"What? You're saying Mr. Sakatsuki betrayed us?!"
After listening to Boudica's report, Fujimaru widened his eyes in disbelief. "That... how is that possible?"
This was Fujimaru Ritsuka's first experience with a Servant's betrayal. In Singularity F, Cú Chulainn (Caster) had fought alongside him, defeating formidable enemies and perishing together with the Black Armored King. In the First Singularity, Orléans, there had been the Queen of Lilies, Marie, the great musician Mozart, the noisy duo Kiyohime and Elizabeth, and the powerful yet humble Siegfried…
Those Heroic Spirits from across time were like stars lighting the path ahead, preventing Fujimaru from losing his way on this long, lonely journey.
And now, Boudica was telling him that Sakatsuki, a Servant, had betrayed his own Master?
"I need to ask him face-to-face!" The black-haired youth turned on his heel without hesitation, only to be stopped by two outstretched arms.
"Be careful, brave hero. Rushing into the enemy ranks recklessly… even the great Greek heroes would struggle in such a scenario, wouldn't they?" The goddess in a pure white dress smiled gently.
"Calm down. As you are now, you're too fragile. You wouldn't even make it to him," the black-armored swordswoman said coldly.
"But—!"
"Don't be so hasty, little piglet. Why not hear Her Imperial Majesty's story before deciding?" said a teasing voice.
"Yeah yeah, Master needs to listen properly, nya~!" added another, cheerfully.
Both the dragon girl and the cat (dog? fox?) girl chimed in, managing to get Fujimaru to cool down a little. Boudica also turned her gaze toward the slightly weakened emperor.
"Your Majesty Nero, I don't wish to hurt you, but to confirm the truth, we must…"
"No need to say more, Boudica. I understand." Nero closed her eyes, resisting the throbbing pain in her head.
Even if she wished to forget the events quickly, as emperor, she had a duty to share vital information with her allies.
"That was... when I found the Governor—no, the Servant Sakatsuki…"
With Nero's excellent storytelling ability, the events were recounted exactly as they happened, without bias or emotion.
"In the end, I passed out in the wilderness and was found and brought back by General Boudica."
As the tale concluded, the tent fell silent. Fujimaru and Boudica exchanged shocked glances—none of them had expected such a bizarre tale to unfold after Nero leapt aboard the transport ship.
"Massacring tens of thousands of soldiers, a black Xuan Bird banner, Qin-style ballads… I see. I believe I now know General Sakatsuki's true name," came the doctor's whisper from Fujimaru's wrist communicator.
"Hey, isn't that the wrong focus?!" the idol-like girl shouted with hands on hips, clearly annoyed. "The point is that guy—what's-his-name Saku-whatever—put a sword to the emperor's neck! If it were me, I'd have kicked him to the moon already!"
"Ahahaha, I agree, nya~!"
"Cut it out, Elizabeth. You too, Tamamo Cat…" Fujimaru deftly restrained the two restless Servants before turning to the others. "Goddess Stheno, and Saber, what are your thoughts?"
"Stheno?" Boudica asked in surprise. "You mean one of the Gorgon sisters from Greek mythology?"
"Wasn't she a deity? Could it be that gods also descend into these fragile Servant vessels?" Even Nero widened her eyes in astonishment.
"No. Even though she's standing before you now, she is no longer a 'true god'," the doctor said with certainty from the communicator. "Like Heroic Spirits, her power is limited—gods can no longer exert their authority in the world of man."
He, who had once severed ties with the gods, could say this with utmost certainty.
"Though that man over there is unpleasant, he's right. Aside from Medusa, both Euryale and I are quite delicate, you know? We're not those annoying war goddesses, after all."
The petite goddess smiled radiantly, causing everyone to shudder involuntarily.
The feud between the Gorgon sisters and Athena was well-known. Even fools knew not to tread that landmine.
"Let's get back on topic." The black-armored Saber, who had remained silent behind her visor, finally spoke. For some reason, she stared at Nero with deep meaning before looking away. "In the end, there's no evidence that Sakatsuki committed treason."
"Huh? But he threatened Emperor Nero…"
"So what?" the blonde, black-armored swordswoman replied. "Did he declare he was rebelling? Did he capture or kill the emperor?"
"Oh…" Boudica came to the same realization. "If it was a rebellion, why did he let Her Majesty Nero go free?"
The group exchanged uneasy glances, realizing they had hit a dead end.
If Sakatsuki hadn't betrayed them, then putting a sword to Nero's neck was still a grave crime.
If he had betrayed them—then why didn't he kidnap Nero and use her as a puppet ruler?
Perhaps the only one who could answer that... was Sakatsuki himself.
Suddenly, noise erupted outside the tent.
"Report—!" A messenger lifted the flap and knelt down on one knee, voice urgent.
"Your Majesty, the United Empire's army is attacking!"
***
[Second Singularity entered. Please enjoy your exploration!]
"How strange. No time limit this time?" The white-haired general wandered through the empty imperial palace, still finding time to check the Fate Compendium.
He was still inside the United Empire's palace. Since the Fate Compendium didn't choose new transfer points, Sakatsuki had to resume from wherever he last logged out.
But this time, there was no Beast waiting at the revival point. The palace was deserted—no ruins from the last battle had even been cleaned up.
The Holy Grail was already in hand. The palace no longer had any value to him. So the moment he landed, he dashed off, turning into a flash of blood-red light, sprinting toward the gates—only to run into a familiar figure.
"You…!" Lev widened his eyes in disbelief as Sakatsuki rocketed past, leaving just one sentence behind.
"Brother Lev, your Holy Grail was top-notch~"
Boom!
The ground shook violently. Lev's pupils turned red with fury as he transformed into a Demon Pillar, but he couldn't catch up with Sakatsuki's full-speed sprint.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it! Just wait, you bastard! I'll tear you to shreds!"
While the Demon Pillar raged helplessly, the white-haired general laughed boldly and disappeared into the distance.
Before long, he returned to the army's base. Waver had already detected his arrival and came out to meet him.
"While you were gone, the patrols brought in tons of intel. Which one do you want to hear first?"
Sakatsuki glanced at the dead-fish-eyed young man and shrugged. "Start with the worst one."
"When Nero returned to the camp, the first thing she did upon waking was declare you a traitor."
Sakatsuki's eyes widened in disbelief. Just as Waver thought he'd shout, "I didn't do it! Don't frame me!" he instead heard the man mutter:
"Damn… how'd she figure that out?"
Waver: "..."
Well, turns out the emperor really did hit the nail on the head.
"You planned this from the start?"
"What else? I drew my sword, didn't I?" Sakatsuki replied matter-of-factly. "Doesn't that count as betrayal?"
"Then why didn't you keep Nero with you?"
At that, the white-haired general smacked his palm and looked enlightened. "Right… why didn't I just kidnap her?"
Smack!
Waver facepalmed, suddenly reminded of the agony of dealing with students at the Clock Tower. His stomach, which had just started recovering, began to ache again.
Even in another world, this guy's logic was as bizarre as ever.
"...At least give me a reason."
"Well, I guess we have Her Majesty Nero to thank for that," Sakatsuki said with a smile, as if remembering something. "You'll never know unless you try, right?"
Waver squinted at Sakatsuki, who was smiling as brightly as the sun. He was increasingly certain this guy's intentions were anything but pure.
Perhaps only a few people could truly exist in Sakatsuki's eyes. Who could have known how he viewed this country—this entire world—as nothing more than a bargaining chip?
"Report—!"
At that moment, a mounted messenger arrived. Upon seeing the two commanders, he dismounted and dropped to one knee.
"At the Pisa front, the coalition forces have launched a full-scale assault on the Empire!"
At those words, Sakatsuki and Waver exchanged glances and quickly came to an agreement.
"A perfect opportunity."
"Of course. Ready the troops—we march at once!"
***
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