"Lord El-Melloi II… what was that?"
Ritsuka and the others were hiding in a remote, deserted area. Ritsuka panted lightly as she asked.
"I don't know."
El-Melloi's brow was tightly furrowed, his mind racing.
"The King of Heroes, Gilgamesh—there truly was such an existence in the Holy Grail War I experienced. A man utterly impossible to communicate with, and one of the targets we'd already marked for removal this time."
"Huh? But didn't that Servant just say she was—"
"But she's different."
El-Melloi cut her off before she could finish.
"She's completely different from Gilgamesh. The King of Heroes I knew was an idiot who blazed with meaningless radiance everywhere he went, constantly showing off for no reason—but she isn't like that."
"Ah…"
Somehow, Ritsuka felt like El-Melloi's evaluation of Gilgamesh was… weirdly emotional. Like he was talking about the enemy who'd killed his husband or something…
"Everything Gilgamesh did was for his own amusement. That person… may have some of that too, but it's mixed with a different goal."
Ignoring the subtle look on Ritsuka's face, El-Melloi continued his analysis.
"A goal?"
"No idea."
El-Melloi sighed.
Forget him—even if the real Zhuge Liang showed up, he probably couldn't deduce that "King of Heroes"' true purpose from what they had.
The information was far too thin. She'd just appeared in front of them out of nowhere.
What bothered El-Melloi even more was that the instant she heard the word "Singularity," she brought up the Holy Grail. It really did seem her background wasn't so simple.
"Then what do you plan to do next, Mr. El-Melloi?"
At Mash's question, El-Melloi let out yet another sigh—he'd lost count by now.
Originally, he'd intended to forcefully intervene in Lancer's battle and defuse the first chaotic clash. But now he couldn't.
Never mind whether they could even make it in time—even if they did, there was a chance they'd be sniped by that King of Heroes, who had already fixed her sights on them.
Given the original King of Heroes' personality, as long as you didn't push him to extremes, or pique his interest too much, or fall into a "cat-and-mouse" game that entertained him, he generally wouldn't demean himself by personally hunting enemies down. But with this unknown King of Heroes, they couldn't take that risk.
"We need to establish a completely secure base first."
That was El-Melloi's conclusion.
Right now, the biggest headache was probably Assassin—watching the entire city like a shadow.
"Originally, because of combat power, Assassin's individual units were so weak they weren't a threat. The real issue is that Assassin's Master, Kotomine Kirei, and the King of Heroes—Archer's Master, Tohsaka Tokiomi—are secret allies. The original Archer might have disdained doing such a thing, but this Archer is not the one I know. We can't rule out the possibility that she'll have Assassin locate us, then personally come hunting. With Assassin's eyes spread throughout the city, even constantly changing locations won't be enough to shake them. In any case… first, we find somewhere to lay low that absolutely can't be discovered."
As for where to hide, the options weren't few.
Those potential allies would make excellent cover.
If El-Melloi's guess was right—if this different King of Heroes possessed Gilgamesh's level of strength—then once they witnessed her power, they likely wouldn't mind gaining extra firepower… and if this King of Heroes was actually inferior to Gilgamesh, then things would only get easier.
After weighing it carefully, El-Melloi decided to move into the shadows for now, operating in secrecy.
But first, there was still information they needed to secure—and a connection to Chaldea's supplies…
...
"Oho! Both Saber and Lancer are splendid warriors! It makes me want to bring them both under my banner!"
At Fuyuki's harbor, spear and sword flashed as two figures clashed. And atop the highest point of Fuyuki Bridge, at a distance, a broad, red-haired man in a red cloak slapped his thigh in delight while drinking cheap red wine.
"Quit daydreaming! More importantly, when are we getting down from here?!"
Beside him, a boy with the look of someone perpetually put upon clung to the bridge framework, shouting through tears.
"That won't do, boy. How can my Master be this timid? Didn't you see that young lady over there? She's perfectly calm."
"What are you talking about?! How could there possibly be any—"
The boy muttered through tears, then reflexively turned his head.
"Wah—!"
A girl in modern clothes was standing right behind him, smiling faintly as she looked at him.
The boy yelped, scrambling hand-over-hand back to the man's side, pressing his back against him. Then he thrust out a trembling finger at the girl.
"Y-you… who the hell are you?!"
"I told you to calm down, boy. The young lady hasn't done anything yet."
Rider, Iskandar, sighed, then turned his gaze to Ophis.
"Now then—your outfit fits this era nicely, but you're a Servant, aren't you? What business do you have with me and my Master?"
"Huh? A Servant?"
The boy finally calmed down a little and focused on Ophis.
A Master had the ability to peek at other Servants' parameters, but it was quite limited—only the most basic values were visible. Everything else, including Class, couldn't be seen at all, and once a Servant had any concealment skill, that ability was useless.
"These stats… are kind of weak… Is she a Caster?"
For the record, he couldn't even see the Noble Phantasm's rank—so all the boy could make out were three huge E's, and Mana at A+++.
Mana was terrifying, sure—but generally speaking, a Caster couldn't fight Rider head-on. That would be throwing away their advantage completely.
After all, Rider did have some Magic Resistance, however slight.
Hearing his Master's muttering, Iskandar didn't respond.
He looked calm, but in truth, he was deeply surprised.
He was almost certain she hadn't come to fight him.
Not because of "killing intent" or some mystical sense of danger—simply because if she'd wanted him dead, he would already be dead.
In fact, when Iskandar finally noticed her, she'd been standing there for who knew how long already.
Presence Concealment on par with Assassin's—or better. With that kind of ability, parameters weren't all that important.
No matter how strong you were in a fight, it meant nothing if you were killed before the battle even began.
For Ophis, the fact they'd taken so long to notice her was only natural.
Ouroboros's phasing was an ability that severed her from the world. No matter how powerful your reconnaissance, how could you possibly detect something that, in the first place, didn't exist?
Even the lingering image that remained served only as an anchor—barely a coordinate in this world. It could only be confirmed visually, and with a little extra effort it could be hidden as well. Ophis simply hadn't bothered, because it was a hassle.
And now, she ignored Iskandar's question entirely, studying the timid boy with clear interest.
"You. What's your name?"
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T/N: shes like huh i swear i just saw someone who looked like an older version of you