299 The Beginning of the War

"Why is it like this?!"

Wearing a red jacket and fringed hot pants, Mordred lay on the long backrest chair on the side of the road. Her hands were deeply buried in her golden hair, and her face was filled with a frantic expression.

"Where's the promised amusement park? Where are the tall buildings? What's going on here? It's either a clock tower or a church, a square or city walls. I really don't understand what's so interesting about these things, it's just so boring! So boring, so boring, so boring—!!!"

Watching Mordred rolling on the ground like a child throwing a tantrum, Arkhan and Nidhogg exchanged a glance, both wearing a somewhat helpless expression.

"Well, there's nothing we can do, y'know..." Arkhan shrugged, smiling wryly. "What did you expect? Sighisoara is known as a medieval-style tourist city. Momo, you should do your homework before coming next time." 

"It's not like I can decide on those things..." Mordred muttered under her breath, stood up, looked at the fiery clouds in the sky, and sighed helplessly. "Looks like I won't find anything fun today, huh..."

"Sorry, Momo, we overlooked it..." Nidhogg apologized with a regretful face.

"Nah, don't say that. You guys must have your own things to do. It's more like I should be sorry for keeping you with me the whole day." Mordred scratched her head, a bright smile on her face. "By the way, it seems like this is the first time someone has accompanied me having fun... Feels pretty good..."

Nidhogg opened her mouth but in the end, didn't say anything, and just sighed softly.

Mordred turned, walked away, and waved her hand.

"Well, let's leave it at that. I'm going to meet that guy. Hopefully, we'll have a chance to meet again. See you!"

However, after a few steps, she suddenly stopped, turned around, and looked at Arkhan and Nidhogg seriously.

"Ohh, one more thing, don't head out at night just yet. Got it?" Mordred said seriously. 

"Don't worry, we'll know." Arkhan nodded.

"That's good. I'm off then. Bye, you two!" Mordred nodded satisfied and resumed her walk.

Nidhogg watched Mordred's retreating figure with reluctance.

"She's really a good child..." Nidhogg said softly.

"Yeah..." Arkhan agreed, then chuckled. "We were supposed to have a date today, but it turned into this."

Hearing that, Nidhogg lightly laughed and held his hand.

"It's okay; I had a great time. Besides, we'll have plenty of opportunities in the future for this kind of thing, right?"

"Yeah, you're right..." Arkhan replied gently, smiling as he held her delicate hand, walking toward the distance.

===

Following the prearranged location, Mordred soon found Kairi waiting on a bench at the entrance of a park.

"So, how was it? Did you have fun?" Kairi smiled at her.

"Pfttt, fun? Not really." Mordred scoffed, rolling her eyes. "No towering buildings, no amusement park crowded with people. It's no different from my era. What a disappointment."

"Haha, I guess so..." Kairi laughed helplessly. He only became aware of this city's situation after parting ways with her.

"Anyway, I'm itching for a fight right now. If I can't have a decent fight, I won't just let it slide, y'know." Mordred clenched her fist with excitement. "You get what I mean, yeah?"

"Heh, of course. Isn't that why we're here?" Kairi chuckled. "Cheer up, Saber. I've confirmed that the corpses had a miserable end."

Hearing that, Mordred squinted her eyes suspiciously.

"What do you mean?"

"The murderer likely used blades and blunt objects, while some victims showed signs of using firearms and magecraft. But one thing for sure, almost every victim had their hearts taken out."

"Heart?"

"For a Servant, that's where their core is located. For humans, it's the organ of life. Maybe the culprit performed some ritual, eating them to replenish magical energy."

"Hmm..." Mordred pondered for a moment then whispered. "You mean... eating them raw?"

Hearing that, Kairi blinked in surprise, then sighed.

"You really ask some tricky questions... I actually think cooking and then eating them would be scarier than that."

If devouring them raw could be considered a ritual, eating them cooked was simply a matter of personal taste. In terms of horror, the latter was undoubtedly worse.

"Well, it doesn't matter to me. As long as the enemy is Servant..." Mordred stretched lazily, her whole body making crackling sounds. "If you mess up even on this up, I won't let you off, y'know."

"Of course. If I lack even such a basic ability, I won't have any face left to be your Master." Kairi laughed.

Hearing his words, Mordred nodded in satisfaction.

"So, if we just wander around like this, will we encounter them?" Mordred asked curiously.

"Very likely." Kairi nodded.

Originally, the victims were small-time thugs or underworld criminals, meaning the murderer invaded a building where they gathered and slaughtered them all. However, after the mage from the logistical support was sent to Sighisoara by the Mage's Association, they became the new targets.

In other words, Kairi, the only mage in Sighisoara, had a high chance of being targeted.

"To be on the safe side, Saber, put on your armor. Our opponent is Assassin. If you get ambushed, you might not even get a chance to change."

Mordred nodded and agreed with his suggestion.

A burst of magical energy light instantly flashed, and her red jacket and fringed hot pants instantly transformed into silver cold steel armor with red patterns. The demonic helmet and the rebellious, oppressive aura emanating from the crimson lightning-wrapped sword completed the ensemble.

"By the way, do you think we should inform that priest about this?" Kairi hesitated.

Mordred raised an eyebrow as she glanced at him.

"Don't you already have an answer in your heart?"

"Fair point." Kairi chuckled, confidently striding across the busy street.

===

In the blink of an eye, night had fallen, and the deep twilight gradually enveloped the city that seemed frozen in the medieval era.

The broad streets were quiet and serene as if even a dropped pin could be heard.

Kairi strolled alone on the dimly lit streets, while Mordred, in her spiritual form, closely trailing behind him. After all, the plan was to bait Assassin of Black into action, and revealing her ahead of time might make Assassin of Black cautious.

Throughout the journey, Kairi faced minimal obstacles.

Although encountering police a few times, a subtle hint was enough to shake them off. The police weren't eager to take responsibility for a potential mage-killing incident, so Kairi smoothly brushed them aside.

More than these trivial matters, he was concerned about Mordred's current state. Earlier, she complained about being bored and uninterested, but now she suddenly fell silent.

"What's up, Saber?"

"...Sorry, Master, let me focus for a moment. I have a bad feeling right now..."

Mordred's words tightened Kairi's expression; the only Servant who could make her so alert was undoubtedly an enemy of Servant caliber.

Did Assassin of Black take the bait?

Licking his somewhat dry lips, Kairi pulled out a handgun from his coat, advancing cautiously. The dim light from the streetlamps disturbed his vision, and the cold air seemed to lick at his neck like a snake's tongue.

Somewhere along the way, the street fell into an eerie silence. His footsteps and breath were the only sounds as if time had frozen.

After walking for a while, he immediately sensed something unusual.

When did so much fog suddenly surround him? The weather was clear a moment ago, but now a thick fog hindered his visibility without reason.

Instinctively, Kairi halted his step.

"This fog..."

Just as he was about to mutter something, a searing pain suddenly erupted from deep within his nasal passages.

*Cough! Cough!*

Kairi reflexively covered his mouth, coughing in agony.

"Hey, Master, are you okay?!" Mordred quickly dispelled her spiritual form, guarding her Master.

"Saber, be careful! This fog is poisonous; don't inhale it!"

Kairi's excellent combat instincts allowed him to make a quick decision. He took off his jacket and covered his nose and mouth with it. His jacket, crafted from magical beast hide, could to some extent hinder the effects of magecraft, making it perfect for such situations.

The pain of breathing eased a bit.

"Saber, we must break through this fog first. We can't fight on the enemy's turf." Kairi calmly gave the next command.

"Understood." Mordred nodded while holding his hand.

*Bzzzt—*

A crimson lightning soon surrounded their bodies.

"Hold on tight, Master; it might hurt a bit."

Before Kairi could answer, Mordred, with him in tow, sprinted through the thick fog.

With her B-rank 'Magic Resistance', the toxic fog posed no trouble as Mordred navigated through obstacles with precision, reaching the area still untouched by the dense fog.

"We made it."

Relieved from the fear of death, Kairi's heart involuntarily relaxed. However, just as he was about to take a breath of fresh air—

*Swish—*

A sharp dagger silently went toward his neck.