The scent of primrose accompanied the gentle breeze. Even though it was far from my first rodeo, the dizziness of rayshifting always left me with a churning stomach.

"Senpai, are you alright?" From the holographic display, the monochrome blue image of a familiar face furrowed her eyebrows. I suppose the discomfort really showed on my face. "We should really start establishing the habit of bringing medicine for motion sickness when you Rayshift."

"What we need is to stop having these singularities appear, Mashu." I tried my best at a reassuring smile. "To start with, can you even transport pills with the coffin?" While it's understandable that she worries about me, I firmly believe that I'm old enough to be an independent, functional adult.

"Hmm… if it's da Vinci then…" Mashu's frowned. It looked like she was seriously considering this idea. "Mmm… In any case, just be careful, alright? While it's not your first time rayshifting without me by your side, you're not going to have some servant rescue you or stow away every time, you know?" Returning to her usual tone, Mashu sighed and stared at the readings on her screen, attempting to make sense of them.

She's right. I'm alone now. No gentleman criminal masterminds or cute paladins to save me this time. But if I'm careful then I should-

"Hey! Master! You alright?" From the distance, a distinctly female but masculine voice called out to me. Turning around, I see a figure in silver approaching me. "When I heard you're going to England this time, I thought I had to follow! Father might be here too, yeah?"

Of course. It had to be her who followed.

"Mordred? Did you…" Once again furrowing her brows, she scowled and talked to someone outside the captured image. "Mr. Muniel, I thought the penalty from your bonus would've taught you something." A few off-screen murmurs later, Mashu sighed. "Eh? It's not you? But…da Vinci? Really? I'll go have a word with her." Clearing her throat, she turned to me. "It seems like I am required in da Vinci's workshop. Anyway, at least you have some protection now. Exploring your surroundings should now be easier with additional firepower. I'll leave you to it then, Senpai. I'll be right back, so don't worry about things on this end, okay?" With that, the transmission cut off, leaving only the sound of Mordred's footsteps and the ambient noises of the wind.

"Master, you alright? You look a bit ill, you wanna lay down or something?" Finally reaching my side, Mordred pouted as she stared at my face. "Can't go adventuring if you're unwell, you know. Better get some rest before we move on." She continued to stare intently, her emerald eyes threatening to bore a hole through me with that sharp gaze.

"I'm fine, I'm used to it anyway. It's more important that we figure out where we are. If we're nowhere near Camelot, it's going to be one hell of a hike." I suppose having Mordred on her home soil is a good thing, I never paid enough attention in Geography to work out which part of England we're in.

"Uh… I have to be frank with you, Master. Orienteering was never my forte. But if I had to guess, Camelot probably won't be far. I've seen these flowers around the castle when I was alive." Picking a primrose from the grass, Mordred played with it between her fingers as she admired the scenery.

"Hm, I'll trust you on that. Looks like there's a village or something nearby, feels like it's not a long walk. We can ask for directions and figure out our plan once we get there." Pointing to a distant spot of browns and reds among the vast green scenery, I turned to Mordred and waited for her approval.

"Yeah, that'll work. I'm sure things can't be that bad if a village is still standing, right? You stay at the back, Master. I'll be on the lookout for any wild beasts." Mordred hoisted her sword over her shoulder as she said this, puffing her chest out with her usual smile and started walking. As her Master, it is only natural for me to follow, making sure she protects me from any frontal assault.

Scenic walks were usually signs of shit hitting the fan when encountered in singularities. Septem, Orleans, Babylonia, Agartha, the list goes on. Compared to the familiar but bland corridors of Chaldea that never seemed to end though, walking in a field of grass dotted by red and white under the sunlight and the soft breeze was always a welcome change. But it was always the tension that got to me. A habitual cold sweat breaks out, the experience of past singularities leaving me on edge and bracing for any nasty surprises. Even at the slightest rustle of grass, my muscles tense up, ready to run. A good half hour of walking later, I finally manage to suppress my flight instincts, calming down and breathing evenly as I conversed with Mordred.

"…it was all da Vinci, ya know? She went and told me you were going to England this time, and not just the modern London type but the real, in the flesh Camelot, yeah? So when she came to me and said the singularity this time messed up Camelot proper and not just a transformed crusader state in Jerusalem, I figured I should come and help, for sure. Even though this place is full of bitter memories, it's still the place I've come to call home. And if anyone wants to mess that up I'm not going to have any of that." Snarling a bit at the end, she swung her sword in the air, trying to threaten the invisible enemy. She laughed, the crisp laughter traveling through the grassy plane. "Man, I really missed this place. Chaldea can get really stuffy sometimes and all this fresh air is just what I needed." She twirled, breathing in the air of the English countryside.

"I'm sure there could've been alternatives than just smuggling you here, but I'm glad you came." I smiled at the twirling knight, admiring the scenery as well as the sight of Mordred enjoying herself. "It's not often that I see you like this, Mordred. You're usually a very…aggressively wild person."

Hearing my remark, she stopped twirling and looked at me, smiling. "That's how bein' a knight is, Master. Ya gotta be mean and aggressive to protect the people who matter to ya, yeah? If you're soft and kind it ain't scarin' no one." She looked like she wanted to continue talking, but she stopped. The carefree smile on her face vanished, replaced by furrowed brows and the sharp gaze of a predator. Swinging her sword, she growled. "Stand back, something's coming." Like a superhero in a certain comic book, her helm snapped into place, encasing her head and ending in a satisfying clunk.

Rumbling. In the distance, a growing horde of "something" approached. Based on Mordred's expression, these were no ordinary beasts. Looks like shit did hit the fan after all. The sound grew closer. Tusks, I see tusks. Demon boars? In England? No. Something must be wrong. Is this what's wrong with Camelot? A boar invasion? Can't be right, can it? Is it the Irish? All these questions became afterthoughts as the horde of beasts dawned upon us, the stench of these cursed creatures permeating the air, leaving no trace of the flowers' aroma. I gulped, taking a few steps backward and craning my neck to find possible hiding spots. Babylonia tells me these things have a penchant of dashing and rampaging, and that is not what I need in an open space.

"Fiends." Her voice laced with disgust. Saber stared down the wild animals, slowly walking towards them. One of them leapt at her, jaws agape and fangs bare. She sidestepped its attempt and impaled it to the ground without breaking her stride. Pulling her sword back out, she began to pick up her pace, running straight into the swarm.

"Drop dead!" Hacking. Slashing. A straight jab that punched through a skull. No matter how many times I witness it, Saber's ferocity in fights makes me wonder who the more feral one is between her and her enemies. Brutal as she is, the sheer number of rampaging boars seem to overwhelm her. As much as she tries to shrug off the occasional impact from a boar's tusks, she was beginning to tire out. Perhaps it was my ineptitude as a Master, but her strikes seemed slower, her slashes lighter. Amidst a field stained red, she stood still, panting. But they persisted. The circle of boars once again closed in on her, eyes filled with bloodlust.

This is bad. She needs to get out, we need to escape. I didn't think I'd need to do this, but here we are. I raised my right hand, the red command spells glowing. With the power of this command spell, I command you, Saber-

Sensing my intent, Saber looked at me. She raised her arm, wagging her index finger. "Don't give me that, Master." Her helmet retracted. She breathed in deep, and exhaled. "Don't waste that kind of magic just because a few pigs are making me work up a bit of a sweat." She grinned, baring her sharp canine, "After all, if little piggies are being naughty…" The helmet snapped back on. "…I'll huff…"

The one in front of her charged, aiming for her neck. She met it head on, quite literally. Headbutting the beast, she plunged her sword into its abdomen as it stumbled. "…and I'll puff…" Backhanding the boar that attacked her from behind, She swung her sword in an arc, butchering the few that came at her from the side. Clarent crackled with red lightning, scorching the nearby grass, "…and I'll blow your heads in!" The smell of burnt flesh spread through the air as she cleaved through the crowd, the boars dropping dead one after the other. Until finally with a last swipe, the sole remaining boar fell, guts spilling onto the no longer fresh grass.

She turns around, sword once again hoisted over shoulder. Her bangs were plastered to her face from the sweat, her breathing heavy and uneven. She smiled as she approached me. "Told you I didn't need that red tattoo. After all, you accepted my pledge to protect you, and I can't turn back on that promise, right?" Laughing, she collapsed against a tree, dropping her sword to one side and sat down. "That was one hell of a warm up. Master, let's just rest up here, I'm exhausted."

I nodded, still shocked by the brutal display she just put on. "Yeah, you've earned a good rest." I smiled as well, sitting down next to her. "That was…impressive, even for you. I don't think I've seen you go up against so many before." There was no patronizing. I was quite genuinely impressed. Even as a Saber, fighting so many rabid demon boars and coming out on top is no simple feat.

She closed her eyes, a somewhat forced laugh escaping her throat. "I've been through worse. More people, more blood, all in this land…" Perhaps recalling an unpleasant memory, she furrowed her eyebrows. But the troubled expression soon disappeared and her breathing slowed. Then, the sound of gentle snoring entered my ears.

Leaving her to nap in peace, I stood up, trying to ignore carcasses littered across the grass. Squinting my eyes, I attempt to gauge the distance to the village and look out for trouble in the process. With Mordred's fatigued state, we're going to be in deep trouble if anything jumps us. Seemingly clear for the miles to come, I breathed a sigh of relief. Then I turned around.

In the distance, from the direction we came, I see two silhouettes growing larger and larger. One purple, one blue.

Shit.