'Hahaha, you're completely outmatched, Master!'
'Caster, are you gloating?'
'Pretty much, hahaha!'
A hearty laugh echoed in her mind, and he admitted it without hesitation.
Bazett felt humiliated but had no choice but to endure it.
Among them, she was the only one affiliated with the Mage's Association. Rin Tohsaka and Illyasviel were clearly siding with Roy, leaving her isolated and powerless to force him to summon his Servant.
'Let it go for now, Master. This guy is clearly not someone you can outmaneuver with your blunt words. We'll find another opportunity—I'll help you again next time.'
'...Fine. That's all we can do.'
Bazett was deeply frustrated, but she had no choice but to relent.
She gave up her attempts to pressure him, sitting back and closing her eyes—out of sight, out of mind.
Seeing her finally settle down, Rin could only shake her head helplessly.
But inwardly, she was quite pleased.
Given Bazett's position as a Master aligned with the Mage's Association, she should have outright refused to participate in the city hall's summons.
The fact that she had openly come here only proved how straightforward she was.
Unlike those old schemers who laced every word with traps.
Bazett actively joining the city hall's initiative must have infuriated those old fossils.
In Rin's eyes, Bazett—who could anger those usurpers—was practically the embodiment of adorableness.
"No one else is coming?"
After waiting a while longer in the reception room and seeing no fifth person appear, Roy couldn't help but ask.
Rin stepped out briefly to check with the staff at the door.
"...Seems not."
She returned shortly after, shaking her head.
"Looks like it's just the four of us. The remaining three Masters have no intention of participating—they couldn't care less about Fuyuki City's survival."
Rin's pretty face twisted in displeasure.
She had made the purpose of the summons crystal clear in the notice: to deal with the Corrupted Servants gathering outside Fuyuki, whose existence threatened the city's survival. This wasn't for personal gain.
They could even sign a Geis Scroll during the operation to ensure cooperation.
And yet, they still didn't show up.
'Mages really are creatures who only care about their own interests, through and through.'
"Ara~ Actually, I don't care about Fuyuki's survival either!"
Illya chimed in cheerfully. "Grandfather was just worried the Greater Grail might fall into the hands of the Corrupted Servants, so he sent me to check things out."
"The fact that you came already puts you miles ahead of those other three."
Rin waved it off.
Roy pondered silently.
Four Masters had gathered here. Including his own two Servants, that meant there were five Servants hidden among them.
That left only two Masters unaccounted for.
But those two lurking in the shadows were still wild cards. He needed to find a way to draw them out.
"Since no one else is coming, let's get down to business."
Rin clapped her hands twice.
"Come in!"
With a creak, the wooden door swung open.
"You kept me waiting, Rin."
A man dressed as a priest walked in.
He appeared to be in his early forties, with slightly wavy, gray-streaked black hair. His features were chiseled and stern, his tall and muscular frame exuding the disciplined aura of a warrior, his breathing steady and controlled.
"Father Kotomine."
Bazett opened her eyes at the sound of his voice and nodded in greeting.
"You know each other?"
Rin raised an eyebrow.
"We've met once before."
Bazett nodded briefly before falling silent again.
Roy watched the two with interest.
Bazett was only around twenty-five now. Ten years ago, when the Cataclysm began, she would have been just fifteen—likely still in her homeland.
'For her to have crossed paths with Kirei Kotomine in this ruined world…'
'I wonder if she'll still lose her arm this time?'
"Kirei, you take it from here."
Rin gestured to Kotomine before sitting down on a nearby sofa.
"You've learned to slack off, Rin."
A strange, low chuckle escaped Kotomine's lips.
Rin glared at him, muttering something about "efficient delegation" and "preparing for the upcoming battle"—none of which made much sense.
Kotomine ignored her.
"But fine. As the only public survivor of the last Holy Grail War, I'll handle the explanation."
"First, regarding the five Corrupted Servants gathered outside Fuyuki City—over the past decade, the Mage's Association has already identified most of them. Well, five out of six, to be precise. I'll share what we know."
"Corrupted Assassin—True Name, Hassan of the Hundred Faces. One of the successive generations of the Old Man of the Mountain, the nineteenth leader of the Hassan-i Sabbah, the Order of Assassins. Originally a patient with dissociative identity disorder, but as a Servant, his mind is no longer bound by his physical body, granting him the ability to split into multiple bodies. Each personality can manifest as a separate entity. Individually, their combat ability is weak—barely worth mentioning. But as long as even one personality survives, he cannot be truly killed. Eliminating him completely would be... troublesome."
"Corrupted Caster—True Name, Gilles de Rais. A French marshal during the Hundred Years' War. However, this man was mentally unstable to begin with. I'm sure you've all heard of the legend of BlueBeard. Whether he's corrupted or not likely makes little difference to him. He can summon hordes of sea-based monsters. The near-siege we faced earlier? That was undoubtedly his doing."
"Corrupted Lancer—True Name, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne. The peerless chief knight of the Knights of Fianna in Irish mythology, renowned in Celtic legend. That knight was exceptionally fixated on chivalry. I can't help but wonder—has his corrupted form retained that obsession? Hmph."
"Corrupted Berserker—the one where it's unclear if corruption even matters. He is the only one among the five whose True Name remains unknown. Presumably, he possesses some ability to conceal his identity."
"And finally—the most fearsome of all. Corrupted Saber. Her name is known to all, a legend of ancient Britain: the ever-victorious king who wielded the holy sword, the knight among knights—Artoria Pendragon, the King of Knights. She is undoubtedly the strongest of these five Corrupted Servants. If you intend to challenge her, I advise against going alone. If Fuyuki City is destroyed, I'd be quite put out."
Everyone listened intently to Kotomine's briefing.
Only Roy's mind wandered.
Five Corrupted Servants—exactly matching the Servants of the Fourth Holy Grail War, minus Archer (Gilgamesh) and Rider (Iskandar).
That unknown Corrupted Berserker was undoubtedly Lancelot. He did possess a Noble Phantasm capable of concealing his identity.
During the Fourth War, his true name had only been revealed during his final duel with Artoria.
Aside from the deceased Kariya Matou, no one had known Berserker's true identity.
***
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