Millennia Castle.
The King's Chamber.
Shirou, standing to the side, looked at all the Servants and Masters of the Black Faction, except Siegfried and Astolfo, and couldn't help but smile, "It seems everyone is here!"
"Indeed, now everyone except those two traitors who are protecting the homunculus has arrived!" Vlad III surveyed everyone in the hall and said seriously, "Assassin, regarding your strong support for those two culprits, do you have any explanation?"
"Of course, I have something to explain!" Stepping forward from the side, Shirou said seriously, "With all due respect, Great Lord. Those two are not traitors; they are heroes who upheld their honor."
"Honestly, our Black Faction has now reached an extremely dangerous point in this incident!"
"Don't be an alarmist, Assassin! I think you're just trying to cover for them!" Gordes, who had woken from his coma and was enraged by being knocked out by his own Servant, roared loudly.
Ignoring Gordes's roar, Shirou said seriously, "Actually, when I arrived, the situation was extremely urgent. If I had been any slower, Saber would have had to tear out his own heart to save that homunculus!"
"What?! Has the situation progressed to that extent?!"
Darnic, on the side, instantly stood up upon hearing that
Siegfried almost died. One must know, Siegfried was now the Black Faction's general! Besides Vlad III, who was off-the-charts due to regional bonuses, the strongest members of the Black Faction were Siegfried and Shirou.
If Siegfried died, it would undoubtedly be a huge disaster for the Black Faction.
"That's right, because Mr. Gordes was unwilling to treat the homunculus, Siegfried, having no other choice, could only resort to such means. After all, he was originally someone who would sacrifice himself for the wishes of others!"
"Bastard!" Darnic furiously stepped down from the platform and kicked Gordes to the ground. "How many foolish things do you plan to do, you idiot!"
"You almost killed Saber?!"
"If it weren't for the fact that you're Saber's Master, I'd really want to kill you!" As a former participant in the Holy Grail War, Darnic naturally knew that getting along with Heroic Spirits was an extremely troublesome matter. Therefore, before this war began, he constantly admonished them to pay attention to communication with their Servants. Figure out what the other party is thinking, to avoid complications. But Gordes actually almost killed Saber because of this; how could he not be angry?
"Siegfried, as a hero, merely wanted to save, even if it was just one person! For that, he would not hesitate to sacrifice his life!"
"Astolfo is the same; as a hero, saving the weak is only natural, isn't it?"
"As far as I know, Chiron also participated in saving the homunculus in this incident, which shows everyone's will!" Walking to Vlad III's side, Shirou said seriously, "Everyone here is a Heroic Spirit, a legendary hero, a
powerful individual who saves others."
"Although that child is just a homunculus, from the moment he wanted to live and escaped from underground, he could already live as a human!"
"Great Lord, casually extinguishing that child's life would undoubtedly cause dissent within our Black Faction."
"..."
"Indeed!"
"If I were to make my loyal warriors abandon their honorable justice, how would I be different from a mediocre king!" Facing Shirou's argument, Vlad III slowly nodded.
"But that homunculus could very well be the core of Master's Noble Phantasm, an extremely important existence to us!" Russell, who had been silent since
entering, suddenly spoke up.
"Are you absolutely certain it's him?"
"No, I'm not entirely certain." Caster Avicebron, who had been silent, slowly said.
"In that case, how about excluding him? After all, Avicebron's Noble Phantasm core isn't unique. Whether he's used or someone else is, the effect should be no different, right?"
"And, though it might sound a bit harsh on Avicebron, in terms of priority, Mr. Avicebron's Noble Phantasm probably isn't as important as Siegfried's or Astolfo's, right?"
"Although Avicebron's Noble Phantasm is strong, it's not invincible."
"Whether it's me, Siegfried, or the Great Lord. It cannot
be invincible even within our own faction, let alone in the Red Faction."
"Of course, I also know that creating it is Avicebron's wish, and we will assist you in achieving it. It's just that we don't want that homunculus to become the core, how about that?"
"..."
"Then so be it!" Avicebron knew very well that everyone in the room had already been persuaded by the Assassin before them. Even if he objected, it would be useless except for alienating his teammates. Although he couldn't use that homunculus as the core, there should be other candidates. Even if there weren't, he still had backup plans. Thinking this, Avicebron couldn't help but look at his disciple, Russell. This child, he must be able to become a suitable core!
Noticing Avicebron's gaze, Russell turned back and asked with a smile, "What's wrong, Master?"
"Nothing, just been here too long, we need to go back!"
"Then let's go back, Master!"
"Since the discussion about this incident is complete, everyone return to your respective duties!"
"Emiya, convey this to Saber and Rider!" Upon hearing Vlad III's words, Shirou responded with a smile, "Leave it to me!"
________________________________________
"Hehe, mission accomplished!"
"Yay!"
"Thank you so much, Shirou!" Upon hearing Shirou's notification, Astolfo excitedly jumped up. He wasn't happy because he wouldn't be punished. He was thrilled that the homunculus before him was finally out of danger and could live peacefully. At the same time, Siegfried also revealed a satisfied smile. After all, he had also contributed greatly to saving this child!
"Don't celebrate too soon. Have you thought about this child's future?"
"Future?"
"Of course, his future! You don't think this counts as saving him, do you?"
"To adjust his body, we'll definitely have to wait until after the Holy Grail War, but by then, you might all be gone, and there will be no way to guarantee his safety."
"Then what should we do?"
"We can only entrust him to a Master, but neither of
your Masters are very reliable!"
"..."
"However, after my secret observation, I found that only Chiron's Master and Frankenstein's Master are reliable, but among them, the one with strength is indeed Chiron's Master!"
"You mean Fiore?" Hearing Shirou's insights, both Astolfo and Siegfried turned their gaze to Chiron, who had entered with Shirou.
"..."
"I can certainly help you ask for Fiore's opinion, but do you have anything you can offer as a price?"
"We can help you fight others in the internal war!"
"Hey, hey, hey, aren't 'your others' just me and the Great Lord?" Astolfo's words clearly implied that the three of them would team up! Plus Fiore's brother and Frankenstein. Besides those four, there were only Shirou, Vlad III, and Avicebron left. How could Avicebron be a match for their four opponents!
________________________________________