Unknowingly, night had fallen.
After an entire day of turmoil, Uruk had finally regained its peace.
People returned to their homes, relaxing as they enjoyed this rare leisure, while the night carried with it a trace of solitude.
Although much had happened, the citizens of Uruk neither felt unease nor sorrow. All they showed was the strength to accept reality—displaying a spirit that modern people no longer possessed.
After all, this was an era where gods and demons could appear at any moment. The humans of this age were far tougher than modern humans; otherwise, they would never have persevered in resisting demonic beasts for so long, up until now.
They had, in truth, already prepared themselves for death, yet still chose to fight until the end. Such disturbances were far from enough to break their spirit.
In this state, Rozen and the others also returned to the embassy.
"I'll go pick out a room."
Upon returning, Ryougi Shiki, as though she minded nothing, went straight upstairs.
"I'll use the same room as before. Call me when it's time for dinner."
Ishtar too flew up to the second floor.
"I'll go help Miss Siduri prepare dinner."
Mash, ever considerate, made that choice, leaving the embassy with Siduri to prepare the meal.
"To be honest, I'm nearly at my limit. Sorry, but let me rest first."
Merlin staggered up the stairs.
Clearly, today's battle with Jaguar Man had drained much of the great Magus of Flowers' mana—he was nearly at his breaking point.
Only Anna remained, her expression wavering as she looked at Rozen, who, like herself, had been left behind.
Rozen noticed her hesitation.
So—
"Is there something you want to tell me?"
Rozen asked directly.
Anna silently nodded, as though she had steeled her resolve, and then, summoning her courage, looked at him.
"Does that proposal from before still stand?"
She asked.
Rozen knew exactly what she was referring to.
"You've decided to form a contract with me?"
Rozen spoke without evasion, cutting straight to the point.
Yes.
A contract.
Back on the embassy rooftop, Rozen had suggested to Anna that she form a contract with him.
At the time, Anna said she needed to think about it.
Now, it seemed, her deliberation had reached its conclusion.
It could not be helped.
"Only Gorgon remains now. Once she is defeated, everything will be over."
Anna spoke softly.
"But with my current self, I might not be able to defeat her."
Her voice brimmed with dejection as she said this. Clearly, today's events had struck her hard as well.
"Whether it's Nobunaga, Okita, Ushiwakamaru, or Benkei—in terms of strength, they were all above me."
"And yet, even they couldn't defeat Gorgon. Several of them even died."
"And I, though I hold a trump card against Gorgon, couldn't even best Jaguar Man."
Anna had come to terms with reality.
"To defeat Gorgon, I must obtain greater power."
Thus, she made her decision.
"Please let me form a contract with you." Anna fixed her gaze on Rozen and said, "Please grant me greater strength."
She bowed her head to him.
This was both a request and a plea.
For the sake of defeating Gorgon, Anna was willing to lower her head before the human she disliked.
But—
"Raise your head. You have no reason to bow to me."
Rozen lifted his hand and placed it gently on Anna's head.
"Ah…"
Anna froze for a moment, instinctively lifting her head.
As she did, Rozen took the chance to pull back her hood, revealing her delicate face.
He smiled at her.
"To defeat Gorgon—that's something everyone wishes for. We're fighting side by side, nothing more. There's no need for anyone to bow."
Saying this, Rozen extended his hand to her.
"From now on, I'll be in your care, Anna."
He spoke softly.
Anna stared at him in a daze, then slowly lowered her gaze to the hand held out before her. After a long silence, a smile finally bloomed across her face.
"Yes."
She whispered her reply, and then extended her small hand, placing it into Rozen's.
Clang!
A contract's seal shone upon their joined hands.
From this moment, Anna became one of Rozen's contracted Servants.
Once it was done, Anna seemed to relax as though a weight had been lifted from her chest. In a noticeably brighter mood, she quickly dashed upstairs toward her room.
Rozen smiled as he watched her leave, but only after her figure disappeared up the stairs did his smile gradually fade.
A moment later, he exhaled deeply—then his body swayed, nearly collapsing backward.
Buzz!
At that moment, the space beside him shimmered, and from the mist stepped a white-haired maiden. She caught him before he fell.
"You've been far too reckless."
Altera looked down at Rozen, who was leaning against her, her ruby-like eyes flickering as she spoke.
"Your Magic Circuits were already unstable, and your mana had barely recovered. Yet over these two days, you've rushed into forming so many temporary contracts. That was reckless."
Altera's words revealed the reason for Rozen's current state.
Indeed.
Ishtar, Ereshkigal, Quetzalcoatl, Ryougi Shiki, and Anna—five Servants in total, all contracted with him within the span of just two days.
And Ereshkigal, no less, was bound by an absolute contract.
The mana drain needed to sustain them all could only be imagined.
Originally, Rozen had avoided summoning his Servants due to concerns about mana, bringing only Mash and Altera into this Singularity. Yet now he had contracted five, three of whom were goddesses. In his current condition, how could he not be overextended?
Had his mana not been far greater than that of an ordinary Magus, he would already have collapsed.
Rozen could only shake his head helplessly.
"With Chaldea unable to provide support anymore, I have no choice but to shoulder all the Servants' upkeep myself."
Back when his Command Spells were intact, linked with Chaldea's summoning system, that system could at least share part of the mana burden.
But now, the Command Spells could no longer be engraved upon his Magic Circuits. With that connection severed, he could no longer draw support from Chaldea—leaving him to bear the full weight of all his Servants' consumption.
"Then why did you still form contracts with so many Servants?"
Altera frowned as she questioned him.
"There are two reasons."
Rozen gave her a direct answer.
"First, now that I have the Holy Grail, I can use it as a supplement and source for mana supply."
"Second, before long, my Magic Circuits will completely recover."
That was the truth.