Dream (Bonus Chapter)

"However, there is also some bad news."

Shishigou slowly cleared the smoke from his lungs, a heavy look on his face. "Saber's true name has been discovered."

"Has it activated its Noble Phantasm?"

After all, Saber's Noble Phantasm, at the moment of activation, is basically no different from announcing her true name.

"He knew my true name before I even activated my Noble Phantasm."

"Is this Servant with whom you have a karmic connection?"

"Never seen anything like it before."

When this was mentioned, Saber's expression became even more frustrated—she had never seen that archer before, neither in appearance nor fighting style, yet the other seemed to know her very well...

"Don't overthink it. Just take him down in style next time we meet."

Throwing away the cigarette butt that had burned down to the end, Shishigou comforted his Servant.

"Of course!"

Clearly, the comfort offered by Shishigou had ignited Saber's competitive spirit.

"By the way, how's it going on your end?"

After explaining his own situation, Shishigou then asked Wang Xiaoming how they had managed to get into this state.

"Oh, by the way, take a look at this."

When Shishigou asked about his situation, Wang Xiaoming seemed to suddenly remember something, then reached into his pocket and took out something that looked like a scroll, and threw it into Shishigou's arms.

"This is... Geis?"

Taking the scroll that Wang Xiaoming had tossed to him, the well-informed Shishigou recognized its true nature with just one glance.

--The so-called "Geis" is a magical contract used by Magecraft when making an agreement that cannot be broken. It is the most absolute guarantee made to prevent breach of contract.

Wang Xiaoming nodded.

"Yes, let's take a look at the contents first."

Confused about what kind of trouble Wang Xiaoming was causing with this Shishigou, she first glanced at him suspiciously, then opened the scroll and carefully examined it under the dim streetlights.

Not long after, having finished reading, Shishigou raised his head again and pointed in astonishment to the elegant handwriting at the signature.

"Reika Rikudou... could she be the Master of Jack the Ripper?"

The certificate in Shishigou's Hand was one that Wang Xiaoming had asked Lily to sign after she used basic Magecraft techniques at the church's Reika Rikudou. After all, no matter how eloquently she spoke, it was ultimately not as effective as something as binding as a "Geis."

Furthermore, the certificate that Reika signed this time covers quite a lot of things, such as no longer harming any ordinary people or Magecraft dispatched by the Mage's Association; and that she will atone for the crimes she and her "daughter" committed after the Holy Grail War ends...

However, what Shishigou values most is the last clause of the certificate:

[I will fully cooperate with Mordred, [Red] Caster, and their Master in battle, and must not harbor any thoughts of harming them.]

This essentially meant entrusting their lives entirely to Wang Xiaoming and themselves.

After realizing this, Shishigou looked at Wang Xiaoming with utter astonishment. "How did you manage to get Jack the Ripper and the others to lower themselves like this?"

"Just as we suspected, the Master of Jack the Ripper is just an ordinary person without magical power. Now that Caster has found their hideout, if they don't want to die..."

Wang Xiaoming shrugged and gave a knowing look.

"That's true. After all, they've been wreaking havoc within the territory controlled by those guys from Yggdmillennia. Even if they're both on the [Black] side, they probably wouldn't tolerate it."

"So, if we (the Red Faction) can accept them, that would be a pleasant surprise."

"I don't think there should be any problem. After all, apart from those Magecraft, the rest of the people they killed seemed to be some kind of gangsters or gangsters who hung out on the streets."

After all, in Shishigou' view, as long as the Jack the Ripper hasn't started to go on a rampage and slaughter ordinary people, it means there's still room for communication.

"Since you think there's no problem, then sign the document."

After hearing Wang Xiaoming's words, Shishigou nodded. Unfortunately, he didn't have a pen or anything like that with him, so he had no choice but to use the dagger he carried to cut his finger and stamp his fingerprint on the document's signature area.

However, the moment Shishigou raised his hand, the "Geis" suddenly burst into flames. The pale blue flames quickly burned the scroll to ashes, but the ashes floating in mid-air did not fall. Instead, they split into three streams. Two of them wrapped around Wang Xiaoming and Shishigou's wrists, while the other stream drifted away into the night along the street.

"Don't worry, to prevent the [black] Assassin from cheating, the certificate was simply enhanced by Caster using magic."

As he spoke, Wang Xiaoming extended his wrist, displaying the same bluish-black "bracelet" to Shishigou.

"You should at least have reminded me first."

Upon seeing the same "bracelet" on Wang Xiaoming's wrist as his own, Shishigou could only offer a helpless expression.

"Just pretend I forgot."

As he spoke, Wang Xiaoming stretched:

"If there are no other questions, I'll be leaving with Lily now."

"Ah?"

Shishigou had originally planned to discuss the alliance's future plans with Wang Xiaoming, was taken aback upon hearing his words. However, seeing the weariness on his face, he had no choice but to abandon the idea.

--After all, it's not too late to discuss this tomorrow.

See you tomorrow then.

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

Holding Lily's hand, Wang Xiaoming, who had already walked quite a distance, raised his right hand and waved casually as a farewell.

Chapter 209. Dream (Bonus Chapter)

When Wang Xiaoming and Lily returned to the hotel, the hour hand of the clock had already crossed the zero mark, steadily moving towards its next "journey".

After bidding farewell to her Master and returning to her room, Lily lay in bed and quietly drifted off to sleep, only to discover that she had a dream—

Participants in the Holy Grail War typically dream. This is probably because there is a deep spiritual connection between Master and Servant, allowing them to glimpse each other's past through dreams.

This phenomenon has occurred frequently in the past Third Holy Grail War and the Subspecies Holy Grail War.

--That's why Lily wasn't too surprised when she found herself in an unfamiliar space instead of resting.

"So this is the Master... He's so young."

Looking at Wang Xiaoming, who appeared before her and whose features and demeanor were younger than she remembered but hadn't changed much, Lily suddenly had a mischievous thought—she stood on tiptoe and waved her right hand lightly in front of Wang Xiaoming.

Unsurprisingly, no reply was received.

"Well, it was in his dream after all."

Not discouraged by the lack of response, Lily began to observe her surroundings with great interest. After all, she was still quite curious about certain issues concerning her Master.

For example, why is he so good to me?

"... here we go."

The sudden sound startled Lily, and before Lily could react, her attention was drawn to another sound coming from the other side.

"What is that?"

Lily's eyes widened in surprise at what she was seeing.

Although the distance was quite far, Lily could still see... in front of an open area near a river, knights clad in armor and warriors wielding dual pistols were fiercely fighting each other amidst the flashing swords.

Although it was just a clash between cold weapons, the surging magic and the powerful air currents that followed, seemingly capable of destroying everything, made the battle scene no less impressive than those in a movie.

This was definitely not a battle that could exist in the real world, and the berserk magical power emanating from those two figures during the fight...

It must be Servant.

Could it be that my Master participated in the Holy Grail War?

Lily seemed thoughtful about this.

But what surprised her even more was what happened next. The two figures, who had been entangled in the fierce battle, suddenly separated for some reason, and the battlefield fell into a brief silence.

It was through this opportunity that Lily got a clear look at the faces of the two people who had just been fighting—1020037992.

The man wielding dual pistols possessed a bewitching appearance that could effortlessly capture a woman's attention. However, the beauty mark under his right eye, radiating an unusual magic, made Lily feel aversion towards him.

Turning her gaze to the petite knight standing opposite the man, Lily let out a gasp of disbelief.

"Huh?!!"

Short, golden hair with that stubborn tuft of hair sticking up on top, and those emerald eyes... Is that Mordred?

No, it's not --

Lily instinctively dismissed her own guess.

In her observation, apart from her appearance, this petite swordsman's calm demeanor and fierce aura were nothing like the carefree Mordred in her mind.

"Seriously, such a thing exists?"

Lily couldn't help but become curious about the swordsman's identity, but as if to dispel her doubts, Wang Xiaoming's voice entered Lily's ears:

"Saber's true identity is King Arthur."

King Arthur?

Rumor has it that Mordred was King Arthur's illegitimate son, so it's understandable that they might resemble each other.

But... it looks way too alike.

But speaking of which... Lily suddenly realized something...

Was Master just answering his own question?

The thought sent shivers down Lily's spine. She quickly turned to look in Wang Xiaoming's direction, only to find that Wang Xiaoming gaze was still fixed on the distant battlefield.

It must be an illusion...

Lily subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, but her gaze quickly locked onto the hooded purple figure next to Wang Xiaoming.

Judging from her appearance, she must be the Master that the Servant summoned during the last Holy Grail War. Lily was able to determine her identity Servant simply from the aura of her magical energy.

But who did the Master summon?

A surge of irrepressible curiosity suddenly welled up within Lily at this question. And, in some inexplicable way, Lily sensed that there seemed to be some kind of connection between herself and this Servant.

Is it someone I know?

With this question in mind, Lily quietly approached the purple figure, wanting to see what she looked like hidden under the hood, but unexpectedly—

Lily found that it was as if there was a frosted glass in front of her eyes; no matter what angle she looked from, all she could see was a blur.

"How so?"

Lily turned her gaze elsewhere, and her vision remained clear, no different from before. When she turned back, she still saw frosted glass.

After repeating this process many times, Lily finally suppressed her curiosity and reached out to pull back the hood of the person opposite her.

But when she came to her senses, she found herself lying on the bed with her arms outstretched.

Hey, I woke up by myself?

The moonlight streaming through the window into the room seemed to indicate that Lily's restless sleep hadn't lasted long.

Sitting up in bed, Lily recalled the scene she had just dreamt of—undoubtedly, it was her Master's past. And the exceptionally vivid scene at least indicated that Wang Xiaoming had a deep impression of this memory.

But why can't I see the Servant's face?

A big question mark appeared in Lily's mind.

And in the instant she reached out her hand, Lily was certain that the face hidden by the hood looked up and gave her a cryptic smile.

You shouldn't have done that.

This is Lily's interpretation of what the other person wanted to express.

Although she didn't know why, Lily was more concerned about the connection between herself and that purple figure...

Since you're unwilling to reveal your true colors, then let me find the answer myself!

With this thought in mind, Lily closed her eyes again, hoping to return to that scene once more.

However, Lily got through the night unharmed.

However, although the "serial murder case" in Sighisoara ended with a rather anticlimactic conclusion, the repercussions it caused were far more profound than the parties involved had imagined...