306 Their Identities

Arkhan first pacified the gradually enraged Nidhogg, then turned to Heracles.

"Speak, Archer. What do you want for you to spare this kid?"

Hearing that question, a slight curve immediately appeared on Heracles's lips.

"Free all the homunculi of the Yggdmillennia."

Hearing that ridiculous demand, Arkhan's mouth twitched.

"Are you trying to force me to break ties with the Yggdmillennia?"

The importance of homunculi to the Yggdmillennia was self-evident; releasing them all would be madness unless Darnic lost his mind.

"With me behind you, that won't happen." Heracles calmly assured.

"I'll say it again, even if you free those homunculi, have you considered their future? In their current state, do you think they can live a normal life in this society?" Arkhan sighed in frustration.

Heracles fell silent for a moment, then responded.

"Still better than being treated as expendables by those around you."

Hearing his persistent answer, Arkhan massaged his ached forehead.

He could tell Heracles was determined to save those homunculi no matter what, likely influenced by the self-aware homunculus who awakened before.

"Hahh... Alright, I'll do my best..." Arkhan sighed. "But you have to promise me, no matter what happens in the future, unless this kid attacks you first, you can't attack her on your own."

After contemplating for a moment, Heracles nodded.

"Agreed."

After saying that, he lowered the longbow in his hands.

Mordred removed her helmet, looking at Arkhan with a complex expression.

"Why are you helping me?"

"Didn't you help me stop Lancer earlier?" Arkhan turned and smiled at her.

"Tch, that was just because I couldn't stand his actions and wanted to teach him a lesson." Mordred averted her eyes, somewhat guiltily. "Besides, you said you're King Arthur, right? That's why, you can only die by my hands!"

Hearing her bizarre statement, Nidhogg on the side looked utterly confused. What nonsense was this child talking about? Why would she want to kill her own father?

"Ahh, whatever, let's just leave it at that."

Arkhan chuckled and spoke nonchalantly, instinctively reaching out to pat Mordred's head. However, under the wary gaze of the latter, he sheepishly withdrew his hand, coughing lightly as if nothing happened.

"So, what's your plan next? Wanna join me and head to the Yggdmillennia?"

Upon hearing Arkhan's offer, Kairi, who stood nearby, awkwardly scratched his nose.

He represented the Mage's Association in the task of taking down the Yggdmillennia, and he had even taken a deposit. Turning around and joining his target would permanently tarnish his reputation as a freelance bounty hunter.

"Hmph, don't wanna!" Mordred sneered, humming lightly. "Now I understand there's not a single trustworthy guy in this Holy Grail War at all. Instead of teaming up with shady people like you, it's easier to go alone. When you two sides beat each other to a pulp, I'll step in and clean up the mess, and then the Holy Grail will be mine."

'Confident much, you brat...' Arkhan thought tiredly and shook his head. "Alright, if that's how you want it, then I won't force you. Just be careful out there."

"Tch, what a worrywart..." Mordred mumbled under her breath, turning away and following Kairi into the distance.

Watching Mordred's gradually disappearing figure, Nidhogg sighed somewhat wistfully.

"I wonder when I'll see that child again..."

"Don't worry, there will be a lot of opportunities." Arkhan reassured, squeezing her hand.

"Are you close with that Servant?"

Heracles, who had descended from the rooftop at some point, approached and asked.

"Well... not that close... it's a bit of a complicated relationship..." Arkhan chuckled.

Heracles nodded slightly, not pressing further, and inquired about another matter instead.

"What about Assassin?"

"She managed to slip away by accident..." Arkhan sighed in frustration.

Dealing with Medea and Karna's attacks one after another, plus the interruption from Ozymandias had drained him too much. In a moment of respite, he unconsciously loosened his control on Jack, inadvertently allowing her to escape.

"Are you here for Assassin as well?" Arkhan asked.

"Not entirely. My Master was just a bit concerned since you're deep behind enemy lines, so who knows what could happen? That's why my Master sent me to lend a hand." Heracles calmly explained.

Arkhan nodded.

"Thanks to you, it wasn't much trouble."

"Just a small thing, besides, even if I hadn't intervened, those Sphinxes wouldn't have been a match for you at all." Heracles casually remarked.

Hearing that, Arkhan smiled not responding, but then remembered something else.

"Oh, by the way, did you see the true identity of Archer of Red?"

Before, Heracles had been stationed at one of the highest vantage points in Sighisoara, offering an excellent view. Especially with Archer class's long-range vision akin to a sniper scope, he could practically see every corner of the city.

However, to Arkhan's surprise, Heracles shook his head.

"I didn't spot Archer of Red's location. They seem to have some special disguise ability; I couldn't sense their presence at all."

'Archer with a unique disguise ability...' Arkhan furrowed his brows slightly.

In his memory, the only Archer with a similar ability was Robin Hood with his 'No Face May King'.

"Though, when Archer of Red launched the attack, I sensed another familiar power..." Heracles continued. "If I'm not mistaken, it should be divinity, and judging from my feelings, it seems to belong to a goddess."

"A goddess's divinity?" Arkhan raised an eyebrow slightly.

From what he knew, while there were many Archer-class Servants with divinity, if restricted to goddesses alone, only the second sister of the three Greek sisters, Euryale, and the Mesopotamian goddess of beauty, Ishtar, met the criteria.

However, both goddesses differed significantly in personality and abilities from Archer of Red who had attacked earlier.

Euryale wasn't skilled in combat, and Ishtar had no interest in hiding her presence.

'Could it be a Heroic Spirit I am not knowledgeable about?' Arkhan furrowed his brow slightly.

It wasn't impossible, considering the plethora of myths in this world. Perhaps, one day, a goddess he'd never seen before might suddenly appear.

Maybe it was best to check this world's historical records and myths after returning.

A goddess, an archer, possessing unique disguise abilities—Heroic Spirits meeting these criteria should be scarce.

Meanwhile, as Arkhan contemplated the identity of the Archer of Red, Shirou inside the church also pondered the true identity of Archer of Black.

Logically, as someone who once held the position of Ruler, he should be able to directly perceive the true names of all the present Servants. However, due to not being on-site and the opponent's unusually high luck, he failed to unveil Archer of Black's true name.

"A huge body like a Berserker, an obsidian longbow, a bronze strange bird..."

*BANG!*

As Shirou silently contemplated, a thunderous sound suddenly echoed in his ears.

"Why is Berserker causing trouble again? Didn't she—"

His voice abruptly stopped as he seemed to suddenly realize something, his eyes filled with a moment of enlightenment.

"I see... The true identity of Archer of Black is him..."