When Danic and Fiona arrived at the King's Room, which was the site of the summoning ceremony, six masters had already gathered there.
The rest of the androids who were handling miscellaneous items were silently moving the necessary props.
The pattern of the magic circle has been carved. The gold and silver mixture made by dissolving the materials remains liquid due to the temperature-maintaining formula. This carefully drawn and complex magic circle is specially compiled to summon servants at once.
Before I knew it, the noise disappeared.
Seeing this scene, Danic moved to the side of the throne, opened his arms and declared:
"Next, place the catalysts you have collected on the altar."
The Masters nodded.
Danic then greeted Roger, who had already summoned his servants.
"Roche. It's surprising that you would run out of the workshop."
"That's because... You're lucky to see a Heroic Spirit summoned once in your lifetime. Since I could see it a second time, I ran away from the workshop."
Roger's tone was a bit arrogant and mature. He was obsessed with puppets and stayed in the workshop most of the time. He rarely interacted with people, so he seemed a little restrained when facing Danic. By the way, the puppets he made were not considered for the appearance and design, but were only focused on performance, which was slightly lacking in aesthetics.
Two months ago, he summoned Caster at almost the same time as Lancer, and together with him, he worked day and night in the workshop to produce Golems, the soldiers necessary to fight against the Magic Association.
"Where's Caster?"
"Teacher, he said he would be here soon. He is currently concentrating on designing a Noble Phantasm."
"I'd better apologize to Caster first, and you can experience the mysterious ceremony again here."
"I understand."
Roger shrank back. He respectfully called his Servant "Teacher". To him, the legend established by the caster was worthy of worship. The boy trusted the caster completely and was happy from the bottom of his heart to be able to help the caster in the workshop.
Soon, Caster materialized beside Roche. He wore a blue cape and a tight-fitting bodysuit, and a mask with no eyes or mouth. Roche greeted the teacher happily, and Caster nodded silently.
After confirming that the four summoners were in their designated positions, Danic bowed his head respectfully towards the empty throne.
"Then, Archduke, the ceremony will begin now."
"Um."
The light particles gathered on the throne and took the form of a man. He was the Servant that Danic, the head of the Yugdomirenian clan, prepared as his strongest trump card. He was originally a Berserker, but after changing his form, he became the "black" Berserker—Vlad III, who once ruled this land as a Grand Duke.
In Romania, his popularity is the highest, even comparable to Hercules in Greece and King Arthur in England.
Berserker cast a glance at Darnik, and then let out a majestic voice that resounded among the kings:
"Quickly, summon the heroic spirits who wish to be my brothers and sisters."
"Yes, sir."
Danic bowed respectfully and announced to the four people:
"Then let us begin. We are the proud magicians of the Thousand Worlds Tree. When this ritual ends, we will embark on a path of battle from which there is no turning back. Are you ready?"
The four Masters expressed their unwavering determination without words.
The atmosphere in the royal palace changed again. The masters were on edge, and at this moment, they could not even feel the pressure from the "King of Thorns" watching from behind.
The summoning of servants is indeed simpler than the usual complicated and strange rituals. However, the ultimate mystery of "summoning heroic spirits" is self-evident, and it is also a self-evident truth that if you make a mistake, you will die.
Rushing in without thinking was as foolish as banging on the stone bridge in fear. What was needed now was the ruthlessness and courage to point the gun at one's head and pull the trigger quickly.
"Silver iron, based on stone and the Duke of the Contract. The color of dedication is 'black'. The surging wind is blocked by four walls, closing the four doors, emerging from the crown, wandering at the three-way intersection leading to the kingdom."
Although there was no rehearsal, the chanting was done in unison without any error.
After each chant, the light of the magic circle grew faster and faster. The surging magic power ravaged the four people. But even Koles, who was at the bottom of the four, stood firm and continued to chant without hesitation.
"—declare!"
"You are my subordinate. I trust my fate to your sword."
"Follow the call of the Holy Grail. If it is in accordance with this will and the law of nature, you will answer immediately."
Chanting, and the flow of magic power within the magic circuit, summon the Heroic Spirit in the "Throne". Talk with the Supreme Being engraved in myths and legends.
"I swear here. I will be a good person in the world and eliminate all the evil in the world."
The pain of the magic circuit's frenzy and the fear of the circuit's rampage continued to torture them, but despite this, the four of them were reluctant to part with this moment. This ceremony had such a sense of exaltation. Even so, it had to be declared. In order to hold the highest level of mystery tightly in their own hands.
"The spirit of the words that entangle you, comes from the wheel of restraint, guardian of the Libra!"
As he declared, a strong wind blew, and the androids hurriedly hunched down. Roger covered his face with his hands. Lancer, Darnik, and Caster were bathed in the wind as if it were a cool breeze.
Then, "they" appeared on earth.
A dazzling light emanates from the intricately crafted magic circle.
In an instant, a miracle materialized. Heroes who took people's fantasies and made them flesh, reaching a realm between human and inhuman.
The storm subsided, and the blinding light gradually faded. Then, four figures appeared in the magic circle.
The first rider was a young man with dark blue curly hair. His body was wrapped in a dark cloak, and his handsome face was clearly confused, as if he had just woken up.
The other rider was a gorgeously dressed androgynous young man. He was the only one among the four who stared at the Servant who summoned him with a smile on his face.
There was another rider, a young man holding a bow and arrow, wearing a straw-colored cloak, kneeling on one knee, prostrating himself on the ground.
The last rider was a young man covered in shining armor with a large sword on his back. His silver-gray hair swayed in the breeze.
"Ohh..."
Someone sighed. Even Danic was attracted by the majestic appearance. Then, all the servants announced the first words in unison.
The tragic and brutal Holy Grail War in which seven knights fought each other - the words that opened the curtain of the war.
"We, the servants of Black, have come here in response to a summons. Our fate is with the Thousand Worlds Tree, and our swords are your swords."
Spectacular and magnificent, solemn and awe-inspiring, thousands of praises are not enough to describe this scene.
In the Holy Grail War, it was rare for more than two Servants to exist in the same space at the same time. Even if it was due to an alliance or a battle, there would be at most two or three Servants. And they were usually in a state of killing each other and always on guard against their opponents.
But here and now there are six knights who acknowledge a new type of war - the Holy Grail War, and promise to fight together.
"Oh, I've been summoned to the Holy Grail War, which has some really weird rules. But I don't mind at all. It seems like a lot of fun, and everyone looks so awesome. So how about introducing yourselves? Great, right? I'll start! I'm servant rider, and my real name is Astolfo. What about you?"
—And so it was that Astolfo spoke before anyone else.
The young Servant standing next to him, who had a peaceful face, was at a loss for a moment, but he still replied with a smile:
"Servant Archer, real name is Chiron."
"Thank you, Chiron. Please take care of me for now!"
Rider held out his hand, and Archer responded with a confused look on his face.
"Rider, when greeting someone, use your class name, not your real name."
Danic stopped Rider with a serious expression. Rider nodded as if he had suddenly realized something, and then spoke to the young man with a great sword on his back:
"Hey, what about you?"
"Wait, Saber. Don't say that."
Before Saber could answer, his Master Gold stopped him. He seemed to be making a statement to everyone, including Darnik.
"I do not intend to announce my real name to anyone outside of Darnik."
The kings were filled with boos. Serenike asked in a pretentiously cold voice:
"—The announcement of the real name was agreed upon beforehand, right? It's really unpleasant that you went back on your word."
"That's because I didn't have the catalyst at the time."
Gold said this while carefully holding the box in his arms. It seemed that he was going to completely conceal even the catalyst.
"Uncle Gold, is hiding your real name really such a big deal?"
Facing Fiore's question, Gold nodded seriously:
"Revealing my real name would be fatal to my Servant. The fewer people who know it, the better. This way, the risk can be minimized."
The so-called real name is information that every Servant must try their best to hide. No matter how famous a hero is, most of them will die a violent death.
Revealing their real names would expose the cause of their death as their fatal weakness.
If they were killed by poison, then just administer the poison in some form; if they were killed by an arrow, then just shoot the arrow. If there is a specific part that is a weak spot, just aim there.
Even if the weakness that caused the death could not be found, the hero with the Dragon Factor would have a poor compatibility with the dragon-slaying weapon. Even if he was not so lucky as to possess that weapon, as long as he told other masters, there was a high probability that they could come up with some countermeasure.
Of course, there are some Servants who have no problem revealing their real names. Rider Astolfo is a typical example.
Danic glanced at Vlad III quickly, and he nodded at his sight with a hearty smile. As Danic's Servant, Vlad III certainly knew what kind of person the "Black" Saber summoned by Gold was. Therefore, the Archduke, who was known for his cruelty, readily agreed.
"I understand that you are a special case."
The Grand Duke's words brought a satisfied smile to Gold's face.
"Thank you very much, Your Excellency. We will take our leave now."
Gold straightened his back and led Saber out of the royal room in a dignified manner. Serenike, who was watching his back, complained unhappily.
"Isn't it just a summoned Saber? Why are you putting on airs?"
"He is just that kind of creature."
Danic whispered with a wry smile.
He returned to his private room in high spirits. Gold turned to Saber again. His eyes were drawn to the magnificent and majestic figure. Although he was basically convinced, just in case, Gold still asked:
"Saber, answer me a question. Your real name is Siegfried, right?"
After receiving an affirmative nod, Gold reached the peak of joy.
Siegfried is a household hero in Germany. He has different characters in many legends, but the most famous one is the heroic epic poem "The Nibelungenlied". Born as a prince of the Netherlands, he experienced countless adventures and finally won the title of dragon slayer.
He was undefeated in all the battles until he was killed by the betrayal blade that hit his only weak spot, his back.
In his hand, he holds the holy sword of the Nibelungs, Barumong. With this sword, he destroyed the evil dragon Fafnir. Bathed in dragon blood, he cannot be hurt by any weapon.
Even though he was a noble hero, there was still a fatal weakness in his body. That was his back, which was covered by the leaves of the Bodhi tree when he was bathing in dragon blood. Needless to say, that was the weakness that would lead Siegfried to his death.
The catalyst for summoning Siegfried is precisely this Bodhi leaf stained with dragon blood.
Gold was troubled for a moment. Although it was a good thing to have the strongest Servant, at the same time, it was also true that the legend about his back was popular and widely spread. How long could such a fatal and obvious weakness be hidden
"Saber, from now on, you must keep your mouth shut except when you are using your Noble Phantasm. You may only speak with my permission."
Gold decided to let Saber shut up for the time being, and reduce the clues of her real name as much as possible. He flaunted the Command Seal on the back of his hand to emphasize that this order was extremely strict. Could it be forgiven for treating the great hero so arrogantly? Or rather, would the other party be willing to forgive him
On the other hand, Gold couldn't shake the idea that "the other party was just a Servant". To him, a Servant was just a temporary guest who could only survive on his own.
A short tense moment passed in the room.
After a moment, Saber nodded instead of agreeing, to show her commitment to accept Gold's orders. Siegfried was a member of the royal family and a general who left many legends. But he was also a great hero who constantly accepted the reliance and begging of others.
Even if he was ordered not to speak, he would not object if it was inevitable. As long as it could achieve his own wishes, he was willing to carry out any order. Because this was Siegfried's way of life, and he would never change it until his death.
The scene returns to the Kings, and Astolfo turns his attention to the last remaining Servant.
"So, what's your name?"
"Sorry, I can't tell you." The blue-haired young man scratched his head embarrassedly.
"So you're one of those heroes whose weaknesses are as well-known as their real name?"
Danic frowned. He already knew that Fiona was looking for a new catalyst during this period, but the Servant she planned to summon should have no weaknesses like Astolfo.
"Uh, no." The young man scratched his head harder, "Because I don't know what my real name is either."
"ha???"