"So, as a demon, what do you think my goal is?"
Mephisto fired back, her tone dripping with provocation.
"Uh, Miss Nero?" Ritsuka cut in cautiously, grabbing Nero's hovering hand to defuse the tension. "Please, trust Mephisto. She doesn't mean any harm."
"Shh—"
Before Nero could respond, Mephisto waved Ritsuka off with a grin. "Master, don't be so quick to vouch for me.
"Trust me too easily, and you'll end up in a real bad spot."
Ritsuka quickly apologized to the demon. "Sorry, I'll be more careful."
Nero eyed the two, unsure what to make of their dynamic.
Weird.
"That's the deal," Mephisto said with a shrug. "I've got a bet with her."
"Like in the legends? With her soul on the line?" Nero asked, her voice sharp.
Mephisto's smile widened. "Exactly. Her soul's the stake."
Nero whipped her head toward Ritsuka, waiting for her take.
Ritsuka just grinned confidently. "I'm gonna win."
Is it really worth playing that high-stakes?
Mephisto laid out the terms of their wager. "Until this Singularity's resolved, I follow Master's orders. In return, she has to show me the most dazzling thing in the human heart. If she fails, when the contract ends, her soul's mine."
It didn't sound like a fair deal to Nero, but since Ritsuka was so sure of herself, Nero figured it wasn't her place to butt in.
It was their business, after all.
"Let's move," Nero said, shooting the pair a long look before turning toward the town.
Ritsuka and Mephisto followed.
After all the chaos, it was getting late. Nero glanced at the fading glow on the horizon and called back, "So, you two got any plans for where to crash in town?"
Ritsuka let out an awkward "uhh" and glanced at Mephisto.
The demon smirked, clearly enjoying herself. "Master, as a demon, I can obviously grant your wishes."
"And the cost?" Nero asked.
"Your choice," Mephisto replied. "For example, I could make some passerby's coin silently appear in your hand. All it'd cost is a little piece of your—"
"Vetoed," Ritsuka shot back.
Mephisto's grin grew brighter. "Fine. How about I charm the innkeeper with a bit of magic? That one's a tad cheaper."
"Hmm… anything else?"
"Then let me—"
"Silence, you silver-tongued fiend!"
A stern voice cut through from nearby, shutting Mephisto down. Nero and Ritsuka turned to see a figure in silver armor, a red cape draped over their shoulders, rising from the ground in a knightly stance.
Long brown hair spilled freely, and the figure—a striking young woman with violet eyes blazing with righteous fervor—turned to face them, hand resting on the sword at her hip.
"I am Georgios," she declared, striding forward. "To think, on my first day here, I'd encounter so many vile creatures."
Behind her, a small crowd of townsfolk gathered around a child who'd collapsed but was now stirring, blinking in confusion in an adult's arms.
Hearing the name, Ritsuka stepped forward, excited. "Georgios? As in, dragon-slaying Georgios?"
Then, clocking the knight's face, she scratched her head, puzzled. "Wait… a girl?"
Recognizing that Ritsuka knew of Heroic Spirits, Georgios relaxed her grip on her sword. "I see. If you know of us, you must be the Master from Chaldea. I am Georgios, a Heroic Spirit of the sword. A pleasure."
Her gaze shifted from Ritsuka to Nero and Mephisto. "Though I didn't expect the evil presence I've been sensing to be traveling with the Master."
Nero sighed inwardly, unbothered by being called a demon but curious. "You were helping someone?"
"Not quite," Georgios said, glancing back at the child. "The boy just fainted from hunger. If it were an actual illness… that'd be trickier."
As beings beyond time, Heroic Spirits often received intel about the era they were summoned to. Georgios clearly knew the Black Death was already ravaging Europe and would soon cross the channel to England.
Ritsuka, no stranger to weird situations, quickly recovered from the shock of Georgios being a woman and not recognizing her. "Doctor Georgios, were you summoned to fix this Singularity too?"
"Doctor…" Georgios shook her head, brushing off the title. "Indeed. But I've got no leads on the enemy behind this Singularity."
She locked eyes with Ritsuka. "Since you're here, Master, join me. I can't rest easy leaving you with these fiends."
"Fiends, huh?" Mephisto muttered from behind Ritsuka, her smile tight and insincere. "Spoken like a true saint."
The demon glanced at Nero, stirring the pot. "Didn't you say you're human? Being looked down on like that—nothing to say?"
Nero knew she was being baited and shot back coolly, "Let her say what she wants. I don't care about her opinion. What bugs me is you calling me your kind."
Mephisto just kept smiling.
Meanwhile, Ritsuka extended a hand to Georgios. "I'm thrilled you're on board! I'm Fujimaru Ritsuka. These two are…"
Mephisto cut in sharply. "No way I'm letting a saint know my name. It'll shave years off my life."
"I'm Nero," Nero said simply, nodding at Georgios.
"Understood," Georgios replied.
After quick introductions, the group stepped away from the crowd to a quiet street corner for a debrief. Ritsuka took the lead, sharing Chaldea's brain trust's theories with Georgios.
"So that's the situation," Ritsuka wrapped up. "By the way, Doctor Georgios, have you seen the Sphinx?"
"No," Georgios said, shaking her head. "As an Arbiter Heroic Spirit, she likely knows exactly where all of us summoned ones are. If we haven't met, it's because she doesn't want to."