"Next, I will use all the power I've accumulated as a token of my gratitude to you."
With a smile, Shinji pulled off his already tattered shirt, revealing a physique that was not overly muscular but explosively powerful, like that of a cheetah.
In an instant, everyone felt that Shinji before them had transformed.
Though he had the terrifying achievement of killing the 27 Dead Apostle Ancestors, there was nothing particularly noteworthy about him beyond his handsome appearance and slightly arrogant attitude. When he wasn't speaking, people's attention would naturally gravitate towards Arcueid, Lorelei, or the female warrior, subconsciously ignoringhim by their side.
Now, however, though he remained the same, the presence emanating from him overshadowed that of the three women who had long surpassed the realm of the ordinary, like a fearsome prehistoric beast awakening from slumber and showing its might.
This was the aura befitting a warrior who had annihilated the 27 Ancestors.
Sensing this aura, the female warrior raised her sword to her chest in a warrior's salute, her voice solemn as she asked:
"State your name. It is an honor due to any warrior."
Shinji returned the salute with the etiquette of a polearm wielder but shook his head.
"I refuse because you haven't told me your true name."
You treat me with the courtesy of a warrior, so I must reciprocate. This is a tradition passed down from Scathach. Conversely, since you hide your true name, I will not honor the warrior's code by revealing mine.
Before the battle, if Shinji had said this, the female warrior would have considered it an insult and would have cut him down without hesitation. But now, facing a fellow warrior qualified to converse with her as an equal, she did not do so, for it would be an insult to both herself and the other.
The female warrior hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Why do you think I am not Hephaestion?"
"Iskandar, the King of Conquerors, led many heroes, among whom seven were the most famous and trusted, known in later generations as the Ionian Companions. I once saw the Ionian Companions from a distance. Although I couldn't match names to faces, I'm sure that you weren't among them because they were all men!"
Even without considering the script, Shinji was certain. These seven were the closest to Iskandar in the King's Army and dressed differently from the other warriors around them. If they weren't the Seven Companions, who else could they be?
Hearing Shinji's response, the female warrior was silent for a few seconds before answering, "I did not lie. Hephaestion is indeed my name."
"Still—"
Mid-sentence, something occurred to Shinji, and his expression turned strange.
"Ah—could it be that you're actually a man and just changed your gender in the modern era? Whoa, I've heard that the customs of Macedon were rather bold—"
"No!"
A flash of anger passed through the female warrior's heterochromatic eyes.
"I didn't change my gender, nor have I heard of a Heroic Spirit being able to do so."
"That just shows your ignorance. The famous artist Da Vinci manifested as the image of Mona Lisa. The reason was that he believed it represented the ultimate beauty, a body befitting his genius."
It seemed like they had just heard something incredible—by the reactions of the spectators.
Could such a person exist? The female warrior showed an expression of disbelief but shook her head in denial.
"I have never changed my gender; this is how I was in life."
"I think I know who you are."
From the crowd of onlookers, a voice spoke out, and Waver emerged.
"You're not Hephaestion. Perhaps you used that name, but you're not him, at least not from the summoning."
"Then, who do you think I am?"
The female servant's body trembled slightly. She coldly asked in a somber tone.
"I once summoned Iskandar in the Holy Grail War. However, his appearance did not match the legend. According to the legend, Iskandar was short in stature, but the one who appeared before us was a towering giant over two meters tall. Even if he wasn't like that in his youth, his hair and eye color were crimson, a far cry from the legend. The records state that Iskandar's hair was either golden or black, and his eyes were described as one as deep as the night sky, the other a heterochromatic eye reflecting the blue sky (Heterochromia)."
"…That isn't!!!"
Beside Waver, Gray gasped in shock.
"Exactly, that's who this woman is. In the summoning, you should be called Iskandar. That relic couldn't have summoned any other Heroic Spirit. However, due to the summoning class, what was summoned was a being that resembled, yet was not truly, Iskandar. It's only natural that such a being would appear alongside ancient royals associated with assassination and war."
Waver adjusted his glasses and pointed at the female servant.
"You are the king's shadow—Iskandar's body double."
The term shadow warrior comes from Japan. In the Warring States period, life was as fragile as a dream, and the life and death of a feudal lord could affect the survival of his entire clan. Therefore, lords would find people who resembled them to act as their doubles, ensuring their safety. These doubles were called shadow warriors.
Of course, such beings have existed throughout history, from East to West.
Many historical figures had shadow warriors, and many artistic creations were inspired by this concept.
The Iskandar of the Type-Moon world also had such a shadow warrior, but it wasn't by his own will. A king as bold, generous, and straightforward as him, living more vividly than anyone else, would never have chosen to have a shadow warrior take on his dangers.
It was all orchestrated by Iskandar's mother, Olympias.
She was a terrifying woman, an ambitious schemer, an unfathomable sorceress, a femme fatale with many similarities to Morgan and Semiramis!
Before marrying Philip II of Macedon, this woman had planned everything. First, by some unknown means, she borrowed the seed of Zeus, the king of gods from Greek mythology, whose morals were utterly depraved, and conceived the child who would later become the King of Conquerors, Alexander the Great, Iskandar.
After conceiving Iskandar, Olympias began to create a divine image for him using Zeus's name. She ingrained the impression of a divine child and a natural-born king in people's minds before his birth. After he was born, she began teaching him the ways of kingship, molding him into an unparalleled ruler.
Moreover, Olympias secretly prepared trusted aides for Iskandar. For this purpose, she chose a pair of twins.