---o---
"You killed my pets. You should pay the price for that, shouldn't you?"
The youth who had turned demonic beasts into his own familiars using Honkai energy calmly referred to the mass-produced cannon fodder in his hands as "pets," smoothly pinning the blame for Kingu's actions onto the Chaldean party.
Miss Ritsuka and Miss Mash, who had been running into nothing but trouble since arriving in the Seventh Singularity—almost like a certain unmentionable, trouble-prone dragon—wore looks of utter confusion.
Their journey had been one setback after another. First, they were bounced all the way from Uruk to the ruined city of Babylon by Gilgamesh's barrier, even making an airdropped entrance.
Then, they were chased across the landscape by a horde of unknown demonic beasts whose size was simply insane.
After that, they ran into Kingu, who called himself Enkidu and nearly tricked them into being unceremoniously slaughtered in his Blood Fort.
Having been beaten down the entire way, where would they have found the time to kill anything?
Besides—
Had they even seen anything that looked like a pet along the way?
"If I may ask..."
"The pets you're referring to are...?"
Miss Mash, completely unable to recall having killed anything, looked at the man who had KO'd the god Kingu in just a few rounds and asked cautiously.
"A few little cuties with rather large builds."
Li Zihan stroked his chin, recalling the savage Honkai Beasts converted from demonic beasts, and went against his conscience to bestow upon them the title of "little cuties."
"I sent them specifically to pick you up, but when I looked back, I found they were all dead..."
"Honestly, I'm really heartbroken."
Li Zihan, knowing full well that Mash lacked the ability to kill multiple Honkai-fied demonic beasts in an instant, put on a troubled expression.
His words reached the ears of Miss Guda and Miss Mash, leaving them completely dumbfounded.
The "little cuties" this guy was talking about...
Were the goddamn super-monsters with an average height of over twenty meters that set mountains on fire at the slightest provocation and had been chasing them relentlessly!!
"You two were the ones who killed them, right?"
The youth who had just finished off Kingu and even scored a set of Chains of Heaven as loot, spoke with great seriousness.
"After all, my little pets were quite strong."
"To take them all out in one go, you'd need the combat power of a first-rate Servant, at least."
"And the people of Chaldea, who have fought their way to the Seventh Singularity, obviously possess that kind of power, don't you agree?"
Listening to this line of reasoning, which seemed somewhat plausible but was basically cobbled together from guesswork, the corner of Miss Fujimaru's mouth twitched.
Mash, by her side, was an excellent Servant.
But—
Mash specialized in defense and protection. She was completely unsuited for assault. How could she possibly kill multiple Honkai-fied demonic beasts in an instant?
"Um, I think there might be a misunderstanding."
The girl, clearly not wanting to take the fall for Kingu, tried her best to explain.
"The one who killed your pets was Kingu."
"Oh? Is that so?"
As if hearing something novel, the youth stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Yes, yes!"
Beside her, Miss Mash was also nodding her head vigorously.
The man before them was terrifyingly strong. If they let him mistakenly believe that Chaldeas was hostile towards him, she and her Master would be in for a world of hurt.
And what's more...
The Holy Grail, essential for repairing the Singularity, was in his hands. To get it, they had to establish a good relationship with him.
"Well then, I suppose it can't be helped."
The youth, who was himself deeply connected to Chaldeas, looked at the girl known as Chaotic Evil and her accessory, Miss Mash, and let out a sigh.
"If they were killed by that guy, then there's no way for me to demand compensation for the loss of my pets."
The youth with solar divinity, who had just brutally murdered Kingu in the most violent way imaginable, was surprisingly reasonable.
This allowed Miss Guda and Miss Mash, who had been on edge the entire time, to breathe a sigh of relief.
Their opinion of him improved slightly.
He went from being a super-dangerous demon lord who must be avoided at all costs to a very dangerous but surprisingly reasonable person they needed to get on good terms with.
And then—
The relieved smiles on their faces froze.
"But, how can you prove that those creatures were killed by Kingu?"
A problem on the level of "how do you prove your mom is your mom" was casually thrown out.
"Please give me a reasonable explanation within five minutes."
The youth, who was clearly just looking for trouble, said cheerfully.
"If you can't provide a suitable explanation, I'll have no choice but to demand compensation from Chaldeas, or to forcibly keep you here as my maids to work off the debt with your wages."
The youth, whose real plan was probably to hold Romani for ransom while also getting two beautiful maids for free, smiled, revealing a set of clean white teeth that made him look quite sunny.
Honestly, both Gudako and Mash were quite adorable. Wouldn't they look cute in maid outfits?
"Huh?"
That was the sound of a dumbfounded Gudako.
"This...?"
That was the sound of an equally bewildered Mash.
"Fou?"
And that was the sound of the Merlin-beast, whose expression was completely unreadable.
Every sentence sounded perfectly reasonable on its own, but when combined, they resulted in a development that was utterly absurd.
"It looks like you can't come up with a good explanation. In that case, I'll have to detain you first and then demand compensation from Chaldea."
The youth chuckled, his tone completely lacking the arrogance and coldness he had displayed when fighting Kingu.
"To everyone at Chaldea, I trust you can hear my voice."
"As you can see, Miss Ritsuka and Miss Mash are unable to clear themselves of the suspicion of having damaged my property. Therefore, I will be seeking compensation from your organization."
"As collateral, I will be detaining Chaldea's last Master for the time being. Until your organization sends a reliable representative with the payment to Ishtar's temple, I will have them work to pay off their debt."
"Wait!!"
Dr. Romani, completely unaware that he was the real target, suddenly projected himself beside Fujimaru Ritsuka, attempting to negotiate with Li Zihan.
"I think—"
"I hope to see you bring the payment over soon, Dr. Romani!"
The youth's words swiftly cut Dr. Romani off.
"Bye-bye."
Then, before Romani's astonished eyes, the youth with solar divinity began to crackle with electricity.
And just like that, the quantum projection communication, established through a combination of mystery and science, was forcibly severed by the intense fluctuation in the electromagnetic field.
Having done all this, the youth turned back and smiled faintly at the bewildered Chaldean party of two humans and one beast.
"Alright, my two beautiful ladies. Now then, will you follow me willingly, or would you rather I beat you down and drag you away?"