Watching the smug Gordes, Rider's Master, the black magus Celenike, asked in an artificially cold voice:
"—Announcing the true name was prearranged, wasn't it? To have it reduced to empty words now is utterly displeasing."
"That's because I hadn't obtained the catalyst back then," Gordes replied while carefully cradling the box in his arms, seemingly intent on keeping even the catalyst completely concealed.
"Uncle Gordes, is hiding the true name truly such a significant matter?"
Facing this question from Archer's Master, Fiore—the direct heir of the Yggdmillennia clan—Gordes answered with grave seriousness: "Revealing the true name would be fatal for my Servant. The fewer mouths that could leak it, the better."
A Servant's true name was information that must be concealed at all costs. No matter how renowned the hero, most met their end through unnatural means.
Exposing their true name would lay bare the cause of their death as a fatal weakness.
If they had died by poison, then poisoning them again in some form would suffice. If they had been slain by an arrow, then shooting an arrow would do. If a specific body part was their weakness, targeting it would be enough.
Even if no fatal weakness could be found, a hero with draconic heritage would fare poorly against dragon-slaying weapons. And even without the good fortune of possessing such a weapon, informing other Masters would still allow them to devise countermeasures with high probability.
Of course, there were Servants for whom revealing their true name posed no issue—Rider Astolfo being a prime example.
Darnic swiftly glanced at Vlad III. The latter responded to his gaze with a bright smile. As Darnic's Servant, Vlad III naturally knew exactly who Goldie had summoned as the Black Saber. Thus, the king famed for his cruelty nodded in magnanimous approval.
"—Understood. Then I shall grant you special permission."
The words of the clan head, Darnic, brought a satisfied smile to Gordes's face.
"My king, you have my deepest gratitude. Then, we shall take our leave."
Straightening his back, Gordes led Saber out of the throne room with dignified steps. Watching his retreating figure, Celenike grumbled in displeasure. "Just because he summoned a Saber, he acts all high and mighty."
"That's simply the kind of creature he is," Darnic murmured with a wry smile.
Gordes was the heir of the Musik family, once renowned in the field of alchemy alongside the Einzberns. However, by the time the Musik family was absorbed into the Yggdmillennia clan, their lineage as magi had already begun to decline. To this former noble house, being assimilated by the Yggdmillennia was nothing short of a humiliation.
From childhood, Gordes's parents had ceaselessly instilled in him the superiority of the Musik family. Even now, at thirty-six years old, he remained unable to distinguish between reality and ideals—only his pride in "having once been nobility" flourished unchecked.
Gordes was a first-class magus, a rarity in the Musik family, and this fact had inflated his pride in his lineage to excess. However, he was indeed an exceptional magus. In this Holy Grail War, he proposed and successfully implemented a system interference of unprecedented scale—the division of magical energy pathways.
No matter how skilled the magi dispatched by the Mage's Association might be, the summoning of Servants and supplying them with magical energy would become cumbersome burdens. Simply eliminating this factor alone would significantly narrow the gap in their respective strengths. Moreover, abundant magical energy would allow for the reckless use of Noble Phantasms. Gold's achievements absolutely could not be ignored... which was why they had no choice but to turn a blind eye to his arrogance.
Returning to his private chamber in high spirits, Gordes once again faced Saber. Though he was already nearly certain, he questioned just to be sure:
"Saber, answer me one question. Your true name is Siegfried, correct?"
Receiving a confirming nod, Gold reached the pinnacle of delight.
Siegfried—a great hero whose name was known to every household in Germany. Though his character varied across different legends, he was most famously depicted in the heroic epic Nibelungenlied. Born as the prince of the Netherlands, he embarked on countless adventures and ultimately earned the title of Dragon Slayer.
He remained undefeated in every battle until his life was taken by a treacherous blade striking his one and only weak point—his back.
The sword he wielded was Balmung, the holy sword of the Nibelungs. With it, he slew the evil dragon Fafnir, and after bathing in its blood, his body became impervious to any weapon.
Yet, despite being a noble warrior, his body bore one fatal flaw—the spot on his back that had been covered by a linden leaf while he bathed in the dragon's blood. Needless to say, this was the weakness that would lead to Siegfried's demise.
Gordes pondered for a moment. While obtaining the strongest Servant was certainly a boon, it was also true that the legend of his back was widely known and often recounted. How long could such a fatal, glaring weakness remain concealed?
"Saber, from now on, you are to keep your mouth shut unless you are using your Noble Phantasm. You may only speak with my permission."
For the time being, Gordes ordered Siegfried to remain silent to minimize any clues about his true name. He flaunted the Command Spell on the back of his hand to emphasize the severity of this command.
Would such overbearing treatment of the great hero be forgiven—or rather, would the hero himself be willing to forgive it?
On the other hand, Gordes could not shake the notion in his mind that "a Servant is merely a Servant." To him, Servants were nothing more than temporary guests who relied on him for survival.
A brief moment of tension passed through the room.
After a moment, Saber nodded in place of words to signify his acceptance of Gordes' command. Siegfried, being both royalty and a general who led armies, had left behind many legends. Yet he was also a great hero who constantly accepted the reliance and pleas of others.
Even if ordered not to speak, he would not object if it was necessary. As long as it fulfilled his own wish, he was prepared to willingly carry out any command.
——Just imagine. If he had resolutely protested at this moment even at the cost of a Command Spell being used, perhaps the subsequent fate would have been different. But Siegfried chose to obey as a Servant, and Gordes thus believed he had subdued his Servant as a Master.
Soon, this divergence would lead to a fatal situation.
***
While the Masters and Servants of the Black faction engaged in further exchanges, a group far in the Far East was already heading straight for the airport.
The three Servants obviously needed no rest, and Reika Rikudou, being an ordinary human, was put into a brief yet efficient deep sleep by Sakatsuki's magecraft after boarding the plane.
Even with Reika asleep, Sakatsuki and Artoria were not idle, instead discussing their next moves.
"I see. I heard about it from Illya and the others back on the island, but I never expected Class Cards to have such an effect." As the original, Artoria naturally received memories from Chaldea. Sensing the magical fluctuations from Reika, her tone carried a hint of surprise.
"It's as if the magi's circuits were copied and pasted onto Reika, with no rejection at all... Whoever developed this magecraft to such an extent must be remarkable."
"Indeed, but this belongs to another world, another person's obsession and pursuit," Sakatsuki said with a smile. "I'm merely the one using this tool, but since I'm using it, I'll use it well."
"Mm, I understand what you mean." The ahoge-bearing girl also took out a Class Card. As the light of Install shone, her presence transformed accordingly.
If any Master were to observe now, they would be astonished to find Artoria Pendragon's Class had changed from Ruler to Assassin.
"Since the Blue faction hasn't been exposed yet, you'll need to pose as an Assassin to better infiltrate the Yggdmillennia," Sakatsuki said, nodding in satisfaction after confirming Artoria's disguised parameters held no flaws.
"But wouldn't it be too dangerous for you to go alone, Lord Sakatsuki?" Despite the young man's confidence, Artoria expressed concern. "I am your Servant; I should be protecting you..."
"No need, my King. Don't forget I am both a Servant and a Master." Sakatsuki gestured for her not to worry. "Though Reika has a magi Class Card as disguise, she couldn't have learned many spells in such a short time. After you infiltrate Yggdmillennia posing as her Servant, Jack must stay by her side to ensure her safety."
Before boarding the plane to Romania, Sakatsuki had already explained his plan to them.
Reika disguised herself as a Master dispatched by the Osarei faction using a Class Card, joining Yggdmillennia with Artoria posing as Assassin serving as her public Servant.
Meanwhile, the true Assassin, Jack the Ripper—little Jack—maintained Presence Concealment around the clock, acting as Reika's hidden bodyguard, secretly protecting her dear 'Mommy' from any potential schemes by Yggdmillennia.
As for Sakatsuki, who had sent all three of them out, leaving only himself behind—
"I will infiltrate the Red faction, blend into their ranks, and turn their Masters and Servants to our side… Of course, you all must do the same on your end."
"And once the Red and Black factions have exhausted each other in battle, it will be our turn to reap the rewards."
Sakatsuki laid out his bold and audacious plan, yet his eyes remained calm, reflecting careful deliberation.
"Though our Blue faction has the fewest members and the weakest overall strength, we still have our advantages: secrecy… and me."
Touching his chest, where six Command Spells spread like wings, Sakatsuki gazed out at the clear blue sky outside the window, his tone composed and confident.
"The Greater Grail… belongs to me."
***
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