Fate: I Will Eventually Become the Hero of Justice

"So this is how it ends, huh?"

The voice of the petite knight filled Sisigou's ears as he woke up.

He sat up to find her sitting cross-legged on the ground. She had just closed a book about Arthurian legends and laid it on her lap, sighing deeply.

Sisigou felt a pang of doubt. He'd heard that when a Master forms a connection with a Servant, they dream about the Servant's past. Had he just dreamt about this young knight?

He looked at her. She looked like she was barely twelve. He hadn't seen the whole dream, but what he did see filled him with an overwhelming sense of sadness.

"Huh? What?" The petite knight twisted her head to look at him. A grin spread across her youthful face. "Oh, you're up, Master."

Sisigou wasn't some naive youth. He masked his own emotions, pushed up his sunglasses, nodded, and asked, "Finished the book?"

"Yep," she said, nodding. "I did. You know, the Mordred and Arthur depicted by later generations are quite foolish."

"It's a 14th-century work, so don't expect too much. Plus, the translation might be off."

"Fair point," she agreed, nodding again. Then, her face became serious. "Master, there's something I have to apologize for in advance."

"What's the matter?"

"In this Holy Grail War, I'm going to be stubborn. There's an idiot I absolutely have to beat," declared the petite knight, her face dead serious.

The atmosphere grew thick with unspoken emotions and hidden histories. In this war for the Holy Grail, it was clear that old wounds and vendettas were about resurface, complicating alliances and enmities alike.

...

The sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows over the mountains near Trifas. The black mud that had ensnared Saber began to loosen and fall away.

Saber retrieved her sword and rose to her feet, her body trembling with rage.

She hadn't been killed, but the betrayal cut just as deep. Her kingdom and life had already been shattered once by Mordred's treachery during her campaign to Rome.

Maybe it was because Assassin had connections with an alternate version of her, or perhaps their worldviews had aligned in some way. She'd let her guard down around him, even feeling a sense of mutual understanding..

In the end, she was betrayed by Assassin.

Fuming with shame, Saber wanted to draw her sword and hunt down Assassin immediately. But after a full day's journey, he had vanished into the mountainous terrain.

This Holy Grail War in Romania was different from the one in Fuyuki City. It wasn't a seven-way free-for-all but a faction war involving seven pairs, mainly centered around Trifas, but could also extend to other Romanian cities.

With a battlefield far larger than Fuyuki City and lacking any innate skill to track her enemies, Saber had no choice but to return disappointed.

She returned to the Fortress of Millenia, her mood still agitated. As she approached the palace court, she saw Ruler, Jeanne d'Arc, pacing at the entrance.

"Saber, you're back," Jeanne greeted her.

With effort, Saber suppressed her seething anger and nodded.

"Where's Assassin?" Jeanne glanced around Saber but didn't see the king she was looking for.

Jeanne had been fulfilling her role as Ruler diligently. Typically, a Ruler could not be summoned in a standard Holy Grail War. Their presence was only required under unique circumstances—when the war's format deviated from the norm or when flaws emerged that could disrupt the sacred ceremony. In such cases, the Holy Grail itself would summon a Ruler to oversee the proceedings and ensure they carried on uninterrupted.

Jeanne's own summoning had been far from standard; she had taken possession of another being to enter this world. This was a clear sign that something had gone wrong in the Holy Grail War, and she was determined to uncover the nature of this flaw.

Jeanne had just completed her investigation of the Black faction and was about to turn her attention to the Red faction. However, before she departed, she wanted to say goodbye to Eternal King.

"Assassin, huh..."

Saber's face tightened.

It felt like rubbing salt in an open wound.

She had just been betrayed by Assassin, and now his name came up again.

Keeping her emotions in check, Saber replied flatly, "He has defected."

"Huh?" Jeanne was stunned.

Saber didn't bother to elaborate. She strode past her into the palace court, leaving a bewildered Jeanne behind.

The night was pitch-black, a time usually reserved for sleep. Yet the Fortress of Millenia was abuzz with activity; lights blazed in the court where Masters and Servants had gathered.

Saber was taken aback.

Had something else happened?

In that moment, Vlad, seated on his throne, eyed Saber. "King Arthur, where is Assassin?"

"He has defected," Saber replied, struggling to keep her voice calm.

Though in the dark about the details, she dutifully reported Assassin's betrayal and defection from the Black faction, along with his departure with Spartacus.

She had expected Vlad to erupt in anger as he had earlier, but he didn't.

"Is that so? I see."

Vlad's expression was somewhat bland, and he nodded knowingly, as if he had expected this outcome all along.

This unexpected reaction made Saber's eyebrows knit together in confusion.

What's going on here? She frowned.

Just then, her Master—Fiore Forvedge Yggdmillennia, a young woman bound to a wheelchair due to a malfunction in her Magic Circuits—motioned for Saber to come over.

Saber approached and asked, "Master, what's happening here?"

"It's nothing major; the Red faction just sent us a request," Fiore answered nonchalantly.

"A request for what?"

Given that the whole Black faction had been summoned for this, it couldn't be as trivial as Fiore was making it seem, could it?

Fiore said, "The Red faction has extended an invitation; they're asking us to help eliminate our own Assassin."

Saber's eyes widened in disbelief. Even though Assassin had already turned his back on them, he was still technically their Assassin. And now the Red faction wanted them to join forces to take him down?

The proposition sounded utterly bizarre.

"Has Lancer given the approval?" Saber questioned.

Fiore hesitated, "He hasn't yet and wouldn't have before... but now..."

Fiore's eyes flickered to Vlad. Saber followed her gaze and looked over to see Vlad in his throne. His slender, pallid fingers were lightly drumming on the armrests.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

Anyone could see the thoughtful expression on his face.

But... 

"Why?"

The proposition from the Red faction was already baffling, but what was truly perplexing was Vlad actually considering it.

Saber knew Vlad well enough to be certain that, even if Assassin had betrayed them, Vlad would never entertain the Red faction's request.

But now he was, for some unknown reason, doing just that.

"It might be related to Assassin's true name," Fiore suggested.

"His true name?" Saber's eyebrow shot up. "So, Assassin's real identity has been exposed!"

Both she and Vlad had long suspected that "Fujimaru Shirou" couldn't possibly be Assassin's true name. It lacked the gravitas of a legendary figure, and this name had no associated legends. As a result, they'd dismissed it as a ruse to cover up his true identity.

However, neither she nor Vlad had paid much attention to it.

But for Vlad to wear such an expression now, there must be something wrong with Assassin's true name!

Fiore revealed, "The message from the Red faction states that Assassin's true name is... Guinevere."

"Gu... Guinevere?" Saber was dumbfounded.

Because wasn't that the name of the queen she'd politically married in her past life?

"Yes, Guinevere. According to the Red faction, Assassin is also a version of King Arthur from another reality. They claim that he's a Grand Servant, extraordinarily powerful, and a threat to everyone if left unchecked. They're proposing that we join forces to eliminate Assassin. Once he's out of the equation, we can resume our own war," Fiore elaborated.

"Wa-wait a moment, Fiore... My head's a mess right now," Saber said, placing her hand on her forehead.

It was too much information flooding into her mind at once, leaving Saber completely disoriented.

First off, Assassin's actual name isn't Shirou Fujimaru, but rather Guinevere—the queen she was supposed to have married in a past life.

And as if that weren't enough, this Guinevere had somehow morphed into a man, and not just any man but another version of King Arthur from an alternate reality. Add to that his status as a Grand Servant—a being of immense power—and the Red faction's invitation to collaborate on taking him down...

But the most bewildering part of all this? Vlad was genuinely considering it.

What is even going on?