Nom, nom, nom…
Sakura nibbled on the Sweet Madame, her cute little face full of bliss. It was a flavor she had never experienced before.
The poultry meat, first marinated in honey and then roasted, was tender and soft, sweet as honey itself. The sweetness of the Sweet Flower's nectar soaked all the way into the meat, making one want to suck every bone clean.
"Delicious—so good~"
Koji watched Sakura eating with relish, smiling to himself. As expected, all ingredients on Teyvat's continent were natural and organic; of course the dishes made from them would be incredibly tasty, with a freshness this world simply didn't possess.
"Burp—"
Once she was full, Sakura couldn't help letting out a small burp. Then, remembering Koji was right there, her cheeks instantly flushed with embarrassment.
"Do you want to go out and play?" Koji asked.
"Will it trouble you, Koji-oniichan?" Sakura was clearly tempted. After all, she was just a child.
Especially after going through that kind of ordeal, going out to have some fun would help lift her spirits.
"It's no trouble. I came to this world with nothing to do anyway." Koji waved it off.
In Teyvat he was already invincible, so of course he had to come see what lay beyond the heavens.
Sakura nodded, then ran to the bathroom. Although she had bathed the night before, she still felt like her body carried the smell of worms, and she really didn't like that smell.
"I'm Saber… so what class will the drill-hair king take, I wonder?" Koji mused.
Since he had taken the Saber class, the other Servants' classes would naturally shift.
But no matter how they shifted, it didn't stop him from enjoying the show.
Once Sakura finished washing up, she followed Koji out.
During the Holy Grail War, there was no need to worry about being attacked during the day. No one would be that shameless. Battles were generally conducted at night to preserve the secrecy surrounding magecraft.
For example, last night's incident had been reported in the morning papers as a gas explosion at the Matou residence—an effort by the factions tied to magecraft to cover things up.
Koji, as this special kind of Servant, wasn't drawing on Sakura's inner power. Otherwise, even if he squeezed her dry, it wouldn't be nearly enough to sustain his combat strength.
Fuyuki City wasn't a very big place. This little island nation was cramped to begin with—how big could three small cities really be?
On the shopping street, the flow of people was considerable, so Sakura had to sit on Koji's shoulders to avoid being jostled. From there, she had an unobstructed view of everything around her.
"Sakura, what do you want to eat?" Koji asked.
He didn't have this world's currency by default, but he did have gold. In most worlds, gold was hard currency and could be used for trade. The previous night he had gone to the black market to exchange some.
"Takoyaki." Sakura looked left and right, then spotted a street stall selling takoyaki. The stall owner seemed to have just set up, so there weren't many customers yet.
Koji pushed through the crowd and arrived at the stall. He took a moment to inspect the hygiene—no obvious filth or clutter—so he felt comfortable buying food there.
After he ordered, the stall owner brushed a layer of oil over the hot plate, poured in a golden batter, then added fresh octopus pieces… Once the balls were done, he packed the takoyaki into boxes and drizzled them with his special sauce.
"Please enjoy." The stall owner bowed to Koji after finishing, showing off that much-vaunted craftsman spirit.
Koji paid, and each of them took a box.
The taste was decent. Not mind-blowingly delicious, but about what you'd expect from an average street snack.
Sakura, however, loved it. It was her first time eating something like this. Even though the Tohsaka family had fallen on hard times, they still hadn't lacked for good food, so she'd rarely eaten at street stalls.
"Is that good?"
A white-haired, red-eyed woman walked over and asked curiously. This was Irisviel. As a homunculus, she had almost never gone out before, so she definitely hadn't tried snacks like this.
Beside her stood a blonde woman in a black suit, heroic and dignified, just like a knight, protecting the one she wished to protect.
Koji recognized them at a glance—this was the Einzbern family's homunculus, and also the Lesser Grail of this Holy Grail War.
What an exaggerated set of pectoral muscles…
Because the Saber class was his, Artoria's manifested class this time around was Lancer.
This was a king who understood people's hearts. Koji felt that the buttons across her chest looked like they were under unbearable strain, ready to pop off at any moment.
"The taste is pretty good. If you would like some, miss, you can order a portion," Koji said.
"Five servings, please."
Irisviel knew her Servant's appetite. One serving wouldn't be enough, and ordering too many at once would just make them hard to carry.
King Arthur, Artoria—one could also call her the Lion King—was currently studying Koji with great interest.
A Servant's aura…
Her Clairvoyance activated.
…Hiss—
The instant she peered at him, she couldn't help sucking in a sharp breath. What kind of monster was this? Not only were his raw stats absurd, he was also a walking bundle of broken mechanics.
There were so many blessings stacked on him that she couldn't even count them. Just how much did the world favor this man?
You couldn't beat that. There was simply no way to beat that.
Even with her kingly pride, faced with this kind of monster, she knew that even if she fought with everything she had, there was no chance of victory.
Koji sensed Artoria's gaze and casually added a concealment blessing over himself. Now no one could see through him unless he chose to drop it.
[King Arthur, nice to meet you. I've long admired your name.]
Hearing the telepathic voice, Artoria's expression did not change. A Servant this absurdly over-tuned knowing such things was only to be expected.
[With how wildly overpowered you are, what are you doing mixing yourself into a small brawl like the Holy Grail War?]
Artoria truly couldn't understand. Koji could steamroll all the other Servants, and he could probably hang even the Counter Force up and beat it like a training dummy.
For a being like that, she didn't believe the Grail's so-called wish-granting function would hold any appeal.
[I don't really count as a Servant. I'm still alive. I just happened to end up in this world by accident. I'm not interested in that Grail—I just came to watch the chaos.]
Once Koji finished, Artoria immediately understood. So he was an "alien god" type visitor. No wonder his stat sheet was so ridiculous—it all made sense now.
[With Clairvoyance of your level, I imagine you already know the Holy Grail is completely tainted by All the World's Evil, right?]
Artoria nodded slightly. After she descended, she had immediately seen the Grail fouled by black mud.
[I don't have any particular wish. I'm only here to protect this innocent person.]
Artoria looked at Irisviel's back. A trace of tenderness flashed across her dark-gold eyes.
Someone with a childlike purity like that naturally stirred the protective instincts of a knight.
[A knight-protector, huh? That's really cool. I heard your queen was a woman. Back then, did the two of you ever, you know, do that kind of thing?]
Koji's teasing left Artoria a bit embarrassed. She understood exactly what he meant—he was clearly talking about same-sex romance. She and Guinevere had never done anything like that.
[It's not what you think. And I don't want to talk about that time.]
Artoria simply chose not to explain further. The more you explained, the easier it was for people to misunderstand.
(End of Chapter)
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