Crazy Britain:They’re All Raising Me

"Senpai!"

Seeing Ritsuka Fujimaru suddenly collapse, Mash immediately cried out in alarm.

On the other hand, before she could even react, Hinako Akuta was already on the verge of fury, shouting:

"What did you do to her?!"

At the same time, the twin Han swords in her hands flared with a crimson glow and flew straight toward Gawain.

"Do you think I'm just a bystander?!"

Seeing this, Mordred's eyes narrowed, and she immediately stepped in front of Gawain, preparing to intercept the attack.

But someone else was faster.

Even as Mordred moved, Bavanzi had already raised her hand. While wresting partial control over the blood manipulation to alter Hinako's attack trajectory, she simultaneously fired two arrows of magical energy from her other hand, knocking both swords out of the air.

She was so fast that even Mordred was momentarily stunned.

"You—!"

Watching this, Hinako nearly ground her teeth to dust.

"You trying to die? What does it matter to you if I attack him?!"

"Isn't it obvious? There's no way I can let you harm G—"

Halfway through her sentence, Bavanzi saw Gawain's icon flash in the party comms:

[Gawain: Hold on. It's not time to reveal our relationship yet.]

She quickly corrected herself.

"...this, uh, friendly gentleman."

"Him? Friendly?! He attacked my kouhai and he's still 'friendly'?!" Hinako raged. "And let's be honest, the most unfriendly person here is you! You've been targeting us since the start!"

"You've misunderstood," Gawain sighed. "Miss Fujimaru merely fell asleep. Please, hear me out... She's simply been affected by the mist and has fallen into a dream state. I'll return her to you right away."

With that, he gently lifted Ritsuka Fujimaru and calmly walked toward Mash and the others.

"Oi! Are you seriously walking over there like it's nothing?" Mordred called out, annoyed. "If you get that close, I won't be able to protect you!"

"It's fine," Gawain replied coolly. "Miss Fujimaru approached us first, showing sincere intent to cooperate. In response, I should demonstrate the same. I trust Chaldea isn't the kind of organization that ignores reason."

So saying, he approached Mash and Hinako and gently handed over Fujimaru.

"She's a brave girl. Please take care of her."

"Ah... yes!" Mash nodded, cradling Fujimaru just as gently.

"Hmph, see?" Bavanzi folded her arms with a snort. "This gentleman is way more polite than you think. Honestly, your Chaldea team—what's that phrase again? Oh, right—projecting your own villainy onto others."

"Ugh... hard to argue with that..." Mash sighed, in contrast to Hinako, whose eyes were still wide with disbelief.

"You trust him that easily? Isn't that a little reckless?" Hinako snapped.

"He's already shown plenty of sincerity, Hinako," said Roman's voice from the sky, projected through a spiritual transmission. "And you... I never thought you'd react so strongly if Fujimaru was in danger. Weren't you saying earlier she was dispensable?"

"What are you talking about?!" Hinako snapped. "She's just useful to have around, that's all!"

"Ah, so tsundere," Roman sighed, then turned back to Gawain. "Please forgive our rudeness earlier. As you can see, these children are close. I hope you'll understand."

His tone turned more serious as he continued.

"Now then, Dr. Jekyll, may we ask you to explain this mist and the dream state it causes?"

"No... there's no time for long explanations. The situation is more urgent than it appears."

Gawain shook his head.

"First off, I propose we vacate this area. It's not safe to stay here."

"Not just Miss Fujimaru—if even Servants keep inhaling this mist, it won't be long before they're also pulled into the dream."

He pointed to a nearby building.

"We need a sealed indoor location. Chaldea's future tech should be able to scan for life signatures, right?"

"Let's find a house without any occupants for now."

"Understood!" Roman responded quickly. "Second house to your left—no life signs inside."

"Excellent." Gawain nodded and led the way, explaining as he walked:

"No time for intricate theories. All you need to know is that present-day London contains a shared dream world. Everyone here is susceptible. And that dream is filled with far more monsters than this reality."

"Injuries in the dream don't affect the body... but dying in the dream means dying in reality."

"What?!" The Chaldea team was thrown into fresh panic, Mash most of all.

"Then Senpai is in danger?! I have to enter the dream and support her!"

"Hold on! How do we know this isn't a trap?" Hinako frowned. "If we all fall asleep, what's to stop him from harming our bodies in the real world?"

"Oh come on, so paranoid." Mordred scoffed. "If you don't believe us, just stay out in the mist a little longer. Let's see if you don't pass out and get forcibly pulled into the dream too."

"No, it's alright, Mordred. Their caution is understandable," Gawain said. "In that case, here's a proposal: one of you enters the dream, and another stays behind to guard everyone's real bodies. I'll accompany whoever goes to search for Miss Fujimaru."

"That's reasonable, and we're grateful for your integrity," Roman cut in before Hinako could say more, clearly trying to manage her temper. "Then let Hinako stay awake and on guard. Mash and Dr. Jekyll will enter the dream. Is that acceptable?"

"Of course," Gawain nodded, then turned apologetically to Mordred.

"Sorry. I promised to help you find your daughter, but it looks like I'll be delayed."

"It's fine, I get it," Mordred shrugged. "Saving lives takes priority, right? Just make sure when these Chaldea folks wake up, they help me search too. The more people, the faster it'll go."

"Naturally," Roman nodded. "You helped us—we'll help you. That's only fair."

"Good." Mordred nodded, then looked at Bavanzi, who had been quiet for some time.

"And you? What're you planning?"

"I'm entering the dream too, obviously," Bavanzi said without hesitation. "If Gaw—Dr. Jekyll is going, I'm going too. Uh, I mean... since we're cooperating, it'd be rude not to show some sincerity, right?"

"Hah? You're alone. You're not scared someone will mess with your body while you're asleep?" Mordred raised a brow. "You were taunting me a moment ago, weren't you?"

"Uh..." Bavanzi faltered.

[Bavanzi: Gawain, what do I say now?!]

[Gawain: Simple. Just repeat what I say next word for word...]

Reading the message, Bavanzi recited it aloud:

"But you really want to know more about Artoria, don't you? I happen to know quite a bit."

She shot Mordred a smug wink.

"If you want to know more about Artoria, you'd better guard me carefully. Who knows, if I'm in a good mood after waking up, I might even tell you something."

"You—" Mordred's eyes widened, but her expression began to waver.

"Help her out, Mordred," Gawain chimed in. "She's willing to assist us, and I don't have that much information on Artoria. Don't you want to hear more?"

"Tch." Mordred clicked her tongue. "Fine."

[Bavanzi: So all I need to do is bring up Artoria, huh? My dumb little sister really is easy to handle~ Totally under her big sister's thumb.]

[Gawain: …]

Honestly, he had no idea why she looked so smug.

The truth was, both sisters were equally easy to manipulate—Mordred with anything about Arthur, and Bavanzi with anything about Morgan. Really, there wasn't much difference.

…In fact, if we're being honest, Bavanzi might actually be the dimmer of the two.

Of course, Gawain didn't dare say that out loud.

Clearing his throat lightly, he stepped into the house, looked around briefly, then flopped down onto a sofa and closed his eyes.

"Um... Dr. Jekyll, how do I enter the dream?" Mash asked timidly beside him.

"Just go to sleep."

Gawain cracked open an eye.

"You've already inhaled enough mist. Once you fall asleep, entering the dream is practically guaranteed."

"O-oh, okay!"

Mash nodded and immediately laid down on a nearby sofa, shutting her eyes tightly in concentration. Bavanzi, meanwhile, walked straight to Gawain's sofa and tried to lean against him—only to bump into something hard.

Startled, she opened her eyes—only to find Mordred's greatsword planted right in front of her.

"Ever heard of personal space?" Mordred scowled. "Never seen a man before? One handsome guy shows up and you can't stop trying to climb all over him? Go sleep somewhere else!"

"Tch!"

Bavanzi gritted her teeth.

Don't get mad, don't get mad... She's just a bratty little sister. As the elder, I should be magnanimous... Besides, Gawain told me not to reveal our connection yet... Just hold it in, Bavanzi.

Muttering to herself, she pouted and dragged herself to another sofa, flopped down with a huff, and shut her eyes.

Soon, aside from Mordred and Hinako, everyone's breathing had grown calm and steady...

But a few minutes later, Gawain suddenly opened his eyes.

"…There's a slight problem," he muttered darkly. "I've already entered the dream twice today. I'm too well-rested—I can't fall asleep... I might need some sleeping pills or more mist exposure..."

"Hah? That's all?" Mordred said suddenly. "You just need to fall asleep? Leave it to me."

"Huh?" Gawain blinked. "You have a solution—wait, what?"

Before he could finish, Mordred raised her sword high.

"No—don't you da—"

THWACK!

The flat of Mordred's blade slammed down on Gawain's head, and he slumped unconscious onto the sofa.

Hinako stared, stunned.

"You…!"

"Pretty clever, right?" Mordred said smugly, brushing her nose with a finger. "He wanted to sleep—so I sent him off to dreamland, baby-style."