Crossing Paths.

The now three members were walking through the country-side. Alex, Ruler and now their new companion, Sieg.

After the event that had transpired, the boy awoke a bit later and they explained the situation to him. He learned that the dragon-slaying hero Siegfried had donated his own heart to save him and thus wanted to take the name to honor him after Ruler told him he should think of one.

The heart was doing a lot of work on his body. Previously when he was winded from walking out of the castle, he wasn't even breathing hard as he moved around to test his 'new' body.

They trek through the country-side would take awhile, they would probably arrive at about noon in the other town. Procuring transportation was unlikely in their current circumstance and he would rather not reveal Vimana for such a mundane reason. He already got that out of his system when he flew around japan back with Index.

It was rather adorable the interactions between Ruler and Sieg.

Alex had decided to give the two a little room as Ruler had taken it upon herself to 'teach' him about the world he was now living in. He was a blank slate in every sense of the word. He only had pre-programmed knowledge similar to how a servant gets modern knowledge when they are summoned.

Apparently, all homunculi get this when they are created, it is an automatic process even if the ones receiving it were merely going to be used as batteries. It made it so he knew who Siegfried was, his legend and everything. Granted, there were also quite a few common-sense gaps in his knowledge. Like he didn't understand hunger and thirst at first, yet he knew human biology.

So, Alex just took a few steps back as he watched the two pure souls interact with one another. Every so often Sieg would complement Ruler and a slight blush would appear on her face.

Probably because she knew that it was completely genuine and honest that she couldn't help but get flustered at his actions.

Alex was left alone with his own thoughts as the two walked alone in their own little world. With how much of a natural the boy was, it made him think about his own brother in law and Touma. It allowed him to entertain the thought of opening the Harem route.

There was Atalanta on Red's side…..but that would be a ridiculously hard ship. There was also Berserker on Black's end which was a bit more likely. But that was about it besides Ruler. Semiramis wasn't even a consideration, she would eat him alive. And he refused to think about playing match-maker with Mordred.

As amusing as it was to think about, he wasn't one for forcing those kinds of relationships. He'd be more than willing to kick it in that direction is it were obvious, but the boy didn't even understand the concept of love at this point. Truthfully, he just liked to see everyone happy more so than the comical aspect of the situations that usually arise.

He would settle for watching Ruler have her shields whittled away by Sieg's bluntness and genuine thankfulness that he expressed towards the saint.

***

The Black faction hadn't been sitting on their hands after the latest incident. They were still quite busy at work, making preparations for the next battle.

"My Lord, why did you not just remove Ruler when we had the chance?" Darnic asked.

He and Lancer were currently in the 'study' as the servant was enjoying a glass of wine.

"At what cost?" Lancer retorted. "They will not directly interfere with us and we would waste too much manpower dealing with her knight. You saw first hand his strength, and he hadn't even released his primary noble phantasm. If he even took out our weakest servant, that would have been a dreadful blow to our power. You've seen first hand the power that Red is wielding in this war, we will need to be careful and make sure we are at full strength when the confrontation finally takes place."

"Are you not confidant in your own strength?" Darnic replied offhandedly.

"A king knows when to retreat and when to advance, Darnic. I have full confidence in my ability to defeat the King of Knights. What I don't have confidence in, is my ability to limit the collateral damage that would have ensued or prevent him from destroying the foundation of our power."

Vlad was well aware how strong he currently was with his skill 'demonic protector of the state'. Him being born in this land, his fame that was attached to it, had allowed his parameters to reach a degree where it was unlikely that any other servant could make him in pure physical prowess. As long as he was in Romania, he had the confidence to face almost any servant.

Though, the Rider that revealed himself against the Knight of knights did give him a pause for concern. Archer's ability allowed him to gleam some of the man's abilities along with his identity, though he was able to discern rider's identity by look alone. It also was aligned with his legend, Rider's inability to be harm by anything non-divine.

Vlad wouldn't say it out loud…..but they were lucky they had Chiron as their archer. He contained divinity that allowed him to fight the Greek hero and knew him as his teacher. It gave him an advantage, if only meager.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.

A woman strolled in on a wheelchair, being pushed by the Archer in question.

It was his master, the Niece of his own summoner, Darnic. He had a favorable impression of the young magus, she had been nothing but respectful and had given some small, but not useless, insights into matters regarding the war. She was leagues above Gordes in almost every aspect.

Just thinking about that man made the King want to scowl in disgust. Even he was moved after hearing what Siegfried did. Contrary to what his legend would portray, he was not an evil man, atleast not fully. He had his own pride, his own morals. To hear that a warrior of such renown had ripped his heart out to save a mere homunculus…..it left him dumbfounded for one of the few times in his existence. He wouldn't be afraid to admit that he looked up to the Dragon Slayer for that action, even if it was counter productive and set them back heavily. He can't change the past, and there was no point in besmirching the honor of such an individual.

It was one of the reasons he wasn't being harsher on Rider who set everything in motion with his stupidity. He knew better than most here, you do not step on the pride of another Hero. It was the basis of his entire participating in this war. He wanted to remove the stain from his record. He no longer wanted to be associated with 'that'.

If he would have his wish fulfilled, Dracula would be erased from the world completely.

"I have come as requested Uncle." The girl politely greeted as she entered with Archer.

Fiore Forvedge Yggdmillennia. She was born with a large amount of circuits, located in her legs. It caused some complications that made it so she couldn't walk. She could have had an operation that would have essentially removed her ability to be a magus but walk again. But she chose to pursue the path of a magus regardless.

"There is something we need to discuss Fiore." He stated.

"Is this about Saber?" She asked.

"No, this is another matter that is also of concern. We have lost contact with Assassin's master, after investigating he was found dead." He replied, he handed a newspaper article over for the girl to read.

"This!?" She blurted out in surprise.

"I want you and Archer to go investigate the next city over. If you can retrieve Assassin, then do it...if it's impossible then you are required to remove the stray servant. We can't allow them to fall in the hands of the enemy, there is no telling what information they may have about our plans from their previous master." Darnic stated.

"As you wish Uncle." She replied. Archer wheeled her out as they prepared to depart.

"Is she aware that the Red faction has been spotted operating around that town?" Lancer asked.

"Yes, I've been sure to keep everyone updated on any prevalent news so we are not caught unaware due to lack of communication."

The paper he handed over previously described a string of murders. Actions that mimics a very famous serial killer in history, Jack the Ripper.

"How goes the issue with Berserker of Red?" Lancer asked.

"It is progressing as well as we could hope. This isn't the easiest magic to unravel, but I believe it should be done soon. I had planned on switching Berserker to be Caster's servant when it is finished."

"I see. When it is finished, we can prepare our own assault." Lancer said with a grin. So far they had been on the reactive side of everything. IT was about time they were the ones to initiate.

***

Mordred was currently walking through the streets. Her master was back at the 'apartment' they were staying at. Some rundown, out in the middle of no-where, building. It wasn't much better than the crypt, but atleast she could have a bit of freedom to enjoy civilization.

She had been happily surprised at how modern society operated. She got some awesome new clothes and there was a ridiculously large selection. The food in this era was amazing as well. But the best thing, the hygiene was so much better.

Many people loved to romanticize the era of knights, but the cities were usually disgusting in some aspect compared to the modern days. Granted, Camelot of old was very pristine. Merlin had been very adamant about certain construction projects that revolved around waste disposal. One of the few things She was thankful to the old witch for. She could hardly stand going to other towns or cities in those days as the smell was unbearable.

Her master had given her some 'spending money' after she had conveyed her boredom. Well, more like she rolled around on the ground whining that she was bored. But no one else needed to know that. They had met with the weird priest when they first arrived earlier in the morning. She just stayed astralized though as the two masters had a talk. She didn't really care what it was about, she wasn't the kind to scheme and plan. She would point her blade and charge. If the other Red servants wanted to try something, she was confidant to cut them down.

She was currently carrying a small bowl and a container of milk as she headed down the street. She ran into a kitty earlier in an alley, it looked hungry, but it still let her pet it.

She was abruptly stopped in her tracks as she looked down the street. The items in her hand fell to the ground as they shattered. She felt he presence of another servant quickly as they weren't really hiding, she was sure they noticed her too but they continued to walk and ignore her.

Normally she may have been more angry, but she was too stunned to actually don her armor and attack. Not to mention it was still during the day and even she wouldn't dare to break that rule.

She recognized them, well atleast one of them. There were three of them present, one male she didn't recognize, he had brown hair and was carrying a blade that seemed to have a spell on it to make it not noticeable to the mundane people. The woman was wearing casual clothes for this era, she had blonde hair in a long braid that went down her back.

The final one...…She knew him.

She had been boastful to her master about proving herself the strongest knight. Beating her father and claiming that she was the true heir. But now...seeing that familiar figure in the distance, she hesitated.

"Father...…" She whispered ever so lightly.

Maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her, but it seemed that for a moment after she spoke, he stopped, only for him to keep walking away.