I, Guinevere, am going to crush you, you curry stick, today!

Chapter Two: Does This Count as a Date?

Things in this world rarely have a happy ending. If everything had gone smoothly, she should have returned to reality with Artoria after seeing off the Master of Chaldea—even if their identities and social interactions had changed, they could still have continued to live happily. This could be considered a parting gift from the people of the Illusionary Realm to this "great contributor."

But before she left, the malicious gaze from another dimension shattered all her beautiful dreams. Long before Artoria sensed the danger as that magnificent band of light took shape, Guinevere herself had already realized the true power it contained. At that time, she was, in a sense, still a part of the Cauldron that had split off. Now that the Cauldron had vanished, she was no different from the Lord of Dreams, and thus received the warning from the Dream itself immediately.

The power of that attack was enough to obliterate the slowly disintegrating dream world, and she and Artoria, who had not yet escaped, would also perish there.

In a flash, following her inner intuition, Guinevere drew her sword, responding to the call and guidance of her dream, and swung it forward to meet the energy beam that came from a distant place—the last scene she remembered in a very, very long time.

The sword cleaved through the band of light, energy bursting forth. Feeling the entire dream tremble violently, and an irresistible, immense suction force, she released Artoria's hand, watching her fall towards the door symbolizing reality, while she herself continued to rise under the influence of that suction force.

At that moment, the girl suddenly became curious about what kind of look Artoria was giving her, but before she could see it clearly, the snow-white color had already swept over everything, as if swallowing everything, tangible and intangible, into the vast expanse of white.

Everything in this world seemed to have stopped, and no one knew how much time had passed. Who was the one who attacked this side? Was Ritsuka's journey to save the world going smoothly? What was the situation of Artoria and the real world? She had many worries in her heart, but she could not escape this pale world. She could not even feel her own body. In a daze, it seemed that she had returned to a long time ago, when she was sealed in the shell by the cauldron.

Unlike before, this time both her memories and her mind were still complete and clear. Helpless, she repeatedly sorted through her past memories and tried to understand and interact with the world, attempting to find a way to leave.

Then, not long after, that voice was heard.

At first, it sounded like a broken distress signal. Guinevere paid attention to it for a while before the man's voice gradually became clearer.

That was a voice she remembered well, bearing a striking resemblance to the Magic King and the mysterious villain who ultimately attacked the dream world. Yet, it lacked the former's composure and calmness, and was not as filled with madness and malice as the latter. It sounded more like an ordinary person, with undisguised anxiety and exhaustion in every word.

"...You can hear me..."

"Please help..."

But from beginning to end, she couldn't respond to the cry for help. She could only listen quietly and witness the voice gradually calm down from its initial panic and helplessness, starting to run around for various things, and eventually even having the leisure to say a few jokes, occasionally interspersed with a few complaints about her colleagues, as well as her recent interests, such as liking an idol named something like "Magic"—judging from the voice's description, the other person seemed to be a cute and well-behaved girl, and Guinevere secretly hoped that the two of them could have a good outcome.

She didn't know why she could hear this person's voice, nor did she know what kind of image she held in that man's heart—perhaps someone he could confide in, like a tree hollow. But what followed were more voices, more cries for help, more wails, and even...prayers.

Without exception, all the prayers were addressed to the so-called Supreme King, and the content was mostly expressions of weariness and hatred towards the war. As the girl listened to these chaotic words, she vaguely guessed that the Magic King and others had specially summoned the Master from another world to "distort" her existence using the Heroic Spirit Summoning Technique so that she could escape the influence of the dream and live in reality after the matter was over.

Ritsuka used the Stone of Destiny as a medium for summoning, and the summoned Heroic Spirit was the nominal supreme leader of Ireland since ancient times.

The last supreme king.

Perhaps it was because of this connection that she was able to hear these various prayers. As the prayers increased, the power they contained grew stronger, like streams flowing into a lake, gradually bringing the stagnant water back to life. Amidst these numerous prayers, Guinevere was pleasantly surprised to find that she could once again sense the existence of her body, and that with just a thought, the pale world around her would suddenly transform.

From babbling brooks to towering skyscrapers, from desolate wilderness to bustling town streets, time and space can change in the blink of an eye.

It was as if the gods had created the world.

Or maybe.

This is the authority held by the Cauldron of Wishes, "Dirnano".

……

"Later, as my power gradually increased and I mastered some techniques, I took some detours and finally made it back successfully... Fortunately, the runes I learned back then did not fail."

Guinevere smiled faintly, and with a casual flick of her wrist, drops of magic coalesced into colorful butterflies that danced on her fingertips. A moment later, the girl lifted her finger upwards, and the butterflies suddenly took flight. Artoria—the swordswoman who should now be called Lily—watched this scene with wide-eyed interest.

"it's beautiful."

she praised.

Guinevere tilted her head, knowing the compliment was on Butterfly, but still shamelessly accepted it: "Thank you." At the same time, she sighed inwardly, half-jokingly. Back in the day, she was a tough, resolute woman, always going up and down alone during surgery. Who would have thought that fate would play such a cruel trick on her, making her happy over a simple compliment? It was truly…sad.

I had just imitated a certain depressed little prince's catchphrase when I saw the lively girl in front of me pause slightly, as if she had also noticed the ambiguity of my words and my shamelessness. Then she laughed and said, "Oh, I mean... you and the butterfly are both very beautiful."

"...Artoria, you've changed."

"It's Lily."

Miss White Lily from the South corrected her with a smile.

Guinevere awkwardly looked away.

She returned to reality about half a year ago. The process was somewhat convoluted, so I won't go into details here. After returning, she used the title of the High King to help handle some local affairs in Ireland. Some accidents happened along the way, which caused her hair to turn from golden to silver-white, similar to Merlin's. She herself didn't care much about it. Perhaps because of her previous life, she had a deep-seated love for white hair—it would be even better if she wasn't often mistaken for Merlin later on.

He then crossed the sea and reunited with Artoria, who retained her memories, in Carrion. Perhaps having anticipated this, Guinevere wasn't particularly surprised when Merlin jumped out laughing, shouting, "Little princess, do you remember me?" Artoria, on the other hand, widened her eyes: "Merlin, you clearly said you didn't remember anything!" Her face was filled with the anger of being tricked.

The female magician said righteously, "To be honest, I just remembered."

Such a clumsy lie could not possibly deceive the wise King Arthur, whom everyone praised. However, considering that Guinevere had just returned, Artoria did not chase Merlin down half the castle with her holy spear as usual, even though it was clear that she was indeed furious about the lie.

"I thought……"

Later, when the two were alone, Artoria pouted and said something rather aggrieved. Sensing the lingering fear in her voice, Guinevere reached out and patted Artoria's shoulder, but after thinking for a moment, she didn't hug her.

The girl is still a minor.

she told herself.

He completely forgot about the time he was pressed down and... you know... by a little girl in the tent—anyway, thinking about it carefully, those were all things that happened in his dreams and don't count.

But while she had returned, in reality, Guinevere was no longer a princess of Scotland, and arguably didn't even have a legitimate status. Her simply staying in King Arthur's court was somewhat controversial. Although Artoria, Merlin, and most of the knights wouldn't mind, Carleon had gathered many nobles who had come to pledge allegiance to King Arthur, and Artoria was still outwardly male. The gossip surrounding her taking in a woman of low birth would inevitably have some repercussions.

After discussing it, seeing that Guinevere really didn't care much, Artoria reluctantly agreed to Merlin's suggestion. The girl traveled around under the guise of an "illusionist," secretly assisting Carleon in doing some things.

In theory, this is not much different from Kai's subordinates. However, Guinevere's personality is inherently free-spirited. After experiencing all that has happened in the past, she has less psychological self-restraint and shackles than before, and her style of doing things has become more and more unrestrained. After going to the north a few days ago, she managed to gain the trust of those Picts and used runic magic to create another "sanctuary" for them that was seven or eight tenths similar to the one in her dream, and had the entire Picts tribe move into it.

The disappearance of the Picts was a major event. After it was confirmed, Scotland and the northern kingdoms such as Orkney were thrown into chaos. Guinevere then visited the dying King of Scotland and accompanied Leod Ogland in his final days as a magician.

Before he passed away, the old man lay on his sickbed, accompanied by his wife and son. Suddenly, he grabbed the girl's wrist with his large, bony hand—a rather impolite gesture. Pat was stunned, while the Queen of Scotland merely looked back and forth between her husband and the silver-haired girl with a thoughtful gaze.

It seemed she was recalling a dream her husband had mentioned long ago.

“Magician…” Leod Gran’s hoarse voice held a hint of expectation: “Have we… met somewhere before?”

After a moment of silence, Guinevere simply replied, "Perhaps it was a dream."

"In my dreams."

Upon hearing this answer, the old man paused for a moment, then suddenly smiled with relief and released his grip.

"That was quite an interesting dream."

The following day, the King of Scotland died, and his only son, Pat, succeeded to the throne. The young girl also quietly took her leave and traveled south, where she rescued Percival and his mother, whom she had met a few times before.

Looking back, Percival seemed to be King Perinoa's son in the dream, but in reality, he was the illegitimate son of old King Percival and a village girl. After careful comparison, Guinevere felt as if she had discovered something terrible... In any case, she couldn't just watch two innocent lives be killed before her eyes, so she casually saved the two and brought them to Carion, handing the mother and son over to Kai and the others to receive. She also asked the familiar guide to tell Perinoa, who was hunting in some mountain, about this news.

After explaining all this, she composed herself and went with Artoria, who had sneaked out, to the celebration being held near the castle.

This was something they had agreed upon beforehand.

If we round it up, this is basically a date...

Guinevere thought to herself, then tried to suppress the smile on her lips, scolding herself: "What are you thinking? She's only seventeen! Still a child!"

"Fina".

"kindness?"

A breeze blew from the distant mountains, carrying the chill and fragrance of early winter. It was still afternoon, and the festival would begin in the evening, so they could walk there slowly.

Lily tilted her head, her long ponytail swaying in the wind, her emerald green eyes sparkling, reflecting the image of a silver-haired girl wearing a cloak and a wide-brimmed hat.

Compared to the blonde, blue-eyed, round-faced girl in her memory, Guinevere's face was much thinner, even somewhat angular, making her look more mature. Her pupils had changed from their original emerald green to a pale gray, as if shrouded in a thin mist, exuding mystery in their haziness. According to Fina, this was the effect of the dream's power and didn't cause any real harm to her body, but Artoria still couldn't help feeling a little sad.

In another memory, without Guinevere, she received the Holy Lance from the Lady of the Lake and her words of wisdom: "Do not lose heart, do not despise human intelligence, do not deny humanity. Otherwise... it will be difficult to distinguish between God and man—"

After that, Merlin's educational approach to her changed abruptly. If the female magician originally intended to raise her as a king who could not show her emotions, then after obtaining the Holy Lance, Artoria felt that the people around her seemed to have suddenly become much more lenient towards her.

"Laugh when you want to laugh, cry when you want to cry. Artoria, you are a human being, and always will be."

Seemingly in an effort to counteract the changes brought about by the Holy Lance, everyone from Merlin to Kai to Hector seems to be deliberately trying to make her more lively. To be honest, this change doesn't feel bad.

Like now.

She smiled, her eyes crinkling, and said happily, "Fenna, do we count as being on a date now?"

The silver-haired girl froze abruptly, and after a couple of seconds, under her smiling gaze, she turned her head away with a serious expression.

His voice was barely audible.

"...I guess so?"

P.S.: This chapter counts as yesterday's update. There should be more tonight, so remember to vote!

Chapter Seven: The Real Illusion (Part 1) [Bonus Chapter]

After the overwhelming dragon's breath subsided, Warehouse Street seemed to fall into a momentary silence.

The dragon, its eyes gleaming with a strange light, slowly lowered its head. Before its eyes, buildings collapsed, leaving only a long street burned beyond recognition.

The golden spirit, gleaming from head to toe, had vanished. Just moments ago, she had sensed a strange magical fluctuation, presumably summoned back by its lord using a Command Spell. In truth, given the strength that "Gilgamesh" had displayed, he might not have lost even against multiple opponents, but clearly, his Master was unwilling to fight to the death in this place.

Most magicians have this problem.

The dragon opened its mouth and spat out a few sparks stuck in its throat. The next moment, its emerald green eyes, which were looking in a certain direction, turned cold again.

"You hurt her..."

The dragon's voice was deep and thunderous, uttering a tone that didn't belong to any language, yet everyone present strangely understood its meaning. Before Diarmuid could react, the dragon, still bleeding profusely from all over its body, spread its tattered wings again and soared into the air. In an instant, its gleaming fangs were already upon them.

"Only—can—I kill—her!"

Fiona's warrior only had time to raise his spear to block before a black shadow tore through the air, steel wings sweeping across, sending him and his spear flying. The smoke in the street hadn't yet cleared when Irisviel, protected behind Saber, stared wide-eyed in astonishment at the fierce battle between the human and the dragon. Recalling the dragon's earlier roar, a strange thought flashed through her mind: "Saber…do you know this…dragon lady?"

Judging from the sound, this dragon is probably female—or at least female.

"I have no idea."

Saber frowned deeply. In her time, the gods had departed from the world, and top-tier fantasy species like dragons were extremely rare. Among the Knights of the Round Table, only Lancelot had ever had the opportunity to face them. The Lake of No Regrets, which drank dragon blood, thus became a powerful weapon against dragons.

But the former King of Knights never saw a dragon in his lifetime.

They couldn't understand where the dragon's obsession came from.

They weren't the only ones bewildered. Whether it was Kiritsugu Emiya, who was lying in ambush preparing to snipe, or the other mages observing the battle through their familiars, everyone was utterly confused. Kenneth, in particular, who had just formed an alliance with Rin Tohsaka, was furious, even ignoring his own thieving student: "Rin Tohsaka!"

Using the communication gem left behind by Rin Tohsaka before she left, he suppressed his anger and asked in a deep voice, "If I'm not mistaken, are you going to breach the contract now?"

"Oh...this..."

The small stone spun rapidly between her fingers, its irregular surface refracting fantastical colors in the night. Listening to the clock tower's "monarch's" furious questioning, Rin Tohsaka merely scratched her head, a subtle expression on her face: "You know, my man is a Berserker, and as everyone knows..."

"Berserkers are not very reasonable."

Click.

With a crisp crack, as those words, spoken casually but more like a mockery than an explanation, fell, the gem spinning on his finger shattered into several pieces. Without its medium, Kenneth's words came to an abrupt halt.

Rin Tohsaka flipped her hand, collecting the fragments in her palm, still wearing that faint bitter smile: "I feel like I've forgotten something... Oh, I see. Indeed, I only remembered Emiya's father, and forgot that our esteemed King of Knights also participated in this Holy Grail War."

She stood on a rooftop, the dim light making her figure appear as a silhouette, indistinct and elusive. In the distance, on the street, the dragon was still chasing Diarmuid. After trying two Roses without being able to pierce the dragon's scales, the warrior of Fiona could only focus on defense for the time being. He was not defeated, but he could not find an opportunity to counterattack.

On the other side, the King of Conquerors, driving an oxcart, flanked the injured Saber on either side, effectively surrounding the knight spirit shrouded in dark energy.

The latter simply stood still, and through the helmet, a red dot that resembled a pupil flickered uncertainly. His gaze was similar to that of a wild beast, but far more terrifying. From beginning to end, he seemed to completely ignore the other people and heroic spirits, staring intently at the petite Saber.

"In that case, the plan might need to be... slightly altered..."

Rin Tohsaka sighed. She looked down at the gem fragment in her palm, then closed her fingers and opened them again. The fragment had transformed into several gems of different colors, shining brightly.

With a flick of the finger, the gem flew into the sky, the portal opened, and a small figure descended from the sky, landing perfectly between outstretched arms.

"……Well?"

Sakura was clearly still asleep, trying to open her eyes. Rin patted her back and said softly, "It's okay, it's still early before dawn, sleep a little longer."

The sound seemed to contain some kind of incredible magic. Despite having experienced so much and being extremely vigilant, Sakura only hummed in response and obediently closed her eyes. A few seconds later, she drifted back to sleep.

However, the sudden burst of light immediately drew the attention of everyone around. Iskandar was the first to look over, and upon noticing that it was the girl he had greeted earlier, he flashed a big smile.

The king, with his magnanimous personality, seemed to have no sense of vigilance whatsoever, and even waved and greeted him—behind him, Weber slapped himself in despair.

Next came Saber and her servant. Unlike the wary gaze of the Knight King, Irisviel smiled gently. The black knight raised his head, his gaze shifting from Saber for the first time, and looked over coldly. He showed no emotion, but Matou Kariya, watching through the servant, almost doubted whether he was having an absurd dream when he saw the little girl being held in the other's arms.

Sakura, who should have been in the Insect Storage, how did she end up here...? Moreover, he couldn't remember the last time he'd seen the girl sleeping so peacefully—a month, half a year, or even longer. Even the strongest child, after being tormented by Zouken Matou for so long, eventually had the light in their eyes dimming little by little.

He himself was no different.

But at this moment, seeing Sakura lying peacefully asleep in that stranger's arms, Matou Kariya felt a sense of unreality. His control over Berserker loosened slightly; the Black Knight suddenly stepped forward, the Conqueror King pulled on the reins, and Saber flashed to block Irisviel's path.

At the same time, Rin Tohsaka also sensed something chilling, as if it were aiming at her from afar.

What could it be...? She narrowed her eyes, but the thought was fleeting. She tapped her jeweled staff on the ground, and her body instantly disappeared into the light portal that opened behind her. She left the rooftop and appeared in front of several Heroic Spirits in the next instant—the light portal that had reopened was only two or three meters away from the nearest Saber.

While many magicians know how to cast teleportation spells, those who can use them with such ease are few and far between, even within the entire Clock Tower. Ignoring the gazes of several people, near and far, Rin Tohsaka simply removed her top hat and winked playfully at Saber.

suddenly.