"Siegfried, huh."
Wu Ling let out a quiet sigh. His tone held nine parts relief and one part disappointment.
After all, this summoning circle was not connected to the Type-Moon Throne of Heroes, the place that held who knew how many Heroic Spirits. It drew Heroic Spirits from his own memory instead. Among the dragon-related Heroic Spirits he could remember, there were barely more than twenty, and that count included seven or eight Artoria variants. In other words, he had almost a one-in-three chance of pulling an Artoria, and he had still missed.
Still, it was fine. Siegfried's combat power was top-class, and his personality was easy to handle. He was not the troublesome sort of Heroic Spirit. As a Servant, he was extremely convenient, the kind who supported his Master with a willingness to take a step back. There was only one thing Wu Ling had to remember. If a problem ever ran against Siegfried's ideals, then no matter how good their relationship was, he would become stubborn and impossible to move.
That brief stretch of time was enough for Siegfried to finish receiving information from the Throne of Heroic Spirits. He understood where he was, and he also heard Wu Ling call his name.
Siegfried was the dragon-slaying hero from the German epic Nibelungenlied. He had lived like a wish-granting machine, answering requests regardless of good or evil. Because of that, even the faint disappointment hidden in Wu Ling's tone did not escape him. As a Servant, he understood very well why a Master might feel disappointed.
"Master."
Wu Ling looked over. "What is it, Siegfried?"
"I am sorry that I was the one summoned."
The moment Wu Ling heard Siegfried's classic line, his brow twitched.
Whoa. What is going on? He starts apologizing before anything else? So this is Mr. Sorry in person. Judging by what he said, he picked up on that tiny bit of disappointment.
With that thought, Wu Ling smiled, stepped forward, and patted Siegfried on the shoulder.
"It is fine. It is fine. You are excellent too, so do not look down on yourself. Wait here for now. I will summon the other two first, then we can talk."
Siegfried nodded in silence. Carrying his greatsword, he walked to the corner of the room and stood there with his back turned, facing Wu Ling again only after he had settled into place. Seeing how well-behaved he was, Wu Ling turned his attention to the other two souls.
He frowned as he watched the two churning soul masses. To be honest, those two were an experiment.
There were only so many Titled Sages and hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts in this world. If Wu Ling wanted to summon five-star Heroic Spirits, he could not just slaughter all of them. So after discussing it with Rose and the others, he had decided to test whether quantity could trigger a qualitative change.
Judging by the result, they had succeeded. These two soul masses had been created by letting almost a hundred substandard remnant souls devour and kill one another. Judging by their condition, however, they had also failed. The two souls were far too mixed and chaotic. The chance of summoning proper Servants from them should have been close to nothing.
"Is it because human souls are too complicated? Next time, I should try lower-level Soul Beast souls. Better yet, souls from the same species."
As he spoke, Wu Ling controlled the two soul masses without much hope and sent them into the summoning circle together.
He was just about to chat with Siegfried when white light suddenly flared from the circle.
"Hm? This can still summon someone? Then who is it?"
A petite figure appeared within the summoning circle. Before she fully arrived, her voice came first.
"Servant, Kiyohime. Please do not be fooled by my appearance. I am a Berserker. I look forward to your care, Master."
Wu Ling's eyes went wide.
What did I just hear? So those messy souls can summon Berserkers? No, that is not the important part. The important part is Kiyohime. The Kiyohime you absolutely cannot lie to.
First came an easygoing Heroic Spirit like Siegfried. Then came a difficult one like Kiyohime. What kind of insane mechanism is this?
That was what he thought, but he still welcomed her aloud.
"Welcome, Miss Kiyohime."
Then Kiyohime appeared right in front of him. A faint, clean fragrance drifted into Wu Ling's nose, but he did not dare move. Kiyohime was narrowing her eyes and staring straight at him.
"Was it my imagination? For just a moment, I sensed the scent of a lie... It seems I was mistaken. In that case, honest Master, I look forward to your care."
She bowed to Wu Ling.
By now, sweat had begun to bead on Wu Ling's forehead. A moment ago, thinking she would be troublesome while verbally welcoming her did count as a lie. If he had not hurriedly corrected his mindset, Kiyohime might have been brutally sent back the moment she arrived.
"Yes. I look forward to your care as well, Miss Kiyohime."
After receiving Wu Ling's reply, Kiyohime seemed about to say more. Then golden light flashed above the summoning circle again.
"Three in a row!"
Wu Ling immediately tensed with excitement. Kiyohime saw his expression and said nothing more. She simply stepped behind Wu Ling and watched him gently.
Wu Ling's attention had already locked onto the summoning circle. As the golden light brightened, a massive figure emerged.
"Roar!"
A clear dragon roar rang out. Wu Ling stared at the tyrannosaurus-like silhouette and fell into a long silence.
He had now confirmed one thing. Mixed souls could indeed be used for summoning. The issue was that they only seemed able to summon Berserkers. The tyrannosaur before him was also a Berserker-class Heroic Spirit: Kijyo Koyo.
If getting along with Kiyohime required him not to lie, then getting along with Koyo required him not to betray her. The problem was that in her current tyrannosaur form, she could not communicate normally.
So Wu Ling used his connection to her Saint Graph through the Throne of Heroic Spirits and forcibly injected a large amount of Spirit Power into her, creating an effect similar to a Saint Graph ascension.
Light rose across the tyrannosaur's body. Her huge form gradually shrank, and at last, a pale, beautiful woman dressed in red-and-white feathered robes appeared before him.
"I am Shinano-Togakushi's Koyo. The crimson leaves that adorn the mossy earth, the thunderfire demon who decorates the mountain path with red lotuses. You may call me Koyo, as one would address a noble lady. But... you must never betray me."
"Of course. Welcome, Koyo."
This time, Wu Ling meant it completely.
They were both Berserkers, but Koyo's condition of not being betrayed was far easier to handle than Kiyohime's condition of never being lied to.
Finally, Wu Ling called Siegfried over.
"Then, Siegfried, Kiyohime, Koyo. As the only Master in this world, I welcome you here on behalf of the Heroic Spirits who have already arrived."