To summarize, the Black Rider Astolfo's hands and feet were pinned down by thick stakes, and his mobility was further restricted by fluid-like golems, effectively putting him in the same state of confinement as the Red Berserker Spartacus.
Although Vlad III eventually agreed to commute Astolfo's death sentence to a reprieve, this did not mean he could enjoy the same freedom as before. On one hand, this was a punishment for his rebellion. On the other hand, leaving him unchecked could lead to unforeseen troubles, so imprisonment was deemed the best option.
Reaching this conclusion, Vlad III and Avicebron combined their efforts to set up the restraints, and finally, Astolfo's master, Celenike, personally locked him in the dungeon.
After completing all this, Celenike did not leave. Instead, she drove out all the homunculus guards and then slapped Astolfo across the face.
She thought this would make her feel better, but the reality was quite the opposite; her mood worsened.
Although Astolfo winced, his expression lacked its usual carefreeness. Yet, he did not show signs of unbearable pain, and more importantly, there was no hint of despair.
"Do you realize the magnitude of the trouble you've caused?"
"I do. I saved a homunculus... that's all."
"Don't joke around! Because of you, Caster can't activate his Noble Phantasm, and that's an A+ rank Anti-Army Noble Phantasm!"
Astolfo pondered for a moment, expecting to be scolded, then said:
"I'd rather not use a Noble Phantasm that requires sacrificing humans! Even if I had to do it all over again, I'd make the same choice."
"You—"
Celenike, enraged, slapped Astolfo again.
Seeing him remain nonchalant under such circumstances only made Celenike's mood worse. She began shaking the stakes driven into his hands and feet.
"Ouch, ouch, it hurts! No, please, spare me that!" Astolfo's face showed discomfort.
Celenike finally felt satisfied; this was an expression she could never see from him in bed.
—This alone is enough.
The beautiful black magus thought from the bottom of her heart. It was a pity that Servants didn't have real physical bodies.
"A Servant should act like a Servant. If you had stayed by my side, none of this would have happened."
"Ah, so if I start doing that now, will you release me?"
Even though Celenike was madly in love with Astolfo, she shook her head at this suggestion. As long as Darnic continued to respect Vlad III, Vlad's authority was absolute, and she didn't want to get involved in that mess.
"The only time you'll be released is during battle. In this Holy Grail War, you're destined to be used as a pawn."
Celenike displayed a cold smile, whispering in his ear.
"If you want to hate someone, hate that homunculus."
"Sorry to interrupt your intimate moment."
A third voice echoed in the dungeon, which was supposed to contain only the two of them. Without needing to look, they both knew who it was; only Assassin could approach them silently under such circumstances.
Celenike turned around and saw Shinji leaning against the cell door. She snorted, "If you know you're interrupting, then don't speak and leave immediately. Or—do you want to join us for a threesome?"
In the last half of her sentence, the anger in her words suddenly turned into allure, combined with her purple lipstick, emitting a mysterious temptation, like a blooming poppy flower.
Such a stark contrast genuinely startled Shinji.
What's with this woman? She's way too bold.
Shinji's mouth twitched as he silently cursed Celenike in his heart. He put on an apologetic face and said, "Uh, well, thank you for your kind invitation, Miss Celenike, but I'll pass."
Noticing Shinji's evasive gaze, Celenike became even more enthusiastic. She extended her tongue, gently licking Astolfo's neck and leaving a wet trail, teasingly.
"Oh my, still quite innocent, aren't we? Could it be you're still a virgin?"
Without giving Shinji a chance to respond, she nodded to herself.
"Yes, it seems so. Although I don't know your true name, your life must have been pitiful. Let me make up for the regrets of your past life."
Pitiful, my ass.
Shinji was fuming, not because he was aroused, but because he was angry.
Messing with me about being a virgin? Do you want me to cut off your hand and strip you of your Command Spells?
Opposite him, Celenike continued to tease Astolfo with her tongue and taunt Shinji with her words.
"Don't be shy. I'm sure Fiore wouldn't mind. Or is it that—you like your Master? Hmm, the more I think about it, the more likely it seems. Right after being summoned, you couldn't stop praising her. Innocent boys chasing innocent girls are always like that. But this won't do, Fiore is just as innocent. If both of you are so pure, your first time will be difficult. Let me, the big sister, guide you into the adult world! Still unwilling? Then how about the three of us together?"
As Celenike's words became more provocative and her actions with Astolfo grew more intense, Shinji was finally getting a bit aroused and hesitated whether to knock this crazy woman out and throw her out—or better yet, throw her to Spartacus next door.
Suddenly, there was a loud "clang" from the corridor leading to the dungeon, as if something heavy had hit the wall. This was followed by a series of hurried footsteps and the sound of something scraping against the floor. Faintly, they could hear—
"We've been discovered, what do we do, Caules?"
"Run, run!"
Well, the dungeon's security measures were too good, making it hard to detect eavesdroppers—or perhaps they had been noticed, but everyone pretended not to know?
In any case, the overheard conversation was too much for the Forvedge siblings, who were still inexperienced shut-ins compared to Celenike, a seasoned and hardcore veteran, forcing them to retreat in embarrassment.
With this interruption, Celenike lost interest, and Shinji's anger subsided considerably.
"Can we stop joking around, Miss Celenike? I have serious business with Rider regarding the Black Lancer."
"Tch, so boring. If you change your mind, come find me; I don't lock my door at night."
Celenike threw a seductive glance, rubbed against Astolfo's face once more, then swayed her hips and walked out on her high heels.
Not until she disappeared down the corridor did Shinji exhale and pat Astolfo on the shoulder.
"You have it rough."
"Right, right." Astolfo also looked distressed, "Next time, you have to come and save me."
"Uh, that won't work. I'm afraid it'll only get worse if I do."
"True."
"Sigh~"
Both Servants sighed simultaneously.
PS: It's a shame Celenike has such a bad personality; Shinji would never get involved with someone like her.