"So the monsters are acting more aggressively now. This is serious. We must make our own plans to counter theirs. I must thank you and Master Myrrdin for this information." Says Anthony Wallace, current Lord Commander of Camelot. The strange-robed man I met in St. Giles.

"Don't mention it. I'm happy to provide help if needed."

"Still, your assistance is very much appreciated. A young such as you should not be involved with this kinds of problems."

"Yet Fate... or something... brought me here. We have to play with the we're dealt with."

"True, my child. Anyways... we must ensure that they Orkutz never use the Dimensional to open the way from their layer to ours. And increase security at the Tower of London."

"The organization has spies and informants, right? Have them check if there are any unusual movements from the four factions. Like mass build-ups of combatants and supplies. Or any unusual operations that they are planning to conduct."

"We DO have some information of mass grave robberies in Kensal Green, Highgate and Abney ParkCemeteries. Typical Orkutz tactics; turning the dead into ghouls and skeleton servants that serve as the bulk of their armies."

"Do we know where they are moving the bodies?"

"They're gathering them all at one of their underground lairs situated near the sewers at East London."

"Ugh... disgusting pests. It has to be the sewers. Death and decay... right. Either they're planning to conduct the ritual there or they're building up their forces for a massive assault. Do we know their weaknesses?"

"Fire of all kinds, faith-based spells and faith-empowered weapons are lethal to the undead. Sunlight also weakens them, to the point they cannot act anymore."

"And since it's underground we can't depend on sunlight. Fire is good, but enclosed spaces will turn them into smoke traps. Lack of breathable air will kill us if we use that tactic. So flame-enchanted weapons and magical flames only, unless we risk dying to smoke inhalation and suffocation."

"We only have very few agents that wields faith-empowered weapons. And we only have a hundred agents who are trained to fight undead."

"Zombies and tight spaces with lots of blind spots? It will a nightmare to assault their lair. But we must do it. If they open a way to their layer, they can bring more of their kind here."

"And more powerful ones, too. Necrourges, Skeleton Warriors, Flesh Golems, Thrallherds, Corpse Bombs. These are just a few of their more powerful monsters. One of them can easily deal with a group of trained agents, never mind amateurs."

"Then we assault them as soon as we verify that they have the Dimensional Shard in that location. We must act due haste if we want to disrupt their plans. We can't let more monsters to exist on Earth. That will only cause more death and devastation." I sigh. "About the Tower...."

"We already knew about the Aragul's plans to assault the Tower of London. Not only do have 50 agents stationed full-time there, the Queen has closed it to the public and stationed a battalion of her Royal Guards to guard the location."

"You know when they are assaulting the Tower?"

"Just as Master Myrrdin said... within a month. The Aragul is waiting for something. What it is... we don't know. But if we do find out, I'll inform you."

"Thank you."

"I will gather all available agents and plan for the assault against the Orkutz. You can go now and make your preparations."

"Yes, Lord Commander."

//////////////////////////////////////////////////

"A fine man. With men like him, the future of Camelot and Humanity is assured."

"So you have decided who's going to be you successor?"

"A potential one. He needs more time and experience to be viable candidate. Not only that, he has a direct line of communication with Master Myrrdin."

"You haven't asked him how he communicates with Master Myrrdin."

"No. But he has the correct code phrases. Only Master Myrrdin, the Lord Commander and the Eye of Camelot knows them."

"That is true. Then we must ensure the child's safety. We risk losing vital information if we once again lose contain with Master Myrrdin."

"He's now in one of the safest places in Londinium."

"Still... I'll send some Shadows to keep an eye on him."

"If that will assuage you fears, my old friend. But don't let them get spotted."

"They are experts. They will not be seen."

//////////////////////////////////////////////////

There we go! Last batch of Healing Balms are done. I'll just set this batch of Blood Replenishers and Stamina Rejuvenators on the stove and....

'Knock! Knock! Knock!'

Is Masako already finished with her training for today?

Oh, it's already 4PM. She must have finished the obstacle course already.

"Thompson-sama, is it a bad time to disturb you?"

"It's fine, Mitokaya-san. I just finished with the earlier batch. These ones are just starting to boil. Is there anything you want from me?"

"The Queen has invited Lady Masako to a dinner tonight in Buckingham Palace. The dinner will be held at 7PM."

"And why are you telling me this?"

"You have been chosen to escort Lady Masako to dinner."

"You do know that I don't have much in the way of fashionable clothing."

"I have contacted your tailor, Mr. Crenshaw, to provide you with the appropriate formal wear for this occasion."

"Even then it will take.... Oh you fucking bloody bastard. This was already set-up in advance, isn't it? And you only tell me now?"

"I am sorry, Thompson-sama. Lady Masako was supposed to inform you of it. But due to her training regimen, she forgot to tell you about it."

"Petty revenge, then. Alright, I'll play. Don't want to disappoint Her Majesty and all. Give me an hour to clean up here and prepare. Where's the outfit?"

"Here, Thompson-sama. I had the liberty of setting this up for you."

White button-down white dress shirt with a high collar. Burgundy-colored herringbone waistcoat. A silk puff tie in black. Charcoal-grey frock coat that reaches to the knees. Black brushed cotton trousers. Sensible black lace-up boots. Topped with a Victorian top hat.

Quite fashionable if I should say so. Crenshaw or Mitokaya-san has good taste. Or maybe both.

But dinner with the Queen? This will be a nightmare... no, this IS a nightmare. Why do I have to do this? Right... I'm training her granddaughter. Her FAVORITE granddaughter.

Hope no one gets the wrong idea about me. Or get me roped into some royalty or nobility shit....

Oh for fuck's sake... I just tempted Murphy, didn't I?

==================================================

Oh for God's sake! What in the bloody fucking hells is this?

It's a fucking gourmand's wet dream!

Entry is five kinds of soups. And not just plain soup like tomato or mushroom soups. No... these are consommés that took at least hours to cook and prepare.

Main course is this: Six kinds of roasted meats. Five kinds of fish. Lobsters and crab. Breads of different types. Several chicken dishes and omelettes. Sausages, pâtés, and other organ meats and sweetbreads.

Worst is the MASSIVE amounts of pastries and sweets here. Pies of seasonal fruits. Souffles. Wine Jelly. Vanilla cream. Biscuits. Cakes. Baskets of candies and sweets. Nougat. Chocolate in many forms of cooking.

Only saving grace in this heart attack of a feast is the small selection of seasonal fruits and vegetables.

'SMACK!'

I can't help face-palming myself on how fast the Queen is putting them all away. Good thing Masako and Prince Albert is talking to her while they are eating. It's the only thing slowing the Queen down from her ravenous eating. Thank God she is a tidy eater. Even with how fast she's gobbling up everything, she still has some decorum and table manners.

"Be quick on your eating. Once the Queen is finished with meal, all of these will be taken. Even the food on our plates."

I only thought that the things written on the internet about Victoria eating habits were exaggerations. But it was all true.

And Prince Albert is also alive in this timeline. Huh... he's quite healthy too. No signs of stomach aches or anything. That's good to know.

"How do find the meal, Mr. Thompson? Are you enjoying it?"

"A bit too extravagant, Your Majesty. I do not fault the quality of the dishes, they are quite excellent. But there's just too many to choose from. Can I be frank, Your Majesty?"

"You were cursing me a few days ago and now you're asking for permission? A bit too for late, don't you think, Mr. Thompson? But you may."

"The meals... the way you eat, Your Majesty, is just plain unhealthy. Your consuming way too much fats and carbohydrates for a woman of your age and lifestyle. Even with the inclusion of fruits and vegetables, it's too unhealthy."

"You sound just like my doctors, Mr. Thompson."

"But they speak the truth. Unless you have a very active lifestyle or a physically-intense occupation, your food consumption is too extravagant. Only me and Masako require that amount of food since we have an intensive training regimen to follow."

"Yes... I have heard of this... tortuous training from my granddaughter. Is that really necessary?"

"Necessary? No. But it is the only way I know to get her into fighting form quite quickly. This is the same training that I and my Sensei's daughter has undertaken. And the results are showing quite well."

"I don't want her looking like a tomboy with those bulging muscles."

"That won't happen, Your Majesty. The training mostly increases endurance, Constitution, flexibility and reaction speed, rather than brute Strength. I'm training her to be a fighter, not a hooligan."

"Still, I would like if you at least lessen the intensity of her training."

"If that is your wish, Your Majesty. But that would increase the duration of the first phase of this training. It will be increased up to three times the length of the original timetable."

"Triple?"

"Yep. One more week of the same high-intensity training. Or three weeks with the modified one and half the intensity. That would prevent you from joining the hunt."

"... I'll stay with the current training."

"Are you sure, my dear?"

"I want to join the hunt."

"I promised her she can join the hunt if she can reach the minimum standard of fitness. She has already completed the first set of katas. I think she can handle herself well enough if she can reach the minimum."

"Very well. Just make sure that my granddaughter is always safe and fine."

"I will, Your Majesty."

==================================================

"That is quite brave of you to criticize Her Majesty's eating habits?" A man interrupted my thoughts.

"But someone has to. Or she will suffer from too many health complications in the future."

"John Brown. An attendant to Her Majesty, Queen Victoria."

"Henry Thompson. A pleasure." He's not that close to Her Majesty. Maybe with Prince Albert being alive, it somewhat mitigated his relationship with the Queen. But he's still a close attendant to Her Majesty.

"You must have huge brass balls to challenge Her Majesty's authority."

"Someone has to be the frank person around here. Someone that is not afraid to tell the truth to her."

"That is true. But still... you took a great risk, confronting Her Majesty like that. Not even the Privy Council would do that."

"Let's move with this topic, shall we? The distinguished John Brown. You reputation precedes you."

"I hope that it is a good one. There has been... rumors going around about me and Her Majesty. Those are baseless rumors, I assure you."

"I don't really care about rumors. If they are real, then they are not rumors, aren't they?"

"That is true, Mr. Thompson. That is true."

==================================================

"You're still peeved at me?"

"Insulting my grandmother at her own home? How disrespectful can you really get?"

"I'd rather be disrespectful than be a liar. Or a fake."

"Hmph! You could have been more tactful, you know?"

"I did not grow up fawning on royalty. I grew up espousing freedom, truth, and intellectual pursuit." Fuck the American way of life. I'll take Putin over Trump any time.

"And yet you are nothing but a mindless brute."

"A mindless brute? If you call me that, then I'll call you a feckless arista with too much air inside that empty head of your. You can't even match me in physical prowess, let alone in educational achievements."

"I hate you."

"I know. And I don't care. Now it's already 9:30 in the evening. You need to be up by 5:30 tomorrow. So go to sleep or suffer tiredness AND sleepiness tomorrow."

"ARGH!!!" And she stormed off.

"Good night!" I hollered to her.

==================================================

It's been five days since the banquet. Other than rat hunting and the minor incident involving zombies, it's been dull. Masako's shaping up nicely. She is no dead-tired after the morning run. She's fit enough to at least join the zombie hunt, I guess.

"A message for you, Thompson-sama." One of Masako's female servants interrupts my thoughts.

"From whom?"

"He said he's an acquaintance from the Round Table." Wallace then.

"Thank you."

"I'll be going now, Thomspon-sama."

Hmmm... what does Wallace has to say?

Good. They know when the Dimensional Shard will arrive at our layer of Earth.

In two days time, then. And it won't arrive directly at their underground hideout. Nice.

Plus, Camelot has found out the route that the Shard and its guard will be taking. Very nice. We can ambush them before they reach their base. No need to waste effort assaulting their stronghold.

Now... to give Masako the good news.