Don't look out the window.
Although the request sounded strange, Matou Kariya—being the type of honest man who stayed quiet when he didn't understand something—simply sat upright, trembling with unease.
Meanwhile, Arthur finally breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the Tohsaka mother and daughter vanish into the crowd.
Suddenly, a man slid into the seat beside him.
With a burst of exaggerated laughter, the already-tense atmosphere in the café took on an even stranger edge, drawing curious glances from nearby patrons.
Arthur's expression instantly soured. He inched as far away as possible without falling off the seat.
"Wow~wow, doesn't this feel familiar, Artorius? Just like that time you and that witch escaped from the Roman camp—only to be stopped by me."
Lucius smirked, leaning closer, his movements dripping with theatrical malice.
Unfortunately for him, the intention was far too obvious.
Arthur raised a finger, a faint starlight shimmering at its tip.
A razor-sharp aura flared, pushing Lucius back as if by an invisible blade. The glow was so dim that no ordinary bystander would notice it, but it was enough to make Lucius grimace.
Forced to halt, Lucius rested his chin in one hand and, with mock helplessness, kept his distance—content to admire from afar.
There was nothing else he could do.
Manifesting as a Berserker left his mana control crude at best. Worse, his class skill—[Magic Release (Thunder)]—meant that any use of mana would erupt in crimson lightning. Subtlety was impossible.
"You're doing it again—always so meticulous with the little details. If I cause a public scene, you'll be the first to petition the Church to send a crusade after me, claiming I violated the Holy Grail War's rules."
So no, Lucius wasn't stupid at all.
"Hmph! Why don't you try?" Arthur replied coolly. "And let's be clear: I wasn't running away back then. No matter how you spin it, there's no reason for me to fear you."
"Oh, here we go again. You're as stubborn as ever, Red Dragon."
"I'm not in the mood for your nonsense, Lucius. How were you even summoned?"
"Wow~wow, how amusing. Since you were summoned, why couldn't I be? In fact, it's only natural. If you appeared in this era, then of course I would too."
Lucius's grin widened.
In their war against Rome, Arthur hadn't erased Lucius from history the way the old sword might have. But the world Arthur came from wasn't the same as pan-human history to begin with—it was already a divergent reality.
After all, Arthur had entered this world as a Servant through special means.
A living person could not normally become a Servant. The "King Arthur" of pan-human history was long dead, and that role was already filled by Artoria. Therefore, Arthur could only manifest here as a different-world counterpart—a King Arthur from another reality. To do so, he would have to conceptually "die," which in truth was impossible. Instead, [Heaven's Will, Kunlun Wonderland] and [The Overlord's Court (Boundary)] had separated his Britain from the Type-Moon world.
Thus Britain still existed—observable to the naked eye—but as a separate world entirely. And this world here was yet another step removed.
A world within a world.
In other words, his identity as "King Arthur" could only be solidified once he was no longer present in his own realm, after which he could descend fully through the [Gate of Eternal Calamity].
As for Lucius… technically, it wasn't impossible for him to be summoned, but it should have been impossible without the proper catalyst.
Arthur's mind immediately went to the magic sword he'd lost during his first battle with Gilgamesh—originally Lucius's weapon. If a magus had retrieved it, summoning "Lucius" would make sense… though theoretically, it should have produced the pan-human version, not this one.
"Fine, I'll tell you," Lucius said, leaning forward. "My soul has always been with you, Red Dragon. This is our fate—spanning millennia, crossing space itself! Even the laws of the world can't keep me away. This time, you'll become my collection."
Arthur's disgust deepened.
"Wait—you've been with me this whole time?" His voice dropped in horror. "Don't tell me you've been lurking in my dreams. Stop saying things that make me want to vomit."
"Oh, doubting me? How cruel." Lucius smiled lazily. "I've been inside Florent all along. No matter whether you conquered Rome or built the Kingdom of the Sky, I've seen it all."
Lucius's tone grew almost reverent.
"I told you before—we were the gods of our era! Born to rule the earth and all its creatures! You refused me then, but in the end… you outdid me. You became even more like a god."
"Shut up!"
Arthur's face had gone pale—not because of Lucius's arrogance, but because… if Lucius's soul had truly remained within the magic sword all this time, fully conscious, fully aware—
Then that meant he'd been spying on Arthur for five years straight.
And Florent hadn't just been lying around anywhere—it had hung in Arthur's office at Merlin's insistence.
No wonder Merry had worn that strange expression when she retrieved it from the battlefield. Even Arthur's clairvoyance hadn't pierced it. Only Merlin and Merry, two top-class illusionists, could have hidden Lucius from his sight.
When I get back, I'm chopping them both into pieces.
"Figured it out, have you?" Lucius asked smugly. "Moved beyond words, perhaps?"
"Shut up. I'm too disgusted to talk." Arthur ground his teeth.
Honestly, he almost wished he'd never asked. At least then, he wouldn't feel this nauseated.
"Brother, I'm scared… Is he the pervert they warn about on TV?" Sakura asked timidly.
"That's right," Arthur said without hesitation.
Matou Kariya was too stunned to even think.
"What? Did you just—" Lucius rose from his seat, indignant.
But against Arthur, all he could do was swallow his temper.
What truly stung was catching Sakura's triumphant little smirk—almost challenging him.
Oh? Interesting… No—this girl… this woman—does she mean to steal my Red Dragon?
"Kid, I'm not giving you the rest of Artorius," Lucius said with deadly seriousness, as though addressing a sworn rival.
Arthur: "???"
And just like that, as the three (or perhaps four) glared at each other, the guest Arthur had been waiting for finally arrived.
-End Chapter-
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