"Sakura, did you see our English teacher's expression today? It was so funny."
On the way back to the Einzbern Castle, even though the Holy Grail War had begun, Sakura and Rin's school routine continued.
Logically, during a Holy Grail War, where enemy attacks could happen anytime, anywhere, attending school should be avoided. Even routine outings like grocery shopping should be done cautiously, as you never know when an enemy might appear. Battles between magi are often cruel and know no bottom line.
However, all such caution is based on the foundation of strength. If you possess absolute power, you can disregard everything.
And in this Holy Grail War, there was one being with absolute strength, who had surpassed the Planetary Singularity level and was advancing on the path of a Star God.
That was none other than Hope.
"Rin-sama, Sakura-sama, how were your classes today?"
Listening to the girls' cheerful voices, Hope, who was driving, inquired expressionlessly.
"Hope-nee, in class today, the English teacher asked Sakura a question. It was a word usually learned after graduating university, but Sakura answered it easily."
"Really, that old woman, almost 40 years old, still dressing so garishly every day, clearly hoping for some encounter with those young boys."
"I think she... was just jealous of Sakura's beauty, and then got her face slapped by Sakura... Hahahaha, her expression was just too funny."
Hearing her sister Rin's words, Sakura said somewhat embarrassedly, "It wasn't like that, Nee-san..."
"I see. Jealousy from an older woman towards a younger one?"
Nodding, indicating she understood this kind of issue well, Hope had witnessed too many similar situations back when she accompanied Ryuya in the Roman Empire.
One must know, in the Roman Empire back then, from nobles to country women, countless women were attracted to Ryuya. But no matter how outstanding they were, they meant nothing before Hope, let alone in the presence of Crimson Moon.
Continuing to drive towards the Einzbern Castle, just before arriving, Hope suddenly slammed on the brakes.
"Hope-nee, what's wrong?"
Not knowing why Hope stopped suddenly, Rin and Sakura in the back seat asked simultaneously.
Without answering them, after stopping the car, Hope sat completely still in the driver's seat, as if pondering or struggling with something.
Having never seen Hope like this before, as in Rin and Sakura's eyes, although they hadn't known Hope for long, this maid's power and divine glory filled their hearts, they thought an enemy had been encountered when they saw Hope trembling.
"…"
Still ignoring Sakura and Rin, the Machine God Maid's coldly elegant eyes now held a flicker of desire. She desperately suppressed the emotions in her heart, but her peerlessly beautiful face still betrayed a trace of infatuated expression.
Opening the car door, Hope walked step by step directly towards a certain direction until the figure in the shadows appeared.
"Master... is my performance to your satisfaction?"
Looking at the man before her, Hope asked softly, "Might I ask... what else do you need me to do next?"
"You can issue any command to me, make me do anything... because... you are my Master."
Listening to Hope speak to the person whose features were unclear in the darkness with such humility, Rin and Sakura were shocked.
They couldn't imagine Hope being so humble before anyone else. In their memory, even when facing Crimson Moon, Hope was only superficially polite, and it seemed she didn't truly regard Crimson Moon as her mistress.
Now, as Hope knelt down, presenting herself as completely at the disposal of that figure, the same possibility occurred to both Sakura and Rin.
"Sakura, could that person be..."
"I think so... but if it really is, Nee-san, we..."
"Hey." Interrupting Rin and Sakura's conversation, Mordred emerged from another part of the darkness.
Looking at Sakura and Rin with a very complex expression, her face showed struggle. After a long pause, she finally asked with effort, "You two... are my younger sisters?"
Rin / Sakura: "???"
Looking uncomprehendingly at Mordred, Rin and Sakura initially thought this woman might be an enemy, but Mordred's words truly baffled them.
On the other side, looking at Hope before him, Ryuya affectionately helped her up.
"Long time no see, Hope."
Gently wiping the tears from Hope's face, Ryuya smiled, "I never thought a goddess like you would also shed tears."
His previous understanding of Hope was as a Planetary Singularity, the limit Ryuya reached during the Fourth Holy Grail War in the Eternal Night Empire.
But after experiencing the Date A Live World and attaining the power of a Star God, Ryuya instantly understood upon seeing Hope again: this maid was no longer a Planetary Singularity, she had broken through the shackles of a Machine God to become a Star God.
Sighing inwardly that Hope had become a true Star God, Ryuya never expected that Hope, this maid who had always silently devoted herself by his side, would become the second Star God-level existence after himself.
Smiling as she looked at Ryuya, Hope's golden eyes were full of tenderness and love.
"As a Goddess, I am an existence inheriting the Lunar Civilization."
"Justice, Prosperity, Order, Destruction, Pride, Peace, Star Dome... these were the glories of the former Lunar Civilization, representing the ultimate rules of machinery."
"After you left, Master, having devoured Justice and Prosperity, I began comprehending the power of other rules. Slowly... I began to evolve."
"Now, I have become a Star God. I have been striving to follow in your footsteps, Master, because I want to help you, to never let you... leave me again."
Possessing everything of the Machine Gods, transforming it into her own path, Hope, who stepped into Star Godhood, walked a completely different path of rules from Ryuya.
That was… Loyalty.
As a Star God, Hope had no emotions. She didn't care about life, didn't care about all things. Like Mio, the only thing in her eyes was Ryuya.
Renouncing her original name 'Justice', abandoning her responsibility as a Star God, thus imprisoned by love, she devoted her all to her Master… Ryuya was everything in her life.
Hearing Ryuya's command, Hope instantly stabilized her emotions, eliminating any possibility that could affect her correct judgment.
Obediently standing up, she then took a silk handkerchief from her pocket and wiped away non-existent dust from her Master's face.
Only after completing this did Hope look towards the direction of Rin and Sakura.
"Master, shall we go greet your daughters?"