"Seriously, that Servant sure ran fast. Took off before we even started fighting."
As they walked toward the seaside park, Saber rested her arms behind her head, grumbling with a bored expression.
Back at the building entrance, Saber had sensed a Servant battle taking place at the school. Sakura had immediately sent her to investigate while she went upstairs to look for her sister.
"What kind of Servant was it, Archer?" Rin asked her own Servant, who had engaged the enemy directly.
Archer paused to think. "He was wearing a mask, but I could tell—he seemed like the refined and skilled type, very handsome, with a gentle presence. But there's no doubt, he's a genuine hero."
"So, completely different from Matou-kun," Rin guessed.
"Pretty much," Archer nodded.
Sakura spoke thoughtfully, "I wonder what class he belongs to… and what his True Name might be…"
"As for the True Name… I'd say it's probably Perseus." Archer thought for a moment before stating it outright.
Saber let out a surprised gasp. "Perseus? The hero from Greek mythology who slew Medusa?"
In Mordred's era, Greek myths were ancient history, and even in Britannia, such stories had only been passed down through outsiders.
"What's your reasoning?" Rin asked.
"The weapon he used in the fight was the divine sword used to look at Medusa—'Harpe,' the one he got from Hermes," Archer replied.
According to myth, Harpe was shaped like a sickle. It wasn't outstanding as a weapon or Noble Phantasm, but it had the ability to nullify immortality. Wounds inflicted by it couldn't heal.
"Impressive that you recognized it," Saber remarked.
Rin tapped her chin. "So, are you a Greek hero?"
"Maybe. I just remember that sword clearly," Archer replied with a shrug.
So far, Archer had claimed he'd lost all memories of his life due to the summoning ritual. Sakura and Saber were both aware of this.
"Huh… I see." Rin couldn't find any flaws in his story and decided to let it go for now.
"If his True Name is Perseus, and we consider the remaining classes…" Sakura continued, not too concerned about the issue itself, "then he must have been summoned under the Rider class."
"That's the only logical option," Rin agreed.
After all, there's no record of Perseus being famous for spear techniques. On the contrary, he's known for the winged sandals that allowed him to fly.
Flight via Noble Phantasm has been a common trait among Riders in past Holy Grail Wars.
"But the class isn't the main issue. The real point is, if he's truly Perseus," Archer said, "then he definitely possesses more than one Noble Phantasm."
A drop of cold sweat rolled down Rin's cheek as she smiled with a hint of tension. "In that case, Matou really landed himself a top-tier Servant. No complaints in terms of power or fame."
More importantly, even with his True Name exposed, it wouldn't help in pinpointing any weaknesses. Perseus was one of the few Greek heroes whose story ended happily.
"A weak opponent would be boring anyway. It's better this way!" Saber said with an easygoing smile.
Faced with Saber's fearless attitude, Sakura could only respond with a wry smile.
With a Servant like that, she'd just have to be even more cautious herself.
The group wrapped up their discussion about Perseus, left the school, took the bus, and arrived at the seaside park.
Due to the earlier battle, the area was cordoned off, but there were no police on site—only a parked construction vehicle and a few maintenance workers on break.
Avoiding their line of sight, Sakura and Rin led their Servants into the park. Once inside, they split into two teams and began investigating from opposite sides.
"Whoosh~~, what a flashy fight," Saber said with a snap of her fingers.
Sakura stood on the damaged concrete road, gazing at the large and small craters. "It's been nearly a day, but there's still a strong residue of magical energy lingering here."
As she spoke, she pointed toward several marks that were clearly left by weapons.
"And these damaged areas are very likely..." Sakura suddenly paused, her words trailing off as she froze in place.
Saber tilted her head, confused. "What's wrong, Master? Aren't these all traces left by spear-like weapons?"
In other words, the Servant who fought here yesterday was likely a Lancer.
"Yeah, you're right." Sakura crouched down to examine a broken lamppost that had yet to be cleared from the roadside. "But if one of them was a Lancer, what class was the other Servant?"
"Huh?" Saber was caught off guard by the question.
It was only then she realized all the visible damage pointed to a single type of weapon.
"Could it be... Lancer and Caster?" Mordred chimed in, noticing remnants of magecraft around the area.
"Probably," Sakura murmured in agreement.
She studied the traces again, her mind drifting toward an unsettling thought she couldn't yet confirm.
If these marks were left by a Lancer's weapon, that would be one thing. The issue was... they looked familiar to her.
They resembled the weapon her father once used—Gae Bolg Alternative.
For some reason, Sakura's instincts were screaming at her, hinting at what kind of weapon had been used on this battlefield.
She couldn't say for certain whether her father had returned to Fuyuki, or if a Servant with a similar origin had been summoned as Lancer in this Holy Grail War.
Logically, she knew it couldn't be her father.
The Clock Tower was about to hold the Grand Roll—there was no way he could be here right now.
But emotionally, she couldn't shake the doubt.
"There aren't any signs of injuries nearby. Seems like whoever fought here made sure not to involve civilians. I've gotta admit, I respect that," Saber said.
"They probably set an ambush beforehand and cast a repelling barrier," Sakura replied, rising to her feet. "It's a basic skill for any Magus in the Holy Grail War. Involving regular people would be unforgivable."
"Heh—" Saber flashed a toothy grin. "Then let's get moving and track down that bastard who's been killing people in the city. You said you suspect it's a Master and Servant pair, right? I'll take out anyone who tramples on human life like that with my own hands!"
"Don't worry, I'm already doing my best to investigate that, Your Majesty," Sakura said as she stood up.
"Eh?" Saber blinked.
"Was that not the right way to address you?" Sakura asked with mock innocence.
"N-No… it's fine," Saber said, wiping her nose with a casual flick of her finger.
"But before that, I need to head home. There's something I have to look into."
Sakura turned to look at her sister, who was walking toward them.
It was morning in London now—either Caren or Gray should already be up.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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