Tristan and Mordred.
Both were top-tier Heroic Spirits, belonging to the Special A-rank of Archer and Saber respectively. Excluding those of an out-of-spec dimension like Avalon-Artoria or a serious Gilgamesh, they possessed strength commensurate with the highest echelon of spirits.
Mordred, after all, held the record of leading a rebellion against the King of Knights herself, and in Tristan's case, I had witnessed his full prowess firsthand.
[Wh-What?! Knights of the Round Table are providing assistance?! No, more importantly, you already knew them!]
"Oh, Director. I see you've stepped up for the briefing... I have a history with Tristan here. He played a vital role in the Grail Dismantling War of Fuyuki City... His trap-making using Failnaught and his archery are exquisite. And this knight here is Mordred... In terms of fame, she is the most renowned Heroic Spirit among the Round Table, second only to 'King Arthur' himself."
[I know that much. But for Mordred to be a... wait, no, the King of Knights was a woman too, so that follows.]
However, there was something more important than that.
"Who summoned you?"
"..."
"Playing dumb won't work. The chances that Alaya—given this Singularity would grant the highest possible land-bonus to the 'Round Table'—specifically picked Tristan because he knows me to do me a favor... frankly, I don't believe that's possible. Someone must have interfered with the summoning. What's the objective?"
"If it is our objective you seek..."
"It's to help you, Master of Chaldea."
Mordred answered.
"And there was a message from the person who sent us."
"...I have a rough idea of who sent you. So, what's the message?"
There was only one person for whom Mordred would use such formal language.
And considering her transcendent, divine perspective, she would certainly have something helpful for the conquest of this Singularity...
"'I leave it to you, heroes of the past!'"
"..."
"..."
[...]
With those words, the entire group fell into silence.
That is, except for Gareth, who was struggling to hold back her laughter in a corner.
*
Once Gareth, who had eventually burst into fits of laughter, managed to calm herself down, I, who had been quietly watching the scene, reached out my hand.
"So, did you establish a contract?"
"No, Mordred and I have only just manifested. We are currently without a Master, possessing nothing beyond our basic stock of Prana."
"I see... In that case, it would be best for Tristan to contract with Ritsuka."
"What? Hey, Honor Student Master. You look like you have much more abundant magical energy; can't you handle the burden of Tristan as well?"
Mordred proposed the logical course of action. But my thoughts were different.
"It might sound like I'm patting my own back, but if I were to fight Tristan head-on, I'm confident I could at least force a draw."
"...You sound pretty confident, kid!"
"Of course, I don't have the confidence to beat you when you're charging in like a maniac in the Saber class... Anyway, I have the means to protect myself. But Ritsuka is different."
"Even with that shield-bearer there? And not that I'm taking sides just because she's Round Table, but Gareth isn't half-bad either."
"Thank you, Mordred."
Gareth spoke with a beaming smile, but I shook my head.
"It's because our enemies are all out-of-their-mind lunatics... In the previous Singularity, the Ten Plagues of Tetragrammaton appeared as foes. At the final moment, even the King of Demon Gods manifested to wreak havoc."
"...Hmm, as usual, it is a scene of carnage, Master. For a threat even greater than the essence of Angra Mainyu to appear personally..."
"The other Singularities were much the same. In such circumstances, I judged Tristan to be a better fit. As for the front line, we have Mash and Gareth, and above all, Ritsuka's Magic Circuits are too weak to shoulder the burden of a Prana-hungry Saber class."
"Tch, nothing to be done then."
"More importantly, is there any information about this Singularity that Alaya backed up, or perhaps anything you've heard?"
"Unfortunately, the information Alaya backed up was literally the bare minimum. I haven't heard anything specific either..."
According to Tristan, we would have to conquer this Singularity as if we were diving into the unknown. The only silver lining was that I knew a few pieces of information regarding this era... but whether that knowledge would function correctly was a mystery in itself. The First, Second, and Third Singularities were all far from normal...
"By the way, going from nothing but ruined battlefields to a normal city like this... the contrast is far too jarring, isn't it?"
"Ritsuka, you went to Fuyuki, didn't you?"
"Still! Everywhere I went was either a burning Fuyuki or France and Rome in the heat of war. Honestly, compared to those places, this Singularity feels weird in a different way."
"...Beyond that, Master, perhaps you should cover your mouth with a towel or something..."
"Ah, no need for that. He's immune to poison."
Tristan and Mordred wore bewildered expressions simultaneously.
This poisonous mist looked dangerous even to them. Of course, as Servants, they could withstand it, and Karma—whom the one who sent them acknowledged—could likely remain unharmed. But wasn't the Master before them just an ordinary human?
"Still, don't you think having two men and four women walking together like this gives off a bit of a Romance Fantasy novel vibe? It's kind of nice."
"...Why on earth would you feel that kind of vibe right now?"
...Well, I guess she isn't normal either.
The two Servants thought in unison.
While Mordred and Gareth—who surprisingly occupied the 'straight-man' role within the Round Table—were busy retorting to Ritsuka's comments, a magical response suddenly began to register in my Rinnegan.
"Hey, Master, hold on. I think there's something over there."
"...Is that the Instinct skill? I've picked up a magical signature too. It seems to be inside the fog... What is it?"
At that moment, an unpleasant, blood-curdling sound—like iron being scraped—began to echo through the mist.
[THE. SUN. HAS. SET.]
"...What is that sound?"
"It doesn't feel like a magecraft spell... Karma-san, do you see anything?"
"I can't see anything because of the magical interference saturated within the Demonic Fog... Just what is happening in this Singularity?"
The answer to that question was provided almost immediately.
[MAFIA. PLEASE. OPEN. YOUR. EYES. AND. FIND. SOMEONE. TO. KILL.]
"...Are you kidding me?"
Tens, hundreds... perhaps thousands.
A tide of citizens, stained in black and armed with kitchen knives, pitchforks, and muskets, began to swarm toward us like zombies.
"This is... dangerous. You can consider them no different from beasts that have lost all reason."
"They aren't Shadow Servants. Have they been brainwashed...?"
"It's just a hunch, but they aren't coming back from that state. You should assume they've completely degraded, Master..."
Just as Tristan began to pluck his harp to set wire traps with Failnaught, a shrill alarm blared followed by Olga Marie's voice.
[Wait! All of them are still classified as 'Human' in the taxonomy!]
"...What? Wait, you're saying those are human?"
While a shocked Mash panicked, I attempted to use Bansho Ten'in to snatch one of the 'Mafia' walking sluggishly toward us.
But in that instant, with a loud cracking sound, a massive net unfurled, blocking the path between me and the 'Mafia'. Turning my head toward the source, I saw a figure draped in a robe gesturing toward us.
"What the hell is that?!"
"There is no time to explain! Come this way, quickly!"
"...How are we supposed to trust you?"
Mordred raised her sword in caution, but the cloaked man ignored her, looking solely at me.
"Young man, I understand that you would doubt me. In such a situation, doubting someone offering help is only natural. Especially for someone as stubborn as you, who knows no surrender, looks only forward... and chose to fight against that mad king. However, as one who has been granted this second chance, I can say with certainty—this time, I truly wish to help you."
"Wait, don't tell me you're..."
"There is no time to talk! You must not come into contact with those 'Mafia' under any circumstances!"
That man. The man I knew well urged us once more, and I leaped forward, running toward the direction he indicated.
"Mash, carry Ritsuka! We have to follow that man for now!"
[Is he someone we can trust? We don't even know who he is!]
"No, he's someone I know."
A human who would call me—whose actual age had progressed quite a bit despite my appearance—a 'young man'. And a human who was an acquaintance of mine.
I knew exactly who he was.
After navigating through winding alleys, we arrived at a small manor. The man entered after knocking in what seemed to be a code, and soon cast off his stifling robe.
Unlike when I first saw him, he possessed handsome features and the seaweed-like hair common to Kariya and Shinji. His face had a solid impression, as if it were the embodiment of 'fortitude,' and his Magic Crests had expanded all the way to the edges of his long sleeves, even encroaching upon the backs of his hands.
"You succeeded in making it here, young man. Entrusting everything to you was truly the best choice of my life."
"Zolgen..."
"Welcome to the Fourth Singularity, London, Chaldeans. I am the 'M' of the PMB, an arm of the resistance organized to solve the unprecedented crisis in this city—Makiri Zolgen."