Perhaps because she was too busy to spare the time, Siduri didn't come to the Chaldea Embassy today—but she still had someone deliver breakfast.
Even though she was already so overwhelmed, she still looked after the daily needs of Rozen and the others to such a degree. It wasn't hard to see why this person could serve as the aide to the proud King of Heroes.
With gratitude in their hearts, Rozen and Mash set out to rouse Merlin and Anna so they could all enjoy breakfast together.
At present, only the four of them were in the Chaldea Embassy, along with Altera—who didn't want to appear before others—and Fou, who had woken early and was running about on his own.
The rest were all away, presumably overwhelmed by their respective tasks. That alone was enough to show just how busy things had become.
In such circumstances, Rozen's group might have been the only ones in all of Uruk who could afford to wake up leisurely and enjoy a relaxed breakfast.
At the very least, when Rozen dragged Merlin down to the first-floor hall, the sounds of bustling voices and the familiar clanging of ironwork had already begun outside, bringing back the vibrancy of Uruk.
Living in such an environment made even slacking off feel impossible.
It had to be said—Uruk truly had an extraordinary vitality and centripetal force, drawing people in without their even realizing it, leaving them unable to remain idle.
Even Rozen—who had always been the laid-back type—had gotten up early. That fact alone was proof enough.
Only Merlin remained the same, as heedless as ever.
"I went to bed really late last night, come on, let me sleep a bit more," he pleaded as Rozen dragged him into the hall.
"Fou! Fou!"
Fou leapt onto Rozen's shoulder and immediately gave Merlin a look full of disdain.
Rozen likewise glanced sidelong at Merlin.
"Don't think I don't know what time you actually got back last night," Rozen said irritably. "According to modern time, even though you returned around two or three in the morning, it's already about nine now. You've had six or seven hours of sleep—that should be enough, right?"
"How could it be!?" Merlin protested. "People's sleep needs vary! Some only need three or four hours, but others require more. And besides, I'm not even human! I'm half Incubus—my sleep cycle is completely different from yours!"
"Is that so?" Rozen said flatly. "So what, are you saying we should let you go back to bed?"
"Of course." Merlin nodded earnestly. "You know most of my mana is being used elsewhere. I'm not at full capacity right now, so resting more is the smart choice, right?"
The Magus of Flowers was still as fond of glib excuses as ever.
And unfortunately, his arguments were practically airtight, leaving people helpless against them.
Of course, that's only if one chose to argue with him.
"If you really want to rest that badly, I can let you rest forever," Rozen said, smiling serenely. "Artoria already said it's fine to lop your head off if I find you annoying. Since the King of Knights herself said so, you're not going to argue I don't have the right, are you?"
"Bringing up the king at a time like this is totally cheating!" Merlin wailed, slumping down. "Besides, even back in Camelot, I wasn't worked like this! This is a violation of basic rights—I demand justice!"
"Too bad," Rozen rolled his eyes. "You said it yourself—you're not human. Half-Incubus doesn't fall under human rights law. Also, my contracted Artoria has already undergone [Alter]—she's not the high-minded, compassionate version from life. If you'd like, you can wait until she wakes up and ask her yourself whether she'll work you to death."
With that, Rozen sat down without another glance at him.
Merlin sighed miserably and eventually dragged himself to the seat across from Rozen.
Just then, Mash came down from upstairs with Anna.
"Good morning, Mr. Merlin," Mash greeted politely, then proudly turned to Rozen. "Senpai, I brought Miss Anna down!"
Anna, as always, wore her pitch-black cloak with the hood up, hiding her face.
But—
"Good morning," she said softly, head bowed, to Rozen.
"Good morning," Rozen replied with a smile.
The sight made Merlin—who had just been slouching in exhaustion—jolt upright.
"Oh? Ohh? Ohoho?"
Merlin looked between Rozen and Anna with wide eyes, as if he'd just uncovered something shocking.
Then, his lips curled into a delighted grin.
"My, how rare! I didn't think Anna would ever greet our dear Master."
With a face full of intrigue, Merlin's comment made Anna freeze.
After a moment's silence, she spoke.
"What's so strange about that?" she said unhappily. "I know how to say hello."
"Is that so?" Merlin said with mischievous amusement. "I thought you hated humans?"
"…Courtesy and dislike are two different things," Anna retorted, briefly speechless. "Besides, right now, I hate Incubi more than humans. Don't talk to me."
Leaving those words behind, Anna walked straight over and sat beside Rozen.
Seeing this, Mash quickly took the other seat on Rozen's other side.
Thus, Rozen sat between the two, flanked on either side—while Merlin sat all alone across from them.
Yet Merlin didn't seem sad at all. On the contrary, he nodded happily to himself.
He even said:
"As expected of the greatest Master in history—no matter the Servant, they always end up in the palm of your hand. Ahhh, I, Merlin, am thoroughly convinced now. No wonder even the [Alter] version of our King fell for you. Excellent, truly excellent."
Merlin kept nodding as though giving a grand appraisal.
Honestly, he was asking for a punch.
Rozen's mouth twitched. Even Anna's expression darkened as she silently reached for her scythe.
Only Mash tried to ease the atmosphere with a strained laugh.
"Mr. Merlin seems to be in high spirits today."
She had meant to calm things down.
Unexpectedly, Merlin responded with full sincerity.
"Of course I am," he said without hesitation. "Even though I'm pretty much a jerk—and I fully admit it—there are still one or two people I care about. Sadly, things never end well for those I care about. To be honest, your appearance, Master, was a real surprise to me."
Everyone fell silent at that.
Especially Rozen, who raised an eyebrow, faintly understanding who Merlin was referring to.
It had to be Artoria.
The King of Knights who received no salvation, who dedicated her life to Britain only to be betrayed by it—who met a tragic end.
Now reversed, she might find resolution through Rozen. For Merlin, that was truly something to be happy about.
Perhaps that was why Merlin had followed Rozen all this time—why he'd come to view him in a new light.
And Anna, too, had earned the regard of this great Magus.
To see this girl—who had always claimed to hate humans—change even slightly must have warmed Merlin's heart.
"Well, since it's such a beautiful morning, I won't go back to crafting dreams. Come, come, let's eat breakfast."
With Merlin cheerfully ushering them on, the group exchanged glances—and ultimately said nothing more as they began their meal.
However, not long after, a terrible message spread throughout Uruk.
"The goddesses have launched a full-scale assault on Uruk!"
A report powerful enough to plunge all of Uruk into chaos… had arrived.