The air was gradually growing hotter. Magical energy continuously emanated from the small loli in front of them, forming a crimson mist. Just looking at it, one could feel its intense heat. But to be safe, Viviane secretly checked for any differences between this magical energy and the previous one. The final result showed a high degree of similarity.
But why was she doing this? Viviane couldn't think of a reason.
"Answer me—!" the small loli shouted again. "Can't you hear my question?!"
Although the loli's stature was small, her demeanor was by no means weak. The occasional sparks that flickered from the corners of her mouth only added to her apparent anger.
However—neither Viviane nor Artoria had any intention of answering the question. After all, they had only arrived here by chance. And compared to her Rider, Viviane's thoughts were even more aggressive. For example—to directly eliminate the small loli in front of them. If the opponent could indeed use flame magic, then there was a high probability that she was a participant in this Holy Grail War. Eliminating her, appearing alone here, would on one hand reduce the number of enemies; on the other hand—Viviane looked at Artoria, who was shielding her—it would also be an opportunity to test her strength.
Without much hesitation, the witch who had lived for a millennium directly issued her first command. "Rider, defeat her!"
In front of other Masters/Servants, Viviane would not directly call Artoria by her true name. After all, she knew that in a Holy Grail War, revealing one's Servant's identity was a very dangerous thing.
"Understood!" Artoria, hearing Viviane's command, didn't hesitate and immediately summoned her mount, Dun Stallion. A sharp whinny echoed. The legendary white horse, imbued with the feelings of her beloved, appeared inside the burnt-out castle. Artoria wasn't worried that the terrain would restrict her and Dun Stallion—after all, it was much larger here than expected.
"Infinite combat preparation," Viviane issued a second command. "Win at all costs."
"Understood." Artoria gracefully mounted the horse, pulling Dun Stallion's reins.
"Hmph—" Sparks flew from the small loli's mouth. "So, you've come to fight me, have you? Then I won't hold back!"
Uttering words that sounded like a warning, the small loli's body began to turn fiery red. With a single push, she leaped into the air. The moment she saw this exaggerated physical prowess, Viviane, who had studied extensive Holy Grail War records, immediately realized that the opponent's class was very likely Berserker.
Berserker, a special class in the Holy Grail War. Due to the deliberate enhancement of the "destruction" concept during summoning, all abilities are boosted, making them the most difficult of the seven classes to accurately assess in overall capability. Of course, this enhancement was not without a price. Because the idea of "destruction" was overly emphasized, the Servant's very existence became weaker, making backlashes quite common. There were often tragic cases where Masters who couldn't control their Berserker were cut down by their own Servants. This was the double-edged sword known as "Mad Enhancement," something to be wary of when summoning a Berserker.
However—Viviane felt that something was amiss. The small loli in front of her indeed possessed the physical abilities befitting a Berserker. But her sanity was clearly unaffected. What was going on? Feeling that something was fishy, the witch secretly prepared her own magic. If the situation turned even slightly unfavorable, she would personally intervene. After all—she wasn't here to watch a fair duel between Servants, but to ensure her own victory in the Holy Grail War.
Facing the Berserker's sudden attack, Rider Artoria did not panic. She gripped Dun Stallion's reins, calmly and meticulously observing the angle of the loli's aerial assault. Just as she was about to be heavily struck, the girl sharply pulled the reins, making her warhorse rear up on its hind legs.
Thud!
The Berserker's attack landed squarely where the horse's hooves had just been.
Boom!
Flames spread outwards from the loli's fist. This was an attack that absolutely could not be taken head-on; otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable! Fortunately, Dun Stallion was experienced in combat and easily evaded the flames. However, the Berserker's attack did not stop there. Her fighting spirit ignited, more flames erupted from her fists. It seemed something big was coming!
Seeing this, Artoria distanced herself slightly, preparing to command her warhorse for a frontal charge. Although Dun Stallion was initially just an ordinary white horse gifted by Ian, under such prolonged historical protection, Dun Stallion had long since become a legendary being!
An intense clash was inevitable!
But at that moment—something unexpected happened. The small loli, who had just been as fierce as an oni, seemed to sense something. She sniffed slightly, then spoke something incomprehensible.
"Abe-sama's scent..."
"You! Do you know Abe-sama?!"
"Hm?" Feeling the opponent's fighting spirit vanish in an instant, the knightly girl, who always sought fair duels, also pulled on the reins, making Dun Stallion halt its charge. "What are you talking about? Abe-sama?"
"Yes." The small loli nodded. "You have... a very strong scent from him. Did you two... engage in reproductive acts?"
"Eh?!"
At the loli's words, Artoria immediately blushed, while Viviane clenched her fist. Both of them, at that moment, thought of the same name—Ian.
"What are you saying?!" Completely unprepared to be asked such a strange question at this moment, Artoria subconsciously denied it after the initial shock. "Even if we're enemies, you don't need to attack me with such words, do you?"
"I am not attacking you!" The small loli's yellow eyes trembled, and the crimson color, symbolizing fire, slowly receded. She seemed to be able to sense Artoria's uniqueness from another dimension. "You—you have a deep connection with Abe-sama. You two must have engaged in reproductive acts more than once!"
"..." Seeing the small loli seriously reiterate her earlier statement, Artoria's reaction changed from initial shyness to thoughtful hesitation. Because she felt this scene was a bit familiar. Where exactly... was it familiar from?
That's right—! Artoria remembered the Berserker in the Fourth Holy Grail War who kept shouting "golden"! Back then, he had also said something quite similar to her. However, that Berserker's form of address wasn't as direct as this Berserker's. "Father's friend." But regardless, Artoria could feel a certain similarity between them in the unseen.
Could it be—is Ian still helping me at this very moment?
Seeing her Rider and the Berserker actually chatting, Viviane was somewhat displeased. However, just as she was about to issue a new command, something unexpected also happened. Another pitter-patter sound came from the stairs. This was the exact same way of walking as the Berserker in front of them.
"Berserker, why have you taken so long to come back~"
Another small loli, wearing ill-fitting pajamas, emerged from the smoky darkness. She was even shorter than the already petite Berserker, and her long silver hair looked like winter snow woven together. Her ruby-like eyes made her appear very obedient, yet subtly revealed a hint of something complex.
"I was almost asleep!"
"Eh? Sister Saber! You're here!"
At the silver-haired loli's shout, Artoria, riding her warhorse, immediately remembered who this was. This was Irisviel's daughter—Illyasviel von Einzbern!
And hearing Illya's voice, Berserker also reacted. "My Master, do you know these uninvited guests?!"
"They're not uninvited guests at all!" Illya ran directly to Dun Stallion's side, pointed at Artoria on top, and said very seriously, "This is Sister Saber! She's my good friend!"
"But this is clearly Rider..." Berserker muttered quietly.
Seeing this situation, Viviane thought for a moment and generally understood. The Berserker in front of them and her Master both knew Artoria.
Then—let's call a truce for now. Although she really wanted to know how strong Artoria was in her Rider class, since the opponent's Master and Servant appeared simultaneously, and they had a relationship with her nominal sister, Viviane wasn't so stubborn as to demand a fight to the death. The witch didn't fear any partner in the Holy Grail War. But that didn't mean she would fight every pair. After all—that would actually be a thankless endeavor.
"Well then—" Viviane's gaze swept over the three in front of her. "Since you know each other, why don't we find a place to sit down and talk for a bit?"
"Okay, okay!" Illya, delighted to see Artoria again, agreed without a second thought. "Let's go to my room!"
A few minutes later. Inside a room in the castle.
Just as Viviane had predicted earlier. The fire that ravaged the entire castle was indeed caused by Berserker—it was her scorching magic. But as for the reason...
"Just because it was fun?" Artoria looked at Illya with a touch of helplessness. The young girl knew the other's personality was very strange, but she never expected her to order the burning of a castle simply because she found it amusing.
However—thinking about it that way, the Berserker beside Illya had maintained considerable rationality. She very cleverly followed her Master's orders while simultaneously ensuring the castle's continued usability. Was this... an intelligent Berserker?
But—was that really the case?
"Actually, I also had the idea of destroying the magic barrier," Berserker explained on behalf of her Master. "But I wasn't finished, and then you all arrived... and only you have been here."
"..." Hearing this, Artoria's heart sank. Because she knew that Illya's parents had died ten years ago in the Fourth Holy Grail War. To some extent, this was also a mistake she had made.
But Viviane didn't care about these things, or rather, didn't know about them. She quickly raised her own question.
"By the way—"
"Illya." The witch looked at her and the Berserker beside her. "What was your reason for summoning a Servant?"
"You're asking about that, Big Sister~" Knowing she was Artoria's sister, Illya answered directly without much thought. "Actually, I didn't want to summon anyone! And at first, it wasn't even her I was supposed to summon."
"What does that mean?" Viviane was a bit confused.
"Well—" Illya took Berserker's hand. "The uncles and aunts at home originally wanted me to summon that... that called Hela... or something. They said she was very good at killing people!"
"But—" Illya looked at Artoria. "Sister Saber told me before... that you shouldn't so easily condone killing. So I refused them. Then they said I wasn't feeling well and had to rest here—hehe, and then they summoned her!"
"..."
"..."
The room instantly fell silent. Except for Illya, the other three present knew the true meaning of her words. The family originally needed Illya to summon another Berserker. But because of what Artoria had told her, the small loli refused. Thinking about it this way, the so-called "rest" was actually imprisoning the disobedient girl here with the family's magic barrier, leaving her to fend for herself. This reasonably explained why such a small child had no adults around her, and no servants to take care of her. Because no one cared (or dared to care) about this child who defied the family—they might already be looking for an obedient replacement. And Viviane's initial failure to notice the castle was very likely due to the barrier.
With this conclusion, Artoria felt even more guilty. If she had protected Irisviel back then, Illya's situation might have been different. Thinking this, the young girl gently patted Viviane's shoulder, signaling her to talk privately.
"What is it?" the witch asked.
"Well, Big Sister." Artoria looked at Illya and Berserker, who were still playing. "How about—we form a temporary alliance with them?"