So, the question remained: how on earth did Chaldea manage to cram Ivan the Terrible and Gorgon into their corridors? They looked perfectly normal-sized.
After fruitless pondering, Jiang You decided to give up. After all, in this timeline, Chaldea was practically devoid of active Heroic Spirits.
"Your current body can't even fit into the furniture designed for your sisters..."
Jiang You had no better ideas. "If you want to live with them normally, you'll have to abandon this Spirit Origin."
"...Am I the tribute to summon Tiamat?"
Gorgon's face darkened. "I've already heard from Kingu that Tiamat will only awaken when my Spirit Origin disappears. So everything you said about me living with my sisters was a lie, wasn't it? You humans never speak the truth."
"Even while doing time in the sewing machine, that guy can't stay out of trouble. He's picking his words so carefully just to annoy me."
The Kingu of this era hadn't yet been redeemed by Siduri, retaining his former ways. Given the current situation, it seemed unlikely he ever would be. "The tribute is someone else. If the Spirit Origin reaction in this timeline disappears, it will be quite easy to resolve. Remember when you first encountered my Noble Phantasm? If I summon you there without a Duel, your Spirit Origin will vanish from this era."
"Besides, we're all dead anyway. What does it matter if we're human or not?"
Jiang You had no intention of lying to Gorgon. He didn't want this Spirit Origin mixed with Tiamat's Divinity. While its strength had increased, he usually lacked the necessary flesh and blood to build Gorgon a Temple. Moreover, its Demonic Nature far surpassed even Shuten-dōji's, making it imperative for Gorgon to return to the Throne of Heroes and refresh her state.
"I will indeed make your Spirit Origin vanish with this Singularity, but only after it's been repaired."
"With your abilities, you have no need to lie to me."
Gorgon found Kingu, who had deceived her with false affection, even more untrustworthy than before. Jiang You's candor softened her expression considerably. "Anyway... thank you for giving me the chance to apologize to my Sisters. Once I vanish, I entrust them to you. Those two have no will of their own around our Sister, so I worry."
Gorgon's tone shifted abruptly, her bright serpentine eyes now glinting with menace. "But! Neither you nor our Sister are allowed to do anything excessive to them. If you dare, I'll hunt you down to the ends of the earth!"
"Handle this yourself," Jiang You replied coolly. "I have no interest in being ordered around by those two."
From a human perspective, both their personalities were rather vile. Jiang You's interest lay solely in their appearances. "Besides, you're no match for me. How dare you make such demands? Hurry up and surrender yourself!"
"Me?"
Gorgon wore an indescribable expression. "You're just as detestable as all humans, after all. But I never imagined your tastes were quite so... peculiar. My gratitude toward you hasn't reached that point, yet my Sisters are still in your clutches... I..."
"Wait a minute," Jiang You interrupted.
Jiang You quickly cut Gorgon off, knowing that if she continued, the System would issue a warning. Gorgon, in truth, knew little about his abilities and was unfamiliar with him. His words were indeed open to misinterpretation. While he preferred petite girls, he also had a keen interest in more robust figures—he wasn't picky, just genuinely lustful. However, this particular "vehicle" had reached the scale of a mining truck, and even with his voracious appetite, he wasn't quite up for that. Moreover, this was a wholesome game where even slightly intimate contact would trigger a System warning.
"What are you thinking? I meant your card—how would I have summoned your Sisters? Didn't they tell you?"
"O-oh, is that how it was?"
Gorgon blushed slightly, blaming the outcome on the shallow humans who coveted her. "Since the Sisters have already gone this far, I won't refuse. Just don't make me separate from them."
Jiang You's goal was card collection, and he had no reason to refuse this minor request that would boost Affection. "No problem. I'll arrange special accommodations for you away from the crowds."
Having achieved his objective, Jiang You bid farewell to the Gorgon Sisters at the annex and departed. He still needed to use this downtime to improve his Affection with other Servants, such as White Lancer Artoria.
White Lancer Artoria had also been summoned during this period. When she saw the city walls of Ur, identical in style to those of Camelot, she was astonished. Jiang You briefly explained to her about Fairy Tristan and the Faerie Kingdom. Considering Artoria's deep connection to Britain, it wasn't impossible for her to be summoned in that Lostbelt. He wondered how Morgan would react upon seeing this Artoria.
"The Faerie Realm of Britain? Morgan still can't let go of her obsession, it seems."
White Lancer Artoria strolled through Ur's streets with Jiang You. The shops here were remarkably similar to those of the 20th century, even featuring hamburger joints.
"If we're talking about obsession, aren't you the same?" Jiang You retorted.
The Lion King, endlessly wandering the world to protect her kingdom, unwilling to depart, was no different from Morgan.
"Speaking of which, shall we grab something to eat?" Jiang You asked.
"No need," White Lancer Artoria replied. "With the great battle imminent, magical power is paramount for Heroic Spirits. Indulging in worldly desires might corrode my battle spirit, so it's best to set that aside for now... Besides, this food isn't particularly healthy."
If it were the black Artoria, she would have bluntly declared her love for these high-calorie junk foods. But the white Artoria, ever mindful of her dignity as a King, remained more reserved.
"But you're drooling," Jiang You pointed to the corner of his own mouth.
Startled, White Lancer Artoria hastily wiped her mouth, only to find it perfectly dry. By the time she turned back, Jiang You had already emerged with a plate of food. As the Royal Advisor of the Faerie Realm (Pseudo), he could indulge in a "zero-dollar shopping" spree without restraint. (Here, currency operated on a points system, with points earned through arena battles and gathering magical materials.)
"By the power of my Command Spell," Jiang You declared with wide-eyed earnestness, "Artoria, you will join me for a proper meal."
"Our contract doesn't include Command Spells," White Lancer Artoria replied after a moment's hesitation, "but since it's my Master's request, I'd be ungracious to refuse."
Jiang You's message notification lit up: regardless of which Artoria it was, feeding them was the easiest and most reliable way to boost their Affection.
The following days passed without incident, everything progressing smoothly. The civilians of Ur and Uruk were successfully evacuated to the temple on Ebihu Mountain. Of course, the temple couldn't accommodate such a large population, so Jiang You had Hundred Faces procure tents and sleeping bags from the 20th century.
Merlin and Medea had completed their fortifications. Though Medea handled most of the work, she was immensely satisfied with the guidance she had received from the Quasi-Grand-class mage.
Now, the final battle was at hand.