Astolfo burst into the room, his energy infectious. "Sieg! You're okay! I'm so glad!"
Without hesitation, he threw himself at Sieg, hugging him tightly and nuzzling his cheek with exuberant affection.
Gordes, in the corner, cringed at the display, muttering, "This is humiliating…"
Sieg, still reeling from Astolfo's whirlwind arrival, patted Gordes' shoulder, trying to calm him. "It's alright. No need to be upset."
Astolfo, oblivious as ever, grinned at Gordes. "Gordes, you look like the bad guy, but deep down, you're a good person! I totally misjudged you!"
Gordes flushed with embarrassment and anger, snapping, "Damn it, Saber! Get him out of here!"
Siegfried moved with calm precision, lifting Astolfo by the collar. But he hesitated, meeting Gordes' gaze. "Master, if we toss him out now, someone might notice."
Gordes ran a frustrated hand through his hair, torn between irritation and practicality. "Ugh… Fine. Then just rough him up a bit!"
Astolfo's smile faltered as he noticed Siegfried's serious expression. "Eh? You're not really going to—" But Siegfried's shadow loomed over him.
Astolfo scrambled to the far side of the bed. "Wait, wait! I'm sorry! I won't do it again! Please don't!"
But Siegfried was already upon him.
Minutes later, Astolfo lay sprawled on the floor, clutching his rear. His usual cheer was replaced by genuine pain.
"Well done," Gordes said, nodding at Siegfried. A wisp of smoke rising from Astolfo's backside brought a dark smile to his lips.
Astolfo wasn't amused. He wiped tears from his eyes, looking up at them, wounded. "That was so cruel… You actually hit me there…"
Gordes' heart skipped a beat, disarmed by those teary eyes. He slapped his face to regain composure. "Rider, since we've let you in here, there are conditions. Otherwise…"
Gordes trailed off, realizing he had no leverage. What could he threaten Astolfo with? The man was a Servant who would vanish after the war. And Astolfo, with his famously poor grasp on reality, might not even take him seriously.
Finally, Gordes blurted out, "Otherwise, Saber will beat you again! With his Noble Phantasm!"
Siegfried being the ever loyal knight, raised his sword.
"Yikes!!!" Astolfo yelped, clutching his backside as he retreated to the corner.
Gordes blinked, surprised his bluff worked. " For the first order: You're not to tell anyone about Sieg."
"Sieg? That's your name?" Astolfo's mood shifted in an instant. He clambered back onto the bed, eyes wide. "I'm Astolfo! Nice to meet you, Sieg!"
Gordes losing his patience over being ignored barked, "Saber!"
In one swift motion, Siegfried grabbed Astolfo by the leg and dragged him back across the floor, raising his hand again.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! It still hurts, so please!" Astolfo cried out, shielding his rear.
Minutes later, Astolfo lay defeated on the floor, trembling. A trail of white smoke rose from his lips.
"Got the first rule?" Gordes asked, opening a can of beef and handing it to Sieg, who passed it to Siegfried.
"Yes! Got it!" Astolfo nodded frantically, eager to avoid another round.
"It's not just about keeping quiet," Gordes continued, rubbing his temples. "If you keep wandering around with that goofy grin, someone's going to notice."
"I understand!" Astolfo nodded so vigorously it looked like his head might pop off.
"And try not to come here too often. The less contact, the better," Gordes sighed, exasperated.
"What?! I can't see Sieg anymore?"
"Of course not! You'll blow our cover!" Gordes' headache worsened.
"Ugh… okay," Astolfo mumbled, shoulders slumping.
"If you keep acting like this outside, we'll be fine," Gordes said, relaxing a bit. He pulled a set of blueprints from the shelf and tossed them to Astolfo. "One last thing, and it's the most important."
Astolfo clutched the blueprints, his earlier gloom replaced by determination. "I'm ready! What do you need?"
"Thanks to some… actions Saber and I took earlier, we can't access Caster's workshop. Sieg's body is too weak, and he needs more than food to recover. We need to adjust his body, but the equipment we need is locked away."
Astolfo's eyes lit up. "So you need me to steal something, right? I can do that!"
Gordes sighed. "It's not that simple. The equipment is too large to take outright. That's why I gave you the blueprints. There are spare parts in the workshop. I've marked the ones we need. Bring them here in pieces, and I'll make the adjustments."
Astolfo blinked. "Wait, are you some kind of genius?"
"I am a genius!" Gordes snapped, his face reddening. "Now, will you do it or not?"
"I swear on the honor of the Twelve Paladins of Charlemagne!" Astolfo declared, suddenly serious.
"Good. Now get out of here before someone notices you've been here too long," Gordes said, waving him off.
"But I wanted to talk to Sieg a bit more!" Astolfo protested.
"Saber," Gordes commanded, firm.
Before Astolfo could say another word, Siegfried grabbed him by the collar and tossed him out the door.
"Ouch! Geez, why is Saber always so rough?" Astolfo muttered, rubbing his sore backside as he stood. Clenching his fists, he nodded to himself. "For Sieg, I'll do whatever it takes!"
"Sieg?" a voice called, freezing Astolfo in his tracks.
He turned slowly to find Chiron standing behind him, arms crossed.
"Chiron! You're back already? That was… quick!" Astolfo forced a smile, eyes darting nervously.
Chiron raised an eyebrow, his gaze calm but penetrating. "You seem to be in a much better mood."
"Do I? Haha, well, I should be going now!" Astolfo stammered, trying to edge away.
But before he could escape, Chiron sighed, "One last piece of advice: for the boy's sake, keep your mouth shut."
Astolfo stumbled, nearly tripping. "Oh, come on, can't I catch a break tonight?" he whimpered, holding his head in his hands, tears threatening to spill again.