Chapter 414: The Sleepless Night (Part 3)

Chapter 414: The Sleepless Night (Part 3)

Fiore's cheeks had never been as red as they were now, as if a fire was burning within them that couldn't be extinguished. Part of this was certainly because Shinji had seen her in such an embarrassing state, but more so because of what Celenike had said.

After the Astolfo Judgment Assembly and the Black Lancer Strategy Meeting ended, Shinji escorted Fiore back to her room before heading off to find Astolfo to check on Sieg's situation. Since he had chosen to help, he couldn't abandon it halfway.

Fiore didn't think much of it. Chiron, Shinji, and Astolfo had always had a good relationship. With Astolfo facing a death sentence, Chiron and Shinji were willing to fight to protect him. Visiting him in prison wasn't a big deal, and Chiron would probably be there soon as well.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, Caules ran into her room saying that Chiron had gone to visit Astolfo. He also mentioned that Assassin had gone too and suggested that they visit as well since they had nothing else to do.

Seeing her brother's expression, Fiore knew Caules probably wasn't going just to visit. He was likely up to something. Directly stopping him wouldn't necessarily work; even if he agreed, he might sneak off later. It was better to go with him and be able to handle any situation that arose.

With this in mind, Fiore agreed to go with her brother.

What would they see? What would Archer, Assassin, and Rider talk about?

How would they see? By spying, or more accurately, by eavesdropping.

The essence of the Forvedge family's magecraft was the attachment and manipulation of spirits. Though this magecraft wasn't highly combative, it was excellent in many areas, such as spying and eavesdropping.

Thus, Fiore and Caules hid in the hallway leading to the dungeon, using pre-prepared beast spirits to spy and eavesdrop.

Initially, Fiore was against this, but seeing the artificial guards driven away from the dungeon entrance, her curiosity got the better of her. Additionally, the dungeon had a pre-set bounded field that suppressed Servant's senses, so Fiore didn't stop her brother.

Then, the siblings heard Celenike's explosive statement.

The Forvedge siblings were young. While Western education systems in such matters were quite comprehensive, understanding knowledge wasn't the same as having experience. They had no practical experience in this area, let alone any real-world application. Compared to the experienced Celenike, they were absolute novices.

A few casual words from Celenike left the two novices red-faced and flustered.

When the experienced driver started showing off her skills, the two novices completely broke down. Caules even banged his head against the wall, and Fiore's wheelchair accidentally hit the floor tiles.

Despite the complex bounded field in the dungeon, there wasn't one for soundproofing. Thus, the teasing Celenike, the teased Shinji, and the observing Astolfo all noticed the eavesdroppers.

Realizing they had been spotted, the two hurriedly fled back to their rooms without exchanging a word.

With an inherently strong psychological constitution and not being the direct target of the teasing, Caules calmed down quickly after some fresh air.

Fiore, however, was not as composed. Her mind was filled with the "impure" words she had heard, making her beautiful face alternately flush red and pale.

Siegfried's helplessness against Achilles and his absurd behavior.

The overwhelming prowess of Black Assassin and Fiore's unwavering trust.

The contrast was stark.

The subsequent meeting of the kings made Gordes feel that sense of absolute trust even more.

To save Astolfo, Chiron and Black Assassin had been willing to confront Vlad III. To Gordes, this was unimaginable. Astolfo's own Master had stood by without objection—why were these two "outsiders" interfering? Why didn't the Forvedge siblings try to stop them?

Gordes still remembered Fiore and Caules' expressions. Though they were somewhat surprised and tense, they showed no signs of wavering.

At that moment, he had thought, "Assassin may not be as strong as Siegfried, yet he can still shine when facing top-tier Servants like Karna and Achilles. In contrast, despite having the great hero Siegfried, I have yet to achieve any notable results."

If this continued, it wouldn't be Siegfried's incompetence but his own.

Perhaps, as that annoying Assassin had suggested, the relationship between Master and Servant was crucial. Yet he had never tried to understand—no, he had never even thought about understanding his Servant.

No matter what, he needed to have a proper conversation with Siegfried, at least to understand his wishes.

With this in mind, Gordes got up from the bed and took out a bottle of red wine and two goblets.

"Saber, materialize."

The knight from the Netherlands appeared, his imposing figure still as commanding as ever, always present.

Gordes pointed to the adjacent sofa and handed over a glass of wine.

"How about a drink? I'd like to have a good talk with you."

...

That night, many couldn't sleep.

PS: Celenike's assist was spot-on, proving she's the only Master who truly understands how to use her Servant and Command Spells.

PS2: It looks like Gordes is about to rise. In Higashide's novel, I've always thought Gordes was the best-developed character, perfectly embodying the concept of growth from initial dislike to eventual transformation.