Since the church windows were damaged but not completely broken, the opening could only accommodate three people at most.
Naturally, Kairi, Astolfo, and Jeanne d'Arc squeezed in together. The three of them jostled against each other like children, their faces pressed against the window, their eyes fixed intently on the scene inside the church.
Everyone knew that in this Holy Grail War, there existed a pair who were both father and child as well as bitter rivals—Mordred, the Red Saber, and Artoria, the suspected Black Assassin.
The King of Britain, and the Knight of Treachery who destroyed Britain.
Everyone had a premonition that the grudge between them would eventually erupt, and the anticipation of the onlookers was fulfilled at this very moment—judging from the conversation inside the church, the atmosphere was clearly charged with tension.
Come on, let's see some bloodshed!
Schadenfreude is human nature, and even heroic spirits are not immune. Aside from the worried father figure Kairi, even Jeanne d'Arc's eyes sparkled with curiosity, fascinated by the "father" with a similar face yet so different in demeanor.
Even this saintly king was provoked to the point of drawing Excalibur... So raising a child is comparable to waging war?
With all sorts of thoughts swirling in their minds, the center of their vision was occupied by several figures who were both familiar and unfamiliar.
Familiar because they were Mordred, Artoria, and Reika Rikudou.
As for why they were unfamiliar...
Jeanne's face gradually turned red as she watched: "Red Saber, Mordred... what kind of outfit is that?!"
The simple country girl had never seen Mordred's delinquent-style attire before. It was worth noting that in the Fortress of Millennia, Mordred had never taken off her armor. Thus, the outrageously short hot pants, the barely-there crop top, and the vast expanse of exposed skin gave Jeanne an unprecedented shock, leading her to make an evaluation almost identical to King Arthur's.
"T-This is utterly shameless!"
"Huh?" Kairi tilted his head. "Seems normal to me."
The moment he spoke, he was met with Jeanne's disdainful glare, as if he were some kind of pervert.
"Hey, hey..."
"Master, I want that outfit!" Astolfo pointed at Mordred's clothes, his eyes sparkling with excitement as he looked at Sieg. Under the assault of those starry eyes, Sieg reluctantly gave in. With their interruption, Kairi and Jeanne skipped over the issue of Mordred's attire and turned their attention to the next contestant.
"Speaking of which, as expected of Britain's King Arthur. Even in different attire, she exudes the same majesty..."
"Yes, compared to Mordred, this is much better."
Different attire?
Sakatsuki's instincts tingled. He stepped forward, plucked Astolfo aside, and squeezed in to peer through the window. There, clad in a white dress shirt and black fitted trousers, Artoria came into view.
Perhaps Kairi noticed the king's unapproachable aura, but in Sakatsuki's eyes, all he saw were the graceful curves outlined by the outfit and the irresistible allure of the uniform...
"I must have been corrupted by Atalanta," he muttered, yet no matter how much Astolfo fussed, Sakatsuki remained rooted to the spot like a tree.
Then came the third person in the church—Reika Rikudou.
Compared to the flat-chested Artoria, this former wealthy young lady was truly curvaceous, soft and alluring. Her noticeably more pronounced and voluptuous bust, the figure-hugging pencil skirt, and most importantly, the sheer black stockings she so knowingly wore—the riding crop in her hand seemed less like an instrument of punishment and more like an essential prop for certain... adult games.
It wasn't Sakatsuki's fault for thinking this way. Dressed in office lady attire, Reika lacked any semblance of a strong, professional demeanor. Instead, she still appeared delicate and fragile, as if anyone could easily push her down.
"Mommy!" The church doors burst open as a silver-haired girl in bright children's clothes rushed in, arms full of items, burying her face in Reika's chest to stop her momentum. Giggling like a little bird, she chirped, "I got everything!"
"Good girl, Jack! You're already able to go shopping by yourself. How was the shopkeeper? Did you hurt anyone?"
"Mmm... I really wanted to kill him, but he wasn't a woman, and killing people here is wrong, right?"
"Yes, yes! That's my clever Jack. You've learned so much already. So good!"
"Ehehehe..."
Watching the giggling silver-haired girl and the 'mother' she clung to, Mordred's expression turned complicated. Suddenly, she turned to Artoria:
"Hey, their conversation is seriously weird. Aren't you going to do something about it?"
Is there anything weirder than us trying to kill each other... Artoria rolled her eyes. Noticing Mordred had—yet again—propped her legs up on the table, her face darkened as she reached for Avalon, ready to teach her a lesson. But those pale legs swiftly retreated under the table, and when she looked up, Mordred was sticking her tongue out at her.
A perfect delinquent.
"Honestly, I've never seen Saber act like this... It's like she's deliberately trying to provoke her 'father.'"
"If Mordred heard that title, she'd definitely punch you."
"You mean 'father'? But that's what Mordred calls the King of Knights—even if she only lets it slip sometimes."
"You know that too..."
"Now's not the time for this," Jeanne d'Arc interjected, cutting off the idle chatter between Sakatsuki and Kairi. "Can you two tell what the Red Faction is planning with Mordred? If Artoria's outfit is purely for personal taste, then what's the deal with Miss Reika Rikudou's attire? Is it some kind of mystic code I'm unaware of?"
The moment she finished speaking, Sakatsuki's expression turned odd. "...You don't know?"
"Um... no... I don't...?"
Staring at the utterly clueless saint, Sakatsuki could only sigh and rub his forehead, finally managing to squeeze out one sentence.
"You should try wearing it sometime. Trust me, it's not just effective against men—it boosts attack speed too."
As expected, Kairi shot him the same look of disdain.
You've got guts, kid, even trying to trick the saint.
What left him even more speechless was that Jeanne didn't seem the least bit suspicious. Instead, she nodded seriously and began scrutinizing Reika's outfit with great interest.
Who knew if she genuinely didn't understand—or if she just trusted someone a little too much...
Lost in his thoughts, Kairi failed to notice that Jeanne d'Arc's earlobes had turned bright red. Deep within their shared soul, Laeticia cupped her hands over her mouth and shouted:
"Saintess, don't be fooled! This is just professional office attire, it doesn't have any special effects!"
"I-I know..." Jeanne covered her face with her hands, "But the problem is the distance—it's too close!"
Only when Jeanne said this did Laeticia belatedly realize that Sakatsuki, in order to secure the best vantage point for the unfolding drama, had taken Astolfo's central position as a buffer zone. His left side was pressed against Kairi, while on the right—due to their size difference—it almost looked as if Jeanne's face was voluntarily resting on Sakatsuki's shoulder.
Sakatsuki didn't feel anything unusual, but Jeanne hadn't yet recovered from being "sunk" by his gentlemanly version earlier. Being this close to the young man involuntarily reminded her of that outfit, sending her self-inflicted affection levels skyrocketing.
And thus, at lightning speed, the saintess's embarrassment threshold was breached.
"I leave this to you, Laeticia!"
The golden-haired saintess instantly switched personas, her eyes flashing with resignation—clearly Laeticia had taken over. Unlike Jeanne, she didn't have so many complicated thoughts. She simply glanced curiously at the crowd peeking in from outside the church.
It reminded her of the boys who used to peek into her classroom back in school. So they were looking at me out of curiosity?
Who said heroes must always remain aloof? Even the most famous figures could be troubled by child-rearing or caught gossiping while eavesdropping outside.
...Suddenly, they all seemed much more relatable.
Laeticia smiled faintly and continued observing the scene inside the church. Before Mordred, who had already started whistling, Artoria's ahoge trembled with anger as she began drawing her holy sword, a visible "vein" mark popping on her forehead.
"Calm down, Artoria. Remember why we...ahem, brought her here," Reika intervened inside the church, stopping the furious Saber as she rummaged through the props little Jack had brought. Finally, she pulled out three books, cradling them like treasures. "Found it!"
The spectators outside immediately focused, straining their eyes.
What weapon could make Reika so confident it would conquer Mordred? A mind-altering elixir? Hypnotic mystic codes? Or perhaps a decisive Noble Phantasm?
After much squinting from afar, the gilded titles became clear: "Children's Encyclopedia of Great Britain"!
"W-what the hell is this?!" Mordred gaped. "Hey, are you joking, King of Knights? This looks like something for three-year-old brats!"
"What do you know? This was carefully selected after extensive research by Reika and me," Artoria declared triumphantly, crossing her arms. "I refuse to believe this won't work on you!"
"The Children's Encyclopedia of Great Britain, also known as Britannica, is published by Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., the same company behind the famous Merriam-Webster Dictionary..."
Laeticia recited the book's origins mechanically, then glanced at the equally stunned Mordred, barely suppressing her amusement.
If the Encyclopædia Britannica company knew about this, they would be overjoyed. A royal edition of books carefully selected by the King of Britain herself for her child—what could be a more powerful advertisement than that?
After all, who would have thought that the legendary King Arthur not only came back to life but was also painstakingly re-educating Mordred? And using books from a publisher bearing the name of Britain, no less!
Even third-rate dramas wouldn't dare to write such a plot!
Just as the onlookers marveled at the amusing twists of time and space, inside the church, Artoria flipped through the hefty tome and suddenly furrowed her brows. Stealthily pulling Reika aside, she led her to the window where the crowd was gathered.
Had they been discovered?!
The spectators held their breath, only to see the saintly king turn to Reika with a pleading look.
"Help me, Reika... How am I supposed to teach this?"
The girl, whose own child was already nearly as old as her, couldn't hide her distress.
Reika: "..."
The onlookers: "..."
A moment later, a synchronized cry of disbelief echoed through the skies.
"HUH—?!!"