"Don't look at me!" Kriemhild hid behind Sanzang with a look of resistance, then peeked at Siegfried. "Lord Siegfried..."
She was as arrogant as could be behind his back, but as timid as could be after actually meeting him.
This is what they call deep hatred born of deep love.
Siegfried was not a man of many words, while Kriemhild was good at putting up a front in front of others.
Therefore, these two people now had a feeling of having nothing to say to each other.
Compared to the two, Darnic was actually secretly happy deep down.
First, the Red Faction sent Lancer to attack Ruler's party, and added to that, Kriemhild, the wife who sought revenge for Siegfried, was in the Ruler Faction. Wouldn't that make the Black Faction more popular?
Ownership of the greater grail and such could definitely be discussed again, right?
He didn't know that the self-exposure of Hagen, which was not described in the "Nibelungenlied," had already played out in Kriemhild.
Darnic suddenly seemed to remember something, turned his head to stare fixedly at Gordes, and communicated with him through a private channel.
Because this fat man was an idiot, and an oblivious one at that, he had to break it down and explain it clearly to him. Otherwise, if this guy came up with his own interpretation again and had Siegfried attack Kriemhild... the result might be that their favorability with the Ruler Faction would instantly drop to a level even worse than the Red Faction's.
Gordes had been secretly terrified after being warned.
Because he discovered that some of his rather smug little ideas had been seen through by Darnic.
But he was not worried about his own safety.
After all, Siegfried was still 'quite loyal' to him and would protect him before anyone could kill him.
Furthermore, he was the chief person in charge of the homunculus project; without him, the project on Caster's side might also go bankrupt.
So, although he was a bit afraid of Darnic at the moment, he still didn't intend to change himself.
However, the idea of killing Kriemhild simply vanished.
It wasn't that Darnic's warning had taken effect.
The main reason was that Siegfried couldn't beat Ruler.
"It's getting late. If you don't mind, please come into the castle to rest." Darnic suggested politely to Ruler.
"No need," Artoria refused without hesitation. "As for food, please just have the homunculus deliver it directly to the camper van. I've gotten used to eating inside."
"Furthermore, coming to this castle with you already violates my fairness as a Ruler to some extent. If I were to enter inside... Heh." Artoria said, turning around and returning to the camper van.
Darnic suddenly felt that this Ruler's self-imposed standards were a bit strange.
"Fiore, guide the homunculi to deliver the food into the Ruler's vehicle. I will leave this task to you and Archer."
Darnic looked left and right, and finally entrusted this task to Fiore, the one who gave him the least trouble.
She was the successor to the next generation of clan leaders that Darnic had decided upon.
It wasn't because her talent was so outstanding that it caught his eye—although her potential was indeed superior to his own—but the main reason was that she was pliable, and more importantly, she had a weakness: her younger brother, Caules, was there, making her easy to control.
"Yes, Uncle," Fiore replied respectfully.
"Tsk." Although Celenike Icecol Yggdmillennia was filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred toward this young woman who had already been designated as the next clan leader, she would not casually speak out against Darnic's orders.
All she could do was make a little noise to express her dissatisfaction.
"Ah, right, Saber, would you like to find a quiet place to have a heart-to-heart with our Berserker?" Daniel asked, turning his head to look at Siegfried before entering the camper van. "You two must have a lot you want to say to each other, right?"
"No! Although you are of the Ruler Faction, to avoid suspicion, it is better to avoid having your Servant have overly intimate private contact with my Servant!" Gordes's foolish side temporarily took over, and as Siegfried's master, he rejected Daniel's 'goodwill'.
Darnic's face darkened instantly; he wished he could use the staff in his hand to drill a hole in Gordes's head to see what exactly was inside it.
Kriemhild ignored Gordes and instead stared fixedly at Siegfried, waiting for his response.
But Siegfried... said nothing, simply walking silently back behind Gordes.
It wasn't that he was blindly loyal to his master; otherwise, he wouldn't have punched his own master later on to knock him out.
As for the reason, it was probably similar to his master forbidding him from revealing his true name—it was an order that did not violate his bottom line.
So he would comply.
Moreover, he actually didn't know how to face Kriemhild.
He had thought of Kriemhild at the final moment of his life.
But he believed that Kriemhild was a strong person, and surely, not long after his death, she would be able to stand up strong again and find another person who loved her, and whom she loved in return.
But what Siegfried didn't expect was that although Kriemhild did just that, the person she sought out was not someone she had joined with because of love.
Her goal was revenge, and the motivation that supported her in standing up was to take revenge on the enemy who killed her husband.
It was a revenge that she had endured for over twenty years for the sake of her former husband.
The result was... a tragic war occurred, and the reason she had willingly faced death was shattered.
And she died at the very moment the flames of revenge were about to be extinguished.
Siegfried had never hated the common sense infusion of the Holy Grail War more than at this moment.
"Ah, ahhhh—that's right! This is the hero, Lord Siegfried!" Kriemhild's voice sounded as if it were tearing apart.
Carrying a trace of resentment, Kriemhild strode back into the camper van.
Sanzang and Jeanne glared at Siegfried with eyes like knives, then chased after Kriemhild, whispering comfort to her.
"I have never seen a hero as gentle as you..."
I don't know if Jeanne will have another chance to say this to Siegfried.
But looking at her eyes now, hmm, I'm afraid she even has the urge to slash Siegfried.
If only she weren't a Ruler.
"Ah..." Although Gordes was a bit foolish at this moment, he could still tell that his refusal seemed to have deeply offended the several Servants of the Ruler Faction.
He didn't even dare to turn his head to meet Darnic's gaze now.
He was afraid of seeing those eyes that wished they could swallow him whole.
"Sir, who looks like the clan leader, if you don't mind, could I trouble you to help gather some supplies that we are in urgent need of?" Daniel took a deep breath, then turned to ask Darnic.
"Mm, of course, no problem." Darnic tried his best to maintain his smile. "May I ask, what kind of supplies?"
"High-quality gasoline, and electricity." Daniel scratched his head and replied. "It consumes quite a lot of energy along the way."
After all, Aura had only just learned to drive, and to ensure the safety of the companions inside the vehicle, she drove quite slowly.
Otherwise, when braking sharply, Daniel and the others wouldn't appear to be unaffected.
"I understand. I will have people prepare it immediately." Darnic showed his friendly side to Daniel. "By the way, Mr. Li Lin. My name is Darnic, Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia. If you don't mind, you can just call me Darnic-san."
"...Ah, I've got it, Darnic-san." Daniel revealed a brilliant smile.
The moment the camper van door closed, Kriemhild finally couldn't help but burst into tears.
Hmm, fortunately, the materials of the vehicle were soundproof, so the crying did not spread outside.
"Oh my—it seems like there's trouble now." Aura sat on the sofa to the side, crossing her legs and shaking her head helplessly.
What could Daniel say?
He could only shrug his shoulders.
"Shalltear, use your kin to sneak underground and search." Daniel looked at Shalltear and said, "If all goes well, the greater grail should be left under this castle."
"Yes." Shalltear lifted her skirt slightly, and the black shadow immediately scattered downwards.
Then the group sat there watching Sanzang and Jeanne comfort the incessantly crying Kriemhild.
It's a pity this girl doesn't have the Avenger class, otherwise, everyone would have already started a massacre by now.
When the homunculus knocked and entered with a sumptuous meal, Kriemhild had already controlled her emotions.
And she decided to turn her resentment into motivation.
In layman's terms, she decided to binge eat.
"The cuisine of modern society is truly delicious!" Kriemhild said with red-rimmed eyes, sighing. "I had never eaten such delicious food in my life."
"Hmm, it's hard for me to disagree." Although Jeanne was stuffing food into her mouth quite quickly, her movements were very elegant.
"The main reason is the spices." Artoria had lived in the Shinomiya Family for a while, after all, and had some understanding of the essence of modern cuisine. "Of course, there are also differences in cooking techniques."
"Such as stir-frying and the like."
These Servants, during their lifetimes, were either from a distant millennium ago when food processing methods were quite crude, or they had suffered too much and were burned at the stake as witches before they could enjoy any happiness.
Only Sanzang was staring at Fiore with a resentful look on her face.
The reason was simple: none of the food brought up was vegetarian!
It was all meat!
As a monk, she had no way to eat this at all!
Even if Daniel repeatedly emphasized that she, Sanzang, was from a Japanese mobile game, it didn't matter.
Japanese monks eat meat, sing rock and roll, and even get married and have children, but she, Sanzang, strictly refused!
Did he really think she didn't understand that this was Daniel gradually corrupting her soul, making her obediently accept a future of practicing Joyous Zen with him to bear children!
If she didn't even have this perseverance, how could she have gone to fetch the Western Scriptures in the first place!
"Just bring me a few bowls of rice steamed with clean water. Of course, if you could add some salted beans as a side dish, that would be even better. In short, please do not put any meat in it!" Sanzang took the initiative to order from Fiore.
"Eh? Ah, yes! I understand." Fiore grabbed the handles of her wheelchair, looking somewhat troubled.
She had thought this Caster was just doing cosplay.
After all, where would a woman call herself a monk?
Not to mention that her hair was black, long, and so thick.
But the other party's tone and expression, which didn't seem like a joke, made her feel somewhat unsure.
She knew very well what Uncle's purpose was in having her lead the homunculi to deliver the food.
It was to extract information related to the true names of Caster and Lancer.
As for why King Arthur was female, and even named Artoria... Heh.
Didn't she see that even Frankenstein, the mad scientist's monster, was a cute girl?
Darnic indicated that once there was one exception, this kind of situation became easier for him to accept.
Homunculi have their limits.
If they don't rest for a long time, these homunculi, whose lifespans are originally only two or three months, will meet the end of their lives ahead of schedule.
So... "Lady Fiore, the homunculi in the kitchen have all died. Should we dispatch new homunculi to take over the kitchen duties?" A male homunculus came to Fiore's side and asked in a low voice.
"Gulp!" Fiore swallowed a mouthful of saliva in astonishment, then nodded. "Pass down the order, increase manpower, and ensure that all homunculi can work in shifts. Please try to reduce the number of homunculi whose lifespans end."
There really are cases where chefs are worked to death because the guests' appetites are too big!
"master, I suddenly remembered a question." Shalltear suddenly looked up at Daniel. "Although you have been talking about finding the greater grail, you seem to have never told me what the greater grail looks like, right?"
Daniel's eating motion stopped instantly.
Huh? This, I haven't mentioned it?
It seems I really haven't!
Daniel couldn't help but cough a few times.
Then he began to describe the shape of the greater grail to Shalltear.
A ball with a cracked shell, with a golden female statue inside.
Hmm, that should be its appearance.
"Ara, if that's the case... master, my cute kin seem to have already discovered the location of the greater grail." Shalltear said with a smile.
"...Very good!" Daniel instantly perked up. "Then the next step is to wait for the Servant battle between the Black and Red Factions, and then wait for them to exit the stage so we can continue charging the greater grail."
"Shalltear, Aura, you two hide yourselves and be ready to seize the greater grail at any time."
"Understood!" Aura saluted Daniel, while Shalltear lifted her skirt and curtsied slightly.
"master, would you allow me to kill Lord Siegfried with my own hands?" Kriemhild suddenly asked.
I suspect you want Siegfried to live until the series finale.
Daniel looked at Kriemhild speechlessly.
Don't you have any idea of your own strength?
Want to kill Siegfried? Get a couple of Holy Grails to charge yourself up first.
"I'll have Sanzang help you then." Daniel looked at Kriemhild and said. "Hmm, the prerequisite is that you must be able to summon the courage to face Siegfried, and don't be like you were just now, not even daring to look at his face."
One needs to eat three meals a day.
Occasionally, one might need to add afternoon tea and a midnight snack.
"Uncle, what should we do?" Fiore asked, looking somewhat troubled at Darnic, who was standing to the side. "The Ruler side shows no sign of stopping their eating, and outside, the Red Faction's Berserker is running straight towards our Yggdmillennia castle."
"It's nothing." Darnic replied with a smile. "Continue to dispatch homunculi to be responsible for the Ruler Faction's food issues."
"As for that Berserker, leave it to the other Heroic Spirits to resolve."
"Yes, I understand, Uncle." Fiore nodded, then slowly left in her wheelchair under Chiron's care.
Leaving Darnic standing there alone.
Not long after, a stone golem with the appearance of a bird flapped its wings and landed slowly on his shoulder.
Darnic nodded as if listening to something.
"Is that so? It's best if they don't have any unusual movements. However, there is absolutely no way to find a method to enter the interior of that camper van... It seems we cannot underestimate that guy named Li Lin."
"Perhaps that guy's goal is also the greater grail."
Darnic was quite suspicious.
He might not have doubted Artoria's identity as a Ruler, but he was quite suspicious of Li Lin's (Daniel's) true purpose.
After all, who could possibly resist the temptation of the greater grail?
For a Magus, it is the fastest shortcut to the Root.
It is just a pity that the Ruler's strength is extraordinarily overwhelming.
Otherwise, he could have easily set traps in his stronghold and combined the power of all his Servants to kill her there.
After all, the Red Faction had already done exactly that.
However, he hadn't expected that besides the Ruler possessing power beyond the other Servants, three additional Servants had also arrived to assist her.
"This Holy Grail War is truly riddled with suspicious elements everywhere," Darnic muttered uneasily.
But he didn't have much time left.
He had staked everything on victory in this Holy Grail War.
Gordes was currently sulking and drinking alone in his room.
"Saber!"
At his shout, Siegfried's figure appeared beside him.
"Assuming you avoid the gaze of the Ruler and her companions, with your abilities, are you confident you can kill Kriemhild?"
Gordes had started off by ordering him to kill his own wife.
Siegfried's pupils shook in shock.
"It is impossible," Siegfried replied with his head bowed. "The Ruler possesses a level of control over the locations of all Servants in the Holy Grail War that we cannot hope to match; it is simply impossible to avoid her gaze."
"Once I approach Kriemhild with killing intent, I would likely be cut down by the Ruler before I could even touch her."
"Useless!" Gordes slammed the wine glass in his hand against Siegfried's body.
"You're just a mere familiar! Just a mere familiar!" Gordes was so angry he began to stomp around.
"Gordes..." Darnic's icy voice caused Gordes to calm down instantly.
"D-Darnic-sama!" Gordes turned his head in fear to look at Darnic, who was standing beside Siegfried, and cautiously took a few steps back.
"Gordes, if I hear you make such remarks again, you know what the consequences will be, don't you?" Darnic warned, staring at Gordes with cold eyes. "And another thing, you must learn to respect Saber and those in the Ruler Faction."
He didn't expect him to be as respectful as he was to Vlad III, but even if Gordes could treat Servants like Siegfried with equality, Darnic felt he could breathe a lot easier.
If Gordes kept acting like this, Darnic was genuinely worried that one day he would suddenly doom the entire Yggdmillennia Clan.
"Y-yes! I understand!" The fat on Gordes's body trembled.
There was also a look of unwillingness on his face.
If it weren't for the fact that this fat pig was in charge of the homunculus modulation and controlled the Saber Siegfried, Darnic would have wanted to dispose of him right then and there.
And Siegfried... he seemed like a good boy who would listen to his master; if he asked him to report Gordes's movements at any time, he would likely be refused without hesitation.
It really was... impossible to feel at ease.
Otherwise, why would he only have Fiore as his choice for an heir!
It's just that the other Magi were too incompetent!
"Um, shouldn't we go and find the Red Faction Servants and try to find out the whereabouts of Amakusa Shirou Tokisada?" Inside the RV, Jeanne, who had eaten until she couldn't eat anymore, rubbed her round belly and asked Daniel.
"It's useless," Daniel replied, lying on the sofa with a calm and composed demeanor. "Among the Red Faction Servants, except for Mordred, the others are basically just pieces in Amakusa's hands. Can you really expect to use the pieces to find the hidden location of the chess player?"
"Wait patiently. Whenever that guy decides to meet with you, no matter where you are, he will take the initiative to find you."
"Besides, his target is currently beneath our feet; he will have to come eventually."
"Isn't it easier for us to rest here and wait for him to come to us than to run around aimlessly?"
"master, I think I have prepared myself mentally, and I am ready to see Siegfried at any time," Kriemhild suddenly leaned over and said.
"Hmm? Are you sure?" Daniel asked, sizing up Kriemhild.
"Of course!" Kriemhild nodded affirmatively. "However, I might not be able to resist fighting Siegfried first before we start talking. Please guarantee that I won't be cut down by him before we can communicate."
"Oh! Leave that to me!" Sanzang clenched her fists with a confident look. "I, Sanzang, am not weak either!"
"By the way, Jeanne, don't go out tonight; continue to stand by in the RV," Daniel turned his head to remind Jeanne.
"Eh? Why?" Jeanne asked, somewhat confused.
"I'm worried that you'll blatantly blow the whistle for the wrong side," Daniel replied, shrugging helplessly.
After all, Sieg-kun is a homunculus created by the Black Faction, with a heart provided by the Black Faction's Saber, and the core of his big treasure was targeted by the Black Faction's Caster, yet you blatantly blew the whistle for the wrong side and forcibly snatched away their private property.
And the reason was that the Black Faction's Saber hoped that Sieg could live, and therefore asked you for help...
And then you nearly got into a fight with Siegfried's former employer over it; yeah, it's quite a headache.
Jeanne felt insulted.
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