"Get out of here! You'll all die!"
"Hurry and leave, mister! The Lion King will kill anyone who fails the Holy Selection..."
"Ma'am, your daughter is so young! You absolutely cannot take her there..."
The world was cruel, and a Singularity on the brink of collapse was even more so.
Guinevere knew that for the refugees who had come this far, leaving meant waiting for death. Staying was their only sliver of hope.
Just as they were doing now, the refugees had chosen to come here. They had heard rumors and were at least somewhat prepared mentally; they wouldn't be easily swayed by well-intentioned warnings from strangers.
Minutes earlier, after Guinevere had explained why the Lion King would soon appear, the three from Chaldea had begun trying to persuade the crowd, but with little success.
A short while later, Bedivere was defeated and forced to retreat from Gawain. Ignoring the lingering golden flames and sword-scarred earth of the battlefield, a large mob of refugees swarmed the now-unoccupied Gawain.
"Sir Knight, please, have mercy! My daughter is only five! Don't make her go through the Holy Selection!"
"Sir Knight, what about me? Take me inside! I can warm your bed!"
"Young Master Knight, we know many of you like cute boys. My younger brother is available!"
The scene was chaotic and noisy. Thanks to the efforts of the three from Chaldea, even those who had been unaware of the Holy Selection now knew what it was. Yet, the result wasn't their departure. Instead, they grew even more fervent toward Gawain, desperately trying to sell themselves for a chance at survival.
Surrounded, Gawain retreated without a word. He would wait until the Lion King conducted the Holy Selection on schedule, then reappear to clean up.
Before he left, however, he cast an extra glance toward Guinevere, understanding that another fierce battle was imminent.
"Miss Ruler, is there really no way to save them?"
"Even if we convinced them all to come with us, could you feed so many people, Miss Ritsuka? You came from the desert, didn't you? You saw those half-ghoulified people. Could you save them all too?
"Let me be clear: when they surrounded me, I killed every single attacker. No matter how much of a Knight the King of Knights is, she is still a King who has dominated battlefields."
Because of Guinevere's sword, Chaldea harbored doubts about her claimed identity. But since they couldn't guess her true name, they continued to treat her as the King of Knights for the time being.
"Miss Ruler, I just had Mash knock them unconscious."
The orange-haired Ritsuka was, after all, no Chaotic Evil. She was just an ordinary high school student. Even after enduring several Singularities, she still held onto the modern sense of morality instilled by her education, valuing human life above all else.
To Guinevere, Ritsuka's words sounded a bit naive, but it was far more reassuring than hearing her say... she had slaughtered all those people.
After all, Guinevere had come on this mission to support them. In her mind, she still saw Chaldea's group as the 'protagonists,' and she didn't mind seriously considering Young Ritsuka's request at this moment.
"Miss Ruler, if you were to kill the Lion King later, would the Holy Selection end? Could you let us provide you with more support? For example, you could form a contract with me first."
Ritsuka herself lacked strength, her Magecraft skills still at a novice level. But she had Da Vinci-chan by her side and Dr. Romani providing real-time communication from behind the scenes.
Setting aside everything else, Da Vinci-chan alone could discern that Guinevere hadn't been summoned by the Singularity's Holy Grail and currently had no Master.
From this perspective, if an uncontracted Guinevere could fight Gawain under the sun to a standstill, what if she had a Master and all her stats were boosted? Could a surprise attack on the Lion King truly succeed?
Listening to Ritsuka's request and her reasoning, Guinevere couldn't help but tilt her head. To her existing impressions of Ritsuka as lewd and kind, she now added "clever," "decisive," and "willing to swallow her pride."
So, should I agree?
If she agreed, Guinevere's true name would be revealed. She had only used Lia's identity to avoid a lengthy explanation.
Hadn't she already told Tristan? Tristan was different in Guinevere's eyes; she wouldn't find it a bother to tell him.
"Miss Ritsuka, I agree to form a contract with you for mutual support. But as the price for this contract, I think... perhaps you should..."
As she spoke, Guinevere recalled Ishtar in the next Singularity, who had demanded Chaldea's Master kiss her feet when they formed their partnership.
"Hmm, you like girls, don't you?"
"Yes! I love girls of all personalities!"
"Alright then, I won't reward you myself—my Lia would get angry. Young Ritsuka, how about you kiss Mash? Give her one kiss, and I'll become your Servant."
"Eh? Miss Ruler? Why are you dragging me into this? So many people are watching... and on the city walls, there's... there's..."
Mash trailed off, unable to continue. On the walls stood Mordred and Lancelot.
In her eyes, Mordred only stirred a flicker of anger. But the sight of Lancelot made Black Mud seem to churn within her heart, filling her with an overwhelming urge to smash him with the hardest shield bash she could muster.
However, she didn't want to endure such a humiliating act in front of the Knight in purple-black armor.
But before she could refuse, Ritsuka pulled her into a forceful embrace and planted a swift, hard kiss on her forehead.
"Oof, that hurt! But a kiss on the lips would've been even better!"
Frustration and despair welled up inside her, fueling a resentment toward the person before her. She felt a sudden urge to smash her shield into Ritsuka's face.
Startled by her own thought, Mash noticed the look of utter shock that crossed Ritsuka's face the moment she formed the contract with Guinevere.
"You're..."
"Just keep calling me Miss Ruler."
As a Master, Ritsuka could view a Servant's Status. Even without seeing the True Name, she could deduce a great deal from the Noble Phantasm's description.
The description for Guinevere's Sword of Destined Judgment clearly stated it was the companion sword to the King of Knights' Sword of Promised Victory.
The King of Knights' companion could only be...
"I understand, Miss Ruler," Young Ritsuka said, her surprise replaced by solemn resolve. "Thank you for coming to our aid. Chaldea will lend you our full support in your quest to personally correct the Lion King."
Although she was a novice Mage, Ritsuka possessed exceptional aptitude. Her skills were heavily skewed toward Support Magecraft for Servants.
For instance, she immediately cast Healing Magecraft on Guinevere to alleviate her physical fatigue. Then, she followed up with Reinforcement Magecraft, further boosting all of Guinevere's base parameters.
Even with this enhancement, however, Guinevere's stats still fell short of what they had been when summoned by Merlin—a Grand Caster.
"Hah..."
Guinevere stretched her limbs, letting out a long breath as she adjusted to her newly enhanced parameters. Finally, the day's Holy Selection arrived, and the Lion King once again appeared on the city walls.
But after the Lion King's appearance, Mordred inexplicably withdrew. Agravain and the self-disfigured Tristan, who had been present yesterday, were nowhere to be seen.
Frowning, Guinevere began to suspect a trap. Then she saw the Lion King giving orders to Lancelot at her side.
Moments later, Lancelot leaped from the walls and, joined by the reappearing Gawain, advanced toward Guinevere.
"Miss Ruler," Lancelot announced, "the King has commanded us to ensure you meet your end here."