"His Magic Circuits nearly went out of control, with residual magical energy running rampant through his blood vessels... Use your own mana to guide his pathways. Yes, let me show you how."
A card inscribed with mysterious patterns rested on the bedside table, projecting the faint blue silhouette of a young man. He gazed down at the homunculus lying on the bed, issuing precise instructions despite the physical distance between them.
"Moreover, he's also suffering from exhaustion, isn't he?"
In the room, Artoria had also materialized from her spiritual form. Watching the unconscious homunculus writhing in pain, her face showed clear concern.
"Indeed. After all, he's never walked a single step since birth. Even standing up on his own—today was his first time."
Sakatsuki emotionlessly withdrew his gaze, only showing a flicker of reaction upon seeing the worry on Artoria's face. Internally, he sighed helplessly.
The stark contrast between Master and Servant's personalities was on full display at this moment.
Without a doubt, this unconscious homunculus was the original protagonist of Fate/Apocrypha—Sieg.
Sieg's life was one of legend, of extraordinary fortune—his luck stat surpassed that of any protagonist in the entire Fate series.
Born as a homunculus meant for mana supply, he was given only three years of lifespan with barely any consciousness. Yet against all odds, he awakened a will to survive, used magecraft to shatter his cultivation tank's glass walls, and escaped. He was then found and hidden by Astolfo, and soon after, during the chaos of the Red and Black Faction war, Astolfo helped him flee the castle.
From there, Lady Luck continued to favor him relentlessly. Siegfried sacrificed himself to save him, offering his Dragon Heart so Sieg could live healthily—even if it meant putting the entire Black Faction at a disadvantage.
But after obtaining the Dragon Heart, this protagonist's feats became increasingly outrageous. First, he crossed paths with Jeanne d'Arc, who had come to investigate the Black Saber's abnormalities. Due to her Revelation skill, Jeanne developed an excessive interest in him. Then he barged into the Red and Black war, was killed by Mordred, only to be revived by Frankenstein's self-destruction—the resulting lightning jumpstarting his Dragon Heart (essentially performing CPR on himself). This granted him a three-minute transformation into Siegfried—earning him the nickname "Ultraman Sieg."
After that, Sieg formed a contract with Rider Astolfo (who had lost his Master), liberated the homunculi, and in the final battle, first slew Karna, then defeated Amakusa Shirou. Finally, he transformed into a dragon and carried the Greater Grail to the Reverse Side of the World, saving both the world and humanity.
You'd think that was the end of his legendary tale? Oh no. The most absurd part was that this newborn, who had barely existed for any time at all, somehow won the heart of the holy maiden Jeanne d'Arc. For him, Jeanne spent countless years finally managing to leave the Throne of Heroes and reunite with Sieg on the Reverse Side. The story concluded with the boy and girl embarking on a journey around the world—truly a happy ending.
—Or so it seemed.
Even though Sakatsuki had been relatively level-headed in his past life, after watching the anime, he'd forced himself to read the light novels. It was only after his best friend intervened that the two holy maidens in Chaldea were saved from his and Da Vinci's wrath.
At least the original author Higashide gave considerable space in the novel to depict Jeanne d'Arc's psychology, making the process of this Orleans Saint falling for Sieg somewhat believable. As for the anime adaptation... well, let's not even go there.
The 5.2 rating on that little streaming site speaks volumes.
To prevent the birth of an overpowered "Ultra Sieg" protagonist with plot armor, Sakatsuki naturally preferred to nip the danger in the bud—either by eliminating Sieg directly or sealing him away, dealing with any fallout after the battles were over.
However, as the King of Knights standing on absolute moral high ground, Artoria would never agree to such actions under any circumstances. As long as Sakatsuki retained his rationality, he wouldn't do anything to lower her opinion of him.
So the question remained: how should this homunculus be handled?
After much deliberation, Sakatsuki arrived at a conclusion.
If the protagonist couldn't be disposed of, then why not use his advanced revolutionary theories and political ideologies to lead the protagonist astray?
From a certain perspective, Sieg's mere existence had already caused Black Saber Siegfried to lose his heart, led to Black Rider's Master's death, made Black Rider Astolfo temporarily defect from the Black faction, and even forced the Black faction to disable their infinite mana pool—the magical energy distribution system created by Gordes...
In other words, wasn't this homunculus the perfect pawn to disrupt the Black faction?
Moreover, he was a blank slate fresh from the factory, completely untouched by ideological conditioning!
All Sakatsuki needed was to imprint his own colors onto this blank canvas, turning Sieg into a defector to the "Blue" faction!
"After basic treatment, we won't need to intervene further," Sakatsuki instructed Reika on treatment procedures while speaking in a calm tone. "Leave him with Apo... I mean, Astolfo. We have more important matters tonight."
"But won't the homunculus forget about our aid when he wakes up?"
"Reika, we're saving lives, not conducting transactions," Artoria gently shook her head, dismissing Reika's concern.
Bound by chivalry, she naturally wouldn't consider saving a homunculus as something requiring repayment. But Sakatsuki thought differently.
"Don't worry, he won't forget." Sakatsuki's projected image smiled, though the expression carried hints of mockery and pity.
"After all, his saviors were heroes."
Heroes who shone brilliantly and celebrated life itself. How could a homunculus raised under their influence possibly overlook such a debt?
"..." Artoria remained silent, watching Sakatsuki's cold smile with growing dissonance in her heart.
Why had Lord Sakatsuki become like this?
Yet in the end, she kept her silence. After completing the treatment, Reika helped the weakened homunculus outside, soon returning to sit before Sakatsuki's projection.
"I've entrusted him to Lady Astolfo. She promised to handle it properly."
"Lady..." Sakatsuki caught the odd phrasing but chose not to comment after a brief pause.
Perhaps there'd be some entertainment later?
Dismissing extraneous thoughts, Sakatsuki focused on Reika: "Are you ready?"
"Mm." Aside from the magus card used for disguise and the projection card for communication, Reika Rikudou retrieved another card from her inner pocket and channeled magical energy into it.
As the patterns on the card gradually brightened, both Sakatsuki and Reika Rikudou closed their eyes simultaneously.
[Displacement Magecraft, Activated]
[Visual Link Established]
At some point, little Jack had already vanished from the room, while Artoria once again gripped the crimson spear that did not belong to her, standing guard over the unconscious Reika.
Beyond concealing her true name and suppressing her strength, Reika had one more trump card up her sleeve—the true Black Assassin she had summoned: Jack the Ripper.
When all eyes were drawn to the ahoge, who would have guessed that the cloaked child by Reika's side was also a Servant?
Sakatsuki naturally wouldn't overlook the Black faction's underestimation. Tonight, he intended to use little Jack to accomplish one crucial task.
No matter how formidable an assassin might be, breaching the impregnable Fortress of Millennia was no easy feat.
But if the strike came from within the fortress itself, an assassin with Presence Concealment could achieve unexpectedly devastating results.
Through the displacement magecraft that shared vision, Sakatsuki was able to use Reika as an intermediary, directing little Jack's movements from a first-person perspective.
"Mommy! Not just Reika Mommy, but Sakatsuki Mommy is here too!"
Shedding her cloak and clad in a skintight outfit, she darted through the darkened castle like a spectral cat. Little Jack effortlessly slipped past a group of homunculi, even managing to multitask as she enthusiastically welcomed the arrival of her 'Sakatsuki Mommy.'
"How many times do I have to say it? I'm not your mommy..."
"Huh? Reika Mommy, Artoria Mommy, Sakatsuki Mommy... isn't that right?"
"Turn left, follow the leyline path downward." Reika's consciousness remained silent, likely stifling laughter, while Sakatsuki—whose consciousness had been swapped in—could only sigh in exasperation. "'Mommy' is for women... If you really can't help it, call me Daddy instead."
"Eh? Daddy? What's that... Can I kill him?"
The tiny shadow halted, her dagger pointed directly at the homunculus guarding the doorway.
"No killing! Neither 'Daddy' nor homunculi are allowed! Keep moving forward!"
"O-okay... Sakatsuki Mommy is so mean (muttering quietly)..."
"I—! Fine, no getting mad. Can't lose my temper with a kid. I'll discipline her properly later... Hah... Go out through the window, circle around the rooftop, then take the other staircase."
"Mm-hmm! Got it, Sakatsuki Mommy!" The little girl responded with boundless energy.
...
Perhaps Amakusa and Darnic had prepared for sixty years, but no one understood the Greater Grail better than Sakatsuki.
Under his precise guidance, little Jack slipped past pair after pair of homunculus guards, breached layer after layer of magical barriers, and soon found herself deep beneath the Fortress of Millennia.
"This is it. We've arrived."
Sakatsuki's voice carried a faint tremor, and little Jack stopped in her tracks, her gem-like eyes sparkling with childlike wonder at the sight before her.
"Wow..."
Before them, the golden form of the Holy Maiden radiated a noble light.
This was the Greater Grail.
***
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