Roche Frain Yggdmillennia had never experienced such a bad start.
As a thirteen-year-old golem master and the head of the Frain family, his life had been smooth sailing since he could remember. Whether it was his perfect adaptation to the family's magic foundation or his academic research in the field of golems, he was a recognized genius, and also the most talented member of the currently gathered Yggdmillennia clan.
And for this Holy Grail War, which was crowned with the survival and demise of the family, Roche had great expectations. Of course, his expectations were not for the honor of the family, survival or demise, or even the almighty Holy Grail. For him, it was just an extra. What he really wanted was to personally summon the most famous golem master in the field of golem studies, who had even dared to imitate the gods with mortal magic to create the 'Primordial Man (Adam)', Avicebron.
As a genius child who saw the research of golems as more important than human life, to be Avicebron's disciple and learn the ultimate knowledge of golems from him, this was his desire for this Holy Grail War. Even in terms of his personal goals, he didn't care which side won. The so-called family, relatives, how could they be as important as the research of golems? In a sense, he and Avicebron were a perfect match.
But on that day, all that he had been looking forward to was ruined by that perverted woman named Reines. Because she had violated their oath and had summoned a Servant first, and the one she had summoned was not her original Rider, Astolfo, but the Caster magus, Merlin, who had no connection with Astolfo at all.
But how could this be?
Clearly using a Rider's catalyst, yet summoning a Caster who had no connection at all. How could such a thing happen?! Although later, from the mouth of that 'Merlin', who for some reason was a woman, he learned that she had actually come down unexpectedly by following the bond between that catalyst and another Heroic Spirit, 'Bradamante'. And whether it was the leader of Yggdmillennia, Darnic, or the other Masters like Reines, they all expressed great joy at summoning the great sage Merlin. But Roche just couldn't accept it.
You're happy, but what about me? My ideal, my pursuit, my teacher Avicebron, who's going to make up for these for me!
But no matter how dissatisfied and noisy he was, as the head of the family, but still just a thirteen-year-old child, in the end, he still couldn't go against the family's will, nor could he reverse the summoning of a Heroic Spirit.
But things were not completely without a turning point. Although he was engrossed in the research of golems, he had once, by chance, seen a record in the manuscript of a magus who had participated in many Holy Grail Wars. That is, if a Servant of the Caster class had a high enough mastery of magic in his life, then after being summoned as a Caster-class Heroic Spirit, and after meeting some conditions, it was possible for him to summon another Servant. And among the summoned limitations, it happened to include the Caster class he wanted, that is, Avicebron.
Thus, this became his last hope.
After exploring the remaining holy relics in the Yggdmillennia treasury, he planned to summon the Rider-class Bradamante to show goodwill to Merlin. After all, she had personally admitted that she had come down following Bradamante's bond, so their relationship must be very good, right?
The thirteen-year-old, whose mind and IQ were all focused on researching golems, thought so.
And when he saw the four silhouettes in the light of the Heroic Spirit summoning, which were two men and two women, he was instantly excited, thinking he was about to succeed. But when the light dissipated, and the pink-haired woman dressed as a female knight said with a grin that she was Astolfo, he was completely dumbfounded.
Why?! Why is it Astolfo?! Why is one of the two women among these two men and two women a trap!!!
From hope to despair, and then seeing hope again only to have it completely extinguished by a little trap, he finally couldn't help but completely explode. "Answer me! Wasn't I using Bradamante's mount's feather? Why did you come out!"
He looked at the pink-haired 'girl' before him with a frantic face, his still-childish face full of resentment.
"Mmm, it seems it's because Master, you used this child's feather to summon, right?"
The Astolfo who had lost some things seemed not to have been affected by his Master's chaotic emotions at all. A signature cute and joyful smile still hung on his face. As he spoke, he also waved his hand and summoned a hippogriff, a fantastical beast with the front half of an eagle and the back half of a horse.
"See, it's this guy. From the looks of it, Master, you were probably trying to summon Sir Bradamante, right? That's really a pity. The one who came out this time was me."
"You bastard..." Hearing his words, the anger in his heart instantly intensified. But he also knew that this was not the other party deliberately mocking him, but because the Astolfo who had been specialized as a Rider had a solidified skill.
[Evaporation of Sanity (EX)]
That is, he did things and spoke without thinking, thinking of something and doing it. All his actions and values and thoughts were based on his own joyful ideas. In short, he was brainless.
Damn it, to think that the summoned Servant is such a big brain, and has no connection at all with a calm and wise Caster. I'm so angry!
He felt his reason rapidly decreasing, and even his enthusiastic smile at this time became a bit hideous. But before he could speak again, a female voice suddenly interrupted him. "Hey, I say, Roche, you should stop. Compared to your originally planned Caster who lacked combat power, you should be content with becoming a Rider's Master."
Hearing this, the gazes of everyone present were attracted by this voice. And when they found that the speaker was the one who had originally planned to summon Astolfo but had unexpectedly summoned Caster, Reines, they all suddenly understood. After all, everyone had witnessed this black witch's hobby. And at this time, the strange look in her eyes as she looked at Astolfo and the subconscious licking of her lips were all indicating something.
"Then if you like him so much, you can exchange your Caster with me."
Hearing this, he, whose emotions were extremely unstable at this time and who already had resentment towards her, immediately retorted. Unexpectedly, in the face of these words which, although spoken in anger, should have been in line with her heart, Reines surprisingly did not show any joyful emotion. But after hesitating and struggling for a while, she subconsciously cast her gaze towards the girl who was below the throne, who was white-haired but actually closer to gray-white.
"Hee hee."
The girl who called herself Merlin clearly also noticed this gaze and immediately showed her a smile. But for some reason, after seeing this clearly harmless smile, Reines, extremely abnormally, shivered, and a trace of fear appeared in her eyes. But under this fear, there was also a hidden, different kind of desire. Subconsciously clenching her legs, she forced herself to remain calm and answered. "Th-that's not right. As Masters of the same camp, exchanging Servants is a bit too disrespectful to them, isn't it? So let's not talk about this kind of thing."
Hearing this, a strange expression appeared on the faces of all the Yggdmillennia members present.
Respect? It's hard to imagine hearing this word from the mouth of Reines, this black magus who took pleasure in torturing young boys. Then all this change, is it Merlin?
Subconsciously, associating it with recent events, everyone couldn't help but guess. But clearly, this was not the place to talk about this kind of thing.
"Enough. Since you are all warriors who have descended upon my territory for the same goal, then no matter who you are, no matter who you have served before, you are now all under my command. I do not wish to see the heroes who fight for my territory being insulted just after they have descended. Do you understand, Rider's Master."
As if he had sensed that Roche still wanted to say something, the one who was high on the throne, the Lancer summoned by the leader of Yggdmillennia, and also the undisputed number one hero on this land, a king on par with the gods, the 'Impaler Lord'—Vlad III, spoke coldly.
"Did you hear, Roche? Still not retreating!"
Seeing that the king's expression had clearly become displeased, Darnic, who had been silent all along, quickly shouted to stop Roche, who was still standing there. And the latter, under pressure, finally had to give up, but the resentment on his face had not dissipated at all.
"Mhm."
Seeing this scene, Vlad III's face finally eased a little. Then he waved his big hand and ordered the few summoned Servants to begin a simple self-introduction of their class, true name, and so on, according to the normal procedure.
Finally, the Servants who had been unable to interject because of the argument between the Masters also began to accept their own one by one. The first one was the most lively and cheerful Rider of Black, Astolfo.
"O-oi, although I was summoned by some mysterious Holy Grail rule, and my Master doesn't seem to like me very much, but seeing that everyone seems very strong and amazing, I'm still very happy to meet you all! Then let's start the self-introduction with me?!"
"As you can see, I am one of the twelve paladins of the Holy Roman Emperor (Charlemagne), Astolfo. This time I have manifested as a Rider class. Please take care of me, everyone!"
After speaking, Astolfo eagerly looked at the tall young man beside him who was holding an ancient longbow and gave off a gentle and favorable impression. "Hey, hey, what about you?"
"Is it my turn?"
Although the young man's face was serene, he was clearly a little unable to cope with Astolfo's familiar nature. After a slight pause, he said, "Servant, Archer. I have answered the call of the Holy Grail. My true name is Chiron, the centaur from the cave of Mount Pelion in Greece. Please take care of me."
As he spoke, Chiron cast his gaze towards the girl in the wheelchair, Fiore Forvedge Yggdmillennia, that is, his Master. "Hello, my Master."
As if he had sensed that the girl's expression was a little shy, this hero's mentor showed her a gentle smile. "Hello, Mr. Chiron."
Because she had been confined in the clan for a long time, Fiore's tone was clearly shy when she spoke to him. But after seeing his spring-breeze-like smile, that shyness was also gradually decreasing and adapting.
"Oh, I didn't expect it to be the sage of the centaurs from Greek mythology, who had taught countless heroes. I didn't expect that you, as a god, would also have a will to entrust to the Holy Grail and be willing to become my subordinate."
Clearly, compared to Astolfo, who only existed in knightly novels, the Grand Duke was very surprised and attached great importance to his appearance. After all, this was Chiron, the teacher of the great hero Heracles, and also a genuine god.
"Your Majesty, you flatter me."
As a sage, Chiron was clearly full of wisdom in his social interactions. He first bowed to the Grand Duke, then explained with a light laugh, "Actually, the me of now is the me who was accidentally injured by my disciple in the myth, and who lost my divinity because of the Hydra's venom. And the wish I want to entrust to the Holy Grail is also to regain my divinity. So there is no need to see me as a god or anything. Just treat me as an Archer. "
"In any case, my army still welcomes your joining, great sage."
The Grand Duke sitting on the throne nodded in response. "Then, the next..."
With the Grand Duke's words, everyone once again cast their gaze towards the next Servant. It was a tall man, his whole body covered in shining armor, his face handsome and steady, a greatsword on his back, and a head of long, silver-gray hair.
At this time, his gaze was neither on his own Master nor on his Servant comrades. But from the moment he had descended, he had turned his head, his gaze passing through the floor-to-ceiling window of the castle, looking towards the endless distance.
"Saber, Saber, Saber?"
With Darnic calling out three times in a row, the silver-gray swordsman finally seemed to have come to his senses and turned his head to face everyone. "I'm sorry, everyone. I was distracted by something just now."
"No matter. Your true name is...?"
"Wait a minute, Saber! You can't say it!"
Before everyone could ask, the Master of Saber of Black, Gordes, impatiently interrupted them. Then, in the puzzled gazes of everyone, he explained, "No, Saber's name is one of the most important secrets in this Holy Grail War. No one can know it except for me and Darnic!"
Looking at his arrogant appearance, Reines couldn't help but mock, "Hey, hey, didn't we agree to share the true names of our Servants with each other? How come it doesn't count when it's your turn?"
"I don't care! Anyway, I can't tell you Saber's true name. Saber, come with me!"
Saying this, Gordes didn't care how ugly Reines's expression became. After getting a signal from Darnic, he left with the swordsman, whose gaze had unknowingly turned to the distance again.
"I'm sorry, my King. For the protection of Saber's combat power, we temporarily cannot reveal his name," Darnic lowered his head and explained softly, seeing the thoughtful expression on the Grand Duke's face beside him.
"No matter. Since he is a hero whose true name is so important, then it's fine to hide it." The Grand Duke waved his hand, not particularly caring about this matter, but instead focusing his attention on the last Servant—a petite woman whose face was covered by a helmet, wearing a battle skirt and leg armor. But what was inconsistent with her petite figure was that her waist and abdomen exposed a large area of fair skin and a perfectly lined six-pack. This almost perfect body gave off a sense of fitness like a cheetah. Clearly, this was a powerful and well-built female warrior.
"Then the last one. From the looks of it, it's a Berserker, right? If you haven't been driven mad, tell me your true name," the Grand Duke knocked on the armrest of his throne and said in a loud voice.
"You don't need to know my true name, Black King."
But to everyone's surprise, this Berserker, summoned by Fiore's younger brother, Caules, did not seem to have the usual Berserker characteristics of madness and loss of reason. On the contrary, she could still understand language and speak, that is, she could communicate normally. It was just that from the current situation, it seemed that she was not willing to communicate.
"Oh? You're going to hide it too." Hearing her words, the Grand Duke couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly.
But before the girl could answer anything, Chiron, who had been staring at her on the side, as if he had thought of something, couldn't help but show a look of astonishment in his eyes. Subconsciously, he said, "I see, I know who you are..."
The next moment, before he could finish, a huge iron hammer was suddenly thrown by the Berserker, and with a sharp whistling sound, it smashed towards the former like a meteor.
Bang—!
With a loud bang, and a splash of countless rubble, the castle floor, which had been reinforced by Yggdmillennia, was actually smashed through by this casual blow from the Berserker. Even the entire building had trembled violently in that blow just now.
"So strong!!!"
Involuntarily, the Masters, who were a little unsteady from the tremor, exclaimed after seeing this scene.
"Phew..."
Looking at the large hole at his feet, Chiron couldn't help but let out a breath. Although as an Archer class, he still retained the skill of Pankration, but looking at this power, it was clearly not something his strength could block. If it weren't for the fact that he had run fast and had Instinct (True), he might have been injured by a comrade. What's more, as a hero's mentor and with a trace of divinity, he would definitely be targeted by the other party...
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a little scared.
Should I say, as expected of her... this monstrous strength is really too terrifying.
"Sage of the centaurs, as a hero's mentor and once a Greek god, you should have been a target of my pursuit. But for some reason, I don't want to make a move on you for the time being. So you'd better not provoke me either, understand."
Casually pulling back the heavy iron hammer, the girl-like Berserker said coldly to him. "Understood."
Seeing that with just one word, the girl showed signs of going berserk again, Chiron quickly answered. It wasn't until her aura became stable again that he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. But then his expression became complicated again.
If it really is her, then without a doubt, the person whose death is inextricably entangled with hers must have also come to this Holy Grail War.
Thinking of the former master and disciple now having to become opponents who would kill each other, he couldn't help but feel a little complicated.
"..."
On the throne, the Grand Duke, whose clothes were pitch-black but whose face was extremely pale, quietly watched this scene, a light flowing in his eyes, his thoughts unclear.
On the side, Darnic, seeing this scene, silently lowered his head to hide the emotions churning in his eyes.
And at this moment, the white-haired girl who had been hiding in the shadow of the throne finally stepped out. She had a smile on her lips. Even in this indoor night, she was still holding a white parasol. Her deep purple eyes could not hide her joy. "It's so good to see that everyone is so interesting. Then it's time for me to introduce myself, right?"
"Then, Caster Merlin, the observer of Avalon, the great magus of Britain, and also the guide of King Arthur, greets you, all you heroes~"
....
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