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

"Eh, eh?!" Even Mashu next to her looked at Nianzhuo in surprise, her lips moving.

"Don't worry." Scratching his hair, Nianzhuo walked towards the study first. "I'll be with you."

“…Hmm, hmm.” In the end, Mashu could only nod, and under the gaze of the orange-haired and blue-haired devils, she led Ritsuka toward the study, gently closing the door behind her.

Then came a long silence.

Hans Christian Andersen was serving tea to Mashu and the other two with an expectant look on his face. He even placed scones with jam on them in front of them. This sudden change in attitude made Mashu and Ritsuka look at the smiling Andersen with some fear, not daring to say a word.

On the other side, Shakespeare, who had already opened his book, looked at Mashu with an expression of intense curiosity, making her shrink back.

"No way..." Compared to this scene, Mashu was even willing to go out and fight those monsters again, but in the end she could only sigh slightly.

"Well... there's no way to escape it anyway..." Ritsuka turned her head and said words that perfectly matched her ashen expression, her eyes lifeless as if she had given up struggling.

"Ahem, I'll go first then." Two light coughs, to Mashu and Ritsuka's surprise, Nian Zhuo spoke first, attracting the attention of Andersen and Shakespeare, who were staring at each other with fervent eyes.

"Really? Really! It's you!" Unexpectedly, Shakespeare rushed to Nianzhuo's side in an instant. As the other's pupils widened in shock, Shakespeare gripped Nianzhuo's hand tightly. "Then, then, the question I want to ask is... what does the Ark of the Covenant look like? What exactly does it look like?"

"...It's just an ordinary cabinet, I suppose." After carefully reviewing his memories, Nian Zhuo said with a hint of uncertainty, "Apart from the slightly strange aura it carried."

"...Then, what about the person who possesses him? Is he comical? Ugly? Strange? Or does he appear incredibly sacred?" However, just when Nianzhuo thought the other party would give him a moment to breathe, Shakespeare's second question came like a barrage of bullets.

"...Well, he's a rather peculiar person, I suppose." That green-haired youth—King David—had indeed left Nian Zhuo with a rather peculiar impression.

"So, what's so strange about that? Did you open the Ark of the Covenant again in the end? Or... what did King David actually look like?" Shakespeare drew closer, staring intently at Nianzhuo's face, bombarding him with questions one after another, leaving Nianzhuo somewhat bewildered...

"Then, I'll ask you two questions." The seemingly calm Andersen pushed up his glasses and sat down in front of Mash and Ritsuka.

“…Ah, okay!” Then, looking at the blue-haired boy sitting gently on the sofa in front of them, Ritsuka and Mashu straightened their backs as if facing a formidable enemy.

“Well then—” Andersen pushed up his glasses, his pupils hidden behind the gleaming lenses.

"He should be... alright, right?" Ritsuka and Mash exchanged a glance. At least until now, Andersen in front of them still appeared calm.

“…Probably…” Mashu looked at Nianzhuo, who was completely stunned by Shakespeare’s questions, and then glanced uncertainly at Andersen in front of her.

"Bang—" Suddenly, Hans Christian Andersen slammed his hand on the table in front of him, his blue eyes gleaming with a thirst for knowledge.

"Anyway, please tell me about the appearance of the Ark of the Covenant! I need to be as detailed as possible, down to each individual molecule!"

“...How could that be!” Ritsuka’s rebuttal followed immediately.

Then came the cacophony of voices, causing Jekyll and Mordred outside to exchange a glance, both seeing the helpless look in each other's eyes.

The noise continued for a long time before finally subsiding.

The heavy door creaked open and was gently pulled open, drawing the attention of Jekyll and Mordred.

The first to emerge were Hans Christian Andersen and Shakespeare, who were conversing and both looked radiant with satisfaction.

Then... a withered hand grabbed the door frame.

"Cough...cough cough..." As if his body had been completely drained, Nianzhuo slowly walked out, supporting himself on the door frame. "Alive...I survived..."

He slowly moved to the table, picked up the hot water that Jekyll had just poured out, and drank the scalding hot water in one gulp under Jekyll's wide eyes.

“I…I’m alive again…” Then, as if he had burned out, Nian Zhuo sat down on the sofa to the side, his whole body turning black and white.

“…Huff…Huff huff…” Then, Mashu helped Ritsuka out of the study.

Both of them had expressions of relief on their faces, and returned to the sofa with vacant eyes.

Their condition was slightly better than Nianzhuo's, since both of them had survived Andersen's questioning.

"Ah...you've worked hard." Jekyll looked at the three of them like this, silently replaced the hot water that Nianzhuo had finished drinking with warm water, and handed it over. "Well, how about...just consider it a break?" He said something that even he himself didn't quite believe.

"Haha, how can you take a nap in front of the goose pond?" Indeed, ever since Nianzhuo and the others returned in the early morning, they had been questioned by Andersen and Shakespeare until noon. The energetic Mordred looked at Ritsuka's stunned expression with great interest. "Look, look, Ritsuka's face is so shocked."

"Oh, right. I think I forgot to mention something." Hans Christian Andersen, satisfied with his conversation with Shakespeare, looked at everyone in front of him and adjusted his glasses. "About what we're doing."

“Although that playwright has been writing about this event in his works, I’m different.” He pointed to Shakespeare, who was writing something, but shook his head. “I try my best not to work.”

“However—there’s something that bothers me.” Although he was proud of his reluctance to work, Andersen composed himself and looked at Ritsuka seriously. “That is, about what Ritsuka told me about your experiences so far… about those seven singularities.” Then, he bit his lip.

"...No, to be precise, I have doubts about the magical ritual of the Holy Grail War..." Flipping through the notebook in his hand, Andersen sighed dejectedly, "...I'm sorry, but due to insufficient information, I cannot draw a conclusion at the moment. To be honest, I've hit a roadblock."

"...Hey~ you do do some of the things a Caster should do." Mordred looked at Andersen with slight surprise. "Although you're still a pretty useless guy."

"Ah, sorry, I interrupted your conversation." Mary's words came from Mashu's communication device. Fortunately, Mashu had turned off the communication with Chaldea after entering the study, which saved Mary and the Chaldea staff from disaster.

"I'd like to confirm the current situation and discuss future plans." While Mashu and the others were being questioned by Andersen and Shakespeare, Mary and the Chaldea staff had a good rest and were now back at work with plenty of energy.

"Finally, some good news from our intelligence team." Opening the report, the first point brought a sigh of relief to Mary: "The enemy can only sense things through the magic mist. If they intended to annihilate us, they would have already begun destroying buildings. But they haven't, which means the enemy can only perceive the streets within the range of the magic mist. This presents an opportunity for us—"

"...Is there a chance?" Jekyll was also somewhat surprised, with a hint of anticipation.

“…If only it were.” Mary sighed, flipping to the last page of the report, she came to a conclusion she didn’t want to see. “Hmm…Is it…If only it were…If only it were…” She still looked at the map of London, unwilling to give up.

"No, that's too much trouble. Let's think of another way." Mordred waved her hand, stopping Mary. "It's unlikely we'll be able to stay in the magic mist for as long as before. If we just wander around aimlessly, we'll only waste our magic power in every battle." Mordred muttered, tapping the blade beside her.

"If we can simply disable the Chaos Machine Soldiers from fighting, then the rest shouldn't be a problem..."

“That’s the problem, it’s impossible.” Jekyll’s emerald green eyes were also filled with helplessness as he covered his forehead. “It’s really a headache, I’m completely at a loss.”

However, a brown-haired girl, who had been overlooked by everyone, peeked out from behind a door, looked at them in the living room, and then withdrew.

“…Ugh…Ugh, ugh…” Then, she gripped her hands tightly and came out from behind the door, still trying to say something.

"Alright, how about this then!" Suddenly, Andersen clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention. "Although there are still a lot of Chaos Machine Soldiers outside, I want you to help collect data to verify my thesis. Basically, it's just an errand-running task. For you guys with plenty of energy, this kind of small job shouldn't be a problem, right?"

“But, if we have to avoid so many Chaos Machine Soldiers outdoors…” Mary looked at Mash and Ritsuka with concern, hesitating, “it’ll probably be very difficult…”

"...Ha, I knew it, let's give it a try." Ritsuka's eyes finally brightened, and she looked at Mash and Nencho before nodding. "We will assist Andersen and the others."

“Okay, senpai.” Mashu nodded in agreement, letting out a long sigh of relief. “Although this won’t solve the current situation, things probably won’t get any better even if we stay in this apartment.”

"..." The black and white Nen Zhuo finally regained its color. Looking at Mash and Ritsuka, who had already made their decision, it weakly raised its hand to indicate that it was counted in.

"Fu! Fu!" Fu Fu suddenly appeared out of nowhere, happily shaking her ears.

“That’s true.” Mary nodded, indicating that she understood. “If there’s something that can be done, then doing it is the most constructive thing to do. But if we’re going to collect information, where should we go to collect it?” She then posed the question to Andersen.

"Chirp~ Fou...?" As Mary finished speaking, Fou also looked at Hans Christian Andersen beside her.

"Hey, hey, this is London!" With a surprised look, Andersen patted the map on the table. "Do I even need to tell you where I'm going?"

“…!” Immediately afterwards, Mary, Mashu, and Nianzhuo thought of the same place. Mashu and Nianzhuo looked at each other and saw the same answer in each other’s eyes.

"Eh...Eh?! It's already confirmed?" Ritsuka was a beat slow to react, but recalling the magic lessons she had taken, her expression changed as well. "Could it be...the Mage's Association?"

“That’s right!” Andersen said with a fanatical tone, while trying to jump up and hook onto the point that was taller than himself. “After the first year of the Gregorian calendar, the huge academy that can be called the center of magicians’ activities—the Magic Association, also known as the Clock Tower.”

"Ah~ I knew it." Mary rubbed her temples, speaking in a tone that said, "I knew it."

“Yes, a great university specializing in the study of the world’s mysteries is located in London. How can we not make good use of it?” Andersen chuckled, clearly full of confidence for the trip.

“Indeed… that’s right.” Mary hesitated, looking at the London map shrouded in fog on the screen. “But… but, London is in such a terrible state, I wonder what has become of the Association. If the Mage’s Association—that is, the Clock Tower—is still alive, it should be in contact with Jekyll’s family.”

“Yes.” Mash nodded and looked at Jekyll beside her. “But Mr. Jekyll didn’t mention the Clock Tower.”

"...It's because there's no need to mention it." Jekyll adjusted his glasses and calmly answered Mash's question.

“The Mage's Association… Ah, that’s the one, right?” Mordred pondered for a moment, then looked at Jekyll to confirm, “The one located underground between Regent’s Park and Westminster?” After receiving Mash’s affirmative answer, Mordred slumped onto the sofa and waved her hand weakly.

"After I arrived in this world and met Jekyll, the first thing I did was to check on the situation there." Mordred tapped her chin, hesitated for a moment, and continued, "It's called the British Museum, right? I heard there was an entrance, so I went in to take a look." An unusual emotion appeared in her emerald eyes as she sat up.

"The entrance was completely blocked and turned into a ruin full of rubble."

rush!rush!rush!

Upon learning that the entrance had been reduced to ruins, Andersen and Mashu both widened their eyes.

“Yes, you heard me right.” Mordred said with a serious expression, “The buildings there were destroyed, completely destroyed.”

“However, looking back now—” Jekyll adjusted his glasses, his tone shifting from speculation to certainty, “I think it’s possible that the masterminds of Project [Magic Mist] destroyed that place to eliminate any possibility of resistance—”

With their only possible source of information destroyed, Mash and Ritsuka couldn't help but show a hint of regret and fell silent.

“But whether it’s destroyed or not, it doesn’t matter.” Suddenly, Andersen flicked his index finger indifferently and snorted disdainfully, “Even if it turns into rubble, it doesn’t matter. After all, it would be best if the magicians inside could survive, but even if they die, it won’t affect my plans.”

Immediately afterwards, Andersen ripped a piece of paper from the book in his hand and slammed it on the table.

“What I need are records, data.” As he spoke, which sounded somewhat cold, Andersen realized his emotions and adjusted himself slightly before speaking again, “Even if the entrance is destroyed into ruins, the important database will certainly be firmly sealed and carefully preserved, and your task is to take me there.”

"Chirp... Fou..." Fou looked at Ritsuka and Mash, who were both looking rather downcast, and shook her ears.

"Ahem—!" Immediately afterward, an exaggerated voice rang out from the side, and Shakespeare also stood up. "Then, let us go together. The ruins of the mysterious academy will surely become a source of inspiration for me!"

"Ha... Looks like we'll have to work together again this time." Although she sounded like she was having a lot of trouble, Mary breathed a sigh of relief as Andersen and Shakespeare joined in. "...No, wait? If we encounter Chaos Machine Soldiers, the more combat power the better, yeah, that's true."

"...Hmm..." Fran poked her little head out again, looking at everyone in the living room. "...Hmm...??"

"..." After peeking out several times, everyone naturally noticed Fran's presence and understood her desire to go with them.

“…Hey, Mr. Nianzhuo.” Ritsuka nudged Nianzhuo to the side and pointed to Fran, who was peeking out with her small head. “What do you think, should we let Fran go too?”

“…Let’s just forget it. After all, those mechanical soldiers over there are still a bit troublesome for us right now, and we don’t even know if the poison fog will be effective against Fran.” Nian Zhuo shook his head, then stood up and walked towards Fran.

"Okay, okay~ good Fran." Like coaxing a child, Nianzhuo squatted down and patted Fran's hair. "This battle is different from the previous ones, it's too dangerous. So it's better for Fran to stay here and guard the house, okay?"

“Yes.” Mashu had also come to Nianzhuo’s side at some point. Seeing Fran’s expression of wanting to leave, she shook her head. “London is especially dangerous right now. Miss Fran, please stay here.”

“…Um, um…” Fran looked at Nian Zhuo, then at Mashu, and finally nodded dejectedly before heading to his room.

"Sigh..." If possible, Nian Zhuo would also like to bring this lovely child along, but the problem is that Fran has never experienced combat. Rashly joining the battlefield will only hurt her or cause trouble. If it were just the beginning of dealing with those automatons, it would be okay to let Fran join... But now that the Chaos Mechanical Soldiers are in groups, they will undoubtedly cause a lot of trouble for Nian Zhuo and the others.

"Alright, let's set off then." Closing the book in his hand, Andersen stood up first. "Let's go visit that once magnificent and mysterious university." He then walked towards the door of the apartment.

Then, as if remembering something, she turned around and looked at Mordred, who was moving her arms.

"Oh, and also, Saber," he pointed to himself and Shakespeare, while raising his delicate arm, "you must make sure to protect us weak Casters, okay?"

"Huh? Protect?" Mordred, who was stretching, pointed at Mash with her eyes. "Go say that to that guy who's wielding the shield."

"Ah, eh... um—" Startled by the sudden call, Mashu was taken aback at first, then lowered her head shyly.

“Alright, in that case—I’ll go too.” Unexpectedly, Jekyll also volunteered to go out, putting on his robe that was hanging to the side. “Let’s go!”

"Huh?" Mordred tilted his head in disbelief as he looked at Jekyll, who seemed eager to try.

"Huh?" Even Mash looked at Jekyll's figure with some surprise.

But while they were still stunned, Jekyll had already rushed out first.

Immediately afterwards, the apartment door opened, and figures rushed into the mist outside.