In truth, from the moment they left the Einzbern forest, crossed Miyama-cho and the Fuyuki Bridge, until they finally returned to the hotel in Shinto, Ludwig and Saber had not encountered a single Servant or Master.
Even when they stood within sight of the Tohsaka manor, pointing at the mansion and chatting for a while, there had been no reaction whatsoever.
Part of this was likely because it was broad daylight, and the rest was probably due to the other factions being occupied with their own maneuvers.
The Church, acting as the overseer, had issued a bounty for the subjugation of Caster. Whichever faction defeated him would be rewarded with an extra Command Spell.
Command Spells were not only tools for restraining a Servant but also invaluable reserves of magical energy. An extra Command Spell meant an extra degree of certainty in securing victory.
"Ultimately, why didn't you just finish Caster off? With your level of magecraft, even a Caster-class Servant wouldn't pose much of a threat to you, right?"
Ludwig raised the back of his hand, presenting the Command Spells to Merlin.
Even though they were meant to be holding a strategy meeting, Merlin hadn't bothered to extricate herself from Ludwig's grasp and was still comfortably ensconced in his arms.
To Saber's eyes, Merlin—who was roughly her size—looked like a delicate, oversized doll compared to Ludwig, who was tall, slender, and stood nearly a meter and ninety centimeters.
"In theory, yes." Merlin gently traced the Command Spells on Ludwig's hand. "But don't forget the condition of the Church's bounty: it's aimed at whichever faction defeats Caster. I am neither a Servant nor a Master. Even if I wiped Caster out, I wouldn't receive a Command Spell as a reward."
Saber suddenly understood. So that was why Merlin, despite having ample strength to do so, had merely driven Caster off instead of eliminating him entirely.
"Fair point," Ludwig said, lowering his hand. "Enough complaining, then. Let's discuss our next steps. Saber, what are your thoughts on which faction we should target first?"
"Originally, I would have recommended defeating Lancer's faction first to dispel the unhealable wound left by his Noble Phantasm." Saber set down her teacup, then peeled off her left black glove, revealing a fair hand and a slender, delicate wrist. "But now, that is no longer a concern."
Lancer—Diarmuid's Noble Phantasm, Gáe Buidhe, carried a curse that inflicted an unhealable wound upon striking its target.
During the battle at the harbor warehouse, Artoria's own carelessness had allowed Diarmuid to pierce her with the short spear, leaving her with an injury that could not be mended.
Originally, Kiritsugu Emiya had planned to assassinate Lancer's Master, Kayneth, from the shadows, indirectly forcing Lancer's withdrawal and thereby breaking the Noble Phantasm's curse.
However, Ludwig's interference had ruined that plan completely.
But... that was only true until dawn broke.
"Your wound healed? Was Lancer taken out by another faction first?" Ludwig stared at the Knight King's flawless, jade-like wrist for a moment before realizing there was absolutely nothing there.
Artoria hadn't bared her wrist just for him to admire it, either.
"Ah, I see. As a Servant, the scabbard that was originally lost was returned to you for another reason, wasn't it?" Merlin deduced the answer almost instantly. "I assume the relic the Einzberns used to summon you was that very scabbard?"
"Yes," Saber said, lowering her hand without immediately putting the glove back on.
Irisviel had felt that keeping the scabbard served no practical purpose for her, so she chose to return it to Saber, offering her blessing for victory in the Holy Grail War.
The moment the scabbard was retrieved, the EX-rank bounded field Noble Phantasm invoked its highest-order conceptual defense, completely overwriting the curse of the B-rank Noble Phantasm.
"In other words, Saber now has more than one Noble Phantasm? That's great news." As Ludwig spoke to Artoria, his hand was busy aggressively ruffling Merlin's hair. "With that sorted, we can put Lancer's faction on the back burner for now."
When he said that, Artoria immediately understood how Ludwig intended to proceed with this Holy Grail War.
"Master, do you intend to target Archer's faction first?" Artoria asked to confirm.
Honestly, ever since Gilgamesh had revealed his True Name, Artoria was acutely aware of just how formidable a Servant he was.
Unfortunately for her, her new Master was more formidable than any other Master. She wasn't even certain she could defeat Ludwig in a one-on-one fight to the death.
Even with the scabbard's divine protection, it merely lowered the chances of a grievous wound dragging down her combat performance.
"Right now, whether it's based on the logic of the Holy Grail War or purely personal sentiment, Gilgamesh needs to be eliminated as soon as possible," Ludwig said, his expression turning cold. "Every extra day that golden-armored bastard stays manifested is another day I can't get a good night's sleep."
Of course, "not sleeping well" was purely figurative.
He had slept exceptionally well the night before, without a single dream. He actually half-suspected that Merlin had eaten his dreams.
After all, a succubus was still a dream incubus at heart.
"A long night brings many dreams. I understand your feelings, Master," Artoria nodded in agreement. "Then let us begin our assault on Archer's faction at the Tohsaka manor tonight."
She was actually feeling quite confident now.
On one hand, her Master's aptitude was outstanding; it hadn't hindered her performance in the slightest, and one could even say it had elevated her current condition.
On the other hand, there was the Master's own combat ability, which could match or even surpass that of a Servant.
"Of course we're going, but it won't be just the two of us," Ludwig nodded, but then uttered something that puzzled Artoria.
Merlin immediately chimed in. "I won't be lifting a finger, you know. Gilgamesh is after Lutz right now, not me."
"You have a lot of nerve saying that." Ludwig began pinching and pulling at Merlin's cheeks until she started crying out in pain. "I never expected you to lift a finger anyway. As long as you maintain this bounded field—which, aside from making us inconspicuous, is completely useless—I'll be thanking my lucky stars."
"So, Master... have you formed an alliance with another Master?" Saber began guessing who their potential ally might be.
Lancer's faction? Or Rider's?
"Calling it an alliance is a bit of a stretch. It's more like a transaction," Ludwig shrugged. "Later on, we're going to pay a visit to Berserker's Master."
"Berserker?" Saber was taken aback.
"I know what you're worried about, so it's best we take this opportunity to clarify the situation." Ludwig scooped Merlin up like a cat, deposited her on the adjacent seat, and then stood up. "Before that, I need to get some sleep. After running around all night, I'm overdue for some rest."
"You don't actually need to sleep, do you?" Merlin giggled slyly.
"Saber needs to rest," Ludwig replied nonchalantly, deflecting the blame. "We can discuss the rest this afternoon."
With a nod to Artoria, he turned and headed into the adjoining bedroom.
Artoria glanced at Merlin, who was now lounging across the sofa, before picking up her teacup for another sip.
He was merely an outsider dragged into the Holy Grail War, yet he handled the situation with an extraordinary level of seasoned expertise.
Was this what it truly meant to be a natural-born combative species?
She mused silently to herself.
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