Although he had acted on the thought that they might be able to reap the benefits, launching a surprise attack at the moment the two crossed paths, all it did was lightly wound "Black" Assassin and drive her out of the battle zone. Meanwhile, "Red" Saber and "Black" Archer fought fiercely before ultimately ending in a draw.
"Sigh, I really regret letting 'Black' Assassin get away because we prioritized dealing with 'Red' Saber."
For Yggdmillennia, who had only just lost "Black" Saber before that, "Red" Saber had been the target that needed to be eliminated first.
"Master's judgment was correct at the time. Isn't it fortunate enough that we didn't defeat 'Red' Saber back then? There's no point sighing over something that has already happened, Sister."
Though that was only hindsight, it was precisely because they had not defeated "Red" Saber then that Ruler and Archer could still be standing here alive.
"Also, we just received a report from our relatives in Trifas City. Last night, before we fought the 'Red' faction, several magi hiding in the city apparently lost contact. There were ten of them, and nearly all were experienced magi with extensive practical experience, even if they were not first-rate."
Though they had not been chosen as Masters, several among those ten were more skilled than Caules and came from families with longer histories. If they had been fighting magi from the Mage's Association, there were many methods they could have used to make contact. Yet they had received no message at all... They were probably no longer able to contact them.
"Ruler and Rider, what I would like to ask of you is..."
"The subjugation of 'Black' Assassin, correct?"
Ruler answered ahead of her. Fiore nodded in confirmation, carefully studying Ruler's expression.
"I see... Fiore. What concerns