"master~ master~ Wake up quickly~"
In a daze, Inaba Tsukiyo heard a very pleasant voice, a voice she had never heard before.
To prevent accidents, Inaba Tsukiyo decided not to sleep at night, to be prepared for any emergencies.
However, the battle with the special zombies during the day had consumed too much magic, causing Inaba Tsukiyo to be much weaker than usual, so she fell asleep unknowingly.
"Mo~ To make me wait so long, master is truly a sleepyhead. But, watching master's sleeping face isn't bad either."
Inaba Tsukiyo's consciousness gradually cleared. She tentatively opened her eyes and found that she could see again.
Since her eyes could see, it meant that she was not in the real world but in some special space, just like the space where she met alaya before.
"Finally awake, my master. Seeing your pained groans, could it be that you had a nightmare?"
"If that's the case, then let me use the most extreme method to help master awaken."
In front of her was an extremely beautiful woman, whose striking appearance and aura made it impossible to look away.
Noticing the confusion in Inaba Tsukiyo's eyes, the girl smiled and bent down, her low-cut dress revealing a expanse of fair skin to Inaba Tsukiyo.
"Hmm! No need for words, it is indeed my smile! Is there a better reward in the world than this? That's how it is!"
Confidently puffing out her chest, the girl in the red dress exuded an aura of confidence from head to toe.
For some reason, after seeing the girl's smile, Inaba Tsukiyo's previously anxious mood actually calmed down, as if she was truly healed by the other party's smile.
Her golden hair, slender body, red dress, proud posture, and somewhat unique self-address all indicated her extraordinary identity.
"Who are you?"
Although Inaba Tsukiyo felt a strong sense of familiarity with the person, no matter how much she thought, she couldn't recall her name.
As if her memory was lost, Inaba Tsukiyo looked confusedly at the girl who was watching her with concern.
Despite the awkwardness, Inaba Tsukiyo still wanted to know the other person's name.
"Oh? I see, this master doesn't know my name yet? It can't be helped, then I shall reintroduce myself!"
"I am the fifth emperor of Rome, Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, of the Saber class."
As she spoke, roses danced in the air with her movements, and Nero laughed from the bottom of her heart.
"Nero... the Roman tyrant... Nero?"
In Inaba Tsukiyo's impression, among the Roman emperors, the only one named Nero was the one known as the tyrant.
But as soon as she spoke, Inaba Tsukiyo realized she had said the wrong thing. Calling her a tyrant to her face was too disrespectful.
However, to Inaba Tsukiyo's surprise, Nero showed no dissatisfaction; instead, she nodded as if it were natural.
"That's the first thing you think of, isn't it? Indeed, in the eyes of those nobles, I was like a tyrant. But in the eyes of the common people, I was a wise king."
Due to her past experiences, when she became emperor at the age of seventeen, her generous policies earned her immense popularity among the common people.
But her pressure on the Senate and Christians led to her gaining the title of tyrant.
"Why... are you here? Clearly... we shouldn't have any connection, should we?"
Even with her forgotten past memories, Inaba Tsukiyo didn't think she could be related to such a remarkable figure, someone who would be so kind to her.
Inaba Tsukiyo couldn't understand, but Nero just shook her head, reached out, and pulled Inaba Tsukiyo into her embrace, gently stroking Inaba Tsukiyo's head.
"There's a lot you don't know yet, master. The bond between me and master, no matter how much time passes, will never break. Haven't you felt it? The soul connection between me and master."
Nero showed Inaba Tsukiyo the Ring of Kingship in her hand. Looking at the ring in Nero's hand, Inaba Tsukiyo involuntarily raised the ring Little Vi had given her.
The two rings, after touching, emitted a soft glow, as if rejoicing, happy to meet again.
But... this ring was clearly Little Vi's mother's ring; why would it react to the ring in Nero's hand? This shouldn't be.
"Hehe~ This is the proof of the bond between me and master. master, you don't need to worry; the ring is just a medium. What's reacting is the soul between me and master."
Saying this, Nero buried Inaba Tsukiyo's small head deep into her chest, letting her listen carefully to her heartbeat.
"Did you hear it? master, even if words can lie, this feeling is absolutely genuine. My feelings for master have never contained any falsehood."
Holding Inaba Tsukiyo's hands, Nero gazed intently into Inaba Tsukiyo's eyes with a serious expression. Her emerald pupils reflected Nero's ardent emotions, causing a faint ripple in Inaba Tsukiyo's heart, which had cooled over time.
For once, Inaba Tsukiyo's pretty face blushed, and an emotion called shyness continuously grew within her.
"I... I understand. Can you tell me what's going on? What's your relationship with that pink-haired girl who looked a lot like you, who appeared last time?"
To prevent Nero from noticing her abnormality, Inaba Tsukiyo chose to change the subject, diverting Nero's attention elsewhere.
Sure enough, upon hearing that she had seen someone else before, Nero seemed to suffer a great shock and retreated a few steps.
"To think… that master didn't meet me first? Someone who looks so much like me, and with cherry-blossom hair… Heh heh~ I didn't expect it to be that guy, a guy who's always getting sick, actually beat me to it!"
With just a few simple clues, Nero understood that the one who met Inaba Tsukiyo last time was Okita Souji. This grudge, Nero had noted it down.
Next, Nero began to explain to Inaba Tsukiyo why she was here.
In fact, it wasn't that she came on her own initiative, but rather, while she was in the Throne of Heroes, she sensed the existence of Inaba Tsukiyo, who was in another dimension, through her Ring of Sovereignty.
After confirming that Inaba Tsukiyo was her master, Nero was somewhat surprised, but then she thought that since Alter Egos exist for Servants, why couldn't her master have one?
"So… Nero, you came because you sensed something? What's going on? Is there some reason for this place?"
She didn't believe that Nero appeared in her dream without a reason. If there truly was no reason, then why hadn't this happened over the past hundreds of years? And why did it happen in the few days after she arrived in another world?
The only change Inaba Tsukiyo could think of was the energy she gained after dealing with that mutated zombie.
Nero's appearance was very likely due to the strengthening of the energy within her body, which allowed more Servants to sense her existence.
However, Inaba Tsukiyo still didn't understand if this sensing had any limitations; she didn't think she had a connection with all the Servants in the Throne of Heroes.
She wasn't some hidden big shot; how could such a good thing happen?
"Nah~ master, I'm sorry, but when I saw master groaning in pain just now, I couldn't help but check master's recent experiences."
Nero and Inaba Tsukiyo sat down. Nero naturally held Inaba Tsukiyo's right hand, leaning closely against Inaba Tsukiyo, and said,
"The world master is currently in, while it means nothing to us, it will probably be difficult for master to deal with those guys right now. Even if master has partial abilities from two different Servants, it will be hard to contend with them."
"However… you don't need to worry, master. Since lord alaya would send master to that world, it must be because master can perfectly recover the energy of that world, which is why she sent you."
"lord alaya… Why are you so certain, Nero? As the consciousness of humanity, shouldn't alaya's actions be without any selfish motives?"
'Without selfish motives… I don't know how many times she's abused her power for personal gain, all for you, master.'
On the surface, alaya is a selfless World's Counter Force, but in reality, without others knowing, alaya often uses its abilities to create various privileges for certain individuals.
Inaba Tsukiyo didn't understand this, but Nero knew it very well, so she wasn't worried about Inaba Tsukiyo's problems at all.
Even if something went wrong, alaya would definitely step in to help in the end.
"I cannot tell master, at least not yet. However, I believe master will know this matter sooner or later. No matter how long, I will always wait for master."
Saying this, Nero cupped Inaba Tsukiyo's cheeks, closed her eyes, and kissed Inaba Tsukiyo's forehead.
Just like when Okita Souji appeared last time, some of Nero's abilities merged into Inaba Tsukiyo's body, and at the same time, she also gave Inaba Tsukiyo her most powerful skill.
"Heh heh~ Although it's a pity I can't do anything more intimate, things must be taken one step at a time. I'm already very satisfied this time, being able to connect with master, I can already happily show off to others."
"The time for parting is also approaching, but it's nothing, parting is only for a better reunion. I will always watch over master, and as long as master needs me, I will appear by master's side at any time!"
"Good luck, master. I'll wait for you."