The display reappeared, showing some information about the girl:
Name: Artoria Pendragon
Aliases: King Arthur, Knight King, ahoge King, and others
Introduction: From the Type-Moon world, the legendary hero of Britain, King Arthur. Filled with regret for Britain's downfall, she blamed herself for its demise.
"Would Britain have survived if I had chosen a different king in the past?" Holding this thought, Artoria made a contract with the world consciousness: while alive, she would obtain and use the Holy Grail to fulfill her wish. If successful, as a cost, she would become a heroic spirit after death.
However, during the Fourth Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City, her master Emiya Kiritsugu ordered her with a Command Spell to destroy the corrupted Grail. Afterward, she was sent back to the battlefield at Camlann.
A popup suddenly appeared:
Energy below 3%, will shut down in 30 seconds, please recharge.
Even death had a 30-second countdown—this really was like my broken phone!
So summoning a character consumes 90% of energy? No wonder she always needed over 90% to summon!
Zhang Da Ye didn't have time to think about this. Facing Artoria's question, he didn't know how to respond. Lying was out of the question, and he didn't know if she had a contract like Tom.
Considering her personality, he decided to be honest. Even if she wasn't facing her master, she probably wouldn't harass a normal person.
After a pause, he said, "It's true that I summoned you here, but there's no Holy Grail War, and I don't have a Command Spell. I guess I don't qualify as a master, right?"
Artoria noticed the display in front of Zhang Da Ye, though she couldn't read it from her angle. That must be the power that brought her to this world—the power of the contract she signed.
"I don't feel the restraint of a Command Spell. Is this contract relatively loose?"
She assessed her status. Descending in her true form, or rather being transferred from her original world, she felt no compulsion from her original contract. All actions could follow her own will.
"According to the agreement, for the next period, I will serve as your guardian, providing whatever help I can—as Artoria."
She smiled, her green eyes meeting Zhang Da Ye's.
Guardian? Zhang Da Ye couldn't read much from her expression. He wasn't a psychology expert, so he introduced himself: "I'm Zhang Da Ye. Just call me Da Ye."
Her nod confirmed she remembered. Zhang Da Ye immediately called out, "Tom, come here. We have a new… companion!"
Tom waved to Artoria. For him, it didn't matter who his master summoned, as long as it wasn't another cat—unless it was a pretty female cat.
Artoria tilted her head at Tom, puzzled: "A beast?"
Zhang Da Ye replied casually, "No, no. Tom, like you, was summoned from another world. Not a beast, just a regular house cat."
Tom hugged himself and nodded enthusiastically. Indeed, he was just a normal house cat.
Although he mastered multiple languages, sports, musical instruments, singing, and had experience as a cowboy, sailor, and guard, he truly believed he was an ordinary cat.
Artoria looked at Tom and then Zhang Da Ye, her ahoge twitching into a question mark. "Ordinary?"
"Uh… not exactly ordinary…"
The three sat around a tavern table. Artoria had removed her armor and sword, leaving only her blue dress, resembling a formal gown. Her aura now resembled a noble young lady.
The table held eight dishes and a soup, mostly prepared by Tom.
Zhang Da Ye had intended to cook himself. Following recipes step by step, though his knife skills were mediocre, and understanding of seasoning and heat control was limited, he could still produce edible home-style meals.
After the first dish, Tom tasted it, frowned, and pushed Zhang Da Ye aside. He pulled out a small apron, patted his chest confidently, and took over.
Tom read through the recipe at a glance, selecting ingredients precisely. He chopped vegetables and meats neatly, almost with caliper-like precision, even creating a knife flourish when finishing.
Next, he ignited the stove, added oil and ingredients, stir-fried, seasoned, and plated—all in one fluid motion.
After tasting, Zhang Da Ye realized the recipe's descriptions of texture and flavor weren't exaggerations. The only possibly false claim was "image for reference only"—Tom's dishes looked exactly like the pictures.
Zhang Da Ye patted Tom on the shoulder, leaving kitchen duties to him, while taking up serving.
Tom's only weak point was using chopsticks; previously, he ate directly from his bowl. Now, in their home, he sat like a human, giving Zhang Da Ye a chance to help serve. With his learning ability, mastery was imminent.
Artoria had no such problem. She handled chopsticks with skill, eating elegantly. Despite constant eating, her cheeks never puffed out. She enjoyed Tom's dishes and didn't disdain Zhang Da Ye's mediocre cooking.
She wiped her mouth before drinking soup and placed utensils silently, contrasting with Zhang Da Ye's blunt eating.
After the meal, Zhang Da Ye asked about the contract. "Tom had conditions before accepting the summoning, though generous ones. What about you, Artoria? Any requests I can help with?"