In the graveyard of Stavropoleos Church in Bucharest, Kairi Sisigou successfully summoned his Servant.
"—So, you're my Master, huh?"
The short knight, clad entirely in steel, asked this question. Despite the helmet, the clear voice was unmistakably transmitted. Sisigoui nodded and extended his hand.
"My name is Kairi Sisigou. I'm your Master, pleased to meet you."
"Is this a graveyard? You summoned me to an annoying place."
The outstretched hand was ignored. Scratching his head, Sisigou explained:
"Well, even if you say that… Anyway, this place is like my home turf."
"Were you born in a graveyard?"
"My childhood was spent among corpses."
Understanding that much, the knight nodded.
"I see, you're a necromancer?"
"Correct. So, you're a Saber, right?"
Looking at the sword in the knight's hand, Sisigou asked.
"Isn't that obvious? If you could mistake me for a Caster or an Assassin, there must be something seriously wrong with your eyes and brain."
"There is an Assassin like that in the world." (King Hassan, I'm talking about you.)
"Could it be that I drew an idiot Master?"
"No, no, you drew the best Master, Saber. I, Kairi Sisigou, pride myself on being a top-tier Master suitable for you."
"Hmph, I wonder if it's just talk."
"Anyway, Saber. Can you tell me your true name first? By the way, why is it that even though I'm your Master, I can't see some of your attributes?"
Normally, when a Master faces their Servant, they can obtain certain information. Attributes like strength, endurance, and other critical data, including unique skills, are invaluable for strategic planning.
Therefore, the first thing Masters check is their summoned Servant. Understanding their various parameters is crucial for developing battle strategies.
However, while the basic parameters of this knight were visible, her unique skills and Noble Phantasms were obscured and unreadable.
"It's because of this helmet. I'll remove it now."
As soon as Saber finished speaking, the helmet covering her face disassembled and merged into the armor. Faced with her revealed appearance, Sisigou was dumbfounded.
"A woman?"
No, perhaps a young boy—it was impossible to tell. Either way, the person had a remarkably youthful appearance. Maybe because he was too surprised, he let slip something that hurt her feelings. But Sisigou didn't notice this.
"Don't let me hear that again."
"What?"
The cold, murderous words brought Sisigou back to his senses.
"If you call me a woman again, I can't guarantee I'll control myself."
Saber's glowing eyes conveyed her murderous intent. It seemed she was serious, and Sisigou instinctively muttered:
"Sorry, sorry. I won't say it again."
Raising his hands, Sisigou earnestly apologized.
Although Saber's face was twisted with anger, her mood seemed to improve slightly. She took a deep breath and whispered with a somewhat disappointed expression:
"You're forgiven. Remember, don't bring up this topic again."
"OK. So, what's your true name—"
"Huh? What's the matter, Master? I don't know what catalyst you used, but didn't you summon me with me as your target? You should know my true name without me saying it."
"Ah, no, I used this as the catalyst."
While avoiding the gradually dissolving magic circle, Sisigou tossed the catalyst to her. Saber caught it and looked at the item with a puzzled expression.
"What is this?"
"It's a Round Table. You knights used it once."
Saber's mood, which had temporarily improved, immediately took a sharp downturn again.
Clicking her tongue, she unhesitatingly used her sword to smash the—probably irreplaceable—relic into pieces.
"Hey!"
Saber stomped on the now literal wood chips with her armored foot.
"Despicable! To think I was summoned with something like this!"
Judging by her expression, she truly loathed the Round Table from the bottom of her heart.
That's odd, Sisigou thought. For the Knights of the Round Table, that should have been a place of camaraderie. Though the Round Table Knights eventually turned against each other, it wasn't their original intention.
Given her deep hatred for the Round Table, Sisigou quickly deduced her true name. If there was a knight who despised the Round Table so much, it had to be the one who explicitly betrayed the King of Knights.
"Saber. Your true name, could it be 'Mordred'?"
Sisigou's question made Mordred's eyebrows furrow slightly. The fact that her true name was guessed due to her actions made her a bit uneasy.
But she still declared resolutely:
"That's right. My name is Mordred, the only legitimate heir of King Arthur Pendragon."
"But didn't you betray her?"
Facing Sisigou's accusation, Saber suddenly blushed and declared:
"Ah, yes, I did. I indeed rebelled. That king never acknowledged my strength until the end. Whether it was swordsmanship or political skills, I was her equal—no, I had surpassed her. Yet, that damned king refused to let me ascend the throne because of my origin."
The cold voice wasn't due to suppressed impulses. Quite the opposite, it was filled with anger and hatred that made her whole body tremble.
Her origin—Mordred was said to be the illegitimate child of King Arthur and his sister Morgan, a fact that was truly damning.
"So I betrayed him and sent him on his way. I wanted that king to know his reign was meaningless."
That's right. According to legend, it was indeed Mordred who drove King Arthur to his death. Even after being pierced by the Holy Lance, Mordred still dealt a fatal blow to King Arthur.
The dying King Arthur threw his holy sword back into the lake and went to Avalon. Mordred, on the other hand, breathed her last on the hill of Camlann. What remained was the infamous reputation of the rebellious knight.
"Phew. So, Saber, your wish is to become king?"
For Mordred, who was denied the throne, becoming king was undoubtedly the wish she would seek the Holy Grail to fulfill. However, Mordred responded to Sisigou's words in a wistful tone:
"No, that's not it. I don't want to use the Holy Grail's power to become king. Even if I ascended the throne, my father would never acknowledge it. My wish, Master, is to challenge the Sword of Selection, nothing more."
"The Sword of Selection? You mean the sword King Arthur pulled from the stone in the legend?"
Saber nodded. Yes, it was said that the young King Arthur pulled out the sword that none of the strongest men in the nation could, thereby earning the right to be king.
If Mordred could pull out that sword, her eligibility to be king would indeed be recognized. However, there was a fatal flaw in her wish.
"—Can I ask a question?"
"Go ahead."
"If the Holy Grail grants your wish, and you can't pull out the sword, what then?"
Indeed. If she challenged the Sword of Selection, there was a possibility she couldn't pull it out. After all, it was a sword that none of the men in the nation could manage. Even though Mordred inherited King Arthur's bloodline, it was hard to say if she could pull it out.
"That's a foolish question, Master. There's no way I can't pull it out!"
However, Saber declared this with her chest puffed out. The pressure contained in her voice indeed carried the dignity befitting a king. Perhaps she could easily pull out the sword.
"So, Master. Give me the command. Where are the enemies to be conquered?"
"Don't rush."
Sisigou calmed the eager Mordred down.
"Haven't you heard the saying 'haste makes waste'?"
"Who cares about that? I was summoned to slay seven enemies!"
It seemed she had already been granted knowledge related to this Holy Grail War.
"True enough. We don't know the current situation of those seven enemies."
At this moment, a faint flapping sound came from the sky.
Both of them looked up simultaneously. On a branch, a gray pigeon was perched. It twirled its peculiar, emotionless bird eyes and dropped a piece of paper from its beak before flying away after completing its task.
As Sisigoui picked up the paper, Saber eagerly leaned to peek.
"Is it a familiar?"
"Seems like it. It says they want to meet us immediately."
"Who sent it?"
"Those whose interests align with ours."
With that, Sisigou crushed the note that read "Tomorrow morning at nine, Sisigou, Church on the hill."
PS: Mo-chan Overload!