Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

No, you're offering a flawed line of thinking.

If that thing really was in the outer city and caused so much commotion, it couldn't have left no trace. Furthermore, King Artoria led the Knights of the Round Table out of the palace last night, but now they're selectively sealing off certain areas and suppressing related information. This is enough to prove that progress there isn't going well, or rather, that nothing has been found at all.

"..."

Grey's expectant expression vanished instantly, and she slumped down, muttering to herself in a low voice.

"Then why are you so happy? Are you joking with me again..."

"No, I'm really complimenting you."

Samael smiled, stroked Grey's aggrieved little head, and made a solemn promise.

"Do you remember what you said? It's better to make a mistake than to do nothing."

"

"Did I...did I say something wrong again?"

The little girl, feeling somewhat insecure after being hurt, asked a question.

"On the contrary, you reminded me."

Samael's smile remained unchanged, his gaze lingering on the Sherlock Holmes stories in his apprentice's arms, and he spoke meaningfully.

"Do you remember a famous quote from this book? When you eliminate all the impossible..."

"...The rest, however unbelievable, are the truth!"

Having already read the entire book thoroughly, Grey subconsciously recited that classic line.

But soon, confusion still lingered in the young apprentice's mind, and the girl asked in bewilderment.

"But teacher, what does this prove?"

"The initial enemy of the mutation was near London, so this thing is related to London. This line of thinking is correct."

Samael gazed intently at the King's Cross station, which was gradually returning to order, his vertical pupils narrowing. A hint of pleasure curved his lips as he looked meaningfully at Gray beside him.

"But if it's not in the outer city, where could it be?"

Grey's eyelids twitched, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"The inner city?!"

But then the young apprentice shook his head repeatedly, denying his own speculation.

"No, no, the Holy City is protected by the Queen and the Prime Minister, and has so many Knights of the Round Table. It's practically impregnable. Its internal protective barrier also has the power to purify evil and has absolute suppression over all kinds of heretics and evil gods. How could it possibly have gotten into the inner city?"

Grey's viewpoint reflects the thoughts of most Britons.

Since reshaping Lentinion with her power and rebuilding the city of chalk, anomalous events have almost disappeared here. The Star Sword is like a near-Earth orbiter, and even if Artoria sits at 10 Downing Street, she can easily attack the entire outer city map.

Therefore, when a few foolish monsters occasionally come to the city, they are killed by the Knights of the Round Table or the Queen before they can even infiltrate the inner city.

It is precisely the near-absolute safety of the holy city that has attracted the frequent inflow of foreign capital, creating a prosperous scene.

"No need to run, what if it was already in the inner city?"

Samael glanced at Gray and spoke meaningfully.

Grey's breath hitched, and her expression changed slightly as she recalled the pack of black dogs and messengers beneath King's Cross Station.

But then, still unable to believe it, the girl asked other questions that were on her mind.

"But why didn't the Holy City's power purify this thing?"

"What if it wasn't a heretic who woke up, but a god?"

Samael spoke meaningfully, then paused before adding more.

“A true God who was born here and grew up here…”

"hiss!"

Grey gasped, suddenly realizing the seriousness of the situation.

A large-scale awakening of the undead and the gathering of black hounds—even under the suppression of the Holy City's authority, their influence could extend throughout Britain. A god of this caliber could very well be right beneath their feet now…

Just thinking about this answer sends chills down your spine.

"Last night's riot at Bethlehem Mental Hospital and the widespread power outage in SoHo have forced Artoria to personally lead the Knights of the Round Table to investigate the situation. The Prime Minister's Office is also working hard to mediate and reduce the negative impact of this incident. Now that the Lion King is no longer in charge, the City of Chalk's power over it has probably been reduced to the minimum."

Samael, gradually arriving at a clear conclusion, stroked his chin, chuckled, and shook his head.

"A diversionary tactic, a classic case of 'the devil is in the details,' it seems the thing about to wake up is quite clever?"

Hearing that the Holy City was so empty, Gray couldn't help but feel a pang of anxiety.

Seemingly sensing the seriousness of the situation, Samael downed the rest of his hot coffee in one gulp, rose from his seat, and greeted his somewhat uneasy young apprentice with a smile.

"Let's go, we should get down to business, dear Watson."

The teasing tone and the way she addressed her eased some of Grey's initial anxiety, replacing it with a subtle sense of shame.

Immediately, seeing that "Holmes" had already gotten up and started to move, "Watson" hurriedly followed and asked a question.

"Teacher, where are we going now? Bethlehem Asylum, or 10 Downing Street?"

Such important intelligence must be communicated to the two heads of state immediately.

However, Samael shook his head again, looked up ahead, and gave Gray another answer that she hadn't expected.

"No, let's go to the shopping mall up ahead first."

"what?"

"Sharpening the axe won't delay the work of chopping wood. Since you're meeting the head of state, at least we should help you choose a decent outfit first."

Samael pointed to Gray's cloak and clothes, which were damaged in several places during the previous battle, and spoke irritably.

Before the bewildered young apprentice could refuse, Samael, as her teacher, took Grey's hand and led her straight to London's most luxurious department store.

Chapter Fourteen: An Unprecedented Battlefield (4.2k)

Carnac, with a history spanning over 150 years, is one of London's largest department stores.

The store's interior is decorated in a retro and luxurious style, with an overall feel of ancient Egypt. There are stone statues of pharaohs, a dome decorated with gemstones, and a relief centered around the Eye of Horus. Customers come and go in a bustling atmosphere, each choosing their favorite items.

wow~~

At that moment, the curtain in front was gently pulled back, revealing a silver-haired lady in a light blue evening gown with a black headband, huddled in a corner, covering her bare shoulders, looking as if she dared not be seen.

"Teacher, this is too... too revealing..."

"No, it's perfect."

Samael looked Greta up and down, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration, and remained unmoved by the young apprentice's timid protests.

This is nothing! It's just an off-the-shoulder top. In the current fashion trend, anything other than showing the nipples is basically nothing.

However, the more outsiders stared at her, the more firmly Grey, afraid of becoming the center of attention, objected. She hurriedly grabbed another outfit, quickly pulled the curtain shut, and slipped into the fitting room to change.

Soon, Grey, wearing a black bowler hat, a red bow on her chest, and a black button-down trench coat, emerged from the inside, holding up the hem of her coat.

"Hmm, this one is not bad either."

"Uh-huh..."

Although her body was completely covered, the girl's cheeks still couldn't help but blush slightly. She lowered her head and let out a timid murmur. Then she avoided Samael's gaze again and changed her clothes once more.

"This one will do..."

After several selections, Grey finally changed into a retro lady-like outfit with a red lace hat and a conservative red dress. Her head was tucked under the wide brim of the hat, like Little Red Riding Hood in a fairy tale. Although it added a bit of cuteness, it also covered up her natural beauty.

Not entirely satisfied with this, Samael knew he couldn't sway the young apprentice's insistence, so he turned to the sales assistant behind him and gave her a bright smile.

"I choose to have them all!"

"teacher……"

Greta protested softly, but Samael patted the young apprentice on the shoulder, his attitude resolute.

"What's so great about wearing that gray cloak all day? Girls should dress up nicely, go out for tea, enjoy some snacks, and soak up the afternoon sun."

"But, I..."

Grey unconsciously reached for her small bag, her expression embarrassed.

"Don't worry, you won't have to pay for it. It's a necessity for going to high-society events. I'll cover it first, and then I'll help you write a report so that the council can reimburse you for the expenses. I guarantee it will be approved one hundred percent."

Samael immediately saw the apprentice's predicament and first took on all the responsibilities, then unceremoniously taught her how to fleece the Dark Council.

Hearing the teacher's confident assurance, the honest and good girl Grey hesitated before nodding.

After packing the clothes they were waiting to buy, Samael grabbed his young apprentice without a word and headed for the stairs.

"Okay, now that we've bought the clothes, let's go downstairs and pick out a few shoes."

Oh, we still need to shop around?

Grey, being dragged along, felt helpless, but because she was bad at refusing, she could only bury her head and silently follow behind Samael.

However, after taking only a few steps, Samael, who was about to go downstairs, suddenly stopped.

Grey, who was following closely behind, was caught off guard and bumped her forehead directly into Samael's back. She couldn't help but cover her forehead and let out a soft groan.

But Samael, who doted on this student, remained motionless, his expression somewhat stiff.

On the second floor, in the shoe cabinet area, a group of girls were chatting excitedly.

"Sakura, this looks good, you should try it."

A girl with pigtails tied with black headbands and wearing a red trench coat excitedly handed a pair of pearl-white stilettos to her younger sister, who had short pink hair and a red headband on one side.

The pink-haired girl nodded and accepted the gift, then obediently sat on the cushion beside her, changing her shoes in preparation for trying them on.

Immediately, the energetic black-haired girl with pigtails turned her gaze to her companion on the other side, who had short, flowing hair and wore black-rimmed glasses, and waved to her.

"Hey, Ayaka, don't just stand there. You've come all the way from the Clock Tower, why don't you pick out a style you like?"

"OK, all right."

The bespectacled young woman nodded subconsciously, and at her companion's enthusiastic invitation, she had no choice but to step forward and walk to the display case to look at this year's new products.

At this moment, a blonde girl with twin ponytails, wearing a miniskirt, sat at a tea bar table, typing on her computer while listlessly complaining, showing little interest in the bustling mall.

"Ugh, I finally have a day off, why do you have to drag me to the mall? I'm not going to buy anything."

The black-haired twin-tailed girl with a strikingly similar appearance rolled her eyes at the dejected blonde twin-tailed girl in front of the tea table, and pointed at her companion sitting opposite her, who looked like a doll.

“If you’re not going to buy anything, you should at least pick something out for Rani, right? She’s been at the Clock Tower for months, and she only wears one outfit every time she comes in and out.”

The girl staring blankly at the teacup had brownish-yellow Indian-style skin and light purple curly hair tied in a single ponytail. She wore glasses, her hair was tied in a bun on her forehead, and she wore a deep V-neck white shirt that partially exposed her chest. She wore black tight-fitting boots and a white coat. Her appearance was casual and she looked somewhat dull. She even forgot to pull up her slightly slipping shoulder strap.

"I'd rather spend this time in my dorm room enjoying the air conditioning and watching TV shows."

The blonde girl with twin ponytails muttered dejectedly, but she stood up from her seat, pulled her close friend along, and began browsing the nearby display cases.

At this moment, Grey, who had come to her senses, noticed her teacher's unusual behavior and followed Samael's gaze.

At the same time, he subconsciously stepped forward to ask.

"Teacher, what's wrong?"

"Uh, it's nothing. I just suddenly remembered that the weather is about to turn cold. How about we pick out a few more autumn and winter clothes?"

Samael seemed to wake from a dream, coughed repeatedly, turned his head, and hurriedly pulled Gray back the way they came without saying a word.

Grey stared blankly at the tulle dress she was wearing, and unconsciously murmured something to herself.

"Autumn/winter clothes? But it's only early summer!"

"You don't understand, London's weather is unpredictable, it changes three times a day, wind and rain, hail and frost are all possible, it's always good to be prepared!"

Samael, with an air of experience, confidently assured everyone, and without batting an eye, shifted the blame to the London weather.

"That's about it. Shall we go upstairs and take a look? I heard they recently got a batch of new Chanel and Givenchy designs."

At this moment, encouraged by the woman with black hair in pigtails, the group who had finished choosing their shoes seemed to be about to come up.

Samael glanced at it vaguely, and suddenly felt a tingling sensation in his head.

Ereshkigal, Rin Tohsaka, Sakura Tohsaka, and Ayaka Sajou—these were all old acquaintances of mine from Fuyuki City.

If I get caught, I might have to relive the horrors of Fuyuki's juicing hell.

Thinking of this, Samael couldn't help but shudder. He quickly grabbed Gray, who was still standing there in a daze, and pulled her away from the stairwell, heading into the clothing area.