"That's impossible! Command Seals possess absolute authority over Servants—so why do they have no effect on you?!"
Medea stared at the spot on the back of her hand where one of the Command Seals had already vanished, then looked up at Ren Kuroda, who was still standing there calmly, almost blankly watching her. She simply couldn't accept what was happening.
Command Seals were the most important asset a Master had in the Holy Grail War. After all, no matter how one looked at it, modern magi—frail and limited—were no match for the legendary heroes and demigods of history and myth.
"There's nothing impossible about it," Ren said evenly. "Don't forget—although you, as a Caster, completed the summoning of a Heroic Spirit, what you did was a blatant violation of the rules.
"On top of that, my Magic Resistance is extremely high. And I didn't rely on any of your mana to manifest as a Heroic Spirit. So while I may technically belong to your faction as your Servant, you can't command me to do anything."
The fact that the Command Seal hadn't worked on him puzzled Ren slightly—but not enough to truly surprise him.
In his view, the Command Seals worked on Servants partly because the rules of the Holy Grail War said they should—and partly because of the relationship between Master and Servant.
Heroic Spirits were able to manifest physically and participate in the Holy Grail War thanks to the Grail itself. Whether they could unleash their full power, however, depended on how much mana their Master could supply.
But Ren was fundamentally different from other Servants.
First of all, he already possessed a physical body. Unlike typical Heroic Spirits who required the Grail's mana to materialize, Ren existed independently. That alone allowed him to bypass certain restrictions imposed by the Grail.
Second, the method by which Medea had summoned him—using her Noble Phantasm to cheat the system—pushed him even further outside the Holy Grail War's established rules.
At this point, the only real function Medea's Command Seals served was to prove that Ren and she were technically on the same side. Beyond that, they were effectively useless.
And unlike Sasaki Kojirō in the original timeline—who had also been summoned through an irregular method—Ren wasn't confined to the grounds of Ryūdō Temple.
Medea looked at Ren, realizing that she knew absolutely nothing about him. The fact that even the Command Seals were ineffective left her with a pounding headache.
Yet she couldn't bring herself to give up.
She had paid an enormous price to summon him.
And strictly speaking, Ren was her Servant. Even if he didn't obey her commands, if he won the Holy Grail War, the Grail would still recognize her as the victor.
"I don't know what era you come from," Medea said slowly, choosing her words with care, "but since you answered the summoning, that means there must be something you desire—something left unfulfilled.
"If that's the case, why don't we cooperate? As you can see, our relationship is far more reliable than that of ordinary allies.
"Compared to the others, our advantage is overwhelming. If we win this Holy Grail War, we can share the Grail."
In the Holy Grail War, only one Master–Servant pair could claim victory—meaning one wish for the Master and one for the Servant.
As for Kuzuki Sōichirō, his participation in the Grail War had been purely accidental. He had no interest in wishes or miracles whatsoever, which meant that splitting the Grail's reward between Medea and Ren was perfectly feasible.
With Ren, Medea had no choice but to appeal to the Grail itself—to tempt him with the promise of a wish.
After investing so much into summoning him, she had no intention of letting him go. Especially not when this Servant seemed to possess the extraordinary ability to perceive other Servants' True Names.
Two Servants on their side—and the power to uncover True Names?
At that point, the Holy Grail War would practically be a joke. A complete steamroll.
Unfortunately for Medea, she had miscalculated.
Not everyone cared about the Holy Grail.
Ren, in particular, knew all too well that ever since the Einzbern family's… creative liberties in previous Grail Wars, the Grail had been corrupted. It no longer possessed the power to grant wishes properly.
A broken cup like that held zero appeal for him.
That said, Ren quickly realized another problem.
He had been inexplicably summoned into the Type-Moon world. The System was completely unresponsive. He had no idea how to return to his original world.
And in this universe, all worldlines revolved around the Holy Grail War.
Ren had a strong feeling that unless this Grail War reached its conclusion, he wasn't going anywhere.
After weighing his options, he finally agreed to cooperate with Medea.
As for why he didn't side with the so-called "protagonist team"—Emiya Shirō and Tōsaka Rin—the answer was simple.
His faction had already been forcibly locked in the moment Medea summoned him.
When Medea heard Ren agree to cooperate, her eyes lit up with undisguised joy. She even generously allowed him to view her Servant parameters—hardly the behavior one would expect from the infamous "Witch of Betrayal."
After displaying her abilities, Medea—under the pretense of "information sharing"—naturally requested to see Ren's Servant data as well, so she could plan more effectively.
Medea wasn't foolish.
Her True Name had already been exposed, so the rest of her parameters hardly mattered. In fact, using "information sharing" as an excuse allowed her to investigate Ren's origins more thoroughly—especially the mysterious ability that let him perceive True Names.
Heroic Spirit: MedeaClass: CasterAlignment: Neutral · Evil
Parameters:Strength: EEndurance: DAgility: CMana: A+Luck: B
Noble Phantasm:Rule Breaker (C Rank)Type: Anti-Magecraft Noble PhantasmRange: 1Maximum Targets: 1
Territory Creation (A):A Caster-class skill that allows the construction of workshops and territories optimized for mana accumulation.
Item Construction (A):A Caster-class skill enabling the creation of magical tools—from combat implements to everyday items.
High-Speed Divine Words (A):The ability to activate magecraft without incantations or magic circuits. Through Instant Contracts (Ten Count), even Grand Magecraft can be deployed in a single action.
Golden Fleece (Argon Coin) (EX):The golden fleece inherited from Colchis, a priceless treasure sought by Jason and the Argonauts. As a descendant, Medea is its rightful owner.
Teachings of Circe (A):Medea trained in the temple of Hecate, goddess of the moon. Her senior disciple was the witch Circe.
Even if Medea hadn't shared her abilities, Ren would've been able to guess most of them anyway.
Strictly speaking, he was a cheater.
Other Servants were merely granted historical knowledge, but Ren had essentially "participated" in the Holy Grail War before it even began.
Seeing the expectant look on Medea's face, Ren ultimately chose not to hide anything and revealed his own Servant panel.
After all, as Medea had said, the bond between Master and Servant was supposed to be the most reliable relationship in the Grail War.
Of course, that logic didn't exactly apply to the notorious "Witch of Betrayal"—considering she had murdered her first Master shortly after being summoned, making Kuzuki Sōichirō nothing more than a… successor.
When Medea saw Ren's Servant parameters with her own eyes, she was utterly stunned.
Completely.
Because Ren's stats and abilities were nothing short of monstrous.
Setting aside his skills for the moment, just the raw parameters alone were enough to nearly make her jaw drop.
Aside from Luck—where they both shared a modest B—every other stat was absurd.
As an Assassin-class Servant, every single one of his parameters was at least A Rank.
And even more ridiculous—
His Strength and Mana had reached the incomprehensible level of A+.
Medea was a Caster, a famed witch of the Age of Gods—having A+ Mana made perfect sense.
But an Assassin with A+ Strength and Mana?
What kind of monster was this?!
She had once been confident in her own solid A-ranked class and personal skills—but after seeing Ren's overwhelmingly broken kit, Medea genuinely felt like crying.
Normally, Heroic Spirits were famous figures from history or legend. Once their True Names were revealed, opponents could prepare counters or exploit known weaknesses.
But this Assassin—
"Ren Kuroda."
Medea had never heard the name in her life.
A powerful great yokai from some forgotten era?
That description was absurd.
With known heroes, one could research legends and find weaknesses. But some era's great yokai?
Where were they supposed to find that information?
After fully grasping Ren's strength, Medea's mood skyrocketed. At the same time, she felt deeply relieved that she hadn't completely torn ties with him earlier.
Otherwise, she would likely have become the first Servant eliminated in this Holy Grail War.
Ren's sheer power filled Medea with unshakable confidence.
With all parameters above A, even without personal skills, he could overwhelm most Servants with brute force alone.
The "optimal class," Saber—could any Saber boast stats like that?
The Assassin she had summoned might very well be the strongest Assassin in history.
Yet after marveling at Ren's power, Medea couldn't help feeling dissatisfied.
Among his displayed abilities, she saw no skill that explicitly allowed him to perceive True Names.
Which meant—
Either that ability stemmed from his connection to her…
Or Ren was still hiding something.
"No matter whether you believe me or not," Ren said calmly, "I do possess the ability to see through others' True Names.
"But it isn't a skill that belongs to me."