291 Alliance

The fortress's top floor had a small platform.

Arkhan and Archer landed there, an area not covered by any detection magecraft—perfect for discussing confidential topics.

"You're here about what happened during the day, right?"

Without waiting for Heracles to speak, Arkhan spoke first.

Hearing the question, Heracles nodded.

"I've thought about it. What you said makes sense."

On the surface, his statement might sound confusing, but the truth was quite simple.

Earlier in the cultivation chamber, Arkhan took the opportunity of treating the homunculus to approach Heracles and exchange a few words with him, quietly, without anyone knowing.

The first sentence was—Even if you save him now, what about after you leave?

After all, they were Servants. Once the Holy Grail War ended, they would be forcibly returned to the Throne of Heroes. Even if Heracles could save that homunculus now, there was still the possibility of facing retribution from the Yggdmillennia afterward.

Moreover, if the Mage's Association learned that a homunculus with its own will and thought was born, they would undoubtedly take a keen interest. In that case, the homunculus would still be in a dangerous situation.

It was precisely because Heracles realized this that he let Gordes take the homunculus away without any resistance.

Vlad mistakenly believed that Heracles refrained from acting due to Arkhan's presence. Little did he know, for this Greek hero, there were only things he wanted or didn't want to do; there was nothing he was afraid of doing.

If he were someone that always hesitant, he wouldn't have accomplished so many incredible feats in his legend.

"You must have a way to save that homunculus, right?" Heracles looked at Arkhan with a serious expression. Otherwise, there would have been no need for the latter to tell him those words.

'Speaking to intelligent people was indeed straightforward...' Arkhan thought contently as a smile played on his lips. "Don't worry. From now on, you don't have to do anything. That homunculus will be saved naturally."

Hearing that, Heracles furrowed his brow slightly, not fully understanding Arkhan's meaning.

"Mages are a group of people who will do whatever it takes to achieve their goals. Ruthless, heartless, even worse than scum." Pausing for a moment, Arkhan suddenly hinted. "But sometimes, some unique ones emerge. You know what I mean, no?"

Seemingly understanding something, Heracles nodded thoughtfully.

"Also, one more thing. Was what you said back then true?" Heracles asked again.

He referred to Arkhan's second statement—Even if you really save him, he won't live much longer.

"True or false, haven't you already found the answer yourself?" Arkhan casually asked back. He didn't believe that Heracles came to him this late just because it was the right time to talk.

Heracles fell into silence. Just as Arkhan speculated, he had already confirmed this matter with his Master, Fiore.

Homunculi serving as magical energy supplies, like the one in question, were not designed with consideration for bodily functions and were usually depleted in a matter of months. Although the homunculus saved by Heracles had escaped this fate, due to his bodily limitations, he couldn't live for more than a few years.

"You have a way to keep that homunculus alive, right?" Heracles stared at Arkhan, stating it confidently.

Arkhan nodded without hesitation, not denying it.

"I can save that homunculus, but you have to agree to one condition."

Heracles narrowed his eyes slightly.

"What condition?"

"Become my ally."

===

'I created a life...'

Gordes fell into silence as he looked at the homunculus lying on the bed.

"Damn it! What have I done!"

After a while, he started to frantically pull at his own hair, then slumped into a chair, gazing up at the ceiling dazedly.

Homunculi couldn't be considered living beings; they were merely tools created from various materials, like building bricks for constructing a castle. However now, one of the bricks had changed, causing the entire castle to tremble.

—P-Please don't kill me.

Remembering the previous scene of the begging homunculus, even though homunculi never experienced such a thing, even the concept of death was foreign to them, at that moment, Gordes undeniably saw hope and yearning for life in those eyes.

No one could guarantee if it was an accident or not, but if one thought more deeply, it was not impossible for other homunculi to experience the same thing. Perhaps it was just a matter of not reaching a certain condition or not realizing a specific factor yet.

Gordes's homunculus technology came from the Einzbern family in Germany, a mage family with a long and storied history, rumored to have some connection to the legendary 'Third Magic'.

The Einzberns excelled in alchemy and homunculus creation, with their homunculus technology particularly renowned in the world of magecraft. Some even praised it as indistinguishable from actual humans.

'Indistinguishable from actual humans...' Gordes looked at his hands in a daze. Could these hands be the reason for the birth of this self-aware homunculus?

After a long silence, he slapped his chubby face, took a deep breath, walked to the bed, and gazed complexly at the homunculus lying there before placing his hand on the homunculus's chest.

A pale green light bloomed, and under the healing magecraft, the homunculus's complexion visibly improved.

After everything was done, Gordes sat on the chair, exhausted.

"I'm like a ridiculous clown..." Gordes muttered with a self-ridicule tone.

"No, Master, you are a great man." Siegfried, who had witnessed the entire process, suddenly appeared beside him, a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth indicating his good mood.

"Great man...?" Gordes smirked. "What greatness am I compared to a hero like you who saved countless people?"

"Although I've saved many, it's not of my own will. It's because they begged me, and I responded to them, regardless of good or evil, right or wrong." Siegfried said softly while shaking his head.

Gordes was momentarily surprised, finally understanding the meaning behind his Servant's words.

"I have no wishes; my only wish is to fulfill your wishes." Siegfried looked seriously at his Master's face. "But, Master, you're different. You clearly know what you want, understand what justice is, and know how to achieve it..."

He then looked at the homunculus on the bed.

"That's what I've been pursuing..."

"Wh-What? Justice? Me?" Gordes blushed, defending himself like a 'Tsundere'. "I only treated him because Lancer asked me to take care of him. Don't get any weird ideas, okay!"

"Um, I know..." Siegfried said understandingly, but a hint of a smile still played on his lips.

"Damn it! No smiling allowed!"

Gordes's helpless voice echoed through the night.