Though Naoki knew what kind of person Lancelot was, hearing him say this still made Naoki unable to suppress a mental question mark.
A very charming woman?
Which part of her was charming?
Given Lancelot's nature, Naoki felt it might be that aspect.
"Ahem, ahem, ahem!"
Noticing the slightly strange looks from the other three, Lancelot quickly coughed, glanced at Artoria washing dishes nearby—who wasn't looking their way—and hurriedly explained, "Don't misunderstand, I didn't mean anything else. I was merely making what I believe is the most appropriate evaluation as a knight."
"…"
It would've been better if he hadn't explained. His explanation only made it seem more problematic.
Sipping his tea to calm himself, Naoki waved his hand. "Sir Lancelot, please continue. We're listening. If your female counterpart from the parallel world is so charming… in what ways?"
"Hmm… first of all, her strength."
Lancelot propped his chin and said.
"Even though she has the Holy Grail, when she first fought me, she didn't use it. She fought me in a normal state, yet I still felt a bit pressured. Her reason for fighting felt stronger than mine—that's how it seemed."
"I could feel the weight of her sword was different."
For a warrior, many things might not be explainable with words, but through the clash of weapons or fists, one could more or less sense it.
What their opponent was carrying, what they had experienced, the emotions they fought with—one could feel these in battle.
Lancelot sensed this when fighting his female counterpart from the parallel world.
Her sword was heavy, so heavy that he could feel she was carrying an incredibly important mission.
"A difference in resolve?" Gawain said with a serious expression. "My other self was the same, Sir Tristan?"
"Somewhat similar. Our fighting styles differ. Compared to your clashing swords, our battle couldn't accurately sense the opponent's heart."
Tristan plucked the strings of his harp.
"But from the sound of her attacks, there was a faint hint of sorrow."
Strong resolve and a sorrowful tone.
Why did the Knights of the Round Table from the parallel world have such a disposition in battle?
"Anything else?" Naoki pressed. "Any other points worth noting?"
"Hmm… her clothing."
As he said this, Lancelot's expression was somewhat awkward. "The armor she wore… I don't know if the fashion in the parallel world differs from ours or for some other reason—as you can see, the lower part of our armor is fully equipped."
"Indeed."
There was no need to mention Lancelot and Gawain; even Tristan, as an archer, had his lower body covered in armor, providing excellent protection.
"But my opponent was wearing a skirt."
"Huh?"
A skirt?
Naoki thought for a moment, then used Imaginary Manifestation to conjure several modern skirt styles he knew on the dining table. "Was the skirt like these?"
"There's some resemblance… By the way, Lord Natsukawa, are these skirts products of the current era?"
"Yeah, for example, this one is typically worn by JKs, meaning teenage girls. This one with thin fabric is called a nightgown, which can more or less enhance marital relations."
"Oh, oh, oh~~~ The developments of this era are so diverse?"
Listening to Naoki's professional explanation, Lancelot and the others sighed in admiration. In their era, there were no skirts so varied. They had to praise the talent of the designers who created these skirts.
After evaluating them for a bit, Naoki dispelled his Imaginary Manifestation and subtly gestured toward Artoria and Gray, who were almost done washing dishes.
The three Knights of the Round Table understood his meaning, exchanged glances to confirm, and naturally steered the conversation back to serious matters.
"Back to the topic. As I mentioned, my parallel world self didn't seem concerned about protection. It must be confidence in her fighting skills or some unknown protection on her body. You should be more cautious when facing her."
"Yes, I understand that too." Gawain nodded in agreement. "My other self was in a similar situation, and because she moved with rather large motions, my eyes didn't know where to look during the fight. It was very distracting."
Naoki was actually a bit curious about the details of this "swaying."
After listening to the information from Lancelot and Gawain, Naoki roughly understood the situation of the Lancelot and Gawain on Arthur's side. While their combat strength without the Holy Grail might be comparable, in the more crucial aspect of mentality, they seemed slightly superior?
"Sir Tristan?" Gawain asked. "Your other self—any points worth noting in combat?"
"None."
Tristan answered very firmly.
"Sadly, my other self has no differences aside from her gender and wielding the Holy Grail."
"Is that so? That's good news then. If we meet at the gates of the White Dragon Nation tomorrow, our chances of winning should increase slightly."
(Preparing Magecraft to forcibly calm the mind should suffice.)
Naoki thought as much.
At that moment, Artoria, having finished washing dishes, approached. "Master, are you heading to the castle tomorrow?"
"Yeah, there's no doubt it's the strangest place in this Singularity. If I don't go there, nothing will be resolved—that's what I think."
"If so, then I'll go with you." Artoria said. "Outside the walls of the White Dragon Nation are stationed Sir Gawain, Sir Lancelot, and Sir Tristan from the other world, plus Mordred… If Master goes alone, it might be too difficult."
"It's fine. They can't fly. If I can't beat them, I'll just fly away."
Not being able to fly was indeed a significant disadvantage for many Servants. While there were ways to counter aerial attacks, there was still a certain gap compared to Servants who could move freely in the air.
Artoria fell silent for a moment. "Even so, I still have to go. I think it's necessary for me to personally deal with Mordred's issue. Please understand, Master."
Why Mordred was standing on that side was something that needed to be clarified.
"I understand. Then let's go together."