Taking Good Care of the Junior

Chapter 46: Taking Good Care of the Junior

'True Name.'

Just as the name implied, it referred to the Servants' real names.

The Servants had all been figures who once existed in various legends, fantasies, and even myths. Their names had been passed down through the ages and become known to later generations.

Take Caster, for example. He was the famous hero of Ulster, Northern Ireland, in Celtic Mythology—Cu Chulainn.

Legend had it that he was a great half-human, half-divine hero, whose father was the god of light, Lugh. He was therefore known as the Child of Light.

Legend also said that he had been taken under the wing of the Witch of the Land of Shadows, who could even slay gods. In the Land of Shadows, he learned astonishing spearcraft and magecraft. After completing his training, he directly joined the famous Red Branch Knights. He was nearly invincible on the battlefield, with no one able to stand against him.

The spear he wielded was a deadly demonic spear. Once thrust, it would certainly tear out the enemy's heart.

The art he had learned was Rune Magecraft. In Germanic Mythology, it represented the supreme wisdom Odin, the All-Father of the gods, had obtained by offering one of his eyes as the price. As long as the runes symbolizing the incantations were carved onto any material, they could unleash boundless power.

In Europe, his fame was so great that it could rival that of the legendary King of Knights Arthur of Britain and the great hero Heracles of Greek Mythology.

In Ireland, his homeland, he was even more famous. He was both the strongest knight and a renowned sage.

In his own words, it went like this...

"If I could be summoned in the Lancer class, dealing with Saber would be much easier."

That was Caster's claim.

However, Luo Zhen deeply agreed with him.

"Caster's magecraft is already strong enough, but when it comes to Cu Chulainn, isn't his spear the more famous of the two?"

A deadly spear that killed with a single strike, could never be dodged, and would inevitably pierce the heart once unleashed.

Caster's strongest form was the one in which he possessed that spear.

Unfortunately, summoned with a Caster Saint Graph, he had not obtained the demonic spear and could only act as a sage, wielding Nordic Runes.

Even so, Caster was still an absolutely first-rate Servant.

After all, he had already revealed astonishing news.

"The resurrected Lancer, Rider, and Assassin have all been secretly taken care of by me. That troublesome Berserker was dealt with by you lot. All that's left are Saber and Archer."

Caster casually revealed news that left Luo Zhen and the others speechless.

"As long as we defeat all the Servants, the Holy Grail War will end, and I can accomplish my objective and escape this unpleasant abnormality!"

With that goal in mind, Caster had defeated three Servants.

This showed that even with his current Saint Graph, Caster possessed impressive combat ability. It remained unclear how he compared to Saber, but when it came to Archer, he probably would not be inferior in the slightest.

At the very least, Caster was far stronger than the half-baked Mashu.

With his help, their chances of victory were not small.

Of course, Olga Marie had watched Caster suspiciously from beginning to end.

"Who knows whether this Servant is worth trusting? End the Holy Grail War? Escape from this abnormal Holy Grail War? Is his objective really that simple?"

That was what Olga Marie suspected.

After all, the fundamental reason Servants participated in the Holy Grail War and formed contracts with Masters was to obtain the wish-granting device known as the Holy Grail.

If Caster was merely saying nice things while secretly plotting to obtain the Holy Grail, then they were simply being used by him.

For that reason, Olga Marie had not completely trusted Caster.

As for the Command Seal's restraint on Caster...

"He is a forest sage who mastered the primordial Rune Magecraft of the North. As a Magus, he stands above anyone in the modern era. Who knows whether he has some way to break the contract?"

That was why Olga Marie was unwilling to trust Caster.

Naturally, Luo Zhen had considered that issue as well.

"After all, the Command Seal is also a crystal of magical energy formed from pure mana. If he is a Magus of the highest rank, he might really have a way to deal with it."

But that was only before Caster revealed his True Name.

After Caster revealed his True Name, Luo Zhen basically believed him.

The reason was simple.

"That isn't something he could just reveal casually."

That was why Luo Zhen chose to trust Caster.

Because revealing one's True Name was equivalent to exposing one's identity.

Since Servants were all renowned existences from various legends, the implications of their True Names being exposed were considerable.

For example, the types and effects of the Noble Phantasms they had possessed in life.

And the weaknesses and causes of death they had possessed in life.

Once those things were known, one could form a strategy specifically to counter them.

Take Caster as an example. If he descended with a Lancer Saint Graph and possessed the demonic spear that always pierced the heart, then one could simply use puppets, golems, or other inanimate objects without vital hearts against him. The terrifying effect of his demonic spear would then be completely useless.

That was merely a strategy for countering a Noble Phantasm.

If one targeted a Servant's weaknesses and cause of death from life, that would be a major issue capable of overturning the outcome of a battle.

That was why a Servant's True Name became something that absolutely could not be revealed.

Since Caster had so readily disclosed his True Name, it was enough to prove his sincerity.

Besides...

"Would that Child of Light from Ireland really be a traitor?"

It was said that Caster's original name had not been Cu Chulainn, but Setanta. He had only later given himself the name Cu Chulainn, meaning "Hound of Culann."

He had chosen that name because, when he was young, he accidentally killed the guard dog of the wealthy merchant Culann and then made a vow.

"If this dog has offspring, I will raise them in its place and train them to become guard dogs just as strong and loyal. Until then, I will protect you myself."

That was the origin of the name Cu Chulainn.

Although Cu Chulainn possessed a violent personality and temper in mythology, he was also a fierce man who could rudely ignore the advances of the goddess of death, Morrigan, and, before his death, tie himself to a stone pillar.

Luo Zhen did not believe that someone like him would become a traitor for the sake of obtaining the Holy Grail.

"Of course, if this True Name is false, then forget I said anything."

That was unlikely to happen.

Whether he was the real person or not could be determined simply by watching Caster fight from here on.

Cu Chulainn was a famous wielder of Rune Magecraft.

Pretending to be him was not something that could be done easily.

Thus, Luo Zhen and Caster formed a temporary contract and became allies in attack and defense.

"Let's go cause trouble for Saber and Archer tomorrow!"

Caster said that, then glanced at Luo Zhen's still somewhat pale face and laughed boldly.

"Before that, get some proper rest, Master."

Thus, everyone postponed their actions until tomorrow.

For Luo Zhen, that was equally welcome.

As he recovered his mana and watched the silent Mashu beside him, Luo Zhen smiled helplessly.

"I really need to take good care of my junior..."

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