C504

At the Church...

As Sisigou approached, the priest shot him a warm smile. "Glad you could make it, Clock Tower's magus, um..."

"Sisigou Kairi,"

"Ah, Sisigou, it is then," the priest smiled courteously. "I am here on behalf of the Holy Church, responsible for overseeing matters and actively participating in this Holy Grail War. I am also the Master of the Red Faction's Assassin, Kotomine Shirou."

His eyes shifted slightly, settling on the petite knight beside Sisigou. "And who might this be?"

Before Sisigou could even get a word in, the petite knight smacked her hand onto the table with a resounding "bang." 

All eyes snapped to her.

Outside, Achilles, Atalanta, and Karna, who were lurking nearby, also whipped their heads around in her direction.

The petite knight's eyes flashed defiantly. "Where are the other Servants? Just Assassin? Did we go all the way here for nothing? Where's the teamwork? Don't you guys want to win?"

Kotomine sized her up, clearly intrigued.

"What are you looking at?" she shot him a glare, "Do you want to fight?"

Kotomine raised his hands in a placating manner. "No, that wasn't my intention."

"Mordred!" Sisigou's voice was firm, and he gave the petite knight a stern look.

She gave a huff, folding her arms and turning her head away in defiance.

Sisigou then apologized to the priest, saying, "I'm sorry about that. My Saber, Mordred, is actually a good person, but she has quite the temper."

Kotomine's eyebrow arched. "Mordred... the rebellious knight, right?"

Mordred's eyes flashed dangerously, her fist raising. "Got a problem? Want to find out just how hard I can hit?"

Kotomine quickly waved his hands, laughing awkwardly.

She really does have quite the temper, huh?

After a moment, he added, "Almost everyone's here, save for Caster. They're inside, discussing how we should handle the Yggdmillennia Clan. Why don't you join us, Sisigou Kairi?"

"Talk, talk, talk," Mordred scoffed, "All this chatter doesn't pack the punch of, well, an actual punch! Just square up and duke it out. Prove it with power. What's with all this talking?"

Kotomine sighed, "It's not that simple, Saber. By planning and coordinating, we make sure everyone's strengths are properly used."

She scoffed, "Always with the plots and schemes."

Kotomine rubbed his temples. This Saber was a handful. Then again, given she was Mordred, should he have expected anything less? She did, after all, play a part in the downfall of Camelot by betraying King Arthur.

Sisigou gave a resigned shrug. "I apologize, Father. That's just how my Saber is. If we were to act together, it would only disrupt your plans."

He paused thoughtfully, then suggested, "How about this? Tell me your plan, and I'll do my best to support and cooperate from the sidelines."

"Well..." Kotomine looked at the feisty knight.

She snapped, "What are you looking at? Keep staring, and I might just bite you to death! You started it, so even if you're a Master, you can't complain!"

"Mordred!" Sisigou admonished. "Remember our agreement for this Grail War!"

The knight fell silent, and even though her face was concealed by the helmet, her tone gave away her reluctant agreement.

"Hmph..." Mordred huffed and turned her head away.

"My apologies, Father."

Kotomine gave a small, understanding smile. "No need to apologize."

After a moment, he continued, "Regarding your suggestion, I think it's a good idea. In fact, we are about to initiate our operation."

Sisigou looked taken aback. "So soon? Without Caster? Isn't that a bit too hasty?"

Kotomine let out a weary sigh, "If we don't make our move now, we might end up having to withdraw entirely from this war."

Sisigou's eyes narrowed in confusion. "What do you mean, Father?"

"The situation has taken a turn," the priest elaborated. "The enemy has managed to summon a Grand."

Sisigou blinked, trying to process. "A Grand? You mean their Master is of Grand rank? We've been aware that Darnic, the Yggdmillennia Clan's leader, is a Grand magus."

Kotomine shook his head, "No, not a Grand-ranked magus. I'm referring to a Grand Servant, the pinnacle of Heroic Spirits."

Sisigou was taken aback. This was news to him.

Mordred chimed in, "Grand Servants are the peak of the seven classes of Heroic Spirits. They're basically the last line of defense for humanity. If the enemy has one on their side, what's the point of this war?"

Kotomine's gaze landed on Mordred. For the first time, she seemed somewhat stable and reliable in his eyes.

He nodded, "That's right, but fortunately, this Grand Servant isn't operating at full strength just yet. However, he has the potential to regain his power rapidly, so we need to make him withdraw from the war before he fully recovers."

She asked, "Which Heroic Spirit is this?"

"Eternal King."

Mordred: "....."

Sisigou had a strange feeling that when the words "Eternal King" came out of Kotomine's mouth, his Servant froze for a moment.

"... So, it's really him. Makes sense. If anyone's going to be a problem, it'd be him." Mordred's voice was quiet, almost to herself.

She looked up, "Which class is he in?"

"The Assassin of Black," Kotomine said, pausing briefly. He then turned his attention to Sisigou, "Did you see the battle between our Lancer and the Archer of Black? The one who intervened was our target. We need to deal with him as soon as possible."

"Wait a second! Grand Servant are highly renowned heroes, right? But I've never heard of this Heroic Spirit!" Sisigou blurted, a look of bewilderment on his face.

The small knight let out a deep breath, "It's King Arthur, Master."

"King... Arthur?" Sisigou's eyes widened, and he stared at her in shock.

He had summoned her using pieces of the Round Table, and even if her identity was still a bit of a mystery, it was clear she was a knight from King Arthur's legend.

And now, there was an Arthur in the opposing camp?

This was... quite the twist of fate.

Kotomine added, "Eternal King isn't operating at full strength at the moment, so he might not pose a significant threat right now. However, if he manages to regain his peak condition, our seven-on-seven war could be decided before it even begins."

Sisigou turned his gaze to the petite knight, half-expecting her to voice some objection, but she remained silent.

"So, are you with us, Mordred?" Kotomine asked. "You were summoned from the throne, so you should understand. Eternal King isn't the King Arthur you know. There's no trace of Mordred in his tale."

Mordred rolled her eyes with a hint of disdain. "I am Mordred. It's my fate to kill King Arthur, no matter his form. The mightiest stand alone; only the weak cling to others. I have no intentions of forming bonds with any of you."

However, her tone shifted slightly as she added, "But for the sake of victory, I am willing to cooperate with your plan."

Kotomine laid out his entire plan about Eternal King, ensuring Sisigou was in the loop about how they'd collaborate.

The two seemed to find common ground as they spoke.

As they were parting ways, Sisigou shot a curious glance at Kotomine. "The Holy Grail doesn't call on those without desires. So, Father, what's it that you're after?"

Kotomine smiled, "My wish? It's simpler than you might think. I just want a world where everyone finds happiness; a peaceful world."

Sisigou chuckled, "That's hardly a simple wish." And with that, he walked away.

The petite knight huffed in disdain before following her master.

Kotomine's gaze lingered on the retreating figures of Sisigou and the petite knight.

Suddenly, a faint glimmer, like a soft shimmering snowflake, appeared beside him. In the next moment, he was surrounded by Assassin, Achilles, Karna, and Atalanta.

Achilles, scratching his chin, remarked, "That Saber sure doesn't mince her words. Makes me curious if her blade is as sharp as her tongue." He turned to Atalanta, "Any thoughts, big sis?"

Her retort was swift and heated, "Maybe I should silence you first!"

Achilles feigned innocence, "So aggressive. What did I do now?"

Kotomine turned to Assassin and asked, "What do you think?"

Assassin lounged on the throne, rhythmically tapping her fingers on the armrest. Her captivating eyes didn't leave Kotomine for a second. "He didn't give much away, but you've certainly shown our hand."

Kotomine simply smiled, brushing off the concern. "It doesn't matter. If we are to stand against Eternal King, we need Saber's help. She needs to understand how dire things are if she wants to obtain the Holy Grail."

Assassin rolled her eyes, "Fine, have it your way. But while Saber might be stubborn, her Master is quite shrewd. He played you by using Saber's stubbornness to reject your proposal. Your plan to kidnap him and control Saber didn't exactly pan out, did it?"

"That was an unfortunate turn of events," Kotomine replied, looking troubled.

When they heard this, both Atalanta and Achilles didn't look too happy, but Karna stayed calm as usual.

Their Master had fallen for Kotomine's scheme because of a brief lapse in judgment, and as a result, they too were under Kotomine's control.

Kotomine paused and said with concern, "Do you think we stand a chance against a Grand Servant? The title 'Grand' alone feels overwhelming."

Assassin shot him a glare. "With me on your side, what's there to worry about? And don't forget, my palace is almost ready."

He gave a nod. "Well, you have a point."

Assassin arched her neck haughtily, resembling a proud swan. "As long as my palace is here, even a Grand Servant doesn't stand a chance."

Karna, however, slowly shook his head. "Your palace might be impressive, but against Eternal King? It's not enough."

Assassin shot him a sharp look, clearly irritated. "You speak as if you've seen my palace."

Karna responded in his typically composed manner, "I haven't, but I can make an educated guess. I've battled side by side with him. If there's anyone who could truly challenge him, it's the Grand Caster, King Solomon, You're not in the same league."

Assassin's eyes blazed with anger as she shot him a furious look. "You're really getting a kick out of this, aren't you, Karna? Once this faction war is over, I'll make sure to poison you first!"

Achilles raised an eyebrow, "Wait a minute, weren't you going to poison me first?"

Assassin was so riled up, she looked close to exploding. "You... all of you!" she sputtered.

Kotomine jumped in, trying to smooth things over, "Easy, everyone. We're on the same side. Let's just take a deep breath and remember we're allies."

"Hmph!" Assassin gave a haughty huff, turning her face away in a sulk.