"Grandmother." Magdalena greeted the director of her family's suffering.

Justa when freedom was in sight, the leader of the Blackmoore Cemetery Cult, known only as Grandmother to the cultists, barred their way.

Gray just silently and respectfully kept her gaze low before the fervor the old woman showed when she looked at her. She was both scared and creeped out immensely.

"Your highness." The old woman greeted Gray who just nodded in response.

Grandmother referred to her as "your highness" due to the fact she believed Gray to be the second coming of King Arthur but, as she had yet to completely become the King, she was not yet referred to as "your majesty".

The old woman surely had some purpose in coming to meet them both out of the usual routine but, like Gray, she too noticed something was off about Magdalena. Unlike the inexperienced Gray however, she almost immediately saw it as nervousness.

Despite this, Grandmother still did not doubt Magdalena's loyalty, which in her mind had been proven time and time again and thus only deduced the woman had some problem she had difficulty sharing and since Magdalena was now a valued member of their community, she wished to help her.

"Is there a problem my child?" Grandmother asked to Magdalena.

"No at all Grandmother." The younger woman tried to keep her cool.

"Hmm . . . Let us go to your house and talk there." The old woman suggested.

Magdalena imperceptibly stiffened a bit as she wondered what to do while countless questions sprung up in her head.

'What if Grandmother did something that messed up their escape?"

'What if her mysterious benefactor though she had snitched on him to the cult due to her arriving home with its leader in tow?'

'What if even if he didn't think that way, here though the risks and decided to escape by himself?'

Suddenly however, salvation arrived in the form of Jun's voice, speaking in her mind.

'Just bring the old woman along, it will be alright.'

Jun's voice carried some sort of soothing effect that helped Magdalena calm down and refocus. And, since all of it happened in an instant inside her mind, there was not suspiciously long silence to give Grandmother any hints.

"Of course Grandmother." Magdalena replied to the old woman's previous suggestion, causing her to nod and so the trio walked steadily towards the mother and daughter's house.

It was a silent trip, Magdalena only slightly jitterish after Jun calmed her down, Gray even more withdrawn that usual due to Grandmother's presence and the old woman still thinking of helping what she thought was a "troubled child" of their cult.

When the trio finally reached the house and entered it however, things immediately got more serious.

A bounded field suddenly sprung up, sealing everyone inside the house and while it was noticeable from within, none was the wiser outside.

Grandmother suddenly got defensive, moreso after noticing how unfased and actually relieved Magdalena was.

The old woman began eying Gray but noticing this, Magdalena swiftly placed her daughter behind her while slowly backing away.

As for Gray, she was quite confused. She had received enough training and possessed sharp enough sense to know she was inside a bounded field. She had also noticed that Grandmother felt threatened by its emergence and that her mother immediately moved to protect her.

What confused her her was Magdalena's protectiveness and confrontational attitude with Grandmother when she had been nothing but the most obedient and reverent servant when Gray saw her with the old woman.

Jun then materialized in the middle of the room, still using the blurry vague image.

"The transportation circle is in the other room, we can leave now if you want, the old woman can't do anything if I don't let her." Jun casually spoke to Magdalena.

"Who are you!?" Grandmother aggressively questioned.

"Sure you want to know?" Jun inquired and the old woman seemed confused for a second.

"It'll drastically lower your survival chances if you do." He casually warned.

The he turned back to Magdalena and Gray saying . . .

"Shall we leave?"

But Grandmother was far from done.

"You are trying to steal our success!" She accused.

Jun turned to her again and nodded.

"Yes. Yes I am."

This only infuriated the old woman who was getting angrier and less scared by the second.

"King Arthur will return and punish you for this slight!" She clamored.

'Wow . . . I thought she was more of an evil mastermind plotting to revive Artoria because she thought it would bring her village glory and status and whatnot but she actually a nutty cultist like her followers . . ' Jun thought to himself.

"I Artoria Pendragon personally and sincerely doubt she will punish me . . . Not that she could even if she wanted to. Besides, why would she be angry for stopping her return when she's already back?" Jun casually spoke.

Magdalena, Gray and Grandmother could only freeze in shock as they somehow sensed the pure truth in his words.

"To be honest, I doubt she would even appreciate being brought back in such a way." He added in conclusion.

"Were you to summon majesty in a Holy Grail War?" Grandmother questioned.

"Not but her master was so shitty she decided to come with me instead." Jun casually revealed.

By this point, he was only using the conversation to share some info with Magdalena and the little Gray who was listening attentively and was not planning on letting the old woman walk after giving to her all that information.

"Hmph! That is not the true King!" Grandmother shouted.

"Merely a pale imitation without a true body." She added.

"Oh no. Not at all." Jun once again, "casually" began.

"Unlike you idiots that need to sacrifice little girls, giving a soul a perfectly fitting body with virtually unlimited potential is actually not that hard." He boasted.

"So yes, it is a full blown return to the mortal coil . . . Well, she's immortal now so not quite but lose enough. Am I right?" Jun concluded with a shrug.

"Then why do you want me?" Gray surprised everyone by actually interjecting.

While Jun talked with Grandmother, or more like, riled her up with the truth, Gray was analyzing the situation and trying to take it all in before figuring it all out, like a detective in her favorite novels. Analyze the information before her and find out the truth.

She had already realized that Jun seemed to be there to bring her away from the hell she was living in which immediately improved his impression in her young mind, even if she had no idea where he was actually going to take her.

Gray had also figured out her mother was in cahoots with the mysterious stranger, something which left the little girl in shock as her mother always seemed so enthusiastic when it came to the cult's ideas. It planted a little seed of hope in Gray's heart than maybe she would get her mother back.

The only thing she could not quite understand, was just what Jun wanted with her. He seemed so powerful and unknowable and she believed his words about King Arthur so why would he want her?

Gray couldn't possibly understand what such a seemingly great being would get from helping someone as insignificant as herself.

And so, she found it in herself to call out to him and ask.

Jun turned towards her and kneeled down to get their eye levels closer before turning off his disguise and showing his near perfect features, shiny black hair and prismatic, rainbow like eyes.

The three woman, irrespective of age, were a bit taken aback by his perfect appearance but, as his supernatural charm was nearly completely dormant due to his most recent transformation, they were able to snap out of it pretty quickly.

"I want you because I see you're potential to become great. Not as another King Arthur but as yourself. And I believe this future you will be able to help me down the line." Jun truthfully spoke to her.

It was a prettier way of saying he wanted to forger into a powerful subordinate but putting thing more nicely for children was a matter of course right?

"Can you stop me from becoming someone else?" Gray cutely asked.

"It is precisely because I can do that that your mother decided to cooperate with this little operation to steal you away." Jun responded positively and even throw in some words to help Magdalena with the possible future reconciliation.

Gray was happy at the confirmation but then turned quizzically to her mother who, while thankful to Jun for his words, did not really know how to act with her daughter after putting her through such much suffering with her actions and act.

"You trait-" Grandmother began to shout but she could only see a smirk in Jun's lips as her blood seemed to freeze from the chill she felt.

Ars Notoria carried the effects from his "sight" that formed part of its basis so seeing the Lines of Origin in a target and returning them to nothingness was definitely within its power.

A flash of prismatic light burst from Jun's rainbow glowing eyes and Grandmother was simply gone, erased from existence.

Gray and Magdalena could only stare in awe at the display of power. Neither were strangers to death unfortunately but seeing someone literally glared out of existence was definitely a first for them.

"So . . . Shall we leave?" Jun jovially suggested like he had done nothing of note.

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P.a.t.r.e.o.n is officially up!

The link is: https://www.p.a.t.r.e.o.n.com/lusoba  without the extra dots of course.

You'll get to read up to FOUR week ahead, a full month, but I'll still post here.

There's also my other novel Archon of DanMachi, do check it out!

I would greatly appreciate any support since this is going to be my breadwinner.