"As that legendary king, there's no way his attributes should be this low."
Upon hearing Arthur's declaration, all the Masters present immediately turned to scrutinize him.
Class: Saber
Alignment: Lawful Good
Parameters—
Strength: B
Endurance: C
Agility: C
Mana: B
Luck: B
Noble Phantasm: C(EX)
Such parameters were already low for a Saber-class Servant, let alone one as famed as King Arthur himself.
Based solely on renown, King Arthur's parameters should have been much higher.
Suddenly, Darnic seemed to grasp something. His gaze drifted towards Shirou Emiya, whom Arthur had just helped stand upright.
Is it due to his mana supply?
Shirou Emiya, being an outsider, didn't enjoy the same conditions as the other Yggdmillennia Masters.
After all, their Servants didn't rely solely on their Masters for mana; rather, their energy was provided by specially created homunculi, allowing those Servants to maintain their peak parameters.
The amount of mana available directly influenced a Servant's attributes.
Darnic was one of only two magi within Yggdmillennia who had personally inspected Shirou's magic circuits.
He knew well that despite Shirou possessing twenty-seven circuits, most remained largely inactive.
Moreover, according to Avicebron's analysis, Shirou's circuits could handle high-intensity bursts of magecraft but couldn't sustain prolonged, abundant mana output.
In simpler terms, Shirou's circuits were akin to reinforced steel pipes—extremely durable yet unable to continuously supply large quantities of mana.
Of course, Darnic had never shared this information with Shirou. After all, Shirou wasn't truly one of their own.
Realizing this, Darnic quickly relaxed, fully understanding why Shirou's Servant had such modest attributes.
"For a Servant, numerical parameters don't mean everything," Arthur calmly interjected, shaking his head slightly, unconcerned by their doubts. He stood straight, confidently facing the skeptical Master.
Arthur understood perfectly why his parameters were so limited, yet held no blame toward his Master.
"But still—!"
The heavyset blond magus seemed about to protest further. It wasn't that he doubted this radiant knight was truly King Arthur.
Rather, he refused to accept that an outsider—some half-baked magus—could summon a hero of Arthur's caliber without even using a catalyst.
He couldn't believe that he, a magus from a proud lineage, might be inferior to such an amateur.
Yet before he could finish voicing his thoughts, the white-haired man in armor, chest laid bare with a faint glow emanating from within, stepped forward, standing protectively before his Master.
"I sense the aura of a dragon about you," he said evenly, "Legend speaks of King Arthur bearing the blood of the Red Dragon. I fully believe you are the legendary King of Knights."
His tone was calm and steady, firmly affirming the identity of the Saber before him.
"Thank you, unknown Saber."
Arthur nodded respectfully, acknowledging his words of affirmation—though, truthfully, Arthur required no such confirmation.
He was Arthur, after all.
"Hmph!" the heavyset blond man snorted quietly, clearly displeased by his Servant's actions.
"He's only a mere Servant," he muttered resentfully, abandoning further objections about Shirou Emiya's Servant's identity.
"King from a distant land," the silver-haired man beside Darnic declared with resounding authority, extending a welcoming hand, "Romania greets your arrival!"
Arthur responded swiftly, perfectly comprehending the underlying meaning in the man's words.
There was no room for two commanders within a single camp.
Arthur understood that well.
This was Vlad's territory, his domain.
While the Romanian king would treat Arthur with all the courtesy due to a fellow monarch, that respect hinged upon Arthur refraining from interfering in his leadership.
"I will follow my Master's commands," Arthur answered graciously, bowing slightly in return.
"Is that so?"
With a satisfied nod, Vlad resumed his seat. Arthur then stepped away from the center of the hall, gently guiding a slightly dazed Shirou to one side.
Next was the Romanian king's invitation to the assembled Servants.
The Masters returned once again to the hall's center alongside their Servants, kneeling respectfully.
"You all are the exceptional generals I never had the fortune to command during my lifetime."
"Heroic Spirits!"
"Will you grant me victory in this war?"
This was the invitation extended by Romania's king. In response, they offered only a single united declaration.
"Our blades are yours!"
Their declaration thundered through the hall, an overwhelming surge of determination echoing through each word.
All the Heroic Spirits stood united, resolved to victory.
Naturally, Arthur, the King of Knights, and his Master, Shirou Emiya, stood apart from this spectacle.
For one, Arthur, as a king himself, stood as Vlad's equal, and thus wouldn't swear fealty. On the other hand, Shirou wasn't affiliated with the Yggdmillennia family and held no desire to pledge himself to their cause.
"Hey, hey! Since that knight over there already introduced himself, why don't we all get acquainted too? I'm Astolfo, one of Charlemagne's Twelve Paladins!"
With short pink hair and a flowing cloak, the lively figure who seemed rather feminine cheerfully stepped forward, enthusiastically addressing the other newly-summoned Servants nearby.
As the Servants began conversing amongst themselves, Shirou also spoke quietly with Arthur.
"Saber…is it alright if I call you that?" Shirou asked hesitantly, looking somewhat unsure as he gazed upon the knight's brilliant golden hair.
He wasn't sure what would be the most appropriate form of address; calling him "Arthur" directly felt somehow rude.
"Master, there's no need to be so formal," Arthur reassured with a gentle smile. "You can call me Saber."
He wasn't particularly concerned about titles or formalities. His smile remained warm and reassuring as he addressed Shirou's discomfort.
"Besides, my legend is rather well-known. Usually, in a Holy Grail War, Masters call their Servants by their class rather than by their true names."
This was Shirou's first time involved in anything like a Holy Grail War, and he was still uncertain about how to interact properly with ancient heroes.
He'd heard of their legends in passing but had never studied them extensively.
Take, for instance, the lively Astolfo who had just stepped forward—Shirou had never even heard of him.
"Hey! Hey! You there, the white-haired Master!"
As if sensing Shirou's total lack of recognition, Astolfo energetically ran toward him, smiling cheerfully.
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T/N: right bro got his hair color bleached to white right right right right right right right