Crazy Britain:They’re All Raising Me

"Artoria..."

Softly calling the name of the girl standing before him, Will's expression turned subtly complicated.

Because at this moment, with the presence of the "Bloodborne Lord" possessing his body and sharing his memories, he could no longer treat her the way he once did... And with a portion of his personality missing, he was incapable of interacting with Artoria in a straightforward, honest way.

He couldn't suppress the negative emotions welling up inside him.

All because of how Artoria looked now.

"Hm, you seem quite surprised by my current appearance," she said gently.

Four bluish-green lance-like blades rotated slowly behind her. The sword in her hand shimmered with golden light, though to call it a "sword" might be misleading—it was more like a sword-spear, with a long shaft extending from the wide blade, and the very end resembling the head of a staff.

Beyond that, the pure white armor, the noble cloak and gown beneath it, the close-fitting, thigh-high boots outlining the curve of her legs like silk stockings, and the gleaming golden crown atop her head—none of this was anything Guinevere had ever seen on Artoria in the real world.

But even if not seen in reality… he was very familiar with this outfit.

—Wasn't this her third ascension form from the game?

But… was this version of Artoria truly the one he knew?

"You seem a bit confused by my current form, don't you?" Artoria placed one hand on her breastplate and smiled softly.

"It seems that within the dream world, all Servants appear slightly different from how they exist in reality. My dream-world manifestation has taken on this appearance—and it seems I've also inherited some additional memories... So let me reintroduce myself:"

"—I am Artoria Caster, having fulfilled my mission in the Fairy Kingdom, offered my body to the Holy Sword, and ceased to exist. I now exist as the Holy Sword itself, assisting in the 'countermeasures against the threat from the stars' as a human-order auxiliary system. My true name is Artoria Avalon. I never expected to meet you again in this form. It's really—"

But Will could no longer hear the rest of her words.

His mind was fixated on one particular line:

"—ceased to exist."

"Enough."

He cut her off sharply, his tone filled with bitterness.

"Don't speak to me in that form. It disgusts me…"

—Do you think I became who I am now for no reason?

He didn't say the second half aloud. Instead, he simply turned away and strode toward where Ritsuka Fujimaru and the others were waiting.

Artoria was left standing there, stunned.

Had he… come to hate her?

But why?

Had she done something wrong?

Her expression twisted slightly in confusion, something seeming to click in her mind—then lost again.

Could it be because he's the Bloodborne Lord?

But… did the Bloodborne Lord truly hate her that much?

Was it because she'd weakened him so much in the simulation, that Bavanzi ended up dead?

The thought made her even more flustered.

She nervously eyed Will's back, opened her mouth to say something, but ultimately held her tongue.

"Eh? Is that Miss Artoria?!"

A surprised voice rang out at that moment. She turned and saw Ritsuka Fujimaru bounding happily toward her, with Mash right behind, shield raised.

And behind them, somewhere in the distance, Will stood with a complex expression on his face. Upon meeting her gaze, he immediately looked away.

"Ah…"

Artoria blinked, then forced a smile and gave a small nod to Ritsuka.

"Long time no see, Miss Ritsuka Fujimaru."

"Eh?!" Ritsuka froze for a moment, then exclaimed in shock, "You actually remember me, Miss Artoria?! Wait, are you the Artoria from the Fairy Kingdom?!"

"Mm… that's a good question." Tilting her head slightly, Artoria thought for a couple of seconds, then replied, "Yes… and no. But at the very least, I do retain the memories of when we met last time."

"Oh wow! That's amazing!"

Overjoyed, Ritsuka began hopping around Artoria in circles.

"Miss Artoria's new outfit is so cool! So regal! So dazzling! I almost thought you were our Proper Human History's Knight King! You seem so much more mature now!"

"Do I…?" Artoria smiled a little stiffly, her gaze sliding subtly toward Will.

Ritsuka quickly picked up on it.

She leaned in closer and whispered,

"Miss Artoria, do you… know Mr. Hyde?"

"I can hear you."

Will's voice suddenly cut in from the side.

Ritsuka flinched. After all, as soon as she'd met a new reliable protector, she'd ditched the old "Mr. Hyde master" title without hesitation… But in front of Artoria, Will wasn't in the mood to call her out for it. He made no further comment after that single line.

Yet the absence of further sarcasm made Ritsuka even more suspicious.

"You two definitely know each other, huh?"

"…Yes," Artoria nodded slightly, murmuring, "Hyde… So that's what you go by now?"

"Eh?" Ritsuka's eyes lit up. "So that's not his real name, right? I knew it! If he was really just Edward Hyde, the alter ego of Dr. Henry Jekyll, there's no way he'd be that strong…"

"Oh."

Artoria blinked, then quickly caught on.

"Sorry, I might have misled you a bit… He's not lying to you. He is the Edward Hyde you know. It's just that his spiritual foundation has… some additional stitching. That part belongs to someone I know."

"—He's a Possession-Type Servant," Will stepped forward and picked up where she left off. "Basically, I'm half Hyde, half a Heroic Spirit she knows… That clear enough?"

They hadn't communicated beforehand, but a kind of unspoken understanding let them cover for each other seamlessly.

And perhaps it wasn't even a lie. He had lived as Edward Hyde—Jekyll's second personality—and gained his strength from the Bloodborne Lord's possession. He truly was both… just omitting the fact that he used to be Guinevere.

Even so, what they revealed was already a lot for Ritsuka to take in.

"Wait, so Mr. Hyde is partly someone from the Fairy Kingdom… And from the way he's acting toward Miss Artoria… could it be that the person inside him used to be her enemy? Could you tell me who that other half is?"

"Umm…" Artoria glanced at Will, then replied after a pause,

"As for his True Name, I think you should ask him yourself. If he doesn't want to tell you, it's not my place to say… As for whether we were enemies—well, yes… and no."

"Ah?" Ritsuka scratched her head. "That's… such a vague answer, Miss Artoria."

"Sorry, it's the best I can do." She nodded apologetically.

"Compared to that, I feel like you've been awfully disrespectful since the beginning," Will suddenly cut in coldly. "You're really eager to dig into my background, huh?"

"Well, I mean… We are allies, right? Wanting to learn more about Mr. Hyde isn't so strange…" Ritsuka said sheepishly.

"Enough idle chatter."

Will shook his head.

"I don't have time to waste. I have more important things to do. If you're happy staying with her, suit yourself. I'm leaving."

"Eh? Eh?"

Ritsuka looked between Will and Artoria, stunned.

"You two… really don't get along? But Miss Artoria just came to help Mr. Hyde, didn't she?"

"So?"

Will raised an eyebrow, irritation rising. But when he noticed the dimming look on Artoria's face, he hesitated, then reluctantly added,

"…Fine. Thank you, Artoria. I appreciate the help. I could've handled it myself… but you did save me a Noble Phantasm. You helped. Thanks."

"Is that so…"

Artoria blinked, then a warm smile spread across her face, the gloom lifting slightly.

"I see. That's good. I'm glad."

"Exactly! Miss Artoria helped Mr. Hyde, and Mr. Hyde thanked her sincerely. Both sides being a little honest—nothing wrong with that!" Ritsuka beamed, clasping her hands in front of her.

"Mm. Being a bit honest really is nice," Artoria nodded softly.

"I'm not being dishonest… Tch, whatever. Do what you want." Will looked a bit grumpy, glancing away. Then, after a moment's pause, he suddenly frowned again.

"So? If there's nothing else, I'm leaving. Looks like you want to stay behind, Ritsuka Fujimaru? Fine by me. One less deadweight."

"I'm not a deadweight!" she puffed up in protest, but quickly composed herself and said:

"Still, since you've been honest once, why not keep it up? Miss Artoria, you didn't come all this way just to lend a hand and leave, right? You want to team up with him, don't you?"

"Eh?" Artoria froze, then nodded. "Yes… I do. But if he truly hates being around me, then maybe I should—"

"That's why!" Ritsuka cut her off and turned to Will again.

"Miss Artoria already showed so much goodwill, and you just accepted her help. Wouldn't it be rude to turn around and walk off now? And honestly, I don't think you actually hate her that much."

"You're strong, I get it. You could fight everything alone. But what's the harm in having a teammate? At the very least, she could carry your stuff, right?"

"…You're really annoying."

Will glared at her, then glanced at Artoria again—only to meet her eyes directly. He quickly looked away.

After a couple seconds of silence, he sighed deeply.

"…Let's get one thing straight: I'm not him. I'm just the 'evil' half. Ask this annoying woman for the details."

He pointed at Ritsuka.

"Because I'm only half a person, even with possession, my personality is skewed toward the darker side. I'm not exactly who you remember… If you still want to come with me knowing that, fine. Do as you please."

"Oho~" Ritsuka squinted playfully. "Are you explaining your bad attitude to Miss Artoria just now?"

"Keep quiet, or I'll make you quiet."

After shooting her a vicious glare, Will looked back to Artoria.

"So? Even knowing that, you still want to help me?"

"What do you think?" Artoria replied softly. "You already know my answer."

"…Yeah. You haven't changed. I thought you'd grown a little, but no."

Will shook his head, sighing with a touch of self-mockery.

"Even like this… you're still unbearably lovable."

"…Alright then. Let's go find Frankenstein."

He turned to leave—but Ritsuka popped up again:

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

"You're seriously annoying."

Glowering at her again, Will inhaled deeply, then finally said:

"…Let's go. Together."

"Ehehe~!" With a triumphant little hop, Ritsuka returned to Mash's side, throwing her a conspiratorial grin.

"How was that, Mash? Pretty impressive, huh? We've got a new teammate!"

"Very impressive, Senpai."

Mash nodded earnestly, genuinely admiring her.