Chaldeans Realisation and Quincy's Tailing

Ritsuka POV:

The battle was going well, Mash and Jeanne were fighting while I commanded the troops, I was a bit scared because I never had to command anyone before, so given command of one regiment of troops is extremely stressful but I have the support of three other commandants to help me compensate my lack of skill in the matter

But the battle soon turned as I send three of my servants toward the white clad attacker as Mash came closer to me to protect me.

"Was this Friedrich ? " she asked me while looking at the runaway attacker

I pondered while looking at the dots that disappeared in the mountain.

"It's impossible Mash" I responded to my servant "Friedrich was from Jeanne's era, he cannot navigate like us, and Director Animusphere said that only Chaldea had the technology necessary to navigate eras"

"But if this is not Friedrich, does this mean that other people from his order are here to take the Grail like before ?" she asked, looking at me with a questioning gaze "How could they have precise knowledge of the Grail position in the timeline ?"

"I don't know Mash, I hope that Saber and her group could capture the runaway, then we will have our answers" I said looking at the now calm battlefield, it seemed as Saber killed their leader, the enemy army soon stopped their attacks.

As our troops were busy detaining the soldiers from the United Empire, I received a mental message from Chiron.

"Master, we need to evacuate," he urgently conveyed. "The enemies were more numerous and stronger than we anticipated. All of us are struggling, and I'm uncertain if you could give enough mana to us for using our three Noble Phantasms."

I pondered for a second before using the seal

'By this command seal, I command you to teleport back here' I intoned in my head before the three servants started to materialize in front of me

Chiron was marked by small wounds that bore a striking resemblance to bullet wounds, while Mordred's and Saber's armor was coated in dust. After a brief moment of observation, I inquired, "Is everyone all right?"

"Yeah ! " replied Mordred, "As if some two bits knight could defeat me, if this wasn't for his technique that harden his skin I would've destroyed my opponent, It's Chiron that was being destroyed by his opponent not me nor Father !"

"Mordred!" Saber exclaimed. "You were defeated as well, so don't try to shift the blame onto our comrade. You were swiftly bested if my memory serves me correctly."

"That's not what happened ! " cried back the red Saber "He used a sort of technique that hardened his skin, my Clarent didn't even dent him , and using my confusion he threw a kick at me making me fly toward you Father "

"Being caught off guard still counts as a defeat," Saber admonished. "I never expected one of my knights to complain about being swiftly vanquished due to their lack of skills."

I noticed Mordred's breathing grow increasingly intense, a clear sign of her anger.

"Stop!" I intervened, positioning myself between the feuding family members. "We need to stand united in this situation. Arguing amongst ourselves won't do us any good here. You can have your duel back in Chaldea to settle your differences."

In response, Mordred let out a huff and then directed her gaze squarely at me. I could sense that her eyes held not so much anger but rather a tinge of sadness.

I was briefly taken aback before realizing her emotional state.

'She just wanted recognition,' I thought to myself before returning to my initial inquiry, "Did any of you manage to gather any information about our new adversaries, such as their names or any other relevant details?"

Saber perked up in response to my question.

"The individual I assumed was the leader," she began, "was a young red-headed man named Friedrich Braun. I believe he mentioned that he held the title of Stern Ritter 'W' and that he was present here on the orders of his King."

I was left momentarily speechless by this information. The presence of someone from the 15th century in the timeline of the Roman Empire was perplexing. I contemplated whether his group possessed a technology similar to ours, allowing them to navigate eras and timelines.

"Friedrich is here?" I heard Jeanne's voice from behind, and when I turned, I saw her with a conflicted expression on her face, blood dripping from her sword. Just then, a transmission from Chaldea came through, and the faces of Romani and Da Vinci appeared on the screen.

"We detect no more hostile servant signatures, Ritsuka. You've won!" exclaimed the doctor.

"We won, yes, but Friedrich has returned with two more individuals from his order," I informed Romani and Da Vinci. "Saber, Mordred, and Chiron found themselves outmatched during their encounters."

"We weren't outmatched, except for Chiron!" protested Mordred.

I saw Saber look at her, Mordred matching her gaze before Mash said to Romani

"They were outmatched in their base forms, not their Noble Phantasms. They chose to retreat and didn't use their Noble Phantasms," Mash clarified for the two Chaldeans.

Romani nodded in agreement. "Indeed, exposing your Noble Phantasms in such a situation could have been disastrous. We don't know the full extent of Friedrich's powers, and if there are two more members of his order, it could be even more dangerous."

"Indeed, it was a wise decision," Da Vinci agreed. "Even as a genius, I couldn't fully analyze the extent of Friedrich's magecraft, if it can even be called magecraft. His abilities are unlike anything else. He draws power from the environmental mana, a feat that very few forms of magecraft can accomplish."

We contemplated Da Vinci's words for a moment when Chiron interjected with his observations.

"The one I battled was extremely peculiar," Chiron began. "It was as if he could predict my every move. I possess precognition abilities as well, but his felt entirely distinct. I'm certain he was some kind of automaton. Throughout our fight, I never heard or saw him breathe, his movements too robotics but his speed was something else"

"An automaton, you say?!" Da Vinci exclaimed, her head coming extremely close to the screen. "If this is true, I would be very intrigued to discover who created such a masterpiece. Just imagine crafting an automaton capable of outmatching servants in one-on-one combat."

"If you could all stop drooling over a piece of junk," Mordred chimed in as she sat down, "my opponent had the ability to harden his body at will. Based on the sound of our clashes, I'd say he could turn his body into iron."

I nodded in acknowledgment, already aware of this information, but I recognized its potential value for Da Vinci's analysis.

"You couldn't cut through iron?" Da Vinci inquired.

Mordred provided additional details. "His body displayed strange blue markings resembling veins as I struck him."

"Much like Friedrich," Jeanne chimed in as everyone turned their attention to her. She glanced at us before elaborating, "Many of Friedrich's attacks are blue in color, and when he was struck by my other self's attacks, he displayed those same blue markings."

"So, we could theorize that this defensive technique is a form of magecraft from their order. How fascinating," Da Vinci mused. "A magecraft capable of enabling the body to withstand attacks from a Saber-class servant or an Avenger-class servant, powered by the Grail no less, is truly unprecedented."

"Are you suggesting that an entire order of knights is capable of such extraordinary feats, in addition to other abilities like premonition, body transformation into iron, and the peculiar force field that Friedrich displayed?" I inquired.

Romani affirmed with concern in his eyes, "Yes. If they are seeking the Grail once more, perhaps we could negotiate. The last Grail was returned to us after it was consumed by darkness, and it didn't appear to be altered in any way. So, we could suggest an alliance between us."

"Even if we started fighting already ? " I questioned the doctor

"Don't worry Ritsuka," said Jeanne, "I could go with another servant like Napoleon to negotiate an alliance between us"

I contemplated the idea for a moment. An alliance had the potential to be incredibly beneficial for both of our groups. They could secure the Grail once again, and we could retrieve it just like the last time. However, I couldn't shake the concern that if they took something from the Grail before, and did the same with the new Grail, it could lead to unforeseen consequences.

"I believe that an alliance is a possibility," I announced, with Jeanne visibly relieved. However, Mordred's frustration flared up once more.

"Aren't we strong enough?" the red Saber exclaimed.

"Master isn't suggesting that, Mordred," Jeanne explained. "We can't allow another group to operate freely while we're engaged in a war against the United Empire."

"You're only saying that because your boyfriend is among them!" Mordred retorted. Jeanne blushed slightly, and Artoria covered her face with a gloved hand in embarrassment.

"Enough of this, Mordred. You're dividing the group," Saber interjected. "Do as you wish!" Mordred exclaimed before storming off towards our camp.

I sighed, thinking, "What a troublesome group they are." Then, I turned to Jeanne and said, "We will soon regroup with Emperor Nero's army. If Friedrich's group intends to confront us, they will likely do so when we are separated. So, prepare yourselves."

Friedrich POV:

An hour had passed since the three servants had disappeared, allowing us to recover our reishi and formulate a plan. BG9 shared his analysis with us as we walked back to our camp.

"The data I collected during our last fight was intriguing to analyze. The girl named Artoria is not entirely human; there are hints of something draconic within her. The one you fought, Cang Du, is an artificial lifeform. The one I fought exhibited traces of divinity, albeit minuscule compared to Lord Valkyrie or Lord Pernida," BG9 reported.

Cang Du commented on his observation, "I noticed that the one I fought wasn't entirely human. Her soul appeared much younger than her physical appearance, as if something accelerated her growth."

I continued to think about BG9's analysis and elaborated further, "Heroic Spirits like them are not a threat in their natural form. They possess a unique ability known as a Noble Phantasm, which is the crystallization of their individual legend. These Noble Phantasms often have characteristics that align with their respective legends. For instance, Siegfried, the dragon slayer, had an incredibly powerful Noble Phantasm for killing dragons."

BG9, however, seemed to pause in his tracks, his single blue eye flickering

"So we could theorize that Artoria Pendragon, who appears to be a feminine version of Arthur Pendragon, has a Noble Phantasm related to Excalibur. This theory could be accurate, given the enormous amount of energy I sensed in her sword," commented BG9.

"Yes," I responded to my robot companion. "So what should we do?"

"I still think that the best course of action is to lay low and analyze the enemies," said BG9 in his mechanical voice. "Then, when the battle for the Grail is finished, we can come in and take it from them."

Cang Du disagreed, saying, "This is not an honorable way of fighting, BG9! I am not a coward who hides and backstabs my opponents."

BG9 retorted, "Yet, you were one of the first to take Toshiro Hitsugaya's Bankai, your hypocrisy is showing, Iron"

"If you wanted to die so much you could have just asked piece of junk ! " declared Cang Du turning menacingly toward BG9 that continued to walk, not showing any interest in the banter with Cang Du

"Stop!" I exclaimed, using reishi to amplify the sound. "We are a team, so put your differences aside and focus on the mission that His Majesty has given us." My words seemed to quell the argument for the time being, and we continued on our mission.

'Cang Du still has something to prove to His Majesty, it seems,' I thought to myself before BG9 spoke.

"I am sensing the Roman army and the remnants of the other army moving toward the north, team leader, should we follow them?" he asked me.

"We'll follow them using your radar. We won't repeat the same errors as before, and we won't come near Chiron, as he can detect us," I commanded to my two other fellow Stern Ritters.

The hours passed as we continued to follow the army, with BG9's sensors working at their maximum to inform us of any suspicious movements towards us.

"I detect an enormous army camping right in front of the Roman army. There's no sign of hostility between the two. I assume it's the main army for the Roman Empire, and I also detect numerous servant signatures in the army," BG9 reported.

"Well, if this isn't bad, I don't know what is," I commented, deciding to halt our trailing. "We cannot risk being exposed to this many servants. We'll sleep here tonight, far enough from them," I commanded the other two.

"I don't need to sleep, Friedrich, so I'll guard the camp with my radars," declared BG9 before sitting on a rock, as still as a statue.

"Well, good night, BG9. Good night, Cang Du," I said, looking at BG9 first and then at Cang Du, who was using a large branch as a bed.

"Good night," responded Iron before he closed his eyes on his branch.

I thought, 'Well, for the first day in this Singularity, it went a bit better than the last, all thanks to BG9's incredible scanning ability,' before drifting to sleep.

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Well a bit of a filler chapter, but next one will be a bit more active

See you soon :)