"In other words, Miss Illya, while you were moving from your own reality to the adjacent [Mirror World], you encountered an unexplained anomaly that caused you to be dragged into it and drift to this island... Is that correct?"
"Mhm. We just got here too, so we donât know anything about this place."
"Our situation is similar, coming from Chaldea. However... the only thing we can confirm right now is that the Rayshift didnât function properly, and at the same time, all communications with the Command Room have been completely cut off."
"So, weâre currently in a situation where we have no idea where this place even is."
"Ahaha, yeah, thatâs about right..."
The representatives of Chaldea and the magical girls spoke in hushed tones, engaging in a broad and in-depth discussion, exchanging opinions, and reaching an important consensus.
As for why Mash, and not Ritsuka, was representing Chaldea...
"Senpai? Senpai! Stop messing aroundâwe have a lot to deal with right now!"
Mash had to raise her voice before Ritsuka, who had been busy chasing after Draco, finally stopped and tilted her head in thought.
"Hmm... The biggest issue right now isnât where we are, but whatâs here, donât you think?"
"Judging by the tropical plants, this definitely isnât Britain."
Artoria Pendragon, wrapped in her usual cloak, stepped forward. After giving Illya a meaningful glance, she delivered her conclusion.
As if her words had broken the ice, one Servant after another began speaking up, exchanging opinions in a lively chatter.
"Unfortunately, I donât recall ever coming to a place like this." Tamamo-no-Mae, a fox-eared shrine maiden, flicked her ears and sighed.
Beside her, Kiyohime, dressed in a similar outfit but in blue-green tones, giggled behind her fan. "Honestly, Iâm not sure. But at the very least, this doesnât seem to be Japan."
With the two Japanese mythological Servants having spoken, everyone turned their attention to the fifth female Servantâa golden-haired knight clad in red-and-white armor, her face nearly identical to King Arthurâs.
"Donât ask me, Iâve got no clue." The knight, Mordred, waved a hand dismissively. "More importantly..."
Her gaze flickered toward Artoriaâthe legendary King Arthur, her "father."
"Iâve already given my opinion. Sorry I canât be of more help." Artoria, as oblivious as ever, replied earnestly before turning to the three handsome male Servants behind her.
"Sasaki, Diarmuid, CĂș Chulainn... Do any of you have thoughts?"
"Thereâs no need to mind us. In a situation like this, we shouldnât recklessly stand out. Itâs better to remain calm and let our brilliance shine quietly."
Sasaki Kojirou, dressed in a loose kimono like a carefree old man, shook his head, voicing their shared stance.
"Besides, there are far too many charming ladies present..." Diarmuid sighed. "And as a Lancer, I canât exactly suppress my [Love Spot]."
"More importantly, with my mentor nowhere in sight, I can finally enjoy summer to the fullestâwoohoo!" CĂș Chulainn didnât even bother responding to Artoria, too busy reveling in his newfound freedom from ScĂĄthachâs tyranny.
While the Chaldea group chattered away, the magical girlsâcompared to their panic over being stranded in an unfamiliar placeâwere more stunned by their "teammates."
"Hey, Illya... do you feel it too? Every single one of these people... theyâre all Servants," Miyu whispered nervously.
Artoria, Tamamo-no-Mae, Kiyohime, Mordred, Sasaki Kojirou, CĂș Chulainn, Diarmuid...
Not counting the oddly-spirited Mash, there were seven full-fledged Servants presentâthatâs enough to start an entire Holy Grail War!
In the magical girl world, Servants summoned via Class Cards were always enemiesâtargets to be defeated. Illya still had those very Class Cards in her pocket, reminders of past battles.
And even one weakened Servant had been a challenge for them... if all seven went hostile at once...
"No, these might be actual Heroic Spiritsâtrue Servants. Theyâre rational, and thereâs no leyline here for us to protect," Ruby pointed out the crucial difference.
"Except that girl with the giant shield. She seems to have Installed a very rare Heroic Spirit."
"Foolish. Thatâs a Shielder. Unlike your Install system, Demi-Servants use a vessel to borrow a Heroic Spiritâs powerâwith the vessel maintaining dominant control. Most Heroic Spirits wouldnât accept such terms."
At some point, Draco had silently joined Illyaâs group.
"This girl mustâve gone through something... for a Heroic Spirit to willingly cast aside their pride and merge with her. Hmph."
Apparently realizing she was talking too much, Dracoâwith her signature ahoge faceâpouted and awkwardly cut the conversation short.
"In any case, youâre safe. Chaldea doesnât harm innocent civilians."
"Come to think of it, we still donât know who you are. Just that you claim to know Onii-chan Sakatsuki..." Illya asked curiously.
At that, Draco snorted, turned away without a word, and walked off, leaving only the swish of a dragon tail in her wake.
Illya stood frozen, dumbfounded. After a long moment, she turned to Miyu with tearful eyes.
"What do I do, Miyu? Did I get rejected...? Uuu..."
"N-no way, Illya. I like you a lot!" Miyu quickly hugged her, whispering words of comfort.
Nearby, Chloe dismissed her heavily draining Mystic Code, glancing at the blond girl in the red dress who now stood alone, head tilted in quiet thought. She didnât say anythingâbut she noticed something.
Ever since they arrived, that ominous aura around her... was gone.
"Alright!"
A loud clap cut through the air, drawing everyoneâs attention. In front of all these noble, heroic, or dignified Servants, a mere humanâRitsukaâstepped forward and confidently made the call.
"First priority: establish contact with Chaldea. And request rescue."
She looked around, saw no objections from the Servants, and then turned to Illya, the "representative" of the magical girls. Offering a reassuring nod, she continued:
"Second, we need to explore the island. Unfortunately, none of our Servants have any real sailing experience, so weâll have to investigate inland insteadâ"
"Um," Illya raised her hand timidly, smiling awkwardly.
"If we need to go beyond the island, Miyu and I could try flying..."
"Flying?"
Taken completely by surprise, Ritsuka froze, glanced at Mash, and after a brief whispered exchange, gave a response.
"In that case, weâll be counting on youâMiss Illya, Miss Miyu."
"Okay! Weâll do our best!"
***
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