" The World-Devouring Witch?"
"What's that? It sounds really impressive."
"Are you pretending to be stupid?"
"I don't recognize you, golden-haired one," she said with a smile. "But you seem to know me?"
Gilgamesh did not answer.
Red eyes stared intently at the girl.
She's here.
This in itself is bad news.
But the girl ignored him.
She turned around and looked at Sajyou Ayaka kneeling on the ground.
"I'm here, of course, to find my sister who ran away from home."
Her voice was soft, as if she were talking about something perfectly ordinary.
Then she took a closer look at Sajyou Ayaka.
from head to foot.
Golden hair.
Black-rimmed glasses.
Sailor uniform.
The smile on her face didn't change.
" Ayaka."
"You've reached the age where you're starting to go astray."
"She actually dyed her hair blonde."
She shook her head and said in a helpless tone.
"Are you envious of your sister's blonde hair?"
Sajyou Ayaka turned around.
stunned.
She looked at the petite blonde figure blocking her way.
The other person called her " Ayaka ".
The other person claimed to be her older sister.
Could it be...?
Is she the same Sajyou Manaka that the silver-haired Servant mentioned before?
but.
wrong.
She is not--
"I,"
Before Sajyou Ayaka could explain that she wasn't the other person's sister...
Sajyou Manaka's gaze fell on the back of Sajyou Ayaka's hand.
There were red lines on the backs of both her hands.
The red stripes extend from the back of the hand into the sleeve.
Command Spell.
A Sajyou Manaka's icy blue eyes.
"I see."
" Ayaka, were you accidentally dragged into the Holy Grail War?"
She crouched down, bringing her eyes level with Sajyou Ayaka's.
He reached out and gently patted her head.
"Don't be afraid."
"Your older sister will protect you."
Sajyou Ayaka opened her mouth.
She wanted to say that I wasn't.
Then Sajyou Manaka's gaze shifted to Richard, whom she was holding in her arms.
"The one you're holding in your arms is your Servant, isn't it?"
She glanced at Richard's battered and bruised appearance.
"How weak."
"He actually got beaten up like that."
Richard lay on the ground, blood still in his mouth, his expression very complicated upon hearing those words.
He wanted to argue.
But every part of my body ached, and I barely had the strength to speak.
I had no choice but to bear with it for now.
The words that Sajyou Ayaka was about to say were cut off.
Then I wanted to first defend Saber.
"Saber isn't weak, it's just that her enemies are too strong."
He was only halfway through his sentence.
She suddenly discovered something incredible.
She was holding Richard in her arms.
Saber's injuries were so severe that she couldn't even stand up.
The injuries on his body.
They've all disappeared.
Beneath the shattered armor, the skin was smooth and intact.
The bruises on my face have faded.
Even the cracks in the armor were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
I was easily healed by Sajyou Manaka.
when?
How did you do that?
Sajyou Ayaka didn't sense any flow of magic at all.
It's as if the "healing" itself just happened naturally.
Richard, having recovered, stood up from Sajyou Ayaka's embrace.
He looked down at his hands.
He rotated his wrist.
I stretched my shoulders.
There was no pain anywhere on my body.
The armor was restored to its original state.
Even his physical strength has recovered to its peak.
Wow.
Richard let out a heartfelt sigh.
He looked at the petite blonde girl in front of him.
Her red eyes were filled with astonishment.
Who are you?
"It blocked that Noble Phantasm in an instant and even healed me."
He scratched the back of his head.
"Could he be even more powerful than that silver-haired one?"
Sajyou Manaka did not answer Richard's question.
Her attention was entirely focused on Sajyou Ayaka.
His icy blue eyes were full of tenderness and concern.
" Ayaka, are you hurt?"
Did that gold-haired one bully you?
"Are you hungry? I brought you a bento box. It's a little cold, but I can heat it up a bit—"
"Wait, wait a minute!"
Sajyou Ayaka finally couldn't help but interrupt her.
"I'm not her, you've mistaken me for someone else!"
Sajyou Manaka tilted her head.
"Um?"
"I am not your sister."
Sajyou Ayaka took a deep breath.
"My name is indeed Ayaka, but I don't know you, and I don't have an older sister."
"My hair is naturally blonde, it's not dyed."
"And,"
She pointed to her face.
I don't know any Sajyou Manaka.
Sajyou Manaka was silent for two seconds.
The ice-blue eyes blinked.
Then she smiled.
Is Ayaka throwing a tantrum?
"We're not having a tiff!"
"Is it because you've been away from home for so long that you're too embarrassed to admit it?"
"No!!"
"It's okay, I'm not angry."
I said no!
Sajyou Manaka reached out to pat her head.
Sajyou Ayaka stepped back slightly.
Sajyou Manaka's hand froze in mid-air.
A hint of confusion flashed in her icy blue eyes.
Then she withdrew her hand.
He tilted his head and looked at Sajyou Ayaka.
I looked at it for a long time.
"... Not Ayaka?"
"No!"
"Not my sister?"
"No!!"
Sajyou Manaka's expression finally turned serious.
She looked Sajyou Ayaka up and down again.
Then she closed her eyes.
It's like it's sensing something.
A few seconds later.
She opened her eyes.
"Hmm--that's definitely not it."
Her tone was as casual as if she'd discovered the weather forecast was wrong.
"Although they look quite alike, their souls are completely different."
My sister has black hair.
Sajyou Ayaka a sigh of relief.
"You finally--"
"But."
Sajyou Manaka interrupted her.
His icy blue eyes stared at the Command Spell on the back of Sajyou Ayaka's hand.
You have Command Spell on you.
"This means you participated in the Holy Grail War."
She tilted her head slightly.
"May I have your name?"
"... Sajyou Ayaka."
"It's the same name as my sister."
Sajyou Manaka smiled.
"Interesting."
Then she stood up straight.
He turned his head and looked at the golden Servant in the distance.
Gilgamesh remained standing there, dozens of golden ripples appearing behind him, ready to open the Gate of Babylon at any moment.
He was looking at her too.
The red eyes no longer held the composed Pride they had shown towards Richard.
Instead, there was complete and utter vigilance.
The World-Devouring Witch.
He knew the meaning of the name.
The others in the room may not understand.
But the Sha Naqba Imuru cannot be wrong.
This girl, who looks only fourteen, harbors something more dangerous than any Servant.
"So."
Sajyou Manaka clapped her hands.
"Since you're not my sister, I shouldn't need to concern myself with this matter."
She looked at Sajyou Ayaka.
"But you share the same name as my sister, and you look very alike."
"So, since I was in a good mood, I figured I might as well help out."
She turned to Gilgamesh.
His icy blue eyes still held that untroubled smile.
But I don't know why.
Gilgamesh felt a chill.
"It's golden, you can keep fighting him."
"But--"
Sajyou Manaka raised a finger.
"Don't hit her anymore."
"If you lay a hand on her again..."
I'm about to get angry.
She spoke in a soft tone.
It's even a little sweet.
But everyone present sensed it.
The weight behind this statement.
The Origami is suspended in mid-air.
She had been observing the girl who had suddenly appeared.
Since the other party appeared, her Spirit Origin senses have not been able to detect the girl's exact magical power level.
It's like looking at an infinitely deep pool.
" Origami -sama..." Tiné whispered inside the shield, "That little girl is amazing..."
"Um."
Origami nodded.
That's really impressive.
Moreover, she couldn't sense any hostility from the other party.
At least not at the moment.
Origami decided to continue observing first.
After all, it seems that this girl's current goal is not herself.
It was the golden Servant.
Gilgamesh looked at Sajyou Manaka.
There was a three-second silence.
Then he chuckled.
"Interesting."
"Today was really interesting."
"First I ran into that boring knight boy, and then I met you."
The golden ripples behind him did not disappear.
"I'd like to see just how capable you are, you World-Devouring Witch."
Sajyou Manaka tilted her head.
Do you want to fight?
"If that's your answer."
Dozens of ripples behind Gilgamesh expanded simultaneously.
Countless golden lights of Noble Phantasm shone from the ripples.
"Then I'll play along to the end."
Sajyou Manaka blinked.
Then she smiled.
He was laughing very happily.
"OK."
"My sister hasn't exercised in a long time."