Inside Naoki's Room
"Owwww, it hurts~~~"
After being thrown onto the bed the moment she entered the room with Naoki, Merry—who had been unconscious—suddenly woke up. She clutched her head and whined as if seriously injured.
"Sweetheart, you're too rough. If I weren't strong, my head would've cracked open."
"But you've been blocking it with illusions from the start, haven't you?" Naoki glared at her angrily. "How dare you do that to Fujimaru when I just entrusted her to you a few days ago?"
"Hehehe~~~ Worried?"
Merry laughed and sat up from the bed. "Well, actually, I've been holding back a lot. I stopped exactly at the point where little Ritsuka wouldn't get truly angry. And afterward, I even apologized to her properly."
"Apologized? How?"
"By sneaking into her dreams at night and giving her a wet dream!"
Seeing Merry proudly give a thumbs-up, Naoki desperately wanted to hit her head again—but he knew it wouldn't do any good. Over the years, she'd caused endless trouble and been punished countless times, yet she hadn't changed one bit. That proved just how impossible it was to alter her true nature.
"Anyway, control yourself in the future. Fujimaru can't handle your treatment."
"There won't be a future. Tomorrow's her last training day. After that, I'll be off to deal with something slightly troublesome."
Hearing that, Naoki frowned. "Deal with what? And you say it's troublesome… Should I come along?"
"No, no. I can handle it myself. Besides, you still have to take care of little Ritsuka, right? You can't neglect a new recruit for an old woman like me."
"What kind of old woman are you? You haven't changed at all from twenty years ago! To me, you've always been beautiful."
"Hmm, not bad. The King finally saying sweet words on his own. Here's a flying kiss as a reward—muah~~~"
(Instead of a flying kiss, why not just kiss me for real?)
Naoki thought, feeling slightly greedy.
"But what exactly are you planning to do? At least tell me. Otherwise, I'll keep thinking you're secretly planning another big stunt. I've suffered enough from that lesson already."
"This time, I really don't intend to do anything bad. In fact, I'm thinking of doing it to help lighten your burden." Merry smiled. "You mentioned that in the seventh Singularity, there will be a Beast—Beast II, the Goddess Tiamat, right?"
Naoki nodded. He had already informed Merry, Roman, and Rei about the seven Singularities, including their details and the enemies they'd face.
Hearing Merry mention the Goddess Tiamat, Naoki immediately understood what she was planning.
"Merry… don't tell me you're thinking of…"
"Yes, exactly what you're thinking. Going there and sealing the Goddess Tiamat within an illusion—"
"Absolutely not!"
Before Merry could finish, Naoki cut her off with a voice almost like a roar—bordering on a command.
Staring at Merry, who sat on the bed with her usual carefree expression, Naoki spoke with deadly seriousness. "You are not allowed to go, Merry. For this matter specifically, I will never allow you to do it."
"And if I insist—"
*SWISH!* *SWISH!* *SWISH!*
Countless chains suddenly appeared in the room, instantly binding Merry tightly to the bed. Still, Merry could tell these were ordinary chains—no magical effect, only physical restraint, which she could easily break free from.
As if unable to contain herself, Merry giggled. "You say I can't go, but your method of stopping me lacks conviction. Are you afraid of hurting me?"
"You're not going." Naoki repeated firmly. "I'll find another way to deal with the Goddess Tiamat. You don't need to go, and you won't go."
"Are you afraid something might happen to me?"
"What else could it be?"
What Merry wanted to do was the same thing Naoki knew Merryn should do—trap Tiamat within a dream prison, delaying her awakening as long as possible to buy time in the seventh Singularity.
But back then, Merlin had appeared as a Servant. If the prison broke, he'd simply vanish. But Merry was the original form… No matter how many tricks she had, Naoki didn't want her taking that risk.
He didn't want anything to happen to Merry.
Merry fell silent for a moment, then softly laughed. "Of course I know it's dangerous, but… This is the end of the world. I want to help in my own way. More specifically, help my King, to lighten his burden. Otherwise, what's the point of me being a Magus of the Palace?"
"That would only add to my burden—making me constantly worry whether something happened to you over there."
"Eh~~ Do I look that weak, needing you to worry? Naoki, why are you acting like a father?" Merry sighed. "Well, I understand how you feel, but… you know, my feelings are the same as yours, Naoki."
"Watching someone you love fight to the death while you can only wait at home—that feeling is truly unbearable. It's not just me—Aoko and the others feel the same. They've all been thinking of ways to help in their own ways."
"Or do you want to get scolded to death by Aoko again? Like back in the parallel world?"
(Well… actually, that's only 10%… no, 20% of my reason. The remaining 80% is just to see if I can make things more interesting by getting involved.)
"…"
Naoki said nothing. He simply stared into Merry's eyes. After a while, he stopped projecting the chains and said, "You mustn't get hurt—promise me that. Only then will I allow you to go."
Stopping Merry was pointless. Even if she promised now, she'd surely sneak off later. Unless he locked her up here permanently—but Naoki wouldn't actually do that.
In the end, all he could do was let her go.
Merry rose from the bed, approached Naoki, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed his cheek. "Don't worry. I won't get hurt. I'm still waiting for the King to kneel and propose to me in front of everyone after everything's over."
"And, though I said I'd go there… I actually plan to go as a Servant alongside Merlin. Two of us make it easier—I won't do such a tiring thing alone. Besides, I've already contacted Arcueid. So actually, the three of us will be working together. My original form will stay hidden in Avalon to watch the show… Eh? Naoki, why has your face turned so dark?"
"I've been so worried about you, and you've already planned everything?" Naoki firmly gripped Merry's arms around his neck. "So you've had escape routes prepared from the start, and I've been worrying pointlessly?"
Merry awkwardly looked away. "Hmm… Well, you could say that. But it's also your fault for rejecting me outright from the beginning, without even listening to my explanation. And you know I always like to have backup plans. You could say you worried too much—but come to think of it, I'm the one who benefits. Your concern for me is so deep. Hmm, I can brag about this to Aoko and the others later."
"…"
After a brief silence, Naoki suddenly took a deep breath—
"Alright, Merry. Now, lie down on the bed. Right now."
"Eh? Eh eh eh? Why did it suddenly turn into an adult film? It's still daytime, it's noon! And why are your eyes glowing red, ugh—!"
Before she could finish, Merry's lips were silenced.
(Damn it, tomorrow's training might have to be canceled.)
That was the only thought in Merry's mind at that moment.