Late at night, the northern tundra of Ursus.
The light of the full moon was the only source of illumination upon the snowy plains, while a pitch-black figure moved rapidly across the snow.
That person was Nameless.
Because snow reflected light strongly, even with only moonlight it was still possible to vaguely make out the outlines of surrounding objects.
Of course, even without moonlight, Nameless could still easily see the surrounding environment and determine directions.
The reason he was moving during the dead of night was simply because a Servant's body did not tire easily, allowing him to keep moving continuously.
Since departing, he had already traveled nonstop for an entire day, equivalent to about two days' worth of travel for an ordinary person.
This operation involved only himself. Originally, Kal'tsit had planned to assign Blaze to accompany him, but he noticed that her weapon had developed a problem, so he shot and destroyed the chainsaw beforehand.
Without her preferred weapon, Blaze naturally could not participate in the mission. When Nameless left Rhodes Island, he could still clearly hear her wailing.
It sounded absolutely terrible. Under normal circumstances she probably would have unleashed a torrent of profanity, but Blaze did not treat Nameless the same way she treated other people.
To Blaze, Nameless was probably similar to Doctor Kal'tsit. Around them, she simply could not act completely uninhibited.
However, Nameless felt no guilt over this, not even the slightest trace of such thoughts.
Leaving aside the fact that he already preferred operating alone, Blaze failing to notice the issue with her own weapon was itself a serious mistake.
So after destroying her weapon, he casually informed Ace about the matter as well. Blaze's afternoon was probably extremely fulfilling after that.
"Firelight? Is that a village?"
After traveling for quite some time, Nameless noticed flickering firelight in the distance and began slowing his pace.
After all, it was somewhat abnormal. At this hour, it was unlikely someone would openly start a fire outside their house.
Was it an Ursus guerrilla squad?
If it were guerrillas, Nameless would choose to detour around them. Clashing head-on with such people held no meaning for him and would only waste time.
But it was also possible that this was the primary target of his current investigation in the northern tundra of Ursus — the Infected group known as Reunion.
That was why he slowed down and searched for a location to observe the situation first. If it was the former, he would simply leave by another route. If it was the latter, then he would consider what to do next.
"..."
Finding higher ground, Nameless carefully observed the activity around the area.
The people there consisted of a rather mixed group: Ursus, Liberi… and even a large number of Sarkaz.
That alone was enough to determine these people were not Ursus guerrillas. They were very likely the target he came searching for in the tundra — Reunion.
However, Nameless did not sense the presence of a Servant, so he did not act rashly.
At present, he still did not know whether they were enemies or allies. He was not even certain whether the target truly existed, so observing for a while was necessary.
Although the environment was freezing cold, with temperatures ordinary people would find unbearable, it was nothing to him.
He wore Rhodes Island tactical equipment, which contained various tools and weapons he had projected in advance. They could be used to handle unexpected situations while also concealing his abilities to a certain extent.
At the same time, Nameless used the night and the surrounding dead trees to conceal himself. Without looking carefully, it was very difficult to notice him.
Combined with the fact that he was observing the group from two to three kilometers away using his superior vision, the chances of being discovered were even lower.
But all of those assumptions depended on the other side not having someone with exceptionally sharp instincts.
Some people were naturally extremely sensitive to being watched. As long as someone stared at them, they could sense it, and some could even determine the exact direction.
Or perhaps even more troublesome… the other side also possessed long-range attack methods.
"Originium Arts? This kind of attack method is really irritating."
Looking at the spear rushing toward him, Nameless moved first.
A pale purple circular shield appeared before him and blocked the spear's assault. The instant the spear collided with the shield, Nameless could clearly feel the force contained within it.
Within Terra, it could probably be considered among the very best, but in his eyes it still did not compare to a certain someone.
As for who that someone was, even he himself did not know. Perhaps it was someone from when he was alive, or perhaps someone he encountered during a previous summoning.
In any case, it was not a pleasant memory.
After the spear lost its momentum and fell to the ground, Nameless immediately changed locations.
The time spent blocking the spear was not long, but for certain people that amount of time was already enough to cross a distance of roughly two kilometers.
If he remained in that location, he would only end up entangled and surrounded.
"…No Servant presence."
After moving far away from the previous position, Nameless once again sensed the surroundings.
The fluctuation caused by projecting a Noble Phantasm earlier had been quite large. It was impossible for there to be absolutely no reaction.
Were they waiting for a chance to strike? Or perhaps they were not a Servant suited for direct combat?
Nameless felt the former possibility was more likely. After all, the main reason he came here was because he had heard certain related rumors.
And right now, he could feel someone watching him, likely through Originium Arts. In that area, he could not perceive and break through it the way Rhodes Island's casters could.
"I need to figure out whether they are watching through Originium Arts or simply through perception."
Although he was unfamiliar with Originium Arts, there were still simple methods to determine and evade them.
If they were directly watching this area…
Then a flashbang could give them a little surprise and allow him to use that brief interruption in vision to escape.
Pulling a handgun from his body, Nameless directly fired a shot upward.
The bullet shot into the sky, strange patterns appearing across its surface before those markings suddenly erupted into a blinding light.
Unlike directly using a flashbang grenade, this method did not create much noise.
After all, flashbangs did not merely produce light. They also generated a sound above a certain decibel level to incapacitate enemies.
And because he could directly project them, Nameless had simply separated the effects into different types of bullets that could be used whenever necessary.
Using the blinding light as cover, Nameless accelerated his pace. Before long, he felt that gaze disappear.
"Even now, they still are not planning to act?"
While stopping somewhere to regroup, Nameless considered the reasons why the other side had not attacked.
His earlier series of actions had exposed many openings. If he truly wanted to escape, he could simply have entered spirit form and left immediately.
Relying only on vision or perception through Originium Arts, it was absolutely impossible to notice a Servant in spirit form. This had already been tested at Rhodes Island.
However, the Sarkaz "rituals" were harder to say. According to rumors, they possessed methods targeting souls, though he had never personally tested them.
Combined with the presence of another Servant, Nameless had never intended from the very beginning to gather intelligence while remaining in spirit form.
"Or perhaps… they have already been eliminated?"
After ruling out various possibilities, Nameless seriously began considering this option.
In Holy Grail Wars, there had been cases where Servants were defeated by a magus. With sufficient preparation and a careless Servant, even humans could seriously injure one.
And this was Ursus, a place extremely hostile toward the Infected.
Based on what he had learned over these past days, Ursus's military strength was not weak at all. There was even a group of extremely powerful armed personnel unknown to most people.
Under such conditions, the possibility of elimination was fairly high.
"If that is really the case, perhaps I can switch methods for gathering intelligence."
After thinking for a moment, Nameless decided to change his approach.
Long-distance observation was no longer workable, and the efficiency was far too low.
More importantly, he himself was a Servant. Even with Independent Action and methods of replenishing magical energy, he still could not stay too far from Amiya for extended periods.
In that sense, it was rather fitting for a Holy Grail War, though the duration was somewhat longer.
"If I am going to infiltrate another way, then I need to make the disguise convincing."
After planning his next course of action, Nameless began searching for traces of wild animals.
He intended to disguise himself as a hunter and enter a village for trading. Hunters bringing in prey for trade was completely normal here, but the prerequisite was having something to trade in the first place.
For him, that was not difficult.
Very quickly, Nameless locked onto tracks within a forest and found a wild boar nest inside a cave.
To avoid revealing flaws, he did not use blades or firearms to kill the boar. Instead, he used a bow for the first time in a long while.
One arrow pierced through the head of the sleeping boar. Afterwards, he tidied himself up inside the cave and projected a set of clothing and a cloak seemingly made from various beast hides.
The bow and arrows were slung across his back, making him appear like a hunter who spent long periods traveling outside.
He was merely somewhat taller and stronger than usual.
But on this land there were many races that were naturally large and powerful, so Nameless did not pay much attention to that aspect.
After finishing his preparations, Nameless did not choose to leave immediately. Instead, he found a place inside the cave to sit and wait until dawn before projecting a sled and ropes to drag the prey toward the village.
"Is that a hunter? He looks pretty impressive. He actually managed to hunt such a huge beast. I wonder if he is here to trade supplies. In any case, we should notify the people in the village first."
Around the village, the personnel responsible for scouting spotted a man dragging a beast across the snow through a telescope.
This kind of situation was not uncommon in Ursus. Hunters living out in the wilderness would often bring prey to villages or towns for trade.
This was also one of their regular meat sources. Most of the time, the hunters exchanged the meat for supplies such as daily necessities or medicine.
Usually, however, the prey consisted only of smaller animals or horned beasts. For an ordinary hunter to take down such a large beast alone was fairly difficult.
So his first reaction upon seeing it was admiration, followed by sending someone to notify the people inside the village.
Aside from preparing the goods for trade, it was also a warning for the village's combat personnel to stay alert toward outsiders.
There were quite a lot of Infected in the village, so proper vigilance was necessary.
"…I came to trade supplies, and at the same time I hope to rest here for a while. Hunting this thing took me a very long time."
After dragging the boar closer, Nameless first glanced at the people before him. Seeing the cautious expressions on their faces, he spoke the explanation he had prepared beforehand.
"You are alone?"
The person who came to receive him was a tall Ursus man with a blade hanging at his waist, his eyes constantly sizing up the "hunter" before him.
His task was simple: determine whether the man truly was a hunter and whether the meat of the beast behind him was still fresh.
Nothing unusual could really be seen from the man's appearance, and the beast did indeed look fresh. The blood around the wound on its head was still bright red.
The only injury was to the head. If the fur from the rest of the body could be skinned properly, it could be used to make new clothes for the children in the village.
Overall, everything looked fine, except for the hunter's request…
If the man truly was alone, then perhaps they could handle him. More importantly, Patriot and the Shieldguards were still inside the village, which was the main reason he could make this decision.
If there had not been any combat-capable leaders in the village, he would have rejected the request immediately, no matter how large or fresh the beast was.
"I am alone," Nameless answered truthfully.
"Alright then, come with us. Do you need help dragging it into the village?"
After hearing his answer, the two people who came to receive him exchanged glances before agreeing to allow him into the village.
"I can handle it myself."
Nameless refused their help.
Partly because he genuinely did not need assistance. Even if there were two or three more wild boars, he could still drag them.
The other reason was that he had no intention of pretending to be some talkative and outgoing character.
Although acting that way would make gathering information easier, he still did not want to do it.
Because he simply could not, even if it were only an act.
"Then follow me."
The two men did not pay much attention to the hunter's refusal.
Hunters who lived apart from society for long periods being somewhat distant toward people was completely normal.
The two of them positioned themselves in front of and behind Nameless as they led him toward the village.
Because of the earlier refusal, neither of them spoke during the journey. They silently escorted him toward the settlement.
"..."
Silence continued all the way until they neared the village.
Nameless could see many elderly people and children standing outside their homes or peeking through windows, watching him — or rather, watching the enormous beast he dragged behind him.
Nameless was not particularly surprised by the absence of adult men.
In an environment like this, anyone capable of labor had to find work and struggle to survive, including women.
After taking a few brief glances and gathering some information, Nameless stopped paying attention to the crowd.
The two guides had already noticed his observations, their hands moving to the weapons at their waists in caution.
When they saw that his gaze was no longer wandering around, the two relaxed slightly, though their hands still remained on their weapons.
Necessary precautions could not be neglected. Furthermore, the people he could currently interact with were only ordinary civilians. The more severely infected individuals and armed personnel were stationed elsewhere.
"Hello, may I ask which parts of this beast you intend to trade?"
After being brought before a relatively large building, a woman with deer antlers stepped out. She politely bowed to Nameless and greeted him.
"All of it."
Looking at the Elafia woman before him, Nameless knew his trip had not been in vain.
The reason was simple. He saw the bright red mark on her right hand — a Command Seal.
At that moment, most of Nameless's attention was focused on the Command Seal on her hand, so he did not notice the surprised expression that briefly appeared on her face after he spoke.
It lasted only an instant before the Elafia woman quickly composed herself and continued:
"All of it? That is quite a substantial trade. I will need to first calculate what supplies the village can offer in exchange. During that time, I will have to trouble you to wait here, sir."
"Alina, this gentleman was already planning to rest here for a while. Should I call the other leaders over?"
After hearing the Elafia woman — Alina — speak, one of the nearby guards stepped closer and explained the situation.
"Then please invite Mr. Patriot over. Also, the two of you go check what supplies in the village can be used for trade. The meals for the next while should become quite good."
After hearing that, Alina gave her instructions.
"Then I will go right away…"
The two men did not hesitate at Alina's orders, though leaving her alone with an outsider still felt somewhat dangerous.
One had to know that Alina was an educated person, while the man before her was a brute capable of single-handedly hunting a massive beast.
So his plan had been to have one person go invite Patriot over to oversee the situation while the two of them handled the tasks Alina assigned.
However, before he could finish speaking, Alina interrupted him.
"It is alright. I just happen to have some things I want to ask this… Mr. Hunter. Besides, there are other people nearby, so there is no need to worry too much."
Alina naturally understood their concerns, and she was certain that this "hunter" before her definitely was not an Ursus native.
First of all, his accent did not sound like one.
Secondly, his voice sounded somewhat familiar.
And lastly, the "red stone" in her pocket had been reacting slightly since early yesterday morning. Coincidentally, at that same time, Mr. Patriot discovered someone outside the village observing the situation within.
Then early this morning, a hunter appeared.
That was simply too much of a coincidence.
Moreover, there were still other people inside the building, which was why she directly told the two men to leave.
"Then we will be going first."
After hearing Alina's words, the two exchanged glances before immediately departing.
They were ordinary people, while Alina was educated. Since an educated person said so, she surely had her own reasoning, and there was no need for them to think too deeply about it.
Still, concern was concern. After moving a short distance away, the two suddenly broke into a run, intending to bring Patriot or another leader over as quickly as possible to check the situation.
"Also, my name is Alina. May I ask how I should address you, sir?"
Seeing the two hastily leaving, Alina covered her mouth and laughed softly before turning her gaze back toward the "hunter" in front of her.
"…Nameless. You can just call me that."
At this moment, Nameless had also realized that Alina was deliberately creating a private space for conversation, and he did not mind exchanging a few words with the Master of this unknown Servant.
"Hmm, Mr. Nameless, may I call you that?"
"As you wish."
"Then please move the beast beside the building first, Mr. Nameless. It is rather large, and leaving it in the middle of the road is not very good."
"..."
Faced with her request, Nameless did not refuse and moved the beast to the designated spot.
Afterward, under her hospitality, he was invited into the relatively large building.
Pushing open the door, what greeted him were neatly arranged desks and chairs along with a large blackboard.
Written on the blackboard were numbers and simple arithmetic problems.
It seemed this place was a classroom, and the Alina before him was likely the teacher here.
"It is not time for lessons yet, so during this period, Mr. Nameless, you may rest here for a while."
Alina tidied away some books and several items that clearly belonged to children, freeing up a chair for Nameless to sit down.
"Lessons?"
After roughly counting the number of desks and chairs, Nameless asked.
Besides opening a conversation topic, he also wanted to gather some information about this place.
One could never have too much intelligence, and having more information would make his future plans easier.
"Yes, though it is not anything advanced. I simply teach the children literacy and some basic arithmetic so life will be a little more convenient for them in the future."
Pouring two cups of boiled water onto the table, Alina spoke with a smile.
When talking about teaching children, she seemed to recall something interesting, causing the smile on her face to deepen even further.
"It seems you really like this job."
Seeing the smile overflowing on Alina's face, Nameless closed his eyes and leaned against the armrest nearby.
Although he had already seen much of this on Rhodes Island, it was still somewhat dazzling.
Whether it was Rhodes Island or the so-called Reunion Movement, the greatest thing they shared in common was the Infected.
Once infected with Oripathy, one's life entered a countdown. The rest of one's days would be spent struggling against illness and pain.
It was just that compared to Rhodes Island, the environment here was far worse.
After all, this was Ursus… heh.
"Yes. After all, Archer once said that education is something extremely important. Once knowledge is learned, it becomes your own, and perhaps one day in the future it may prove useful."
As Alina said these words, her gaze never left Nameless.
Even though he wore a thick cloak concealing his entire face, a person's condition could still be judged from other details.
For example, movements of the hands or body, or prolonged silence.
"..."
Nameless was somewhat surprised upon hearing her words, but he controlled himself well enough not to show any major reaction.
No words, no movements. He was thinking about why Alina had suddenly brought this up.
Had she already discovered his identity as a Servant?
Yes, after all, she was a Master. Compared to ordinary people of Terra, the probability of her noticing him was naturally much higher.
Amiya being unable to sense anything unusual about him did not mean other Masters could not.
But for her to state it so directly…
Wait, Archer?
The Servant here was Archer?
Then what exactly was he, this Archer, supposed to be?
Even though his mind was in complete chaos, Nameless still maintained a calm appearance as he spoke:
"You are not afraid that I might attack here? At this distance, even if your Servant is nearby, I could seriously injure you."
His tone was full of threat, though in reality he made no additional movements.
"I am not worried, because I think Mr. Nameless is someone who can be trusted."
Faced with Nameless's threat, Alina showed no fear. She maintained that gentle smile the entire time.
Calm and composed, perfectly at ease.
"Where is your Servant?"
Seeing how composed she remained, Nameless genuinely did not know what to say anymore.
He had to admit her courage was enormous.
Since they had already laid everything out openly, there was no reason for him to keep avoiding the topic either.
"Archer… sacrificed himself more than half a year ago."
The moment she mentioned Archer, Alina's expression lost some of its earlier composure.
Still, the atmosphere did not become overly gloomy, merely somewhat more serious.
"So he has already disappeared?"
Learning that the other party's Servant had already fallen did not surprise Nameless very much, since he had already suspected it earlier.
What surprised him more was that the Servant's class had also been Archer…
"At the time, we were being pursued by Ursus military forces. In order to cover everyone's retreat, he stayed behind alone. Even after I used Command Seals to support him, in the end this was the only thing we managed to recover from the scene."
As she spoke, Alina took the "red stone" from her pocket and placed it on the table.
"Magical energy? Seeing something like this here is quite rare."
Nameless's gaze fixed itself upon the red crystal on the table.
The feeling of familiarity was incredibly strong, almost identical to the strange familiarity he felt when he first heard rumors about the so-called Red Devil.
It was not a pleasant feeling. That cursed sense of familiarity was precisely why he had risked coming here to gather intelligence. Fortunately Alina had been unusually cooperative, otherwise he would probably still be exhausting himself searching for clues.
"Mr. Nameless, do you know what this is?"
Seeing that Nameless appeared to recognize it, Alina gently pushed the red crystal forward together with the cloth beneath it so he could see it more clearly.
"It is simply a product formed from concentrated magical energy. For magus, it is an excellent catalyst. For you, though, it does not really have any particular use."
The instant he saw it, Nameless already understood what it was. Although the familiarity it caused irritated him, he still patiently explained its function to Alina.
"I see…"
After hearing the answer, disappointment appeared on Alina's face.
She had thought that perhaps the thing Archer left behind could summon him again or somehow bring him back.
She had not expected that, for her, it only held value as a keepsake and memorial.
Still, Alina quickly adjusted her mood. After all, separation through life and death was something she had long since become accustomed to.
At the same time, she noticed that Nameless seemed rather interested in the crystal of magical energy before her, so she continued:
"It seems you are quite interested in this. If you only want to take a closer look…"
Halfway through speaking, she began regretting the offer.
After all, this was something left behind by a companion. Strictly speaking, it could be considered a memento of the deceased. If he simply took it away…
If it were someone she truly acknowledged, then it would not matter, but at present she only held a slight degree of trust toward Nameless, nowhere near true acceptance.
After all, he still had not removed the cloak covering his head, and only his voice felt somewhat familiar.
The voice was indeed very similar, yet there was no emotion within it. It was as though he was rejecting outsiders and trying to isolate himself from everyone else.
"No."
Faced with Alina's goodwill, Nameless refused.
After all, casually touching something left behind by another Servant was not exactly a wise decision.
Yet despite saying that, his gaze still did not leave the magical crystal.
His sight and even his consciousness seemed to be absorbed into the crystal, gradually sinking deeper within it.
Bzzz—
A faint crackling sound of electricity rang out.
At that instant, Nameless's consciousness snapped back. He immediately retreated backward, distancing himself from the magical crystal as much as possible.
In that brief moment, he saw many things.
Fuyuki. The Holy Grail War. A severed arm. Black mud… and "his" response.
It was he himself who had chosen to answer the call of the person desperately seeking power.
Because of the black mud, the portion of that person's body belonging to "that guy" had become corrupted and partially inverted, allowing him to respond to the summoning.
That was the conclusion he reached after witnessing it from a third-person perspective and piecing everything together himself.
The two Archers, and… Emiya Shirou.
In a certain sense, all three of them were Emiya Shirou, which was why such a subtle miracle could occur.
Even though that miracle ultimately failed to save anyone.
But it seemed that afterward, some other miracle had occurred, causing him — who should never have appeared here — to descend upon this land as a Servant.
It was already known that the red Archer had disappeared half a year ago, while he himself had coincidentally arrived here five months ago and become Amiya's Servant.
Was there some special connection between the two?
"You bastard! What are you trying to do to Alina!?"
Before Nameless could continue thinking, a white-haired Vouivre woman rushed out and stood between him and Alina. At the same time, she swung the sword in her hand directly toward him.
"Trace on."
In that brief instant of judgment, Nameless decided not to block the attack barehanded.
The faint flames flickering along the sword gave him a slight sense of danger. Blocking it with his hands might not work.
With magecraft fluid, even if he lost an arm it could be regenerated, but the amount of magecraft fluid was limited and placed a heavy burden on him. Unless absolutely necessary, he would not use it.
A projected black blade intercepted the Vouivre's attack. Nameless twisted his grip sharply, pushing her back toward Alina.
The force was not strong. The white-haired woman landed directly in front of Alina.
"What a nuisance."
Dispelling the black blade in his hand, Nameless let out a sigh and muttered to himself.
The amount of information from that single moment had been overwhelming. He needed to quickly find a place to record and organize his thoughts, while also figuring out how to deal with the aggressive person in front of him.
No, not just her. He also had to deal with the others rushing toward this place.
The heavy armored footsteps were far too loud to ignore.
"That weapon was…?"
Although they only saw it for a brief moment, both Alina and the other Vouivre woman clearly saw the full shape of the black blade.
Aside from the missing section in the hilt, its appearance was almost identical to the weapon Archer usually used. If there was one difference, it would probably be the red patterns that briefly flashed across the blade.
They gave off an unsettling feeling.
"Let us end the conversation here. The boar outside can serve as payment for the information."
After confirming that the others had no intention of continuing the fight, Nameless also lost any desire to sit down and continue chatting. He pushed open the door and prepared to leave immediately.
The necessary information had already been obtained. Everything else could be put aside for now.
The reason he came here in the first place was that cursed sense of familiarity. After all, in a certain sense, they were the same person who had walked different paths. Feeling familiarity was only natural.
At this point, Nameless's memories of the red Archer were limited only to what he had just seen. Everything before that had long since faded, leaving only fragmented pieces behind.
It could not really be called "seeing" either. Most of those memories were things he himself had personally experienced, albeit only through part of a Spirit Origin.
The magical crystal had merely resonated with him and caused him to "remember" these things again. But in his current condition, if he did not record them immediately, he would likely forget them once more.
His own existence already suffered from such problems, and memories recalled through external means could easily slip away from that battered and fragmented body.
So his top priority now was to find a place and write everything down in his notebook.
Besides, revealing one's weaknesses and flaws before outsiders was a major taboo.
"You bastard, just who exactly are—"
The Vouivre woman had just begun questioning Nameless when Alina stopped her.
"Talulah, let Mr. Nameless leave. It seems he has already finished what he came here to do, and there are still other matters waiting for him. We should not delay him."
"…Understood."
Without needing to use force, Alina calmed Talulah with words alone. The sword that had been raised now lowered until its tip pointed at the floor.
Although confusion remained in her eyes, she still chose to listen to Alina and lowered her weapon.
She herself did not fully understand what had happened earlier. She had simply attacked the moment she heard the disturbance. But judging from the other party's actions just now… perhaps she had misunderstood?
A moment ago, the man had clearly had the chance to pursue and seriously injure her, but instead he chose to lower his weapon.
Speaking of weapons, that blade…
Was he someone connected to Archer?
Damn it, she really wanted to know the answer, but Alina would not let her ask.
"..."
Seeing that the two women had no intention of stopping him, Nameless pushed open the door and prepared to leave.
The moment he stepped outside, he saw a gigantic figure approaching from not far away.
The heavy armored footsteps he heard earlier belonged to that enormous figure.
At the same time, the giant held a somewhat familiar spear in his hand.
It was the same spear that attacked him the previous night. It seemed this person was one of the village's strongest combatants.
"..."
Noticing the target's gaze, the gigantic figure also stopped walking and stared directly at him.
The grip on the spear tightened. If the other party made even the slightest move, he would attack immediately.
However, what happened next forced him to lower his weapon.
Alina stepped out, seemingly bidding the man farewell.
Then Talulah appeared behind her, looking as though she wanted to say something but did not know how to put it into words.
The next moment, blue light suddenly emerged around the target's body, and the entire person vanished from the spot.
Seeing this, the giant roughly understood the situation.
He did not intend to interfere too much in this matter. Compared to him, Alina understood these things far better.
What he needed to do was simply ensure everyone's safety.
"Patriot, you are here?"
After seeing Nameless off, Alina noticed Patriot in the distance and greeted him.
"That person just now… why did he come here?"
After giving a slight nod in response, Patriot asked the question.
"He came to ask about Archer, and he also brought us quite a good gift," Alina answered honestly.
At the same time, she asked Talulah to gather some people to deal with the beast outside. It needed to be processed while still fresh, otherwise the smell would become unbearable later.
"I see…"
Patriot did not ask further questions. After letting out a soft sigh, he turned and left.
As for the beast, he did not concern himself with it further. He trusted Talulah and Alina to handle it properly.
Now that things here were safe, he needed to return and continue searching the surrounding area with the warriors for the suspicious figure from last night.
Although there was a high chance it had been the man from earlier, as long as there was no definite answer, even the slightest possibility of danger had to be investigated thoroughly.
"So am I the only one still curious about who that guy actually was?"
After arranging for people to process the beast, Talulah could not help asking as she watched Patriot leave.
She felt like everyone either already understood something or simply did not care, while she alone was still foolishly chasing after the correct answer.
It made her look stupid.
"Well… in any case, he was not the Archer we knew. Beyond that, it is not our place to interfere. He has his own mission."
Seeing how curious Talulah was, Alina shared her thoughts.
She already knew that Servants possessed different aspects. After piecing together various possibilities, she had reached this conclusion.
There was no helping it. That ability to suddenly produce weapons was far too distinctive, especially when the weapons themselves looked almost identical.
Even Talulah had noticed it.
"Huh? That relationship sounds way too complicated…"
After hearing Alina's explanation, Talulah's brain immediately began racing. One could almost imagine smoke rising from the top of her head.
He was Archer, but not Archer. Had she heard something like this before?
Talulah, but not Talulah. Was that the phrase?
It even sounded like something Archer himself once said…
Back then, he had even pulled out a weirdly shaped dagger and stabbed her with it.
She still remembered how intricate that dagger looked, decorated with gemstones and strange patterns that resembled Originium.
"If you cannot figure it out, then stop thinking so hard about it. Help move the beast somewhere more open. The children still need to come here for lessons later."
Seeing Talulah frowning so intensely in thought, Alina found it rather amusing.
"Fine. I will drag it over to the square and keep watch until people arrive."
After hearing Alina's words, Talulah stopped dwelling on the matter.
Whether it was the strange dagger from before or the mysterious man from earlier, both things were already in the past. Neither had caused any real harm to them or Reunion.
In fact, they had even gotten a huge beast for free.
She had seen this beast before. The thing had been extremely cautious, so she had never managed to hunt it. She never expected to see it brought here today.
That hide, that meat, that fat…
It looked like everyone's meals for the next few days were secured.