Alice, holding a fairytale picture book, stood alone in the area known as the Einzbern Forest.
Just moments ago, the Assassin-class Servant had activated a grand magic called a Reality Marble, sweeping Aoko away with it.
To suddenly lose her most important teammate should have been a considerably dire development for Miss Alice, who was not particularly skilled in combat herself.
However, at this moment, Alice's heart was exceptionally calm.
She was certain that the person who was, to her, Mr. Mad Hatter, was lurking nearby, watching her.
So, what's next? A solo battle?
The witch, waiting for a certain someone to begin their battle, placed her hand on the first page of the fairytale book in her arms.
The young man with a crimson longsword hanging from his waist and the demigod holding a divine spear stood in the distance, watching Red A, who, according to plan, was intercepting Aoko inside the Reality Marble.
He clasped his hands together and prayed for Brother Red A.
He prayed that he could hold out for a few more minutes.
"Master, is Caster's Master your lover?"
When they encountered Caster's Master, Li Zihan's reaction seemed a little different from usual.
Considering the ages of his Master and Caster's Master, it wasn't hard to think in that direction.
"Hm, yes, she is."
The young man, who had been confessed to, replied in a lighthearted tone.
"Was it decided at the Matou household, or even earlier?"
The words, which sounded a bit like gossip, came from Karna's mouth.
Generally speaking, the taciturn Karna rarely asked questions.
However, this did not mean he lacked curiosity.
The reason Karna rarely asked questions was that his insight was incredibly sharp; he could usually get the answers he wanted through simple observation.
But the events unfolding between his Master and Caster's Master seemed a bit... inexplicable.
An inexplicable origin of affection, an inexplicable confession, an inexplicable acceptance, and an inexplicable challenge.
Karna could see the emotions they both held, but he couldn't make sense of how any of it had unfolded. For once, he felt a little curious.
"I've liked Alice for a long time, since way before."
Li Zihan shrugged and said.
Back then, he only knew a handful of girls.
Aoko, Touko, and Alice.
Aoko was a shota-con.
Touko was a perverted shota-con.
After spending a long time with those two, even seeing a paramecium would make one think it was handsome and quite cute.
In that kind of environment, it would have been stranger not to have good feelings for Alice.
"It's just that, I didn't think she liked me very much."
The young man, who had risked their relationship turning sour by mentioning the name "Alice" during their first meeting, spoke.
"Didn't like you?"
A hint of confusion appeared on Karna's nigh-expressionless face.
The love in Caster's Master's heart was practically overflowing... she was the very picture of a girl in love.
If that's called "not liking," then what could possibly be called "liking"?
"Mhm. Other than writing letters, she barely ever talked to me."
Li Zihan, who had been called "Mr. White Rabbit" until recently, shrugged his shoulders and continued.
"The only times we met were at tea parties and in the research lab."
"I also invited her to watch movies, go to an amusement park, and visit the aquarium, but she rejected every single one."
"Does that sound like the start of a romance to you?"
Li Zihan asked in return.
Karna was silent for a moment before speaking.
"Indeed, it does not."
"Honestly, even now, I still don't quite understand why Alice suddenly fell for me."
Li Zihan, who had never felt any romantic feelings from Alice before this, sighed.
He spent some time in the Honkai world, and suddenly Alice, who had always been indifferent to him, confessed with a burning passion.
He now finally understood the answer to "Why is a raven like a writing desk?"
Because love arrives faster, more suddenly, and more inexplicably than a tornado.
"To describe this sort of thing with 'tornado' isn't quite enough. You can only explain it with 'a raven is like a writing desk'."
"I see."
Because the knowledge infused into him by the Holy Grail was only at the most basic level, Karna had no idea what Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was, so naturally, he couldn't grasp the emotional connection within the reference.
But even without understanding, Karna still nodded in acknowledgement.
He was a Servant capable of accepting all things as a "possibility."
Most things, he could simply accept with an "I see, so that is your reason."
Even if that reason was completely absurd.
"By the way, Karna, do you know of the Armor of the Three Gods?"
While Karna was still pondering, his Master suddenly spoke up, changing the subject.
"What is that?"
Karna, who was clearly unaware that he had a "Super Karna" mode, asked.
"It's an idea to remodel your Saint Graph and, in turn, transform me into a Pseudo-Servant."
The young man, considering the possibility that the tyrant version of Gilgamesh might let the Uruk of another worldline be destroyed and refuse to hand over his power, began to explain.
If that happened, his only choice would be to use the Matou family's secret arts to forcibly forge a contract with Gilgamesh, use Command Spells to order him to surrender his Saint Graph, and then use a massive number of Command Spells to crush Gilgamesh's will.
But...
If he did that, how much power he could actually inherit would be a complete unknown.
Therefore, he had to come up with another solution.
In the FGO worldline, Karna, who already had a deep connection to one of the Hindu Trimurti, Brahma, absorbed the power of Rama, the seventh avatar of Vishnu, and Ashwatthaman, the avatar of Shiva. By gathering the power of the three gods, he unlocked a mode called the Armor of the Three Gods.
So, would it be possible to have Karna absorb Gilgamesh's power and unlock a mode similar to the Armor of the Three Gods?
With Karna as the main body, and Gilgamesh and Ramesses II as support, he should be able to create something.
If Gilgamesh refused to compromise, having Karna possess him and using Gilgamesh as a material for the Armor of the Three (Demi)gods seemed like a decent option as well.
Right, Mad Doggy is also a demigod, isn't he?
Li Zihan, vaguely remembering that the Armor of the Three Gods also involved Indra and his father, Surya, felt that if he couldn't reach an agreement with Gilgamesh, he could also use Mad Doggy as a material.
"Although I do not know what it is you are hoping for, Master, since it is your wish, I must answer it."
The perfect Servant, who didn't mind offering up his own power, said with perfect calm.
"Master, whatever you have in mind, you need only do it."
"Thanks, Karna."
Li Zihan thanked his Servant, then looked ahead.
The Pseudo-Armor of the Three Gods and the power of Gilgamesh were certainly interesting, but dealing with them was not an immediate priority.
The main focus right now was—
The Witch of Fairytales.