Absolute...

A few minutes later, Luo Zhen and Mashu had already left the iron tower and returned to the burning town.

Staying on that iron tower had been far too conspicuous, so Luo Zhen could only have Mashu carry him away and find a temporary base as quickly as possible, hiding inside it to avoid a second attack.

That was how it sounded, but the so-called base was actually nothing more than one of the buildings in this ruined town.

Still, no matter what, the two of them at least had a chance to catch their breath.

However, once they came back to their senses, the two of them found themselves looking at each other, both sinking into indescribably complicated emotions.

"Um... are you all right, Master?"

"...Yeah, there's nothing wrong."

"Then... is there anything abnormal about your body?"

"There shouldn't be, right?"

"Then... that's good."

"Yeah..."

After an extremely brief exchange, the two fell silent.

Luo Zhen lifted his eyes and looked at the girl before him. Her appearance had changed drastically from before, making her seem both imposing and somewhat uneasy. He could not help sighing before breaking the silence.

"In any case, let me understand the situation first." Luo Zhen asked Mashu in a calm tone, "If I'm not mistaken, Mashu, you really have become a Servant. Am I right?"

This was already an irrefutable fact.

After escaping the sudden crisis, Luo Zhen had long since sensed the thing he had been overlooking.

It was the faint, almost imperceptible connection that had formed between him and Mashu.

This connection was like an invisible passage linking Luo Zhen and Mashu, allowing him to send his magical energy into Mashu's body with ease. He could even issue commands to Mashu through the Command Seals on the back of his hand.

Luo Zhen knew exactly what this meant.

It meant...

"You entered into a contract with me as a Servant, didn't you?"

Luo Zhen asked this one word at a time.

In response, Mashu nodded, then shook her head and corrected herself.

"I did enter into a contract with you, Master, and I did obtain the power of a Servant, but my current state does not count as a proper Servant."

At this point, Mashu's voice paused slightly before she finally said,

"I have now become a 'Pseudo-Servant.'"

Hearing this, Luo Zhen's first reaction was not surprise, but a bitter smile.

"As expected... is that how it is...?"

—"Pseudo-Servant."

This was not an ordinary Servant, but something created through human means.

Although Servants possessed superhuman power and could provide astonishing combat strength, they were heroes, legends, and fantasies from the past. Each of them possessed extraordinary wills and convictions. Trying to employ them at will as Familiars was somewhat unrealistic.

In other words, Servants could betray their Masters. They could also disobey their Masters' orders, refuse to follow commands, or even turn around and harm their Masters, leaving the summoner worse off than before.

It was precisely to prevent this situation that Command Seals had come into existence.

Command Seals were a form of authority that allowed three commands. There were three marks in total, with each mark representing one command. Their original purpose was to forcibly dominate Servants and make them obey their Masters' orders.

Chaldea had redesigned this command system to work together with the Heroic Spirit Summoning System, allowing Masters who had contracted with Servants to possess Command Seals as well.

However, Chaldea's Command Seals did not focus on "domination." Instead, they were specialized in "support." They abandoned the authority to issue forced commands and were highly effective at strengthening and healing Servants. As for controlling Servants, at most, they produced an effect similar to a "curse."

Of course, if all three Command Seals were used at once, forcibly commanding a Servant was still not impossible.

In any case, with Chaldea providing magical energy, Masters could obtain one Command Seal every day. Their Command Seals would be fully restored in three days, so they could still be used when necessary.

However, if a Servant refused to follow orders and had to be driven into action with Command Seals every time, it would still cause tremendous trouble and be highly disadvantageous in battle.

Furthermore, Servants were spiritual bodies, and their very existence consumed magical energy. To make up for all sorts of shortcomings, Chaldea launched an experiment.

"The fusion of humans and Heroic Spirits..."

That was right.

The fusion of humans and Heroic Spirits.

This was one of the studies that had already been underway for more than a decade—the sixth experiment of Chaldea.

"Through fusion with a Heroic Spirit, the test subject can not only obtain power on the level of a Servant, but because they themselves are not a spiritual body, merely existing does not consume magical energy. Even more importantly, they will obey orders. This avoids all kinds of disadvantages. That is the—'Pseudo-Servant.'"

Luo Zhen looked at Mashu and spoke with some bitterness.

"This experiment... was actually completed now?"

The experiment involving Pseudo-Servants had begun more than a decade ago, yet it had never succeeded until now.

Luo Zhen had never imagined that this experiment would be completed under such circumstances.

Mashu then said,

"After all, I originally existed for this purpose."

Mashu's words were utterly devoid of fluctuation, causing Luo Zhen to clench his fists.

At this point, there was no need to say anything more.

Mashu was one of the test subjects for this experiment.

This was Mashu's past, as well as the fate and life she had possessed two years before she appeared in Chaldea.

The girl who had finally been released two years ago because of the experiment's failure and was able to appear openly in Chaldea had ultimately still become something no longer human.

"Damn it..."

Luo Zhen could not help cursing.

After a while, a pair of soft hands grasped Luo Zhen's clenched fist.

"Please don't be so angry, Master."

Mashu gently enclosed Luo Zhen's clenched fist in both of her hands.

A tranquil smile appeared on her face as well.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with this."

Mashu's frank words echoed through the surroundings.

"At least, I now possess the power to protect you, Master. I can serve as your Servant and fight alongside you. I'm very happy about that."

This was absolutely not a lie.

The girl named Mashu was truly grateful for her current situation from the bottom of her heart.

"If it's the current me, then I have the ability to fight."

Mashu smiled at Luo Zhen.

However, the girl did not know that her smile only made Luo Zhen ache for her.

(She says she's very happy?)

Luo Zhen recalled the look in Mashu's eyes that he had seen not long ago.

Aside from the trust she had always shown, there was something else in those eyes.

That thing was called fear.

(On the one hand, she's happy because she obtained power and can fight alongside me. On the other hand, she's afraid of battle itself and feels terrified of it...)

Luo Zhen clasped Mashu's hand in return. As he tightened his grip, he drove his resolve deep into his heart.

(I absolutely won't let her face all of this alone...)

(Absolutely...)

P.S. Today is the day Ru Qing gets engaged, and in another two weeks I'll be getting married. I've been so busy lately that I've only been able to update using prepared chapters. I'm practically dying here. Please continue supporting this book and give me some encouragement! (Crying)