Forward, forward, forward...
When she was just a few steps from the wary Mash and the others, Guinevere broke into a smile, spread her hands open, and greeted them with the warmth of a girl-next-door.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Mash, and the other two from Chaldea. My Class is Ruler, and my True Name is Artoria Pendragon—the very King of Knights you're thinking of.
"Merli-chan sent me. I'm here to help you correct this Singularity."
Nitocris had already abandoned any thought of escape. Bedivere had discreetly blocked her retreat route.
Amidst the sandstorm, Nitocris stared blankly as she heard these words. As a Servant summoned by the Sun King, she was completely in the dark about this era and Chaldea.
But what about the three from Chaldea?
Before their human reflexes could even kick in, a small beast darted out from the orange-haired girl's arms. Crying "Fou!", it leaped through the air, aiming a kick at Guinevere.
Mash and the orange-haired girl were still bewildered. But Guinevere, holding Fou by the scruff of its neck, watched it continue to flail and bare its teeth. She guessed that the scent of Merlin on her had provoked it.
"Easy now," she whispered, bringing Fou close to her lips. "I'm not that old geezer Merlin. You don't need to hate me. When the time comes, I'll give him a good punch for you."
She had deliberately used "Merli-chan" when speaking to Mash and the others, concealing Merlin's true name. This was Merlin's own request—though Guinevere had no idea who she was trying to catfish.
Only then did Mash and the others finally process everything. They recalled what Dr. Romani had told them just before she appeared.
Their eyes met, exchanging looks of disbelief. Neither Mash nor the orange-haired girl had expected Dr. Romani's words to be true.
"Wait," Mash stammered, "you said you're a Ruler... and the King of Knights?"
"Absolutely! And no take-backs!"
Guinevere nodded with a smile. Seeing their hostility slowly fade, she stepped closer and began circling Mash, openly admiring her body.
Not that Guinevere cared what anyone thought, she mused. Besides, there's no law against a girl checking out another girl's body.
And anyway, she continued her internal monologue, Mash's armor is light and alluring, but it doesn't reveal anything crucial.
"Ah, what a beautiful, youthful, vibrant body..."
The orange-haired girl could tolerate Guinevere just circling Mash, but that last comment set off alarm bells in her mind. Without hesitation, she stepped in front of Mash, shielding her.
Now it's my turn to be Mash's shield, she thought resolutely.
However, Guinevere wasn't just interested in Mash; she found the orange-haired girl intriguing as well.
Taking a step back, Guinevere's gaze swept up from the girl's black stockings and short skirt, over the white Chaldea uniform that hugged her chest like a straitjacket, accentuating her curves. Finally, as the girl instinctively crossed her arms to cover herself, Guinevere's smiling eyes settled on her face.
"Ah, what a beautiful, youthful, vibrant body..."
Hearing this for the second time made Bedivere's mouth twitch. He began to wonder if this King was a bit too... unconventional.
But after thinking it over, he realized he found a more lively King far more reassuring.
Besides, he reasoned, her expression only shows admiration and playful teasing, not the kind of desire that wants to pin her target down.
"Mash... you... I..."
Until now, Mash had always been the one teased by the orange-haired girl—being pulled into her arms, having her tights flicked—it was practically routine. This was the first time Mash had ever seen the orange-haired girl flustered by another woman.
Supporting her from behind, Mash watched as Guinevere's expression shifted to curiosity. Perhaps from being teased so often herself, Mash had developed a quick resistance.
At worst, she thought, it's just one more senior doing the same things to me. For some reason, she found this Guinevere strangely familiar and comforting—even more so than the "darkened" Sword Class King of Knights she'd encountered in Singularity F.
"So, Mash Kyrielight, that's your name, right? Do you want to know the name of the Servant who lent you their power?"
If Guinevere hadn't intervened, Mash still wouldn't know the name of the Servant who lent her power. Guinevere had no intention of keeping it a secret; in fact, she eagerly awaited the day Mash would call her "Auntie," just as Galahad once had.
However, her words were cut off by Da Vinci-chan, who had been "AFK" until now. The Universal Genius cleared her throat and spoke up:
"Miss Ruler, I personally think it would be better for Mash to figure it out on her own. By the way, since you already know Mash's name, do Ritsuka and I still need to introduce ourselves? And... aren't you going to introduce that knight over there?"
"Him? Oh, that's Sir Bedivere. He and I will be working together to defeat my other self!"
Beside her, Bedivere opened his mouth but remained silent. For Chaldea, which was still almost completely in the dark about this Singularity, Guinevere's statement contained an overwhelming amount of information.
In contrast, Nitocris finally understood the situation.
The self-proclaimed King of Knights before her intended to defeat the Lion King—the one who had destroyed Jerusalem and built New Camelot City upon its ruins.
"You... all of you..."
Guinevere didn't know much about how Egyptian pharaohs dressed, but even she thought this dark-skinned pharaoh was dressed far too scantily.
Her lower body was clad only in sandals and panties, while her top barely covered her vital areas, leaving her toned abdomen fully exposed.
When she spoke, everyone turned to look at her. Before she could decide what to say and prepare to attack, Guinevere spoke first:
"If you insist on fighting, I will send you straight back to the Throne of Heroes. But before you seek your own demise, there's a truth you must know. We all met by chance, and Mash and her companions only intervened because they saw you being abducted by the Mountain People.
"I swear this is the truth, on my honor as the King of Knights."
Because she had been summoned by the Sun King without the Holy Grail granting her knowledge of later eras, Nitocris was unfamiliar with the legend of the King of Knights.
However, in this world, she had already clashed with the knights of New Camelot many times. She knew they were cruel and inhumane, but they also valued their honor.
Moreover, as time passed and the initial grogginess of waking up completely faded, she began to recall the last thing she had seen before falling unconscious.
Her dark... no, deeply bronzed face didn't show a blush, but her increasingly awkward movements betrayed her apology.
"I... I... In any case... thank you. I'll host you... No, escort me to the Sun King's Temple. The Sun King I serve will grant you a just reward."
As she spoke, the Caster-class pharaoh began to pray to the sky. After a moment, though it was unclear what she had chanted, the sandstorm, which had already been subsiding, completely ceased, revealing a clear sky...
...and, suspended high above, the Incineration of Human Order—a band of light belonging to the Demon God King Goetia.
At Nitocris's invitation, Guinevere was eager to see the Sun King's tomb. However, the three from Chaldea looked at her, wanting to gather more information from her first.
"In any case, since you won't let me reveal that Servant's True Name, you can just explore this Singularity on your own!"