"Cecilia!"
Before the person arrived, their voice did. As soon as Takatsuki opened the passage to Saint Freya, everyone on the other side heard Siegfried's voice.
"Siegfried, so impatient."
Theresa, who was chatting with Cecilia, said with some dissatisfaction.
Cecilia chuckled without saying anything, instead looking towards the passage.
Soon, a white-haired figure passed through the passage and appeared before everyone.
"Cecilia!"
Siegfried spotted Cecilia sitting on the sofa at a glance, completely ignoring his three daughters beside her.
"Siegfried!"
Cecilia stood up from the sofa. She wasn't as impatient as Siegfried, and her gentle nature wouldn't allow her to display her emotions too overtly.
"Long time no see, Cecilia."
He had fantasized countless times about reuniting with his wife, but due to excessive self-reproach, Siegfried rarely even dreamed of his beloved.
"Siegfried, you've changed so much."
Siegfried used to be quite handsome, but after losing his wife, not only did he blame himself, but he also became decadent. His strength declined, and even his appearance became unkempt.
"You're still so young, Cecilia, I've grown old."
Siegfried subconsciously touched his chin. His casually groomed stubble was uneven and felt a bit prickly. He hadn't expected to see Cecilia again, so he hadn't bothered to tidy himself up.
After all, Durandal hadn't told Siegfried about this.
One of the Kaslana Family traditions: bear your burdens yourself.
Kevin silently took on the heavy responsibility of saving the world, and Kiana was the same, wanting to bear her origins and karma herself.
Unfortunately, she met Takatsuki, who cut off that path before she could even shoulder it.
"Idiot dad, it's already been fourteen years."
Kiana spoke up from the side.
But even so, it failed to draw Siegfried's attention: "Yes, fourteen years have passed. I'm sorry, Cecilia, I didn't take good care of Kiana."
"You've worked hard, Siegfried."
Cecilia, who had originally intended to blame Siegfried because of Kiana's situation, saw his self-reproaching appearance and forgot the words she wanted to scold him with.
Meanwhile, Kiana, who had just interjected, was immediately escorted away by Durandal and Flamescion, one on each side.
The two looked at each other, both seeing some helplessness regarding Kiana.
"I really don't know when Kiana will become more reliable."
Durandal sighed.
Kiana, held by them, wanted to argue, but being suppressed by the two, one on each side, she couldn't even open her mouth.
"If possible, I hope she doesn't go through what I did. However, she really should grow up a bit."
Even Flamescion looked at her past self and sighed helplessly.
But she remembered that her true growth came when Himeko died for her.
Before experiencing a major upheaval, it's truly difficult for a person to change; they can only change slowly.
"Yes, we fight to protect the beautiful things in the world."
The two of them, in unison, defined Kiana as one of those who needed protection, which made Kiana very angry. However, it was easy for either Durandal or Flamescion to suppress her.
Is the gap between me and them really that big!?
During their usual sparring, Durandal always held back a lot, so Kiana never felt the difference in their strength.
"Sister Durandal!"
Durandal turned her head and saw an unexpected person.
"Medea?! Why are you here?"
While the two on the other side were talking, Bronya had already gone through the passage directly to Seele, and Medea, who came through the passage afterward, wasn't noticed.
"Because Bronya summoned her. Previously, due to the Black Mud, Medea's Spirit Origin was damaged, so Ai took her into Throne of Heroes. Now she's repaired."
Takatsuki followed behind and explained to Durandal. Although others only half-understood, Durandal immediately grasped it.
"Whoa... Durandal, who is this?"
Having released one hand, Kiana finally broke free from the suppression of the other two "Kianas" and could speak.
"Her name is Medea, she was my former companion."
Takatsuki also explained from the side: "Medea is Bronya's Servant. Neither Bronya nor Medea have any wishes that need to be fulfilled, so they are our allies this time."
"Really? In that case, one, two, three..."
Kiana counted on her fingers, saying, "Then we'll have three groups! We're definitely winning this time!"
"Don't be careless, Kiana, it's still uncertain what Servants the others will summon."
Durandal said, looking at the completely relaxed Kiana with a sense of exasperation.
Just as Takatsuki was about to say something, he noticed Fu Hua calling him from afar.
"Fu Hua seems to have something. You all chat first."
With more people here now, Takatsuki often couldn't find time to relax; someone always needed him.
For various reasons...
"Takatsuki, I feel like someone is summoning me."
As soon as Takatsuki approached, he heard Fu Hua say this.
"Huh?"
Fu Hua explained, and Takatsuki finally understood that she was referring to the Holy Grail's summoning. Fu Hua felt someone calling her.
Just like other Heroic Spirits, Fu Hua could also choose whether to respond to the summons.
"Wait a moment, I'll check the situation."
Although he didn't want to cheat using his organizer's authority, the current situation was a bit special. Fu Hua was actually being summoned. Could it be that old bastard Otto? Or someone from World Serpent?
So he decided to investigate, and the fastest way to do so was to directly ask his daughter.
[Ai-chan, are you there?]
[No.]
...
[Daddy, you're silly. Where else could I be if I'm not here? I haven't been born yet, so I can't run around.]
Although it was true, Takatsuki could still feel Ai's resentment that he hadn't found a way for her to be born yet.
[Ahem, this matter can't be rushed, can it?]
Takatsuki also felt a bit wronged. After all, he hadn't done nothing, but this kind of thing wasn't something he could control.
[Regarding Fu Hua, can you check on it?]
[I just checked, Daddy. It's that little girl named Yang Yuxin who's summoning Mama Fu Hua.]
[Mama?]
[Yes! So for my birth, Daddy, hurry up and work harder! Living around so many girls every day, and you still haven't managed to give birth to me...]
Hearing Ai start nagging again, Takatsuki immediately exited the system. Are you kidding? The two of them are almost tearing him apart now, and more?
"Fu Hua, I've checked. It's that girl from Shenzhou named Yang Yuxin who's summoning you. Speaking of which, when I went there, I saw that the deity worshipped in her home was the Scarlet Phoenix Immortal."