The moon was bright and the stars sparse as black birds flapped their wings, their shrill cries dissolving into the ink-like darkness of the night.
Everything was dark—the solid earth, the withered branches of the trees, even the distant outline of the city.
But as footsteps grew clearer, a fantastical light flickered on the horizon. The silver swordsman, the radiant Rider, even the assassin hidden beneath a black cloak was surrounded by cheering azure winds.
"Ah, this is so slow~ When are we ever going to get back at this rate?"
Accompanying his master's complaint, his pink ponytail swayed discontentedly before smacking a certain fat man in the face with a thwap.
Master Gordes—precisely because of him, the Servants couldn't dematerialize and return, forced instead to carry him back on foot.
"Rider," Siegfried reminded quietly, adjusting his grip on his master to avoid Astolfo's 'attack'.
"Ah, sorry! Didn't mean to."
"At this pace, we'll reach the Fortress of Millennia soon enough," Artoria said, manipulating her reinforced Invisible Air to propel the group forward. "But… has Mr. Gordes still not woken up?"
"Uh…" Siegfried's expression stiffened. "My apologies."
Back then, he had struck his master with the resolve to die, and his blow had carried a bit of… personal resentment. With a hit that heavy, it wouldn't be strange if Gordes remained unconscious until the next day.
"No worries, no worries! At least the outcome was happy for everyone, right?"
Astolfo was thoroughly enjoying the journey back with his companions. His complaints were merely due to his Eternal Arms Mastery and held no real weight. He glanced behind them and suddenly sighed.
"...Well, with this, our Master should be fine on her own from now on."
No explanation was needed—everyone knew who Astolfo was concerned about. Artoria reassured him, "It's alright. No matter what, Sakatsuki—the Red Faction's Assassin—will help her."
"Oh, right!" Astolfo smacked his forehead, his worries instantly replaced by cheer. "Come to think of it, I totally misjudged the Red Faction's Assassin. I always thought he was just some battle-loving powerhouse."
"Even without knowing his True Name, he is undoubtedly a hero," Siegfried nodded in agreement, praising Sakatsuki for saving Sieg.
'And cunning—no, downright sly. After all, you two fools gave him the biggest advantage and are still happily counting his money for him…'
Artoria shook her head helplessly, unable to bear looking at her oblivious companions any longer, though a faint smile tugged at her lips.
Sakatsuki was being praised, and as his king, Artoria felt a sense of pride.
Speak of the devil—the thread of causality between master and servant trembled, and Sakatsuki's calm voice echoed in Artoria's mind:
"Everything's going smoothly on my end. I'm taking Sieg—the homunculus—toward the village. What about you all?"
"Still on our way back, no obstacles encountered." Artoria whispered into the communication line with her Master while sandwiched between Astolfo and Siegfried, finding the covert operation strangely exhilarating. A faint smile played on her lips as she teased, "But guess what? Both Rider and Saber have been praising you."
As she spoke, she couldn't help imagining Sakatsuki's reaction—would he be surprised, or would that fox-like smirk appear?
Yet after a brief silence, her Master merely responded with a flat "Hmm":
"Good. This trust will facilitate my future operations."
"...That's it?"
"That's it. What else?" Sakatsuki countered. "This is all part of the deception. Did you expect me to rejoice over such hollow praise?"
Cold as ice... Artoria pursed her lips but dropped the banter. "By diverting the Black Faction's attention to you, what about the homunculus who became Rider's Master? What's your plan for her?"
"Once caught in the vortex of the Holy Grail War, there's no escape. I'll guide her along the way, ensuring she returns to the battlefield of her own will."
"Wait... returns?" Artoria was incredulous. "But didn't we want her to gain freedom?"
"When did I ever say that? Besides, if returning to the war is her own choice, isn't that freedom in itself?"
"She would never do that!"
"Why not?" Sakatsuki challenged. "The longing and gratitude toward the Servants who saved her; the guilt and sense of responsibility for escaping while her kin still suffer—aren't these noble qualities precisely the first hues you heroes imprinted upon her soul?"
Through longing and gratitude, the homunculus would yearn to reunite with Astolfo.
Through guilt and responsibility, she'd willingly return to the Black camp to raise the banner of rebellion for her oppressed brethren.
This was why Sakatsuki saved her—and the future he envisioned.
"..."
Artoria fell silent, rendered speechless. Oblivious to his Servant's turmoil, Sakatsuki continued, "Currently, with Saber Siegfried, Caster Avicebron, plus Red's Caster Shakespeare, myself, Jack, and you, we have six Servants in the Blue camp. Still insufficient against both Red and Black."
Not just numerically—Shakespeare and Jack couldn't match top-tier Servants either.
"Black Lancer Vlad III is doomed during Red's invasion. Archer Chiron and Berserker Frankenstein lack obvious weaknesses, making elimination preferable over recruitment. Thus, no more Black Servants warrant courting."
Sakatsuki's analysis flowed seamlessly, compelling even the sulking Artoria to listen intently.
"For Red, I'm orchestrating a major play. Ideally, everyone except Amakusa and Semiramis would defect to Black. However, one pair remains exempt—they operate beyond Red's chain of command, untouchable even by Amakusa."
Without giving Artoria time to ponder what he might do on the Red faction's side, Sakatsuki directly named the member of that group: "Red Saber Mordred. At this stage, she is the most likely candidate to join our Blue faction."
Red Saber? Indeed, in terms of strength and factional closeness, she would be the most suitable ally for us... Wait, something feels off here...
It wasn't until this moment that Artoria belatedly widened her beautiful eyes, a flash of panic and avoidance fleeting through her green pupils:
"Wait, Lord Sakatsuki? What are you saying? That's Mordred we're talking about! That troublesome knight!"
The once and future king, whose heart had found resolution but whose regrets remained unfulfilled, protested loudly: "Even if I don't mind, she would draw her sword and attack me the moment she sees me!"
"Aren't you father and child? If there's conflict, just fight it out."
"Fight it out?" Artoria's tone turned ominous. "Lord Sakatsuki, are you trying to wipe Romania off the world map? Moreover, doing so would definitely reveal our true names."
'...Did the Throne of Heroes not receive the memories of Chaldea's Servants?' Sakatsuki wondered, then quickly understood. 'Ah, right. Given Ritsuka's capabilities, it would be hard for Artoria to die there. Not to mention Chaldea's food is definitely better than Avalon's.'
A Servant's memories only return to the Throne of Heroes after death. Therefore, this incarnated Artoria wouldn't know about the heart-to-heart talk Sakatsuki and Artoria had shared on that island.
But Sakatsuki the Assassin wasn't considerate enough to spare Artoria's feelings.
"We'll discuss the details with Reika tonight. Now for the final matter—your true name."
Although Artoria had been wearing the degraded version of the Cloak of Hades that Sakatsuki projected, constantly concealing her identity would ultimately make it difficult to gain others' trust.
Moreover, the intensity of the coming battles wouldn't allow Artoria to get by with just Invisible Air.
"By my authority as your Master, I command you, Artoria: you are permitted to unleash your Noble Phantasm in the coming battles," Sakatsuki declared. "As for the magical energy consumption, we'll use the Black faction's homunculus battery system. I must admit, that fat Gordes did a decent job in this regard."
The same Sakatsuki who had saved a homunculus now coldly regarded her kin as mere fuel—simple magical energy blocks to power Noble Phantasms.
This wasn't contradictory. In Sakatsuki's eyes, saving the homunculus hadn't been an act of morality, but simply acquiring a useful pawn.
Artoria sighed inwardly, fully grasping the Assassin's way of doing things.
'...I'll avoid using my Noble Phantasm if possible. And if I must, I'll pay the cost with my own magical energy.'
With this resolution in mind, Artoria responded quietly.
"Understood, my Master."