That night quickly passed amidst various thoughts and emotions.
The next morning, just as the sky began to lighten, everyone woke up almost simultaneously and enjoyed the breakfast prepared by Mash.
Although there was essentially nothing left in Kutha City that could make for a proper meal, such things were never a problem for Rozen. With magic and jutsuryoku, he could produce any ingredient he wanted, and once he handed them to Mash for cooking, delicious meals could be served at any time. It was hard to call that anything but comfortable.
At least, the young women present all gave it high praise.
"It's been a while since I last had a hot meal. Not bad at all."
That was Ishtar's comment.
"The Underworld has nothing at all—can't deny that's a shame."
That was Ryougi Shiki's comment.
One was a free-spirited goddess, and the other had been in the Underworld all this time, a Servant who hadn't eaten much since entering the current world. It was only natural for them to give such evaluations.
Of course, as Servants, neither Ryougi Shiki nor Ishtar needed to eat—but not needing to eat didn't mean they had no appetite.
Besides, as mentioned before, living and eating like normal people not only conserved mana but could also replenish it.
So, if the conditions allowed, even Servants should keep to normal human schedules and meals—this was the best way to maintain peak condition.
As such, both Ryougi Shiki and Ishtar didn't resist eating and sleeping—if anything, they seemed to quietly enjoy it. Their behavior and mannerisms were also unexpectedly close to modern sensibilities, so it didn't feel jarring at all.
This only made Rozen more certain that the era Ryougi Shiki had lived in wasn't far from his own.
As for Ishtar, the magus girl she had possessed was likely also from an era not far from Rozen's.
So Ishtar's speech and mannerisms were similarly modern—an unexpected little discovery.
Among the group, only Altera remained in spirit form the whole time, never appearing or speaking.
Rozen could feel that Altera's heart was unsettled and complicated.
But Rozen no longer intended to say anything about it.
He understood very well—this was a hurdle Altera herself had to overcome.
If she couldn't cross it, nothing could be resolved.
All Rozen could do was wait.
And so, after one man, one beast, and three Servants enjoyed a sumptuous breakfast, they set off on their journey back toward Uruk.
Along the way, any demonic beasts they encountered were swiftly dispatched by the Servants.
It had to be said—with Ryougi Shiki and Ishtar now in the party, fighting demonic beasts had become far easier.
Against Ryougi Shiki's Mystic Eye of Death Perception, no matter how strong the beast, it could be cut down in a single stroke—there was simply no suspense.
Ishtar excelled at wide-area bombardments, wiping out large groups of beasts at once with terrifying efficiency.
Thanks to this, the journey went far more smoothly.
Yesterday, Rozen and Mash had departed from Uruk toward Kutha, traveling the entire day, and by the time they arrived, the sun had already set.
But today, by afternoon—before evening had even come—they had already returned to Uruk.
Ishtar had something to say about that.
"Didn't think we'd be back in Uruk so soon. I can already picture that golden idiot grinning like a maniac when he sees me."
She was clearly displeased by the idea—yet made no move to resist.
After all—
"Uruk is mine to begin with. I'm just going home. Why would I resist?"
The Venus goddess spoke like a girl who had just returned from a brief runaway.
Everyone found it a bit laughable.
Only Mash kindly added:
"If Miss Siduri knows you're back, she'll definitely be happy."
That was most likely true.
As High Priestess, Siduri's respect and devotion toward the city's deity were beyond doubt—she was one of Ishtar's most devout believers.
Hearing that Ishtar had returned, the aide would indeed be delighted.
"Well, if it's Siduri, I wouldn't mind going back to see her."
Ishtar's feelings toward Siduri seemed different from others—mentioning her devout follower instantly put her in a better mood.
She even started humming, urging Maanna forward faster, flying back and forth through the air as if she couldn't wait to return to Uruk.
"What a capricious goddess."
Ryougi Shiki, watching Ishtar flit about in the sky, let her gaze linger briefly on Maanna before absentmindedly reaching up to tease Fou, who was perched on her shoulder.
"Fou!"
Fou let out a pleased cry, rubbing against Shiki's cheek, softening her normally inhuman expression.
Surprisingly, the girl who called herself a killer seemed completely helpless when it came to cute little animals.
Since first meeting Fou, she had kept her expression neutral, but her eyes often followed him.
Today, when Fou casually climbed onto her, her expression nearly melted—almost causing quite the scene.
This, in turn, greatly changed Mash's opinion of Shiki.
After all, until now Mash had always regarded Shiki with caution.
It couldn't be helped—Shiki's ability was simply too dangerous. If she wanted to attack someone, it would be impossible to guard against.
She could kill anyone with ease, and Mash had no choice but to be on guard.
What's more, Mash knew that her proud defense was completely useless against Shiki—their compatibility was extremely poor.
If Shiki wanted to harm Rozen, Mash couldn't stop her at all. Her wariness was only natural.
But now—
"Miss Shiki is a good person."
The reliable junior had just handed the newly joined Servant a "good person" card.
Fortunately, Shiki didn't know about Mash's evaluation—otherwise, who knew what might happen.
Rozen simply watched the three Servant girls interact, smiling as he continued forward.
At that moment, in the sky, Ishtar—riding Maanna and looking toward Uruk—suddenly froze, then grew serious.
"Hey! Something's really wrong over in Uruk!"
She shouted to the group.
"Huh?"
Mash and Shiki were both stunned.
"Something wrong?"
Rozen, too, halted his steps, frowning as he looked toward Uruk.
With that glance, Rozen noticed that the mana in Uruk seemed unusually chaotic.
Especially at the South Gate—it was extremely turbulent, with mana fluctuations rising and falling violently.
Seeing this, Rozen frowned, a faint sense of foreboding in his heart.
At once, he contacted the familiars he had summoned with the Holy Grail.
Upon doing so, Rozen understood.
"We need to get back to Uruk immediately!"
His expression darkened.
"A huge battle has begun!"