Fate: I Will Eventually Become the Hero of Justice

The Fortress of Millenia...

Vlad eyed Arjuna standing before him, his brow furrowing as he asked, "Did you find any sign of Eternal King in Zam City?"

Arjuna shook his head. "Nothing. There were no traces, not even a hint of a Servant's presence."

Vlad then turned his gaze toward Avicebron, who stood next to Arjuna.

Avicebron helplessly nodded, equally baffled. "He's right, there was no sign of a Servant."

Vlad's frown deepened. According to his calculations, it seemed impossible for Berserker and Eternal King to have moved a group of homunculi so quickly. They should've been in Zam City. Yet, nothing.

He had no reason to doubt Arjuna or Avicebron. Aside from the fact that neither had a motive to lie, Avicebron's obsession with A-11072 made it unlikely he'd cover for Eternal King or anyone else.

"So, they must have gone to Brad City," Vlad pondered.

The sun had already reached its peak in the new day's sky.

The sound of wings flapping broke the silence; Astolfo was returning on his griffon. Dismissing the creature back to its spiritual form, he headed toward the court to report on his situation.

His search in Brad City turned up empty as well; not a sign of Eternal King, Berserker, or homunculi.

Vlad's unease escalated.

"Is it possible that Eternal King has some sort of Noble Phantasm for quick escapes?" Vlad mused from his throne.

Arjuna nodded. "Could be..."

Vlad glanced at him. "Archer, you and the Red Lancer—Karna, was it?—you've had more than a few run-ins with this king, right?"

Arjuna nodded. "Karna and I were summoned into a battlefield by a Heroic Spirit summoning once. We both served under Eternal King during that war."

"I see. That explains why you'd call a truce with your mortal enemy just because that king showed up," Vlad noted, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

Goredolf, Arjuna's Master, looked from Danic to Arjuna. "Archer, why the hell didn't you share this crucial intel with our King sooner?"

Arjuna met Goredolf's gaze and answered flatly, "Didn't see the need, Master."

Goredolf's face twisted into an expression of confusion.

Arjuna had answered the summons, which meant he must have a wish for the Holy Grail to grant. If that's the case, his first move should be to help the Black Faction win the faction war. So why withhold information?

Vlad scrutinized Arjuna, his tone more understanding than accusing. "You've already obtained what you came for, haven't you?"

"Yes," Arjuna replied, his stoic expression giving way to a grin. "Now that he's shown up, my wish is fulfilled. Eternal King and the Holy Grail don't matter to me. All I want is a fair fight with him, win or lose, life or death!"

"I thought so," Vlad sighed. "Fine, I'll let you and your archenemy have your duel. But don't mess anything up. If you do, I'm stepping in. Remember, you're on my domain."

"Understood, King of Romania," Arjuna acknowledged.

Just then, Astolfo looked around the court, puzzled. "Hey, where's Saber?"

"Arthur took the land route to Brad City while you flew. Naturally, she'd be slower. She'll return when the time is right," Vlad explained.

"Ah, got it," Astolfo said, nodding but still feeling a twinge of confusion.

He hadn't waited for Saber in Brad City, assuming she'd already returned. Turns out, she was still searching.

"Now is not the time to worry about that. The real question is—where has Eternal King run off to?"

Vlad rose from his throne and walked to the window, staring at the clear sky and the peculiar black ring that had merged with it. When he was first summoned by Darnic, he had found the ring strange but brushed it off as some modern anomaly.

He shot another glance at the black ring before turning back to Arjuna. "Archer, you've fought alongside Eternal King. Do you have any insights into his capabilities?"

"I can't say I know the king that well, but there's one thing I'm pretty certain about," Arjuna said, his face tightening.

"Go on," Vlad urged.

"That man can push any Servant beyond their limits."

Vlad frowned. "A skill to push beyond one's limits, you say? Does he have any Noble Phantasms that allow for teleportation?"

Arjuna shook his head. "Can't say for sure. But when he led me and Karna, he didn't show any sign of that kind of skill."

"That just makes things even weirder," Vlad muttered. "Where could he be, then?"

Meanwhile, in the castle corridors, the non-defected homunculi were busy at work, dutifully fulfilling the roles they were created for, their eyes dull and vacant.

...

On the outskirt of Valcea...

Shirou was having lunch with the homunculi.

Nestled by a small lake on the outskirts of the city, the homunculi had constructed a makeshift village. It had a rustic, old-world charm.

Now that housing was sorted, the next hurdle was getting the homunculi officially registered.

But in Romania, a country grappling with economic instability and lawlessness, that kind of thing could be arranged—for the right price, of course.

However, now wasn't the time for paperwork, especially in Valcea. The Yggdmillennia Clan wielded considerable influence in Romania, and making arrangements for registration now could easily attract their attention.

Today, the homunculi were different—livelier. The bread they were eating seemed to spark something in their previously dull and vacant eyes.

They gathered around Spartacus, hanging on his every word as he mesmerized them with his stories.

Mash sat alone on a rock, staring at the black ring in the sky while nervously fidgeting with the mechanical bracelet on her wrist. Her face was etched with worry.

Shirou offered her a piece of bread, saying, "Here, have some."

"Ah!"

Startled, Mash clutched her chest, feeling her heart race. After a moment, she accepted the bread, saying, "Thank you, Mr. Fujimaru."

As she spoke, she subtly pulled her sleeve down to conceal the bracelet.

Shirou took a seat next to Mash and, catching her subtle gesture, said, "Worrying won't fix a busted gadget."

Mash hesitated, then asked, "You noticed?"

"How could I not? It was pretty hard to miss," he answered, smiling.

"Ah..." Mash's face flushed, her words catching in her throat.

Watching her fumble, he sighed internally.

This girl, she's a bit too clumsy, isn't she?

"Hey, I have a question for you, Mash."

Shirou turned to her, his eyes meeting hers, "Is there a girl named 'Fujimaru Ritsuka' at Chaldea?"

"Eh? Huh? Huh?" Mash stared at him, her eyes widening. "How do you know about senpai?" 

Could he be a Heroic Spirit summoned by senpai?

The thought crossed her mind, and it seemed increasingly likely.

Otherwise, how would this Servant know about Chaldea, let alone her?

Yet, she couldn't recall senpai ever summoning a Heroic Spirit named Fujimaru.

So Mash pondered, her mind racing.

But she shrugged off the problem of Shirou's surname. After all, Chaldea had several Heroic Spirits who looked alike—like Nero and King Arthur. Having the same last name seemed like a minor detail.

"I see..." Shirou murmured, his smile tinged with sadness.

Earlier, he had gleaned quite a bit of information from Mash.

And that information led him to a startling conclusion.

That is—

This Mash might just be from his own world.

So, did that mean everything he had done was meaningless?

Chaldea still came into existence, and his sister, Fujimaru Ritsuka, ended up being its last Master...

So despite different paths, the end result was the same?

Mash glanced at him, her eyes tinged with curiosity. She noticed that his expression had turned somewhat sad after she'd mentioned Ritsuka.

"So, were you summoned by Ritsuka at some point?" she asked.

"Summoned? Oh, right! I was. That's how I know so much about Chaldea. And I still have a clear memory of Master's orange hair," he confirmed with a nod.

"Ah, that explains it. I was wondering," Mash said, her smile returning and her guard dropping significantly.

But what she hadn't expected was...

Even now, even here, she could still feel the fruit of senpai's kindness.

Mash's eyes dimmed slightly.