, sheathed Gae Bolg, and looked at Cu Chulainn, who slowly vanished, with satisfaction and praise—then healed his wounds.

If not for her breakthrough during the fight, perhaps Cu Chulainn, who had obtained the Grand Spirit Origin, might have actually killed her?

(But now, Cu Chulainn, you can’t handle battles at this level—leave it to Shishou!)

Although Scáthach and Cu Chulainn fought for several days and nights in the Land of Shadows, because the Land of Shadows was a realm outside the world, time flow wasn’t connected to the inner world. Thus, Scáthach wasn’t too late and appeared within Kayneth’s Summoning Array.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

“Are you my Master this time?”

Fuyuki City, inside the church.

Kirei looked at the tall, silent figure holding a greatsword within the Array and viewed the Heroic Spirit’s information.

Strong—only one word: overwhelmingly strong.

Old Man of the Mountain, Grand Assassin, possessing a Noble Phantasm that delivered death to all things, the ability to instantly kill anything.

This would be their trump card against the Demon God.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

Matou Residence.

Aslan curiously poked Merlin, who was observing the Heroic Spirit summonings with Clairvoyance.

“Hey, good Merlin, tell me what Heroic Spirits the Masters have summoned so far.”

After all, Merlin only had this one use now. His role as Grand Caster had been completely taken over by Manaka.

Whether setting up Territory, crafting Items, or standing beside Aslan to assist him, Manaka could do it perfectly.

“King, can’t you say that? It hurts my feelings.”

Merlin held his chest and spoke with a wounded expression.

Though he admitted he had no emotions, didn’t he at least have a conscience?

“Alright, just tell me what you found.”

Aslan restrained his urge to punch him.

Though he was confident he wouldn’t fail, gathering information was still a good habit.

If he was certain he wouldn’t fail, and then actually failed, it would be very funny.

There were many Spiritual Beings in the Type-Moon World—what if he accidentally failed?

So gathering information was still very necessary.

“Except for Lancer and Assassin, the other Heroic Spirits aren’t much different from those summoned in previous Holy Grail Wars.”

What Merlin meant, of course, was the Holy Grail War in the Original Timeline. He didn’t know if it was due to limited Counter Force interference.

They could only use this Holy Grail War as a basis to oppose him.

“Boring. I still hoped the Counter Force could bring out some Divine Spirits to oppose me.”

Aslan yawned boredly, then gently stroked Manaka’s head, speaking very intimately.

“Then Manaka will trouble you later.”

Manaka held back her blushing face and clapped her hands. She immediately severed all Root-connected abilities in this place.

Including but not limited to Sha Naqba Imuru, Wisdom of Dún Scáith, Clairvoyance EX, etc.

Though the Sun Authority within Aslan’s body already had high-level passive Anti-Divination and Anti-Observation, so he wasn’t afraid of being observed by such things. But that didn’t stop him from blocking others’ cheats.

“It’s done, my prince.”

After finishing, Manaka leaned beside Aslan, her face full of hope for praise.

Aslan also pinched Manaka’s cheek as praise, while greater rewards would come later.

-

Title: Meeting Saber

The next day, on the streets of Fuyuki City.

Manaka sweetly clung to Aslan’s arm.

As a reward for Manaka, Aslan agreed to go on a date with her for the day.

As for Sakura, she was handed over to Merlin to be taught some basic Magecraft and knowledge.

After all, this useless Incubus had Hero Creation EX—might as well make use of him.

Of course, this was Sakura’s own decision. Aslan didn’t know what Sakura and Manaka had discussed.

Sakura also voluntarily let go of Aslan and went to study. She knew she was just a burden to him.

Whereas Manaka could help Aslan.

Besides, she was still very young.

“Ah, my prince, open your mouth.”

Manaka skewered a takoyaki and fed it into Aslan’s mouth with her hand.

Then she skewered one for herself and ate it.

Seemingly, that was enough to make her happy.

“Lia, what’s that? It smells delicious?”

As Aslan and Manaka were on their date, two clear voices rang in their ears.

Not far away, a beautiful silver-haired woman like a doll stood curiously at the stall where Aslan and Manaka had just bought takoyaki.

“Irisviel, this seems to be a local snack here. It’s called takoyaki.”

A “young man” with a small frame and golden ponytail, standing beside the silver-haired woman.

The “young man” wore a neat suit, with a firm, sharp gaze—as if he were a bodyguard protecting the childlike person beside him.

Aslan recognized their identities and could only say they had fate. He hadn’t expected to meet Saber here.

Artoria Pendragon and Irisviel von Einzbern.

“Lia, can we buy a little to try?”

Irisviel opened her shining eyes, speaking as if drool was dripping.

Though the Einzbern family’s treatment was quite good, was there any rule about food for Homunculi?

It could be said to be food, but more like nutrition.

Artoria hesitated for a moment, then nodded seriously. Whether it was just his imagination or not, Aslan seemed to see Saber swallow her saliva just now.

She definitely wanted it, for sure!

“Proper supplies are also essential before the final battle.”

Artoria nodded firmly, as if making an excuse, or as if convincing herself.

At this moment, Saber’s will seemed to resonate with Irisviel’s.

Both happily bought a portion of takoyaki and ate it joyfully.

They even fed each other without the slightest guilt.

It was just eating a snack. What was there to feel guilty about?

“My prince, what were you looking at just now?”

Manaka asked with great curiosity. She also seemed to have noticed Artoria and Irisviel’s movements earlier.

“Ssh, we’re watching Team Saber. The one in the suit earlier was Saber.”

Aslan said softly, also signaling Manaka to move more quietly.

Only they might not realize it. On the contrary, by doing so, their movements became more obvious and drew more attention.

But to others, this was just interaction between a couple.

“Irisviel, it seems someone is secretly watching us.”

After Artoria finished the remaining takoyaki in three bites, she spoke with great vigilance.

She didn’t even notice the food remnants left at the corner of her mouth.

“Ah? Really?”

Irisviel said with a confused expression. Weren’t they just off the plane?

They’d already been noticed by another team’s Master so quickly.

But Artoria couldn’t care that much. She immediately pulled Irisviel’s hand and walked toward a quieter place.

Irisviel also didn’t forget to use Magecraft to disperse the ordinary people there, so they wouldn’t be affected.

“It seems we’ve been found out?”

Aslan shook his head helplessly, then held Manaka’s hand and walked out from behind the lamppost.

Manaka’s face still held traces of joy and excitement, and a slight smile showed she hadn’t had enough fun.

After all, secretly stalking others with her prince—this was too exciting.

It was truly a feeling she’d never experienced before.

If they hadn’t been found out, she’d do it again next time.

Manaka was extremely satisfied with this date.

“Hello, are you also a knight come to deal with the Outer-Demon God?”

Aslan smiled and waved at them. He looked very radiant.

After all, he was a god’s follower of the Sun Star Spirit—how could he not be radiant?

He looked like, no, he was a straight, noble knight.

“I am Arthur Pendragon, come with the Holy Sword of the Star to eliminate the Outer-Demon God.”

“What about you?”

As he spoke, Aslan immediately manifested his Spiritual Origin. A beautiful knight’s armor and a magnificent golden longsword appeared in his hand.

Knight’s armor, a beautiful longsword, combined with his handsome face, tall posture, and a faint royal aura around him.

Perhaps no one was more suited to be Arthur, the King of Knights, than him.

Aslan’s actions also shocked Artoria and Irisviel.

Saber was speechless for a moment. Though she knew there might be other versions of herself in parallel worlds, it was still somewhat difficult to accept a male version of herself suddenly appearing.

Wait, a male version? How was that possible? How could there be a male King Arthur?

Almost all Artorias felt doubtful about their lives. After all, if Arthur were male, the relationship between Guinevere and Lancelot would never have happened.

“Lia, aren’t you King Arthur?”

Irisviel asked unconsciously. She had seen Artoria’s Servant status board.

She clearly remembered—Artoria was King Arthur.

“A joke. How could a prince be a girl?”

Hearing Irisviel’s words, Manaka couldn’t help but laugh.

Hearing Manaka’s mockery, Artoria also couldn’t hold back.

As the noble and proud King of Knights, she wouldn’t let anyone tarnish her dignity.

“Why can’t King Arthur be a girl?”

As she spoke, the Mana around Artoria surged. Armor resembling a cloak appeared on her body.

While the longsword in her hand was wrapped in Invisible Air, making people unable to see its shape or judge its length.

“Or would you like to test the sword spoken of by the girl in your mouth?”