His contractor was a girl with proper and refined looks, an elegant and calm temperament. Unfortunately, her legs were disabled, and she could only sit in a wheelchair.
At this moment, Master Fiore's eyes carried hidden worry, but Archer signaled her with his gaze not to be concerned.
When the Masters of Yggdmillennia were in the same room as Vlad III, they generally appeared very uneasy.
In their view, Lancer was a dangerous Servant who had been infamous for cruelty during his lifetime and had suffered unknown mental pollution, even turning on his own Master.
Lancer's mental state was extremely unstable. The Masters all feared ending up like their clan head Darnic, so during the strategy meeting they behaved as obediently as elementary school students.
This time, three Servants of Yggdmillennia fought Iori one after another. Not only did they fail to keep him, they did not even manage to cause any decent damage, and they almost lost an Assassin in the process…
In fact, it was fortunate that Black Berserker's true name was Asterios, the famous Lord of the Labyrinth, the Minotaur.
His name had a deep connection with "lightning," and his naturally gifted, powerful body was therefore able to endure the invasion of thunder.
Otherwise, Iori's final all-out lightning strike would have been equivalent to compressing an anti-army Noble Phantasm into an anti-personnel range… If it had been anyone else, they definitely would not have survived.
Iori had nearly taken down two Servants without injury. If this were a game, he would have easily solo-cleared the preliminary dungeon. As the final boss, Vlad III naturally felt somewhat disgraced.
That unusual sense of oppression made every magus in the hall not dare to breathe loudly…
Chiron, however, did not feel this kind of restraint. He had always been accurate in judging people, so he was certain that Lancer's "madness" was a rational, logical extreme behavior. Even if Vlad III completely became a Berserker, he could still lead this camp.
As long as one maintained the same stance as him, there would be no problem.
"First, about the Red side's Servant… Hmm, is that young man really a Berserker?"
"There is no doubt about that. The spiritual foundation of each class has corresponding traits. That young man indeed carries 'Mad Enhancement' as a Berserker."
"It's just possible that he has a special Noble Phantasm or inherent skill that allows him to be immune to the negative effects of Mad Enhancement. Such skills are rare, but they do exist."
Chiron spoke confidently. "Generally speaking, 'Mad Enhancement' is used to strengthen weaker Servants. "
"If a powerful hero is summoned under the Berserker class, although their parameters will increase, they will lose reason and skill. Overall, it actually becomes a form of weakening."
"But the Red side's Berserker is different. He is one of the very few Heroic Spirits who can balance both 'Mad Enhancement' and 'rationality.' Therefore, he is far more troublesome than ordinary Berserkers."
"In fact, I believe that even if he had chosen to stay and continue fighting at that time, it would have been very difficult for us to kill him."
"You rate him that highly?" Vlad III was somewhat surprised.
"Assassin is not a weak Servant. She has excellent parameters enough to qualify as one of the Three Knight classes, and her combat skills are seasoned and refined."
"Yet facing that man, she was almost completely unable to resist. From beginning to end, she was suppressed, and she was even nearly killed…"
"Even considering compatibility issues, we must admit that the Red side's Berserker is far above Shuten Douji in strength!"
Chiron hesitated for a moment, then boldly said, "And it is very likely that he was still hiding his true power."
"He fought three Servants in succession and still did not use his full strength?" Vlad III and the surrounding Servants were astonished.
"This is only my intuition… but I firmly believe it."
Chiron had once looked at Iori from afar. Although they had not met at close range, he had a deep impression of Iori's calm, almost cold gaze.
"I repeatedly reviewed the battle records and found many suspicious points."
"What concerns me most is the special ability he displayed when fighting Shuten Douji, one that could negate a sure-kill Noble Phantasm… It looked as if Shuten Douji's attack simply 'passed through' him, yet it was not an illusion."
"Was it his Noble Phantasm? For example, something like a vampire turning into mist?"
Vlad III did not care much, because if he were to fall into becoming a vampire, he would also have similar abilities.
"It was merely evading an attack. From his battle process, he only used that 'mist-like' ability once throughout the entire fight."
"Obviously, it is also a trump card he would not use lightly. Perhaps there is a limit on how many times he can use it."
"So as long as we are careful during battle and do not get calculated against, there should be no problem."
"Perhaps. But battles between Servants are contests of Noble Phantasms and compatibility. Intelligence plays a major role in that."
Chiron hesitated. "We cannot rule out that he deliberately revealed that ability to mislead us into drawing false conclusions… I still think we should prepare for the worst."
"As we should." Vlad III nodded lightly, though inwardly he did not fully agree.
In his view, Iori was a very good Servant.
His parameters were balanced and excellent. He excelled at close combat while also possessing mid-range attack capability.
He could deploy a field that granted immunity to abnormal status effects. In addition, his weapons could control lightning and water currents, and he himself had sealing techniques targeting spiritual bodies.
Most importantly, he had brains. He remained calm at all times during battle and even had spare attention to protect his Master.
To be honest, Vlad III was tempted. If they were not in opposing camps, he would definitely recruit such talent!
But that was all. Lancer did not believe Iori was a game-changing force who could determine the outcome of the war.
He lacked an overwhelming, decisive dominance that could settle everything in one blow.
"I believe he has not yet activated his true Noble Phantasm, which should be this hero's greatest trump card… It is a pity Assassin is unwilling to say more, otherwise we might be able to make some guesses."
Chiron only learned the true name "Yamato Takeru" from Shuten, but it was difficult to extract the characteristics of his Noble Phantasm from Takeru's legend.
He had wanted Shuten to help make some inferences, but that woman blocked him with the excuse that her brain was not working well.
How should he put it… it was hard to refute.
———
"Berserker… no, Iori, sorry."
In a hotel room, Sella sat on the bed. Her slender arms supported her against the bedside. Just maintaining a slightly leaning sitting posture already looked difficult for her.
A faint flush would appear on her face from time to time. Her lazy appearance was like someone slightly hungover, giving her a different kind of charm.
The silver-haired homunculus was clearly a girl in her youthful years, but under the "influence" of Shuten's fine wine, she faintly carried a hint of a married woman's charm…
"This time I held you back. If you did not have to take care of me, you might even have been able to hunt down the enemy Servants instead, right?"
"It would not be that easy." Iori shook his head. "Assassin is not a concern, but the combination of Black Archer and Black Berserker is not so simple to deal with."
Asterios alone, Iori believed he could handle steadily. After all, this "born monster" did not have much combat skill.
He relied purely on talent and instinct to fight, and his Noble Phantasm was only meant to trap people.
His brute strength was indeed astonishing, but as someone once said, "If you cannot hit the target, it is meaningless!"
Iori's skill and agility were far above Asterios. With the ability of a clear and calm mind, as long as he was not foolish enough to wrestle him head-on, he truly could not think of how he would lose.
But that was in a one-on-one fight. If Chiron was added, it would be different.
The great sage of Greece was too versatile. His frontal combat ability could only be considered first-rate, but his support ability was top-tier. Since Iori did not intend to reveal all his trump cards so early, retreating was the best option.
"Iori, I… mm…"
"You were not directly hit by Shuten's Noble Phantasm. It was only a faint fragrance of wine naturally emitted. As long as your body continuously generates magical energy, it will wash away the residue."
"I know… but this feeling is so strange… why…"
Sella's brows sometimes furrowed and sometimes relaxed. Her eyes sometimes looked confused, sometimes at ease, sometimes troubled… giving a rather unstable impression.
Iori noticed this as well and sat by the bed to observe her condition. "What is wrong?"
"I do not know… I have so many feelings in my heart that I cannot put into words… It is like… I do not know how to describe it… mm, it feels so uncomfortable~"
"So many, so many things I never noticed before… things I never cared about… now they feel like a curse… I do not want to have these troubles, these emotions!"
Is it the magical power of "wine"? In myths of various countries, wine is a poison that drives people mad, not to mention Shuten, who is famous for corruption…
"Mm!"
Sella helplessly curled up. In her dazed state, she did something she would never normally do, she placed her head on Iori's lap.
It made her feel very safe. The chaotic and inexplicable emotions in her mind eased quite a bit.
"Sorry, Berserker. I know I should not do this, but… why have I become weak like a human…"
"…"
Iori originally wanted to push her away, but after raising his wrist, he hesitated slightly. In the end, he let it down helplessly and gently brushed over his Master's silver hair.
"It will be fine, Sella."
"Mm…"
Looking down at his Master's sleeping face, Iori suddenly felt a strange emotion. It was not lust. He was not the kind of person who would take advantage of someone in such a situation.
It was pity.
Sella always kept the long-cherished wish of Einzbern on her lips and did not care about her own life or death.
She tried her best to show the uniqueness of being a homunculus, as if she truly were a machine with no blood or tears, moving forward only for a mission.
Born physically weak, with a short lifespan, carved with countless spells, and hiding the Lesser Grail within her body, her life entered a countdown the moment the war began. What kind of feeling did she have when facing her own life?
No wonder she kept emphasizing that she was a homunculus and therefore would not have emotions.
If she had normal human feelings, she would either run away or go mad.
Sella could not admit her emotional fluctuations, because that would mean reexamining her entire life.
And under the premise that she could not resist the highest command, the more she denied her own life, the more tragic it became.
Since that was the case, it was better to end this life as a pure homunculus. If she sacrificed herself for Einzbern's wish, then at least her death would have meaning.
Beautiful, fragile, deceiving herself… this homunculus girl was truly a troublesome person.
But...
"It will be fine."
Iori repeated once more, saying softly, "I am here. I will always stay with you, Sella."
———
Early morning, the dawn light passed through the floor-to-ceiling windows and illuminated the scene inside the room.
On the soft large bed, over the white sheets, two figures were embracing each other while fully dressed.
The silver-haired girl curled up and lay on her side in the boy's arms. Her delicate face was calm and peaceful.
Not only was there no indecent atmosphere, there was instead a kind of inexplicable holiness.
"Mm…"
The girl's brows slightly furrowed as she slowly opened her eyes.
At first she was somewhat dazed, then her pupils gradually focused as she remembered what happened last night, including boating under the moon, encountering an attack, and how she became like a baby seeking comfort from others.
"...!"
Looking at the black suit blocking her view, she suddenly widened her eyes and carefully lifted her head.
When that familiar handsome face entered her sight, Sella could not help taking a deep breath. Her fragile heart began beating faster at this moment.
Only after noticing that Iori had not woken up, and was even letting out a faint snore, clearly still asleep, did she let out a breath of relief.
Supporting herself with her arms on the bed sheet, Sella raised her upper body and looked around somewhat blankly.
Then she looked at herself and Iori in this improper position. Fortunately, their clothes were neat and not disheveled or naked, otherwise the level of awkwardness would have risen several levels.
…No, why was she even caring about such a thing?
Sella suddenly realized her abnormality.
She had merely been guarded by her Servant and slept for a night while under an abnormal condition.
Although the posture was somewhat intimate, if it had been before, she definitely would not have had such strong emotional fluctuations.
Now… she felt that her thoughts and actions had become childish, or rather much less rational.
Homunculi were tools used by magi to complete certain tasks. They did not need extra things like emotions. And Einzbern was even more special. They were homunculi created by homunculi, even more extreme in this aspect.
Yet Sella now had something similar to human sensibility. From a magus's perspective, this was undoubtedly a kind of "degradation."
As her body gradually collapsed, was her mind also slowly developing logical errors? Sella mocked herself inwardly.
But this was not something she could control. Since she could not change it, she could only try her best to adapt.
After shaking her head, Sella planned to get up. By accident, she glanced at Iori's sleeping face and froze slightly.
She suddenly thought of a question. After Iori woke up, how should she greet him?
'What a wonderful night… No!'
What was going on with this restless and troubled feeling, as if a tightening rope had been placed around her neck.
Was this feeling what people commonly called "awkwardness"?
'Why not pretend to be asleep and muddle through?'
An idea struck Sella. She blinked. Although there was no one else in the room, she still subconsciously glanced around, then carefully lowered herself back into a side-lying position and closed her eyes.
She planned to pretend that she was still sleeping. After Iori woke up and left the bed, she would open her eyes, as if nothing had happened about sharing the same bed.
It had to be said that after becoming "weak," she seemed to have learned the human specialty of deceiving oneself… no, being smooth.
And strangely enough, perhaps because she had used up too much vitality, after closing her eyes, drowsiness rose again. She truly drifted back into sleep in a hazy state.
"Mm~"
In her blurred consciousness, she shifted uncomfortably and unceremoniously moved her head closer to Iori's chest. Her expression was calm and peaceful, with a faint smile at the corner of her lips…
Meanwhile, Iori opened his eyes and stared blankly at this person who was using his arm as a pillow, momentarily speechless.
'Would waking her now be a bit cruel…'
After thinking for a moment, Iori simply closed his eyes and went back to sleep as well, even ignoring the notification sound ringing in his mind.
[🎉 Shoutout to DarkLost for joining p@treon. Thank you very much.🤗]