"Seems like you're in quite the dilemma," Zelretch said calmly as Ritsuka shrieked in shock, falling backwards and onto her butt. "I don't have something on my face, right?"
"Who are you?!" Mordred growled, summoning her armour and sword, but Kairi quickly waved her down.
"Wizard Marshall!" He exclaimed. "What are you doing here?!"
"I came to check up on Ritsuka. Oh, but I'm only staying for a few minutes or so. I may have interrupted a certain parallel world's Lorelei Barthomeloi's rant when I teleported here."
Kairi sweatdropped. "That's beyond dangerous…"
"Anyways, I did hear your last few words, Ritsuka. You intend on saving Sieg even though it means he'll be without Siegfried's heart and a stronger body?"
"What about it?" Ritsuka groaned. "I have no idea how to get him back to Chaldea and he won't be the Sieg that Jeanne and Amakusa know. Even then, I…"
Zelretch nodded. "Since you're doing quite well in this war, I'll help you out. Consider it a bonus along with your quartz."
Ritsuka's eyes shone. "Thank you! But what are you going to do?"
Zelretch reached into an alternate space and pulled out a vial with a mysterious glittery substance. "I anticipated you would probably do this, so once Sieg arrives, make him drink this. It will strengthen his body as well as restore the memories of his counterpart. He won't be able to utilize Siegfried's abilities or gain Command Seals, but I think he'll be able to help you out quite well."
Ritsuka eyed the vial. "What exactly is this?"
"You don't want to know. The Second Magic is highly complex." Zelretch tossed the vial to Ritsuka, who scrambled to catch it. "If I'm not mistaken, Saber should be returning quite soon, so I'll take my leave. I'll return once the war is over." And with that, Zelretch disappeared, leaving a dumbstruck Kairi, Mordred, and Ritsuka.
"I wasn't dreaming, right?" Kairi said cautiously.
Ritsuka would have replied had Arthur's voice not spoke in her brain just then.
Master Ritsuka! Call me back, right now!
E-eh? But Ritsuka quickly got over her shock. Okay, okay! By the power of my Command Seals, I order Arthur Pendragon to return to my side!
Ritsuka's outermost Command Seal flashed red before vanishing, and Arthur appeared in front of his Master, carrying a pale boy with him. "Master!"
"Where's Karna?" Ritsuka asked as she helped the homunculus sit down.
"He's battling Siegfried."
Master, I should return by myself within the next 5 minutes. If I do not return by then, call me with a Command Seal .
Be careful!
Ritsuka nodded. "I just received a message from him." She knelt down in front of the boy, putting a reassuring smile on her face. "Hi there, my name's Ritsuka. You're completely safe here, I guarantee that."
"What do you want with me?" The homunculus asked softly.
"It is up to you whether you want to help me or not," Ritsuka said. "However, I want you to drink this. It will strengthen your body and give you a longer life. We will talk afterwards since you will most likely be disoriented. It won't kill you, trust me."
The homunculus cautiously took the vial from Ritsuka, uncorked it, and tipped the contents into his mouth, grimacing at the taste but swallowing. His eyes widened before they rolled up into the back of his head, and he fell unconscious.
"Was that supposed to happen?" Mordred asked.
Ritsuka quickly placed her fingers by the boy's neck to check for a pulse. "He's just out of it. We'll talk later." Checking the time on her phone, she held out her hand. "Time to call Karna back. Karna, by the power of my Command Seal, I order you to return to my side!"
Karna appeared with a flash of light, looking just the slightest bit concerned. "Jeanne figured out your identity, King of Knights."
"Well, that's not good," Ritsuka muttered. "Do you think she knows he's contracted to me?"
"I doubt it," Karna said. "We should have left the Black Faction quite confused and apprehensive about the future. They now think there is a third party to this war, and they should be proceeding more cautiously than usual."
"That's the good news then," Ritsuka sighed. "You guys weren't hit by anything, right? Like Vlad's stakes?"
Karna and Arthur shook their heads.
"Then keep your Craft Essences for now, I'll give you better ones later. For now, we should just rest, I think." With that, Ritsuka flopped onto a mat and closed her eyes. "Someone weakest me up when Sieg wakes up. You guys can do whatever until then." The sound of her soft breathing filled the air not long after.
Karna, Arthur, and Mordred exchanged glances. "I will go scout around Trifas," Karna said quietly.
"I'll stay here with Mordred then," Arthur responded. "I hope you will not run into any trouble, Karna."
"I will not." Karna dematerialized.
"Master, what're you gonna do?" Mordred asked Kairi.
"I was going to sleep. but do you need me for anything?" He asked.
"No. Go sleep."
"If you say so."
Arthur and Mordred gave a final glance at the sleeping homunculus before silently agreeing to keep guard outside the mausoleum. They both dematerialized in a burst of light.
All the while, the homunculus later known as Sieg slept, new memories and old mixing within his mind.