The little bull was killed by Theseus, and Medea is Theseus' stepmother.
Atalanta once boarded the same ship as Medea. The huntress had an acquaintance named Peleus, and his son would later become the famous Achilles in the Trojan War.
And Achilles' teacher was Chiron. He also had a comrade-in-arms named Odysseus, the very man who dumped Circe…
At first glance it makes your head spin, but when you think about it carefully, it is not strange. After all, this Holy Grail War is taking place in Europe.
Considering fame and the difficulty of obtaining holy relics, it is only natural that there are many Greek Servants.
And Greek mythology is highly complete. Characters with names and backgrounds can always, after many twists and turns, find some kind of connection.
"I didn't expect the red side's Caster to be you, Aunt… I originally thought having just one Atalanta was awkward enough."
Medea felt quite helpless. Her memories with Atalanta were very beautiful and pure. At that time, she had not yet become the vengeful witch she would later turn into…
"That is what I should be saying… sigh!"
Circe complained, "Seriously, ever since I was summoned, not a single good thing has happened!"
What she was referring to was not only recognizing Medea again, but also the fact that her Master had been controlled by Amakusa.
Yes, although Amakusa had not yet revealed everything to the other Servants, Circe, as a great witch, would not be fooled by the empress' tricks.
She had long known that something had happened to her Master and roughly understood what was going on.
However, she did not expose the conspiracy. Instead, she pretended to know nothing and diligently carried out the tasks Amakusa assigned to her.
"Then let's stop here for today. I waited there for so long for nothing…" Medea shook her head.
"Sorry, I accidentally destroyed all those artifacts. It must have affected the speed of building your magic workshop, right?"
"No, not at all."
From Circe's mouth, Medea obtained an unexpected piece of information. "Maybe it did have some effect, but it is not my workshop anyway, so it does not matter."
"Huh?"
Medea was stunned. "The phantom thief incidents these days, the culprit should be you, Aunt, right? Wasn't it to collect materials to build your magic workshop?"
"I do not care for those things at all, and the main force behind the phantom thief cases is the priest!"
Circe sneered. "It was just my Master's order. We were collecting these as materials for Assassin, to let her build her own 'temple.'"
Why would Assassin have a temple? Medea suppressed this question for the time being.
After hearing Circe's words, a sense of superiority rose in her chest. The corners of her mouth curved up happily, and even her voice carried a hint of lightness.
"What? Aunt, a great magus like you, and the red side is not building a workshop for you, but instead building a temple for some Assassin?"
"What a waste. Leaving a proper Caster unused, only to go help Assassin as a stepping stone~"
"But that is not bad either. Having a workshop is not necessarily a good thing."
"Look at me. Although I have the largest magic workshop of the Yggdmillennia, and even the Great Holy Grail as a magical furnace core, the tasks assigned to me are also many!"
"Making golems, repairing Spirit Origins, it is so troublesome!"
"I am actually rather envious of you, Aunt. You do not have to stay locked in a workshop all day, and you can even come out and play the role of a phantom thief or something~"
"..."
Bang!
Circe had a smile on her face, but her tin staff crushed a floor tile.
Medea quietly became alert, ready at any moment to have a magical duel with her teacher.
But soon this tension vanished, because Circe sharply caught an important piece of information.
"Medea, you said you can come into contact with the Great Holy Grail?"
"Uh, yes. Why?" Medea's brows moved slightly. She seemed to have thought of something as well, but there was hesitation in her expression.
"Aunt, could it be you want to…"
"Relax, I am just curious. I only asked casually."
Circe asked with a smiling face, "Do I look like the kind of person who would ignore the bigger picture and stir up trouble just to vent my anger?"
Medea, "..."
At that moment, she remembered a saying that was widely spread in Colchis and even across the entire Greek sea region.
Never offend the witch Circe. That woman holds grudges.
"That is how it was. In the end, she still escaped. I am truly sorry."
In the main hall, Medea bowed slightly and calmly recounted her experience.
Vlad III, who was seated above, nodded slightly and said indifferently, "The Caster class is not good at direct combat to begin with."
"Sending you out this time was only for intelligence gathering and tactical interference. There was no order for battle… rather, you acted on your own."
"This was my mistake." Medea offered no excuse.
"Fortunately, there were no bad consequences, and it also served as a warning to the other side."
"In that case, we will not pursue responsibility further." Vlad III waved his hand generously, signaling that Medea could return to making golems and maintaining the barrier.
"Understood, I will take my leave."
The phantom thief incident was not successfully resolved. Although Yggdmillennia sent Medea to handle it, the enemy was also skilled in magecraft.
After detonating the museum, they escaped amid the chaos. As a Caster, Medea was unwilling to leave her position and pursue alone, so she returned to the castle to report the situation to Vlad III.
Lancer could not be called satisfied with this result, but he was not disappointed either. The reason he chose to send Caster was actually to first transfer all valuable items from the museum and turn the building itself into a giant bomb.
Medea, on a whim, had used the "mystery" of numerous artifacts to temporarily create a simple yet effective anti-spirit barrier in an attempt to keep the opponent's Servant. That was beyond Vlad III's expectations.
But no matter what, Medea was unharmed, and it was said that the enemy had suffered a small loss. As long as there were no major losses, this outcome was acceptable for Yggdmillennia.
As for the traitor witch who violated orders and acted on her own, she seemed to have realized her mistake.
The usually proud and reserved woman had become very humble and cautious after returning.
After apologizing to Vlad III, she went back to the underground workshop to adjust the Great Holy Grail.
The black side's Servants were not only strong in their own right, their supply of magical energy was also abundant.
They drew power simultaneously from their Masters, from homunculus biological batteries, and from the Great Holy Grail.
As a result, their Spirit Origins were constantly in peak condition.
Medea claimed she could adjust the output of the Great Holy Grail and increase support to the Servants as a way to make up for her mistake.
Having motivated subordinates was a good thing. Vlad III had no intention of being harsh with her, and he greatly praised the project she proposed.
In fact, Medea was not exaggerating. Apart from the core magic circuit array of the "Heaven's Feel," this peerless witch had already mastered the structure and operating mechanism of the Great Holy Grail. Making some external adjustments was nothing difficult for her.
Sure enough, after only two days, the black side Servants received enhanced magical support in all aspects.
Compared to that, the supply from Masters and homunculus batteries was hardly worth mentioning.
With their overall strength raised another level, the black side was full of confidence for the upcoming Holy Grail War. From Vlad III to the many magi, none of them doubted that they would achieve victory.
In contrast, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada of the red side felt deep concern about the road ahead.
In his original plan, Assassin Semiramis' Noble Phantasm, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, was the key of all keys. To seize Yggdmillennia's Great Holy Grail, this aerial fortress was indispensable.
However, the red side Berserker Master and Servant, Celenike and Iori, for some unknown reason held hostility toward him.
Not only had they never come to the church to meet, they had taken advantage of openings to destroy many precious artifacts.
These were materials used to construct the Hanging Gardens. He had spent half a century barely gathering them. Even if they could still be used now, their effect would be greatly reduced.
One important characteristic of the Hanging Gardens was this, the higher the total value of the resources invested during construction, the higher the completion level of the Gardens, and the higher the rank of the Noble Phantasm.
This was why the Master who summoned Semiramis had to be prepared for bankruptcy to participate in the war…
Iori's actions were undoubtedly a huge blow to Amakusa. He had no choice but to send Circe to gather resources.
Even if that would cause dissatisfaction from the red Caster, he could only try his best to soothe her. On the major direction, he could absolutely not change course.
Originally, as the representative of the Holy Church and a collaborator of the red Masters, Amakusa could have reported to the Clock Tower and condemned the internal conflict of the Berserker pair.
But after learning the identity background of Berserker's Master, he silently swallowed the loss.
Celenike von Einzbern. When he saw this surname, his first reaction was a sense of nostalgia and regret. Immediately after, he suspected that his own identity had been exposed.
Back then, the Einzbern family had illegally summoned a Ruler on their own territory. They certainly kept data records of Amakusa Shirou.
Although the family had declined, it would not be strange if they recognized him from historical data.
He had no choice but to temporarily set aside the matter of Celenike and Iori, and redraw his plan to attack Yggdmillennia.
Without the Hanging Gardens, they would have to take the initiative to attack the black side's main base and fight to the death against Servants backed by magic workshops and the Great Holy Grail.
Even with outstanding Servants like Karna, Achilles, and Semiramis, achieving that would not be easy.
So he restrained Achilles and the others who were eager for battle, patiently scraping together materials bit by bit, waiting for the day the Hanging Gardens would be completed.
It was under such circumstances that both the black and red sides received an important piece of information at the same time.
[A top-tier holy relic, the treasure of Norse mythology, "Rhein Gold," will appear at a certain manor on the outskirts of Trifas for a public exhibition, inviting only truly tasteful guests to attend the grand event.]
This message was openly printed in the newspaper. Most local residents who saw it thought it was just a prank by some troublemaker.
Only Yggdmillennia and Amakusa Shirou treated it seriously after receiving the intelligence.
Because what they received at the same time was also a fragment of ore delivered by a familiar.
The stone itself had no particular value. It was neither gold nor jade, nor any rare material.
But magi treated it with great importance, because it carried a strange magical power, somewhere between a curse and a blessing, with an extremely deep history, like a remnant of some kind of "mystery."
If it were only that, it would not matter. Yggdmillennia did not lack holy relics, and Amakusa Shirou was well-traveled in the Middle East.
However, among both sides' Servants were true experts, the so-called "tasteful guests" mentioned in the newspaper.
They recognized the origin of the ore and thus verified the claim in the newspaper.
"It really is Rhein Gold?"
In the conference hall, Fiore let out a small gasp, her face full of disbelief. The other Masters had different expressions, but it was clear that all of them were stirred by this unexpected information.
It was no wonder they were so restless. This was not an ordinary holy relic, but a treasure that occupied a key position in a mythological system, carrying extremely special meaning.
Even setting aside its symbolism, Rhein Gold itself had the ability to gather wealth. That was something no one could refuse.
From cultivators to magi, regardless of the power system, the consensus was similar, on the path of cultivation, abundant resources are the greatest support, and money is the most direct form of resources.
In the world of magecraft, there was not a single magus who could truly see through fame and profit. On the contrary, they all pursued it.
The famously poor Tohsaka Rin need not be mentioned. Even industry giants like Lord El-Melloi II and the Aozaki sisters had great demand for money.
"It is impossible for Rhein Gold to exist on Romanian soil. Otherwise, we would have found it long ago."
"No matter how you look at it, it is a trap."
"At this time… it is probably related to the Clock Tower!"
"Saber, can you confirm it?"
Vlad III raised his hand to quiet everyone and asked a tall white-haired young swordsman present.
"No one here is more qualified than you to judge its authenticity."
"It is genuine."
The stern-faced swordsman with resolute eyes was named Siegfried, also known as Siegfried, one of the strongest human heroes in Norse mythology.
During his lifetime, he had deep ties with Rhein Gold. In a sense, it could even be considered his holy relic. Naturally, he could not mistake it.
"It is probably rock that flaked off from the base. This kind of magical power that leads people toward misfortune cannot be faked by ordinary means."
"Oh? So it is real…"
Vlad III smiled meaningfully. "It seems the host is quite sincere. It is worth a visit."
"Your Majesty!"
The bespectacled magus Celenike immediately spoke to dissuade him. "This is undoubtedly a trap."
"As long as we remain in the castle, we can always ensure our advantage. Even if the holy relic is real, there is no need to invite trouble."
The other Masters also stepped forward one after another. Although their wording differed, the general meaning was the same.
There was no need to pay attention to such an obvious bait. They could continue executing their original defensive counterattack strategy.
When the time was ripe, once enough Servants had fallen, they could directly activate the Great Holy Grail and declare victory in the war.
"Hmph. You are weaker than I imagined, and lack the wisdom to judge the situation."
Vlad III said unhappily, "I am both a general and a king. I will not let temporary impulses control my mind."
"Of course I will not be lured by bait. But have you not realized the opportunity for battle within this?"
"An opportunity?"
The Masters were stunned. In the end, it was the wheelchair-bound girl Fiore who was relatively clever. After a moment's thought, she grasped the key point.
"Are you referring to the fact that they have set the battlefield in Trifas?"
"Hmm. Slow, but not hopeless."
Vlad III said, "Trifas is my 'territory,' and also the region where Yggdmillennia's influence is strongest. Displaying Rhein Gold in such a place is a confident challenge!"
"Your Majesty is wise…"
Fiore sighed inwardly. As long as Vlad III was on his own 'territory,' he was almost invincible.
The so-called defensive counterattack strategy was also meant to avoid fighting outside his domain as much as possible.
But this time the enemy had come directly into their sphere of influence, and even into its core area.
As a monarch, the grand duke could consider the bigger picture and choose a strategy of staying put. But as a general, he likely could not tolerate the enemy provoking him at his own doorstep.
After all, as long as he did not leave his territory, Vlad III had nothing to fear. Even if it was a trap, he could handle it with ease.
"Of course, I will not take risks lightly. From now on, send out all spies and familiars to closely monitor every movement on this land."
"Then expand the surveillance range and be sure to observe the enemy's route of intrusion."
"As long as we prepare in advance, whether in Trifas or within the castle, I can command the battle as supreme commander."
"Also, Servants must remain stationed in the castle to protect the Masters and use Command Seals at critical moments to recall combat power."
"As you command!"
"…Your Majesty!"
Seeing that Vlad III had already made his decision, the Masters knew it would be difficult to change his mind. But Fiore still intended to make one last effort.
"It is right to strike back at the enemy for such provocation. However, we still do not know what kind of Servants the enemy has prepared. If this is merely to divert your attention, then we will fall into their trap."