Crimson dust swirled through the air, a hazy scarlet mist from which only Mydei's powerful, broad-shouldered silhouette emerged clearly.
"Hohoho… Now that was a formidable strike. Is this his Noble Phantasm? Truly fearsome…"
Iskandar, watching from the side, couldn't help but chuckle. A flicker of excitement shone in his eyes.
Even if he wasn't the ultimate victor of this Holy Grail War, it would all be worth it.
The sheer thrill of crossing blades with so many legendary heroes was satisfaction enough.
"Not entirely worthless, mongrel."
Gilgamesh, seated upon his divine vessel high above, let out a disdainful snort as he observed Mydei's display. For the King of Heroes, this grudging acknowledgment was the highest praise he could offer.
After all, this was Gilgamesh in his arrogant, 'golden' phase—a youth who knew no bounds nor superiors.
"A mighty warrior… If I should prevail in my coming duel with Saber… I shall challenge him without fail."
Diarmuid gazed at the scene, his expression stirring with fervor. To a warrior like him, the chance to test his mettle against the strong was a blessing in itself.
"Tch…"
In stark contrast to his Servant's thinly-veiled excitement, Kayneth's face was dark. He had initially dismissed this as some backcountry ritual, but the participants appearing thus far had far exceeded his expectations.
Gilgamesh, the Ancient King of Heroes.
Iskandar, the King of Conquerors.
Artoria Pendragon, the King of Knights.
Mydei, the King of Castrum Kremnos, or as some knew him, Mydeimos.
Compared to these figures, the Servant he himself had summoned, Lancer Diarmuid, though a capable warrior in his own right, seemed clearly outmatched.
To put it bluntly: while everyone else had pulled top-tier SSRs, he was stuck with an SR. How was he supposed to compete?
With Assassin and Caster already eliminated, Kayneth realized with a start that his own Servant was likely the weakest of the remaining lot.
Their stat sheets were each more monstrous than the last.
Especially that Mydei.
During the recent fight, as Mydei unleashed a portion of his power, the aura concealing his parameters had flickered and failed for a brief instant.
In that moment, every Master present had glimpsed the sheer, overwhelming luxury of his status screen.
Was such a stat line even possible for a human?
Never mind that he was a Berserker seemingly unaffected by Mad Enhancement—had this guy literally hacked the Holy Grail system?!
Despite his refined upbringing, Kayneth felt the urge to curse.
Just who the hell was this guy's Master, to summon a Servant of this caliber?
Might as well call the whole Grail War off right now and just hand the victory to Mydei.
For a moment, Kayneth's expression strained, twisting into something caught between despair and a stifled, hysterical laugh.
"A splendid blow, I must admit. Were it possible, I would wish you not to be my opponent."
Saber, accompanied by Irisviel, offered her praise as she approached Mydei.
"Hahaha! Magnificent! I can hardly wait to face you myself! But tonight's little drama has reached its end, so I shall take my leave! Hahaha!"
With that, Iskandar reached out, grabbed a protesting Waver by the collar, and ignoring the boy's shrill cries, carried him off into the night.
A lesser man might have seen Mydei, freshly expended from unleashing his Noble Phantasm, as vulnerable and seized the chance to strike. Fortunately, the Servants present all possessed their own pride; not one of them would stoop to such an underhanded tactic.
--+--
[Congratulations, Master. Successfully eliminated the murderous ghost, Ryuunosuke. Quest complete!]
[Congratulations, Master. Successfully eliminated Caster. Integral reward obtained.]
[Current Integral Balance: 460,132]
--+--
The System's announcements chimed in his mind, but Mydei paid them no heed, his attention turning instead to Saber.
"Had I not intervened, Lancer, given his nature, would likely have broken his own lance to allow you a clean strike. I suppose my actions were somewhat meddlesome."
Mydei gave a casual shrug.
Saber, however, shook her head in disapproval. "This injury is the result of his prowess, a wound honorably earned in fair combat. Do not speak so; it is an insult to my chivalry."
Her tone was stern and principled.
"Ah, I forgot. Your rather… rigid sense of honor wouldn't permit such considerations."
Mydei simply shrugged again.
"Rigid?!"
A visible vein throbbed on Artoria's forehead, a clear sign of her irritation.
"How rude! How can you call my Saber rigid?! She simply takes everything seriously! It's called being responsible, not rigid!"
Irisviel immediately protested in defense of her knight.
"Hah? What's the difference? Being serious and strict about everything just means you lack flexibility. Sounds like rigid to me."
Mydei retorted with a dismissive wave.
Even Aglaea, that demigod whose humanity was steadily being eroded by her divinity, knew when to bend.
"Enough. I need not battle someone in peak condition. It would contradict my knightly principles…"
Feeling an inexplicable surge of anger, Artoria considered drawing her sword, but after a moment's thought, she let it go.
"Ah, it's really no issue. Using my Noble Phantasm once was barely a warm-up for me, hardly any drain at all. If you wish to fight, I'm ready." Mydei, ever the blunt instrument, added fuel to the fire.
"Lord Mydei! With a personality like that, you'll never win a girl's affection!" Irisviel puffed out her cheeks, glaring at him in frustration.
"Oh? I don't particularly need their affection."
Mydei scratched the back of his head, sounding genuinely perplexed.
Faced with his utter imperviousness, the others could only sigh in collective exasperation.
Soon after, the group dispersed.
The cleanup of the area would be handled by others; it was not their concern.
Though the crimson mist still hanging in the air would take some time to clear, and one could only wonder what excuse the government would concoct this time.
After leaving the shoreline, Mydei didn't head home. Instead, following a lead, he sought out Kariya Matou.
"Ah, it's you!"
The first to notice him wasn't Kariya, but Rin Tohsaka. Spotting Mydei, she immediately stood up and offered a polite bow. "Thank you for your help. Had you not intervened, I might have been in real danger."
In the moment, she hadn't fully processed it, but now, hindsight sent a chill down her spine. Thankfully, Mydei had saved those children. Her best friend was among them.
Her impeccable upbringing dictated that her first action upon seeing her savior must be to express gratitude.
"It was a simple matter. Besides, you did well. Without you, it would have taken me much longer to locate him. So, you helped me in return."
Mydei wasn't wrong. Without Rin's efforts, finding the culprit would have been far more tedious.
One had to admit, for Rin to have tracked down Ryuunosuke in the original timeline was impressive, even with a dose of luck.
"The timing is about right now."
Mydei glanced at the hour. Most of the night had passed, and dawn was approaching.
"So, would you like to see your sister?" he asked, turning to Rin with a slight smile.
"Sakura? Really, I can?"
Rin's small face lit up with delight, her large eyes sparkling as she looked at him.
"Of course. But we'll need to wait a little longer. Sakura should be waking up around now."
"Mhm! I can wait here for Mother. She misses Sakura very much."
Mydei had no reason to refuse such a small request.
Before long, a frantic Aoi Tohsaka arrived by car. Having been in contact with Kariya, she'd come directly.
It had to be said, Aoi had aged gracefully. Though the mother of two, she retained her striking beauty and carried the unique charm of a mature woman.
Truth be told, if Mydei's Saint Graph had been someone like Cao Cao, he might have strode forward, taken Aoi's hand, and asked, "Might this humble warrior share a couch with my lady tonight?"
"Sir, thank you. If not for you, something terrible might have happened to Rin."
After hearing the story from her daughter, Aoi hurried over to thank Mydei.
Mydei didn't engage in lengthy conversation, simply instructing them to follow him back to his residence.
By now, after the night's chaos, the sky was beginning to lighten.
Sakura was already awake and washed. Noticing Mydei hadn't returned, she had dragged a small stool into the kitchen and was preparing breakfast.
Given her size, the meal was simple: sandwiches of bread, ham, a couple of lettuce leaves, and some salad dressing. But for a child, it was quite an accomplishment.
When the door opened, Sakura was about to greet Mydei, but she froze upon seeing Rin and Aoi behind him.
Seeing the scene, Mydei quietly moved into the living room, leaving the space for the mother and daughters. Kariya, not wanting to disrupt the reunion, followed him.
The two men munched on sandwiches and turned on the TV to pass the time.
The news, however, was already covering the previous night's events.
"Last night, due to the deterioration of undersea gas pipelines beneath Fuyuki City, a severe explosion occurred. Simultaneously, an explosion took place at a warehouse on the shore."
"The red mist currently drifting through the city is a result of crystallized pigment stored at that warehouse. Residents are advised to wear masks outdoors to prevent inhalation…"
So, the gas company was taking the blame again?
Mydei couldn't help but smirk at the report.
Despite the cover story, many were discussing the tremendous noises heard last night. As for the red mist over the sea, some particularly imaginative youths had already given the phenomenon a name: The Scarlet Mist Incident!
Pity there was no mist-shrouded mansion here, no time-stopping silver-haired head maid, nor a dignified yet endearingly timid vampire who liked to crouch and cover her head.
Come to think of it, the younger sister's ability to manipulate lines bore some resemblance to Shiki Ryougi's Mystic Eyes of Death Perception…
Aoi and Rin didn't stay long. It was, after all, the height of the Holy Grail War. Their trip into the city had been made without Tohsaka Tokiomi's knowledge.
If he found out what Rin had done last night, she'd surely be punished. Mother and daughter were both complicit in keeping the secret.
"You have to protect Sakura properly, okay? Otherwise… I'll really, really dislike you!"
Rin wanted to say something more threatening, but after much thought, the worst thing she could come up with was 'dislike.' Frankly, it sounded more like a childish plea than a true threat.
Aoi, meanwhile, bowed deeply to Mydei. "I entrust Sakura to your care. And thank you… for rescuing her…"
During their conversation, Aoi had learned of the horrors Sakura had endured. Now, powerless to change the past, she could only beg Mydei to keep her daughter safe.
"Don't worry. As long as I'm here, nothing will happen to her."
Reassured by his promise, Aoi and Rin drove away from Fuyuki City, their minds finally at ease. Kariya chose to accompany them, uneasy about the pair returning alone.
Mydei didn't know what to make of Kariya's decision. Compared to Tokiomi, the man was undoubtedly a loser in love, yet his actions made it hard to truly despise him.
It just went to show… sometimes deep affection isn't the same as pathetic devotion…
But this was destined to be an unrequited love.
Mydei could only watch, powerless to help. He could hardly just kill Tokiomi and expect Kariya to swoop in and take his place.
And given Aoi's character, things would likely end just as they had in the original story, wouldn't they?
After seeing her mother and sister, Mydei noticed a marked improvement in Sakura's mood.
--+--
Soon, evening arrived once more.
After putting Sakura to bed, Mydei set out alone for the Einzbern castle.
Truth be told, he had little interest in Iskandar's invitation. Debating the nature of kingship held no appeal for him. Had the System not offered a reward, he wouldn't have bothered coming.
So, upon arriving, Mydei kept it simple. He listened to the others debate the ideals of kingship while helping himself to Gilgamesh's wine, downing cup after cup.
Gulp, gulp, gulp.
Not bad. This was quality stuff.
But eventually, the unavoidable found him.
After a round of heated discussion and declarations, all eyes turned to him. Mydei blinked, slightly taken aback.
"You're asking me what a king should do? I wouldn't know. I was the one who ended my own dynasty."
???
For a moment, Gilgamesh, Artoria, and Iskandar were all speechless, identical question marks practically materializing above their heads.
Wait, hold on. What do you mean, 'ended your own dynasty'?
"Is what I said really so hard to understand?"
Tilting his head, Mydei observed their bewildered expressions.
"Berserker, when you say you ended your own dynasty… you mean that literally?" Artoria asked, seeming almost personally affronted by the concept.
"Yes. Literally."
Mydei took another swig of the excellent wine. Perhaps it was the fine quality, or maybe he'd drunk a bit too quickly, but he found himself unusually talkative.
"My homeland, Castrum Kremnos, was founded by followers of a deity. Over two millennia ago, people who worshipped the power of the Titan of Strife, Nikador, gathered at its foot and built the city-state."
"The people of Kremnos became the blade of the God of War, following the Titan's lead in conquest. But later, after I successfully defeated Nikador and looked back upon that history from the perspective of a 'god,' I finally saw the truth."
"It was an absurd, pitiful history. People swarmed to the battlefield like ants, greedy for slaughter, and were trampled underfoot like ants."
"The city-state, the faith, the so-called traditions that the people of Kremnos took such pride in—in Nikador's eyes, they were nothing but fragile ant nests. That pride was worthless."
"So, after inheriting the divine authority of Strife and much reflection, I laid down the title of King. In the year 2506 of the Glorious Calendar, it began. In the year 4931, it ended."
"I, Mydeimos, last King of Castrum Kremnos, Son of Gorgó, hereby declare: the Kremnoan Dynasty is officially concluded."
"So this is what you meant before? Being both a king and a god? The Titan of Strife… Hahaha! Sounds magnificent! A pity I never faced such a foe in my time. Castrum Kremnos… it must have been a powerful enemy, a worthy conquest!"
Upon hearing Mydei's tale, Iskandar burst into booming laughter.
"However, having observed all of human history, I have never encountered a dynasty named Kremnos. Mydei—no, Mydeimos. You… are not from this world, are you?"
A visitor from another world. While astounding, Gilgamesh, with his vast knowledge, was not overly shocked. The conclusion came to him naturally.
"You may consider me and my story as merely a fragment of an alternate history."
Mydei spoke softly, neither confirming nor denying Gilgamesh's assertion.
"I would very much like to see your world…" Artoria added, her voice tinged with longing.
"There's little worth seeing. It is a beautiful, yet tragic world. A place where all embark on a journey called 'Heroic Saga of Flame-Chase,' chasing a vague and elusive prophecy…"
Just as the others seemed ready to ask more, shadowy figures began to emerge around them.
Uninvited guests had arrived.
--+--
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.