Charles sat on the curb, rubbing his head. "Can anyone sense any enemies nearby?"

He waited a moment, and after there was no response, he laid on the sidewalk, letting out a groan of exasperation.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh…"

"Well.. This match wasn't decisive, but at least we're all okay, right, Master?" Fran asked.

"It's a lot less than I expected to happen in the first night. But, at least there are more Servants that we know of than not now." Akira said.

"Caster Shakespeare.. Caster Mephistopheles.. Your Saber.. Lancer.." she counted off on her fingers.

"Any ideas on who that Lancer was?"

"A Knight of Round, definitely," Charles replied instantly. "To command that presence, and to have that much raw power.. There's only one possibility. But which one is the question.."

"There's no recorded Knight of Round who had a lion's helmet, or who wielded an invisible lance. Though, that could be an invention of the Master to disguise the true form of the lance.. Saber, did you get a good look at it?" Akira asked.

Fran nodded. "Yes. Easily over a meter in length, and it was brighter than anything I've ever seen. It was like they had the sun in their hand."

Charles clasped his hands together. "Well, thank God for small blessings, right? At least we're not facing Excalibur."

"That's true," Akira agreed. "King Arthur himself would be unbeatable on his home turf. Snapping the Saber class up has given us at least a fighting chance. However.."

'This is probably also a Holy weapon of some kind," Charles finished. "If we go by process of elimination, and don't include the Knights who cannot be Lancer.. Gawain.. Percival.. Galahad.. Agravain.. Tristan.. Bedivere.. Mordred.. The only two suspects are Gareth and Lancelot, right?"

"Mhm. In which case, both have recorded deaths that we can exploit. We can leave the matter of it being a Holy Lance aside for now. William?"

Shakespeare, who appeared to be staring off into space, snapped to attention. "Yes, Master?"

"Find out what you can about Lancelot and Gareth, and how they relate to this "Lion Knight." It's London, so there should be an Arthurian museum around somewhere."

"My Master, if reading is the only thing required of me, I shall gladly indulge in your request. Master of Saber, I beseech thee keep my own Master safe for me in mine absence," Shakespeare said, disappearing with a bow and a flourish of his cape.

"Now that he's gone.. We still have that other Caster to worry about."

Charles sighed. "Mephistopheles? What do you know about him?"

"Only that he's not really the Devil, no matter how much he claims. Johann Faust was one of the original magi who first dabbled in homunculus creation.
Everything the Einzberns take credit for today, they ripped off him. His most successful creation was Mephistopheles. No-one really knows much about him except that he existed in the first place and didn't bother to destroy his creator's research papers after he killed him and vanished," Akira said. "After that, Goethe wrote a play about the two, embellished a few details and the rest is history."

"The public does like a good villain, I suppose," Charles smirked. "And the only thing more important than a Heroic Spirit's life is their reputation. I wouldn't be surprised if conceptually speaking, Mephistopheles the Heroic Spirit really was a Demon. Anything else to share?"

"Only that he most definitely is the root of the global mental pollution from a few nights ago. He's also a Demon of temptation and misfortune, so I feel worse for his Master than for us."

"Misfortune, huh..?" Charles wondered aloud. "I suppose summoning him would be the greatest misfortune of all."

Akira nodded. "Yep. I give his Master three days, tops, until he drives them crazy. In the play, Faust's immortal soul was only saved because God spoke directly to him and.. He's not exactly the most talkative type in real life."

"And two Casters? How did he manage that? No matter how 'misfortunate' someone is, there's no way they can break the rules of the Grail."

"Hmm.." Akira put a hand to her chin. "I've got two theories as to that. One, he's lying, and that's the one I honestly believe. He could be suited to be an Assassin or even a Berserker. Or two.. He's the other Master who summoned their Servant at midnight two nights ago. I oversaw the Grail's construction and.. It's really not that amazing compared to the original Greater Grail used in Japan. I only expect it to last three weeks before it collapses under its own weight, tops. Irregularities like this could happen. More importantly-"

Akira sat down next to Charlie, almost looming over him.

"What was that Mephistopheles said about you having two Sabers?"

Charles looked away. "Isn't he a Demon of trickery?'

Akira shook her head. "Not in that way. He never lies, he just tells you the worst truths at the worst time possible. If we're going to work together, I need to know."

Charles sighed. "Saber?"

Fran turned to the two of them shyly. "Yes?"

"Should we tell her?"

Fran thought for a moment. "Miss Akira can be trusted.. I think."

"Arigatou, Saber," Akira smiled. She then focused her gaze back on Charles, arms crossed. "Well? What is it?"

Charles groaned and sat up. "Get comfy, this is going to be a long one."

"Bullshit," Akira said flatly.

"I'm serious!" Charles protested. "That is what happened!"

"So. You're telling me- no, you're expecting me to believe that she is Victor Frankenstein's Monster?"

"Yes, but she doesn't like being called that."

"And you did what to her Saint Graph?"

"Hand over heart, I swear on my mum!" Charles insisted. "During the summoning ritual, a bit of extra.. Servant juice or whatever happened to be stored in the Mystic Code. And then.."

"So.. Who does that sword belong to?"

"I don't know," Charles admitted. "Some queen, maybe. She only answers to 'lionhearted.'"

"More stupid lions to figure out," Akira mumbled into her hands. "Tell me he's pulling my leg, Saber."

Fran shook her head. "It's all true."

"You know.. When I woke up in my nice, comfy, non-hotel bed three weeks ago, I didn't expect that I'd have to deal with.. This. And what's with this carefree approach to the Grail War? I expected your intentions were at the least for the purpose of science, not for some.. Some.. Pissing match with your brother! Why couldn't you just have him assassinated and be done with it like a normal magus?"

Charles shrugged. "Guess I'm not a normal magus."

'No, you're not! You're a half-wit with no sanctity for a century and a half-old tradition! Why, I should have you expelled just for thinking of tampering with my ancestors' work!"

Charles could tell that he had gotten the Tohsaka worked up. Of course, being him, he could only do one thing in response.

"Well, it wouldn't have even worked if the Grail was 100% functional."

Akira visibly deflated. "Fair. You win."

"Always do. Where do we go from here?"

"Recoup and I'll be at yours at the same time tomorrow. Try not to get yourself attacked on the way home."

"What about you?" We can escort you if you'd like."

Akira smiled. "That's sweet, but I'll pass. The Clock Tower isn't too far from here, and I need to get some things while I'm in this part of town anyway."

Charles deliberated whether to let her go or not. "Alright, then. I suppose," he said uneasily. "Stay safe."

Akira gave him a thumbs-up. "You too, partner."

(Next Time: Assassin's Offer!)