Heroes Gather

"Diarmuid, what challenge have you prepared for yourself?" Iskandar asked the Lancer. Diarmuid had cut a truly dazzling figure in battle. Even if he could not be brought under his banner, trading blows with him would still be worthwhile.

Diarmuid smiled lightly. "Compared to kings such as yourselves, I possess no special talents. Battle is the only thing in which I excel. Thus, my challenge is to fight me with all your strength. I shall bring victory to my lord."

Iskandar laughed at that. "Simple combat, bringing victory to one's lord... A pure warrior, then?"

"Waver." Kayneth stepped a few paces closer to the ox cart and looked at Waver's shifting expression. "Though I believe some matters should be realized on your own, my most dependable ally, Mr. Mo Li, suggested that I explain why I withheld your thesis. So, I'll make an exception and give you one more lesson."

Waver froze for a moment. "What reason?"

Kayneth smiled proudly. "Waver, you are still far too young for the magecraft community. Neither your family nor you yourself could possibly withstand the trouble your thesis would bring if it were truly published—trouble that would inevitably enrage the entire mainstream magecraft community. It was absolutely necessary for me to withhold it. What makes you think you can challenge the entire magecraft community as you are now? What makes you think you can overturn the mainstream order that has stood for so long?"

Hearing that, Iskandar looked at Waver. The boy had never told him any of this. It seemed there were quite a few interesting secrets here.

As Kayneth and Waver, master and student, began to talk, Mo Li said to Irisviel and Artoria, "Come on, let's talk inside. It mainly concerns a few things about Artoria."

"Alright." Irisviel nodded and walked toward Mo Li.

Since Irisviel had gone over, Artoria could only follow. As Lancelot's Master, this man was fairly decent.

Then, aside from Lancelot, everyone connected to Mo Li subconsciously followed him into the house.

After entering, Irisviel asked, "What are you planning to do, Mr. Mo Li?"

Mo Li looked eagerly at Artoria's ahoge. "Artoria, this may be somewhat presumptuous, but please don't mind it. There's something I'd like to verify."

"Uh? What is it?" Artoria had a bad feeling about this.

Mo Li smiled innocently. "Could you let me pull out that tuft of ahoge on top of your head?"

Artoria looked startled, having no idea why he would make such a request. Everyone else also turned curious gazes toward her ahoge.

Irisviel looked at Mo Li, caught between laughter and tears. "This... is there some special reason?"

"Maybe there is, maybe there isn't. That's why I want to try."

"N-No! What exactly are you trying to do with that request? What do you want to do with my hair?" Artoria immediately tried to resist firmly.

"Really not?" Mo Li looked disappointed. "I only wanted to verify something about you. If you don't want to know, then I won't try."

Artoria was both angry and helpless. "Then what secret do I have that is related to my hair? I need to know before I can decide whether to let you try!"

Mo Li wore an innocent expression. "But I need to try it before I can know."

"So you have no idea what will happen at all, do you?!"

"Yep. Anyway, there's no danger to your life."

Artoria looked at Mo Li wearily. "You... Fine, I'll let you try. But if you dare come at me with a weapon, don't blame me for drawing my sword!"

"Aha! Don't worry, don't worry. I just want to give it a try." Mo Li reached for that ahoge, which seemed to be Artoria's hidden backup energy source.

As Mo Li's hand drew closer and closer to her face, Artoria began to feel rather uncomfortable. She resisted a little, yet also found herself anticipating the change Mo Li had mentioned.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Mo Li grabbed the ahoge and pulled without hesitation. Perhaps because Artoria herself had no intention of resisting, it came out with ease.

The next second, a dense burst of magical power erupted, blasting the contents of the room into a complete mess. Ritsuka Fujimaru, who currently seemed like an ordinary person, had to be held by Mash Kyrielight to avoid being blown over. Artoria's entire outfit, even her holy sword, gradually turned black.

"Mash, this King of Knights is amazing..." Ritsuka Fujimaru whispered to Mash.

Mash looked as though she had learned something new as well. "Yes, it really is amazing."

"This is..." Irisviel stared in shock at Artoria, now transformed into Black Saber. She had never known that her Servant possessed a hidden stage.

"...How peculiar. I actually have a state like this? In some respects, I've become stronger, but in more respects, I've become weaker. Overall, I'm weaker." Artoria sensed her own condition. In this form, she seemed calmer. External influences could no longer easily shake her mind. Even seeing her hair in Mo Li's hand stirred not the slightest emotional fluctuation in her.

At that moment, everyone except Mo Li stared blankly at Artoria.

Artoria, in her Black Saber state, gave Medea a puzzled glance. For some reason, the girl had suddenly begun drooling while looking at her.

"Ahem. So you really can transform. I'll turn you back now." Mo Li brought the ahoge in his hand toward Artoria's head.

The ahoge returned, and Artoria reverted to her original appearance. The change left everyone dumbfounded.

Mo Li said, "Artoria, cooperate with me once more. If you don't want me to pull out that tuft of hair—if you hold onto the thought of not wanting me to harm you or anything like that—I'll see whether I can still pull it out."

"Alright." Artoria calmed her somewhat strange state of mind, then said, "You can do it now."

"Mm." This time, Mo Li tugged at it a few times without using much force, just as before, but the result was different. He could not pull the tuft of hair out.

Mo Li withdrew his hand and said to Artoria, "It seems it won't work unless you're willing."

Artoria spoke in a complicated tone. "You... How did you know that pulling out my hair would cause such a change? Even I had no idea something like this could happen."

This time, everyone's attention focused on Mo Li.

Mo Li smiled. "Personal secret."

"...A secret, is it?" Artoria watched Mo Li for a while, but ultimately gave up on pressing him further.

Mash whispered to Ritsuka Fujimaru, "Senior, do you think it's possible that the King of Knights is like us to Senior Mo?"

Ritsuka Fujimaru said uncertainly, "Maybe that's possible..."

Artoria and Medea both shifted their gazes to the two of them. Could they know some of Mo Li's secrets?

Both Heroic Spirits began making plans of their own.

"More people are about to arrive. Let's go outside." After saying that, Medea summoned several Dragon Tooth Soldiers to clean up the chaotic room.

Everyone came outside together.

This time, the arrivals were the King of Heroes Gilgamesh and Tokiomi Tohsaka, as well as Kirei Kotomine and Hassan of the Hundred Faces at his side—the one who had been the first to get killed off in the original work.

Now all the Heroic Spirits were present. As for the Masters, only Kiritsugu Emiya was missing, but he was still sticking to his original strategy for now. At the very least, he would not be appearing openly.

Seeing the other two who had arrived ahead of him, Gilgamesh said with slight displeasure, "Am I actually the last one to arrive?"

Mo Li said, "Welcome, King of Heroes Gilgamesh. Now that everyone is here, it is time to formally discuss and establish the rules for the Holy Grail War going forward. Medea."

Medea waved her staff, and an exquisite long table that she had taken the time to make yesterday floated up in the middle of the area. There were seats on both sides—six clearly intended for Heroic Spirits on the left, and two main seats at the inner end.

"Ritsuka, come with me." Mo Li took Ritsuka Fujimaru by the hand and led him toward the main seats.

"Eh?!" Ritsuka Fujimaru was pulled along without any resistance, then Mo Li pressed him into the seat on the right before taking the seat on the left himself.

Seeing what Mo Li had done, Gilgamesh gave Ritsuka Fujimaru a few more looks. "Oh?"

He could not imagine what qualifications that little girl had to sit on the same level as him.

Mo Li said, "Guests, the seats on my right are for Masters, while those on my left are for Heroic Spirits. Please take your seats as you wish. Mash, stand beside Ritsuka."

"Understood." Mash Kyrielight had no objections. She immediately stood beside Ritsuka Fujimaru, shield in hand, protecting him.

Berserker Lancelot stood to Mo Li's left as well, without taking a seat.

Hearing that, Gilgamesh immediately sat in the first seat on the left. "What are you planning?"

The others took their seats as well. Irisviel smiled gently at the petite Caren, picked her up and placed her in the first seat on the right, then took the second seat herself. As for Waver Velvet and Kayneth, they sat together.

Mo Li said, "Everyone, this happened too suddenly, so there was no time to change the rules before the Holy Grail War began. But it is still the same now, so we will use another method to determine the victor. Miss Medea was specifically summoned to resolve the issue of the Holy Grail, so she will not participate in the Holy Grail War. She will only be responsible for dealing with the Holy Grail's corruption. You may consider her to have already withdrawn from the Holy Grail War."

Everyone looked toward Medea, who was seated in the second seat on the left. Iskandar said, "Young lady, do you really not need the Holy Grail? Is there no wish you want it to grant?"

Medea replied with a bright smile, "I don't need it~ My wish is actually very easy to fulfill. Or rather, it is almost fulfilled already, isn't it? After all, I only want to live a peaceful life. And something like the Holy Grail? I can make one myself now too~"

Tokiomi Tohsaka was somewhat speechless. "That truly is unexpected..."

The wishes they sought required the Third Magic Heaven's Feel to fulfill, yet to this Servant, it was merely something she could casually create?

Kayneth glanced at his Servant, Diarmuid. "The witch of legend only wishes to live a peaceful life... Still, that is rather similar to Diarmuid. My Servant's wish is simply to enjoy glorious battle to his heart's content."