Shinji Matou At Your Service

Chapter 425: The Converging Storm in Sighişoara (Part 4)

Not only in Romania but even across the entirety of Europe, there is no city as unique as Sighișoara. Its uniqueness lies in the word "unchanging." Although it is a small city with a population of thirty thousand, visitors who tour the historic areas listed as World Cultural Heritage sites feel as if they have traveled back to the medieval era.

Walking up the uneven stone-paved slopes, one can see many houses that have remained unchanged since the sixteenth century, and the square once used for witch trials is still preserved in its original state.

Other tourist attractions include the old home of Vlad III (now a restaurant), the clock tower which serves as a landmark, and the church on the hill at the highest point of the old town. All in all, this is an ideal place for foreigners to "experience past Europe."

For Mordred, who was active in the 6th century AD, this town was boring and had no points of interest.

However, for Artoria from the same era, this town was very nostalgic.

Wandering through streets seemingly forgotten by time, she thought of her former capital, Camelot, the people she had sworn to protect, and the knights who once surrounded the Round Table.

Walking along the main road that traverses the city, the cheers of the people echoed in her ears—"King Arthur, King Arthur, King Arthur."

Passing through the square where witches were judged, she seemed to see Lancelot and Agravain drawing swords against each other.

Climbing the clock tower and overlooking the land, the panoramic view of Camelot, which she had seen countless times, appeared before her eyes.

Those were truly memorable times, though mixed with many heavy memories and sad scenes. Yet, recalling them fifteen hundred years later, she still regarded them as treasures, never to be forgotten.

"What a wonderful place."

Artoria, having traversed every corner of Sighișoara on foot, sighed contentedly, breaking free from her memories.

"Sorry, Jeanne, for making you accompany me on this walk again."

"It's nothing, we have plenty of time anyway."

Jeanne's voice sounded out of thin air, as calm as always. Under the cover of the Hades Cloak, she perfectly avoided everyone's attention, following Artoria like a ghost, ready for the possible appearance of Red Servants at any moment.

Unfortunately, just like the tour around the city in the morning, there was still no sense of any Servant's presence.

"Could it be that the Red faction has already moved? Or is it that the assumption 'the Red faction's base is in Sighișoara' is itself a mistake?"

Come to think of it, no one had ever said that the Red faction's base must be in Sighișoara. This was just her analysis, and although it had been agreed upon by her companions, it ultimately had no evidence.

Moreover, there is such a vast space between Sighișoara and the Yggdmillennia Castle, with many places to hide. Why limit themselves to the city?

Realizing her oversight, a sense of frustration rose in Jeanne's heart. Of course, there was also a bit of relief. That ally who prides himself as a teacher always called her foolish, yet he wasn't that smart either—after all, the so-called saint is a title given by later generations. Jeanne's essence was just a devout, pure farm girl under twenty, far from achieving the enlightened state of "rejoicing not in external gains, nor grieving over personal losses."

Calming her emotions, Jeanne asked, "What should we do next?"

"Let's meet up with Reika and Jack, then stay here for the night. If no other Servants appear, we'll leave—hmm?"

Just as Artoria was relaying Shinji's plan, a rhythmic vibration came from her waist.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a white mobile phone—this was a communication device prepared for Artoria by Reika in Tokyo. To prevent detection by the Clock Tower and Yggdmillennia in Europe, it specifically used a Japanese local communication card with global service.

"The green button is to connect, the green button is to connect."

While recalling Reika's instructions, Artoria pressed the green button.

As soon as the call connected, Reika's anxious voice came through the receiver:

"Artoria, come quickly, we've been spotted by Servants of the Red faction."

"What?" Artoria's expression changed instantly. "Where are you?"

"The shopping street. Hurry! Jack is trying to hold them off, but she can't last much longer."

◇◇◇

Reika and Jack being discovered was simply a stroke of bad luck.

A regular woman and a modern Servant without class advantages naturally couldn't compare in physical ability to King Arthur and Saint Jeanne d'Arc, who had led armies in battle, so they didn't act together with them.

Of course, the mother and daughter pair weren't idle either. While the two heroes were out, they prepared a place to stay for the night.

They couldn't stay in the local residential area as it wasn't conducive to hiding. Nor could they be too far from the residential area, as that would also expose them. In the end, Reika chose a hotel room closest to the clock tower.

The hotel was adjacent to the Acropolis scenic area, where no one would visit the city walls at night, and the natural terrain of the walls provided advantages for Servant battles.

A few hundred meters in the opposite direction was the shopping street, which had all the necessary living facilities, making it a non-suspicious place to stay.

Booking a luxurious suite on the top floor, Reika napped in the room with Jack.

After a busy morning, they were indeed tired. And the best way to recover was to sleep with her daughter.

Jack liked to jump on the bed, lift the sheets, and roll herself up like a bug. When she was tired of playing, she would drape the sheets over Reika and then lay her face on Reika's stomach, falling into a deep sleep.

Seeing Jack like this, Reika felt that all the hardships were not hardships at all, and all the weariness was not weariness.

When the mother and daughter woke up, it was almost evening. By calculating the time, those two big eaters out walking should also be back—this was another reason Reika chose this place. If there weren't food stalls, restaurants, and bakeries all around, other places might not satisfy the appetites of those two. And this also added to her speculation about the relationship between King Arthur and Jeanne d'Arc—who would believe they had no connection when they both could eat so much?

The mother and daughter were shopping on the street with bags in hand—because they had to shop, unlike in Japan, many stores in Europe close at sunset, and if they didn't buy things now, there wouldn't be any time left—Kairi and Mordred also arrived at the shopping street.

Since Shinji had taken the Assassin class, Jack naturally lost her "Presence Concealment." Although her presence was much weaker than other Servants due to the lack of a class, it was still detectable by Mordred's keen senses—after all, she was Artoria's child, inheriting her acute perception.

When Mordred released her killing intent, Jack sensed something was wrong. She handed her things to Reika and instructed her not to follow, then turned and ran into a nearby alleyway.

P.S.: There's no helping it, Sighișoara is that small, and Mordred inherited the "King's Stomach." If Artoria hadn't been lost in her memories, they would have met long ago.