Chapter 323: The Nameless Assassin (Part 1) (Patreon)

Upon hearing the young man's words, everyone was stunned.

Whether it was Darnic, who had participated in the Third Holy Grail War and had dealings with the Three Founding Families, the young Masters of the Millennia Tree family, or the once-renowned Heroic Spirits, all displayed unusual expressions.

A Heroic Spirit who didn't know his true name—was that even possible?

Could this guy be a Spirit with a nasty personality, just messing with us?

More than one person had this thought.

Seeing their comrades almost on the verge of saying, "Are you freaking kidding me?" the young man waved his hands repeatedly: "I'm not joking. I truly don't know my true name."

"What's going on? Did something go wrong with the summoning ritual?" The clan leader Darnic looked at his successor, Fiore, who was also the Master of the young Servant.

"Well..."

"No, I think the summoning ritual went fine. The problem likely lies with me."

The young man spoke up before his Master could respond.

"What's the matter?" Fiore asked curiously.

The young man cleared his throat and began to speak confidently: "As you can see, my class is Assassin. When we step into the darkness, we are destined to abandon our names. To live nameless and die nameless is our norm and also our protection. Once a killer's identity is exposed, it means death. Perhaps, to better protect myself, I intentionally erased my name upon manifestation. My appearance and other characteristics you see may be also disguised. Yes, that's likely the case. I think I'm capable of doing such things."

"Ahahaha! Erasing your name, even disguising your appearance, that's interesting—ah, it's great to be summoned this time!" Astolfo laughed innocently, with a face softer than a woman's, adding lethal charm to his words.

However, the others were not so quick to accept the young man's explanation. Some stroked their chins, some lowered their heads, and others rubbed their fingers, all calculating in their minds.

Surprisingly, the first to speak was the least noticeable among them, Caules. He glanced at his left wrist, then at his sister's left hand, and said, "To verify if Assassin's words are true, there's a simple and direct method—using a Command Spell. However, whether or not to use it should be Sister's decision."

"A Command Spell?" Fiore's right hand gently brushed over the red mark on her left hand as she pondered. "Uncle, what do you think?"

"Caules' suggestion is feasible, but using a precious Command Spell for such a trivial matter seems wasteful. Moreover, not knowing the Servant's true name isn't entirely bad. At least if we don't know it, the likelihood of the enemy knowing it is even smaller."

As a participant in two Holy Grail Wars, Darnic's considerations were far more thorough than those of these novices. If the war's situation didn't change, this cunning old fox was likely to be the victor.

"But without knowing the Servant's true name, how can we judge his strength?" Perhaps bolstered by the presence of his Caster, Roche no longer cowered as before.

"You needn't worry about that. I am undoubtedly a first-rate warrior."

As if to boast of his strength, the young man pounded his chest hard, producing a "thump thump" sound.

"A mere Assassin and you dare say that?" The twisted Celenike sneered.

"What, you don't believe me?" The young man raised an eyebrow, confronting the bloodthirsty witch head-on.

"No, I don't."

"I have my reasons for saying so."

"What reasons?"

"First, the quality of my Master." The young man raised a finger. "Through the contract, I can sense how exceptional my Master is. Someone summoned by such an excellent Master couldn't possibly be weak."

"Ah—"

Fiore shyly lowered her head. She knew of her excellence and had received countless praises, so she should have been used to it. But now, being complimented by a hero whose name was etched in history and enshrined among the Heroic Spirits made her feel incredibly honored. It took her a moment to softly say, "Thank you for the compliment."

"You should be more confident, my Master. I'm not just saying this. You only need to look at my status panel to see that such excellent attributes are the result of both your excellence and my strength."

Hearing the young man's words, Fiore hurriedly used her Master's authority. The other Masters did the same, but what appeared before them was a blank slate. Except for the class designation "Assassin," everything seemed to have been erased.

"Assassin, I can't read your attributes. Did you hide them?"

Hearing his Master's question, the young man slapped his forehead as if in realization: "Sorry, sorry, the attributes must be hidden by my cloak. I'll take it off right away."

The dark cloak dissolved into particles, revealing the young man's plain attire beneath, along with his various attributes:

Strength: B

 Endurance: C+

Agility: B

Magic: C

Luck: A

Noble Phantasm: ABCDE

A few seconds later, the expression that seemed to say, "Are you freaking kidding me?" appeared once again on everyone's faces.

What kind of joke is this? This is the status panel of the weakest Assassin?

Are you sure this isn't one of the Three Knight Classes?

And what's with this Noble Phantasm panel showing "ABCDE"?

Are you saying this guy has at least five Noble Phantasms?

To this, the young man responded, "I do have quite a few Noble Phantasms. In terms of quantity, there aren't many Servants who have more than I do. The cloak that was hiding my information just now is one of them—its true name and my name is forgotten. Fortunately, most of my Noble Phantasms don't require a true name release, so it doesn't affect my strength."

Hearing this, Astolfo became excited again: "You are amazing! You have one more Noble Phantasm than I do, and your stats are higher, but I won't lose to you, ahahahaha!"

Ignoring the mysterious confidence of this problematic knight, Vlad III, seated on his throne, cast an oppressive gaze at the young man: "I do not understand. With such strength, why would you become a shadowy assassin?"

"It seems that Your Highness does not understand what a true assassin is," the young man shook his head.

"Enlighten me."

"An assassination is an unnoticed kill. For instance, if someone hired me to kill that lady over there."

The young man pointed at Celenike, a small revenge for her earlier mockery.

"If I sneak into the castle, bypassing all the guards and traps, and slit her throat in her room, that's an assassination. If I walk in through the front gate, kill everyone I see along the way, and finally behead her, that's also an assassination—because no one knows it was me."

"A true assassin is versatile. They can move through the night, taking lives silently; blend into crowds, approaching their target unnoticed; and charge into battle, taking the head of a general amidst an army. A true assassin has the aptitude for all classes. There is nothing they can't do, only things they haven't thought of. Many claim to be assassins, but few truly grasp the essence of assassination."

There was one more thing the young man kept to himself—"assassination" also has another name: "peerless"!

P.S.: Normally, even if a Servant has multiple Noble Phantasms, the panel would only display a single value, not "ABCDE." The reason it shows this way here is to pay homage to Perseus in Nasu's lore. As a Rider, Perseus possesses six major Noble Phantasms but can only use one at a time, resulting in such an unstable rating.

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Chapter 324: The Nameless Assassin (Part 2)

Talking absolute nonsense with a straight face.

This was everyone’s first reaction to the young man’s speech—excluding Astolfo, of course, whose thought process was different from that of ordinary people.

Astolfo, one of the twelve paladins serving under Charlemagne and led by the holy knight Roland, bearer of the holy sword Durandal. Known for subduing giants and possessing numerous legends and Noble Phantasms, he was a top-tier handsome man but also quite a scatterbrain, to the point that it was said he had lost all sense of reason.

Whether the rumors were true or not could be partly seen from the fact that despite being male, Astolfo appeared in cute, feminine attire.

Now, this curiosity incarnate was vigorously patting the young man on the shoulder, expressing his admiration: "Amazing! Assassins are amazing. I want to become an assassin like that too!"

This drew cold sweat from everyone, including the young man.

However, upon closer thought, the young man’s words weren’t entirely without reason. After all, as long as you kill the target without revealing your identity, it counts as an assassination—although turning a shadowy assassin into something like this just sounds so out of place.

"Wait, an assassin? Assassin?"

Caules, who had been speechless, suddenly had a change of expression, as if something had dawned on him.

"When my sister summoned you, she didn't add any extra incantations. Could it be that you’re one of the Hassan-i-Sabbah?"

"No, he’s not a Hassan," Darnic quickly dismissed Caules’ idea. "Besides the possibly mythical First Hassan, the abilities and appearances of the other Hassans have all been exposed. Additionally, a common feature among the Hassans is that they wear a uniform skull mask upon summoning. He isn’t wearing one, so he shouldn't be a Hassan. But if Fiore didn't add any extra incantations, how could she summon an Assassin... Assassin? Oh no, Sagara Hyouma!"

With his strategic mind, Darnic should have realized the issue immediately. However, the collective summoning ritual was so overwhelming, and Astolfo's activity, Gordes' departure, and the string of nonsense from the nameless young man distracted Darnic, causing him to forget something very important.

Upon hearing the name "Sagara Hyouma," Fiore, Caules, Celenike, and Roche all reacted. According to the original plan of the Yggdmillennia family, the Assassin class was supposed to be summoned by the family's last Master, Sagara Hyouma, who had not yet appeared. Sagara Hyouma had even prepared a special catalyst for this purpose.

But now, Fiore had summoned an Assassin. If Sagara Hyouma continued his summoning unaware, he would either summon a Servant with only Assassin (or possibly Berserker) aptitude, relying solely on the compatibility between Master and Servant, which would introduce too many uncertainties.

"Caules, contact Sagara Hyouma immediately and tell him to stop the summoning. Celenike, inform all our comrades to gather Lancer catalysts at any cost."

"Yes!"

The urgency of the situation prompted Caules and Celenike to leave the throne room at top speed.

Archer, whose true name was Chiron, maintained a three-body-length distance behind Caules and didn’t forget to nod at everyone before leaving.

The lively Rider seemed somewhat reluctant to depart. If not for Celenike’s repeated urging, he might have found an excuse to stay.

After the departure of the two Master-Servant pairs, the collective summoning ritual for the night also drew to a close. Roche and his Servant, Black Caster, soon bade farewell and left. Fiore also had no intention of staying longer.

"Let’s go too, Assassin."

"As you command, my Master." Black Assassin gave a slight bow to Darnic on the throne and to Black Berserker before naturally pushing Fiore’s wheelchair out of the throne room.

Fiore’s private room wasn't particularly special. Besides the magical implements placed there, the other furnishings were simpler than those of an average young lady.

The simplicity here refers not to the value of the items but to the decorative style. Compared to the rooms of noble ladies who pursue taste or style, Fiore’s room was rather plain. However, this did not detract from her image; on the contrary, it added an air of unique purity to her.

Here, Fiore began her first conversation with her Servant.

"I am your Master. Please call me Fiore. I look forward to working with you."

The young man, who had manifested as the Black Assassin, gently held Fiore's outstretched hand, bowed his head, and said in a soft voice:

"Thank you, Fiore. And I’m sorry, I cannot tell you my true name."

"..."

Fiore fell silent, her gaze lingering on the young man's face with a hint of confusion.

"What's wrong?"

"Have you forgotten your true name?"

"Yes." The young man released Fiore's hand and nodded seriously. "There are no issues with my thinking or perception, but my true name and the memories related to it are blurred. It seems there won't be any discoveries in the short term."

"Then, do you recognize this?" Fiore handed a box to the young man.

It contained a black metal fragment, which seemed quite unremarkable. It was with this item that she had summoned the young man.

The young man picked up the piece and examined it carefully for a while before shaking his head. "I have no impression of it. Is this something related to me?"

"The person who gave it to me said it is a fragment of an iron discus, and that the only mistake the great hero Perseus ever made in his life is related to it."

According to legend, after Perseus gained fame, his maternal grandfather, King Acrisius of Argos, fled to another land out of fear of the oracle (that Acrisius would be killed by his daughter Danaë's son). Perseus happened to be there and participated in the local games. He casually picked up an iron discus and threw it, unfortunately hitting his grandfather.

The oracle was fulfilled, and Perseus regretted it for the rest of his life.

"Answer me, Assassin. Is your true name Perseus?"

Meeting Fiore’s expectant gaze, the young man, though somewhat surprised, still shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I am not that great hero. I remember his deeds very clearly."

"I see..." Fiore's beautiful aquamarine eyes dimmed.

"Although I am not that great hero, I promise you, I will prove myself worthy as your partner. I will achieve enough accomplishments to ensure your honor remains untarnished. Please believe in me, Fiore."

Perhaps touched by the young man's determination, or perhaps because his gaze was too direct, Fiore shyly lowered her head.

"Alright, I look forward to it, Assassin."

"Then, Fiore, it's getting late. Please rest well." A dark cloak appeared on the young man, and simultaneously, his figure began to fade.

"What about you? Should I prepare a room for you?"

"We can discuss that tomorrow. I plan to scout the nearby area before dawn. Familiarizing myself with the terrain is essential for an assassin."

"Then I'll go with you. It will be more efficient if I guide you," Fiore suggested.

"There's no need. Humans are not Servants; proper rest is necessary. Only when the Master is in optimal condition can the Servant perform at their best. So, Fiore, you should sleep now—we can tour the castle after breakfast."

"I understand. Goodnight, Assassin." Fiore did not insist, waving to the young man, who was now just a shadow.

"Goodnight, Fiore."

The shadow passed through the room, crossed the balcony, and disappeared into the vast night.

PS: Sorry guys. No Fran-chan this time.