"..."
Not to mention how speechless Shishigou was, the moment Sera heard the title "Saber," her eyes slowly went blank.
She stared at the blonde girl with extreme shock, and on her usually expressionless face, a rare look of helplessness appeared.
'Th-this is one of the Three Knight Classes, the one known for having the highest overall parameters, Saber?!'
"Oh, Saber… Master, the chance is here. Want to switch Servants?"
Iori said to her with a smile, "Didn't you want one of the Three Knight Classes, especially a noble and outstanding Saber? This is the strongest class, you know."
"Ber…"
Sera's cheeks turned slightly red. She looked away and did not dare meet Iori's eyes.
"Berserker is the strongest!"
———
"… If this is true, then it's far too shocking."
At the open air cafe, the four of them sat in two groups under sun umbrellas, facing each other across tables.
After listening to Sera's "speculation" about a certain priest, the mercenary Shishigou immediately became serious. With that face of his, the pressure only grew heavier.
"This matter is too important. I cannot simply believe your words so easily, Master of the Einzbern family."
He deliberately emphasized Sera's identity, one of the three founding families, Einzbern.
As one of the three great families that created the Holy Grail War, the Einzbern's understanding of the Greater Holy Grail was unmatched in the world. Strictly speaking, it was originally their family's inherited possession.
The reason the Mage's Association refused Sera's request and would not even give her a Master slot was also because they considered the Einzbern's obsession with the Grail.
They were afraid that if they joined, they would take the chance to cause trouble.
Now, although through Lord El Melloi II's connections, the Mage's Association reluctantly accepted Sera as a Master, they still treated her as an outsider.
Shishigou was hired by the Association. His position stood with the Masters directly under the Association. He was not on the same side as Sera.
Moreover, he had reason to suspect that the last descendant of the Einzbern wanted to stir something up and had fabricated false information to deceive him.
Of course, that did not mean the priest was trustworthy.
In short, without solid proof, Shishigou would not jump to conclusions.
"Using a Servant's ability to control other Masters… I've never heard of such a thing."
The sunglasses covered Shishigou's eyes, but Sera could feel that he was carefully examining her.
"Do you have any evidence?"
"No. But I don't need to present evidence."
Sera said calmly, "I am only reminding you out of goodwill. Whether you choose to believe it or not has nothing to do with me."
"However, when you meet the priest, you should be able to sense the problem yourself. There is no more convincing proof than personal experience."
"As your only remaining ally, I will kindly give you one more piece of advice."
"Absolutely do not act alone. When you go to meet the priest, bring your Servant with you. Do not leave your Servant's protection, and do not be alone with the priest."
"Mm… That's only natural." Shishigou nodded slightly.
Sera's attitude was very composed. She did not try to forcefully prove anything. It was more like, believe it or not as you wish. That actually made her words more credible.
Even without Sera's reminder, Shishigou would never let his Servant leave his side.
He was an experienced old mercenary and had even been a Master several times. He knew very well how Assassin had taken the MVP position in sub category Holy Grail Wars.
That had only been a rough version of the Grail War. This time in Romania, the level of danger was far higher. No amount of caution would be too much.
"Mr. Shishigou, although I am not a Master appointed by the Mage's Association, I am undoubtedly a member of the Red faction."
"And since you know the name 'Einzbern,' you must have gathered related information. Then you should understand that when it comes to hostility toward the Yggdmillennia family, I am more determined than anyone."
Sera said confidently, "If you are to choose an ally, I am the least likely to betray you. Isn't that right?"
"That is true." Shishigou nodded. His mindset relaxed somewhat. He took out a cigarette from his coat and lit it. A thin line of smoke slowly rose.
The reason the Einzbern fell from being one of the three founding families to their current state could basically be considered Danic's doing.
That man had hidden well before, but once he openly rebelled, everyone learned that he was the one who had hidden away the Greater Holy Grail.
Among the many Masters of the Red faction, if there was anyone with the strongest reason to hate Yggdmillennia, it would be Sera.
This was based on normal thinking. In truth, Sera did not hold special hatred toward Yggdmillennia. She had no thoughts of revenge. Her mind was entirely on the Holy Grail War.
If the other Masters had really been controlled by the priest, then to fight against both Yggdmillennia and the priest, it seemed the only option was to join forces with the last descendant of the Einzbern. That thought flashed through Shishigou's mind.
If what Sera said was not false, then an alliance between her and Shishigou would be the natural course of action.
"Your Servant is Berserker?"
Shishigou looked at Iori and changed the subject. "He doesn't seem like it. Berserker is quite a common class in sub category Holy Grail Wars, although not as easy to summon as Assassin."
"Generally speaking, Berserkers have no reason. But your Servant is clearly not like that."
"He… just hasn't entered combat mode yet."
Sera turned her head and glanced at Iori, who was bored enough to study the menu. The corner of her eye twitched slightly.
She also really wanted to know the answer to that question.
In Shishigou's eyes, Iori was just a silent Berserker with rare calmness and reason. He had no idea how talkative Iori was when teasing Sera.
But Sera could not expose him. The strategy plans and negotiation words were all made by Iori.
Sera was the one who appeared to talk with others, creating the image of a wise and experienced Master, while hiding the real mastermind behind the scenes.
"Things are getting more and more complicated. The commission I accepted was only to participate as a Red Master. I never imagined such an extreme situation would appear."
Shishigou felt faint unease. "That priest… if what you said is true, what exactly does he want?"
"Who knows."
Sera knew, but there was no need to discuss that much with Shishigou.
After speaking, the artificial human girl looked at Saber in the red jacket, then deliberately glanced at Iori.
The Berserker class boy had a brief exchange with his Master. The silver haired girl nodded slightly, then calmly faced the mercenary uncle.
"Mr. Shishigou, to show my sincerity, I intend to give you a piece of information for free."
"Oh?" The mercenary magus raised a brow. "What information?"
"The true name of the enemy Servant. But I need to know this Saber's true name first before I can confirm it."
"Why?" Shishigou was very surprised.
"Because Saber and the enemy Rider look exactly the same!"
"!"
The atmosphere around them instantly changed. The spoon in Red Saber's hand was unknowingly squeezed into twisted scrap metal, and an overly excited grin appeared on her face.
"A face the same as mine?"
"Yes."
In truth, Sera had never seen Rider's face. These words were arranged in advance with Iori.
"But taller. Like a grown up version of you."
"Uh…"
Mordred's momentum suddenly froze. She scratched her head in confusion.
'A face the same but more mature… Could it be not Father Arthur, but Mother Morgan?'
That would be troublesome. If her mother was summoned as Rider, her Noble Phantasm would probably be some kind of dragon. Or she might even ride out with Gawain.
"Could it be…" Shishigou looked at Mordred with worry.
When Sera said the enemy Rider looked exactly like Mordred, his first thought was King Arthur. Whether in legend or reality, Mordred was Arthur's son, or clone.
According to records, the two were extremely similar. The witch Morgan even made Mordred wear a helmet to hide the identical appearance to Arthur.
At this time, Shishigou did not know that the whole Arthur family of three basically looked alike.
If the Black faction's Servant was Arthur, then it would be extremely disadvantageous for Mordred.
"Hey, you!"
The blonde girl rudely called out to Iori. "You saw more clearly, right? Does that person have any other features?"
"Hm?"
Iori raised his eyes and expressionlessly looked her up and down.
"Unlike certain tin cans, where you can tell she's a woman from the obvious curves even through armor… the difference from a brat like you is that her figure is extremely impressive."
"Gah!" Saber was provoked.
"Also, her weapon is a lance."
"Mm!"
Shishigou's brows tightly furrowed. The blonde girl's expression also changed drastically.
Iori smiled faintly. 'Breaking into a sweat now, aren't you, Mordred?'
———
"With this, the preparations before the war are almost complete."
At night, the clear river surface reflected countless stars and a bright crescent moon. A small boat painted white floated quietly.
The boy sat by the side of the boat, leisurely fishing. He did not use professional night fishing equipment. He looked very casual.
Sera leaned half over the railing, looking slightly sleepy. Under her pure white dress, a hazy and beautiful curve was outlined. Her silver hair almost blended with the moonlight.
She listened carefully to Iori's words. In her half covered red eyes, a trace of understanding appeared.
"For us, the enemy ranked first is Yggdmillennia. They are more united than the Red faction and hold the Greater Holy Grail in their hands. If we do not defeat them, all later plans will be castles in the air."
"And Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, also known as Kotomine Shirou, will be the best candidate to accomplish this."
"Perhaps this priest is unpleasant, but we have to admit his tactical command ability is quite good."
"As a Servant left over from the previous war, he has sufficient preparation and backup plans. He is far stronger than the magi from the Clock Tower."
"We should also thank him for eliminating the other four Masters. Otherwise… you know how troublesome magi are."
"Trying to make them set aside personal interests and unite for a common goal is simply a fantasy."
"A divided Red faction cannot defeat Yggdmillennia. Unified command is necessary."
"Yes. You said before that at least until Yggdmillennia is dealt with, Amakusa Shirou is someone we can make use of." Sera nodded.
"Exactly. So if necessary, I will also lend the priest a hand."
Iori changed his tone. "Of course, if the priest wins too easily, that will also be a problem for us."
"First defeat Yggdmillennia, then in the internal competition defeat the priest… Is that why you recruited Archer and Saber?"
"Archer is controlled by Command Spells. It is difficult for her to directly oppose the priest. As long as she can provide convenience for us when necessary, that is enough. Saber and her Master are the truly reliable allies."
Iori smiled. "Don't be fooled by Saber's childish appearance. Her combat ability is quite impressive."
"Only Saber? Since you were able to persuade Archer and Saber, can we not try to win over the other Servants?"
"It won't be easy. There's no need to mention the Red Masters. The Servants are also mostly unreliable."
"The reason I chose Atalanta and Mordred is because those two have weaknesses. I can easily manipulate them."
"Archer hopes to create a world where all children can live happily. And Mordred right now is probably thinking only about how to properly show filial respect to her father."
"But aside from those two, the other Servants are hard to handle. And…"
"And?"
"My future sight may not be absolutely correct."
There seemed to be deeper meaning in Iori's words. Sera looked at him in surprise.
"You always act with confidence. It is rare to see you lacking certainty."
"No one can grasp every possibility in their hands. I am no exception." Iori admitted his limits calmly.
"As long as we use the information we have to the best of our ability, that is enough to deal with all kinds of situations. As for the final victory… it will depend on whose methods are more skillful."
Actually, Iori had originally considered making use of the Black faction's Rider, Astolfo, and Assassin, Jack, two uncontrollable Servants.
But that day outside the church, when he saw the fierce battle between the Black Lancer King and Karna, he already knew that things were gradually slipping out of control.
Some classes had changed Servants.
If nothing unexpected happened, then this Holy Grail War had indeed encountered another unexpected turn.
The bad news was that his prophet advantage had been greatly weakened. Especially regarding the identities and Noble Phantasms of both sides' Servants, there would definitely be major changes.
When planning strategy, he would have to consider much more.
The good news was that the further it strayed from the original story, the closer this timeline moved toward becoming a Singularity. In a sense, that also helped Iori.
In fact, from the moment the Black Lancer King appeared, it could already be said that they were not far from a Singularity.
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