"My king, we are relieved to see you unharmed."
The explosion from the control room had startled everyone on standby outside.
But when they saw Shiomi leap through the smoke and fire with Artoria in his arms and land safely outside, Gawain and Tristan—now free—dragged their still-recovering bodies forward and knelt before Artoria to welcome her return.
"Please, rise. I'm no longer a king. I'm just a Servant like the rest of you," Artoria said calmly.
Tristan frowned deeply. "But we raised our blades against you. Such a crime... please, Your Majesty, punish us."
"That wasn't your fault. I have no intention of punishing you," Artoria replied with a sigh.
"Your Majesty's magnanimity humbles us," Gawain said with heartfelt reverence.
Shiomi quipped, "She really is."
Knowing what Shiomi was actually implying, Artoria pretended not to hear.
"But since they're begging so earnestly," Shiomi added, stirring the pot, "why not do as you did with Mordred in Camelot—reward each of them with a strike from the Holy Lance?"
"Absolutely not!" Artoria rejected the idea immediately.
The two knights, who had no memories of the Camelot Singularity, exchanged confused glances before standing up at Artoria's gesture.
"You must be the Master of Chaldea, under our king's command," Gawain greeted Shiomi. "We were disrespectful earlier. From now on, we'll atone with our strength."
"Your king never said she serves me," Shiomi replied with diplomatic grace. "The King of Knights is simply concerned about the future of humanity and chose to help of her own will. The title of 'Master' is just a procedural role."
After all, Artoria's decision to join Chaldea was driven more by personal reasons than duty—though it wouldn't be appropriate to spell that out.
"I understand," Tristan nodded slightly. "Even if it's only for this Singularity, we'll fight as Servants by your side, Master."
"I'm grateful. Since you rarely get the chance to reunite with your king, feel free to catch up a bit here." Shiomi looked toward Morgan. "I'll speak with the others about what comes next."
"I'll go with you," Artoria said. "Personal matters can wait. It's more important we deal with this Singularity as soon as possible."
She followed Shiomi and rejoined the rest of the group.
Tristan was just about to follow when he noticed Gawain still standing there, silently watching the retreating figures of Artoria and Shiomi with a thoughtful expression.
"What is it, Sir Tristan?" Gawain asked.
"What do you mean?" Tristan replied.
"Just seeing the King and Queen Morgan working together is already shocking," Gawain said, resting his chin in his hand. "But don't you think the King and the Master... seem unusually close?"
Tristan looked startled and lowered his voice. "So you noticed it too, Sir Gawain!"
Gawain nodded solemnly. "Of course. But that's Her Majesty's business. Still... Sir Tristan, about that girl, Passionlip—"
"Yes, quite the sight. I imagine you're itching to strike up a conversation, but you're holding back in front of the King, aren't you?" Tristan said.
"Wouldn't you want to, too?" Gawain responded, as if it were obvious.
The two began whispering to each other about wildly off-topic things.
Shiomi sensed he was being watched. While it felt strange, there was no malice—just an uncomfortable sense of being scrutinized. So, he simply pretended not to notice.
After all, there were more pressing matters to deal with.
"U-Um… Nice to meet you, everyone. I'm an Alter Ego—Passionlip. I know I've been fighting against you all up to now, so even saying hello might just make things awkward..."
Passionlip introduced herself, nervously fidgeting.
"Don't worry about it. It's not your fault—you were restrained and forced to fight by someone else," Shiomi said, studying her face before glancing at Morgan and the others. "She doesn't really look like her, huh?"
"It's mostly the eyes," Morgan said with a small smile. "But overall, there's definitely a resemblance."
"She's more reserved than that girl, though. Seems like the type who's easy to push around," Scáthach remarked.
"Resemblance...?" Passionlip tilted her head, confused.
"No need to worry, my lady. We were merely speaking amongst ourselves," Artoria said with knightly grace. "You just happen to resemble the Master's daughter."
"The Master's... daughter?" Passionlip blinked in shock, then it clicked. "Wait, are you saying you're related to BB? No—related to her 'prototype'?"
"That's right," BB's face appeared on the comm screen at just the right moment. "Because you look like Sakura, Daddy chose to save you instead of taking you down. In his eyes, you're just a little girl too."
"I... I see..." Passionlip looked a little flustered, a little pleased. "But I'm an Alter Ego... and my hands are still so—"
Her words trailed off as Shiomi gently placed his hand on her head, softly ruffling her hair.
It felt unfamiliar—but also deeply comforting.
A warmth that could only come from a father's presence made Passionlip smile without thinking.
"You're you. Not more, not less. As long as you use your strength with a clear heart—and never to hurt others—there's nothing wrong with that," Shiomi said gently.
"Mm…" Passionlip clenched her fists with determination. "I know it might be hard to trust me right away, but please, let me fight alongside you. I'll do my best to help!"
"If that's truly what you want, I won't stop you," Shiomi replied, withdrawing his hand.
Then he turned to BB. "Any luck with the data recovery? Can we find a way to the Observatory?"
"Sorry, no. It's a bust. Looks like we'll have to find another way." BB sounded just as frustrated. "Didn't think they'd pull something like this… Guess they really don't want us getting there."
At that moment, Passionlip shyly raised her oversized hand.
"Um… If the Observatory is the place Melt is guarding, then… I know how to get there."
"Huh?"
Everyone reacted at once.
"...It's just, Melt and I can sense each other. I don't know why, but…"
Under their stares, Passionlip blushed and lowered her gaze again.
Before anyone could respond to that unexpected development, Suzuka's voice rang out in an impatient tone.
"So are you guys gonna make me an ally or finish me off already? Come on, make up your mind! This half-dead state is seriously uncomfortable..."
"Oh," Morgan nodded, a little apologetic. "We were just about to check on you, then the control room exploded."
Shiomi shook his head, signaling that it was fine.
"Really… thanks for hanging in there."