"Then give yourself to me."
To be honest, Jiang You had ulterior motives when he said this. Nero's current attire was simply too alluring.
"Is this your reward?"
Nero swirled the red wine in her glass, her gaze locking directly with Jiang You's. He couldn't discern any specific emotion from her eyes—only that she was neither angry nor embarrassed. "I expected a more... interesting request. Lord Divine Ancestor spoke highly of you..."
"My apologies."
Jiang You immediately regretted his forwardness. Previously, he'd only said such things to those with whom he already had a foundation of Affection. Nero, however, was truly his first formal encounter (they'd barely interacted during their tag team battle). Yet the words also carried another meaning, making his attempt to smooth things over less contrived than it seemed.
"Actually, what I really meant was..."
"Hmm?"
Nero's expression shifted to disappointment. To her, indecisiveness was a flaw. Once words were spoken, there was no taking them back. "I never said I would refuse! I declared, 'Anything within my power to grant, I shall grant you!' Of course, this is well within my power. Just wait patiently tonight."
Without giving Jiang You a chance to explain, Nero swept away, her wine goblet in hand. To her, Jiang You now seemed hopelessly mundane. Yet as Empress of Rome, she must uphold justice—her word was law. Since she had promised, she would deliver.
Jiang You's hand, raised halfway, froze mid-air as Nero glided over to Mash. Still retaining memories of the Second Singularity, they had plenty of topics to reminisce about.
Forced to withdraw his hand, Jiang You scratched his head awkwardly. There was no way he could keep this "date." After all, this was a wholesome game. If the NPCs kept flirting like this, it had to be some programmer's twisted sense of humor. Why add features you can't even implement?!
Should I just run away?
The thought suddenly struck Jiang You, but he knew this would drastically damage his reputation with Nero, and he hadn't even obtained her card yet. Besides, Hakuno had already arrived, meaning the Fate Extra storyline would inevitably be incorporated into the Script. What an awkward situation it would be to encounter her again while progressing through the Fate Extra arc!
Today, I need to clear things up.
Speaking of Fate Extra, Jiang You recalled that his deck might contain a servant from that world—Sesshouin. If he could get her cooperation and use her as a springboard, could he send Hakuno there as well?
However, Jiang You couldn't quite grasp Sesshouin's true nature. This one's probably not going to play along, Jiang You mused. He decided to wait until he could confirm their ability to travel to the Fate Extra world before telling Hakuno, sparing her false hope.
The banquet passed quickly. Seizing an opportunity, Jiang You swiftly pulled Nero aside.
"You can't wait any longer, can you?" Nero purred, her confidence in her allure unwavering, just as she had shown earlier.
"But the current setting isn't suitable. Why not join me for a bath? With rose petals as the base..."
"To prevent any further misunderstandings, I need to clarify things with you here and now."
Jiang You quickly interrupted Nero's description. She was the most uninhibited servant he had ever met, and any further teasing would likely keep him up all night after he returned to reality. Although he had initially made ambiguous remarks, he refused to admit it.
"I want to show you something."
Jiang You handed Nero a card.
"This is... the God Ancestor's Card."
As Nero gazed at the Romulus card in her hand, her expression took on a hint of Jiang You's own. She understood the logic behind how Jiang You's Noble Phantasm cards were generated.
"So... the God Ancestor acknowledges you?"
"Yes. That's why I meant earlier that I wanted you to entrust your card to me as well."
Jiang You displayed the Romulus-related cards. Due to their lack of synergy with his Deck, he rarely summoned Romulus. This was one of the reasons he was so eager to clarify things with Nero. He had expected her to suddenly understand and drop the topic, but reality proved different. "Why... do you still look so disappointed?"
"You..."
Nero sighed. "Though I'm not particularly skilled in such matters, I could sense the look in your eyes back then. Dare you swear to me that you harbored no possessive thoughts about me at all?"
Excellent, the conversation has circled back to this again. Jiang You felt cold sweat break out. Normally, any answer to this question would be a lose-lose situation. But Nero was different; her values diverged wildly from those of ordinary women. If Jiang You boldly admitted his possessiveness, he might actually earn her favor. However, acknowledging it would mean he couldn't evade the topic any longer.
"Of course I did."
Jiang You finally mustered the courage to admit it, thick-skinned as ever. After all, this was just a game, not a real conversation with a person. He wasn't a streamer, so there was no need to worry about viewers seeing his embarrassing moment (though technically there were viewers, and this topic had already left them sweating buckets). Still, the mortification of this private farce made Jiang You's gaze drift involuntarily.
"Look at me!"
Nero cupped Jiang You's face in her hands, forcing him to meet her eyes. She scrutinized his expression, confirming its sincerity. "You're truly innocent. I'm starting to doubt whether you're even a Heroic Spirit. Few heroes would act so bashful in such matters."
"Actually, there are quite a few Heroic Spirits like that..."
Jiang You could easily list numerous examples, even the servants of gods were not exempt, such as Eresh.
"But those are all just young girls, right?"
Nero cut off his attempts to weasel out of the situation. "Sometimes, one must face their desires head-on. I've never agonized over such matters. If I want something, I simply take it!"
Jiang You nodded in agreement, noting that this attitude perfectly aligned with Nero's historical background.
"Your reaction is quite a letdown!" Nero puffed out her cheeks. "I'm a Heroic Spirit whom even the God Ancestor holds in high regard! I was really looking forward to tonight."
"Let's postpone tonight's matter. Otherwise, I won't be able to fully enjoy myself... And why do you look so relieved?! Do you have some grievance against me?!"
After ruffling Jiang You's hair for a while, Nero finally pulled out her Card.
"I promised you earlier that I would fulfill any request within my power. Since this is what you desire, I will naturally honor my word..."
Seeing Jiang You about to slip away, Nero grabbed him by the back of his collar. "Don't forget our agreement. Come find me again when you can face your true self. What I promise, I will fulfill!"