Crazy Britain:They’re All Raising Me

Although Guinevere was quite curious about what kind of magical chemical reaction might happen between C-Altria and Mordred... unfortunately, nothing happened after Altria said, "Of course you can."

Because Mordred passed out from sheer happiness.

Luckily, Guinevere, standing behind her, reacted quickly and caught her before she could fall flat on her back.

Even while unconscious, Mordred had a blissful expression on her face—like her life had finally reached enlightenment. She looked like a monk achieving nirvana.

"I didn't expect you guys to bring Mordred along… I was actually a little surprised." Gently patting Mordred's head, Altria scratched her cheek and chuckled softly.

"After all, it suddenly makes me feel like I've aged over ten years in an instant—my child is already this grown-up!"

"But speaking of that, I feel like the Altria here is really different from the one in the dream," Ritsuka Fujimaru remarked thoughtfully.

"Ah, that…" Altria scratched her head, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Apparently, every Servant is slightly different in dreams. The one in the dream was probably more of an idealized version of me—more mature, both in body and mind… Was I being too domineering and self-righteous? I'm really sorry if I was…"

"Not at all!" Ritsuka shook her head at once. "Dream Altria was so cool—strong, reliable, really amazing! Of course, the Altria here is also super dependable, just… a bit cuter."

"R-Really?" Altria's face flushed slightly as she stole a glance at Guinevere.

—She remembered in the dream, Guinevere seemed to dislike her appearance… even if that version of Guinevere was a darker persona, they were still the same person… Could it be the good persona disliked that side of her too?

"...Fujimaru is right," Guinevere nodded. He didn't think too much about it and simply spoke the truth, "Dream Altria was indeed reliable, but the Altria here is definitely cuter."

After all, Altria is Altria. Whether it's him or the Bloodstained One, neither had any issue with the Fairy of the Holy Sword herself… it was just hard to accept that she sacrificed herself to forge the sword for him.

"Huh? Really?"

Altria blinked in surprise, then lowered her head slightly and smiled silly, murmuring, "I see… Thanks. Mr. Jekyll is really cool too. And Fujimaru, you're really cute."

"Hey, that's not just flattery, okay?" Ritsuka replied earnestly. "I'm just telling it like it is! Jekyll-sensei would agree, right?"

"Aww, don't say that, you're going to make me blush!"

Struggling to hide the grin tugging at the corners of her lips, Altria quickly straightened her posture.

"Anyway, let's talk business! You're here to look for Miss Frankenstein, right?"

"Well, that's part of it, but mainly we came to rendezvous with you," Guinevere said seriously. "Now that we've met up, getting Frankenstein on board would be important too. We still need more firepower if we want to clear this Singularity."

"Mm, true." Hearing that Guinevere came looking for her first, Altria nodded with satisfaction.

"But as for Fran—unfortunately, she doesn't seem to be here. I already scouted this mansion beforehand and didn't see any trace of her. Seems she left ahead of time."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "However, I did see some footprints at the entrance. Judging by the direction, she probably went toward the police station too. Maybe she's trying to meet up with us there."

"I see," Ritsuka nodded. "Then I suppose we should head to the station next."

"But before that, I've got a question." Guinevere spoke up. "Altria, do you know anything about Jack the Ripper?"

"Jack the Ripper?" Altria blinked. "Who's that? Could you describe her?"

"She's a Servant who originally operated in this time period," Guinevere replied thoughtfully. "Looks like a young girl, white short hair, a scar on her face, wields two short daggers. Outfit could either be a very revealing leather armor or a pitch-black cloak."

"Geez," Altria immediately pouted. "We just met, and now you're already asking me to help find another woman?"

"No, it's not what you think!" Guinevere quickly raised his hands in surrender. "I'm just helping a friend."

Hearing that all-too-familiar line, Altria narrowed her eyes.

"Wait a sec. This 'friend'... is it you? Are you seriously going after little girls now?"

If that was the case, she'd not only have to fend off bratty rivals like Bavanzi but even keep an eye on toddlers?

Oh right—speaking of Bavanzi...

Glancing at the unconscious figure currently piggybacked by Mash, Altria couldn't help but smirk.

While the system supposedly wipes knowledge of the simulation after each run, Guinevere clearly retained memories from the first simulation—meaning they temporarily return with each round.

So if these memories could someday carry into reality… well, then building up favor with Guinevere during the simulations could really pay off!

Bavanzi, on the other hand? Always shouting "trash," yet in this simulation she snagged the spot to bring Guinevere in, met him early, and even synced up with his "Bloodstained" version—perfect setup. But instead of making progress, she stabbed him in a dream and has been comatose ever since. Total failure.

All things considered, maybe this Jack girl warranted more attention.

"Definitely not!" Guinevere quickly protested, afraid she'd slap a copper hat on him. "Jack's someone Mordred adopted as a pseudo-daughter in this Singularity. So technically… she's your granddaughter!"

"Huh?"

Seeing Altria's heavy suspicion, Guinevere quickly explained the story between him, Mordred, and Jack.

Once he finished recounting the events, Altria frowned in thought for a few seconds, then gradually relaxed.

Alright. She believed him.

After all, while it did seem like strange love rivals popped up for her everywhere, Guinevere himself had always been pretty well-behaved—never one to flirt around, much less go for underage girls.

…Probably.

"I haven't seen Jack myself," Altria admitted, "but from your description, I think I overheard some Scotland Yard agents mention seeing someone fitting that description near the palace."

"The palace?"

"Yep. The Ety Palace."

Altria nodded. "It's where Buckingham Palace would be in the real world. I'll ask Adonis to have the agents keep an eye out next time I reenter the dream."

"But more importantly—this person here… I don't think we've met before?"

She now turned to Chie Hino, who had been silently observing the others from the back the whole time.

"Me? What are you staring at?"

Noticing the attention, Chie Hino raised a brow and waved dismissively.

"You guys keep chatting. Don't mind me. I don't like getting involved in this kind of stuff. If it comes to a fight, call me. Otherwise, talk to my kouhai."

"Ah, yes! If you need anything, please talk to me!" Ritsuka quickly added. "And don't worry about my senpai. She's not being hostile. She's just… super introverted."

"Uh, okay?" Altria blinked. She'd seen introverts before—but not like this.

Still, she pressed on.

"Well, at least tell me your name? I'm not trying to uncover your True Name. I'd just like to know what to call you."

Chie groaned like it was a hassle, then muttered, "…Chie Hino. Or if you want, you can call me Yu Ji."

But the moment she said "Yu Ji," a surprised little hmm? came from somewhere nearby.

The sound was soft, but enough to draw everyone's attention.

"Who's there?!"

With that shout, Chie immediately sprang forward—bare feet kicking up a crimson wave beneath her as she launched herself at the source of the sound, magic crackling around her.

Apparently, she wasn't the only one who thought this intruder was hostile.

Just as she lunged forward, a figure leapt out of hiding—a dashing older man with a half-draped extravagant cloak and a poetic-looking mustache.

"Huh? Wait, that guy—"

Before Guinevere could warn anyone, the man dropped to his knees in a dramatic slide, yanking out a white flag from his coat and waving it desperately.

"Wait! Please stop your Don Quixote-esque charge! I'm not a windmill or a giant—just a poor, helpless passerby—!"

His actions were clearly meant to signal surrender… but his voice was so forceful and dramatic that no one bought it. Especially not Chie.

With a puzzled look, she barreled straight into him, sending him flying into the wall before he slid down like a ragdoll.

Only after that did he manage to finish his sentence.

"...just a humble writer..."

"Well, I don't really get it, but looks like we defeated the enemy who was spying on us?" Chie turned back to the group.

"Defeated my ass! That was a full surrender! Didn't you see me waving the flag?!"

Shakily rising from the ground, the man protested.

"A French salute, huh? So you're a French enemy?" Chie frowned, then lifted her blade again. "Guess I'll give you another hit."

"Stop! You savage!"

Seeing this escalation, Guinevere rushed to hold her back.

"Wait, just wait a second—he said he's surrendering. And you, mister, could you please stop making French jokes? She clearly doesn't get your references."

"A shame," the man sighed as he picked himself up and tossed the white cloth aside. "French humor is one of my favorite artistic pursuits… oh well, guess I'll put the flag away."

Dusting himself off, he straightened and introduced himself:

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am William Shakespeare. I came here not as a fighter but a humble observer, drawn by the scent of an extraordinary story unfolding. I merely hoped to witness it…"

Then he turned to Guinevere and extended his hand with a smirk.

"So, young man with a story carved into your soul—would you care to share a few tales with me?"