"Don't be so friendly—people might misunderstand!"
Souma only felt an immense force pressing down on him. His frail body couldn't take it!
He was certain—this was Heracles in his ultimate form, not the mindless Berserker.
He possessed the Twelve Labors, Twelve Glories, numerous divine Noble Phantasms bestowed by gods, and perfect rationality to wield them all!
The sword from Hermes, the bow from Apollo, the robe and golden breastplate from Athena.
Arrows dipped in Hydra venom, the belt of the Amazon Queen...
He was practically armed to the teeth.
His strength had reached an outrageous level.
This was definitely not the same Berserker who had been easily toyed with by Gilgamesh before.
The current Heracles was absolutely qualified to fight Gilgamesh head-on!
As for Souma himself, with each video exposure, his Spirit Origin hadn't fully recovered yet.
Aren't you just bullying me at this point?
Heracles' smile grew even more amiable: "I won't say much about how you made me take the blame for everything before."
"You really are a true bro!"
Souma sighed in relief.
This was what a real brother was like—even knowing he'd been framed, he didn't hold a grudge.
"But!"
Heracles paused, tightening his grip on Souma's shoulder slightly. "We need to have a serious talk about Illya!"
"...Talk about what?"
Souma was a little confused.
What does this have to do with the little loli?
"You know my past. To me, Illya is a little angel of redemption—my daughter. I won't allow anyone to hurt her, including you!"
Heracles' killing intent suddenly flared. "As for the False Gods' Council of the United States, I'll fight alongside you."
That false god from the United States had dared to threaten Illya—something he could never tolerate.
"Uh, don't worry, I would never hurt her!"
Souma nodded without hesitation, making his promise.
He had protected her time and time again—how could he ever bear to harm her?
"Hmph, though Illya likes you a lot, I haven't fully accepted you, you womanizer!" Heracles snorted coldly.
"Ah, this..."
Souma felt a headache coming on.
As an employee working under [Alaya], safeguarding human history was his daily routine.
Protecting people and saving the world were just part of his job.
Yet after countless battles, he'd somehow gained a horde of admirers.
And not just women—plenty of men too!
Heracles clenched his massive fists: "Before she comes of age, you're not allowed to do anything inappropriate with her, or don't blame me for settling accounts with you!"
"Uh, of course not, but you have to promise not to reveal my identity!"
Souma agreed without hesitation.
She was just an elementary school loli after all.
Any misconduct would mean capital punishment at minimum!
Even if it were legal, he could never bring himself to do such things!
Wait... so you really see Illya as your daughter?
Which means...
I consider you a brother, but you want to be my father-in-law?
How are we supposed to sort out our seniority then?
"Deal!"
Heracles nodded in agreement.
Let him protect his daughter in her youth.
Once she grows up, she'll be snatched away by this pig anyway!
"I won't see you out then. Safe travels."
Souma waved goodbye.
Returning home, he prepared hot water: "Roya, Illya, the bath's ready—don't forget to wash up!"
"I'm not bathing!"
Roya answered without hesitation.
Who'd want to bathe in the dead of winter?
"You little brat! What if you start stinking from not bathing daily?" Souma scolded irritably.
"Hmph! A beautiful girl like me is naturally fragrant—impossible to stink!"
Sprawled on the bed gaming, Roya retorted with absolute confidence.
"Fine then, just stay away from me later!"
Souma rolled his eyes.
The brat was getting lazier by the day—practically hibernating like a bear.
But perhaps laziness was good—less chance of breaking her seals to become the Apocalypse Demon King.
"Then I'll go."
Hearing "stay away from me," Illya immediately got up and headed to the bathroom.
If she really started smelling, he'd definitely avoid her.
Turning off the lights, she sat in the warm tub, gazing at the starry sky through the window, lost in thought.
Illya had confirmed it—Souma was the powerless younger version of Emiya, the Nameless Heroic Spirit.
With the whole world loving him, she felt utterly overwhelmed.
After all, she was just a powerless little loli, no match for those mighty Heroic Spirits.
Let alone goddesses like Ereshkigal or Ishtar!
"Huh? What's that?"
Illya suddenly noticed a twinkling light in the sky.
Eh? Why's it getting closer?
To her shock, the light was rapidly approaching—blinking right before her eyes.
Instinctively covering her head, she realized the light was actually a strange magical staff topped with a ruby.
Even weirder, the peculiar object bounced softly, emitting a cute, childish voice—
"Hi there! I'm Ruby, the embodiment of love and hope! Want to make a contract and become a magical girl?"
???
Illya stared in astonishment.
This thing could talk?
But seriously, that name was way too loaded with bad connotations!
At least it wasn't that creepy white creature.
Just a staff shouldn't be a problem, right?
At that moment.
Souma pushed the door open and turned on the light, staring at her in stunned silence: "Sorry, I saw the lights were off and thought you hadn't started bathing yet."
"Ah!"
Illya's face instantly turned crimson, steam practically rising from her head.
This was too humiliating—she'd been seen completely naked!
Now she'd never get married!
Bam!
The Ruby Magic Staff immediately charged forward, eager to prove itself.
Souma instinctively reached to grab it but suddenly remembered—he was supposed to be an ordinary teenager right now.
Wait, how did the Ruby from the alternate timeline of "Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA☆ILLYA" get here too?
He'd just promised Heracles he wouldn't lay a finger on Illya, yet within an hour he'd barged into her bath.
This was bad!
If Heracles found out about this, that overprotective father would definitely come to kill him!
As an ordinary teenager, he should probably get knocked out by the staff, right?
Souma decided to play along to avoid further awkwardness.
Thud~
He dramatically fell backward, perfectly playing the role of a weak ordinary person.
"Ah, Souma!"
Illya cried out in alarm, rushing from the bathtub—only to step directly on the soap that had fallen to the floor.
Splat~
Her feet slipped, sending her tumbling right on top of him.
"Oof, that hurts... wait, it doesn't?"
Closing her eyes expecting pain, Illya instead felt something soft beneath her.
When she opened her eyes, she found herself straddling his chest, her thighs framing his face—exactly like Ishtar's infamous landing pose from "Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia"!
"..."
Illya's face turned so red steam practically gushed from her ears, the sheer embarrassment threatening to make her faint.
How did things end up like this?
Meanwhile.
Souma inhaled her sweet fragrance with resigned frustration.
No need to explain—if anyone saw this scene, he'd be getting a pair of rose-gold bracelets (handcuffs) for sure!
That overprotective Hercules would instantly lose all reason, becoming the most berserk version of himself, willing to expend all twelve lives just to kill him!
Looks like playing dead was his only option now.
As he "lost consciousness," Illya scrambled off him with burning cheeks, glaring daggers at the Ruby Magic Staff: "You stupid thing! This is all your fault!"
"I am the Ruby of love and justice! Just make a contract with me to become a magical girl, and you'll gain incredible power~"
The staff cheerfully continued its pitch.
Hum~
Its ruby gem glowed, materializing a blank card.
Illya gasped in recognition: "This is... a Class Card?!"
Indeed, the card it created was identical to the Class Cards from "Vow in the Snow."
Using these cards allowed one to channel heroic spirits, temporarily becoming those legendary figures.
Angelica had famously used one to summon Gilgamesh, becoming the busty version of the King of Heroes that everyone talked about.
And Emiya had used blank cards to summon versions of himself from across timelines, transforming into the legendary "Emiya the Hero."
He'd ended an entire Holy Grail War in one night by defeating seven opponents!
"That's right! With this contract, you'll gain the power of heroic spirits! You can cancel anytime—I'm completely harmless!" Ruby continued its sales pitch.
"Can it be canceled anytime?"
Iliya's heart instantly skipped a beat.
She was currently too weak. If she truly possessed the power of a Heroic Spirit, she could protect Souma.
Back then, he had protected her time and again—now it was her turn to repay him.
Illya recalled that when watching the video, she had appeared for a full five seconds in Vow in the Snow!
If she became Magical Girl Illya, could she create a happy world where no one got hurt?
Then, that's what she would do.
This time, she would protect Souma and everyone else.
Even if it meant being completely forgotten by the world, just like him—she wouldn't hesitate!
Illya nodded firmly. "Alright!"
Holding her magic staff with her small hands, she channeled her mana to form a contract.
On the blank dream summoning card before her, a familiar figure in a red cloak suddenly materialized.
Ruby praised, "Not bad. You can summon the power of Archer."
***
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