-170- An incomplete holy grail war

Afterwards, Rozen and Jeanne took a very brief rest.

This was unavoidable.

Although he wanted to rest properly, the situation was likely changing every moment. If he didn't seize the time, there could be unfavorable developments.

However, without effectively restoring his mana, even if Rozen wanted to hurry, he wouldn't be able to.

So, under Jeanne's protection, Rozen took a short break, planning to set out again once his mana had slightly recovered.

During this idle time, Rozen also activated his communicator to establish contact with Chaldeas.

"You really scared me. When we detected a large amount of magical activity around you, I thought you might not make it. I'm relieved you managed to escape."

On the projection screen, Roman heaved a sigh of relief and continued to speak, almost as if he wanted to convey all his astonishment. "Speaking of which, I never expected that you would escape unscathed from that situation. While you've always been skilled in combat and have made surprising tactical decisions in various circumstances, this time it seems like you've really surpassed yourself. When did you experience such significant growth?"

This was probably the question Roman had been holding onto and finally voiced.

It wasn't just Rozen's unconventional use of Command Seals, such as releasing crystallized mana to replenish his magical circuits and perform large-scale summoning rituals, or his mysterious magic during the battle in the square, which enhanced Mash several levels and enabled precise evasions, instructions, and even restraints. All these abilities were beyond what the Rozen from the past possessed.

Roman was truly amazed. He wondered when his younger brother had grown to this extent.

"Even Director was secretly observing the situation here and was so shocked that she almost fell out off the corner she was hiding at. She barely avoided being noticed by the staff. I guess she's mad that you hid your abilities so well?"

Roman's words left Rozen somewhat speechless on the spot.

However, Rozen didn't provide much explanation.

"Let's set that aside for now." Rozen turned to Roman and asked, "How's Mash doing?"

"Mash is fine," Roman reassured, then continued, "While retreating, she was briefly engaged in combat by the enemy's Archer. Later, even their Rider, mounted on a dragon, caught up with her. Our radar also detected an enemy Saber approaching, which had us worried. Thankfully, someone came to her aid."

"Someone?" Rozen's interest was piqued. "Could it be a Servant?"

"You know about it?" Roman raised an eyebrow, then seemingly realized something and asked, "Could it be that you've encountered Servants without Masters too?"

"Exactly." Rozen nodded and glanced at Jeanne who was keeping watch outside the cave. He then replied, "It seems that apart from the 'Dragon Witch' faction, there are many other Servants in this Singularity."

And it appeared that these Servants didn't have Masters.

Because...

"Either they were summoned by the 'Dragon Witch' using the Holy Grail, or they were summoned independently by the Holy Grail itself," Rozen concluded.

"According to the Director's speculation, this should be the result of the Holy Grail's reaction caused by the 'Dragon Witch' summoning Servants," Roman informed Rozen.

Under normal circumstances, the wishing-granting machine, known as the "Holy Grail," should appear as a prize for the victor of the Holy Grail War.

The seven pairs of Servants and Masters are divided into seven groups and fight until only one remains. Then, the "Holy Grail," a wish-granting machine, appears, fulfilling the wish of the victor. This is the mechanism of the "Holy Grail."

However, in this Singularity, the enemy obtained the Holy Grail and used it to summon Servants for slaughter.

Facing this situation, the Holy Grail of the Singularity activated a countermeasure, summoning other Servants independently.

"Even though we don't know who created the Holy Grail in this Singularity, its mechanism should remain the same," Roman proposed.

Rozen immediately pondered on this and drew a conclusion.

"Which means the possessed Holy Grail initiated the ritual of the Holy Grail War?"

Rozen succinctly put it.

"More or less." Roman affirmed Rozen's observation and continued, "During the Fuyuki City incident, as the Servant who used the foreign Holy Grail had already been summoned in the Holy Grail War, the Holy Grail sent into the Singularity by Professor Lev didn't summon any Servants. Moreover, it hadn't fully taken form, so the mechanism didn't activate."

However, in this Singularity, Jeanne Alter used the Holy Grail to summon several Servants, leading to the activation of this mechanism.

The result was that in this Holy Grail War, not only did the Holy Grail had already determined a user, but the Servants were also independently summoned by the Holy Grail, with none of them possessing a Master.

Such an unusual situation had resulted in Jeanne, the Ruler, being incompletely summoned.

"Truly unexpected circumstances," Rozen sighed.

Roman chuckled in response.

"Nevertheless, for us, this can at least be considered good news."

Indeed.

Knowing that other Servants existed within this Singularity meant that Rozen could ally with them to counter the influence of Jeanne Alter.

In order to combat the seven Servants and the larger threat they posed, Rozen truly needed substantial fighting power.

In the present moment, Rozen had made a decision.

"I'll temporarily team up with the Servants I've encountered here and gather her allies as well."

Rozen addressed Roman.

"Big bro, take care of Mash over there. Without me around, who knows how anxious that girl might become."

Upon hearing this, Roman burst into laughter.

"Got it. I'll focus on supporting Mash's actions for now, and I'll keep an eye on the Servants you've encountered and the movements of the French army. You finish up things on your end quickly and then meet up with Mash."

"Understood." Rozen nodded.

The communication ended here.

Jeanne entered the scene at just the right moment.

"How's it going?" Jeanne smiled slightly and asked, "Has your recovery complected?"

"Of course not." Rozen sighed, "I've only recovered about twenty percent of my mana, I'd say."

"Only twenty percent?" Jeanne seemed surprised. "It seems your magical circuits are quite remarkable. Even for a top-notch magus, resting until now and generating magic at full capacity should have restored around seventy percent, shouldn't it?"

This indicated that Rozen's magical circuits were truly outstanding, to the point of being extraordinary. As a result, he was as fragile as a bean sprout.

"Alright, let's set out." Rozen told Jeanne, "Let's go meet your friends first."

"Okay." Jeanne nodded.

After a moment, the massive eagle once again soared out of the cave, speeding off in another direction.