[ Richard's eyes flicker somewhat at the mention of Ish, but otherwise he's fairly steady as Ayaka explains it to him. Could she be affecting him without her knowing? It's possible, but he would've thought that someone in his retinue would have said something by now, and after all their time together...

The worry in his expression fades, that easy smile back on his lips again. ] I assure you, Ayaka, if you've affected me at all up until this point, I haven't been able to tell. Besides, I'm the same as I've ever been during our time here, right?

[ He pokes himself in the cheek a few times, like he's testing the elasticity of his skin. ]

If I had lost myself by now, I'm sure you probably would've been able to tell and put my head back on straight.

[ For all the greed and rage he has simmering under his skin at all times, wouldn't she have had made things worse by now if it was affecting him? Perhaps whatever loyalties to the knight class that's been encoded in him as being summoned as a Saber is enough to resist it? He's got no clue. ]

So I don't see any reason why that you could ever ruin it. I told you – without you, I wouldn't have even come to that realization of what I wanted it to be after so long. You could never dirty it.