For some reason, being stared down so intently by Mydei sent an uneasy shiver down Diarmuid's spine.
"Tch... an uninvited guest. If not for you, Lancer would have already defeated Saber."
A low, sharp male voice reached the ears of everyone present.
It was Kayneth, observing remotely from his hidden workshop.
"What nonsense. Even by exploiting an information gap to land a blow, Lancer couldn't possibly defeat Saber so easily. As a top-tier Heroic Spirit in human history, no one of that caliber is defeated so simply," Mydei clicked his tongue and spoke dismissively.
At the same time, he was thinking.
In a way, he was also a Lancer.
Who says Nikador doesn't count as a spear?
"A contest of spears? Though I'm a Berserker, my weapon is also a spear, you know," Mydei suddenly grinned, a spark of anticipation in his eyes.
"Berserker?"
Instantly, everyone present wore expressions of shock.
Typically, a Berserker would be burdened with the curse of Madness Enhancement upon manifestation, so why did Mydei seem completely unaffected?
Saber and Irisviel, standing to the side, couldn't help but widen their eyes in disbelief.
Compared to the others, they had actually interacted with Mydei. In what way did a man like him resemble a Berserker?
"What? Why so surprised?" Mydei stroked his chin, looking puzzled at the stunned faces around him.
"A mere Madness Enhancement, how could it possibly affect my reason? If one's mind decays so easily, who would be left to hold back the Black Tide?"
Mydei clicked his tongue again and shook his head.
No point explaining… they wouldn't understand anyway.
"Hahahaha! Truly, this Grail War is far too interesting! Two valiant knights, and a Berserker unaffected by madness! Excellent, excellent!"
As they spoke, a roaring sound came from the sky above. Following it, a brawny man riding a chariot crackling with lightning descended from the heavens, landing firmly in the midst of the group.
On the chariot, a slender, frail-looking man was complaining in a rather 'timid' voice.
Then, the larger man threw his arms wide open, a bold, hearty smile on his face.
"A truce between the three parties! None shall misbehave before the King's presence! I am Iskandar, the King of Conquerors, summoned in this Holy Grail War under the Rider class."
For a moment, everyone was struck with astonishment, then proceeded to look at him as if he were a fool.
In the Holy Grail War, Servants, who were great heroes in life, were never supposed to reveal their True Names.
Their Noble Phantasms were essentially manifestations of their legendary feats.
For instance, if Saber's identity as King Arthur were known, her Noble Phantasm, Excalibur, would be easily deduced.
The same went for Diarmuid, summoned as Lancer. He certainly wouldn't be wielding the strongest sword he possessed in life.
Imagine if Diarmuid had revealed his True Name from the start—Saber would have immediately known the abilities of his Noble Phantasms.
Then, he could never have used Gáe Dearg and Gáe Buidhe to trick her. Among the seven standard classes, Saber was generally considered the strongest in overall combat prowess, especially when the Servant summoned was a legendary hero like King Arthur.
Diarmuid was strong, but defeating Saber in a straightforward fight would still be quite difficult.
Then again, the Holy Grail War wasn't just about raw stats… unless one's stats completely outclassed everyone else's.
Someone like Mydei, for example.
"Idiot, idiot, idiot! You absolute fool! How could you reveal your name at a time like this?!" The slender boy, Waver, scolded Iskandar in his feeble voice.
However, his words held no power to harm the King of Conquerors.
Well, mainly because the kid was just too scrawny; his scolding really sounded like whining.
Not only the people present, but even the Masters observing the battle from afar couldn't help but facepalm upon seeing Iskandar's actions.
Well, what could you expect from Heroic Spirits? They were a willful bunch.
But just then, the voice of Diarmuid's Master, Kayneth, rang out again.
"I was wondering what madness possessed you to steal my catalyst. To think you intended to participate in the Holy Grail War yourself, Waver Velvet."
As he spoke, Kayneth's voice grew darker.
"For you, I shall provide an extra lesson. The meaning of magi killing one another—the terror and the pain—I shall impart it to you thoroughly. You should feel honored."
Hearing Kayneth's heavily intimidating words, Waver couldn't help but tremble in fear. But just then, the King of Conquerors' large hand came down on his shoulder, giving him a powerful sense of security.
"Hey, magus. From the sound of it, you were supposed to be my Master instead of this boy? How laughable. The man who becomes my Master must be a warrior who charges across the battlefield with me! A coward who lacks even the courage to show himself is utterly unworthy."
Rider declared loudly, his tone full of mockery, then burst into hearty laughter.
Mydei could easily imagine the expression on Kayneth's face hidden in the shadows.
Well, well.
Mydei, who had been watching the drama unfold in silence, raised an eyebrow. It was supposed to be a scene of a teacher disciplining a rebellious student, but someone was being overly protective.
How amusing!
To be fair, Kayneth wasn't a bad mentor. When he first watched the anime, Mydei found Kayneth quite detestable.
But later, understanding more, he realized that Waver, in his youth, had delivered that outrageous lecture at the Clock Tower.
If Kayneth hadn't rejected it, and if the old fossils of the Clock Tower had seen that thesis, their methods would have been far less gentle than Kayneth's.
After all, in this world, while there were many magi who acted 'human', truly humane ones were quite rare.
Then again, compatibility between Master and Servant was also crucial. It wasn't always about both sides being powerful to achieve victory.
Take Iskandar and Kayneth, for example. Individually, they were both strong, but paired together, they would never have achieved final victory.
Kayneth, as a magus, held too little reverence for these ancient heroes, and Iskandar's personality was too domineering. If they had been partners, they'd probably have started infighting before the real battles even began.
Still, Kayneth certainly knew how to bide his time. During Servant battles, Masters were prime targets. Even after being humiliated like that by Rider, Kayneth showed no intention of revealing himself.
"Getting rather interesting, isn't it? How long do you plan to keep watching, you pompous king standing guard on that streetlamp?"
After Iskandar finished his taunts, Mydei turned his gaze towards the figure atop a nearby lamp post.
As Mydei's words faded, golden motes of light coalesced on the lamp post. Then, a figure clad in golden armor, standing proudly atop it, gradually materialized.
"Mongrel. I could overlook your insolence from yesterday. However, who permitted you to give me a nickname? And don't act as if you know me. I have no recollection of you."
As he spoke, Gilgamesh snorted coldly. Behind him, golden ripples shimmered into existence, launching several Noble Phantasms directly at Mydei.
This scene made everyone else stare wide-eyed.
"This... such extravagance! Firing Noble Phantasms as if they were mere arrows..." Diarmuid couldn't help but murmur in awe.
In comparison, having only two spears after being summoned felt rather shabby.
Wait, aren't you an Archer? Why do you have so many Noble Phantasms?
Iskandar, meanwhile, looked on with an expression of 'Oooh!', clearly thinking 'I want that, I'm going to take it.'
As for Saber, her face was grave, already considering how she would defend herself if targeted by such an attack.
"Hey, hey, hey. Is this how you treat an old friend when we finally meet?"
Seeing this, Mydei manifested a crimson crystal in his hand and casually swatted away the few Noble Phantasms Gilgamesh had launched.
"He swatted them away so easily? What monstrous strength!" The King of Conquerors exclaimed in admiration.
But for every joy, there's a sorrow.
Originally, Mydei deflecting those Noble Phantasms should have been the end of it. But as luck would have it, one of the projectiles veered straight towards Diarmuid's backside.
Startled, Diarmuid hurriedly swung his spear to block it.
The tremendous force sent him stumbling back two steps before he managed to steady himself.
Then, Mydei saw Diarmuid shooting a deeply resentful look his way...
"Would you believe me if I said it wasn't on purpose? Blame your abysmally low Luck stat." Mydei's face showed not a trace of guilt; instead, he spoke as if stating an obvious fact.
The sheer audacity nearly made Diarmuid laugh in frustration.
"Don't give me that look. My Luck is A++," Mydei said, seeing Diarmuid's expression, and quickly raised a hand as if to say 'Stay back, you jinx, don't infect me.'
Enraged, Diarmuid almost lost control on the spot.
But considering he had just finished a fierce battle with Saber, and lacking any command from his Master, Diarmuid managed to restrain himself.
He did, however, secretly vow to himself that after his duel with Saber concluded, he would use his spears to turn Mydei into a pincushion.
"Valiant warrior! Good, good, good, good, good!"
Iskandar watched Mydei's display, his string of 'goods' growing longer, admiration overflowing from his eyes.
Such a warrior absolutely should join my ranks!
The King of Conquerors thought to himself. Then, laughing heartily, he boldly stepped between Mydei and Gilgamesh.
"Mongrel, do you wish to die first?" Gilgamesh looked disdainfully at Iskandar, his brow furrowed.
However, Iskandar ignored Gilgamesh and instead addressed Mydei. "You are a mighty warrior! Would you be interested in joining my army?"
Iskandar looked at Mydei with eager anticipation.
"?"
Mydei tilted his head, baffled by the man's thought process.
"You fool! There's no way he'd agree! Don't ask such dangerous questions in a place like this!" Waver on the side was nearly hysterical, completely unable to control Iskandar.
"Don't be fooled by my appearance, but I've been a king myself for a time. Something like that is impossible, don't you think?"
Knowing the other's temperament, Mydei wasn't angry, just exasperated.
"A king? I see. To think this Grail War has summoned so many kings... truly astonishing."
"Mongrel, who exactly are you?"
At this point, the golden king, Gilgamesh, frowned and stared intently at Mydei.
He was genuinely perplexed. He found no trace of Mydei in his memories. Moreover, in his era, he was the only king. Yet this Mydei claimed to know him?
"Who am I?"
Mydei looked at Gilgamesh, whose face was full of confusion, then broke into a bright, cheerful grin.
"I'm not telling. Haha, bet that annoys you."
"Mongrel! I'll kill you!"
Instantly, Gilgamesh flew into a rage. He immediately raised his arm, and countless golden portals of the Gate of Babylon materialized behind him.
It might not be the same Berserker, but the degree to which he infuriated Gilgamesh was identical.
Right now, Gilgamesh looked at Mydei with pure, unadulterated hatred. As a proud king, being toyed with like this by Mydei was something he could not let slide.
"Tch, just a joke, no need to get so angry. And you call yourself a king? Such a petty disposition."
Seeing Gilgamesh on the verge of unleashing his full power, Mydei clicked his tongue and decided to quit while he was ahead.
If this continued, Gilgamesh would truly blow a gasket.
He didn't want to get into a serious fight with him right now. Moreover, if Gilgamesh were truly enraged, Tokiomi would surely use a Command Seal to recall him.
Given Gilgamesh's contrary nature, that would inevitably lead him to scheme with Kirei about betrayal.
Since Tokiomi was Sakura's biological father, and after confirming yesterday that the man genuinely bore no ill will towards Sakura, Mydei wasn't quite as angry with him anymore.
"To be precise, the 'you' of now doesn't know me. I am a traveler of worlds. During my journeys, I once stayed in Uruk. That's when I came to know you. If you retain any memories after returning to the Throne of Heroes, you should remember."
Mydei stated matter-of-factly.
"Uruk? That's an era incredibly close to the Age of Gods! How could you possibly have been there? Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Waver exclaimed in shock.
"Nothing is truly impossible. What you call impossible is merely a limitation of your own understanding. A frog at the bottom of a well, its view obscured by a single leaf."
Mydei clicked his tongue dismissively.
"So, are you satisfied with that answer?"
Mydei looked towards Gilgamesh, only to find the golden king staring intently at him.
"Oh? An acquaintance from my future? How intriguing. However, do not think this means I will let you off. At the climax of this war, I shall personally take your life."
Having said this, Gilgamesh swept his gaze around, finding the whole scene suddenly dull.
"Mongrels, you've been spared your lives for now."
With those words, his body gradually dissolved into pure mana and vanished into the night air.
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T/N: Mydei lowkey mad funny also bros mad rage baiting everyone
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.