Fiore met Artoria's gaze without flinching.
Like others in the Black Faction, she believed those emerald eyes held a unique power.
Fiore was convinced that Artoria had seen something crucial.
After a moment of silence, Artoria spoke, her piercing gaze fixed on Fiore.
"You've likely already formed a hypothesis in your heart."
If Astolfo truly hadn't relied on a Noble Phantasm to conceal his presence while escaping the Black Faction's stronghold…
"Did someone help him?" Fiore ventured.
It was the only explanation she could think of.
She had full confidence in the castle's defenses. Even for a Servant skilled in stealth, slipping through the forest surrounding the stronghold undetected would not have been easy.
The idea that Astolfo escaped because of some lapse in their defenses was simply impossible.
Thus, someone else's intervention seemed the only plausible answer.
But then, why?
"Rather than asking why, I have one final question for you all," Artoria said, her brows slightly furrowed.
"Sending so many Servants away from your stronghold… weren't you worried something might happen while your defenses were weakened?"
Even counting the captured Red Faction Berserker Spartacus, the Black Faction only had seven Servants. Yet three of them were here.
Gordes was the one to answer Artoria's question.
"With Red Faction's current forces, they'd need to be suicidal to attack our stronghold," Gordes declared confidently.
He elaborated, "Of Red Faction's seven Servants, Berserker Spartacus is under our control. The most troublesome Rider, Achilles, was eliminated by you, Ruler. Their Saber is here in this town, and we've already identified their Assassin and Lancer. While the Hero of Charity, Karna, is indeed formidable, their Assassin is just the weakling Hassan of Serenity—no threat at all."
"If they're foolish enough to attack our stronghold with this lineup, even if our Saber and Archer aren't stationed there, Lancer and Caster's automaton army would be more than enough to handle them. By the time we return with Saber and Archer, we'd crush them in a pincer attack. Red Faction would be completely eliminated, and the Greater Grail would belong solely to Yggdmillennia!"
Gordes' tone grew increasingly enthusiastic as he spoke, his vision of victory clearly fueling his excitement.
In truth, bringing both Saber and Archer to capture Rider and the homunculus hadn't been strictly necessary.
Their decision was based on reports that Red Saber was also in the town. Among Red Faction's Servants, Mordred was considered almost as threatening as Rider Achilles or Lancer Karna. They had hoped to deal with her as well.
Chiron's attack on Mordred wasn't a coincidence—it had been the plan from the start.
When Gordes mentioned that Red Assassin was Hassan of Serenity, Artoria paused briefly before a look of realization crossed her face.
"That Amakusa… I underestimated him."
Artoria had resolved her remaining doubts.
If she were to share Amakusa Shirou Tokisada's plan with Fiore and the others, it might seem unfair to Red Faction. But ultimately, it wouldn't change much.
Just then, Fiore and Gordes received a message from their stronghold.
The message was brief, but the urgency and anger of the sender were palpable:
"The castle has been attacked. The Greater Grail has been stolen."
Fiore and Gordes' first reaction was disbelief.
However, the fact that the message came from their leader, Darnic, left no room for doubt.
---
The Greater Grail appeared as a flawless golden sphere. Its front bore a crack, through which five feminine statues could be seen inside—beautiful and divine, resembling the legendary Venus.
To obtain it, Darnic had gone to extreme lengths. He had enlisted the German military's help, disrupted the Holy Grail War's ritual, and caused the demise of the Three Families. Later, he betrayed and eliminated his German "allies," fleeing with the Greater Grail to hide for sixty years.
During those decades, Darnic had repeatedly transferred his soul into new bodies to maintain his youth. The price of this, however, was the gradual erosion of his identity. All that remained was his obsession: to use the Greater Grail to elevate Yggdmillennia to the pinnacle of magecraft.
Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, summoned as a Ruler in the previous Holy Grail War, had witnessed Darnic's schemes firsthand.
It was during that war that Amakusa saw Darnic use underhanded methods to seize the Greater Grail. Miraculously, Amakusa himself gained a physical body after coming into contact with the Grail.
Now, once again…
"At last… the Greater Grail is back in my hands."
Amakusa's eyes were fixed on the colossal artifact, its immense magical energy coursing through him. He felt as though the entire world was within his grasp.
For the first time, his dream felt tangibly close.
"Oh, Master of mine, let me congratulate you on your triumph!"
A flamboyant voice rang out, and a middle-aged man appeared, his tone theatrical as though performing on stage.
"As expected of my chosen Master! You seem to possess quite the talent for scripting dramatic plays—directing actors, arranging the stage, and sitting back to await applause and accolades. You've elegantly fooled everyone, though in my eyes, this script of yours is utterly detestable."
The man flourished his cloak dramatically, his movements as exaggerated as his words.
"Helping Black Rider escape, luring Black Assassin and Ruler to the town, and feeding Black Rider and Red Saber's whereabouts to Black Rider's Master…
"Then, using the Empress' poison skills to masquerade as someone else, you misled the enemy into grossly underestimating our forces.
"And just as half their Servants were diverted to pursue Rider, you launched a surprise attack and stole the ultimate prize, the Greater Grail itself… Everything has unfolded precisely according to your script. It's all so perfectly smooth it makes me sick!"
The man's tone grew derisive.
"Indeed, as one who has dedicated his life to writing, I know better than anyone—plots that proceed too smoothly, without twists or tension, are the worst kind of drivel. Such stories are fit only to be torn to shreds and tossed into a stable as fodder!"