Tuliphas, Mirenia Castle.
When Fang Li and Fiore returned here and entered the King's Hall, the entire hall was steeped in an exceptionally heavy atmosphere.
Vlad III sat upon the throne, the usual composure in his expression replaced only by lingering anger.
Darnic stood beside the throne, his face equally grim.
Roche and Caster stood silently to one side without saying a word.
The other two Masters were present as well.
"..."
Selenike bit her nails, repeatedly glancing at the Command Spells on the back of her hand, her face slightly twisted.
"It's not my fault... It's not my fault..."
Gord, meanwhile, had completely lost his former high spirits and arrogance. Slumped on the floor with his head lowered dejectedly, he muttered blankly as though unwilling to believe the reality before him.
Minamoto no Yorimitsu and Chiron materialized behind Fang Li and Fiore at the same time. Seeing the scene before them, they fell silent.
Fang Li swept his gaze across everyone as well, then curled his lip. Still, he did not gloat over their misfortune.
"Uncle." Fiore stepped forward and said heavily to Darnic, "We're back."
"...You're back?" Darnic lifted his eyes. His expression remained unpleasant as he took a deep breath and said to Fiore, "Have you heard what happened?"
"Yes." Fiore nodded heavily and said in a low voice, "It is truly difficult to imagine such a thing."
Who would have been willing to believe it?
In just one night, two Servants from their own side had run into trouble.
One had committed suicide, while the other had defected.
For the Black Faction, this was not merely a matter of losing face. It concerned the outcome of the Holy Grail War and Yggdmillennia's very survival.
"We still do not know why Saber chose suicide, but intelligence obtained