There is a saying—what's frightening isn't people better than you, but people better than you who work harder.
Fiore is one such "frightening" person. She possesses excellent qualifications and works incredibly hard, making her a standout figure among the new generation at the Clock Tower. When the Yggdmillennia clan raised the flag of rebellion, many lecturers at the Clock Tower felt regret for her. She could have contributed more to the world of magecraft and had a much brighter future. Unfortunately, the Yggdmillennia clan was destined to perish due to their wrong choice.
Even though Fiore was far away in Millennia Castle, she could still hear such voices. However, she did not regret her decision. Whether it was the Yggdmillennia rebellion or becoming a Master to participate in the Holy Grail War, these were her choices. Even if it meant opposing her former classmates and teachers or ending in failure and death, she would persist.
Her life remained unchanged. How she lived while studying at the Clock Tower was how she lived in Millennia Castle, and it stayed the same after summoning her Servant.
She woke up before 6:30 AM, routinely performing a magic energy circulation exercise. Due to her leg disability, such training was particularly important. Relying on magecraft and her self-made Mystic Codes, she independently completed her washing and dressing. She would then meet her brother Caules, who took care of her, and had breakfast together. Sometimes in Caules' room, sometimes in her room, and occasionally in the castle's dining hall.
At 7:30 AM, Caules arrived at his sister's room. Unlike usual, today he did not come alone; he brought his Servant, the Black Archer, Chiron.
Caules treated his Servant much like his sister did. Neither of them truly saw their Servants as mere subordinates despite the Master-Servant contract, nor did they act high and mighty. They treated their Servants as partners, showing them respect.
After the summoning ritual ended in the early morning, Caules quickly arranged a room for Chiron and brought him along for breakfast to foster their relationship.
After sitting down, Caules looked at the empty seat opposite Chiron and asked his sister, "Isn't Assassin here?"
"He's nearby; I'll notify him."
Just as Fiore was about to summon Shinji through their contract, Shinji appeared at the door.
"No need, I'm already here."
"What are you holding?"
"The results from last night."
Shinji casually placed a long scroll and a file folder aside.
"I walked around the castle perimeter and conducted some tests on the Yggdmillennia clan's defense system. I summarized the problematic areas and plan to have the Great Sage verify them before passing them to Clan Leader Darnic."
The long scroll was a detailed map of Trifas, and the file folder contained Shinji's handwritten report—On the Deficiencies of Millennia's Defense.
Having spent the night outside under the guise of familiarizing himself with the terrain and consuming a lot of mana, it wouldn't do to return empty-handed. Vlad III, that tyrant, and Darnic, that old fox who once bested Zouken, were not easily fooled.
Hence, this report was created.
The content of the report was something Shinji had already thought out while resting in the heart of the Great Grail, nestled against Justeaze... ahem, resting in the center of the Great Grail.
The Great Grail was integrated with the ley lines of Trifas, enabling Justeaze to easily sense the magical energy fluctuations in Trifas and identify the weaknesses of the Yggdmillennia clan. By carefully selecting a few vulnerabilities and adding some of his suggestions and beneficial arrangements, a report mixed with personal interests was completed.
Upon hearing Shinji's response, Fiore's blue eyes showed clear surprise. "Just overnight?"
"Of course, don't underestimate an assassin's agility." Shinji naturally took a seat at the dining table. "I said yesterday, I am your Servant; accomplishing these tasks is only natural."
"Assassin, have you recalled your true name?" Caules asked.
Shinji shook his head. "No."
"Then what about the wish residing in the Holy Grail?" Fiore asked.
Shinji put on a carefree expression. "I haven't thought about it either. Knowing myself, I will probably only remember it if I obtain the Grail. If I am unfortunate enough to be defeated, then I will follow the fate of an assassin and die nameless. There's nothing wrong with that."
"Weren't you very confident before?" A hint of teasing appeared on Fiore's lips.
Shinji smiled. "I'm still very confident now, but I also know I'm not invincible. At the very least, I don't have much confidence in defeating the great sage sitting opposite me."
"You're too kind." Chiron's voice, like the smile on his face, was refreshingly cool.
"Alright, enough talking. Breakfast is getting cold, and I'm hungry too," Caules said, grabbing a sandwich. Fiore glared at her brother, about to scold him, but then saw Shinji, like Caules, grab a sandwich and devour it ravenously, speaking intermittently as he ate.
"I'm hungry too. Running around all night, it's no wonder I'm starving."
Outnumbered two to one, Fiore could only swallow her words, puffing her cheeks slightly.
Seeing this, Caules exchanged a glance with Shinji, feeling a camaraderie similar to sneaking out of the dormitory at night to go to an internet cafe during their school days.
Chiron, meanwhile, maintained his serene demeanor, though those who knew him well could see the smile at the corners of his mouth deepen slightly.
With Shinji and Caules, two rule-breakers, this breakfast was destined to be anything but elegant, despite Fiore and Chiron's impeccable manners.
During the meal, Fiore voiced a question that had been on her mind:
"If my memory serves me right, Lord Chiron should not be in human form but rather a centaur. How is this possible?"
"As you said, I should have been summoned in a non-human form."
Chiron—the sage who taught many great heroes, including Heracles, the foremost scholar of the centaur race, and the most famous sage in Greek mythology.
Born with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a horse, he was the complete deity, the son of the Earth and Harvest God Cronus and the nymph Philyra. However, after being accidentally struck by one of Heracles' poisoned arrows, he relinquishes his immortality to escape the pain. At that moment, his complete divinity and immortality were lost, allowing him to become a Heroic Spirit that could be summoned.
Of course, there would be no problem with being summoned as a centaur, but—
"However, in that form, my true name would be easily deduced just by being seen, which is not ideal."
Seeing a centaur would immediately make anyone think of a centaur. When considering a famous hero, the first name that comes to mind would undoubtedly be Chiron. If he were also carrying a bow and arrow, it would be even more obvious, given that Chiron is the original figure of Sagittarius in the Zodiac.
Therefore, when Chiron was summoned, he adopted a human form. Although this came at the cost of some of his abilities being downgraded, it did not particularly affect his skill with the bow.
In his current appearance, there was nothing to indicate that he was the world-renowned great sage. However, no one present, including Shinji, doubted his strength.
His aura was vast and profound. Facing him, one would feel as if they were standing in the middle of an expansive forest, no matter where they were.
This was Chiron, the most revered hero of the Black Faction, no doubt about it!