Suppressing his excitement, Gawain smiled and said, "Go on, then. Just be careful not to cause any trouble."
But in his heart, he couldn't help but cheer—
Fight! Fight!
Nothing beats watching women fight!
"Obviously. Why would I cause trouble?" Mordred rolled her eyes.
As Britain's Prime Minister, she was always mindful of her image in public—a perfect little angel.
No matter what happened, she would never tarnish that image.
"Good, good."
Gawain said nothing more, watching as the two left.
Once they were out of the hotel,
the radiant and righteous Sun Knight couldn't wait to head downstairs himself.
Not that he was some drama-seeking spectator, of course—it was purely out of concern for Britain's future.
The glory of Britain must be restored!
And so,
Gawain disguised himself, doing his best to avoid drawing attention.
He had just stepped out of the hotel when he spotted the golden figure of the King of Heroes standing atop a streetlight.
People passed by below, yet not a single one noticed his presence—clearly, he was invisible to ordinary humans.
With a smile, the golden figure looked down and said, "Yo, Sun Knight, where are you headed?"
"Just out for a stroll," Gawain replied, feigning calm.
"Then, care to join me?"
Gilgamesh's smile widened.
It seemed he had found a kindred spirit.
"Hmm?"
Gawain was slightly taken aback.
The King of Heroes was notoriously arrogant—why was he being so amiable and approachable, almost like a friendly citizen of Fuyuki?
Could it be... they shared the same goal?
The moment this thought crossed Gawain's mind, their eyes met, and everything was understood without words.
Indeed, the King of Heroes had already noticed it too!
...
At the marketplace.
A black-haired young man walked among the stalls, accompanied by a golden-haired girl.
They drew quite a few curious glances.
But in Fuyuki City, golden-haired girls were hardly unusual—silver-haired, red-haired, and all sorts of others were commonplace.
Souma casually pointed at the nearby stalls. "This one sells the freshest tomatoes, that one has the best crispy pancakes, and the one next to it sells authentic free-range eggs..."
His frequent visits had made him intimately familiar with the place.
Vendors who shortchanged customers or passed off inferior goods would tense up at the sight of him.
Not that Souma made a fuss—he simply avoided buying from them.
This was the ordinary life he cherished.
Since the gluttonous king wanted to experience the mundane world, he had deliberately brought her to the marketplace for a stroll.
If people knew the "ordinary girl" was actually the newly ascended Grand Saber, the place would erupt in chaos.
Artoria paid little attention to the stares, her eyes casually scanning the surroundings.
She quietly watched as he haggled with vendors and meticulously picked through piles of vegetables.
Simple, ordinary, lively, tedious... This was the daily life he loved.
As a king, even during her most destitute childhood, she had been fostered in the household of a noble knight.
She had never truly experienced the life of an ordinary person.
Everything here felt fresh and fascinating.
At the fish stall.
Cu Chulainn looked at them in surprise. "Hey, kid, is this your... girlfriend?"
Where had he picked up such a cute golden-haired girl in just a few days?
"Ahem, just a friend who wanted to tag along for grocery shopping," Souma coughed lightly. "Get me a carp, will you?"
"I have a friend"—the perfect excuse.
This "fishing-strong" mutt still didn't know his true identity, yet treated him as an equal friend. It was a rare thing.
"Sure thing! I'll pick you a good one—half price for you!"
Cu Chulainn was unusually generous.
Since the guy had brought a girl along, he might as well help him save face.
"Thanks. I'll treat you to a meal next time."
Souma smiled as he accepted the cleaned carp.
After leaving the stall, he remarked casually, "He's another one who chose to live an ordinary life, content with being a fishmonger."
"Hmm." Artoria nodded.
As a Grand Servant, she could instantly discern his true identity.
It only deepened her mixed feelings.
The legendary hero of Celtic mythology, the Child of Light, had willingly settled for selling fish in this marketplace.
Clearly, not all heroic spirits are after fame and fortune.
The two had just arrived at the entrance of the vegetable market when they saw a burly man approaching.
Even in winter, the man wore thin clothing, yet steam seemed to rise from his body.
Souma waved in greeting, "Hey, Berserker, was just thinking of talking to you about something."
"What is it?"
Heracles casually wiped the sweat from his forehead with a towel.
As the mighty Hercules with boundless strength, he couldn't possibly break a sweat no matter how many bricks he carried.
But if he wanted to blend in as an ordinary person, a little disguise was necessary.
Souma smiled, "Recently, Illya's elementary school is looking for a PE teacher. The position involves frequent 'sick leaves' with very few actual classes. Would you like to take the job during your breaks from brick-carrying?"
"A PE teacher?"
Heracles frowned slightly.
PE teachers these days certainly had it easy.
Being forced to take sick leaves from time to time, giving their class hours to other subjects.
As the mighty Hercules, how could he stoop to such behavior?
Souma continued, "It's Illya's PE teacher we're talking about. Still not interested?"
"Deal!"
Heracles agreed immediately.
Money wasn't the concern—it was mainly about properly educating children.
"Then it's settled. You can contact my friend Julian when the time comes," Souma said.
The Einzbern family had faced considerable criticism after the exposure of the events in "Oath Under Snow."
But since those events occurred in another parallel world, and the family had been trying to save the world, their foundation remained unshaken.
In Academy City, they still counted as a prestigious mage family.
Souma casually brought up another topic. "So, have you thought about the Berserker class?"
In the previous world's Type-Moon, whenever someone mentioned Berserkers, they would almost always think of the demigod standing before him.
There was no helping it—his legend was simply too deeply ingrained in people's minds.
With his invincible strength and the twelve lives granted by his Twelve Labors, his rampages were terrifyingly overpowered.
As for the Grand Berserker, there really weren't many candidates more suitable than him.
Xiang Yu possessed deduction abilities comparable to Clairvoyance, leaning more toward absolute rationality in battle.
As for others, their fame fell far short.
"Let me think about it a little longer."
Heracles didn't immediately agree, his gaze shifting to the golden-haired girl standing quietly nearby.
The title of Grand was both an honor and a responsibility.
To bear the name of Grand meant inevitably walking the path of saving the world and safeguarding human order.
But compared to protecting human order, he would much rather protect his beloved daughter, Illya.
In this regard, he was quite different from King Arthur before him.
"Alright, take your time."
Souma didn't press him at all.
As the most favored spokesperson of Alaya, he also held the authority to designate Grand Servants.
Becoming a Grand Servant meant standing alongside him to face all manner of terrifying enemies—
Enemies so terrifying they could shatter your Spirit Origin, possibly erasing you from existence entirely!
Naturally, this required careful consideration.
Artoria's beautiful eyes were filled with surprise.
First, the Celtic hero who sold fish, and now the Greek demigod of immense strength.
This great hero, too, clearly cherished an ordinary life.
Here they were, standing at the entrance of a market, casually discussing whether to become a Grand Servant as easily as they had debated what groceries to buy.
Truly, an unbelievable man.
Or rather, as expected of you!
Souma, carrying bags of groceries, turned to her with a smile. "Alright, we're done shopping. Let's... go home."
"Of course. Let me carry some for you."
Artoria reached out and took a few bags.
Side by side, the two walked away from the market, leaving behind Heracles' wistful gaze...
Meanwhile.
On the bus, Roya sent a message to her mother at home, saying she was on her way.
With slight unease, she said, "My family is just... really ordinary. I hope you won't be too disappointed."
Her home was nothing special.
An ordinary high schooler, an ordinary elementary schooler, and an ordinary little cat.
Oh, right—the cat had run away from home.
For a mighty Heroic Spirit like her to visit such a plain household, she was bound to look down on it, right?
"It's fine. I don't mind," Mordred replied with a smile.
For her, staying far away from her father was all that mattered.
Facing the barrage of reporters' cameras, she still had to put on the act of a loving father-daughter relationship—it was exhausting.
In comparison, visiting an ordinary household would be a much more relaxing experience.
Finally arriving home, Roya took out her keys and opened the door.
Peeking inside, she saw that the golden-haired girl, Liya, who often dropped by for meals (and had an enormous appetite), was already there.
She hoped Souma would cook a little extra later—otherwise, there might not be enough.
With lingering nervousness, Roya gestured inside. "Please, come in."
"Mm, pardon the intrusion."
Mordred slipped into a pair of slippers and stepped into this ordinary yet cozy home.
Then.
She stared in astonishment at the golden-haired girl busily working in the kitchen—why did she feel so similar to Father?