Three Yggdmillennia Magi were waiting to greet Shirou and the others at the castle entrance.
At their head was Fiore, seated in a wheelchair. Behind her stood Siegfried's Master, Gordes, and Frankenstein's Master, Caules.
Shirou thought, There are fewer of them than I expected.
Leaving aside Darnic, who had turned into a vampire and fled, where had everyone else gone?
Still, the fact that they had taken the initiative to invite them here and come out to greet them was a sign that they wanted friendly relations.
Perhaps the Magi of Yggdmillennia still retained their pride as nobles, but they also had no choice but to acknowledge that, in terms of strength, the "Black" Saber stood above them.
He was also the only existence capable of saving them from the Mage's Association's reckoning.
Shirou had no interest in forming an alliance with anyone besides Mordred, but Jeanne had been nagging him nonstop from the side, so he decided he might as well hear what they had to say.
Incidentally, the Holy Maiden was still angry because Shirou had touched her body without permission in the car.
"Hello. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Fiore Forvedge Yggdmillennia, acting leader of the 'Black' faction."
Shirou was surprised. Darnic had only disappeared last night, and they had already chosen a new clan head today?
The Yggdmillennia clan was a large family with nearly a hundred Magi, and its sphere of influence even extended to Japan and Russia...
She must have been recognized as Darnic's successor long ago, most likely because of her skill in Magecraft.
Shirou nodded and calmly said, "It's a pleasure to meet you. I am the 'Black' Saber..."
"Don't be ridiculous!!"
The moment the red-haired boy introduced himself, the middle-aged man beside Fiore let out a low growl.
Gordes glared at Shirou with bloodshot eyes and barked, "The 'Black' Saber, Siegfried, is my Servant. You don't get to use his title without permission!"
The Magus's plump body trembled slightly. From the way he was gritting his teeth, it was obvious that he was not afraid. He was furious.
So this man was Siegfried's...
The corner of Shirou's mouth lifted slightly. Suddenly, the world of Magi felt very small.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Gordes Musik."
Gordes froze.
"How do you know my name?"
The Gordes Shirou knew was not the Gordes of this worldline, but the one from his own world.
The Musik family was a Magus lineage that became technical partners of Irisviel after she became the ninth head of the Einzbern Family.
Originally, the Musiks were a prestigious alchemical family with a long history, one that had once been comparable to the Einzbern Family.
Prestigious, in this case, meant exactly what it sounded like.
They had achieved almost nothing of note in the Magecraft world. Their family had simply existed for a long time and possessed somewhat more assets than other Magi.
From what Shirou knew of that family, their pride was far too high for them to ever allow themselves to submit to or join another Magus family.
It seemed that the Musik family in this world had declined even further than he had imagined, to the point that they had even squandered the savings they had built up over hundreds of years.
The Gordes in Shirou's memory was a rather arrogant man, but here he was, defying a Heroic Spirit countless times stronger than himself for the sake of his Servant?
"Could it be... did the 'Black' Saber tell you?"
Gordes asked with a frown.
"Hm? Well... I suppose you could say that."
After a moment's thought, Shirou began making things up. "After I defeated him, Siegfried passed the title of 'Black' Saber on to me... something like that."
Gordes' face turned pale, then flushed red. "As a condition... did that man ask you to look after his Master?
"Tch... what a meddlesome fellow!!"
Shirou was speechless. No, no, no, he never said anything like that. What are you imagining on your own?
Gordes sank into a state of self-induced emotion.
With a pained expression, he looked up at the high ceiling of the castle, as if reminiscing about the years he had spent fighting alongside the Great Hero.
But the two of you barely fought together at all, didn't you?
"Hmph!"
Gordes snorted disdainfully. "If you are a man Siegfried acknowledged, then I will say no more."
"But don't misunderstand. Even if Siegfried accepted you, I still..."
Perhaps realizing that this would never end if she let him continue, Fiore moved her wheelchair in front of Gordes.
She smiled and said, "Yggdmillennia has prepared a splendid banquet for all of you. There is still some time before dinner, so please come inside the castle first."
Faced with the girl's invitation, Shirou remained unmoved. "Sorry, but we didn't come here for dinner.
"If you have something to say, please say it clearly here..."
At that moment, a sound interrupted Shirou with an argument stronger than words.
It was the rumbling of a stomach. In other words, someone's stomach had growled.
Shirou looked unhappily at Mordred beside him. The girl looked shocked and shook her head desperately to proclaim her innocence.
"...It was me," Jeanne said, raising her hand with a red face.
Thinking back, Jeanne had collapsed into bed the moment she returned to the inn that morning, without even eating breakfast.
After waking up in the afternoon, she had stopped Shirou and the others just as they were about to head for the "Black" faction, so she had never had time to fill her stomach.
If she had been a Servant with sufficient magical energy, it would not have mattered, but right now she was possessing the body of a young girl.
"I'm sorry..."
Jeanne stole an apologetic glance at Shirou.
She had warned them on the way not to ruin the serious business at hand, so now she was certain he would scold her...
Yet to her surprise, Shirou did not get angry. Instead, he merely muttered, "Well, that can't be helped," and followed the Yggdmillennia Magi into the castle.
"...?"
Ruler was extremely confused.
Why was Artorius being so gentle today?
He was originally a gentle man, but he was always especially strict with me. And yet today, he's acting completely different...
Jeanne felt her heart start pounding. C-could it be...?
No, no, no, Jeanne, what are you thinking!? There's no way it could be something like that!
Mutual affec, ahem!
Artorius suddenly developing feelings for me...? That's impossible, ahahahaha...
Jeanne was still lost in her wild thoughts, failing to realize one thing.
Shirou's gentleness was not directed at her, but at the girl she was possessing, Leticia.
"Thank you..."
She softly murmured as she looked at the red-haired boy's back.
...
Shirou and the others were led to a luxurious waiting hall.
After receiving permission, Shirou decided to take a walk around the castle before dinner.
"Daddy~"
He had only just stepped into the corridor when he heard footsteps behind him.
Shirou turned around, and a girl over 170 centimeters tall threw herself into his arms.
"The 'Black' Berserker..."
The girl buried her head against Shirou's chest like a spoiled child, rubbing back and forth.
"You came all the way here to see me, didn't you?"
Faced with Berserker's pitiful gaze, Shirou could only nod, though his words were hardly sincere.
"Yeah, I did."
Hearing that, Frankenstein happily hugged his arm. "Great! I'll show you around, Daddy!"
"Sorry. Berserker must be causing you trouble."
Caules, the Magus who had greeted them at the entrance earlier, spoke apologetically. It seemed he was Berserker's Master, and apparently Fiore's younger brother as well.
"No, it's nothing like that." Shirou gave a helpless, wry smile.
Caules watched how close Frankenstein was to Shirou and asked curiously, "What did you do to Berserker? Oh, I don't mean that you did anything bad to her... I'm just curious."
Although Caules was Frankenstein's Master, he could not communicate with her through words.
After Summoning Berserker, he had spent a great deal of time and effort searching online and studying her, and had finally figured out a few patterns for getting along with her.
It was embarrassing to admit, but Caules had even felt a little proud of himself. Then Shirou had gained her trust so easily.
That dealt him quite a blow.
The reason Frankenstein had become able to speak was likely because she had broken through the restraints of the Berserker Class for the sake of communicating with him.
"You care about her a lot," Shirou said.
"Ahahaha..." Caules scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment.
So Shirou explained the situation to him. He had used Magecraft by sheer coincidence and repaired Berserker's short-circuited state.
"That's actually possible...!?"
Caules was shocked. "Mr. Saber, are you a highly skilled Magus?"
"I'm just good at fixing appliances," Shirou said.
"My Magecraft ability is terrible, and I'm not proficient in healing Magecraft either. I'm just very good at engineering work like 'clearing blocked circuits.'"
Caules said, "..."
"Fran isn't an appliance, Daddy~"
"Right, right."
Shirou reached out and stroked the girl's head, and she immediately stopped protesting.
"Is something wrong?"
Shirou noticed Caules holding his chin in thought.
"No, nothing..."
Caules quickly shook his head and changed the subject. "Mr. Saber, if it's all right with you, please let Berserker show you around the castle... I'm sure she'll be happy."
"It's not 'please let me.' I'm the one showing the way~"
Frankenstein puffed out her cheeks adorably.
For the next hour, Shirou was dragged around the half-ruined Fortress of Millennia by the "Black" Berserker.
In an abandoned hall, he saw a large number of wounded people. They were the Homunculi who had suffered serious injuries in the battles over the past few days.
Shirou used his usual appliance-repair method to heal some of the wounded.
As the Homunculi thanked him, a frail boy who looked only around ten years old tugged at Shirou's sleeve.
He remembered this kid. It was the Homunculus he had saved with Avalon several nights ago.
"Speaking of which, where's Rider?"
"Please save Rider!"
Following the room number the kid gave him, Shirou found the room of Rider's Master, Serenike.
When he pushed the door open, he saw the half-naked "Black" Rider lying on the bed.
His hands and feet were tied to the four corners of the bed, leaving him spread-eagled across it.
"I'm saying, can we call this quits already?"
A woman was sitting astride Astolfo, licking his face.
"Fufufu, no... your skin is just too beautiful. I could lick it all day and never get tired of it... Hm? Who's there?"
Hearing the door open, Serenike and Astolfo turned around and found themselves staring face-to-face with Shirou.
"...Sorry to interrupt. Please, take your time."
"Daddy~ What happened? I can't see anything!"
At the very last second, Shirou covered Frankenstein's eyes, then quietly backed out of the room.
"Wa-wait a second! Saber, you came! Why didn't you tell me~!"
Astolfo snapped the belts restraining him, shoved his Master aside, jumped off the bed, and dashed toward Shirou.
"Uh... put your clothes on first!" Shirou shouted. "Put your clothes on! Don't come hugging me like that!"
Astolfo changed clothes in a single second using magical energy, then threw himself at Shirou, only to be sent flying by Frankenstein's Monstrous Strength.
"Didn't Daddy tell you not to come close?"
"Come on, that's so stingy~"
Astolfo rubbed his head as he climbed up from the floor.
"Well then, I have something to do, so I'll be excusing myself, okay?"
After waving to his Master, the "Black" Rider chased after Shirou and Frankenstein, leaving the room behind.
"..."
Serenike watched Rider leave with hatred in her eyes.
...
Another half hour passed before a Homunculus found Shirou and told him to head to the banquet hall.
Shirou said goodbye to Frankenstein and Astolfo, then regrouped with Jeanne and Mordred before arriving at the banquet venue.
Yggdmillennia's dinner was being held buffet-style.
Aside from the three people from earlier, Rider's Master, Serenike, was also present, making four in total.
The numbers still don't add up...
Caster and his Master haven't shown themselves at all... Is it because they don't want our side to learn their strength?
Shirou did not pay it much mind and threw himself into battle with the food.
"Good evening, Mr. Saber."
Fiore was being pushed in her wheelchair by a handsome man, with her younger brother Caules following behind.
"Allow me to introduce him. This is my Servant, Archer."
Shirou put a piece of grilled meat into his mouth, nodded, and said, "So you're Archer? I heard about you from the 'Red' Saber."
Chiron paused, then sensed someone staring at him.
He turned and saw Mordred approaching while wolfing down food and glaring at him fiercely.
Seeing that the key figures of the banquet were gathering, Jeanne reluctantly put down her roast chicken and came to Shirou's side.
"Thank you very much for your hospitality."
Ruler's polite greeting was cut off midway by Shirou.
"What do you plan to do next?
"Now that you've lost Lancer and Saber, and even ownership of the Holy Grail is gone, Yggdmillennia can no longer stand against the 'Red' faction, can it?"
"Are you going to send an envoy to surrender to the Mage's Association? I doubt they'll accept."
"And who do you think took our Holy Grail...? Setting that aside for now, the Yggdmillennia clan has not given up on the Great Holy Grail War."
With a resolute expression, Fiore stressed that they had not yet lost completely.
"I heard from Uncle Darnic that Caster's Noble Phantasm is an A-rank Anti-Army Noble Phantasm. If that is true, then we should still have many ways to continue fighting."
"But relying on that alone."
"Be quiet."
Fiore raised a finger to silence her younger brother, then smiled warmly and held out her hand to Shirou.
"At this point, there is no longer any need for doubt. You are the strongest Heroic Spirit in this Great Holy Grail War."
"Arthur Pendragon, Ancestral King of Britannia and Savior of Paradise."
"Wielder of the Holy Sword, would you consider allowing the Yggdmillennia clan to place itself under your protection?"
"Uwah, she actually said 'place itself under your protection'... That's shameless as hell! Do you not have any pride at all?"
The blunt Mordred could not help but retort.
"..."
Deep down, Jeanne supported Shirou forming ties with the "Black" faction. Otherwise, she would not have gone out of her way to come along.
But when she saw another young woman actively showing favor toward Shirou, she suddenly grew tense.
A deeply unwilling feeling spread through her chest, leaving Jeanne at a loss.
Hearing Mordred's criticism, Fiore shrugged and put on a carefree, ingratiating smile.
"Oh my, it cannot be helped. Maintaining the current situation only leads to death."
"The Association will not spare Yggdmillennia after we betrayed their absolute authority. We will be made an example of, and our entire clan will likely be slaughtered."
"Rather than sit and wait for death, it would be better to submit to the powerful Mr. Saber and accept your protection."
"After all, you alone could defeat every member of the 'Red' faction, could you not?"
"No way..."
Shirou muttered under his breath. He was not even confident he could beat the "Red" Lancer one-on-one. At most, his chances were seventy percent.
Speaking of which, why is Ruler's expression getting worse and worse?
"Of course, we would not ask you to protect us for nothing. In exchange."
Fiore looked toward the artificial lifeforms hurrying back and forth through the banquet hall and said, "We are willing to release every Homunculus under Yggdmillennia."
"They may choose to return to freedom, or continue working for Yggdmillennia in the future."
"From this point on, only Yggdmillennia's Magi and Servants will take part in the Great Holy Grail War."
"Huh... Sister!?"
"Fiore! What in the world are you saying?"
Caules and Gordes cried out at the same time. Neither of them had been told about this beforehand.
"I see."
It seemed she had noticed Shirou's particular fondness for Homunculi with silver hair and red eyes.
And that fawning attitude she had shown him earlier had all been an act.
Shirou did not dislike that sort of willingness to do whatever it took for one's family.
He nodded. "Understood. I."
"Please wait."
An unexpected interruption.
Ruler stepped in front of Shirou.
For some reason, the judge who was supposed to be here to help advance diplomatic relations had placed herself on the opposite side of peace.
"Ar... 'Black' Saber, are you certain you want to ally with her?"
"It's not an alliance. Let me finish," Shirou said.
"How is this not an alliance?" Jeanne pressed him aggressively.
Shirou blinked, then asked bluntly, "Ruler, are you angry?"
"...!"
Jeanne looked stunned, her heated words catching in her throat.
The next second, she lowered her head in dejection.
"I'm sorry... I lost my composure just now."
Because Fiore had shown favor to Artorius, she had felt disgusted, allowed negative emotions to control her, and tried to interfere between them.
Even Ruler herself had not expected to end up like this.
Now... she really was unworthy of being a Ruler...
The blonde girl stared at Fiore and Shirou's tightly clasped hands and bit her lip resentfully.