Thanks for the invitation. I'm in Type-Moon, inheriting the legacy of Zi-O.

"An artificial human—?" Mash's eyes widened in surprise.

"She was placed in a coffin in the inner room, along with an instruction manual." Pointing to a dark passageway behind the bookshelf, Mordred pulled a small booklet from somewhere. "It even came with instructions, let me see—"

"Ah, I've got it!" Mordred's emerald green eyes flashed with delight as she stared at the words on the notebook: "This is said to be the first android created by my grandfather, Victor Frankenstein."

“This must be the monster from Frankenstein…” Mary said confidently, then frowned in distress. “But I remember at the end of the novel, she was burned to ashes? I wonder if she can hear my voice…” Mary looked at the silent Frankenstein on the screen and tried to speak.

"Um... are you Frankenstein's monster?"

“…Ugh, ah… ugh…” The girl nodded, but when she opened her mouth, she still couldn’t utter a complete syllable.

“She doesn’t seem to have any language ability…” Mashu looked at the creaking girl with a smile. “But for some reason, I can understand what she’s thinking.”

"..." The girl in the pure white dress looked up as Mashu walked up to her.

"Your name." With her eyes lowered, Mashu gently patted the girl's head. "Monster—you probably don't like being called that, do you?"

“…Mmm.” This time, the girl nodded even more forcefully.

“I see—” Nian Zhuo nodded, looking at the girl in front of him. “Ken Niang… never mind, that definitely won’t work. How about we call her Fran?” However, Nian Zhuo inexplicably thought of… a girl dressed like scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

“Hey! I think Fran is pretty good too!” Ritsuka nodded in agreement.

“…Hmm…” Nian Zhuo’s gaze shifted to Nian Zhuo, and he could feel the girl’s eyes scrutinizing him.

After a long silence, the girl finally nodded, and even the corners of her mouth seemed to turn up slightly.

"Ah, you seem quite happy." Mashu looked at the girl in front of her with surprise and extended her hand. "Then, you must be Miss Fran."

“…Hmm…” This time, Fran looked at Mash’s face and reached out to shake her hand.

"Um, Miss Fran, are you... a homunculus?" Mash asked cautiously, scrutinizing Fran's expression.

“…Um, umm…” After a pause, the girl nodded and pointed to the horns on her head.

“Not a Servant?” Mordred looked at the girl in front of her, and suddenly laughed happily as if she understood something. “Ah, I see. She’s still alive, isn’t she?! I finally understand. No wonder I couldn’t tell from her appearance.”

"...?" Mash looked at Mordred, who was smiling inexplicably beside her, and tilted her head in confusion.

"It's alright, it's alright, just pretend I'm talking to myself." As if she had resolved some inner conflict, Mordred waved her hand to indicate that it was nothing to worry about. Looking at Frankenstein, who was holding hands with Mash, she slung her sword over her shoulder. "It's not good to leave her here. Anyway, let's take her back to Jekyll first."

"...Uh, uh..." Fran nodded vigorously, obediently holding the round hammer and standing with Mash and the others.

"Your master is no longer here." Mordred's gaze shifted to the notebook Ritsuka was holding, and she turned her head sadly. "So, well, you can go wherever you want. Anyway, let's take you to Jekyll first. Let's go. Homunculi shouldn't be affected by the magic mist, right?"

"Is...that so?" Mash looked at Fran beside her and noticed that the other was also looking down at her. "That's not necessarily true. This is an extremely dangerous act."

"It's alright." Mordred pointed to the girl's chest, "Because this girl isn't breathing at all, right, Fran?"

“…Hmm.” He looked at his chest, then at Mordred, and nodded.

"See, she nodded." Mordred smiled with satisfaction and walked out of the mansion first.

With the unfamiliar young girl Frankenstein by their side, the group walked out of the mansion in a grand procession and retraced their steps.

As Nianzhuo stepped out of the iron gate, which Mordred had opened with a large hole, he suddenly stopped and looked at the mansion behind him.

The dim yellow lights remain, but no one uses them anymore.

"Clap clap—" Nian Zhuo clapped his hands twice forcefully, then lowered his head. "Farewell, Victor Frankenstein."

Then, he turned around and followed Mashu and the others without looking back.

Returning from central London to Jekyll's Soho district, not a single one of the artificial lifeforms appeared before them, whether because Mephistopheles had been defeated or something else. Mordred, who wanted to fight and vent her frustration, curled her lip impatiently.

Fortunately, they returned to the manor safely in the end, and sure enough, Jekyll's gentle smile greeted them... although it changed for a moment when he saw Frankenstein.

Finally, he sighed and brought the girl in as well.

They were now lying on the sofa, which they still missed, though it hadn't been long since they left, enjoying Jekyll's chilled cider.

As for Frankenstein, Mordred asked Jekyll to take him to a side room for a physical examination to ensure that his body had not been harmed by the magical mist.

With a creak, Jekyll placed the equipment case on the table to the side, and Fran followed him out.

"How was it?" Mordred put the cider aside and watched Jekyll come out. Nianzhuo and the others also sat up with some concern.

“Well then, let’s get to the conclusion.” Standing next to Fran, Jekyll adjusted his glasses. “This child—Fran, well, he’s a homunculus. His body isn’t made of spirits; he’s not a Heroic Spirit. He’s someone who lives in this era… no, I should say a homunculus. Is the novel’s account incorrect…” Jekyll, who had also read Mary Shelley’s works, found it hard to believe, but shook his head. “No, we can’t say for sure yet.”

“…Ugh…Ah…” Suddenly, Fran, who was standing next to him, moved and opened his mouth to utter a language that was completely incomprehensible to ordinary people.

"Hmm?" Jekyll looked at the girl beside him and adjusted his glasses. "So, she can make sounds..."

"Um, well..." Mashu scratched her cheek, looking a little embarrassed. "She... um... how should I put it...?"

"She seems unhappy with your touching under the guise of an investigation, huh?" Mordred, who could also understand the girl's words, pointed at the girl who looked a little sullen. Mordred glared at him with her emerald green eyes. "Apologize now, Jekyll."

"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry!" Jekyll was taken aback at first, then quickly realized what he had done, blushing like an innocent young boy, and bowed deeply to Fran. "How could I do such a thing! This is not the behavior of an English gentleman."

“…Hmm.” Fran nodded as he watched the other person bend over.

"...Huh?" Unable to understand the girl's meaning, Jekyll looked at Mash and Mordred for confirmation.

“‘You understand,’ that pronunciation just now… that should mean it, right?” Mashu nodded and closed her eyes.

The ongoing process: old friends reunite, yet they are not the same old friends.

"Speaking of which, Mordred and Mash can actually understand what she's saying..." Ritsuka stared blankly at Fran, who was nodding incessantly, and then looked at the two smiling girls. "They're so amazing..."

“That’s true.” Jekyll’s eyes gleamed with curiosity. “How can you understand what she’s thinking? Is it because of the same sex…” Then, Mordred’s sharp gaze pierced through him, and Jekyll immediately bowed again. “Ah, no, it’s nothing! I’m so sorry!”

Making random guesses can be risky. It was previously mentioned that Fran is from this era, but Jekyll later said that Mordred and Mash might be able to understand her because of their same-sex relationship...

So what about Ritsuka? Does that mean she's not a lesbian?

Moreover, such remarks, which are tantamount to implying that Mordred and Mash are not human, would naturally... anger the other party.

"I see." Nian Zhuo nodded, silently making a mental note of this experience.

“This is a one-time exception.” Mordred removed his hand from the hilt of the sword beside the sofa, his emerald green eyes filled with menace. “Otherwise, I might kill you.”

“Understood, um—I’m sorry. I won’t say it again.” Jekyll realized how frivolous his words had been. He pushed up his glasses and picked up another piece of paper from the table beside him. “Well—by the way, my intelligence network has received other intelligence.”

"[Strange things have appeared in SoHo, and it's said they're even invading homes and attacking citizens.]" Jekyll read aloud the contents of the paper in his hand, realizing the seriousness of the situation.

“We’ve confirmed it here. The androids, automatons, and chaos machines—” Mary flipped through the report in her hand, then tossed it aside, “none of these three types of monsters have ever exhibited that phenomenon.”

“Yes, according to my intelligence network and Saber’s patrols, there shouldn’t have been any intrusion into the house.” Jekyll glanced at Mordred sitting on the sofa beside him and turned a page of the report in his hand. “The thing that broke into the house and attacked the citizens seems to be a book about the size of a human body. I’ll call it the Magic Book for now, and I hope you can go and defeat it.” With a touch of sadness, Jekyll turned around and marked several houses on the map behind him with bright red crosses.

"While it's still unclear whether it's related to the [Magic Mist Project], at least there are now victims in the SoHo district." Looking at everyone who had stood up again, Jekyll adjusted his glasses. "I hope you can help, so—are you willing to accept this mission?"

"Well, while holding back is a strategy, it's not suitable for the current situation." Ritsuka stood up energetically, shaking her orange-yellow side ponytail. "Leave it to us."

“You’re right, Master.” Mash nodded, picking up the shield again. “We’re one of the few who can still move around outdoors. I’ll do my best to help Mr. Nianzhuo and my senior. No, I mean, if… I can help, that would be great.” Mash lowered her head, a hint of reluctance in her eyes.

“…” Nian Zhuo looked at her silently and withdrew his hand that he wanted to use to comfort Mashu.

Nian Zhuo didn't know how to comfort Mashu in this situation, and trying to comfort her now would only increase her pressure.

The disparity in power was indeed quite significant, but even so, Nian Zhuo didn't feel the slightest bit of disdain for Mashu. In fact, in some matters, Mashu was more useful than him.

"What are you talking about?" Mordred looked at the dejected Mash with a strange expression and slapped her hard on the back. "Even a Demi-Servant is still a Servant, isn't it?"

"Ah... um." Mashu raised her head, looked at Mordred, nodded slightly, and a blush rose on her face.

"...Ah, no, never mind, forget what I said." Mordred scratched her cheek a little embarrassed after being stared at by Mashu, and turned her head away.

"Huh—?" Mash was surprised instead, looking at Mordred, who also had a somewhat heavy expression on his face.

"The relationships between Servants and Masters... and between Servants and companions are all different, and it's not my place to interfere." She lowered her head, her tone sounding somewhat strange.

But it only took a short while for Mordred to recover from her earlier emotions and look at Fran, who was sitting obediently to the side.

“Then let’s get ready to go.” She picked up the sword blade that was next to the chair and slung it over her shoulder, while looking at Fran, who was about to stand up. “As for Fran, whether he can become a combatant is still unknown, so let him stay here for now.”

“…Ugh, ugh…,… ugh ugh…” Fran first looked at Mordred, then nodded, then shook her head, her little hands tightly gripping her white dress.

"What? Feeling lonely all by yourself?" Mordred patted her head skillfully, laughing as he looked at Fran. "Just wait patiently, we'll be back soon."

“After all, it’s dangerous outside.” This time, even Mashu agreed with her point of view. “Let’s talk again when we get back.” Mashu said in a soft tone.

"...Hmm." After a long silence, Fran finally nodded, turned around and sat on the sofa. Watching everyone about to leave, she raised her hand and waved, "Hmm!"

"Hmm... I'll definitely be back soon." Nian Zhuo, who was standing at the very end, turned around and saw Fran's raised hand. He quickly raised his own hand and waved.

"Mmm." Seeing Nian Zhuo's response, Fran nodded and lay down on the sofa.

Nianzhuo, on the other hand, stepped out of the heavy door for the third time.

Along the way, following Mordred, Nencho and Ryotaro were at the very back, talking about something, while Urataros was trying to get closer to Mash, Ritsuka, and Mordred's little group, with cheerful laughter coming from time to time.

“But, a huge book, a magic book~” Mordred said, looking up at the smoke-filled sky as he aimlessly led Nianzhuo through the streets. “Back then, there were no monsters like this in Britain.”

“Speaking of Britain, where you lived before your death…” Mash blurted out almost subconsciously, “Did monsters exist in the era of the Knights of the Round Table?”

“Of course,” Mordred said matter-of-factly. “The Knights of the Round Table even fought against dragons and giants, you know? Vast forests, treacherous mountains, and cliffs with relentless gales.” Spreading her arms, Mordred seemed to see the era she once lived in.

"The areas inaccessible to humans are the perfect nesting grounds for the Fantasy Species." Mordred lowered the blade from his shoulder and gently stroked it with his hand. "However, they sometimes venture into human settlements, and most ordinary people end up as their food."

“Food…?” Mashu lowered her head sadly, though she didn’t know why she felt sad.

"Ordinary soldiers are completely powerless against magical beasts, phantom beasts, and dragons." Mordred's tone also became heavy. "The weapons of your era were probably useless too."

“But there are exceptions.” Suddenly, Mordred, with a confident smile, slung her sword over her shoulder, her thumb pointing directly at herself. “In Britain—we’ve got it, Knights of the Round Table. We’ve been through a lot of battles, taken down quite a few big guys, you know? We were pretty much—” Suddenly, she paused, her brow furrowing. “Ah, and that one, you know. The Picts.”

“The Picts…” Mashu searched her memory for information about the Picts. “In our time, the Picts were a group of people full of mystery. They were said to be a tribe that arose in Scotland.”

“No, is the word ‘people’ appropriate…” Mordred hesitated. “Hmm… They’re not in the same dimension as tribes or barbarians… In your time’s terms, they’re the kind of things that appear in science fiction movies? Hmm—aliens? Something like that, yeah, that’s the feeling.”

"Ah...hahahaha..." Ritsuka looked away awkwardly at Mordred's laughing face. "That's...that's a really funny joke."

“Yeah, Senpai. I think it was a joke too.” Mashu agreed softly, but seeing Mordred’s happy expression, she shook her head in the end. “...Yeah. Mordred, um…” She seemed a little ashamed (?).

"Um... I'm sorry, I didn't catch the joke just now."

"Hiss—" Nian Zhuo, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief. "So it was just a joke... I thought the Picts back then were really aliens... This is a roundtable joke, huh, I see..."

"Fou~" Even Fou twitched her two long ears, her clear eyes looking at Mordred, whose face was gradually turning red.

"A joke?" Mordred looked at Ritsuka and the others who didn't seem to care, and stretched out her hand as if to argue, "No, I'm not joking—"

It seems that even the heavens are not giving her a chance to argue this time, as a cacophony of mechanical closing sounds came from the fog.

"Ah, enemies." Mordred instantly withdrew her hand and placed it on the hilt of her sword. "This feeling suggests a large number of automatons."

Sure enough, one after another human-shaped black shadow appeared from the wide street, the sound of gears closing was deafening.