…
"There's a Servant in this Holy Grail War who's proving to be rather troublesome."
"To be honest, I'm not confident I can defeat that guy with absolute certainty. So I'd like to form an alliance with you—at least while there are still other Servants remaining."
That was the truth.
If he hadn't suddenly gained a Divinity-based debuff that Gilgamesh hard-countered, Leon would have already charged in alone without hesitation.
But reality was reality.
Compatibility mattered—a lot.
Within the framework of the Servant system, where each Heroic Spirit's upper limit was effectively locked in place, the strength Leon could exert was roughly on the same level as Gilgamesh. Both of them were essentially operating at their respective ceilings.
And Gilgamesh's Noble Phantasm, Enkidu – The Chains of Heaven, was practically the perfect counter against someone like Leon, who possessed low-level Divinity. Once caught, escaping would be nearly impossible.
Leon simply couldn't guarantee victory.
As someone once said:
"If your chance of victory is only ninety-eight percent, that's basically the same as courting death."
So for the sake of safety, Leon needed allies.
"An alliance?"
Artoria glanced at the eerily calm Berserker standing behind Leon, then turned toward her own Master, Kiritsugu Emiya, and said seriously:
"As a Servant, I should follow my Master's judgment."
"Kiritsugu Emiya—what do you think?"
"Will you fight us here and now, or gain two reliable allies instead? I swear upon this Holy Sword that I will not betray the oath. Victory will be ours."
Leon turned to Kiritsugu.
In an instant, the Holy Sword appeared in his hand.
Brilliant golden radiance gathered around the blade, dazzling and overwhelming. Combined with the restless killing intent coming from Matou Kariya behind him, the threat in the air was unmistakable.
Seeing this scene—
Artoria's mouth twitched slightly.
Has the Holy Sword's judgment gone wrong…?
How did it choose someone who looks so… utterly lacking in justice as its wielder?
Could it be that the world had fallen into some new crisis requiring the Holy Sword to be drawn?
That was the only explanation she could think of.
Yet according to the modern knowledge implanted into her by the Greater Grail, contemporary society appeared peaceful and orderly. There was no world-ending disaster demanding the Holy Sword's power.
Did I guess wrong?
Artoria grew more confused the longer she thought about it.
What she didn't know was that the "sacred and flawless Holy Sword" she admired had already been forcefully bound to Leon by his mysterious system.
"An alliance, huh…"
Kiritsugu Emiya fell into thought.
If Leon could be trusted, forming an alliance wasn't a bad choice.
Even if the war eventually came down to Saber and Berserker, with Leon himself added to the equation as a Holy Sword wielder—
Kiritsugu still had something more reliable than the legendary Holy Sword itself.
He didn't believe that Saber + Avalon would lose to a mere inexperienced Holy Sword wielder + a mentally unstable Berserker.
Kiritsugu judged Leon as "inexperienced" because before this moment, he had never once heard the name Leon Stark within the Magecraft world.
From their brief interaction, Kiritsugu reasoned:
If Leon had possessed the Holy Sword for a long time, someone with such a flamboyant personality would have long been designated by the Clock Tower for Sealing Designation.
Since the Clock Tower had taken no action, it meant Leon must have acquired the sword very recently.
He was likely just a lucky individual suddenly chosen by the Holy Sword—forced into action to deal with some unknown crisis.
If the Holy Grail War ended before Leon fully mastered the sword, then even in a direct confrontation, Kiritsugu's side would still have the advantage.
After all—
Leon didn't know about Avalon.
"Saber, what do you think?"
"Do you believe this Holy Sword wielder, Leon Stark, is someone we can trust?"
After thinking for a long time, Kiritsugu ultimately handed the decision to Saber—the one most familiar with the Holy Sword.
He might dislike Artoria's identity as a woman, but he had no doubt about the noble character of the legendary King of Knights.
"Master, although this man is extremely frivolous and his character is… questionable,"
Artoria said with a solemn expression,
"I believe in the Holy Sword's judgment."
Even if the man had ulterior motives, the moment he swore upon the Holy Sword, that oath carried weight.
Therefore, he could be trusted.
"I see…"
Kiritsugu smoothly returned his Glock 17 to his coat and extended his hand.
"Pleasure working with you, Holy Sword wielder—and Master of Berserker. Leon Stark."
Leon smiled and shook it.
"Likewise. Magus Killer, Master of Saber—Kiritsugu Emiya."
Kiritsugu's eyebrows lifted slightly.
Leon had just spoken his infamous nickname.
That meant Leon was not completely ignorant of the Magecraft world after all.
It seemed Kiritsugu would have to revise his earlier judgment.
Still, though the situation felt more urgent, he also felt relieved.
At the very least, they had gained a powerful ally—which greatly increased their chances of obtaining the Holy Grail.
With the alliance established, Leon withdrew the Conqueror's Haki he had been releasing.
Since it had only been directed at the homunculus combat maids, both Kiritsugu and Artoria assumed the ability belonged to Matou Kariya .
Soon afterward, the maids Leon had knocked unconscious gradually woke up.
Once they learned that Leon had formed an alliance with Kiritsugu, their attitude immediately changed.
They became surprisingly tolerant of Leon's shameless flirting.
The only thing holding them back was that "Leon's Grip" still wasn't smooth enough to make them fully comfortable accepting it.
Children, after all, rarely have complicated schemes.
So Sakura Matou and Illyasviel quickly began playing together.
More accurately, it was Illya's bright and outgoing personality dragging the quiet and reserved Sakura along.
During this time, Sakura repeatedly shot Leon pitiful looks asking for help.
Leon completely ignored her.
In fact, he was happy to see Illya slowly pry open Sakura's guarded heart and help her behave more like a normal child.
As for Leon himself—
He turned into Artoria's shadow, sticking to her like glue.
"Master of Berserker! Why are you staring at me like that? That's extremely rude!"
On the road back to Einzbern Castle, Artoria finally snapped after Leon practically leaned his face next to hers.
"Well~"
Leon grinned.
"To think the legendary King Arthur is actually such a petite girl… the contrast is adorable. I think I'm starting to fall for you, Artoria."
"I have never considered myself a woman," Artoria replied calmly.
"Therefore, I do not experience emotions such as romantic love. Moreover… my ending has already been decided."
As she spoke, Artoria gradually sank into a gloomy mood.
At that moment—
Irisviel, acting as the team's mediator, stepped in and changed the subject.
"In situations where it isn't necessary, I hope you'll keep Saber's true name secret."
"For a Servant, that information is extremely important."
"I see. Learned something new today."
Leon nodded slyly.
"I was actually thinking about telling you Berserker's true name…"
"But now I've changed my mind."
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