As soon as those words left her mouth, everyone stared at her in shock.
The room instantly fell silent—one could hear a pin drop.
Especially Mordred, who looked completely incredulous.
Even though she was right there, her father actually dared to praise another girl as being more obedient, sensible, and more suited to be her daughter?
So what, am I being replaced?
Mordred felt like her little heart had been stabbed hard.
And right in front of her face too!
Why are you so good at this?
How many secret daughters have you recruited behind my back?
Just how far are you trying to push me away to be satisfied?
Mordred finally realized—her father was clearly using this to criticize her indirectly.
It was a deliberate slight, meant to scold her for her earlier defiance.
When she saw her chatting happily with Kirina, and even trying to become sworn sisters, her father instantly swooped in, stealing Kirina's favor, driving her to madly idolize her instead.
After that, Kirina would inevitably drift away—or even grow to hate her.
What a terrifying father!
Just look—this little girl they just met, her face had turned beet red, and her petite body trembled lightly.
She stammered in response, "Eh, n-no, that's not true. Lady Mordred is way, way better than me. I'm just a normal person…"
She was so nervous she was shaking all over, looking like she might faint at any moment.
Mordred sighed silently.
It's over. Another one conquered by her father—about to become the most fanatical of King-worshippers.
Back then, she too became one of the most devoted of the Round Table Knights after meeting her father.
Even the intense training from Nameless couldn't break her.
Young Mordred had bottled up all her emotions, striving with everything to prove herself to Nameless and Artoria.
And yet—
Nameless, though often scolding her, had always supported and encouraged her deep down.
Artoria, on the other hand, had always presented the image of a perfect, proud king—never once praising her.
Let alone acknowledging her identity.
In her despair, Mordred had once thought that as long as someone—just one person—recognized her, it would be enough.
But now, even Nameless might be taken away by her father.
She couldn't take it anymore.
That was when she launched the rebellion, trying to prove that her father had failed in politics, the people's welfare, and everything else!
Kirina felt her heart pounding wildly, like she was in a dream.
Today was just… too, too blissful!
The legendary King of Knights of the Round Table, King Artoria, actually said she was more suited to be her daughter than Mordred?
W-Wait, does that mean she wants me as her daughter?
Kirina's mouth went dry. Everything felt like a dream.
First, the absurdly rich Mr. Gold appeared, giving her a ticket to the Heroic Spirit gathering, allowing her to meet them face to face.
Praise be to Mr. Gold—you really are my God of Fortune!
When I get back, I'm totally going to set up an altar for you!
While she trembled with excitement and stepped back slightly, she nearly tripped on the edge of her skirt.
Artoria gently reached out and steadied her by the waist, helping her up.
Kirina looked at her with starry, breathless eyes.
Then Artoria adjusted her almost-fallen hat and said softly,
"There, wear your hat properly. You're excellent—no need to be so nervous. I'm not going to eat you."
"Thank you for the compliment, King Artoria!"
Kirina took a deep breath, trying desperately to calm herself down.
Her happiness felt unreal, her heart almost leaping out of her chest with joy and excitement.
Just then—
Jeanne, who had been silently watching, furrowed her brows slightly. "Tch… This clueless woman actually learned how to sweet-talk little girls?"
This woman—what kind of act was she putting on now?
If she really cared about others, would people call her cold and unfeeling?
Would Mordred have launched a rebellion against her, bringing about the fall of Ancient Britain?
Keep it simple, will you?
Cut the melodrama. You're not an actress. Don't script all these scenes!
When did you abandon your standards to put on such clumsy performances?
"You don't understand."
Artoria glanced at her casually. "You, who were born from the flames of vengeance, are the one who truly doesn't understand people. You know nothing at all."
A supposed saint of the Church, and yet after death became an Avenger, seeking to bring destruction to France.
She nearly destroyed the very nation that birthed and raised her.
And she dares say Artoria doesn't understand people?
"Hmph. My public approval rating is still higher than yours."
The Dark Saint snorted coldly.
As the fairest and most impartial national leader, her approval ratings had long remained over 99%, even higher than Artoria's.
She smiled at the girl. "Little girl, want to come to France? I happen to need a cute daughter. You're so obedient and well-mannered—I like you very much."
No matter what you want—I'll steal it!
You double it, I'll—
Super double it!
Let's see you beat me with your 17-card hand. If you do, I'll eat this little girl right now!
"Ehh?!"
Kirina stared blankly at her, wondering if she was still dreaming.
What the heck was going on?
Had Alaya finally stopped hiding her favor and was now making her into a full-on Mary Sue protagonist?
Two top Heroic Spirits—both rulers of nations—fighting to adopt her as a daughter?!
Goodness, if Sanjiro heard about this, that guy would definitely drop to his knees, hug her thigh, and scream that he'd won the lottery!
Unbelievable. Too unbelievable.
So… who should she choose?
King Artoria was flawless, noble, and truly kingly.
Though rumored to be cold, she was now treating Kirina with nothing but gentle affection like she would a daughter.
On the other hand, the Emperor of France was a dominant presence on the world stage, whose bold statements thrilled audiences everywhere.
The Dark Saint Jeanne—doing whatever she pleased, turning the French Parliament into her personal stage.
Anyone who dared oppose her would be shown the door—go home and farm potatoes!
This was what they called—
[Jeanne-Style Fairness]!
Becoming her daughter would mean lawless freedom—no one would dare restrain her.
Get whatever she wanted. Do whatever she pleased.
That would be too, too blissful!
For the first time ever, Kirina was torn by the weight of happiness.
Her mind went blank. She couldn't think at all.
What to do? Who should she choose?
"Kirina, we're going to tour Fuyuki Academy City soon—you're welcome to come with us," Artoria said as she stood, not rushing her at all.
Earlier, mysterious signals from Avalon had begun recharging the long-lost sheath of Excalibur.
Clearly…
It was all Merlin's doing.
He had always been at odds with Nameless and would surely enjoy seeing her fooled and humiliated.
That nightmare-loving trickster was probably watching the drama unfold from the Tower at the End.
Maybe he was even on-site already!
But that didn't matter.
Artoria had come to Fuyuki City merely to see how he was doing—not daring to hope he'd return with her.
He even had a new daughter now. Could he really have settled down with some woman?
No—wait.
This new daughter's identity seemed… special. She didn't seem fully human—more like a composite entity.
Artoria instinctively sensed something was wrong.
Could it be—
Nameless was once again burdened with responsibility? Pretending to be retired but still guarding the world?
That man was so maddening… and so lovable.
…
As they left the lounge to visit the student representatives and tour the Academy City—
Countless people waited nervously.
Fuyuki Academy City, hailed as the world's first and only Mage Academy.
It was constructed under the order of the First Emperor as a vast experimental ground for magecraft.
Once successful, the project would spread basic mage education across the empire.
The visit from three world leaders was no surprise.
Student representatives stood silently in place, pale with anxiety.
Sanjiro was naturally among them.
He had been "voluntarily" nominated by Ilya, Rin, Julian, and other "friends" to serve as a student rep and interact with the Heroic Spirits up close.
Everything felt like it was being orchestrated by some unseen hand.
He didn't even want to interact with Heroic Spirits, and yet—here they were, coming straight to him.
Was this Alaya's doing? Or Merlin's nightmarish schemes?
Sanjiro no longer had time to consider that.
Because the Heroic Spirits… were coming out once again.
True danger was approaching…
…
Dozens of meters away—
A handsome man in a suit was standing, watching the approaching Heroic Spirits from a distance.
It was none other than Merlin, who had specifically come from the Tower at the End to enjoy the show.
"The grand performance has finally begun. Nameless, where are you hiding?"
He casually scanned the crowd, trying to spot Nameless among them.
Unfortunately, it was all in vain.
Even when he tried channeling the root of Utopia earlier to recharge Avalon, he couldn't locate any trace of him.
But it didn't matter.
Artoria and the others would help him find Nameless!
All he needed to do was play the part of a proper VIP spectator—watching quietly from the sidelines.
In truth—
He wasn't alone.
Countless people around the world were glued to the livestream, afraid they might miss the moment Nameless appeared on screen.
Everyone was just in it for the fun. Of course they'd love to witness Nameless getting the yandere treatment.
What did feeling bad for Nameless have to do with wanting to see the knife scene play out?
As the Heroic Spirits made their appearance, Merlin silently concealed his presence.
As a Grand Caster candidate, even Heroic Spirits wouldn't be able to pierce through his disguise.
And so, the main event was about to begin.
The Heroic Spirits, surrounded by cheering crowds, left the Fuyuki Grand Hotel and arrived at Academy City.
At the main gate—
An enormous crowd had already been waiting.
As soon as the Heroic Spirits appeared, they all erupted into cheers—
"King Artoria!"
"King of Heroes!"
"Dark Saint!"…
Countless voices melded into a tidal wave, echoing in every direction.
Student representatives stepped forward to offer flowers and serve as guides to show the Heroic Spirits around campus.
One ordinary-looking student in a neat school uniform stepped up in front of the King of Heroes.
His face was slightly pale, and his voice trembled slightly as he said, "Greetings, King of Heroes!"
"No need to be nervous. I'm merely here for a tour,"
Gilgamesh replied with a warm smile.
But inside, he was very amused.
This boy in front of him—was clearly Nameless.
Tch. He's putting on a good act, flawlessly playing the role of a regular student nervously meeting a Heroic Spirit.
"Your Majesty the King of Heroes, I will be guiding you around the school. I hope I can be of help,"
Sanjiro said with a nervous smile, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
Then—
He heard the King of Heroes' voice, lips unmoving, speak directly into his ears:
"Nice performance. Let's see how well you keep it up in front of those two."
"You flatter me, King of Heroes. I'm just an ordinary student."
Sanjiro resisted the urge to kick him.
This bastard was clearly enjoying the moment—waiting to see him suffer.
What a wonderful best friend!
Just then, he heard another voice transmission:
"You know, before I arrived, I was approached by Merlin."
"Which part of the campus would you like to see first, Your Majesty?"
Sanjiro's heart trembled. His suspicions were confirmed.
So that damn bastard was the mastermind behind all this.
"Let's begin with the academic zones,"
Gilgamesh said with interest, continuing his voice transmission.
"Mordred and Jeanne—Merlin recruited them too."
"…"
A sudden surge of murderous intent bloomed in Sanjiro's heart.
So it turns out the appearance of the Three Kings in Fuyuki City was all part of Merlin's plot!
"Also," Gilgamesh added, revealing another heavy-hitting truth, "the foolish false gods from across the ocean seem to be planning to come to Fuyuki as well."
"…Illya is already waiting inside the campus."
Sanjiro's sense of dread deepened.
Those twisted beings aiming for mechanical transcendence—to become true gods—were undoubtedly after Illya.
If they got their hands on her, they'd gain the qualification to summon the mighty Heracles.
Those lunatics might even start a war—
Destroying Fuyuki City…
Possibly even the entire Japanese archipelago!
Truly, the tree wishes for stillness, but the wind will not cease.
Sanjiro felt more and more helpless.
Can't a regular high schooler just attend class in peace!?
Get lost already! Stop ruining my school life!
"Ahahahaha! My dearest friend, you can't hide anymore!"
Gilgamesh's smile grew ever more radiant.
Countless brutal battles lay ahead, and no one could predict what the future held.
But—
This time, he was here!
"…"
Sanjiro didn't want to deal with him anymore.
That guy just loved basking in the spotlight, reveling in the world's attention—the exact opposite of himself.
That these two had somehow become close frenemies… was probably a twisted kind of fate.
As he walked past the ever-smirking Golden King, he moved on to receive greetings from the other Heroic Spirits.
The Emperor of France, with golden eyes, looked at him and said:
"Oh? You're the student representative of Academy City—Sanjiro, was it?"