The sensation was surreal. Although Jeanne couldn't feel the sun, it seemed as if she were lying on grass. The space felt narrow and constricting.
Jeanne slowly opened her eyes. The flickering candlelight cast eerie shadows, giving the cramped space an unsettling, horror-movie vibe. Though no one was in sight, she could hear low murmurs and the sound of bones clattering together. There was even a faint odor of rotting food.
As Jeanne moved her arm, she felt a cold, hard object. Confused, she brought it closer to her face, only to discover that it was a bone.
"Ah!" Jeanne screamed and sat up abruptly, sending weeds tangled in her golden hair flying.
"What the hell? You scared me to death," Mordred grumbled, manipulating a skull in her hand to mimic speaking.
"I was the one who got scared! I'm holding a baby Hydra!" Kairi exclaimed, carefully setting down his tweezers and clutching his chest. Jeanne's scream had nearly made him fling the specimen away.
"This is..." Jeanne looked around the narrow space she had been lying in. Her eyes widened in horror as she jumped up. "A coffin!"
Indeed, she had been lying in a coffin, custom-made for her, with the bottom thoughtfully lined with grass.
"Good evening," Cyd greeted with a wave.
"Good evening... Wait that's not the point! Why am I in a coffin?" Jeanne complained as she carefully placed the bone back into the coffin.
"It's fine, the original owner won't mind," Mordred said, holding up the skull.
"Show some respect for the dead!" Jeanne scolded, snatching the skull from Mordred and placing it back in the coffin. She clasped her hands together. "I'm sorry."
"Boring!" Mordred whined like a child whose toy had been taken away, rolling on the ground.
"Hey!" Kairi nearly toppled over as Mordred rolled around. He was doing something very delicate, and everyone around him kept startling him!
"Master, stop fiddling with that toy. Let's go find the Black Faction Servants," Mordred said, standing up and pulling at Kairi's arm, trying to drag him away from his workbench.
"Hold on, let me finish this first," Kairi sighed. He felt like a hapless father being pestered by a troublesome child. The problem was that this child was strong!
Cyd patted the little head of Medusa, who was sitting on his lap. "Well, according to the information I've gathered on the way, I might need your help with something soon."
"But first..." Mordred pointed to the little purple-haired girl in a black robe who was lying motionless on Cyd's lap as if sleeping. "Who's this?"
"She's the Red Faction Archer's Master," Cyd said, blinking.
"You've got to be kidding! She was just huge a moment ago, and now she's shrunk! Humans can't do that!" Mordred voiced Kairi's thoughts. He had nearly choked when he saw the purple-haired woman shrink into a little girl. However, the feeling of his nerves screaming didn't diminish despite her cute appearance.
"I never said I was human," Medusa raised her head, the mysterious glow in her eyes making Mordred instinctively shrink back and use Kairi as a shield.
"A non-human!" Jeanne's mouth dropped open. Could this be the anomaly in this Holy Grail War?
"Right now, my identity is that of a mage," Medusa said, slowly taking out an ID card from her black robe, which plainly stated her name as Medusa.
"This has to be fake," Kairi muttered, wiping his hands.
"I used a bit of charm magic, and it worked," Medusa said, putting her robe hood back on and curling up in Cyd's lap.
"So... Are you really the legendary Medusa?" Kairi recalled the shadow beneath Cyd's feet on the divine-era tablet.
Medusa didn't answer, but her familiarity with Cyd and her attitude suggested they knew each other well. If all other possibilities were excluded, no matter how unbelievable the remaining answer, it had to be the truth. The creature before them was the monster from the Age of Gods who had lived until now.
"This is too abnormal! A monster from the Age of Gods participating in the Holy Grail War is absurd!" Jeanne exclaimed.
Medusa raised her head to give Jeanne a cool glance, then lowered it again, clearly not wanting to engage.
"The Command Spells are in her hands; she's a legitimate participant with no issues," Cyd said, narrowing his eyes.
"This is unfair to the other participants," Jeanne was at a loss for words.
Kairi instinctively nodded. Their opponent was a notorious figure from the Age of Gods, akin to an evil god. She probably didn't even need any Servants to win the Holy Grail War on her own.
"The Holy Grail War is not a game; as long as mysteries aren't exposed, what happens is none of our concern. Besides, I've already helped the other Masters in a way. At least she won't wipe everyone out in a day," Cyd said, patting Medusa's head. "I told you when we were in the Black Faction, didn't I? Did you forget everything in your sleep?"
"I didn't! It's just that the Holy Grail War has never seen anything like this before," Jeanne raised her voice.
"Neither has it been seven against seven."
Jeanne hugged her knees and started drawing circles on the ground. She should have known; there was no way she could out-argue Cyd.
"Don't mind the villager for now," Cyd poked Medusa's face. "Did you call for her?"
"She's on her way," Medusa raised her hand. "I command you with a Command Spell, appear before me now, Archer."
Kairi's mouth dropped open. That's not how you use a Command Spell!
With a flash of golden light, Atalanta appeared, holding a newspaper with a look of resignation.
"I was just outside the cemetery you could have just called"
"This way is faster," Medusa said, shifting to a more comfortable position.
Atalanta's eye twitched. "Command Spells are precious resources!"
"I can handle the Holy Grail War alone. The Command Spell is just for qualification," Medusa said, pouting. "I didn't even plan to summon you in the first place, you're just in the way."
Kairi silently lit a cigarette, zoning out. Knowing that a monster from the Age of Gods was participating in the Holy Grail War and aiming for the Holy Grail, his goal had shifted from victory to survival.
"Well, Atalanta, did you bring the papers?" Cyd asked, pinching Medusa's cheeks.
"Here, the newspapers you wanted!" Atalanta pulled out a bundle of newspapers from her quiver and threw them at Cyd, then sat beside him and stared at Medusa.
"Ahem, next, we need to meet the Black Faction's Assassin," Cyd said, spreading out the newspapers. "If I'm right, there's something wrong with them. If not stopped, they could expose the mysteries."
"Eh! When did you find out?" Jeanne turned around in shock.
"While you were slacking, I heard it from some gossipers," Cyd grinned. "Oh, I meant while you were sleeping."
"Why repeat it twice?" Jeanne pouted.