Chapter 38: The Meeting of the Knights of the Round Table
"Nice to meet you, young man."
From the shadows, a man wielding a long spear slowly stepped forward.
His pale face seemed devoid of a single drop of blood as he turned his gaze toward Ethan.
"Are you the target that witch wants to eliminate?"
"Don't take another step!!!"
Mash raised her shield, standing in front of the man.
"What a fragile girl... Why do you fight?"
The man observed Mash from head to toe before casually stating:
"So that's it, a Demi-Servant, a human who has gained the power of a Heroic Spirit... You are certainly different from the others. No wonder that witch is interested in you."
"When were we discovered?"
"When, you ask?"
Hearing Ethan's question, the man chuckled.
"From the moment you left that fortress. Familiars were sent to track you all along the way. Though your Assassin has been eliminating the scouting familiars, this is still the witch's domain. No one's actions can escape her sight."
No wonder Kiritsugu wasn't nearby—so he had been dealing with those tracking familiars.
"I must say, in life, she truly possessed outstanding military talent. But when that talent was consumed by the flames of vengeance, the final result was a 'witch' who destroyed an entire nation."
The man smiled and shook his head slightly.
"What an irony of the highest order."
Then, he looked at Ethan again.
"But young man, I must commend you—you reacted swiftly. Choosing not to confront those wyverns head-on was a wise decision. Those wyverns were summoned by the witch using the Holy Grail, endless and unrelenting."
"But you still made it here, didn't you? Those wyverns will be arriving soon as well."
Hearing Ethan's words, the man burst into laughter.
"Ahahaha, do you think I need their help? It seems you've underestimated me."
Whoosh——————!!!
A silver crescent suddenly shot toward the man!
But he simply swung his spear, effortlessly shattering all the flying crescents.
"Master, are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
Johanna rushed in from the side, her silver holy staff glowing brightly.
Seeing the cross-shaped holy staff in Johanna's hands, the man immediately deduced her identity.
"So, the legendary Popess. What a pity. If I had been summoned with a different Saint Graph, I might have been vanquished by you."
"And yet, you still have the leisure to joke around, Lancer? It seems you're quite confident."
A female voice echoed from deep within the forest, though her figure remained unseen.
"Of course. Once summoned and subjected to Mad Enhancement, I follow the desires in my heart—bathing in blood and battling strong foes until this Saint Graph collapses."
"Listening to the exquisite wails of the weak, relishing the crimson blood of maidens—that is what I pursue. But you, a so-called vampire who has fallen yet still clings to some noble ideal... You are utterly unworthy of being called a 'devil'!"
The woman's voice carried a hint of anger.
"Oh? Proud of the infamous reputation you bear, are you? In the end, you're just a little girl yearning for immortality and beauty."
"Enough! After this, I will never cooperate with someone like you again, even if that witch commands it!"
Before Ethan could even ask anything, the two had nearly exposed their True Names.
But even if they hadn't argued, Ethan already knew who they were.
[Oh oh oh! New Servants have appeared!]
[Poor Mashu-chan, working overtime again.]
[It's time for the livestream's signature True Name guessing segment! Based on the conversation, the keyword this time is vampire! Contestants, please participate!]
[Vampire, huh? I got it! It's definitely Golbat!]
[...I thought it was Crobat. Oh man, you're in the wrong franchise.]
[If we're talking about vampires, no need to guess! I'm a Castlevania pro—it's definitely Dracula!]
[If the guy is Dracula, then the woman must be… Carmilla! That noblewoman who bathed in the blood of maidens to preserve her youth!]
[Vampires, huh… Does this mean we're about to see tomato sauce splattered everywhere...]
Even the viewers in the livestream had almost completely guessed it. Though, in truth, these two didn't intend to hide their identities at all.
Blood Countess—Carmilla.
The Impaler—Vlad III, who was also the original inspiration for Dracula.
Both were Servants summoned by Jeanne Alter due to the vampire legends associated with them in later history.
However, Jeanne Alter's summoned Servants were certainly not limited to just these two. There were definitely more enemies lurking nearby.
What should he do?
Should he use a Command Spell to summon Mordred, Martha, and Kiritsugu here immediately?
Spending three Command Spells at once was a bit painful, but Ethan's years of playing FGO had taught him one thing:
Command Spells regenerate daily, and they can't be wasted—so when it's time to use them, use them.
But using them all at once felt wasteful... He decided to summon Mordred first—his strongest firepower.
Suddenly, something crashed down from the sky!!!
A knight clad in pitch-black armor, his entire body overflowing with dark mana, abruptly appeared before them.
The ground beneath him was engulfed by a black mist, and even the surrounding vegetation withered rapidly as their life force was drained.
"Gaaaaaaaaa!!"
His roar sent a wave of unease through everyone present!
Immediately after, his gaze locked onto Mash. But he simply stared without taking any further action.
The livestream chat erupted at his arrival.
[Oh my god! Is it really Sir Netorare?!!!]
[Lancelot, you've lost it again!]
[The streetlight assassin is still here, but the streetlight king is nowhere in sight.]
[Wait! Where's Mordred?! Run! Your father's love rival has arrived!!!]
[Oh No! Host, be careful not to get caught in the green hat]
...
"Even this madman has been summoned... Is that witch underestimating us too much?"
The female voice from deep in the forest grew increasingly dissatisfied.
The moment Ethan saw Lancelot, he let go of the Command Spell he had been about to use to summon Mordred.
Forget it. Time for a change.
Might as well call Martha instead and make it a proper 3v3 fight.
"Move! Get out of the way!!!"
A powerful gust of wind swept through the battlefield as another figure descended from the sky!
"Seriously, these monsters keep getting in the way. But hey, the hero always arrives last, right, Master?"
Mordred grinned triumphantly as she stood atop the corpse of a wyvern, its body pierced clean through by the shining Clarent.
"So, you're the ones trying to ambush my Master?"
As she turned toward the enemy, an overwhelming killing intent suddenly surged toward her!
Clang————————!!
Clarent blocked the incoming strike!
The black-armored knight roared furiously at Mordred:
"A———rthur———!!!"