Dawn arrived.
Boudica's chariot was slowly traveling across the land outside Hadrian's Wall.
The one driving it now was Ian. Although he had just gone through a night of intense battle, he looked no different from his usual self, as resilient as ever.
Behind him were Boudica and Jing Ke, who was wrapped in Ian's coat and had tied her clothes back together to modestly cover her body.
Although the two girls had only just met, they had already become quite good friends.
"Um..." Boudica looked at Jing Ke beside her. "Are you still feeling uncomfortable?"
"After we return to the city, I'll take you to apply something—they say the first time is usually a bit painful, especially since Ian used a lot of force, afraid you wouldn't receive the magical energy."
"..."
Hearing Boudica's words, Jing Ke felt a little embarrassed.
She clutched Ian's coat around her, her expression quite awkward.
"Um... Boudica."
"Mhm, what is it?" The Queen of Britannia looked at her friend. "Are you uncomfortable sitting and want to stop for a little rest?"
"No, no!" Jing Ke waved her hands repeatedly, signaling that was not what she meant. "I just feel a little guilty toward you."
"Guilty toward me?"
"Mhm," Jing Ke nodded. "He's clearly your fiancé, right? But he was with me in front of you..."
The girl in white recalled the moment she was lying on the chariot, her waist fiercely held by Ian. A blush of deep shame spread across her pale cheeks.
The physiological reaction caused by the man's technique was certainly exciting, but on a psychological level, it was a genuine torment.
Jing Ke swore she had never had the desire to do such a thing, but when it came to the actual operation, it was a completely different feeling.
"I'm sorry, I didn't expect things to turn out this way."
"You're being too polite." Boudica smiled slightly. "You risked your life to help us... If we were to hold this against you now, wouldn't that be like kicking down the bridge after crossing the river?"
"Jing Ke, do you think Ian is that kind of person, or do you think I am?"
"I never meant that!" Jing Ke quickly explained. "I believe you two are definitely not that kind of person!"
"Then it's settled~ If you don't think we're that kind of person—"
Boudica looked at Ian, who was driving the chariot in front, a slight glimmer in her emerald eyes.
"If you can accept that feeling, then consider it a beautiful dream;"
"If you can't accept that feeling, then consider it our unintentional offense."
"This..."
Since the words had been spoken this way, Jing Ke no longer struggled with the matter. She nodded:
"I understand... In that case, I'll consider it a beautiful dream."
"Mhm, that's best."
Considering that Jing Ke's body had only just recovered, Ian did not drive Boudica's chariot at maximum speed as he had before.
So, it wasn't until nearly evening that the group returned to the vicinity of Hadrian's Wall.
To Jing Ke's astonishment, the chariot once again miraculously leaped over the high, long wall and landed on the road behind it.
"This..."
Although she was a Servant, this was the first time Jing Ke had seen a chariot capable of flying over such a high wall.
"Isn't this a chariot pulled by two horses? How can it have such amazing jumping capability?"
"This is something the Goddess granted me," Boudica introduced with a proud expression. "Let alone this wall, it can leap over things even higher!"
"This..."
Jing Ke felt a little envious.
"So you are all such amazing people... No wonder you could get together."
"Eh? This..."
Suddenly brought up by Jing Ke, Boudica felt a little shy, but she did not deny the statement, silently acknowledging it.
To be able to be with him... what a wonderful thing.
In this subtle atmosphere, the group arrived at Camulodunum, the city closest to Hadrian's Wall.
This was a city located near Hadrian's Wall. Because of its proximity to the frontline against the black shadows, it had become a supply base for transporting equipment there.
Ian parked the chariot near the city gate. Then, Boudica stood up and shouted toward the top of the wall.
"Everyone, I've returned! Open the gate quickly!"
As the Queen of Britannia, Boudica's simple shout immediately brought responses from many soldiers.
With their effort, the city gate slowly opened, and a road extending from inside the city appeared before the three.
However—
The first people to appear there were not the soldiers of Britannia, but Mash and Tamamo-no-Mae, who had come with Ian to this Singularity.
"Senpai!"
Mash cried out, and immediately ran toward Ian, throwing herself into his embrace.
"Why did you go adventuring alone again, just like before... I was so worried."
Listening to Mash's incredibly direct words, Ian realized he had indeed caused her to worry, so he apologized.
"I'm sorry... I originally just wanted to go out and check the situation, but I didn't expect to meet someone on the way who could solve the problem, so I took a little time to eliminate all those black shadows."
"Wha- what?"
Mash couldn't quite believe what she had heard.
In just one night, Senpai had eliminated all those strange things?
No... it wasn't impossible.
Since he was such an amazing Senpai, he certainly had the capability to do such a thing.
"Master." Tamamo-no-Mae walked over at this point. "Is the person you mentioned who could solve the problem the girl beside Boudica?"
"That's right, Koyama." Ian nodded. "She was the key to helping Boudica and me solve the problem."
"I see." Tamamo-no-Mae's two fox ears twitched slightly. "She, it seems, has already become Master's Servant?"
"Koyama..." Ian was a little surprised. "You actually sensed that?"
"After all, I am also Master's Servant." The clever fox demon's gaze fell on Jing Ke in the distance. "I can still sense things somewhat."
Seeing Ian chatting with the two girls she hadn't met before, Jing Ke's expression became somewhat complex.
She swore she wasn't so concerned because of the physical connection she had just formed with Ian. She simply felt that the person standing there should have been Boudica beside her.
"Who are they..." Jing Ke asked Boudica.
"This..."
Boudica looked at Ian and the other two girls. After much hesitation, she finally decided to tell the truth.
"They are his wives."
"Huh?" Jing Ke's eyes widened slightly, wondering if she had misheard something. "Boudica, what are you saying? Aren't you his fiancée?"
Although she had anticipated Jing Ke's reaction, Boudica still felt quite embarrassed, but she nodded honestly and replied:
"I am indeed his fiancée... but they are also truly his wives."
"..."
Jing Ke froze completely.
She realized that after enjoying what happened last night, she had been drawn into an incredibly complex relationship.
And at that moment, the focus of all these relationships, the man named Ian, waved at Boudica and Jing Ke:
"Hurry up and come over. Let's enter the city first before discussing anything else!"
"Okay, I'm coming."
Boudica immediately responded to Ian. She then looked at Jing Ke and walked toward Ian's location.
Jing Ke had little choice at the moment but to quickly follow suit.
Ten minutes later, led by Boudica, the group arrived at a certain hall within the city of Camulodunum.
This was a place only those with a status like Boudica were privileged to enter.
Following etiquette, the Queen of Britannia led Ian to sit in the center. Tamamo-no-Mae, Mash, and Jing Ke sat on the other side, forming a small circle of five.
This was a simple meeting for the purpose of exchanging information.
"So—" Tamamo-no-Mae looked at Jing Ke, who was lost in thought because of Boudica's recent words. "How exactly did she help Master?"
"She doesn't look like someone who could kill all those black shadows by herself... I am a little curious about this."
"I actually killed them," Ian answered the question directly. "But I needed Jing Ke's cover in the process."
"The person who created these black shadows was Jing Ke's original Summoner."
"Without her help, I probably wouldn't have been able to enter that deep area."
This was the truth.
After all, without seeing Agrippina, any further conjecture would have remained just conjecture.
"That sounds like quite crucial assistance." Tamamo-no-Mae gave a small bow to Jing Ke.
"Miss Jing Ke, you seem to be quite a virtuous young lady... I express my gratitude to you here."
"..."
Jing Ke was momentarily unsure how to respond to this courtesy.
She was even less sure how she, as an assassin, should react to the descriptor "virtuous."
"Um..."
Mash spoke cautiously. In front of strangers, she was still quite reserved.
"My name is Mash Kyrielight. I am a member sent to this era by Chaldea—may I ask your name?"
The question posed by the girl who called herself Mash Kyrielight was obviously easier to answer than Tamamo-no-Mae's.
Jing Ke quickly introduced herself: "I am Jing Ke, a Servant from another era."
"Jing Ke..." Mash murmured the name, then suddenly recalled something.
"Are you the assassin Miss Hinako Akuta mentioned before?"
"Huh?" Jing Ke was confused for a moment, but she still nodded instinctively.
"P- probably?"
"That's great."
Mash smiled. To encounter a Servant she knew a little about seemed to be a very pleasing event for her.
"Senpai is truly amazing. Even with such a formidable Servant, he can easily form a contract."
"Mhm, she is indeed very capable."
Ian did not reveal the fact that he had defeated Jing Ke. He wanted to protect his Servant's dignity.
However, the man was unaware that Jing Ke's heart at this moment was plunged into a deep whirlpool of confusion.
First, it was "Master," then "Senpai," and now there were also the strange titles of "fiancée" and "wives."
This convoluted relationship was simply impossible to comprehend!
She couldn't hold it in!
She really couldn't hold it in!
Jing Ke stood up directly and threw out the doubt in her heart.
"What exactly is your relationship with each other—how can you have a fiancée while having wives?! How many wives do you have?"
Jing Ke blurted out the confusion in her heart.
She knew if she didn't get all of it out, she would absolutely choke on it.
"..."
Hearing this, Mash and Tamamo-no-Mae exchanged glances. The former shyly lowered her head, while the latter pursed her lips and smiled.
As for Boudica, sitting beside Ian, her expression was even more awkward than before.
She hadn't expected Jing Ke to suddenly say something like this.
This kind of question would be very difficult to answer, no matter how you looked at it... She was going to cause him unnecessary trouble again.
However—
The actual situation was not like that.
Ian responded to Jing Ke's question very naturally.
"Is there anything wrong with that?"
"Eh?" Jing Ke froze for a moment.
"No, do you think this is a reasonable thing to do?"
"Whether it's reasonable or not, I don't know." Ian became serious. "But at least I know that doing this is not wrong—I love every one of them, so I had to choose this way for everyone to accept each other."
"However—"
"If my actions made you feel uncomfortable, I apologize."
"..."
A very direct "scumbag" statement, but Jing Ke sharply noticed something.
That was, when Ian said these words, the three girls, including Boudica, had no objection.
In other words, they supported the man in doing this—they were willing to share this man!
Suddenly realizing this, Jing Ke was momentarily speechless.
Seeing her state, Ian didn't press further but looked at Tamamo-no-Mae.
At this moment, he had a more important matter to attend to.
"Koyama, I remember you said you had a discovery that day—can you tell me about it now?"
"Yes, Master."
Tamamo-no-Mae nodded, then took out her mirror.
Her expression looked somewhat complicated, the kind one has when facing a dilemma.
"I believe the Holy Grail of this era is probably far more complicated than we imagined."