Crazy Britain:They’re All Raising Me

"Sorry, Ella. I know I left you behind earlier without warning, but I truly discovered something urgent... As you can see, these people are all my companions. I had to bring them over as soon as I found their traces."

The moment Artoria stepped into the lounge, she greeted the waiting girl inside with the ease of old friends.

"...Sigh..."

Ella responded with a soft sigh and a nod.

"I understand what you mean, but next time, please take me with you, Prince Tyre."

"By the way, Ella," Artoria asked, "what was that emergency dispatch about earlier? Did you find anything?"

"Ah, right." Ella's expression grew serious. "We received a report of a possible sighting of the Nightmare Avatar—The Bloodstained Butcher. I was dispatched to confirm it."

"I see..." Artoria's expression turned subtly odd. "And? What did you find?"

"Nothing at all," Ella shook her head. "By the time we arrived, all that remained was a pile of corpses."

"That makes sense," Artoria chuckled lightly. "After all, there's no way you could've found it. The Bloodstained Butcher is actually with us."

She gave Gawainiel a light pat on the shoulder as she said that.

"Yup. This guy right here is the Butcher."

"...What?"

Gawainiel was stunned.

"You must've entered the city in your demon form at some point, right?" Artoria said. "From what I gathered, people in the city—both civilians and police—witnessed a red-lightning-wielding figure slaughtering monsters. Word has spread fast, and now there's a whole urban legend about the Bloodstained Butcher. They thought it was some kind of Nightmare Avatar… but when I saw the red lightning, I was sure it had to be you."

"Wait, wait, what are you even talking about?" Gawainiel blinked. "Since arriving in Yti, I haven't once transformed. That Bloodstained Butcher clearly isn't me!"

"Ah..."

Artoria's smile stiffened.

"I... I see. Then I guess I was wrong. My apologies..."

She let out an awkward laugh, scratching her cheek. But then, as if recalling something, her expression tensed again.

"Wait a second… then what about Ella? Are you really the Frankenstein I've been looking for? Don't tell me I got that wrong too?"

If she had messed that up as well... wouldn't that mean she just delivered Gawainiel to the enemy herself?

"No, you didn't misidentify me," Gawainiel said quickly, seeing the concern in her eyes. He wanted to put her at ease. "Ella is indeed Frankenstein."

From the moment he laid eyes on her, he had been certain. This so-called Captain Ella wore a crisp white guard uniform, her messy magenta hair falling in loose strands around her face. Beneath her bangs, those heterochromatic eyes—one blue, one yellow—watched him warily. And atop her head, her golden horns gleamed faintly in the dim light.

It was unmistakably Frankenstein.

However, something seemed... off.

Perhaps due to the dream world's influence, this version of Frankenstein seemed to have far more fluency in speech than her usual self. She conversed like a normal person, rather than the fragmented, stilted speech of her game counterpart.

And then there was her chest—stretching the fabric of her uniform so tightly it looked like it might burst.

Gawainiel was no pervert, but he remembered that Frankenstein wasn't exactly flat, though he was sure she wasn't this well-endowed either...

Wait, hold on.

He squinted. The shape of the bulge on her chest didn't look like pure... softness. It looked... odd. Almost like there was something else pressing out the fabric from beneath her skin.

A power core? Equipment from Adonis? Some kind of mechanical implant?

As Gawainiel puzzled over the possibility, he suddenly heard a cold snort.

"Stop ogling my chest, pervert. How long are you planning to stare?"

The room fell into a sudden, crushing silence.

All eyes turned to Gawainiel.

"Ah? No, I wasn't—"

Gawainiel froze. What the hell was this?! Accused like some creep on a subway train?

Actually, no—she wasn't entirely wrong.

Even if he hadn't meant anything lewd, he had been staring. That much was undeniable.

His brain stalled.

"Please don't misunderstand him, Ella," Artoria said quickly. "I've known him a long time—I know he's not that kind of person. Right, Hyde—?"

She turned to him, only to freeze as she saw his expression. He looked... guilty?

Wait a minute... didn't she see something in Ritsuka Fujimaru's memories? Something about this guy forcing her into a maid outfit?

And hadn't he said he was now the 'evil persona,' no longer bound by restraint?

Her brows furrowed.

"...You didn't really look, did you?"

"I didn't," Gawainiel replied after a two-second pause.

"Then why are your eyes drifting left?"

"Ahaha... they are?"

"You know your smile looks incredibly fake, right now?"

"I—"

He had nothing left to say.

Damned if he did, damned if he didn't.

"So tell me," Artoria muttered, casting a glance downward at her own feet, then sideways toward Ella's rather... obstructive "assets." She clenched her fists.

"You men... is it just big boobs that you like?"

Nearby, Ritsuka Fujimaru instinctively looked down at herself. Then at Artoria. Then at Ella.

Phew. Still had some 'supplies.'

Wait—why was she thinking about that?!

Unfortunately for her, Artoria caught every single thought with her Fairy Eyes.

Now she was starting to tremble with rage.

"Wait, Prince Tyre... why are you making that face like I'm your unfaithful ex or something?"

Ella frowned in confusion, clearly picking up on Artoria's emotional turmoil.

"...Wait. Don't tell me... you left me back then... because of him?"

"Huh?"

Even Ritsuka and Mash blinked, trading bewildered looks.

What kind of juicy drama was unfolding now?

"...Eh?"

Artoria blinked too.

"Wait—Ella, what are you talking about? When were we ever—"

"What?!" Ella's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're not even going to acknowledge our past?! You hate me that much?"

"Ah?"

More stunned silence.

Even Artoria's brain lagged a bit.

...Wait! That's right! She had no ties to Ella—but the character she was playing, Prince Tyre, was Ella's ex!

"Oh! Right! I remember now—we were together!"

"You're saying you just forgot everything we had together?" Ella trembled, furious. "That's even worse!"

Artoria clutched her head in agony.

What was she supposed to do? Deny it? Acknowledge it? Everything she said seemed to make it worse!

This woman was completely unreasonable!

"Wowww..." Ritsuka whispered, nudging Mash as she looked around for something to sit on. Mash's shield might make a good bench for this high-quality drama...

She even leaned in to whisper to Gawainiel with a sly wink.

"Come on, Mr. Hyde, you're not gonna offer a spicy comment for this juicy moment?"

Gawainiel: "..."

At this point, he didn't even know what kind of expression to make.

Still, he didn't doubt Artoria for a second. Knowing Frankenstein's true self, he understood that this "Ella" was more of a role she'd been forced into by the dream world. He wouldn't take it personally.

Besides, he had bigger concerns—like figuring out how the hell to clean off the mud now smeared all over his metaphorical pants.

"Anyway, Ella, you need to calm down," Artoria said. "This isn't the time for emotional drama. Yti is in a state of crisis. We need to work together... Whatever's between us, I'll explain it to you properly—later."

"You have to promise me that," Ella said sternly.

"I promise," Artoria nodded, clearly just wanting to get this over with. Then, turning to Gawainiel, she gave him a sharp look.

"As for you, Hyde... I'm choosing to trust you. But both this and whatever's going on with Miss Fujimaru—you're going to explain everything to me. Got it? Right now, let's deal with your problem first."

"...Got it."

Despite his calm tone, Gawainiel felt a little misty inside.

A girlfriend who doesn't jump to conclusions, keeps her head cool, and still talks things through?

Yeah... he was down bad.

But... wait.

Suddenly, he remembered something else.

Okay, he might be able to explain things with Ella... but Fujimaru's situation?

That might be really hard to justify.

While Gawainiel began mentally preparing his funeral speech, Artoria had already begun explaining their mission to Ella.

"...And that's the situation, more or less. Ella, I know you're grieving Professor Viktor's passing, but right now, we need your help. For Hyde's sake."

After a concise rundown, Artoria turned to Ella—who now wore a very conflicted expression.

"He... Father... I see..."

She should have felt grief. But oddly enough, what filled her now was not sorrow... but an inexplicable sense of relief, and a hollow emptiness.

Why?

Something felt off.

Just as she was about to search her feelings further, a deep, tolling bell echoed from outside.

Both she and Artoria turned at once toward the window.

The once-bright sky had turned blood-red.

"What's happening?!" Ritsuka asked.

"The Blood Moon has risen," Artoria said grimly. "Every night at ten o'clock, without fail, the sky turns red. Monsters in the fog grow stronger and more active. Some creatures we never see during the day begin to emerge... The police call this their most dangerous time."

She paused, then added:

"And more importantly... Nightmare Avatars usually only appear after the Blood Moon rises. We need to resolve Hyde's issue quickly—before things get worse."

But just as she turned back to Ella, she saw something alarming.

Ella clutched her chest, sweat beading on her brow. Her breathing grew ragged.

"Ella?! Are you okay?"

"I—I... Ah... ahhhhhh!"

Before she could answer, Ella collapsed, screaming in agony, hands pressed to her head.

"Viktor... Father... Professor... Why... Why couldn't you ever..."

"...look at me?"

A blinding red light burst forth from her chest.

Gawainiel's eyes widened. He stepped forward, grabbing Ella's collar and yanking it down—

Right there, nestled between her breasts and just above the sternum, glowed a twisted, crimson core.

"...Artoria," he said grimly, "this is the explanation I owe you."

He stepped back, face dark.

"This is the 'core' of a Nightmare Avatar!"