Tiamat's body was not voluptuous—merely slender—but it contained an overwhelming vitality.
The primordial sea, which nurtured the origin god of life, or rather, the embryonic goddess in her initial form, radiated a youthful brilliance.
And this sudden embrace—made Alaric feel incredibly warm.
Tiamat's light body was entirely pressed against Alaric, giving him the sensation of the ocean's coolness and the illusory comfort of being enveloped by the sea of life.
In the past, in the battle against the origin god, Alaric had been covered by divine blood, a critical event that marked an essential step in his completion and growth.
The feeling from back then was strikingly similar to now.
After a brief moment of stunned surprise, Alaric naturally raised his hand to embrace Tiamat in front of him. Even though her curved horns pressed against his cheek, Alaric smiled slightly and said, "I suppose this could count as a reunion?"
"Nyuhuhu~~ Human, I'm your mother!"
The child form of the goddess Tiamat tilted her head back to gaze up at Alaric, her two eyes curved into crescents.
In her brilliant blue and red star-like pupils, the reflection of the one and only person stood out.
She was the mother of all life. Thus, she was meant to protect her children.
Although the young man before her was not her child—she couldn't let him remain so lonely.
After watching Alaric's journey for so long, Tiamat had reached her conclusion.
Defeating someone like her couldn't just end like this!
Unaware of Tiamat's thoughts, Alaric merely felt joy and relief.
During the year he had encountered Shirou, Alaric had changed his course of action and planned to once again become a Master to participate in the Holy Grail War.
However, the thought of whether Merlin would intervene and replace his summoning lingered in his mind. After much deliberation, Alaric decided to use himself as the medium and gamble on the chance of summoning a Sumerian god or something similar.
As it turned out, the result exceeded Alaric's expectations—and—
It wasn't Merlin's grand plan succeeding!
This time, Alaric wouldn't let the Holy Grail fall into anyone else's hands...
...
Following the Servant summoning ritual the previous night, the four Masters of the Yggdmillennia responsible for summoning had begun interacting with their Servants, strengthening their bonds.
Although communication between Master and Servant was neither friendly nor smooth, it did not diminish the delight of the man seated in the highest position—a king savoring fine wine.
The man, addressed as Duke by Darnic, took a sip and spoke slowly: "Tell me, what do you think was lacking during my lifetime?"
The younger Darnic, who was pouring the wine, smiled faintly and replied, "Such a question... someone like me, so young, seems..."
"Talent."
The Duke's face darkened as he continued, "Generals capable of leading armies were always in short supply."
Understanding the meaning of the Duke's words, Darnic smiled and said, "But this time is different. We have the great sage Chiron, mentor to the heroes of Greek mythology; Astolfo, one of Charlemagne's Twelve Paladins, who embarked on numerous adventures; the renowned Kabbalist and golem-maker Avicebron; the monstrous creation of Victor Frankenstein, a genius of scientific theology; and the dragon-slaying hero Siegfried, who defeated Fafnir and became a legend."
Darnic paused, gazing at the man before him. "And then there's you—the guardian general of the nation, the Grand Duke who serves as the foundation of this land—Vlad III."
Vlad III was indeed a true monarch, a ruler who once dominated Romania. His renown in Romania could rival that of Heracles in Greece or King Arthur in England.
...
It was a hazy morning.
The previous night, Kairi Shishigou had successfully summoned the Round Table Knight Mordred in a cemetery. Now, he was heading to the designated meeting point with Mordred to meet the priest serving as the overseer of the Red Faction.
The meeting place was a church in a Romanian city. As a Master, Kairi Shishigou, along with his Spiritron-form Servant Mordred, made their way through the verdant pathway of the courtyard and pushed open the heavy church doors.
The church was nearly empty, with little activity from worshippers. Inside were only two white-haired men.
One of them, dressed in black priestly robes, knelt before the altar in silent prayer, his expression calm and devout.
The other white-haired man sat in the frontmost pew, legs crossed, fingers interlocked, watching the priest pray.
Although the church lacked a choir, it felt as though sacred hymns echoed faintly through the air.
Without paying much attention to the church's atmosphere, Kairi Shishigou instinctively focused on the white-haired man, whose back seemed vaguely familiar. That silhouette...
Was he a Master?
A ripple of doubt arose in Kairi Shishigou's heart, but it did not alter his intentions.
His goal was the priest.
KNOCK KNOCK.
Casually tapping the bench beside him, Kairi said, "This is the agreed meeting place. So, are you the one who called me here?"
The priest concluded his prayer, stood up, and faced Kairi Shishigou with a gentle expression. "Pleased to meet you. I am Kotomine Shirou, the overseer of this war."
Kairi Shishigou, already suspicious, replied indifferently, "Let's skip the introductions and get straight to the point."
The man who called himself Kotomine Shirou ignored the motionless white-haired man and stepped forward. His tone remained calm. "As you wish. Then, your Servant?"
With his ability to discern true names, Kotomine Shirou smiled as he gazed at Kairi Shishigou.
Before Kairi could speak, Mordred—who had remained in Spiritron form—materialized in her full physical body. However, unlike her unarmored form the previous night, she now appeared in full battle gear.
Her ferocious horned helmet obscured her face, cutting off any attempts at identification.
This surprised Kairi Shishigou slightly. Sensing his reaction, Mordred raised a hand and said, "Let me stay like this, Master.
There are too many unpleasant presences here. I—"
Mordred's gaze swept over Kotomine Shirou, as well as the surrounding atmosphere as if sensing the presence of an unseen figure nearby.
And then, her eyes landed on someone else.
The moment she entered the church, her eyes had locked onto another presence.
Someone who had been sitting silently in the pews back turned to her.
Like her Master, Mordred immediately sensed that something was off about the white-haired man.
From the moment she noticed him, Mordred felt an ominous foreboding. But for various reasons, she couldn't determine what was wrong with him.
As if he sensed Mordred's gaze, the white-haired man moved slightly.
The last knight of the Round Table—Sir Alaric—turned his face slightly. That face, which even Kairi Shishigou found surprising, bore a faint, gentle smile.
Kairi Shishigou could remain calm, but his Servant could not.
"Good day, you two."