After listening to Gordes' explanation, Artoria felt something was amiss.
"Don't you think it's strange? Rider was only detected at the very edge of your surveillance range, as if deliberately avoiding detection until then."
It felt... too deliberate.
"We've wondered the same thing," Gordes admitted. "We thought Rider might have a Noble Phantasm that lets him evade detection. That would explain how he got to that location unnoticed."
"And the fact that he was discovered at the boundary… you think that was just bad luck?"
"Probably just bad luck," Gordes replied, though his tone carried doubt.
Was it really just bad luck?
"Wait a moment… you said you've completely lost track of Rider and his Master?" Artoria pressed, suddenly catching onto something. "Then how did you even know Rider was there in the first place?"
"Well… uh… how did we know, exactly…"
Gordes wore a troubled expression.
"…I don't know. Celenike told me she found Rider's location but never explained how she knew."
"Celenike… Rider's Master?"
Artoria recalled her brief encounter with that woman back at the Black Faction's stronghold.
Even without firsthand knowledge of the original events, it was clear to her that something within Celenike was irreparably broken.
If every person had a savage beast locked within their heart, chained by reason, then Celenike was someone who had long since surrendered to that beast—an incomplete person, driven to self-destruction.
"Yes, that woman. You've met her too, haven't you, Ruler?" Gordes nodded. "That day, she suddenly approached me and said she had finally found Rider. When Rider disappeared, she went completely mad, obsessing over finding him. I thought she'd gone off the deep end for good, but somehow she actually managed to succeed…"
Artoria's evident concern made Gordes uneasy.
"W-what's wrong? Did Celenike do something that violates the rules of the Holy Grail War?"
Artoria furrowed her brow slightly but then shook her head.
"No, not exactly. It's just… something doesn't sit right with me."
Her words trailed off as she and Siegfried simultaneously turned their gazes toward a particular direction.
"Hey there! Father, I'm back!"
From a distance, Mordred waved energetically, her vibrant voice carrying over. Artoria sighed with a mix of exasperation and resignation.
"Mordred… calling me 'Father' like that makes your true name impossible to conceal."
"So what? Let them know, who cares?" Mordred grinned, her tone defiant. "If they think knowing my true name will give them an edge, I'll show them how naive they are—with Clarent in hand."
Her bull-horned helmet morphed with a sleek, technological transformation, revealing her face.
Standing beside Artoria with her trademark exuberance, Mordred flashed a bright smile.
"Besides, since you've declared your true name, how could I, as your only child, back down?"
"…"
Hmm… it's still hard to get used to suddenly having such a spirited 'child.'
Neither Fenhuan Yu nor Artoria could quite adapt to it.
Shifting her gaze away from Mordred, Artoria looked toward the group accompanying her: Jeanne, Fiore, and Chiron.
First, she addressed Fiore and Chiron.
"It's been some time, Fiore."
"Yes, it has, Ruler."
Fiore wasn't in her wheelchair. Not because her legs had healed, but thanks to a self-made magical apparatus resembling spider-like mechanical legs. Though constructed through magecraft, it appeared more like advanced machinery.
"Thank you for agreeing to my request to pause the fighting temporarily."
"I've already heard the situation from Miss Jeanne here," Fiore replied, her noble demeanor as natural as ever. "You wish to deal with the rogue Assassin, Jack the Ripper, currently loose in this town, correct?"
Her tone carried the grace of someone who had trained her aristocratic bearing to perfection.
"This problem originates with the Black Faction. As such, we must bear some responsibility."
"Have you encountered Jack the Ripper already?"
Artoria scanned the group, seeking confirmation of any direct conflict with the elusive Servant.
Jack the Ripper was unlikely to appear again soon. With nearly all the mages and Servants in the area converging here, Jack would avoid such a suicidal confrontation.
"Yes, we encountered her," Fiore replied softly. "After Jeanne explained the situation, we agreed to a temporary truce with Red Saber's group. Their Saber dispelled the mist briefly with a burst of mana, and my Archer used the opportunity to take a shot at Jack, who was exposed for a moment."
Artoria turned to Chiron for details.
"I aimed for her Spirit Core," Chiron said with a calm smile, "but she evaded the fatal blow. It wasn't a critical injury, but it wasn't minor either. I'm certain she's severely weakened."
"That's enough," Artoria acknowledged. "Tonight has seen many disruptions, but at least we managed to injure her significantly."
Standing at the center of the group, Artoria naturally exuded the aura of a leader.
"Jack's Master is an ordinary human. She can't rely on magecraft or mana to heal herself. To recover, Jack will have to kill again, harvesting fresh hearts to restore her strength."
"In terms of quality, even dozens of ordinary hearts can't match a single mage's. Jack will most likely target mages next. Are all the Black Faction members here accounted for?"
In truth, Artoria wasn't overly worried about the mages present.
Fiore, Caules, and Gordes were all accompanied by Servants—Chiron, Siegfried, and Mordred respectively. Jack would have no opportunity to strike with their protection, especially in her weakened state.
As a renowned teacher of heroes in Greek mythology, Chiron's judgment was beyond reproach. Artoria trusted his assessment implicitly.
Though it was a shame they couldn't resolve the situation tonight, they would simply have to wait for the next opportunity.
At that moment, Gordes suddenly exclaimed, "Celenike! Celenike isn't here!"