Though his personality was quite foul, Mr. Goldie's judgment was not.
His assessment of Manaka Sajyou was both pertinent and correct.
As a genius born with magic circuits connected to the Root, possessing an omniscience that most could never hope to achieve, Manaka was incredibly confident and narcissistic—after all, in this world, besides herself, what else was there of interest?
Her talent, her beauty, her body... in short, besides the Prince Charming she awaited and acknowledged, Manaka Sajyou looked down on everyone.
Even if she had been a shut-in for a long time, the outside world was nothing more than a trivial amusement.
But!
What's with this woman?
Awful! Absolutely awful!
Manaka Sajyou stared at Elysia's face, her mood inexplicably sour.
This feeling of being looked down upon, this... it couldn't possibly be what she thought it was. After all, she was Manaka Sajyou!
"Ahem~ While I don't dislike being stared at by a cute girl, it does get a little troublesome, you know."
"Who are you?"
Manaka Sajyou's brow furrowed tightly. She wasn't pleased by the other's compliment.
After all—being cute was a matter of course for her, wasn't it?
The other person was merely stating a fact. If she had to praise anything, it would be Elysia's good taste.
However, Miss Manaka was clearly not focused on that. This awful woman. Manaka desperately wanted to understand where this awful, uncomfortable feeling was coming from.
"Me? You can call me Elysia, a Fae traveler from another world~"
"Of course, I imagine you're not interested in that."
"More than me, you probably want to know about naughty Jiang Qiao, right?"
"Naughty Jiang Qiao...?"
"Prince Charming—I'm guessing you're more familiar with that title? Ahem, but it's the first time I've heard him called that... it's quite cute."
"...That's my Prince's name!?"
"That's right~ According to him, weren't you looking forward to it?"
"..."
Miss Manaka said nothing.
Logically, she should have been happy.
After all, she had learned her Prince Charming's true name... hmm, although it was a very Oriental-style name, it certainly suited him better than that homunculus, that thieving cat.
But... the awful feeling of having the surprise spoiled washed over her.
And what was worse, the one who told her this name was another woman, a complete stranger who gave her a very bad feeling!
Though it might seem like a small thing—just knowing a name—Manaka's intelligence allowed her to see the hidden meaning behind it.
Without a doubt, this woman named Elysia had a deep, unknown connection with her Prince!
No matter what that connection was, even if it was just like that thieving cat, didn't this mean she had already lost completely?
Displeasure... and a strong sense of unease. She asked the question that burned in her mind:
"What is your relationship with my Prince?"
"Ahem~ You guess~"
"The answer is something you have to find for yourself—but, there are a few things I need to correct."
"Even if that naughty boy really is a Prince Charming, well... he's my Prince Charming."
"If you don't even understand that simple fact and the order of things, then even if you're a beautiful girl, I'll still find you a little troublesome, you know."
The pink-haired, fae-like girl said this to Manaka Sajyou with a sweet smile.
Though she didn't know the situation before, now that she had been caught red-handed, Elysia could only say—I, little Elysia, am not to be trifled with.
"...So you're just a bigger thieving cat, like that other one."
Manaka Sajyou understood instantly, her words becoming aggressive.
"Hmm... I don't really like that title... actually, you're the one who's the other woman~"
"Do you want me to repeat myself?"
"You're the one who came later."
The girl's face was all smiles, but her words didn't make Miss Manaka smile at all.
In fact, because it was the truth, her personality was such that this factual disadvantage caused her to feel a sense of defeat, a crack in her composure.
Manaka Sajyou stared at Elysia with a strange expression.
Without a doubt, she was the type to get jealous easily.
—For example, according to a certain worldline, just because her own sister, Ayaka Sajyou, had developed some feelings and intimacy with a certain Holy Sword wielder, she found it unbearable and planned to send her "disobedient" sister to join their father as a sacrifice.
Now, she seemed to be having similar thoughts.
Yes! I've decided. I'll put this woman named Elysia at the same table as that little thieving cat!
Miss 55kg, sensing these malicious thoughts, just smiled sweetly.
In that moment, though the two women were a considerable distance apart, it was as if massive sparks were clashing between them.
The air itself grew thick with the smell of gunpowder.
"Honestly, I really wanted to avoid using less polite methods~ but it seems unavoidable."
"In that case..."
"I'll have to take a less friendly approach~"
"Besides, I can't let this fire burn any longer."
"Hmph, if you have the ability, then try and put it out!"
Faced with Manaka Sajyou's indifference, Elysia just smiled.
"Illya."
"Let me teach you how this power is truly used."
"Elysian Realm!"
As a crystal arrow shot into the night sky, in an instant, a blooming crystal flower enveloped the entire city of Fuyuki.
Shimmering fragments fell onto the burning flames and, like a frost, began to spread and crystallize. One by one, the raging flames turned into flawless crystal flowers.
---||---
Falling crystal fragments landed in her fair, delicate palm.
"Well, it seems things are going smoothly over there."
"In that case, I can't lose over here either."
[Illya]'s gaze fell upon the two people not far away, and a smile appeared on her face.
"It's you?"
Morgan glanced at her with some surprise. "What are you doing here?"
She held her staff, her expression wary.
"Nothing, nothing~ I just came to settle a little personal grudge."
As [Illya] spoke, her gaze fell on the rather pathetic-looking Mr. Goldie nearby.
Although [Illya]'s appearance had indeed diverted Manaka Sajyou's attention, it didn't mean Gilgamesh was safe.
After all, Manaka understood the principle of kicking a man when he's down.
Since she had the chance to take out this troublesome King of Heroes, there was no reason to let him go.
Originally, Lancelot was supposed to handle this task.
After all, the Knight of the Lake was more specialized in dealing with Mr. Goldie.
But perhaps because her desire to crush Miss Illya was so strong, Lancelot's superior stats and martial skills were needed to compensate for Illya's even more superior stats in her Firefly form.
In turn, the task of dealing with Gilgamesh naturally fell to Morgan.
While Diarmuid wasn't a bad choice, he was better suited to deal with Jeanne.
Otherwise, the Ruler class's EX-rank Magic Resistance would probably make Morgan, a Caster masquerading as a Berserker, vomit blood.
An excellent Master knows how to exploit class advantages.
However, [Illya]'s appearance had distracted Morgan somewhat.
She had no fondness for this person... after all, Morgan hated surprises.
Moreover, this person seemed to know what she was planning, which was also very dangerous.
If that woman hadn't forbidden her from laying a hand on him, Morgan's past cruel and indifferent self would have already eliminated this obstacle.
"Personal grudge?"
[Illya]'s answer made Morgan frown, while Mr. Goldie burst out laughing.
"Haha, it seems you, like your Master, have caused quite a bit of trouble, Great Fae."
"Ah... you're mistaken about that. The one I'm looking for is you~ Mr. King of Heroes~"
Mr. Goldie's smile froze instantly.
Though he had no idea what she was talking about, he felt somewhat offended.
"You've got some nerve, mongrel."
"In my memory, I have no grudge with a boring homunculus like you," Gilgamesh's eyes glinted with killing intent.
While he disliked women like Manaka Sajyou, he wouldn't have cared if he died at her hands, or at the hands of this obsessive Great Fae.
But now, a mere homunculus dared to claim she had a score to settle with him?
It should be known that what Gilgamesh despised most were homunculi like [Illya].
As a rather cruel king, he believed everyone should strive in their designated roles and fulfill their value.
He as king, serfs as serfs, chefs as chefs—everyone should perform their duties.
And homunculi...
Not only did he detest these products whose fates were decided by others—it reminded him of himself, of the gods—but the very essence of a homunculus was a provocation and trampling of his kingly way.
In Mr. Goldie's eyes, Homunculus = Non-human.
They were things that shouldn't exist in the first place.
"Well... I'm not really interested in this either."
"But... who's to blame that this child isn't the magnanimous type?"
"So, gomen-ne~"
The silver-haired girl said this with a hint of apology, yet a smile played on her lips.
She slowly raised a hand.
An invisible wave of mana rippled outwards.
To Morgan's eyes, this mana wasn't powerful—at least, compared to Manaka Sajyou's and the power from before, it was a world of difference.
But her expression grew serious, her face filled with apprehension.
What truly measured a magus was not the raw output of mana, but the fine control over it.
This level of precision... it wasn't something a normal magus could achieve. Even a Grand Caster, like herself, or even a top-tier Divine-rank magus like Medea, couldn't do it. It wasn't a problem with the magus, but with the system of magecraft itself.
However, [Illya]'s grand magecraft was different.
Besides the initial surge of mana, she couldn't tell what grand spell had been used. Until the next moment.
In the blink of an eye.
The surrounding scenery seemed to change.
The sound of wind and snow whistled from outside the windows. Through the magnificent, gilded windows, one could see a heavy blizzard.
And within this spacious castle, the decorations were incredibly lavish, resembling a medieval castle.
"...A Reality Marble?"
Sensing the change in his surroundings, Gilgamesh looked at [Illya], who now sat on a throne, looking down at him.
This feeling of being looked down upon displeased him.
And worse... for some reason, this damn place gave him a strange sense of déjà vu.