It was getting colder and colder. Although it was still temperate, compared to the warmer climes they had been in, the dip in temperature was noticeable overall. Every soldier had some extra clothing supplied to help ward off the cold, thankfully, as well as plenty of fire-making supplies, so no one was suffering too badly from lower temperatures. Overall, while it was still warm, every breeze brought with it a chill that made people shiver – a sign of how far they had marched.

Ritsu breathed out, almost making out the mist in the morning air. Despite the cooler temperatures, she still wore her Chaldean Master uniform. It was surprisingly adaptable to different temperatures – it was cool and breathed well, allowing her to stay cool back at the Italian peninsula without issue. Now it felt comfortably warm. Granted, if it got colder, she’d need something for her ears and hands, but for now she was doing just fine.

She made a mental note to ask Da Vinci about it when they got back what the heck these were made of. And more importantly – could she get an entire wardrobe of it? Because frankly, having clothes she could wear no matter the situation or circumstances would be way too damn handy. Cosplay would be extraordinarily convenient too; the red jumpsuit in particular had been hard to wear due to how hot and sticky it was underneath after even a bit of moving.

Actually, now that he thought about it, she never actually saw Ren in his Phantom Thief costume. She had to ask – how did he move around in that? It looked cool and all, but they couldn’t be that conducive to moving well. Could they? She had to ask about that. Morgana, she could at least understand somewhat, but everyone else? That was more difficult.

Then again, she had a sinking feeling the answer was basically ‘Metaverse’ or ‘cognitions’. Well, she still wanted cosplays and other outfits made with the same things as her Chaldean Master uniform anyway – that hadn’t changed. She’d have to make a list of what she wanted though, just in case.

“You’re smiling, senpai.”

Ritus blinked in surprise as she glanced over at Mash, who was peering in curiosity beside her. The redhead grinned at the inquiry. “Nah, just thinking about my clothes,” she replied earnestly. “I gotta check in with Da Vinci and see if I can get more outfits like this.” Then she glanced over and noticed how little Mash was wearing, as well as her armor. “What about you, Mash? Aren’t you cold?” she asked.

Mash shook her head. “It seems being a demi-Servant comes with improved durability, senpai,” she replied. “This means I’m not as sensitive to temperatures as a normal person would. As for my armor, it is very comfortable overall. It never gets in the way, nor does it feel intrusive. Most likely other Servants feel the same way about their own armor.”

The Master blinked. “Huh, not as sensitive to temperatures,” she mused. “So… does that mean if I hug you, you’re not gonna feel the warmth of it? Jeez, that kinda sucks.”

“Oh, no!” the shielder quickly amended, frantically shaking her head. “I, um, I c-can feel your w-warmth quite fine, senpai, so, um, you don’t need to worry about that.”

Ritsu gave a mischievous smile. “You sure about that~?” she asked. “You said that you aren’t as sensitive to temperature, and it can get rather chilly or warm where we’ve been going. Ah, but it can’t be helped, it can’t be helped~”

“Senpai!” Mash cried, her face now turning redder and redder. She held out her arms as she continued to blush. “I-I will prove it to you right here!”

The redhead Master blinked in response, then her grin became even wider. “Oh my, you’ve certainly gotten bold nowadays, Mashumallow,” Ritsu teased. “But I certainly wouldn’t mind proving that to you! Bring it here!”

Before they could continue, however, Tamamo appeared beside them. “Aside from the fact that you two are attracting a great amount of attention,” she commented. “We will be coming up on the Roman encampment fairly shortly. As far as I can see, there shouldn’t be any issue with the path ahead, but it might be better to have some decorum.”

Ritsu merely clicked her tongue before withdrawing her arms. Mash did the same, quickly retreating while turning away, still blushing. Since that night, Tamamo had been cordial with Ritsu still. However, she had been visiting Ritsu more often, offering massages or even tea at one point as they conversed over more mundane topics. The more they conversed, the more Ritsu was amazed with Tamamo’s tales and abilities. Mash often joined in these talks, and she was just as impressed as Ritsu was.

It was a good way to pass the time during the evenings, at least. It certainly made things far less dull overall.

That being said, Tamamo did keep prodding for what was going on with her. Sometimes subtly, sometimes outright, sometimes a combination thereof. A few times, Mash would get roped in as well, something that annoyed Ritsu. But each and every time, the Master redirected the conversation or simply assured them that she was fine, she just hadn’t been sleeping all too well (which she hadn’t). A bit of fawning over Mash usually was enough to end things the inquiry.

They all had enough to worry about. Like hell she was gonna heap insignificant crap on two incredibly awesome people, especially when there’s a war going on.

Thus, they kept marching, once more almost lulling Ritsu into a state of sleepiness thanks to the monotonous marching of boots on the rock ground (the soldiers exchanged their sandals for warmer, more protective footwear) and the wheels churning on the ground. There was one more hill they needed to climb before they reached the camp proper, much to Ritsu’s despair. But onward they climbed. They climbed until they crested the hill. The entire contingent beheld what they saw.

Standing on a hill was a fortress. Even from where they were, they could see United Roman Empire forces marching to and fro the walls, keeping a lookout. The keep and the walls themselves looked like they had seen better days, but they still were solid and formidable. Nothing short of a concentrated effort would be able to break through them. It would be difficult to attack, but it was hardly impossible for a prepared foe.

In contrast, the Roman camp itself was in horrible condition. The camp itself looked far bigger and more heavily fortified than any camp they had set up, even more than what they had set up in the pass to defend against the United Roman Empire’s forces. However, the palisade walls were breaking apart and burnt. The tents within, from what they saw, were tattered and broken, with many on the outer edges looking more like ashes than actual tents. The ones in better condition were more clustered in the center, but it was clear it had seen better days.

“What the hell happened here?” Ritsu murmured.

Mash opened her mouth to speak, then saw something. “Senpai, over there!” she cried.

Ritsu looked, as well as the nearby soldiers and officers who heard Mash – and her eyes widened. A large contingent of United Roman Empire soldiers, judging from their purple banners and shields, were marching towards the fortress, entering from the side. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, are they getting reinforcements?” she pointed out as muttering broke out among the troops. “Just like that? I thought making sure they can’t do that is, like, rule number one!”

The shielder nodded. “That should be the case, senpai,” she murmured in agreement. “If they can receive reinforcements and supplies so easily, it could mean a lot of things. Most likely the Romans posted here aren’t in a situation to prevent them.”

The Master looked around, frowning. “There does seem to be too few people for a decent siege,” she muttered, trying to figure things out as she crossed her arms. “But there’s something else going on here.”

Mash blinked in surprise. “How do you know, senpai?” she asked.

Ritsu forced a smile and shrugged. “Call it a gut feeling,” she replied simply. The Master was often a creature of instinct – why would she rely otherwise when it was rarely wrong? Her head often followed up after, usually finding reasons to go with said gut feeling. Not the greatest plan, but it worked more often than not anyway.

The sound of marching interrupted their conversation as the Roman forces began moving towards the camp. “Come on,” Ritsu said. “We better find out what’s going on here.”

“Of course, senpai,” Mash responded. Caster took her place by Ritsu’s other side as they caught up with the group. Meanwhile, inwardly, Ritsu could only wince. Her gut feeling was rarely wrong – and she had a feeling that things weren’t going to be easy on them whatsoever.

----------

“Reinforcements my ass!”

The contingent found themselves parked outside of the gate of the camp. Above them was a soldier who was glaring hatefully down at all of them. Judging from his face, he looked relatively young – couldn’t be much older than Ritsu. Glancing around, the Master noticed that there weren’t that many sentries around, and the ones that were there were eyeing them suspiciously.

“We know you’re all saboteurs and spies!” the gatekeeper spat. “Get the hell away or we’re opening fire!”

“Our forces have come under the direct orders of the Imperator!” the centurion of the contingent barked sternly. “Mind your tongue or I’ll have you court-martialed! We have supplies as well, now let us in!”

“I’m giving you to the count of three!” the sentry snarled, raising a bow and drawing an arrow. “One! Two!-“

“Whoa, whoa, easy there!” Ritsu yelled as she stepped forward and waved her arms, to the shock of everyone present, especially Caster and Mash. “Let’s all calm down! We really just came from the Emperor herself! Can you tell us what’s going on here? What’s all the fuss about?”

“Master, what are you doing?!” Tamamo hissed as she surreptitiously readied her talismans. Mash was nearby as well, ready to pull Ritsu as well just in case. She wanted to summon her shield but with things as tense as they were, it was better not to spook the soldiers any further. The officer glared at the girl but with how things were, even he knew better than to raise his voice. The last thing needed was infighting.

The sentry’s eyes narrowed. “And now we have foreigners?!” he snarled, catching sight of the two Servants as well. “This has to be the most blatant attempt ever! So back off now before I fill you with-“

“Stand down, soldier!”

The soldier flinched as he whirled about to see someone stomping up towards him – a woman with fiery red hair, tied up in a bun. “Have you gotten so paranoid that you’ve taken leave of your senses?!” she barked, holding up a scroll. “We’ve already received information that we’ve reinforcements forces coming, complete with foreign auxiliaries! Did you verify the numbers and details first before yelling your head off?!”

“But they could’ve been saboteurs or spy who-who intercepted that message,” he stammered. “It would’ve been risky to-“

“The scroll was sealed when we received it,” the woman growled. “Meaning nobody but us read it. Now let them in before- oh no…” She turned around to look anxiously within the camp as a loud commotion could be heard from the other side of the gate, leaving the entire contingent looking at each other in confusion and concern.

The gate opened, and in front of them stood an inhuman beast of a man. Extraordinarily tall with powerful, rippling muscles, his skin was an ashen grey and he had matted, dirty blonde hair. His clothing – if one could even call it that – consisted of metallic underwear with faulds protecting his thighs, and metal ‘straps’ around his torso. On his face was a metallic mask that highlighted his eyes spectacularly.

And said eyes were staring down at them, with a gleam of… it was hard to tell what. Happiness, glee, anger, impatience. However, there was one word that could perhaps sum it up: Madness. Further emphasizing that was the man’s grin. Normally a friendly expression, it was just a bit too wide for any of them to be comfortable with.

Under normal circumstances, Ritsu would laugh at the guy’s getup and appearance. As it is, half of her nerves wanted her to run away like a madwoman. The other half was shrieking at her not to move and not to grab the man’s attention. As it was, she was rooted to the spot. Mash, however, moved in front of her, quickly summoning her shield as Caster readied herself beside Ritsu, a mirror floating around her.

The large man peered down at all of them, and his disturbing large grin grew even wider. “Speak, you soldiers and foreigners!” he boomed. “Are you oppressors?”

The question caught everyone off guard. “Um…” Mash anxiously answered, flinching slightly as the man immediately spun around to face her. “W-we aren’t oppressors. We’re here as reinforcements for the Roman army here.”

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Again, the man’s grin widened somehow further as his eyes lit up. Somehow, instead of feeling reassured, Ritsu could only feel chills down her spine. “Ah, so you are here to aid in our fight against oppression!” he roared. “Allies against oppression, you are welcome to this camp! So long as you do not oppress, you shall be counted as friends and allies! Now enter and be welcomed properly!”

Everyone could only glance at each other. Finally, one of the officers looked back at the troops. “You heard the man!” he called out. “Get these supplies inside and distributed!”

The men blinked in surprise, then immediately got to work, bringing the carts in as they marched through the gates. Absolutely none of the Romans looked at the man as he watched them all file in, that unnerving grin never leaving his face.

However, Ritsu was peering over at the man. The shock had left her system now, leaving her simply frowning as she tried to take it in. “Servant?” she asked out of the side of her mouth.

Caster nodded. “Servant,” she confirmed. “A Berserker, most likely. Ugh, why do we keep running into Berserkers? They’ll ruin my tail with their brutish strength!” Ritsu had to smirk a bit as the Caster pouted beside her. The occasional comment like that helped put the Master at ease a bit, and she knew Caster knew too.

“Already scoping us out? Guess you guys are experienced enough with us, at least.”

All three turned in surprise at the voice. Turning, they saw the redheaded woman from before walking towards them, smiling warmly. She wore a white outfit with a brown skirt and high boots. The outfit had an opening in the chest area, greatly revealing her rather generous assets (that Ritsu was doing all she could to not look at), but all in all the outfit seemed to provide great ease of movement. And yet, despite everything, she didn’t seem out of place in a military encampment.

“You guys are our reinforcements, I take it?” the woman asked. “I’m Boudica, a Rider Servant. The big guy over there is Spartacus.” She nodded over to the large, grey-skinned man who had stalked off back to the camp, with literally everyone keeping a wide berth from him. Ritsu’s eyes widened at their names. Wait, but that can’t be-

“Word of warning about him,” she added. Her tone was light but there was an edge to it that immediately caught their attention. “Do NOT give him any orders or anything that can be misconstrued as orders. Phrase it as suggestions or requests if you can. I barely managed to prevent him from killing some of our officers when they tried to order him around.”

“Yeah, uh, about that,” Ritsu spoke up. “You-you said your name was Boudica, right?” Boudica nodded in response. The Master then pointed over at the Berserker. “And that’s Spartacus, right?” The Rider nodded once more.

Ritsu, Mash, and Caster looked between the two Servants, utter bewilderment on their faces as the information percolated into their heads. “How?” was the only word Ritsu had. Beside her, Mash nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

Boudica’s friendly smile immediately became more strained. “I can see our reputations have preceded us,” she noted. “Perhaps it’s better if you guys are briefed on the situation. Speaking of which though, I don’t think I got your names and classes…?”

The Master blinked, then chuckled. “Right, that’d help,” she admitted ruefully. “I’m Ritsuka Fujimaru, one of the Masters of Chaldea. This is Mash Kyrielight, Shielder class.” Mash bowed respectfully at the introduction to Boudica, who nodded back with a smile in turn. “And this is our Caster, Tamamo no Mae.” Tamamo also bowed in turn. “Both of them are extremely awesome. We’re here to support you how we can.”

The Rider grinned. “Glad to hear!” she chirped. “But come, I should let you know what’s going on here. The situation is… not the best, to put it mildly.”

Ritsu nodded, her mood turning grim as she thought of the condition of the camp. “Had a feeling,” she muttered. “Lead the way.”

With that, they followed Boudica toward the command tent. As they walked, the Chaldeans took note of the soldiers. Many of them were quiet, going about their duties as usual. However, there was an air of despondency that they hadn’t seen among Nero’s forces. Their movements looked either forced or slothful. It was clear that nobody’s hearts were in the fight. That was worrying.

The command tent was a fairly nondescript thing overall. It looked to be in better condition than most of the tents – in the sense that it was merely covered with soot and it didn’t have any holes in it compared to many of the neighboring ones. However, there was one key difference: There were a lot more soldiers guarding and patrolling around it compared to what any of them had seen back with Nero’s forces.

As they stepped in, the table was curiously empty. The only thing it had was a map but even then, there weren’t any pieces set up, nor were there the usual reports Ritsu or Mash had usually seen accompanying the setup. “Sorry for the sparse accommodations,” Boudica said, noting their reactions. “It’s just that things have been… troublesome as of late.” She glanced at the side of the tent for emphasis, and Ritsu immediately understood.

The Master glanced over at Tamamo. “Caster, mind doing the honors?”

“Of course, Master,” the miko replied. One more taking out some talismans, they shot out of her hand and surrounded the tent before vanishing. “Right,” she explained. “All they’ll see now is us discussing – and nothing else. They will hear nothing, if they try to read our lips it’ll be naught but gibberish, and of course, the tables are barren.”

The Rider blinked with surprise, then sighed with relief. “Thank you,” she said gratefully. “You have no idea how much of a boon that is for a meeting like this.”

“We had a feeling,” Ritsu replied with a shrug, crossing her arms with a small frown. “So, what’s the sitch? If I didn’t know better, I’d say you guys are about a poke away from being routed. Or am I mistaken?”

Boudica shook her head, laughing bitterly. “Not wrong at all, Fujimaru-“ she began.

“Just call me Ritsu,” the Master interjected.

“Ritsu, then,” Boudica amended herself. “But yes, you aren’t wrong. I will be blunt - we are on the cusp of being routed. Morale is low, supplies are dwindling, and our manpower is draining by the day. We’re in a precarious situation.”

Mash frowned. “What would be the cause of this?” she asked. “As I recall, you and Spartacus are very capable commanders in your own right. Is our opponent that formidable?”

The Rider sighed deeply, rubbing her temples. “You could say that,” she answered. “In fact, you could say that he’s perhaps the worst possible matchup for us on the field, albeit not directly. I presume you guys know who we’re fighting?”

“Julius Caesar, right?” Ritsu asked.

“Yep,” Boudica confirmed. “Everyone knows of his military prowess, but he’s equally as proficient in another field: Oration. Frankly, we all underestimated him.”

“Oration?” Tamamo asked, confused. “So, he’s better at speaking and giving speeches? I can see how that might be useful but hardly why it’s so crippling.”

“No,” Ritsu murmured, quickly putting together the pieces in her head as everyone looked at her. “It’s precisely because the situation is as it is that it’s so devastating. Caesar is one of the most infamous Roman emperors and for damn good reason. Every single Roman here would’ve heard of him, if not at the start, then from word of mouth from more knowledgeable peers. He wasn’t exactly known for being cruel or stingy either. Everyone here would’ve known that.”

The Master glanced up at Boudica. “And how are you and Spartacus viewed here?” she asked seriously.

Boudica smiled bitterly once more. “About as well as the infamous Iceni queen and the legendary rebel gladiator would be viewed by the Roman populace,” she replied with little humor in her voice. “Especially with Spartacus being… well, Spartacus.” She didn’t need to explain – just the first impression was enough to explain everything.

Right. Considering Boudica and Spartacus’s reputations – as well as the latter’s instability – their ability to command and strategize would honestly be irrelevant. The Roman soldiers, so far away from their homes and the emperor, would be further discontented. With how the United Roman Empire was, it was almost child’s play to lure all but the most diehard soldiers away. Add in Caesar’s oratory skills to the mix…

Ritsu could only gulp as she looked back up at Boudica in horror. “How… how many?” she asked, her voice hollow. Tamamo and Mash blinked in surprise and confusion, looking between Boudica and Ritsu to get better context.

Boudica didn’t answer for a moment. Then, in a low voice, she spoke. “We first arrived here with five thousand men,” she murmured. “We had many skirmishes at the beginning, resulting in about seven hundred men as casualties. However, we were gaining ground. Then Caesar showed up. He withdrew all his men into the fortress and fortified it, then regularly began giving speeches.”

Her hands tightened into fists. “It was slow at first,” she continued. “A few defections here and there, but nothing we couldn’t handle. Then our flank was slammed by inhuman Roman soldiers. They never tired, they didn’t break, they didn’t fear. They simply marched forward without care even as all their compatriots were cut down around them.”

“Then Caesar spoke again,” she growled. “Calling into doubt our loyalty to the cause and to the emperor. Fighting for the wrong side and promising safety and reward. More people kept defecting. We tried catching defectors and enacting the Roman punishments for such acts, but that only made soldiers leave faster. Eventually, even those we sent to find defectors ended up joining them. We tried assaulting the fortress again, but they always repulse us with nothing to show for it. Whatever we do to their numbers, they simply get more of those… things to reinforce them.”

She stared at the map miserably. “We became the besieged in the end,” she whispered. “More defections. Morale plummeted as supplies became tenuous at best. Of the five thousand that had been dispatched here…”

The Rider took a shaky breath. “Fifteen hundred remain,” she finished.

“Fift-” Ritsu trailed off, at a loss for words as her jaw just dropped. A quick bit of mental math informed her that was a loss of seventy percent of the troops here. While she didn’t have much knowledge of military matters, the fact they were still hanging on despite everything was a miracle. All she could do was just stare slack-jawed at Boudica who simply met her shock with a grim expression.

“Would it not have been more prudent to retreat?” Tamamo asked, piping up beside Ritsu with a frown. “You already have lost a considerable number of soldiers. I believe it is the prerogative of a commander to withdraw from a disadvantageous battlefield.”

“You think I don’t know that?!” Boudica snapped, glaring at the Caster. Stopping herself, she took a deep breath as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “Unfortunately, if we retreat now, the United Roman Empire forces can simply sally forth and crush us,” she answered in a more even tone. “It would be child’s play to send our forces into a rout as soon as we try to retreat where they could pick us off at their leisure.”

“Furthermore,” she added, pointing at the map. “If they continue to hold the fortress, then they can easily march out to surround the emperor’s forces and crush them in a vice. In short, retreat simply isn’t an option. Not unless we want to lose the entire campaign.”

Ritsu could only stare at the map at a complete loss for words. Honestly, she wasn’t sure what she expected when she first got here, but she hadn’t expected it to be this bad whatsoever. While she had reassured herself that with the power of Mash and Tamamo they’d win no matter what, this seemed borderline impossible.

Then she took a deep breath. Fending literally thousands of those Roman soldier terminators in the Alps pass should’ve been impossible too yet they did it, in no small part thanks to Ren pulling out all the stops to make sure Leonidas didn’t crash their party from behind. Ren or Morgana would’ve been able to pull out some miracle like a rabbit out of a hat. But here, it was her.

Just her.

Finally, Boudica sighed and gave a very tired smile. “Sorry for dropping all of that on you,” she murmured. “You all have had a long march and you’re probably weary. Not the best time for making war plans and discussions. Dinner should be ready soon so why don’t you rest for now? We’ll probably have a more productive discussion tomorrow.”

The Master opened her mouth to object when Tamamo elbowed her side. “We thank you for your offer and gratefully accept,” Tamamo replied, bowing in gratitude, which Mash hurried to imitate. “In that case, we shall see you in the morning. Have a good evening, Boudica.” With that, she turned to walk out of the tent. A nonplussed Ritsu could only watch her leave, glance back at Boudica, then followed her out of the tent as well.

“C-Caster!” Ritsu gasped once they were far enough. “Why did you say that? We need to come up with a plan-“

“Unless the enemy is literally at our doors and immediate intervention is required, it is not that urgent,” Tamamo interrupted curtly as she spun around to level a stern glare at Ritsu, her tail swishing in annoyance. “While I understand you are eager to get results, Master, impatience has been the bane of many men, great and small. And right now, charging headlong like a bull, while it is your specialty, will only do more harm than good. So, I must ask you to rest .”

Ritsu blinked in surprise, then glared. “Oh, come on, I’m not that tired,” she snapped. “I get your concern, Tamamo, but you can see how bad the situation is already. The sooner we get stuff done, the more we limit the damage and can rendezvous with the others sooner. At the very least, we can take a look at our surroundings and brainstorm.”

The Caster and Master glared at each other, neither one backing down. Finally, Tamamo sighed. “Mash?” she asked, looking over at the surprised shielder. “What is your take in this?”

“Whoa, hey, don’t drag Mash into this,” Ritsu snapped, throwing out an arm to shield her.

Tamamo’s glare intensified. “She is meant to be your protector, is she not?” she retorted curtly. “Then she has every right to voice her opinion on the matter. As much as you like to do so, she is not meant to be coddled in such a manner.”

Ritsu floundered as she tried to find a decent retort and kept coming up short. Meanwhile, the Caster turned a softer glance over at Mash once more. “So, Mash Kyrielight,” she continued. “You’re aware of the situation. What do you believe is the best course of action?”

Mash blinked in surprise at being addressed and could feel a slight bit of panic as Ritsu now also turned to her for her opinion, her eyes all but begging for her support. She gulped as she considered. While she looked up dearly to her senpais, Tamamo was right – she had to voice her opinion here, especially if it concerned the safety of her senpais. No, her Masters.

She thought hard as she weighed out the circumstances, pros, and cons in her mind. There were arguments on either side so deliberating was hard. Then she could only think of one more question: What would Ren or Morgana do? How would they react? What would they say?

Then she had her answer.

She looked up and met Ritsu’s gaze. “I believe Caster is correct,” Mash replied, trying to force a bit of Ren’s confidence into her voice. “Rest is imperative for warriors, and I believe I spoke to Ren-senpai about the benefits of it before. Forcing yourself like this will most likely lead to more mistakes which would be disastrous in our current situation. So please, senpai, I also must ask you to rest.”

Ritsu stammered as she looked between Tamamo and Mash several times before finally sagging. Being stonewalled by two people she thought were utterly awesome, she could only feel all her energy leave her as she smiled wearily. “Alright, fine,” she conceded. “You guys win. I’ll try to get some rest. My legs are killing me from the march anyway.”

Tamamo nodded as her tail swished behind her gently, satisfied. “Good!” she declared. “Now come, if your legs are sore, I shall do my utmost to massage them and make sure you are physically fit for tomorrow.”

The Master’s eyes widened. “A leg massage?” she whispered. “From the best fox miko ever?! Why didn’t you just say that in the first place?!” With that, she scurried off, leaving a very nonplussed Tamamo and Mash behind.

“I do not wish to believe our Master is that easy,” the Caster grumbled before following her in a more sedate pace. “Mash, would you kindly grab some food from the supplies we brought and bring it to our Master’s tent? It would be appreciated.”

The shielder blinked, then nodded. “Yes, of course!” she quickly replied. Tamamo gave her a grateful smile before following the Master, the both of them soon disappearing from view. Mash, meanwhile, quickly hurried to grab the food. She wondered if Ren would be happy for her, then she nodded to herself. Yes, he absolutely would.

A small distance away, Boudica smiled. Watching the three and their concern for their Master honestly reassured her far more than anything they could’ve done. They were steadfast and kind yet were willing to take initiative and jump immediately into the fray. That was good to know. Spartacus most likely had a similar opinion. It helped that he didn’t label them oppressors either.

Yet another good reason to keep fighting this farce of a war, in her opinion.