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Chapter 2 - [MAX] 2: Ritsuka Fujimaru

Morgan le Fay was Artoria Pendragon's older sister.

In Proper Human History, Morgan had played a major role in the fall of Artoria's kingdom of Camelot.

One could even say she was one of the key factors behind its destruction.

Although the Morgan Adam had summoned was the "housewife" Morgan from the Lostbelt—and thus a completely different existence from the one in Proper Human History—Saber Alter had no way of knowing that.

If she suddenly saw her beloved elder sister standing right in front of her, who knows what kind of reaction she'd have?

Clack… clack… clack…

A chilling sound rang out, like bones scraping against one another. Behind Adam, a red skeleton warrior had appeared without warning. It lunged forward with gnashing teeth and claws, raising its massive cleaver to strike him down.

Hearing the noise, Adam turned around. He gazed at the grotesque creature with a nostalgic smile.

"It's been ages since I've seen a monster this weak."

If he compared the monsters he'd faced before crossing over to this skeleton in terms of raw stats, this thing probably only had around a thousand HP.

The ones from his past had hundreds of thousands—or even millions. For a moment, Adam actually found the skeleton kind of cute.

While he was lost in thought, the skeleton closed in and swung its cleaver down. Adam responded with a casual punch to its skull.

Crunch!

The skeleton's head exploded on impact, bone fragments scattering everywhere. Adam's strength might not be enough to challenge a Servant, but it was more than enough to handle most mages.

A mere skeleton didn't stand a chance.

Don't underestimate what years of grueling travel have done for my physical abilities! Besides, these things usually swarmed like stray dogs.

…Wait a minute. Don't skeletons always appear in groups? Why is there only one?

"Ha!!!"

A small but determined voice reached Adam's ears. Someone was fighting hard.

Following the sound, Adam climbed over piles of rubble until he found the source. Two girls were surrounded by a horde of skeleton monsters.

One was a purple-haired girl wielding an enormous shield. Her outfit was quite revealing. Every swing of her shield sent multiple skeletons flying.

There was something captivating about the way this seemingly delicate girl handled a weapon larger than herself.

Adam knew her all too well.

Mash Kyrielight.

In an instant, a flood of memories rushed through his mind. She was the number one Servant for countless players who couldn't resist her abs.

The Mash who belonged to him had stood by his side through countless Singularities. Right now, she was fiercely protecting the girl behind her.

The other girl had short orange hair styled in a practical side ponytail and wore a white uniform. Protected by Mash, she looked utterly ordinary—though her face was filled with panic.

She clearly hadn't processed what was happening yet.

This one was even more familiar.

Ritsuka Fujimaru.

Chaldea's 48th Master in this world. An ordinary person (dead serious).

Of course, those were her future accomplishments. At this moment, Ritsuka Fujimaru was truly nothing more than an ordinary high school girl.

…Probably.

Seeing the two incredibly familiar yet strangely new figures before him, Adam felt a wave of nostalgia, like he was looking at his own past.

Alright, enough sentimentality. Time to figure out how to farm some Emotion Points from them.

Adam stroked his chin, a sly grin spreading across his face. He glanced at the [5-Star Mash] option on his Servant selection panel.

I wonder what the current Mash would think if she suddenly saw her future self? Just imagining it brought him immense satisfaction.

"Kyaa!!!"

Mash swung her oversized shield, smashing apart another wave of skeletons.

She had only recently become a Demi-Servant and fused with her Heroic Spirit.

She knew nothing of her True Name or true power yet and was fighting purely on instinct.

Still, a Demi-Servant was a Servant. Even freshly merged, these basic skeletons posed little threat. It didn't take long for her to clear the area.

Mash turned to Ritsuka Fujimaru.

"Master, the area is secure."

Ritsuka looked stunned, still clearly overwhelmed by everything. Just moments ago, she and Mash had resigned themselves to dying together.

Then suddenly, they were transported to this burning city. The first thing she saw upon opening her eyes was this shield-bearing girl clearing out hordes of skeletons.

And more importantly… Ritsuka's gaze drifted over Mash's outfit. It was incredibly revealing—more than fifty percent exposed skin.

"Mash… you were always this bold?"

Mash immediately flushed with embarrassment and tried to cover herself with one hand.

"S-Senpai, this… this is…"

Noticing something behind Mash, Ritsuka tilted her head. She spotted Adam standing nearby, smiling gently at them.

"Who's that…?"

Mash turned to follow her gaze.

"Uh oh. I've been spotted."

Adam watched the two of them approach. He debated whether he should summon his own Mash right away. Would the shock value be too low otherwise?

By the time they reached him, Ritsuka and Mash had already assumed from his Chaldea-style uniform that he was one of them.

Ritsuka spoke with obvious relief:

"Are you from Chaldea too?"

Adam raised an eyebrow. Seeing their misunderstanding, a better plan formed in his mind, and his smile grew wider. With a perfectly straight face, he replied:

"Yes, I'm from Chaldea."

Technically, he wasn't lying.

Both girls lit up with joy at his answer.

[Ritsuka Fujimaru Emotion Points +20]

[Mash Emotion Points +10]

Especially Ritsuka, who looked like she'd just found a lifeline.

"Thank goodness! I'm Ritsuka Fujimaru from Team C."

Adam nodded and returned the introduction.

"My name is Adam. I'm also from Chaldea Team C."

Ritsuka started chatting excitedly, as if she'd found a long-lost friend.

Mash looked a bit confused when she heard he was from Team C—she didn't recall anyone by the name of Adam in her memories.

But seeing how friendly he was with her Senpai and sensing no ill intent, the pure-hearted girl pushed her doubts aside.

As they talked, Ritsuka brought up what was weighing on her mind the most.

"Do you know what's going on, Adam? Why did the Command Room suddenly explode?"

Adam kept his expression serious.

"Because of a Grand Bomber."

Ritsuka and Mash stared at him blankly, clearly not getting the reference.

"A… Grand Bomber?"

***

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