บท 490: C490
Sisigou Kairi took a direct flight from London to Romania. Having accepted this commission, he'd anticipated some tough problems, so he had prepped for battle in advance, which spared him a trip back home.
On the plane, he immersed himself in the Holy Grail Wars papers that Belfeban had given him. These documents detailed the seven main Servant classes, each with its unique traits, and provided information about Command Spells, which could compel Servants into obedience, even to the extent of ending their own lives. He also came across an account of the Third Holy Grail War.
As he closed the last page of his reading, he realized they hadn't yet reached Romania. Glancing out the airplane window, he saw it: the ring of darkness that had shown up sixty years ago, still looming in the distance.
It struck him as odd. This ring had appeared out of nowhere sixty years ago. However, from any location on Earth, when one looked skyward, one could always see this mysterious ring.
But this thing lacked mass and showed no energy reactions; it was like a mere image in the sky—visible but untouchable.
Over the last sixty years, countless countries had poured immense resources into exploring and understanding this anomaly, but all to no avail.
Some theorized it could be the doing of extraterrestrial beings. Others saw it as a foreboding sign of something supernatural. But sixty years have passed and there's still no concrete explanation or event linked to it.
At first, Sisigou Kairi had dismissed it as a natural planetary phenomenon. However, the information provided by Belfeban hinted at a potential connection to the people from the parallel world known as Chaldea. As a small-time player, Kairi found himself in the dark, lacking a complete understanding of the situation.
Nonetheless, it was rather astonishing that not a single Lord from the Clock Tower had taken any action. It was quite probable that they had already established contact with the visitors or even made some move against them. Yet, Kairi had no intention of involving himself in their affairs. His sole purpose was to successfully complete his commission and fulfill his own wish.
Undoubtedly, the commission fee wasn't the main motivator behind his decision; it was his personal yearning that drove him. If the Holy Grail possessed the reputed ability to grant any wish, perhaps even his modest desire could be realized.
His plane smoothly landed in Romania, a country known for its strict regulations concerning the entry and exit of magi. These measures primarily aimed to prevent less skilled magi from obtaining Command Spells.
After getting off the plane, Sisigou felt a tingling pain on the back of his hand. Looking down, he saw tattoo-like markings appearing, indicating that the Holy Grail recognized him as the Master, allowing the Command Spells to manifest.
While he had expected this, he felt relieved. Without the Command Spells, he would have had to return home disappointed.
Sisigou didn't head straight to Trifas. He believed it was crucial to summon a Servant first. Trifas belonged to the Yggdmillennia Clan, and infiltrating it without a Servant would be a dangerous move for any magus.
Bucharest, Romania's most prosperous city with a six-century history, had several high-quality leylines. After landing in the afternoon, Sisigou quickly identified suitable locations.
He settled on a corner of the Stavropoleos Monastery's cemetery, as a necromancer, he felt at home near burial grounds.
He chuckled, "The Servant probably won't enjoy waking up next to a grave..."
As night fell, Sisigou got to work.
First, he set up a basic Bounded Field to keep unwanted visitors out. It only needed to last until the summoning ritual was complete, so he kept it simple. He used a special chalk, composed of bone dust and a magus's blood, to sketch the magic circle.
"Let's begin."
His voice held a trace of unease as he confirmed his mental state. He also verified his affiliation by acknowledging the color he represented.
As Belfeban had informed him, the Yggdmillennia Clan's Master aligned with the "Black" faction, while the magi from the Clock Tower belonged to the "Red" faction.
As he started his chant, he felt an odd, dull pain in his insides, as if someone was meddling with them. His magical circuits sprang to life, drawing in the ambient mana, with his command seals lending a hand. His body began to shift, moving away from its human state, becoming something more mechanical. It was like he was morphing into a part of a machine, maybe a cog. Pushing himself, he amplified the mana flow within, similar to pressing down on a car's accelerator.
The summoning circle glowed with a soft, crimson light, and at last, the miracle began to take shape. However, for Sisigou in his current state, it was hardly something he could focus on.
The magic circle kept on whirring with energy, and in the very next moment, a knight clad in steel armor materialized.
"Are you my Master?" the girl knight in her steel armor questioned.
Even with a helmet separating them, her voice came through clear and distinct.
Sisigou eyed the petite knight clad in steel in front of him. Giving a nod, he reached out his hand, "I'm the one who summoned you. I'm Sisigou Kairi. Good to meet you."
The little knight gave his outstretched hand a once-over but didn't take it. She met his gaze and said, "Just so we're clear before we proceed, I have my own wishes to chase as a summoned Servant. But if you even think about using that thing on your hand to boss me around? Forget the Holy Grail. I'll come after you first."
He blinked, "So, you're not open to me using Command Seals to influence your decisions?"
"Absolutely, that's it for me. I don't really have any other priorities. I just hope Master remembers this and respects my wishes. If you can't do that, I'd recommend using a Command Seal to make me drop out of the war immediately. Otherwise, if you go against my will even once, I'm afraid my next move will have to be trying to take you out." The petite knight, whose face was obscured by her helmet, spoke seriously.
"I understand," he nodded with a smile, "Don't worry, unless we're at complete odds, I won't manipulate your will."
The small knight let out a relieved sigh. "I'm glad to hear that. I was ready to turn my back on any Master who saw me as just a tool. It's a stroke of luck to get a Master like you who gets it."
She reached out, and this time, their hands met in a firm shake. "I hope we can work together, respecting each other's boundaries in the days to come, Master."
Sisigou raised an eyebrow. This Knight he'd summoned sure had strong values and wasn't shy about speaking her mind. But he was left with a lingering question.
"This is a graveyard, isn't it? I can sense you're into necromancy, but being summoned here is a bit... unpleasant," remarked the petite knight.
"I know, but it's kind of my home turf. By the way, you're a Saber class, right?"
"Definitely. I mean, the sword's a giveaway," she replied, lifting her blade for emphasis.
He laughed, "Seems like I hit the jackpot with the strongest card."
"You might have the wrong idea, Master," the petite knight corrected, "Even though I've manifested in the Saber class, I have to let you know, I'm not all that skilled in combat. To be honest, I was surprised to find myself as a Saber. I thought I'd be an Assassin. But, on the bright side, I've managed to gather some information."
"What kind of information?"
"Well, first off, according to the information, the Assassin this time around is a big deal—not your run-of-the-mill Servant. Second, with my arrival, there are bound to be Knights of the Round Table manifested in this war. And third..."
"Hold on!" Sisigou interjected, his face a mix of surprise and confusion. "You've just manifested, haven't you? How did you manage to gather all this information? Do you have some information-gathering skill?"
"Nope, no special info-gathering skill here. But isn't it kinda self-explanatory how I know this?" the petite knight remarked, looking a bit puzzled.
"Eh?" Sisigou blinked, taken aback.
The petite knight let out a sigh, "Like I said before, I always figured I'd show up as an Assassin. The fact that I'm here as a Saber must mean the Assassin summoned is even more fit for that role than I am. Plus, you summoned me using bits of the Round Table, right? The Holy Grail War usually has a thing with fate. So, if I'm here, it probably means someone connected to me is too. Odds are it's a Knight of the Round Table."
Taking a brief pause, the petite knight went on, "And the third bit of intel is that if the city's leyline manager is in the Holy Grail War too, they must be feeling pretty confident of themselves."
"Why's that?"
"Master, you've been hanging around here for a good while, and the city's boss hasn't made a move. It's as simple as that. Basically, Master, you've been underestimated. And from this, we can infer a fourth point: whoever runs this place has some major aces up their sleeve."
"Did you just piece all that together on the spot?" Sisigou Kairi raised an eyebrow, asking, "Are you some kind of sage Servant or something?"
She shrugged, "Hardly a sage. I'm not brimming with wisdom or anything. Just some basic cunning. And don't be too impressed. This is just common-sense stuff if you stop and think about it," the petite knight responded with a touch of scorn.
She paused, and her voice dipped a little colder, "There's this guy I really dislike who once said 'The devil's in the details.' Although I dislike him, I have to admit some of his little tidbits came in handy."
"Is that so..." Sisigou pondered for a moment and then asked, "Alright, so what's your real name?"
"You can't see my name?" the petite knight questioned.
Sisigou shook his head, "Only your parameters. Your Noble Phantasm isn't visible to me either."
"I see..." The petite knight paused for a moment and then said, "It's Galahad. Got that? Galahad. Make sure you remember it!"
What?... Even if he were blind, he could tell that's way too fake. He couldn't help but be skeptical.
Piecing it together, while this self-proclaimed 'Galahad' was unlikely the real Galahad, the way she spoke of the Galahad hinted at a close connection. Was she one of the newer members of the Knights of the Round Table, perhaps?
A name popped into his mind. Could she be... Gareth?
...
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