"Homunculi will continue assisting the magi in handling various affairs. In return, the Yggdmillennia clan will provide them with housing, all necessary living supplies, and guarantee basic human rights—no arbitrary beatings, verbal abuse, or forced human experimentation."
"As the creator of the homunculi, Gordes must bestow names upon all surviving homunculi. Additionally, a new clause concerning Servants is added: while the homunculi will still supply mana to the Servants, excessive consumption is prohibited. Instead, the burden will be divided into segments and shared collectively to prevent unnecessary deaths from mana depletion."
"In return, Servants are obligated to protect the homunculi supplying them with mana. The contract will be formalized in a legally binding document, signed or blood-sealed by representatives of both parties."
"—The above constitutes the new employment contract between Yggdmillennia and the homunculi."
In the Yggdmillennia conference room, Fiore, representing the clan, and Sieg, representing the homunculi, each pressed a blood-sealed signature onto the document. Under the witness of numerous heroes, they acknowledged these hard-won terms.
For Sieg, this agreement meant her efforts had not been in vain—the salvation she had resolved to achieve since her birth was now realized. For Fiore, it meant Yggdmillennia no longer had to fear the possibility of a homunculus uprising. Until the Holy Grail War concluded, the homunculi would stand united with the clan.
"Wonderful, truly wonderful, Sieg!"
No sooner had the contract been signed than a pink-haired Rider pounced on Sieg, smearing tears and snot all over her.
"Your dream has finally come true, waaah—!"
"Rider, it's alright. We succeeded, so there's no need to cry."
Though Sieg lacked Astolfo's emotional intensity, she still patted his back gently, a satisfied smile on her lips. Nearby, hidden in the shadows, Gordes watched the young homunculus girl before turning away as if the sight stung his eyes.
"Tch, now I have to name them all? What a pain. What was that brat Sieg thinking…"
"Idiot. Naming is a parent's duty. It's only natural that you name every surviving homunculus."
A homunculus resembling Sieg, yet sharper and more mature, appeared beside Gordes. The cold gleam of her halberd flickered ominously.
Gordes recognized her. Unlike Sieg, who had fought on the frontlines shortly after her creation and remained distant from the other homunculi, this one had miraculously survived and gradually taken charge of non-combat affairs.
—A strong group needed both a radiant hero and a steadfast leader.
If Sieg was the hero, then this homunculus, without realizing it, had already begun embodying the qualities of a leader… Wait, why am I even thinking about these tools?!
The moment this thought crossed his mind, Gordes' tsundere temper flared again.
"Oh? So I can name them whatever I want? Like 'Dumbface' or 'Idiot' or—Pfft—!"
The sound of a halberd striking fat flesh echoed, and Gordes crumpled to his knees once more.
"Ah… this familiar pain…"
"Young Master Sieg was right, this move really can shut Lord Gordes up." The homunculus swung his halberd, showing no gratitude toward his creator. "If you dare to deliberately give us terrible names, I'll use this to shave the fat off your belly."
Gordes naturally wanted to retaliate, but unfortunately, the distance between them was too close, and Gordes' body was too bloated. The homunculus, specialized for combat with exceptional physical abilities, completely overpowered him while tossing in a mocking remark. In this regard, he truly lived up to being Gordes' "son," having inherited his master's traits.
"Though you're decent as an alchemist, you should really work on your arrogant and self-important personality. Otherwise, you might drag Young Master Sieg down with you."
Gordes gritted his teeth in frustration. "This is a nightmare! I should have added some restrictions to keep you from rebelling!"
The homunculus' reply was equally amusing: "With your skills, you probably couldn't have managed that anyway."
Left with no choice, Gordes resorted to psychological victory—giving this homunculus leader the plain name "Tool" while secretly vowing to mock them mercilessly when they were on the verge of death.
Little did he know that, in another worldline countless years later, the homunculus leader who would pass down this name for four generations (Tool IV) would still loyally serve his son, Goredolf Musik, until the day he departed alone for Chaldea to embark on a new journey to save the world.
—Often, Fate works in such mysterious ways.
With a faint sense of emotion stirring within, Sakatsuki, who had remained silent all this time, turned and left the conference room. By the time Sieg finally managed to shake off Astolfo's pestering and wanted to thank her teacher, Sakatsuki had already vanished without a trace.
Hanging in the sky was a full moon, which for millennia had watched over the world with unchanging constancy.
Silver light gilded the ancient fortress as a shadowy figure walked through the dimly lit corridors, arriving at the castle's garden.
The moment he looked up, countless glowing petals drifted into his vision, stealing Sakatsuki's breath away.
"The Millennium Castle... no, the Fortress of Millennia."
As previously mentioned, in a world where Dead Apostles existed, this was the Millennium Castle where the White Princess Altrouge slumbered. If the traces of humanity diluted the air of mystery during the day, then when night fell and the True Ancestors awakened, the remnants of that world would magnify a thousandfold.
Under the hazy moonlight, the snow-white blossoms took on an indigo hue—the color of stars, reminiscent of the Inner Sea of the Planet.
A breeze greeted him, lifting the indigo petals into the air. The night's crisp air made even memories feel unreal.
It was like a mirror reflecting the dream of the stars.
With this silent thought, Sakatsuki reached the center of the garden and sat cross-legged on the ground, once again skillfully projecting tea utensils to brew a cup.
Though the day had been occupied with Sieg's affairs, he still had the entire night to appreciate the beauty around him and sort through his tangled thoughts.
"Haa..." Taking a sip of tea, Sakatsuki's expression was serene.
The world is so beautiful. Young people shouldn't spend all their time thinking about fighting and killing—they should learn to cultivate their minds and spirits...
"Ah, there you are."
The shadows fell as Sakatsuki looked up, greeted by the dashing smile of Achilles and the lively, searching face of Atalanta.
"A rare moment of leisure—how about a spar with me?"
No fighting, cultivate one's moral character...
"After all, I've never had the chance to test myself against you. How about this—I won't use my immortality, and you don't use those divine swords."
Fighting, moral cultivation...
"Oh, right. Big Sis is joining too," Achilles dropped the bombshell.
Moral cultivation—my ass!
"Then I'll gladly accept." Sakatsuki rose abruptly, the tea set vanishing as his fist-mounted gun appeared in hand.
Sipping tea and putting on airs was something his original self would do. As an Assassin, only battle and slaughter could bring true joy to his heart and soul!
With this thought, a fierce smile curled on Sakatsuki's lips, mirrored by the same expression on Achilles' face.
Neither of them was the type to admire flowers and sigh at the moon. Rather than lamenting like scholars, they preferred to enjoy the scenery in their own way.
"Come, hold nothing back!"
"My thoughts exactly!"
"Hey, don't you two ignore me!"
While the Greek duo challenged Sakatsuki, Kairi Sisigou, and Fiore reached a preliminary agreement. Then, dragging Mordred along, they returned to their original base.
In the pitch-black tomb chamber, Mordred hesitated for a moment—should she sigh or express her feelings another way? In the end, she decided to stay true to her style and slammed her fist into the ground:
"Why did we have to come back to this godforsaken place?!"
Mordred had assumed her Master would choose to stay in the fortress, but Kairi firmly rejected the idea, insisting on returning to this underground tomb.
This decision left Mordred utterly, completely, and in every conceivable way—baffled!
Mystic Code: Elegance of Nobility
Noblesse of Rouge.
Maintaining elegance is the privilege of a gentleman.
※Actual appearance may vary.
"But many photos don't do me justice.
I'm actually much slimmer, and Tool Type IV isn't this cute either.
Hmm? You're asking what Tool Type IV is like as a maid?
Well, though this analogy might not make sense to you—do you have Miss Nightingale here?
She's roughly that kind of presence.