The sun was sinking toward the horizon.
Light filtered through the cedar leaves, painting the forest floor in warm gold.
"Thank you, sir—though we don't even know your name. Thank you for stepping in and saving us."
With calm courtesy, Mash Kyrielight and her Master, Ritsuka Fujimaru, both bowed deeply.
If this gentleman hadn't intervened, they would probably have died in this Singularity.
"Ah, don't mention it. It was nothing—just a reflex."
The Tarnished smiled and waved a hand casually.
Helping out had been pure instinct—an automatic response. Otherwise, how could he possibly qualify as a meddling troublemaker?
"Fou—!"
A small, adorable white creature appeared out of nowhere and hopped onto Mash's shoulder. The sound it made almost felt like… gratitude?
At least, that was his guess.
Still, for some reason, that little creature gave off a faint sense of danger.
Was it just his imagination?
"Um… sir?"
Under his suspicious stare, Mash reflexively scooped the white creature into her arms and carefully took two steps back, as if afraid he might do something to Fou.
"Oh—sorry, sorry. I just remembered something. My apologies."
He scratched his head in a dismissive, halfhearted way.
After spending the past few days around Merlin, he hadn't learned anything useful—but he had mastered playing dumb.
Even so, his eyes never left that strange little beast that kept going "Fou."
The more he looked, the weirder it felt.
"My, my. Truly worthy of Lord Tarnished—driving back even a weapon from the Age of Gods."
At that moment, a white figure appeared by a nearby tree.
It was Merlin—the very same man who had conveniently "hidden" during the fight.
"Senpai!"
Mash's protective instincts flared. She raised her round shield—shaped like a cross-like table—and stepped in front of Ritsuka, her eyes sharp and wary.
After being deceived by Enkidu earlier, neither Mash nor Ritsuka dared relax for even a second.
Now they finally understood what "Uruk of the Age of Gods" truly meant.
What an A++ foundation of human history Singularity truly meant.
This world of the Age of Gods—so full of lies and deception—was absolutely terrifying.
"Now, now. I'm not a bad person—"
"Right. Not a bad person," the Tarnished cut in smoothly. "Something worse—an outright menace."
He pointed lazily at Merlin, piling on without mercy.
"A huge menace who drags me around sightseeing all day while doing nothing, and then hides the moment a real fight starts."
"Yes. Little Master is completely correct."
Quetzalcoatl added another blow without hesitation.
"!!!"
Mash and Ritsuka's guard instantly hit maximum. If Merlin made the slightest move, they wouldn't hold back.
Merlin, hearing this—and seeing the other two glaring at him like he was about to bite someone—clutched his chest and put on a look of devastating heartbreak.
"Ah… to be spoken of like this by a dear friend… I'm truly wounded. I only wished to let Lord Tarnished and Miss Quetzalcoatl enjoy the beautiful scenery of Mesopotamia…"
It really was Merlin.
A born performer.
If someone handed him an award for acting, it wouldn't even feel undeserved.
But to the Tarnished, that "acting" only made him look more punchable.
A frighteningly warm smile spread across the Tarnished's face as he spoke slowly.
"Merlin… do you want to die?"
At the same time, black flame wrapped around the greatsword in his hand, as if the next second it would swing.
This man truly never learned.
Maybe it would be simpler to just burn him to ash.
"Little Master, big sister can do it for you."
Quetzalcoatl cracked her knuckles, the sound popping sharply.
For some reason, the moment she saw Merlin, the urge to beat him senseless rose up like a brand-new joy in life.
"…Ahaha—please, calm down. Everyone, calm down…"
Seeing the two of them oozing killing intent, Merlin flailed both hands and instinctively backed away.
But someone moved faster than either of them.
At some point, the little white creature had already hopped back onto Mash's shoulder—gathering strength.
"Fou?"
Mash looked curiously at Fou.
But before she could even react, Fou launched like a white cannonball, moving so fast it was nearly invisible, and slammed straight into Merlin.
"Merlin deserves to die!"
The Fourth Beast—an explosive, spiral-charged projectile of a creature that could somehow speak—swung its tiny paws and landed a "little punch" right in Merlin's face.
Man and beast toppled together, rolling across the ground in a tangled mess.
Thus began an unprecedented, glorious, epic battle—
Grand Caster (Candidate) vs. Beast—
…in a certain sense, anyway.
A wild brawl in the grass.
If someone really wanted to be unkind, they could probably even slap a "beastman" tag on it.
"Enough, Cath Palug!"
"You can't bite there!!"
"Ahaha—why you vicious beast!"
Judging by the situation, Merlin was completely outmatched.
Not just losing—
He was getting utterly destroyed.
Mash and Ritsuka stood there in total shock, especially Mash, who stared at the rolling struggle with her mouth slightly open.
It looked… really intense?
But—but she knew Fou's combat strength!
"…"
The silent Anna, watching this disgraceful scene, let out a small sigh.
She tugged lightly on a chain and yanked Merlin up off the ground.
"Merlin. If you insist on behaving this abnormally—and humiliating yourself—do it alone in the middle of the night."
That line instantly sparked the Tarnished's curiosity.
"Alone in the middle of the night"…?
Oh.
Oh, wow.
His expression changed on the spot.
He looked at Merlin like he was some kind of filthy contaminant, then immediately pulled Quetzalcoatl two steps back.
That look practically screamed:
Stay away from him, or you'll be polluted.
"Ahaha… thank you, Anna. You saved me—thanks to you. But please don't say things that invite misunderstandings."
"I believe it is not a misunderstanding. And since this battle was outside the scope of our contract, rather than thanking me, you should reflect on yourself."
Now it wasn't just the Tarnished and Quetzalcoatl.
Even Mash and Ritsuka shuffled two steps back as well.
But the Tarnished's gaze grew even more complicated.
A contract with a loli, too?
How enviable—no, wait.
Disgusting!
He liked Melina and Ranni the most!
Meanwhile, the Court Magus himself seemed utterly unaware of the strange looks being thrown his way. He brushed the dust off his clothes and stood up with dignity intact—somehow.
"Alright. Let's all introduce ourselves properly."
"Yes! I'm Mash Kyrielight. Senpai is my Master. We come from Chaldea, in the future."
Straightforward as ever, Mash introduced them first.
"Understood. I am Merlin. That gentleman carrying the greatsword is Lord Tarnished, reinforcements invited by King Gilgamesh. And the Servant who just joined us—Miss Quetzalcoatl."
"And this young girl is Anna. She is also a Servant."
He introduced everyone smoothly—then, of course, ended with shamelessness.
"But please don't be so distant. You may call me Big Brother Merlin."
"Hold it right there!!!"
A man's voice burst from Ritsuka's wrist communicator, sounding so agitated it was practically shaking.
"Mer—Merlin?! You said your name is Merlin?!"
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