The sound of sizzling oil and boiling liquid crackled through the air, filling the kitchen with a loud, yet surprisingly pleasant noise. A delicious aroma traveled past the kitchen and into the cafeteria, compelling those who caught a whiff to turn their heads towards the kitchen.

Inside, a dark skinned man wearing an apron over a gray shirt dipped a spoon into a boiling pot of sauce and wiped his finger on it. He brought the sauce coated finger onto his tongue and let the liquid simmer on his taste buds.

'...Needs more salt.' The man thought as he added a pinch of salt into the pot. Tasting it again, the man smiled in satisfaction before turning his attention to the other dishes being made.

It's not something he always readily admitted, but cooking was, and still is one of the few things that brings Archer a peace of mind without fail.

"Yo, chef! Make me something, will ya?"

Said peace was unceremoniously shattered by the voice of a man wearing blue from head to toe. His smug expression irritated Archer, enough for him to disregard the man as a customer.

"...Cu Chulainn."

"Yo! Morning to ya, Archer!" The man, Cu Chulainn, responded in a jovial manner, though it was transparently mocking.

Archer sighed, of all the possible heroes to summon, all the lancers in history… why him?

"Anyway, back to what I was saying, cook up something for me, yeah? I'm starvin here!" The Celtic hero declared, slamming his hands on the counter separating the kitchen and the cafeteria, attracting a not insignificant amount of attention, ranging from scared whispers to cautious bemusement.

"Are you out of your mind? You know damn well Chaldea's supplies are limited from the attack, and you want us to feed servants?" Archer asked the man incredulously.

"Alright, alright, I wasn't hungry, no servant can be, after all." Cu Chulainn relented, causing Archer to breathe a sigh of relief. Well then, back to-

"I still want the food though, my stomach may not be rumbling, but my tongue sure is craving!"

…

Archer's irritation was slowly turning into anger. Damn it, why did their masters have to fulfill the wish of this guy's caster self?

"Come now, head chef, surely we can spare some of our ingredients for this hero?" A voice bargained from behind Archer.

"Harada-san? Are you sure?" Archer asked the dark haired man walking towards the counter.

"Yeah, I mean Miss Da Vinci said that we're gonna have a way to get more food soon, right? Besides, I don't think six extra mouths is going to magically deplete our ingredients." The man, Harada, said while wiping fog off his glasses with his apron.

"See! Come on, man, listen to your assistant here!"

Archer pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Alright, just pick a damn dish already."

"Well then, let's see… I'll have steak and fries, rare." Cu Chulainn decided after looking at the rather incomplete menu.

"Please, take a seat. We'll deliver your food when it's done." Genichiro politely said, gesturing to some empty tables in the cafeteria.

"Don't mind if I do." Cu Chulainn whistled as he leisurely walked to an empty table.

Archer looked on with an annoyed stare as his fellow servant made himself comfortable on the table, eliciting several glances from Chaldea's staff in the surroundings.

"Well, that steak isn't going to cook itself, isn't it? I'll grab one from the freezer." Archer's assistant said as he walked towards the freezer while ruffling his messy hair.

'Genichiro Harada…'

The Japanese man came to Archer as he was preparing the kitchen yesterday, saying that he requested a transfer from his original department to culinary.

From their time together, Archer could see that he was a rather skilled cook, so that begs the question…

"Harada-san? Why didn't you take the offer when the director offered it?"

"Hm? Well, I think I'm a good cook and all, but being a head chef? Nah, no way. Thank God you're here though, Archer-san, who knows how our food would taste otherwise." Harada answered as he laid the steak down and pressed it into the pan.

Archer chuckled. "Give yourself more credit, Harada-san. From what I've seen, we aren't too far apart in our cooking skills." Archer said, submerging the already cut potatoes in oil.

They spent the day before preparing ingredients and cooking large batches of food while the staff had to make do with some emergency rations. Now, the kitchen is filled with large portions of sauces, meat, and carbs ready to be served.

Of course, not everyone was considerate enough to simply take the already cooked food. Someone just had to order a steak specifically cooked rare.

"Come on now, you're pulling my leg here! Also, Genichiro is just fine, Archer-san." Genichiro said, flipping the piece of beef.

"If you insist, Genichiro-san."

Their first day together had been awkward, with Genichiro being rather cautious, seemingly afraid of crossing a line with a servant. Though, once they got to cooking, the man immediately started spouting off recipes and ideas like a possessed man. From there, the atmosphere between them became more pleasant, much like between proper coworkers.

"...Archer-san, I've been wondering. How are you this good at cooking? You said you're not a chef heroic spirit, so that made me pretty curious." Genichiro asked without taking his eyes off the steak.

"There's no special reason, really. Cooking was simply a… hobby when I was alive. How about you, Genichiro-san? Your skills are above typical home cooks, yet you weren't a part of the culinary division." Archer questioned back, not taking his eyes off the fryer either.

"Food has always been my passion. I even traveled the world for culinary tourism with the money I made as an engineer. Sadly, I never had the time to fully pursue a cooking career, so in the end, I was recognized for my engineering work and invited to Chaldea a year or so ago. But I guess I ended up in the kitchen regardless. Funny how that happens."

'Engineer, huh?' Archer thought. So he wasn't a mage. Though that raises another question…

"Are you sure it's fine to leave your old station with how Chaldea is at the moment?" Archer asked again as he took the fries out of the fryer and let it drain.

"I was part of coffin management, but with how we now have all but two masters, most of the people there were reassigned anyway." The assistant answered as he took the steak off the pan and let it rest.

"Alright, time to take-"

"Wait, I'll deliver this one." Archer interjected, grabbing the tray of food.

"Take care of the kitchen for a bit, yeah?"

"Aye aye, captain."

Archer chuckled as he went to deliver the food. Maybe it was the fact that he was a coworker with a mutual hobby, but Archer found himself unusually lax around the man.

"Oh~ To have the head chef deliver my food personally… What an honor!" Cu Chulainn exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah. Here's your food, dear customer." Archer said with obvious sarcasm as he placed the plate down.

"Looks good! Alright, time to dig in… Where are you going?"

"Back to the kitchen obviously, where else?" Archer stated the obvious, warily looking back at Cu Chulainn's mocking expression

"Come on and sit down, won't you? Get some feedback for your food! Ain't it close to break time anyway?" The lancer said, gesturing to the table's other, empty seat.

"…" Archer stared at the offer for ten long seconds, before sighing and accepting defeat by sitting down.

Immediately after Archer sat down, Cu Chulainn began scarfing down on the piece of meat, eating far more voraciously than any normal human would.

"...I can clearly see you're enjoying the food, so just tell me why you really came, lancer."

"Hm? I really did come here because I wanted to eat, you know." Cu Chulainn said after taking a pause in his feast.

"...Be real."

"Alright, I also wanted to ask you about our masters. Haven't seen them today." The celtic hero admitted as he put his utensils down, having finished the food. "Great food by the way."

"King and Ritsuka…?" Archer thought about it for a while, ignoring the lancer's compliment.

"Ritsuka said that he was going to…"

CLANG

SLASH

SMASH

The sounds of clashing blades filled the peaceful open field with a symphony of violence hinted with unmistakable elegance through their musicians.

The divine tip of a golden spear met its match in the form of another divine blue spear. The shockwave of the clash between the two thrusts lit the blades of grass around them on fire.

Both fighters' bodies reverberated from the shock of the clash, yet it did not bother them in the slightest as they retreated their weapons and simultaneously executed a diagonal slash, their blades once again meeting.

The tip of their spear slid off each other, giving way for their shafts to collide. The two men locked eyes, neither giving ground to the other.

Swish

Before they knew it, their eyes instead stared back at themselves, reflected by the gleam of a sword swinging down at their arms.

The two spear wielders dashed back at the sneak attack. A third man smirked even as his attack failed. He positioned his sword at his side, taking a battle stance as an invite for a three way dance.

The other two merely stared at the offer for a moment, before smirking themselves and launching into the fray.

The next minute of fighting could only be described as a whirlwind of techniques and skill as each fighter traded blows, never taking their eyes off each other even as they intercepted the attack of another.

"...Hmph" For a split second, the man with the golden spear stopped himself, something the other warriors took notice of.

In an instant, his spear was enveloped by flames as he flung himself towards his two opponents, aiming at their necks.

But before he could complete the attack, a slight prick on the back of his neck stopped him in his tracks.

Behind him, the man with the blue spear had the tip of his spear placed firmly on his nape, rendering him unable to move.

However, he too could not execute his attack, as he found the blade of a sword placed right above his neck, threatening to decapitate him if he moved even an inch forward.

The man with the sword himself did not dare move from where he stood as flames threatened to burn him, the golden spear ready to attack at any moment's notice.

In the end, it was a tie between three warriors.

Clap Clap Clap

Slowly, the sound of claps turned the warriors' head around.

"T-that was amazing!" A young boy exclaimed, standing up clapping while a purple haired girl in armor sat down with her mouth slightly ajar, stunned at the display of prowess.

"It's nothing, master Ritsuka. In fact, I'd like to apologize that this was the best we could offer." Karna apologized, slightly bowing down his head.

"N-no! Not at all! I mean just watching you fight was more than enough, right, Mash?" Ritsuka asked his still stunned kouhai.

"A-ah? Y-yes! Thank you so much for going along with my selfish request!" Mash thanked the three servants, bowing her head deeply.

"It is a shame none of us are great teachers. I'm afraid a demonstration is the best we could do." The swordsman with blue hair said as he sheathed his sword into spirit form.

"You tell me! If my teacher was here, I bet you'd be a whole different warrior right now, girly!" The spearman with green hair wearing black protected with armor proudly proclaimed.

"No, I mean… just seeing Achilles, THE Achilles, fight is already kinda unbelievable!" Ritsuka said excitedly.

Ritsuka gulped. He knew that they would be summoning heroes, but to summon Achilles, The Hero of The Trojan War, perhaps one of the most famous Greek heroes alongside Heracles is… Wow, he couldn't even find the word to describe it!

"Haha! Is that so? Well, I mean I couldn't really resist fighting someone who bested Heracles, you know? Heck, I even forgot to use my shield! Sorry about that, shielder." Achilles said, sheepishly rubbing his head.

"It was a mere shadow of what Heracles used to be. I believe anyone here could defeat him."

"Heracles is still Heracles, man! That's Greece's strongest hero!"

"I agree with Achilles. A hero such as Heracles could not have been an easy opponent, even for one such as you, Karna." The Japanese servant clad in robes said.

Ritsuka turned to the other new servant. Sasaki Kojiro, considered one of the greatest swordsmen in Japanese history, alongside his rival, Miyamoto Musashi.

Ritsuka couldn't stop himself from shaking with excitement. The situation is really against them at the moment… but he couldn't help but think they really hit the jackpot with the servants they summoned.

"Um… Kojiro-san, mister Achilles and Karna, thank you for your demonstration! I think I really learned a lot!" Mash thanked them again.

"Come on now, that was nothing! Tell you what, let's fight together against these two. I'll only use my shield to give you some pointers." Achilles said, summoning his round shield.

"A-are you sure? I don't want to take up too much of your time…" Mash nervously twiddled with her hair as she voiced her concern.

"Worry not, Mash. With the first singularity soon upon us, it is imperative that you get as strong as possible. Especially since you have yet to figure out the true name of the heroic spirit sharing your body." Karna reassured, taking out his spear once again.

"Karna's right, Mash. I'd be glad to help a young lady reach her potential." Kojiro joined Karna, his sword in hand.

"Heh, seems like we got a match, then. Master! Be our commander, use it as experience on how to fight defensively." Achilles said.

"A-alright." Ritsuka said, positioning himself behind Mash and Achilles.

The field fell into silence, humans and servants alike could hear the sound of grass being swayed by the simulated wind as they prepared themselves.

Without warning, golden and blue blurs rushed towards silver and black shields.

"Ho~ So he and that girl are training with them, huh? Good for them, those guys are pretty strong."

Archer merely stayed quiet at Cu Chulainn's response.

Though he did not want to say it, Archer had to agree with the Celt. Achilles, and Cu Chulainn much to his annoyance, are both incredibly powerful servants, some of the strongest from their respective legends.

Sasaki Kojiro, even if nowhere near as strong as either of them, especially because of his… 'unique' conditions, is still a valuable addition to their roster. An Assassin is always useful for espionage and such.

"So, where's our other master?" Cu Chulainn asked as he drank the soda he had requested from Genichiro.

"King? I believe he is spending time with our new caster."

"Oh, her? What for?"

"No idea. His way of thinking is… extraordinary."

"Is that so…?"

America. Divided by North and South America.

Flip

Europe. Located in the northern hemisphere.

Flip

Africa. Located in the southern hemisphere.

Flip

Asia. The largest continent.

Flip

Australia. The smallest continent.

Flip

Antarctica. The uninhabited continent, containing the snowy tundra of the South Pole.

…And where he is right now.

King thought as he haphazardly flipped the page of the atlas, cramming as much information as he could from the text printed on the sheets of paper before him.

On his left and right, a pile of books were stacked high, high enough to block one's view from the sides.

The stacks of various novels, epics, and history books created a fortress of solitude around King, where vast swathes of knowledge beckoned him to turn the pages over and over.

His eyes darted left and right. Countries he had never heard of, lands that he did not recognize, seas that are separated by land instead of imprisoning it.

Slam

…Until finally, he had enough.

King let out a large sigh as he sunk his back into the comfortable library chair.

Yesterday, this place had been in ruins, lit on fire and crushed by falling debris from Lev's attack, but today it was an entirely new place. What should have been a single floor of knowledge graveyard was now a bustling source of information, multiple floors worth of books filled the area, ranging from historical to fictional.

That is without mentioning the decoration and style that now graced the library with style and finesse. Intricate patterns now adorn the once boring walls and railings of the room, with a complete makeover of color as a pleasant combination of brown and green filled the room with a warm atmosphere.

"My, master, that sure is a lot of books you are reading." A smooth and pleasant voice said.

King looked up towards the woman approaching him. Her outfit was elegant and exquisite, a long frilly skirt covered her legs, while a corset hugged her well endowed figure. She carried a parasol as she strolled towards him, a decorated purse hanging loosely from her hip.

King looked to the stacks of books he had been reading. Wow, he didn't even know how long he had been reading.

"Yes, I suppose it is, and it's all thanks to you, Miss Murasaki."

"Oh no, not at all! If anything, it pleases me to have such a scholarly master." The lady said.

Murasaki Shikibu, a caster, and one of the servants he and Ritsuka summoned yesterday. After the summoning, King had decided to visit the library to bring himself up to speed with this world, only to find despair in the library's condition.

That's when Murasaki came up to him and offered to fix the library. She introduced herself as a writer, which made King realize just how wide of a term 'hero' is in this world. Apparently, she had the ability to just… create a library with books as long as there are texts available.

And so, with the blessing of director Olga and Da vinci, the library was restored and improved, with a new look and its old books recreated alongside new ones the caster made from the writing in electronic books and other available information.

They summoned four servants, but to King, she is the cream of that crop.

"Is there anything else I can help you with, master?" Murasaki asked, clasping her hands together.

Let's see… He already read some books before the map, particularly about the heroes that were summoned as well as some basic stuff about this world's magic, or magecraft, as it was called.

'Hm… there's a book about Achilles, Cu Chulainn, and Kojiro, as well as Karna, so…'

"Can I have a book about you, Miss Murasaki?"

"Yes, I believe there is a book abou… W-what?"

Murasaki almost tripped on herself as she was about to walk away.

"Yes, I'd like a book that chronicled your life, Miss Murasaki." King clarified.

With how everyone seemed to instantly recognize names like Heracles and Achilles, King thought it'd be a good idea to look into these heroes, especially the ones that are in Chaldea.

"B-but, master, my life isn't all that interesting. I believe stories about Lord Achilles and Lord Kojiro would be far more exciting to read." Murasaki said, having composed herself, though a light blush dusted her cheeks.

"That will be for me to decide. Besides, I'd like to know more about the servants that I will command later." King answered truthfully. Well, that and so that people won't question him about not knowing famous heroes.

"...I see. Alright, master, I'll bring you a really thorough one!" Murasaki said passionately as she went towards the second floor.

It'd probably take her some time, so King decided to read about another one of the servants while she did her librarian duties.

'Let's look at the books.' Achilles, he read that already, he was a hero in some legendary war that happened because three goddesses argued about who was the most beautiful. Kinda dumb honestly, but he won't argue with the hero's feats.

Cu Chulainn, a legendary hero from Ireland, read that. Sasaki Kojiro, one of the strongest swordsmen in Japan, did that.

King's eyes eventually settled on the book about Indian heroes. India is in… Asia? If he recalled correctly.

Well, all the books here were brought by Murasaki after he asked about those heroes. Didn't even take her that long to do so. He's pretty impressed, She's a really nice lady and an even better librarian.

'This must be where Karna is from then.' King mused as he set aside the atlas for the Indian book.

'Karna said he was a soldier, didn't he? Must be a pretty famous one.'

…

'HE'S THE SON OF A GOD?!'

"I'm pretty interested in him, especially with how that other lancer talked about him." Cu Chulainn said, resting his leg on the table.

"You'll just have to see him on the field, then you'll understand." Archer replied.

"...Also get your feet off, it's unsanitary."

"Yo, you two! Eating without us?" A boisterous voice came from the cafeteria's entrance as Achilles walked in with Kojiro and Karna in tow.

"Just him, and I'd appreciate it if us servants don't eat until we can procure more supplies." Archer said, irritated at the Chaldea's food situation.

"Oh, yeah. You got a point there." Achilles conceded as he sat down on a table close to the two servants.

"Good day to you all." The voice of a woman greeted the servants, accompanied by slow, deliberate steps.

"Good to you as well, Lady Murasaki." Kojiro greeted back while gesturing to the seat across from him.

"Hm? Where are our masters? I thought they were with you?" Cu Chulainn asked, noticing the absence of the two men.

"Master Ritsuka and Mash are going back to their room to rest. We… might have gotten carried away in our training." Karna replied.

"Master King is still at the library. I thought it'd be rude to interrupt his reading session, so I left him by himself." Murasaki said.

"Well, well, what do we have here?"

The voice caught the attention of the servants as Da Vinci walked into their view.

"Da Vinci? Is there something you need?" Archer asked, curious about the appearance of Chaldea's lead researcher.

"I was just passing by, but then I saw all of you gathered here and I thought: Why not have a servant only meeting?"

"A… servant meeting?" Kojiro questioned the concept.

"Yeah. There are some things I'd like to ask you guys, as a fellow servant and employee of Chaldea. Besides, this place is already empty anyway." Da Vinci said, gesturing to the rest of the cafeteria.

True enough, besides the servants and the sound of dishes being washed in the kitchen, the area was as silent as can be.

'Huh, the amount of servants must've scared them away.' Archer thought to himself.

"Alright~ let's set up the tables then!" Da Vinci ordered.

…

Oh, how Archer wished he could still be cooking right now.

"Thank you, Genichiro-san."

"Don't mention it, chef."

Cups of water were placed in front of each servant. Three tables had been combined to create a makeshift long table in which the servants sat.

"Go take a break, Genichiro-san. I doubt we'd get any more customers until dinner." Archer said, sending his assistant away.

"Alright, I'll be in my room if you need me." Genichiro said as he walked to the cafeteria's exit.

With the human's departure, the table fell into a silence as the servants settled themselves.

Achilles relaxed his body as he leaned back towards the chair.

Murasaki nervously looked at her fellow servants.

Karna and Kojiro merely sat down politely.

Archer and Cu Chulainn crossed their arms, waiting for the 'meeting' to start.

Da Vinci observed her fellow servants before starting the meeting. "So, how do you all like Chaldea?"

…

"What the hell? I thought this would be about something more serious." Cu Chulainn complained, his head slumped on the table.

"Now, now. I do have other things to talk about, but I'd like to know how you feel about this place first. After all, I am partly responsible for how it's run." Da Vinci explained.

"Well, the simulator is pretty fun. Seeing Heracles was like a dream come true even if it was just his shadow." Achilles complimented, showing excitement at Heracles' mention.

"I agree, though the rest of the facilities leave much to be desired. Though I suppose it can't be helped, to my understanding, the attack damaged much of our equipment, correct?" Kojiro inquired, eliciting a nod from Da Vinci.

"Seconded. Also, people are avoiding us for some reason. There are exceptions, though, like this guy's assistant." Cu Chulainn voiced while pointing to Archer.

"Most of our mages are currently out of commission, so about half of the staff you're going to are normal civilians hired by Chaldea. Please cut them slack, alright?" Da Vinci requested with a wink.

"As for me, I do not need any recreational facilities. Merely being here is enough for me." Karna said in a taciturn way.

"I don't really care much for facilities either, but your kitchen is rather nice, so I'll give it that." Archer gave his two cents.

"U-um, thank you for approving the library renovation, Lady Da Vinci. I'm really pleased at how it turned out." Murasaki thanked the caster, smiling shyly at her.

"Haha, don't mention it. Besides, you could say that the decision is the start of something bigger!" Da Vinci exclaimed, spreading her arms out, causing some of the servants to stare in confusion.

"Anyway! Another thing I'd like to bring up is your summonings, particularly, their circumstances." Da Vinci continued, taking on a more serious tone.

"Circumstances? What are you talking about? Nothing seems weird to me." Cu Chulainn said while emptying his glass of water.

Archer sighed. "Hmph, I knew you were slow, but to think you haven't realized…"

"What is it? Just out with it, will ya? You're as annoying as ever, man." Cu Chulainn angrily retorted.

"There. Don't you think there's something weird about what you just said?" Archer replied back.

"Huh? What do you… Wait, how do I remember you?" Cu Chulainn said in shock, finally realizing, causing Archer to facepalm.

"Exactly, Cu Chulainn, it is something Archer brought up to me yesterday, and something I'd like to confirm with all of you. Do you remember your past summonings?" Da Vinci asked, losing the casual tone she typically used.

Silence reigned over the table. A strange tension creeped up on their gathering, one that hung over them for what felt like hours.

"...Vaguely. Some things I remember clearly, while others look like a blur. Like a movie being played on fast forward." Archer said, breaking the silence.

"Uh-huh, what he said. That being said, if you put someone I met in a previous summoning in front of me, I'll probably recognize them, foggy memory or not." Cu Chulainn added.

"I've been refraining from mentioning it, in case it was simply myself, but we've met haven't we, Achilles?" Karna asked the rider.

"...Yeah. It was some kind of big holy grail war, wasn't it? You and I were both in the same faction." Achilles said after some recollection.

"I-I don't have too many memories of any holy grail war…" Murasaki spoke up in the sea of reminiscence currently present.

"Me neither, in fact, I don't have any." Da Vinci revealed, causing the others to look at her in surprise.

"It's just a theory, but I think it might have something to do with Mash's shield. Whoever it belongs to, it is prestigious enough to act as a catalyst to summon heroes. In other words, her shield is 'a place where heroes gather'." The caster continued.

"But that's not the only anomaly, is it, 'Sasaki Kojiro'?" Da Vinci gestured towards the assassin, turning the others' attention to him.

"...Yes, you're right, Lady Da Vinci. I am but a mere phantom. 'Sasaki Kojiro' did not exist. As such, I am an amalgamation of a man bearing the name Sasaki Kojiro, a man who foolishly cut down a swallow, and a man who wielded this sword. To surmise, I am a stand-in for the legend of 'Sasaki Kojiro' who only existed in a singular holy grail war."

"Yet here you are, summoned to fight for the fate of the world." Da Vinci rebuked, a contradiction to everything the assassin had just said.

"Here I am indeed. So, is the girl's shield the catalyst that made this all possible, my lady?"

"As I said, it's just a theory for now, but considering these things did not apply to me, it's becoming increasingly likely to be true." Da Vinci answered, though the finger on her chin shows that even she is still uncertain.

"Ain't that a good thing though? Let's say we meet an enemy servant in one of the singularities, there's a chance one of us might recognize 'em!" Achilles pointed out.

"Or we could recognize unpleasant faces from the past." Archer countered.

"...Could you at least not look at me while saying that?" Cu Chulainn dryly complained.

"Either way, it's something to keep in mind for future summonings, for us servants and humans as well." Da Vinci said.

"Well, that's all I wanted to bring up, really. Do any of you want to add anything?" The inventor asked, giving the reins of the meeting to the other servants.

"Oh! I have something to ask!" Cu Chulainn eagerly said, rising from his seat.

"I'm curious about our masters. Both of you had a head start here, so spill it! What are they like?" The blue lancer pointed at Archer and his fellow lancer.

"Hm… I have to admit, I'm curious as well. Most of the things I heard were secondhand from the director, so I want to know from their servants, what do you think of them?" Da Vinci added, supporting the Celtic's question.

The others nodded, looking at the two servants expectantly. Archer sighed, there doesn't seem to be a way out.

"Alright, I'll start with Ritsuka. For lack of a better word, he's… overzealous. Despite his inexperience, and the fact that he was a mere civilian just days before, it doesn't stop him from throwing himself into dangerous situations."

"Yes, he is. But from another perspective, you could call him brave. He shielded Mash from a would be fatal blow, even though it would end in his own demise. Additionally, his passion fills in where his inexperience falls short, such as in our battle with King Arthur." Karna added to Archer's commentary.

"Well, hey, trial by fire, am I right? At least he isn't cowering under pressure." Achilles replied.

'Hmph, no surprise someone like Achilles would answer that way.' Archer thought.

The noise of the discussion slowly faded into incoherent sounds as Archer fell deep into thought.

Why is Ritsuka still here? Why, even when a much more capable and experienced man like King is present, did he not just hand over his burdens to him? Is he really that confident in himself?

Try as he might, Archer could not see any good reason why Fujimaru Ritsuka should continue down this path. He's just a kid caught up in circumstances far beyond him, forcing him to fight for his life in that city. Yet after experiencing such a harrowing event, instead of asking to be relieved of his duty, he decided to continue fighting. Does he truly know what this path would entail?

For the sake of the world, and more importantly, for his own, it is best that Ritsuka stops and let King take over.

"...So, what about our other master?" Kojiro asked, snapping Archer out of his train of thought.

"Master King, hm? There's… a lot to say about him, yet at the same time, he remains an enigma." Karna said, his face showing uncertainty.

"I heard he evaded a strike from Heracles, without magecraft to boot, is that really what happened?" Achilles asked, his body leaning forward in transparent curiosity and anticipation.

"Yes, I saw it happen with my own eyes. At the time, I was unaware of Heracles' ability to resurrect, and he used that advantage to strike master King. Before I realized it, he was crouched down, with Heracles behind him, as confused as I was. Rather than dodging, it felt like master King knew the attack was coming even before Heracles moved." Karna elaborated.

Achilles whistled. "Damn! Wish I coulda seen that!"

"He also demonstrated experience in commanding a battle, along with… unorthodox strategies." Archer added.

"Are you referring to when he stared down King Arthur, and according to master Ritsuka, changed the tides of the battle?" Kojiro asked for confirmation, to which Archer nodded.

"Not only that, he ended up on the other side of the field, allowing him to save director Olga from her death, as if he completely foresaw Lev's arrival." Archer said, thinking back to the singularity's final moments.

"H-he is also a rather prepared man. Why, the first thing he did after the library was restored was to ask for our history." Murasaki commented, eliciting surprised looks from her fellow servants.

"Smart. The more familiar one is with a servant's legend, the more they could exploit them, whether they be enemies or allies." Archer complimented.

"Whoa, sure doesn't sound like any ordinary mage." Cu Chulainn said, impressed by what he heard about his new master.

"...On the contrary, he thinks otherwise."

They turned to Karna, confused at what he said.

"I can uncover lies and falsehoods, yet when he said that what he did was a mere 'accident', I noticed no such thing."

"It piqued my interest, so I peered into his person, and he thought of himself as… lacking."

The others' eyes widened in surprise. Lacking? A man who can match up with servants though that of himself?

"It would seem that even as he devised brilliant strategies and went against legends, he only saw himself as an ordinary man." Karna continued.

"He thought of his victories as mere accidents, his boldness, inadequate, and himself… weak."

…

An air of bewilderment filled the table as the servants digested the information in silence.

"Hmph, what monstrous standards."

"Yes, one that I could only hope to live up to."

"King… you are even more interesting than I thought."

"I-I didn't think he was such a noble man."

"It seems that the journey ahead will be… interesting."

"Haha! If he lived in my era, he might be one of us right now!"

"Ho~ I wonder how my spear will be used under such a man."

King wanted to die.

No, that's too extreme, but he does feel like cutting his skull open, taking his brain out, and letting it breathe fresh air after his intense reading session, which he supposed would kill him anyway.

The discovery of gender bending is absolutely nothing compared to finding out that fucking gods exist here, and that not one, not two, but three of his servants are direct descendants of said gods.

There's also different pantheons! Multiple. Pantheons. All of them different in almost every way.

The information dump that King just put his head through is probably enough to put him in a psych ward, for an indefinite period of time.

And he didn't even find a way to get back home.

At least this world's magecraft is simple in theory. Well, the basics are anyway.

King shuddered to think about reading more of that large brick Murasaki called a book.

After all that, King deserved a rest, which is why his back should now be kissing the sweet, soft, pillowy skin of Chaldea's bed.

…and not pressed against a plastic chair.

"I'm sure you have an idea as to why I called you both here."

Olga's voice jerked his body, just as it did Ritsuka's body.

King looked to his side, his fellow master seemed just as tired as he is, but in a more visceral way. His white uniform turned gray from sweat and his neck barely had the energy to keep himself up.

Mash, standing beside the director, similarly had ruffled clothes, though she fared much better compared to her master, as she still stood upright.

…Wait, did they-

"As you know, our teams have been hard at work in discovering the first singularity, and I'm happy to say they've done it."

That perked both of them up, now listening intently to the director's every word.

"...Ever been to France, Fujimaru?"

"Huh? No, of course not."

"Figures."

"Hey, what do you mean by that?" Fujimaru asked, annoyed, which was promptly ignored.

"Either way, would you like to?" Olga asked with a smile.

"What do you… Wait, are you saying-"

"Yes, our first singularity is in Orleans, France, in the year 1431."

Ritsuka stared at the director, slack jawed at the revelation.

The circumstances are far from ideal, but… France! He's always wanted to go there someday!

1431, huh? What was happening there at that time again?

"Hey, King, what do you-" Ritsuka went to ask his fellow master, only to find an empty chair.

"Um… Mister King up and dashed the moment the director stopped talking, Senpai." Mash informed, to which Ritsuka simply replied with a smile.

"Well, knowing him, he's probably off to prepare for the singularity."

"Hmph, you could learn a thing or two from him, Fujimaru."

"Cut me some slack, director, I'm trying my best already!"

Flip Flip Flip

The sound of pages being frantically turned filled the otherwise silent library with a cacophony of chaotic desperation.

'France! France! France! Where the HELL is it?!'

To King's dismay, it would seem that his time in the library was far from over.

Okay, this chapter was kinda not good reading back, so forgive me for that.

I think Archer kiiinda acts OOC in the first part with my OC. Not too much, but enough for me to raise my eyebrow when i reread it. Sadly, I already wrote too much around it that I was too lazy to remake the entire thing. I guess that's just skill issue.

A lot of this chapter is exposition and introduction to the first servants, so it's kinda meh. I hope my headcanon for the whole "Servants remembering their past summonings" thing isn't too out there.

So, Archer, Cu Chulainn, Sasaki Kojiro, Achilles, Karna, and Murasaki. That's gonna be the first batch of servants for the second arc. If you ask why I chose them, it's mostly a mix of story relevance, potential interactions, and funny scenes that I thought of and can't let go.

Oh and two things, one, I'm not going to include any other OPM characters that haven't been already mentioned, espcically not as summoned servants. Two, I'm not going to write romance, at least in regards to King.

Anyway, next chapter is probably going to come out later than usual. College is starting and I need to do research on the setting of the singularity itself.

Later.