Chapter 116

"How can this be? Father King, if you want to invite Master on a date, go and invite him yourself!"

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Lan Ze finally realized that his daughter had betrayed him. He turned to Mordred and said loudly, word by word:

"Little Mo!"

As Lan Ze's voice faded, Mordred had already fled and disappeared into the forest, leaving only the rustling of leaves in the wind.

A brief silence fell over the forest.

It wasn't until a gust of cold wind swept by that Lan Ze finally snapped out of his daze. He turned to look at the kimono-clad girl standing on the treetop, and then floated lightly to her side.

After clearing his throat, Lan Ze said, "What Xiao Mo just said—"

Ryougi Shiki simply nodded slightly. "I know."

"You went shopping during the day, right? I'll wait for you at home today."

She didn't know what Mordred had said to Lan Ze, and she wasn't in the mood to know... because she felt her heart was beating faster than before.

This is probably what they call feelings...?

Mordred is right. Perhaps we can really learn what emotions are from Lan Ze.

"What's wrong? Is there anything else you want to say?" Noticing that Lan Ze seemed a little off, Ryougi Shiki tilted her head slightly and asked, puzzled.

"It's okay, I'm already looking forward to going shopping together today," Lan Ze said with a smile.

Ryougi Shiki gave a faint smile and nodded gently. "Me too."

After saying that, she turned and walked out of the forest.

Lan Ze watched Ryougi Shiki's departing figure, then looked up at the faint dawn breaking on the horizon. He appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly he sighed helplessly.

If he hadn't promised Irisviel, that would be one thing, but he had already promised Irisviel he would take her out today, and then Xiao Mo ruined it all...

This is really troublesome... Lan Ze sighed inwardly.

Tiamat and Ereshkigal gazed silently at Sajyou Manaka.

Neither of them spoke, they just stared at Sajyou Manaka. At first, Sajyou Manaka pretended not to notice their gazes, but after a while, she finally couldn't stand it anymore. She suddenly raised her head and looked back at Tiamat and Ereshkigal: "Why are you staring at me like that?!"

"Aika, didn't you say that anyone could develop feelings for Divine Messenger... except for Ryougi Shiki?" Ereshkigal asked, looking at Aika helplessly.

"Is that so? Well, nothing has been done yet," Sajyou Manaka said calmly. "She probably just heard some things about Lan Ze from Mordred, so she wants to experience emotions or something, but it's all in vain."

Sajyou Manaka's voice was incredibly calm and her tone was resolute, as if she were recounting something perfectly ordinary. This made Tiamat, who had just been worried that her child might be kidnapped, nod "Aaa".

She felt she should trust her son and believe he wouldn't run off with someone else.

"Hmm... I believe what you say, Aika," Ereshkigal nodded gently, but the worry on her face still lingered. "But this time, that girl wanted to experience emotions in this way. What if she tries something even more radical next time...?"

"Just like at first we thought Irisviel was the Master of the Divine Messenger, and we respected him greatly, so we never thought she would do anything to the Divine Messenger..."

When Ereshkigal got to this point, Sajyou Manaka was clearly taken aback.

Yeah, why didn't I think of that...? It's true that Ryougi Shiki finds it hard to develop feelings for someone, but this time she wanted to experience those feelings through a date. What about next time? And the time after that?

Will they keep doing things that couples do, and even in the end...?

As the images slowly unfolded in her mind, Sajyou Manaka shuddered like a cat caught in water, then quickly shook her head, dispelling the images from her mind, and calmly said, "No, it can't possibly come to that. Don't worry..."

But towards the end, her voice became noticeably softer.

If it really develops into that situation, what should I do?

Sajyou Manaka gazed at the scene on the screen, lost in thought for a long time.

"What should I do? If I hadn't promised Irisviel first, it wouldn't be so bad, but I already promised Irisviel I'd take her out today... and then Mo Zai pulled this stunt..."

After returning to the castle, Lan Ze sat on the sofa in the hall, drinking the black tea handed to him by a maid, and fell into a dilemma.

To be honest, if he hadn't promised Irisviel beforehand, he wouldn't have minded going shopping with a pretty woman.

The problem is... he had already promised Irisviel.

Xiao Mo really deserves a beating; how could he be so unreliable... Lan Ze sighed sincerely.

Also, what was Ryougi Shiki thinking? Logically speaking, our relationship shouldn't be close enough for us to go on a date, right? Why did she accept my invitation and decide to go on a date with me?

Is it because they are kind-hearted and can't bear to refuse my invitation?

Or perhaps they're trying to save face for me in front of Mo Zai?

But then again, why does Mo Zai suddenly want to find another mother?

Too many questions flashed through Lan Ze's mind. He sat on the soft sofa, sipping red tea and thinking, as time passed silently.

"That..."

Without realizing it, Lan Ze suddenly heard a gentle and pleasant voice behind him. He turned his head slightly and saw Irisviel standing behind him, dressed in a white dress. The silky smooth dress made her skin appear even whiter and more translucent, as if it were translucent in the dim light.

A hint of excitement flickered in the woman's gentle, red eyes. She said softly, "Arthur, why are you sitting here lost in thought? Is something bothering you?"

Lan Ze snapped out of his thoughts, shook his head and chuckled, "I was just thinking about something trivial. But what about you? Why are you up so early this morning?"

Irisviel's beautiful eyes flickered slightly. She glanced up at him, then quickly lowered her head again, her gentle voice softly saying, "Because I was going out today, I got up early."

Lan Ze paused for a moment, then nodded slightly. "Hmm... that's true. Have you had breakfast?"

Irisviel nodded slightly, then raised her hopeful eyes, as if waiting for Lan Ze to say something next.

But after waiting for quite a while, Lan Ze still hadn't said a word.

Irisviel gazed silently into his eyes, her eyelids slightly lowered, a strand of silver hair falling from her ear.

Now that things have turned out this way, I can't pretend I didn't see it... Lan Ze sighed silently in his heart and said softly, "Is there anywhere you want to go?"

Irisviel paused for a moment, and her previously somewhat dull eyes regained their light of joy.

Lan Ze put down his teacup and wiped the tea stains off his hands with a tissue from the table. He extended his hand to Irisviel: "Let's go for a walk and pick someone up."

"Hmm... Is this Fuyuki from the Fourth Holy Grail War?"

During the day, Fuyuki has a considerable flow of people, with people coming and going on the streets. At this moment, in front of a certain street, a very handsome young man is curiously scanning his surroundings.

The young man had white hair, deep eyes, and a faint smile on his face, giving people a feeling of warmth and comfort.

Merlin, the Court Mage of Britain.

Two days ago, he saw through his Clairvoyance that a catastrophic disaster was about to befall a certain Singularity, because that Singularity was still forming and even the people of Chaldea had not yet noticed it.

Although Merlin had already informed Chaldea about this, Merlin was still uneasy. In addition, he was too bored in the tower, so he accepted someone's Heroic Spirit Summoning and descended to this world as an avatar.

"Hmm... there seem to be quite a few pretty girls on the street." Merlin muttered to himself, glancing around at the humans with a smile.

Girls on the street would often cast bright glances at Merlin, and Merlin would return their gazes with gentle smiles.

It's quite normal for someone unfamiliar with Merlin to be captivated by his charm. Putting aside his somewhat flawed personality, this white-haired wizard is actually very popular with women. He's tall, handsome, and has a pleasant voice. His only problem is that he doesn't understand human emotions, so it's difficult for Merlin to develop genuine feelings for him.

"It seems we haven't seen that guy who looked like the beast from last night out on the streets..." Merlin muttered to himself.

Last night, he clearly sensed an extremely terrifying aura, but he dared not use his Clairvoyance lightly— Clairvoyance would be detected if he observed gods, and similarly, it would be detected if he observed the beast.

Once discovered by the suspected culprit behind this minor Singularity, they will definitely be hunted down via the internet.

Although this is just a clone of his, it doesn't matter if it dies, but once it dies, he will have to rely on his original body to come back next time.

However... it would be very difficult for the original body to get here, after all, the journey is too far.

We should cherish this life.

I'll scout around a bit more these next couple of days and gather some intelligence. I'll meet up with Ritsuka and the others when they arrive... As Merlin thought this, her gaze suddenly fell on a clothing store.

"Huh?"

Merlin suddenly let out a surprised sound, his gaze falling directly on a boy in the clothing store.

"Why is Lan Ze here?" Merlin blinked, clearly taken aback. He hadn't expected to meet Lan Ze in this way at all.

"And that person next to her..." Merlin's gaze fell on the kimono-clad girl who had just changed back into her clothes and walked out of the dressing room. After a brief stare, his eyes slowly widened.

Even with the Clairvoyance, the girl's identity couldn't be discerned...?

No, it's not that we can't see through it, but rather that we "can't see it."

Because the existence of this girl is itself nothingness.

"The Root..." Merlin murmured to himself, his usually frivolous gaze suddenly becoming more serious.

No wonder this Singularity is likely to bring about annihilation... Not only the Beast, but could there be Root within this Singularity as well?

And... what's up with Lan Ze?

Before, when he was by Tiamat's side, it could be explained as a mother loving her child... but now, how did this girl connected to the Root get mixed up with him too?

And then there's the woman beside him... Merlin's gaze fell on Irisviel, who was slightly pursing her lips and seemed a little unhappy.

This woman's identity... seems a bit special...

While Merlin was still pondering these matters, Lan Ze, who was lost in thought in the clothing store, seemed to notice the gaze outside. He turned his head slightly and saw the white-haired mage standing outside the clothing store, smiling and waving at him.

"Merlin...?" Lan Ze paused for a moment, glanced at Mordred beside him, and said softly:

"You have a good opinion of Irisviel and Miss Shiki."

After saying that, Lan Ze walked out of the clothing store. Mordred called out in confusion, "Where are you going, Father King?"

As she spoke, she looked outside, her gaze quickly landing on Merlin.

"How did Merlin end up here?" Mordred was clearly taken aback.

Ryougi Shiki had just picked out an outfit and was about to ask Lan Ze if it looked good when she saw him walk out of the clothing store. So, the girl gently patted Mordred's shoulder and whispered, "Who's that person outside?"

"Britain Court Mage, huh? But how did this guy get summoned?" Mordred muttered to himself, somewhat puzzled.

"Merlin ..." Ryougi Shiki looked thoughtful.

After leaving the clothing store, Lan Ze went straight to Merlin's side. When the man waved and smiled at him warmly, Lan Ze simply nodded slightly before asking, "Merlin, what are you doing here?"

"It's a long story... Anyway, you certainly have a lot of leisure time, taking your Master out on a date during the Holy Grail War," Merlin said with a smile.

"Come on, what exactly is your purpose?" Lan Ze asked bluntly.

He knew Merlin wasn't the kind of guy who would come to participate in the Holy Grail War for no reason. Since Merlin was here now, there must be a reason for it.

"Alright, alright... I'll confess then." Merlin shrugged. "I used my Clairvoyance to predict the possibility that this Singularity might be destroyed in the future, so I tried to have someone summon me here to check the situation."

"And the result?" Lan Ze asked.

"The result is... this city is really dangerous," Merlin remarked with a sigh.

"If I were a local resident, I would definitely try to move away from this city."

"Is it really that serious?" Lan Ze asked in surprise. For Merlin to say something like that meant that Fuyuki was... truly dangerous!

"I'm not exaggerating... there are monsters lurking in this city." Merlin paused, glanced at Ryougi Shiki, and said softly, "But thankfully... there's such a powerful girl here, so we can rest assured."

"What's your relationship with that girl? Master and Servant?" Merlin suddenly asked.

Who are you talking about?

"That's the girl in the kimono," Merlin said with a smile.

"No... my Master is someone else." Lan Ze shook his head. "We just made plans to hang out together today."

"I see..." Merlin rested his chin on his hand, looking thoughtful, and muttered:

"If this Singularity truly faces destruction in the future, it's hard to say whether the emotionless 'Root' will save Singularity, unless it develops some attachment to the city or its people..."

As Merlin muttered to himself, he suddenly looked up and glanced at Lan Ze.

Lan Ze felt a little uncomfortable under Merlin's gaze and asked irritably, "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Lan Ze... no, should I call you Arthur?" Merlin shook his head. "Never mind, it doesn't matter what you call me, Arthur. Have you ever thought about finding a girlfriend?"

Lan Ze: "Hmm?"

"What's the meaning?"

"In fact, Singularity is forming in this city," Merlin said seriously.