An Unexpected Call / Servants of the Red Faction

"Please wait until it's light before you drive. I'll walk from here, it'll be fine."

She forced the Human Order, then left with a farewell, picked up her bag, and ran off at full speed. Perhaps Zhang had set up a barrier to repel outsiders; after several kilometers, not only were there no vehicles, but even the scent of animals had vanished.

Setting down her bag, she immediately transformed back into her original battle attire, her entire body enveloped in armor woven from magic. The situation seemed more urgent than she had imagined. The summoned Ruler gradually ignited her fighting spirit.

"--So you're the Servant Ruler."

A cold voice came from above. Ruler looked up and saw a huge highway sign and a young man standing on it waiting.

His hair grew freely, remaining a translucent white. His gaze was as sharp as a polished blade, and the red stones inlaid on his exposed chest shone brightly, creating a lustrous and alluring effect. But what was most striking was the golden armor that seemed to be integrated into his body rather than wrapped around it, radiating a divine light.

Although each part is so beautiful, the youth as a whole gives a powerful impression that transcends mere beauty; what a wondrous youth he is.

Ruler, however, kept a close eye on his figure and said:

"... You are Karna, aren't you?"

"Ha, I haven't even revealed my weapon yet, and you can already see through it?"

With a hint of interest, the young man—no, Karna— nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I know. Of course, I also know your name— Karna, the Heroic Spirit."

"..."

Lancer raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing Ruler's question.

Chapter 182. An Unexpected Phone Call

The next day, early morning—

After washing up, Wang Xiaoming went down the stairs from his second-floor bedroom to the first floor.

Normally, there should be someone busy in the kitchen right now, but Lina's mother-in-law is in the living room making a phone call, and her expression reveals a hint of anxiety.

After Lina's mother-in-law hung up the phone, seeing that she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, Wang Xiaoming had a rough idea of what was going on:

"Is this Mr. Gao Li?"

"Yes, the old man should have arrived in Trifas long ago, I didn't expect him to call so late today."

Upon seeing Wang Xiaoming, and perhaps wanting to vent her pent-up anxiety, Grandma Lina complained to him in a rambling manner, "It seems that a section of the road to Trifas Wang Xiaoming damaged, so he took a detour and only just arrived."

"As long as we reach our destination safely, that's all that matters."

Wang Xiaoming patiently comforted Lina's grandmother, while also feeling a sense of relief.

Since Mr. Gao Li did not arrive in Trifas on time, something must have happened on Ruler's side, but Ruler did not break her oath.

At least Mr. Gao Li didn't encounter any accidents.

"Forget it, let's not talk about him anymore."

After venting her frustrations, Grandma Lina's mood brightened. Perhaps because they had spent quite some time together, Grandma Lina became less reserved and pointed towards the dining room. "Breakfast is ready. Please go and sit at the table. I'll go wake Lily."

Not long after, Lily, rubbing her sleepy eyes, followed Grandma Lina downstairs.

"Good morning, Master."

Seeing Lily yawning, Wang Xiaoming's mood subconsciously improved a bit.

"Good morning, come and have breakfast."

"By the way, are you planning to explore the surrounding area next?"

After breakfast, while cleaning up the dishes, Grandma Lina suddenly asked Wang Xiaoming and Lily about their upcoming plans.

"... I plan to take Lily to visit a few nearby cities."

After a brief silence, Wang Xiaoming spoke.

"Is that so? That's good. After all, you've already visited most of the attractions around Bucharest. Taking advantage of the nice weather to go out and have some fun is a good option."

Both Wang Xiaoming and Lily could hear the sadness in Lina's mother-in-law's tone.

"Please rest assured, I will definitely bring Lily to visit you again before we return to our country."

Just as Wang Xiaoming was about to speak, his phone rang. After glancing at the caller ID on the screen, Wang Xiaoming gave Lily a look, then went to the living room outside and pressed the answer button.

Immediately afterwards, a somewhat familiar voice came through the receiver—

"How have things been lately, Mr. Wang?"

London, Clock Tower

As the most popular professor in the Clock Tower, Lord El-Melloi II's forehead wrinkles are still as noticeable as ever.

"Well..."

With a sigh, Lord El-Melloi II threw the documents in his hand onto the table, then leaned back forcefully, staring at the ceiling with a look of utter despair.

"What's wrong, elder brother?"

Following the sound, one could see a young girl sitting in a guest chair in Lord El-Melloi II's office, holding a teacup of black tea. She had porcelain-white skin and long, straight, golden hair. But a pair of fiery red eyes, enough to completely overturn the aforementioned illusory impression, were intently watching El-Melloi.

As his sister, Reines was happy to see her brother get his comeuppance.

"I've encountered some trouble..."

Lord El-Melloi II rubbed his forehead vigorously, perhaps trying to wash away the wrinkles on his forehead along with the vexation in his heart.

Reines put down her teacup and walked to Lord El-Melloi II's desk, where a newspaper lay open before him.

"A serial killer has emerged in Bucharest, the capital of Romania. The victims have gradually moved up the Bucharest and are now in the vicinity of Sighisoara. Residents in the surrounding area are advised to stay indoors!"

The headline, written in bold black font, took up almost half the space on the panel. Seeing that the Lord El-Melloi II didn't stop her, Reines began to read the report carefully.

Although the newspapers did not provide details of the killings, it appears that more than thirty people have been victimized, and the news has plunged the entire Romania into a state of panic.

"Could this be a coincidence...?"

Before Reines could finish speaking, the Lord El-Melloi II sat up straight again and pointed to a photograph of a woman in the newspaper. Although the photograph was not very clear, it was still discernible that she had a rather pleasing appearance. The caption on the photograph simply read "Identity Unknown."

"Her name is Pemetregis—she once attended my class."

Upon hearing this, Reines finally realized the gravity of the situation. If this were just an ordinary serial killer, it might be explained away as a coincidence. However, if the list of victims included a Magecraft, it could not possibly be a coincidence. Moreover, she was probably one of the Magecraft dispatched to Trifas by the Mage's Association.

"Is she the kind of Magecraft who would be killed by a serial killer?"

"... No, Pemetregis is Magecraft specializing in espionage. If we also take into account the combat abilities of her familiars, I'm afraid an ordinary Magecraft wouldn't be able to defeat her."

"--So, this serial killer has the ability to kill Magecraft?"

As the conversation progressed, Reines's expression became unusually serious, especially considering the "war" currently raging in Romania—

"Only Servant could do something like that, right?"

The Lord El-Melloi II nodded, tacitly acknowledging Reines's guess.

The only thing that can be confirmed at this point is that the Servant capable of such an act is definitely not Servant the [Red] faction. When this news reached the Clock Tower, they immediately contacted the "overseers" sent by the Holy Church, and the final message they received was—

Aside from the Saber and Caster pairs who acted alone outside, all other Servant on the Red Faction were under his supervision. The Saber and Caster pairs were barely cleared of suspicion thanks to the guarantees of Lord El-Melloi II and Locke Belfebvre, the head of the Department of Summoning.

So, the target is now the [Black] faction. But what is Darnic, the leader of the [Black] faction, thinking? No one in the Clock Tower can guess. At least from his indifference to this unusual situation reported in the newspapers, it's clear his thinking is far from normal. This completely violates the fundamental principle that Magecraft must conceal mysterious phenomena.

"But what should we do about this? We can't just ignore something like this."

"It seems that the Clock Tower has made contact with the Magecraft waiting in Trifas."

Lord El-Melloi II told Reines the solution offered by the Clock Tower.

"... If that really is Servant from the [Black] faction, then Magecraft alone certainly wouldn't be able to defeat it."

Reines's problem was also a concern for the Lord El-Melloi II. No matter how weak a Servant was, they were still Heroic Spirit, beings from a mysterious realm that could be described as ultimate.

If our side is only sending Magecraft, then the "elite force" that was wiped out in Trifas serves as a cautionary tale.

The only one who can fight against Servant is Servant, therefore--

"It seems Belphegor has also started contacting the Master of Mordred, and they appear to be moving towards Sighisoara."

He sighed again, the wrinkles on Lord El-Melloi II forehead seeming to deepen further, and picked up the receiver of the telephone beside him:

"I really don't want to contact him unless it's absolutely necessary..."

(Above)

Chapter 183. Red Faction's Servant

"Sighisoara?"

Upon hearing the place name mentioned by Lord El-Melloi II over the phone, Wang Xiaoming was momentarily stunned.

"Yes, some unexpected situations have arisen over there."

"Do you need me to come over and help?"

"I wouldn't make this call unless it was absolutely necessary."

Lord El-Melloi II sighed. "But currently, the other side shows no intention of backing down. If this continues unchecked, it will inevitably escalate further."

After all, secrecy is the fundamental principle of Magecraft.

If this situation continues to escalate, no one knows what kind of heinous things the people in the Mage's Association might do in order to maintain the mystery surrounding Magecraft.

"What is the Holy Church doing? Shouldn't this kind of thing be handled by them?"

"... Because the Berserker has gone berserk, the [watchdogs] they sent are in charge of handling this matter."

Wang Xiaoming was speechless at the Lord El-Melloi II's reply on the other end of the phone.

"Of course, this is just my request. If you don't want to, that's perfectly fine too."

Hearing the other person's feignedly relaxed tone, Wang Xiaoming hesitated for a moment,

Can I think about it?

"Certainly."

"..."

"Master?"

After hanging up the phone, Wang Xiaoming heard Lily's voice. He looked up and saw the girl standing in front of the house looking at him with a worried expression.

Wang Xiaoming patted his cheek, and the slight pain cheered him up.

"It's nothing. When did you arrive?"

"I arrived after comforting Grandma Lina, and just then I overheard Master mentioning that you were going to Sighisoara."

"..."

"Does Master want to help him?"

The first to break the silence between the two was Lily. Seeing Wang Xiaoming's deep inner turmoil, Lily walked to his side and asked softly.

"Does Master want to help him?"

"Hmm... actually, no."

"Then let's go!"

This was the first time Lily had interrupted Wang Xiaoming.

Wang Xiaoming looked up in surprise, only to see Lily giving him a playful look. "I've heard Grandma Lina mention before that Sighisoara has many medieval architectural landmarks, so I've always been curious about it."

"Is that so?"

After a brief silence, a warm smile appeared on Wang Xiaoming's lips:

"Then let's go. Although that's not our main purpose, we should definitely explore that place properly when we have the chance."