Late at night.
There were Servants doing other things while on guard duty.
Leonidas was smoking wyvern meat over a campfire.
"Smoking it, are you?"
"Yes. That way, it'll be perfect to eat in the morning."
"So dragon meat can be smoked without any issue. In my era, forget dragons, we couldn't even see their subspecies. Even if they existed, subspecies like the imugi were extremely rare. We couldn't even imagine eating one."
The era Chen Gong lived in was the end of the 2nd century. It was just before the beginning of the Three Kingdoms period and just before the complete fall of the Later Han dynasty.
Back then, as one would expect, mystical beings like dragon subspecies were hard to find on the Chinese mainland. This was in contrast to islands like Britain or Japan, which were still rich in such mystery.
In particular, the Celtic lands (Ireland) were practically still in the Age of Gods, a stark contrast, to the point where Finn mac Cumhaill's Knights of Fianna existed.
"I see, it was a precious era. Being in the A.D. era, that makes sense. In my time, they weren't numerous, but they were somewhat common."
To Leonidas, who was from Greece around the 5th century BC, wyverns were a common sight. The Age of Gods had ended, but it was an era still rich with mystery.
"I suppose so. However, on our side, they have been rare and precious since the time of Emperor Gaozu of Han. That is why Emperor Gaozu was able to seize the world."
Emperor Gaozu, Liu Bang, was Xiang Yu's rival.
Like the King of Knights, Liu Bang was born with the dragon factor and possessed the qualities of a king, the one and only being who could bring peace to the China of that era. That was also the reason why Xiang Yu took on the role of the villain to help Liu Bang grow.
Xiang Yu believed that only Liu Bang could become the king of the Chinese people and stabilize the world. Of course, because of that, Xiang Yu had to sacrifice himself by playing the villain, which is why Yu Miaoyi despises Liu Bang.
"Emperor Guangwu, who led the Later Han, was the same. In our era, dragons were precious beings. To begin with, unlike in the West, dragons were considered sacred spirit beasts."
"I don't know about Emperor Guangwu, but I will never acknowledge that Liu Bang bitch."
Leonidas had been listening to Chen Gong's story with interest, but Yu Miaoyi trudged out of the building and clicked her tongue.
"That bitch?"
"Yeah. The Liu Bang bitch with the disgustingly huge breasts."
"...To think that Emperor Gaozu was a woman. That is a surprising fact."
"Hah, there are plenty of kings in this world you thought were men but were actually women. Like King Arthur or Emperor Nero."
"Hmm, the Roman Emperor who inherited the legacy of Greece was a woman? This is quite a surprising tale."
Yu Miaoyi, who had seen far too many cases of people she thought were men turning out to be women, answered nonchalantly, while Chen Gong and Leonidas, who were unaware, considered it a startling revelation.
"But in that case, how did Emperor Gaozu have descendants?"
"Ever heard of phallus creation?"
"Hmm, I have heard of it, but to think such a method existed."
"And why do you know about that?"
"Because that long-eared Liu Bei used it."
"Liu Bei was a woman?"
"Have you heard of the Peach Sisters?"
"Ugh."
At least the Liu Bei that Yu Miaoyi knew was supposed to be a woman. Originally, their side's Chen Gong, Sima Yi, and Zhuge Liang knew Liu Bei as a man. But here, he was a woman.
Even though she had never met Liu Bei, as an immortal who had lived for a long time, Yu Miaoyi had seen his face before and couldn't imagine it.
"Was Cao Cao a woman too?"
"No."
"That's a relief."
What if Cao Cao had been a woman? Would she have been a hunter of married men? Or a lesbian who coveted married women? Imagining either scenario, Yu Miaoyi couldn't help but sigh at the thought of what a perfect fit for this world she would have been.
"Sun Quan was a woman, though."
"Oh, for crying out loud."
Yu Miaoyi stopped thinking. There was something fundamentally wrong with this world.
Still, listening to the conversation, she started to understand.
She wasn't sure about Leonidas or Asterios, but Chen Gong was definitely from this world. It wasn't just that he lacked memories of their side; his memories and disposition were clearly from this world. However, his abilities and Spirit Origin seemed to follow Sho's.
On top of that, she thought that while he had this world's memories, perhaps the strange laws of this world didn't exist in the past.
But what did the past matter? As long as he was a normal Heroic Spirit now, it was fine. Although, calling the self-destructing maniac Chen Gong "normal" was a bit strange in itself.
"Lady Yu Miaoyi. Since you're out, would you like to have a taste?"
"It'll make a good bar snack."
Leonidas offered her a grilled piece of smoked wyvern tail, and Yu Miaoyi immediately took it and ate it. It was a bit tough, but edible. The lack of seasoning was a shame.
Asterios, who had been strolling around elsewhere, also arrived, and Leonidas gave him a hefty portion, considering his size.
"This is... dragon tail?"
"Do you like it?"
"Yeah, it's tasty."
As befitting his demonic body of monstrous birth, he tore into the tough wyvern meat as if it were nothing.
"Anyway, what are we going to do about them?"
Tearing at the meat with her hands, Yu Miaoyi gestured vaguely with her thumb towards a corner of the building. There, bound, were Atalante and Martha.
"We intended to interrogate them, but they refuse to open their mouths. Torture would be the answer in this situation, but we haven't received the Master's permission."
"If you torture them wrong, they'll die."
Chen Gong wanted to get information from them, but it seemed torture was the only way. However, Yu Miaoyi was skeptical, saying they might die by mistake.
"Hmm, I've felt this before, but for some reason, the women here seem to be weak. It's strange. Lady Parvati, Lady Yu Miaoyi, and Lady Jeanne are clearly strong."
"There's a weird law in this world that causes that. I'll tell you later."
As if it was too much trouble right now, Yu Miaoyi postponed the explanation. Leonidas simply accepted her words, his attitude showing that he trusted his comrade.
In contrast, Chen Gong began to analyze it.
'A law, he says. Nothing of the sort existed in my time. Could that be the reason why the Master was able to overwhelm Atalante on his own? Furthermore, could it also be the reason why that man from Chaldea, Ryuji, was able to do that to the Heroic Spirits? I shall have to ask what that law is later.'
Like a true strategist, he was greatly interested in what this "law" could be.
What was this truth he didn't know? Why were they hiding it?
Of course, he didn't suspect Sho. This wasn't like his era, where you would cast aside talent or switch lords. He could tell by looking into Sho's eyes.
He was neither a great hero nor a champion, but those straightforward eyes were surely an outstanding quality for a Master.
What was the truth that his Master was hiding? What was this law of the world? Chen Gong decided to analyze it, considering various hypotheses.
Meanwhile, Yu Miaoyi took a sip of her drink while looking intently at Atalante.
'The difference between me and Jeanne. Is it because we're women? No, if that were the case, Parvati should also have her memories. Why doesn't she? The replacement happens even with just a contract, not a full summoning. In that case, couldn't I test it on them?'
She spent her free time thinking about what factor triggered the return of memories. She became curious about what would happen if Atalante or Martha formed a contract with Sho.
Meanwhile, inside the building.
Jeanne was not sleeping. She was spending her time in the living room, drinking hot cocoa.
"Can't you sleep?"
Mash came to find her. Mash was in light attire, like pajamas.
"Miss Mash. Are you unable to sleep as well?"
"Yes. It seems so, just a little."
She wore a slightly troubled expression. Jeanne tilted her head, then noticed she could hear something faintly. She focused her hearing.
"Eh."
The sound of a man and a woman making love could be heard.
"Yes, it's the sound of Senpai and Kuriyama-san."
'Master, aren't you a bit too vigorous?'
In Jeanne's memory, she had never seen him have relations with anyone else. But to think he would do so in this world. Jeanne was nothing short of bewildered.
"Aren't you jealous?"
"Excuse me?"
"I heard from Senpai. Even though it was your first time meeting, you understood Kuriyama-san's charm and asked him to get you pregnant, didn't you?"
Ritsuka had already told Mash. It was her former self, not her current one, but what was important was that Jeanne d'Arc had said that to Sho. Mash's words made Jeanne blush, and she tried to come up with some kind of excuse.
"I think you'd be good too, Miss Jeanne. Senpai said that she likes you, you know?"
"Ritsuka-san did?"
"Yes. And Kuriyama-san... he likes women with big breasts, you know?"
Mash said with a sly smile, clutching her own chest. Jeanne blushed and covered her own chest in response, but something about Mash's attitude felt a little off.
"What do you mean by that?"
"You like Kuriyama-san too, don't you, Miss Jeanne? I do too. In that sense, I'm a little envious of Senpai today."
The news that Mash liked Sho. No, it had barely been a week since they met. Jeanne wondered how this could have happened.
Looking into Mash's eyes and hearing her words, Jeanne felt like she understood.
"Miss Jeanne, do you know how big Kuriyama-san is? I do, you see. Actually, pretending it was a dream, I've done it with Kuriyama-san several times, along with Senpai and the Director. We did it last night too, do you have any idea how good it felt?"
Mash, too, was clearly being affected by this world, just like her former self.
"I think I'm really lucky to have met Kuriyama-san. Making love with Kuriyama-san and Senpai makes me feel alive. Before, my normal days were, how should I put it... not enjoyable, but now, every day is happy."
And yet, hearing Mash's words filled Jeanne with a strange sadness. Mash was surely on a time limit here as well.
That such a girl was saying she had found love and felt happiness, even if it was in a somewhat twisted way. Jeanne was at a loss as to whether she should consider this a good thing, but when she thought about the object of that affection being Sho, she felt that she could be at ease.
"Later... would you like to join us, Miss Jeanne?"
At Mash's following words, Jeanne couldn't answer. She certainly held special feelings for Sho, but she felt like she shouldn't be on the same level as Mash.
"By the way, you called Kuriyama-san 'big brother', right? So, is it okay if I call you 'sister'?"
Sister
At the word "sister," Jeanne's eyes went wide. She grabbed Mash's hands, her eyes shining.
"Yes! Please, please call me sister!"
If Yu Miaoyi had seen this, she would have definitely called her an easy woman.