Fate/Apocrypha - Volume 1 Page 9

  As such, even the peculiar cynic managed to form a very smooth relationship with his Master. To Roche, having been removed from his parents since birth and done nothing but create golems all his life, only one's ability in golem creation was a criterion in gaining his respect and trust.

  "Sir... about the parchment, where should it be pasted?"

  "For the large models, it is best to employ parchment in such a way as to reinforce their joints... you must take the greatest of care in handling the mercury."

  "Got it!"

  Even as he bustled about, Roche's eyes followed Caster's every move, filled with admiration. Caster is an ideal teacher to Roche, just as Roche is an ideal Master for Avicebron.

  ...For the time being, at least.

  * * *

  Servants of Black and Red - on this day, the actors have been gathered as ordained. The mighty Heroic Spirits number fourteen, making this undoubtedly the greatest Holy Grail War apocrypha of all.

  But it cannot be overstated just how abnormal this situation is. The original Fuyuki Holy Grail War was a fight for dominance between seven Servants; however much one may alter the system, this abnormality encroaches on the authority of the Holy Grail itself.

  The overseer is in itself nothing more than outside interference. Regardless of whether such an interloper existed, the Grail will by its own logic call upon a Servant to act as Ruler in this Holy Grail War. They serve not to take one side or the other, but to protect the concept of the 'Holy Grail War' itself.

  The incomparable monsters that have been gathered for this Great War are too much to be ignored. As such, the eventual summoning of a Ruler-class Servant has essentially been accepted as fact by both camps.

  ...In a few more days, the Ruler shall appear before us.

  Black Saber, Siegfried.

  Black Archer, Chiron.

  Black Lancer, Vlad III.

  Black Rider, Astolfo.

  Black Berserker, Frankenstein.

  Black Caster, Avicebron.

  Black Assassin, Jack the Ripper.

  The Servants of the Black have been revealed. The question now is what Heroic Spirits will face them as the Servants of the Red... and whether they will have the means to resist Vlad, the greatest hero in Romania, and Siegfried, against whom any attack is meaningless.

  But let none smear the name of the Association by underestimating their chances. This great organization has been passing down the esoterica of thaumaturgy, generation after generation, since the most ancient of times. The catalysts they possess which could bring back Heroic Spirits to our era number among the stars.

  One of the magi hired by the Association, Shishigou Kairi, has summoned Mordred. The Knight of Treachery possessed a power befitting a Saber-class Servant. At this moment, Shishigou is heading to the church on the hilltop in Sighisoara, with her in spirit form.

  The city of Sighisoara was formed by a settlement of Saxons in the 12th century. Even within Europe, it is rare to find a city where the vestiges of the Middle Ages so strongly remain.

  Sighisoara is also the closest city to Trifas outside the detection borderline of the Yggmillennia and their Servants. It was a wise choice for them to position themselves here. While Trifas is too dangerous to enter, being the enemy's home ground, Bucharest is also simply too far.

  The status of the enemy Servants remain unknown, but it seems for their own - that is, the Red - side, it can be sensed that all the Servants have already been summoned. Saber has confirmed that the other six Servants have been gathered.

  Seeing as they have been preparing for this for some time, it would not be strange for the Yggdmillennia to also have summoned all their Servants. In all likelihood, war will break out at any moment.

  In any case, Shishigou walked up the dome-roofed staircase towards the designated location. Said to contain one hundred and seventy-two steps, this staircase as well as the Church on the Hill are both famous sights.

  Suddenly, Saber spoke to Shishigou.

  "...There's something I want you to do, Master."

  "Yeah? What is it?"

  "Buy me some clothes."

  For a while, Shishigou could not find the words to respond to this utterly unexpected request.

  "...Why?"

  "Staying in this form makes me ill at ease. I cannot calm myself without my own feet planted on the ground. And I cannot walk around the city, even during the day, whilst wearing this."

  It is true that her 'clothes', or rather, full suit of armor could not possibly be worn in public. Then again, the majority of the Holy Grail War is to be conducted during the night, so it is not exactly a pressing need...

  "Do this for me. I trust that my Master is not such a miser that he would begrudge sparing some coin for mere cloth?"

  "...Guess I don't have much of a choice."

  Selfish git, Shishigou sighed. But it was nine in the morning, so they probably would not find any shops open yet. For the time being, he decided to leave it until after the meeting.

  Just before he reached the top of the stairs, he saw the vaguely rocket-shaped church. Confirming that there was no one nearby, he reached out towards the door; it was nine o'clock, just as arranged.

  When he stepped past the heavy doors and into the church... a man was standing before the altar at the far end of the nave. Judging by the way he showed no surprise at the appearance of the visitor, he must be the one who invited Shishigou.

  "...Welcome."

  Shishigou held up a hand and put a smile on his face.

  "I've got an arrangement here. I'm guessing you're the one who called me?"

  "Yes, of course."

  Nodding, Shishigou walked down the aisle while muttering to Saber.

  "...Are there any Servants here, Saber?"

  "No... none that I can sense, but I've got a bad feeling about this. Watch yourself, Master."

  She could not detect any other Servants, yet felt that something was not right - but the puzzled Shishigou did not have the time to figure out the meaning of her words.

  When he sat down on the first bench and looked at the man again, it occurred to him that his host was younger than he had thought. It is quite possible that he has not even passed twenty years of age. Judging from his robes, he is likely the priest sent by the Holy Church.

  With a very mature smile on his innocent boyish face, the priest said.

  "It's my pleasure to meet you. I am Shirou Kotomine - the acting overseer for this Great Holy Grail War."

  ...Something brushed across Shishigou's mind when he heard that name. But it was very small, simply a trivial sensation of something seemingly out of place, and he let it pass without comment.

  "Shishigou Kairi. I'm guessing you've done your homework, so I'll spare the introductions."

  "You would be correct."

  There was something quite crooked about the look on his face. It was a very judicious smile, not something that a boy not even over twenty should make.

  "Could you please materialize your Servant?"

  "No, I don't-"

  "Do it, Master... something's not right."

  As soon as he heard those words, Shishigou immediately joined the link. Specks of gold gathered at once, as Mordred made her appearance and began cautiously watching over their surroundings, as though defending Shishigou.

  "Oh my..."

  Shirou gently rubbed his eyes with his fingers, a frown on his face.

  "What is it?"

  "Oh, it's nothing. Now then, allow me to show you my Servant... reveal yourself, Assassin."

  "As you wish, my liege."

  Startled by the sudden ring of her voice, Shishigou jumped to his feet. Assassin had taken form on the bench right beside where he was sitting before.

  "Tch. Assassin, huh..."

  When an Assassin gains entrance into this world, it obtains the Class Skill of Presence Concealment. While under this skill, and in spirit form, an Assassin can never be detected by others unless she moves to attack.

/>   "I am the Assassin of the Red. We look forward to your assistance... Shishigou, was it?"

  A pleasing aroma emanated from the depraved beauty, who was wrapped around by a dress as dark as midnight. She wore a thin smile as her fingers crept towards Shishigou's hand.

  "...Yeah, thanks."

  With a stiff smile, Shishigou backed away from her. In Fuyuki, it had been fixed so that Hassan-i Sabbah would always have been summoned as Assassin. Is she one of them?

  His instincts told him otherwise. The Old Man of the MountainHassan was purely a killer; he erased his targets using skills obtained through training of the body and mind. That is certainly not the image that this woman gives. The deaths she caused were not done in secret, but deliberated and premeditated. All it took was a single word - a single glance - and her targets would die by the hands of others.

  ---

  Chapter 2-2

  ---

  "...Foul hag."

  Shishigou could not agree more with Mordred's muttered words.

  "Please don't trouble him like that, Assassin."

  "Yes, yes, begging your leave."

  Stifling her laughter, Assassin removed herself from Shishigou.

  "Now, let us review the situation at once. The Yggdmillennia clan already possesses six Servants: Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Berserker and Caster. It seems only Assassin has yet to join them."

  "Any names that we know of?"

  "At the moment, not one, unfortunately. Well, we have yet to engage them in combat, so I suppose it is only natural. However, we do have confirmation of the parameters of the six Servants."

  Shirou reached into a pocket and pulled out a few documents. Thanking him, Shishigou took the papers and skimmed over their contents. They only contained the specifications of the Servants, with no mention of such critical information as innate skills or Noble Phantasms, but one can determine quite a few things from interpreting the data alone.

  Naturally, the greatest obstacles appear to be the three knight classes of Saber, Archer and Lancer - each possesses superb parameters which tower above the rest. Also as expected, they used the Berserker class to strengthen a weaker Servant; but with such low specs, it is unlikely to become a significant threat. As for Rider and Caster, theirs is not an issue of numbers, but of Noble Phantasms and thaumaturgy, so for the time being, he will reserve judgement on them.

  "Any ideas as to who they may be?"

  "...There is technically one. I'm guessing it's occurred to you, too."

  Shirou smiled wryly as he nodded.

  "Well, seeing as we are in Romania, it would be impossible for the great hero of this nation to not be called."

  There is no reason why famous heroes of Romanian origin would not be summoned, with the war now taking place here instead of Fuyuki.

  "Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia - if he's not with us, he's definitely against us."

  Heroic Spirit Vlad Țepeș had been a great hero who fought against the invasion of the Ottoman Turks tooth and nail using guerilla tactics. While famous for being the model for Count Dracula, within Romania his heroic aspects are emphasized. The boost he gains from his fame must be at the highest possible for a Servant. The only remaining question should be what class he would be summoned into...

  "...He has to be this Lancer. There aren't any episodes with Vlad III using swords or bows. Berserker and Assassin are out of the question, and the possibility of him being Caster is practically zero, meaning it has to be either Rider or Lancer. But all of Rider's specs are on the low side for someone with a fame boost. Which leaves this absurdly overpowered Lancer as the strongest candidate."

  Shirou nodded in apparent agreement.

  "Then Lancer is Vlad III... this news is not without its value. Far better than knowing nothing about all seven."

  "What about the ones on our side?"

  "Not bad at all. Your Saber appears to be quite excellent, and I can confirm that Lancer and Rider both have the strength to oppose Vlad III."

  "...Huh."

  It would seem the Association has managed to unearth some powerful Heroic Spirits as well. Lancer and Rider must have very great fame themselves, or power which exceeded even said fame, for Shirou to speak with such certainty.

  "Could it be... Father...?"

  Saber murmured, in a voice so low it could barely be heard.

  "Calm down. There's no way... I think."

  ...He certainly hoped so. If something like that ever came to pass, their forces would be riven before the war even began.

  "In any case, with your summoning of Saber, we have now assembled our seven. Now then... would you kindly tell me the name of your Servant?"

  Assassin let slip a chuckle. At the same time, Saber bristled with enmity. But more so than the request for her true name, it seemed that she found Assassin's laughter highly grating.

  "Ahh... well, do I have to?"

  "Well, I'd certainly like to know why you cannot reveal it to me. After all, we are comrades in this war. Given that we are putting our lives in each other's hands, would it not be prudent to know the true names of each other's Servants?"

  "I guess our lives really are in each other's hands... but..."

  To start with, a Servant's name is the most important piece of information of all. It would be unthinkable to simply reveal it without a thought. The grasping of a Servant's true name inevitably leads to everything from their Noble Phantasm to their strengths, and conversely, their weaknesses.

  "And if the Servants are to stand together on the line of battle, they must know what kind of Noble Phantasm the others will use. In either case, once the Servant's Noble Phantasm is used, its true name might as well be revealed. There is little difference."

  In truth, Shirou's proposition was very reasonable - but Shishigou could not help feeling some trepidation at the prospect of fighting on the same front as this Shirou... and his Assassin. It was a very odd and somehow chilling sensation. He smelled something which ought not exist in the heat of battle - the stench of deception.

  Shishigou turned his back on the two, facing Saber and making his thoughts known via telepathy. Between Master and Servant, it is possible to exchange their intents to this extent, even without spoken words.

  "What is your will, Master? In any case, I refuse."

  "And I'd agree with you. But why?"

  "...Instinct."

  "I can put my faith in that. It's settled, then."

  Shishigou tucked away the documents and walked down the nave, his back still facing the two.

  "Oh? Where to?"

  "Yeah, we're just going to go and do our own thing. Lucky me, 'cause I got a Saber, so I doubt working alone is going to be much of a problem."

  Saber is said to be the greatest among the seven Servants. With their high parameters and attack power, it is unlikely for them to be defeated in a fight against any Servant.

  "I see. So you will not join us in battle, then?"

  "You guys already have six Servants, right? And if Lancer and Rider are as amazing as you say, there shouldn't be an issue."

  "That is certainly the case, but... you have me at a loss."

  Shirou scratched at his head, looking somewhat troubled. Assassin, her eyebrows slightly arched, exuded an air of displeasure.

  "...So you claim that you have no need of our hand in waging war, but know that you forfeit all the counsel we could provide on Trifas."

  "That would be a shame, because I'd love to get as much counsel as I can. How about I buy it off of you?"

  Assasssin's brows rose ever further at his disagreeable words. Quietly, Shirou checked her.

  "We will provide information on a regular basis. But this is most unfortunate. I truly did wish to stand alongside you."

  Shirou murmured with regret.

  As soon as Shishigou left the church, he had Saber turn into spirit form and gave his undivided attention to barrelling down the staircase without breaking his neck.

  "Saber, is anyone following us
?"

  "...None that I can sense. But keep a watchful eye, Master. Assassin could be tracking us in spirit form. I shall cut her down if she ever attempts an attack."

  "It's noon, so I doubt that... but I can practically see the writing on the walls. Let's get the hell out of here."

  "Can I just say one thing?"

  "Go ahead."

  "That Red Assassin... she had the same smell as Mother. Questioning her loyalty is one thing, but pray that we would not meet our ends never suspecting the knife she planted in our backs."