Jiang You sensed a drastic shift in the game's tone recently, as if the programmers had gone mad. Features that should have been impossible were being emphasized again and again. Though he was a physiologically normal male, he understood what kind of game he was playing. Wouldn't it be better to become a top-tier performer in the adult gaming world?
"Artoria? Who's that? Is that me?"
Nero, sensing Illya's hostility, pointed at herself in confusion.
"I am the one and only Flower of Rome! To mistake me for someone else is truly displeasing. Who is this Artoria you speak of?"
Nero's personality was entirely different from the Ahoge King's. Illya re-examined Nero, her gaze lingering on Nero's chest for a few seconds before she realized she had mistaken her for someone else.
"That doesn't matter! In any case, Jiang You is mine, and I will never give him to you!"
"Looks like you're quite the catch, huh?"
Nero didn't care about Illya's hostility. Competition only proved the value of what she desired, fueling her competitive spirit.
"I refuse to believe my charm could ever lose to a mere girl! If you want me to back down, you'll have to convince me with something truly compelling!"
"Before we go any further, Jiang You, aren't you going to explain this situation? This girl... she looks about the same age as that Magical Girl from earlier, doesn't she? Like sisters, perhaps?"
Jiang You couldn't escape the topic after all, his roundabout route leading him right back to where he started.
"This is Illya's ID and driver's license."
Too weary to argue, Jiang You simply pulled out the documents proving Illya's age from his backpack.
"I'm exhausted. Let's finish today's work quickly so we can all rest. By the way, where are Medea and the others?"
"Seriously, you only remember us when you're halfway through the show?"
Medea emerged from the trees with a mischievous grin. She'd been there all along, but sensing interesting developments, she'd stopped White Lancer Artoria and Medusa from interfering.
"Illya, if you need it, my Magic Workshop also has the recipe for the Love Elixir. I'd be happy to waive the material and labor costs to punish those philandering men. Just say the word, Sister."
"..."
Illya was somewhat tempted, but she knew such tricks would be utterly useless against Jiang You. It would be like Jiang You's Shadow Game—completely ineffective against himself.
"You brazen witch, Medea! You're plotting to trap me right in front of my face? Not even trying to hide it!"
Medea was starting to sound more and more like a mischievous friend.
"How could you call this a trap?" Medea retorted, not pulling any punches. As one of Jiang You's earliest servants, she knew his character well and never hesitated to give him a good ribbing when he deserved it.
"After all, your philandering even surpasses Jason's. If I were Illya, I'd lock you in the basement with a Command Spell!"
"What are you, a horse girl from a racing anime?" Jiang You shot back.
Medea's gravity magic could indeed accomplish such a feat, and in a sense, Jason was trapped in the basement.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Medea had long grown accustomed to Jiang You's cryptic remarks, choosing to ignore what she couldn't understand. Apart from Illya, no one else knew what Jiang You was talking about. Though Illya didn't fully grasp it either, she vaguely sensed he was referring to another game, which made her feel anxious again.
"Let's drop this topic," Jiang You interrupted the downward spiral. "Today's focus remains training Prisma Illya and Miyu's combat skills. If possible, it would be even better if you could lend them your Cards. Having an extra transformation option will help them adapt to more situations and improve their overall strength. We shouldn't have any more issues with Medusa, so Medea, you and White Lancer Artoria can spar with them at full power. I've already deployed my Noble Phantasms, so don't worry about accidentally injuring them."
"Speaking of Medea and Miss Artoria..."
As she spoke, Gudako deliberately observed Artoria's face. Though Artoria had matured considerably, her resemblance to Nero was still striking. If Artoria were a few years younger, it would be nearly impossible to distinguish the two. Gudako also recalled that the French saint Jeanne d'Arc bore a remarkable similarity to them both, adding to the mystery.
"I would have told you about this sooner if not for everything that's been happening here. We previously encountered Shadow Servants who looked remarkably similar to Miss Medea and Miss Artoria."
"Shadow Servants is putting it mildly," Mash interjected. "They were more like... something else."
Mash had faced numerous Shadow Servants before, but these opponents were notably more agile. However, like all Shadow Servants, they lacked intelligence and relied solely on instinct.
"They looked almost identical," Gudako agreed, "but the materials they dropped weren't anything familiar."
Gudako pulled out two cards. "These are the things. I asked Dr. Romani about them, and he said they use a completely different magical system than Chaldea's, making them utterly useless to us."
"Class Cards?!"
Ruby immediately flew in front of the cards for verification.
"It's definitely Caster and Saber Class Cards! This pushes our progress forward significantly in one go. I never expected this young lady to be so powerful, solving the problem so easily."
"Hehe, Nero and Mash did most of the work."
Gudako never considered herself a particularly skilled commander. After a brief moment of humility, her gaze shifted to Jiang You.
"Jiang You, you promised this was a peaceful world! How did we encounter a special event on our very first day?"
"Perhaps she's the protagonist of this world?" Jiang You mused, marveling at Gudako's knack for attracting trouble. He had to spend money hiring people to search for the Blackened Servant spawn points, yet Gudako had only been in this world for less than two hours and already stumbled into a situation where "wherever she goes, trouble follows, just like that Death God elementary schooler. If I were from Beika Town, I'd immediately have him contained—that kid's practically a walking causal weapon!"
"Don't act like I haven't watched Detective Conan!"
Strictly speaking, Gudako's era wasn't much different from Jiang You's, so she could still understand his references.
"Since these are things a Magical Girl needs, I'll just give them back to you."
Seeing how easily they had obtained two Class Cards, Illya couldn't bring herself to be happy. She now realized that if Jiang You had wanted them, he could have simply taken them all back by force. "So all our efforts these past few days were for nothing?!"
"Of course not! It's all about the joy of growth!"
Jiang You glanced at the quest to train Miyu into a top-tier fighter, which now included Prisma Illya as well.
"I'll punish Gudako and the others properly for stealing kills this time. Since we no longer need to face Blackened Medea and Artoria, let's start practical combat training against Blackened Medusa today!"
"What's with that attitude? I'm helping, and you're treating it like I'm doing something wrong?!" Gudako protested vehemently.