"Father and Daughter" / Gordes and Saber

After Lily interrupted him, Wang Xiaoming gently nuzzled the girl in his arms with his chin.

"... In that case, I'll have no choice but to wield my weapon with all my might. If I don't, I won't be able to protect you. The enemy might die, and conversely, I might die too..."

However, before Wang Xiaoming could finish speaking, he suddenly felt a jolt in his chest, and looking down, he saw—

Lily used her head like a small hammer, banging it back against her chest. Then she tilted her head back, puffing out her cheeks and glaring at him with displeasure.

"You won't die! Master, you absolutely, absolutely mustn't say something like that!"

"Well..."

As Wang Xiaoming responded to Lily in a low voice, a slight smile unconsciously appeared at the corner of his mouth:

"Then, I'll do my best to protect you and stay alive."

Lily, nestled in Wang Xiaoming's arms, gazed at her Master's profile and silently prayed:

--Then for the future you will journey to, and the world you will live in... I will wave my wand, Master... May I be by your side until the very last moment...

This is to make up for yesterday's chapter. I'll try to write another chapter later. I suggest you go to bed early and don't wait; you might see it when you wake up.

Chapter 268. "Father and Daughter"

"Mr. Ming, Miss Lily, good evening."

The sun had completely set. Wang Xiaoming and Lily, who had been "fussing around" in their room for quite some time, finally came out of their room after receiving Archer's message to read them dinner aloud.

When the two reached the corner of the corridor, they happened to run into Reika Rikudou, who seemed to be looking for something.

When she saw the two walking side by side, Reika Rikudou was slightly taken aback, then smiled and greeted them.

Good evening, Miss Reika.

Wang Xiaoming nodded in response, but the next second, Lily, who was standing next to him, suddenly took two quick steps forward, took Reika Rikudou's arm affectionately, and said "Good evening" to her.

Looking at the two people so intimately connected, Wang Xiaoming couldn't help but feel a little uneasy... Weren't these two just having a cold war before?

"Oh, right, Mr. Ming..."

Reika Rikudou, who was whispering with Lily, suddenly looked up at Wang Xiaoming: "Have you seen that kid Ultraman Jack?"

"What's wrong?"

After hearing Reika Rikudou's question, Wang Xiaoming asked a question in surprise.

"The child said he wanted to play hide-and-seek with me, and then..."

Seeing the helplessness in Reika Rikudou's eyes, Wang Xiaoming, having roughly understood what had happened, couldn't help but chuckle.

Assassins with the [Presence Concealment] class skill are inherently difficult to detect. Although Reika Rikudou is Jack the Ripper's Master, it's not hard to understand why Reika couldn't find her due to Jack's lack of Magecraft and Ultraman Jack's deliberate avoidance.

"Master?"

However, this didn't seem to be a difficult problem for Lily, who had already incorporated the entire castle into her protective barrier. After obtaining Wang Xiaoming's consent, Lily waved her wand, and the surrounding magic began to flow—

Immediately afterwards, a small figure appeared before them.

"Huh?"

Perhaps because it had just landed, the figure scanned its surroundings, and its eyes lit up when it landed on Wang Xiaoming:

"Dad!"

With an affectionate call, a pair of small hands climbed onto Wang Xiaoming's neck, clinging to him like a koala, and rubbing against his neck affectionately.

"Hey, got you!"

Naturally, Wang Xiaoming scooped up the girl clinging to him and gently brushed her cheek with his stubble, which hadn't been trimmed for days.

"Hehehehe, it itches so much, Daddy."

Jack the Ripper, who was being amused, instinctively twisted her body, but Wang Xiaoming quickly stopped himself, afraid that she would fall.

It's really strange, though. They haven't spent that much time together, so why does she have this heartfelt feeling of doting on Ultraman Jack?

"Dad?"

Lost in his thoughts, Wang Xiaoming was pulled back to reality by the call in his ear and the touch on his forehead. Looking at Jack the Ripper in his arms, who was raising his hand and trying to smooth his brow, which was unconsciously furrowed from thinking, Wang Xiaoming felt his heart melt.

Never mind, as long as he's less troublesome than some disobedient brat, he's a good kid!

Then it's only right that we cherish her!

"Sweetie, Daddy's okay~ Come on, let's go eat!"

With a bright smile, Wang Xiaoming carried his daughter and strode towards the castle's dining room.

Behind them, Reika Rikudou and Lily, who were watching the "father and daughter" interact affectionately, exchanged a glance, smiled slightly, and followed the two.

At the same time--

Achoo!

Archer, who had just finished plating the food in the restaurant, rubbed his nose with a puzzled look on his face.

"Um..."

Archer's expression was somewhat subtle as he watched the group eating before him.

Saber's Master, Gordes, was brazenly reaching for the meats on the plate in front of him, which were high in neutral fat, while Saber sat behind Gordes, occasionally casting worried glances at her Master's stomach, which had already been filled with an unknown amount of food.

Rider was the same as before, except this time his mouth was stuffed with fried salmon and fried onions. Rider, who was asking for another plate, would also occasionally get food for the somewhat reserved android next to him.

As for Ruler... with her real physical body, she needs to eat to replenish her nutrition, but that appetite... hopefully it's something she was born with.

The new Berserker showed no unusual behavior, simply enjoying the foreign cuisine in silence.

So all that's left is...

"Oh, this tastes so good!"

Jack the Ripper, chewing on her sliced hamburger smeared with sauce, wore a blissful expression. Sitting next to her, Wang Xiaoming repeatedly used a napkin to wipe food crumbs from the corners of Jack the Ripper's mouth.

Then, Archer received a gratifying look from his father that said, "You're still somewhat useful."

Archer: "..."

Bite--

The sound of the electric oven slightly lifted Archer's spirits.

"Archer?"

Looking at the fragrant and exquisite pastries in front of her, Lily looked at Archer with some confusion.

"These are baked flatbreads. Since we made an extra batch, we're giving them to Caster to try."

Do you want the largest portion?

Upon hearing Archer's explanation, Reika Rikudou, sitting next to Lily, glanced briefly at the other tables... and then gave an ambiguous expression.

"Then I won't be polite~"

Completely captivated by the desserts before her, Lily had few concerns left, but Reika Rikudou was paying attention to Archer's whisper:

"This is the best I can do to recreate that period (when I was a child), I hope you..."

Although Reika wanted to continue listening to what was to come, the roar coming from the other side of the restaurant disrupted everything.

"What?!!"

Her gaze shifted to the source of the sound, and she realized it seemed to be a dispute between Rider's Master and Saber's Master. The noise was so loud that it had attracted everyone's attention in the room.

"What happened?"

As the head of the Yggdmillennia family, Fiore stood at the center of the conflict, observing both sides, hoping for an answer.

Upon seeing Fiore's arrival, Gordes, as if finding an outlet for his anger, pointed at the android opposite him and roared:

"Who does he think he is, daring to ask me to liberate androids?!"

Putting everything else aside, at least this chapter will be made up for this week.

PS2: I'd also like to recommend a friend's book.

<Kazusa's Monster Father>

Synopsis: Twenty-seven-year-old Touma Yoko lives alone with her five-year-old daughter Kazusa, raising her child while working hard to make a living.

After two failed marriages, Touma Yoko had given up on marriage and only considered dating.

I met a man who was both a stranger and yet familiar.

Touma Yoko, at twenty-seven, has finally met her true soulmate?

She didn't know if that was really the case.

An experienced author who guarantees the completion of his works is my role model (facepalm).

Chapter 269. Gordes and Saber

"Damn it!"

A curse suddenly echoed in the dimly lit basement.

This is the most secret room of the Yggdmillennia Clan during this war, containing the system that uses the magical power of the homunculus to supply the Master's magical power.

Although the entire system was paralyzed due to the destruction caused by Avicebron, thanks to Gordes's emergency repairs, the magical energy produced by the reservoir has now reached a level sufficient to support the consumption of our Servant.

But it was ultimately just an emergency measure; the barely functioning reservoir prevented Gordes from leaving for an extended period.

Recalling the scene that had occurred in the restaurant, perhaps because Fiore was too proud to say it openly, the accusations in her eyes and the disgust of others still stung Gordes like needles.

Even now, Gordes still doesn't understand—why would so many people care about something that's just a group of emotionless "meat chunks" that only need to obey orders?

Just then, footsteps from outside the door interrupted Gordes's thoughts—

"What happened? This isn't a place for a great hero like you."

Gordes, in a bad mood, turned to Saber as she entered the room and spoke.

In the dimly lit room, only the pool of water emitted a pale glow. Shapeless chunks of flesh floated in the liquid. These were living sacrifices, originally intended to become androids, whose flesh had been woven into Magic Circuit.

As for the original androids, they had already been released without permission by a leading android while the castle ruins were being cleared. Although Gordes was furious, he was helpless in the face of the other party's excuse that "he needed manpower." He could only curse under his breath as he replaced the androids with the [pieces of flesh] one by one.

This is precisely why Gordes's goodwill towards these androids has been steadily declining.

However, as Gordes said, this room filled with "sin" is not a place that a great hero like Saber could possibly accept.

"This is the food Archer asked me to give you, Master."

Saber seemed displeased by Gordes's barbed words, placing the plate of sandwiches and tea on the table.

"Why not leave this to those androids..."

Before he could finish speaking, Gordes suddenly stopped. Given his reputation among the androids, it would be difficult for any android to accept such a request.

Saber then continued, picking up where he left off:

"It's nothing, I just wanted to see what my Master looks like at work."

"Looking at these things isn't very enjoyable, is it?"

With his back to Saber, Gordes continued his work. Saber, seemingly oblivious to Gordes's cold attitude, remained silent.

"That's true. I don't have alchemical talent like Master, so even if I saw this technique with my own eyes, I couldn't make an evaluation. But there's no doubt that your abilities have indeed helped us."

Therefore, whenever I think of my Master single-handedly supporting the entire [Black] faction, as your Servant, I naturally feel proud of the glory my Master has achieved."

What nonsense are you spouting?