[Quest] True Name Discernment

[Faux]

B, 1, & 2

[Draconic]

B) Keep them with Stephanie for now. (Give her extra protection and get brownie points with her.)

1. The background of the client who hired them
5. Recent strange occurrences in the city

The coin knew which was the better FC. I mean, it was, on one hand, a single dead-eyed expression, and the other had more than 19+ variations.

[zikari8]

Um, guys. Just making sure but you know there's another choice right? It's earlier in the post about the firearms...

[Spartacus]

changed

[Bird of Hermes]

A, 1 , 4

[SleepMode]

A, 1 , 4

[zikari8]

Day 1 Night
Location: New Itano Inn - Stephanie’s Room

“… Well, this might not be the answer you were looking for, but I wasn’t able to learn anything about your client’s identity.”

“What?”

That’s a surprise. I didn’t think even Stephanie wouldn’t be able to find anything.

“It seems like your client insists on keeping his identity a secret, for some reason.”

“Hmm…”

When I was first hired for this particular Holy Grail War, it was through a middleman who didn’t reveal the identity of the patron, and when I went to negotiate the contract, a liaison was sent in the client’s place. The contract’s been sealed with a geas scroll so there’s no need to fear being scammed and I’ve been given a way to contact them with the results of my investigation but, in the end, I still don’t know who my client is. My job for this Holy Grail War is simply to “discern the True Name of every servant in this Holy Grail War” and nothing else; it seems that the one hiring me doesn’t intend for any close coordination at all.

Well, in this line of work, it’s not rare to never meet your client in person, but to go this length to hide your identity… If even Stephanie couldn’t find their identity, then the person in question must’ve put a lot of work in covering their tracks. Honestly, I had asked Stephanie to look into it partially out of sheer curiosity, but if the person wants to stay in hiding this much, maybe it’d be rude to dig too deep.

“… This might not be any consolation, but I was able to get some information that might be useful to you. While I was running your errand, I met with the liaison again. She didn’t let anything slip about her master’s identity, but she did end up revealing the class of his Servant: Archer.”

“Oh. Thanks.”

Archer, huh? Indeed, that isn’t the best class for fighting head on. Well, just the class doesn’t tell me much, but it’s nice to know.

“You don’t sound very grateful.”

Ara? Stephanie doesn’t seem bemused by my response.

“No, not at all. I’m very thankful you did this for me. You know I’d be helpless and directionless without you.”

“… is that so? Then this should make you happy as well.”

She grabs a folder from atop the room’s desk and tosses it over to me. It’s one of those hard paper folders so it flies through the air pretty sharply and I catch it reflexively. This is…

“Ooooh.”

I’m immediately impressed.

In the file is detailed information on the spiritual layout of Sakazuki city, such as the estimated spiritual levels of certain areas, thaumaturgical effects of the geographical landmarks, or history of the key power spots. Furthermore, there’s a map marking the leylines in the city and best locations to access them.

Let’s see… according to this, the main leyline in the city actually coincides with the city’s main street. In the past, that street was once a ceremonial road that connected the shrine with the sacred beach, hence its spiritual value. As expected, the shrine is one of the key leyline foci but so is the beach. Those two locations should be the best places to draw mana in the city, although any point along the leyline would be partially effective. There also seems to be a lesser focal point down the coast, somewhere in the eastern residential area, though the data doesn’t specify exactly where it is.

“I had a feng shui expert divine everything for me, so use it well.”

“I will. Thanks a lot.”

I tuck the folder away for later reference. Having this will help will help a lot with gauging the actions of the Masters.

“No, there’s no need to thank me.”

“What? Don’t be modest. You did well; I’ll definitely pay you back.”

“I see… Well, then, I put the bill for the feng shui expert in the file.”

“Huh?”

I check the file again and indeed there’s a receipt tucked away. A quick glance at the number on it and my enthusiasm immediately dampens.

Haah…As expected. That’s a merchant for you.

* * * * *

Once we finished catching up with each other, Stephanie and I move on to the main reason for me to come here.

“There we go, that should do it.”

I wipe the sweat from my brow and get up from my knees. On the floor now is a small canvas with a certain sigil drawn on it. Though it just seems like a picture, it’s brimming with magical energy and the air in the room feels just a little heavier and colder.

With this ritual, I’ve more or less constructed a makeshift workshop out of this hotel room. As long as the sigil remains intact within the walls of this room, the territory belongs to me. It’s not an ideal space nor is my bounded field the best, but I’ll be able to perform my rituals here later without too many problems, so it’ll do.

As for why I came all the way here just to build my workshop, it’s because I didn’t want to risk leaving traces of my magical energy within the city (at least not yet). It’s a bit far, but I’ll be able to do my high magic here without any Masters being any wiser.

Anyways, now my work here is done. If I ever need to do any big spells in the future like summon familiars or chat with Paimon, I can come here to do so.

“Oh, as for the sigil, you should probably hide it, lest some hotel staff sees it.”

“You don’t say.”

Stephanie says while sitting and resting her head on her palm with a bored expression. Was she that unamused to watch me set up the bounded field? I guess she isn’t too pleased with me turning HER room into MY workshop, but it can’t be helped. For now, I’ll mentally promise not to spy on her when she sleeps.

“So. What’s your plan now?”

“Huh? Well, it’s getting late, so I should probably be heading back. I don’t want to miss the last train.”

“No. I mean your strategy.”

“Oh. Well, I’ll figure something out. I always do.”

“… well then, good luck. I’ll be here.”

“Right. Good night.”

With that, I bid farewell to Stephanie and catch the train back to Sakazuki, discreetly bringing the gun case and leyline map home with me. As the dark night passes by the train window, I contemplate the matter at hand.

Okay. I guess I should actually use my brain for a little bit. Now that I’ve gotten everything set up, I should start thinking about how I’ll complete my mission.

My job is to deduce the True Name of the Servants in this Holy Grail War. In order for that to happen, I need to gather enough information on each servant so that I can figure out exactly which hero they are. This time’s grail has no geographic or heroic limitations, so I’ll need to gather quite a few clues to guess well. However, the problem is how I’ll gather that kind of info.

If I want to learn about a Servant, I’ll need to at the very least find them. If I never encounter one, I’ll never be able to observe them. And the more I can observe them, the more info I’ll gather. On the other hand, if a Servant finds me, that’s basically game over. Also, while I haven’t been given a strict deadline, I logically only have a few days to finish before Servants start getting taken out; if the war ends without me doing anything, I don’t get paid.

On hand, I currently have my two pistols and my elemental spells as my only weapons. To use my demon magic, I need to make sacrifices, but I haven’t bought any sacrifice materials yet, so I can only sacrifice my own health and body at the moment. I do have the ability to tell if a person is a Master from a single look, though, and I can sense magical presences if I’m close and they aren’t obfuscated by a bounded field. Information-wise, I know the key spiritual locations in the city and some knowledge about the city’s layout from Haruka, but I don’t know the identity of any of the Masters. The Holy Grail War has just started, so who knows where each Master is in the city or what their actions will be tonight.

So… What do I do?


Choice:
What is Haruto’s strategy for tonight?

• Write-in

Note

This time we have a complete write-in choice to decide your action/strategy for Night 1. It’s completely freeform so feel free to be creative and suggest any strategy you’d like or discuss amongst yourselves.

Also, if there are any questions about the city, the grail war, or Haruto's abilities, feel free to ask.

[Spartacus]

Well, I guess checking out the beach may encounter a Master hideout or something.

[zikari8]

Intermission? Choice Revision

A mysterious demon girl appears

Oh? You’re being awfully quiet. Could it be that you aren’t sure what to do?

Ah, am I right? Well, don’t worry too much. This sort of thing happens, especially since you don’t have enough info right now. You are The Fool of this war after all.

It can’t be helped. I’ll give you a special limited time offer just this once and offer some advice.

Then, here are some things to consider:

• The beach seems like a pretty vital location. Such a key point might draw in other Masters, so perhaps it’d be good idea to check it out. Who knows what might be there.

• Even Masters need a place to stay. There aren’t many houses in the city, but the suburbs are different. If you go there, you might find a hiding Master or two.

• The shrine also seems like a suspicious area. Don’t you think it’s odd that such a big location had no traces of other magi? You checked it out during the day, but what about at night?

There we go, that should be enough ideas to get you rolling. Even a fool should be able to figure something out, now. Oh, but don’t misunderstand me, it’s not like I’m doing this for you or anything. I’m still a demon, you know? That’s why I’ll tell you this:

Of the three suggestions I gave you, one of them leads to an unfair, sudden death bad end.

Heeheehee, exciting isn’t it? Well, the choice is up to you. You can follow my advice, or come up with your own strategy, or even decide to lay low for tonight.

Either way, put on a good show for me ~♥


What is Haruto’s strategy for tonight?

1. Investigate the beach
2. Look for Master hideouts in the residential area
3. Visit the shrine again
4. Go home for today
5. Write-in

[Bird of Hermes]

I vote for the Beach Episode, let’s watch from afar.

[Zurvan]

B
E
A
C
H

bonus points if we can get ice cream

[SleepMode]

1. Investigate the Beach

[zikari8]

Day 1 Night
Location: Sakazuki Beachside

Even at night, Sakazuki beach was still pregnant with activity. After returning to the city and immediately heading for the bay from the station, I was greeted with a literal bang; under the dimming moonlight were a few groups of people lighting off fireworks and taking an evening stroll along the shore. Now that I think about it, Haruka did mention that it was a holiday and that there’d be quite a number of people in town. It seems that with this sort of crowd, nothing big will happen, at least not until later in the night.

According to Haruka’s history lesson, the city beach has some bit of spiritual history behind it: it was once considered sacred ground by the city shrine. Priests at the shrine and local nobles would use it to purify their bodies before prayer. Thus, the city’s main street that connects the shrine and the beach is itself a spiritual line. In the modern day, the beach’s water probably doesn’t have any actual magical healing attribute, but it seems that it still continues to be one of the spiritual centers of the area. Hence, it is a location that I can’t just ignore, nor do I suspect the other magi in the city will.

That said… I wasn’t expecting it to be this easy.

Only about half an hour after arriving at the beach, I found what I was looking for. A mere 3 blocks down the shore, there was one of the magi hideouts I was looking out for. The building itself was a two-story modern-looking house with a fabulous beachside view. It seems like the kind of property that could cost a pretty penny.

The thing that gave the building away was of course its bounded field. I lack the skills to decipher its purpose and effect, but even I was able to detect its presence just by walking past it. A first-rate bounded field is undetectable, so this one is clearly of poor quality. I don’t know why but it is clear that the building does not have the best defenses. Whether that is due to the caster’s ability or other circumstances can’t be determined at the moment.

A tinge of doubt clouds my mind. Maybe it’s because finding this place was too easy, but I feel a little disappointed or discontent... Certainly, it’s advantageous for a magus to set up their workshop next to a leyline, but the spot is so obvious and out in the open that it’s as if the magus has no regard for hiding or stealth. Furthermore, would a magus participating in the Holy Grail War really set up such a poor bounded field? Just what’s going on here?

Anyways, I can’t just keep standing here gawking at the thing forever. I need to decide my next course of action.

Thanks to the large beach view windows, I quickly confirm that all the lights in the house are shut off and I don’t feel any sign of life or activity within. Either the inhabitants are sleeping right now or there's no one inside.

So… what should I do? I could keep watch over the building to see if anything happens. But, if the bounded field is this weak, I should be able to infiltrate and enter the building with relative ease. Should I play it safe or do something bold?


Choices:

Mystery Choice: Why was the house so easy to find?
A) The Magus prioritized the leyline over stealth
B) The Magus is an amateur and can’t make a good bounded field
C) The Magus is purposely making their hideout easy to find
D) Something happened that caused the bounded field to weaken

Action Choice:
1) Infiltrate the building
2) Stakeout the house over the night
3) Ignore this place for now and keep looking around the beach area
4) Go home for now

[Spartacus]

C2

[King Prussia]

C2.

[zikari8]

Quest Notes

I know that this is probably obvious, but, due to the nature of this Quest, I am obligated to remind everyone that the face claims and images used to portray Servants in this Quest are limited by many factors and may not be perfect representations of the heroes they embody. Please do not place too much weight on them when deciphering the identities of Servants.

I do my best to find the best images to visually represent the Servants but my abilities are limited and I wouldn’t want anyone to be misled by the faceclaim and thus guess a True Name wrong. If at any time, there is a discrepancy in the text description and the image, please refer to the text as the primary source.

Day 1 Night
Location: Sakazuki Beachside

I can’t shake off the doubt in my mind. There’s something fishy going on here, I can feel it. It was simply too easy to find this house. I don’t know why but the magus is purposely making their base easy to find. If that’s the case, I can’t be too reckless here or I might fall into a trap or something. There’s also that chance that I’m not the only person who might’ve been tempted by this bait; if I managed to find this place so easily, it’s safe to say someone else might as well. So, for now it’s best to stay back and watch how things play out for now. If my predictions are right, I might be able to see something interesting.

With that in mind, I decide to stakeout the house for the night.

With some luck, I find a moderately-sized beach restaurant where I can hide for my stakeout. It’s on the beach itself just across the street from the house, so I have a good view of the whole street while staying relatively hidden. Preferably, I would’ve liked an overhead vantage point, but the beachside location of the magus’s house left none in the area, so I settled for the café since it was the most hidden area that got a good view of the house.

Ready for a long night, I bunkered down and put all my focus on watching the house.

About an hour after I began my stakeout, the first thing of notice happened.

Just as the night-time activities of the beach were dying down, I spotted a young woman walking down the street. She caught my eye immediately due to her striking blond hair, which seemed especially eye-catching under the dim street lamps. It seems that there aren’t many foreigners in this city, so her hair made her stand out quickly in my eyes. Due to the distance and the lighting, it was hard to make out her exact features, but she seemed to be a young lady around Haruka’s age. And though I didn’t get a good look at her, my instincts told me that she was a Master.

Master

Source by レナ

Oblivious to my presence, the girl entered the house nonchalantly. The lights in the building turned on, and the girl pulled the curtains on the main living room windows. Behind them, though, two silhouettes appeared. One belonged to the girl and the other seemed like a tall, muscular man. It seems like they talked for a bit before disappearing from the window. Afterwards, nothing really interesting happened and the lights of the house turned off at exactly midnight.

The night continued and I relentlessly kept watching even after the residents of the house went to sleep.

At 1 AM, the streets were completely empty and silent. Only the sound of the waves behind me seemed alive in the still and lifeless streets. As I watched the sleeping house intently, I contemplated the things I had seen earlier and the girl who seems to be the magus responsible for the house. For some strange reason, I got the feeling I’ve seen her somewhere before…

At 2 AM, I began to feel drowsy. It wasn’t even that late, but nothing but tedious watching for the past few hours dampened my spirit. Every now and then, I yawned a little and my eyes were starting to get droopy. Tired, my mind wandered to thoughts of Haruka. I told her that I’d be having dinner with a friend, but it’s way past the expiration date for that excuse. Will she be suspicious about me staying out all night?

At 3 AM, though, just as I was about ready to give up and go home, something finally catches my attention.

A miniscule amount of movement. So slight that at first I thought it was my imagination. Yet, I slowly spotted the cause.

On top of the roofs of the buildings before me was a shadowy figure, obscured by the darkness of night. Right before my eyes, it was leaping from roof to roof with poise and dexterity. At last, it stopped just before the magus’s house where the light of the street lamp gave me a half-assed look at the figure.

Shadowy Figure

Source by アサシン

It was a man in stylish attire. He was wearing black tight-fitting garbs and a gray skull-like mask. In his hand was a blade-like object, held with a reverse grip. Although I’m not one to make assumptions, I can’t help but think that the man resembles my superficial image of what a ninja looks like.

I don’t know who this man is nor what he is doing, but one thing is certain to me: he’s a Servant.

I feel my heart slightly quicken. Any former drowsiness is blown away within moments of seeing this man.

In contrast, the man in question remains still. Standing menacingly on the roof of the building next to the girl’s house, he’s motionlessly looking down on the building as if absorbing its every detail. Despite his lack of movement, though, I can feel a sense of hostility emanating off him.

Could it be that this man is the Servant Assassin? Even if that’s not his class, he gives off a dangerous vibe. So then, what is he doing here, right in front of the house of a Master? Is he scouting the opposition or…

A thought occurs to me.

The bounded field on the house is especially weak. Even I would be able to infiltrate it. If it were an Assassin Servant, getting past it would be like child’s play. So then… wouldn’t it be incredibly easy for him to take out the magus peacefully sleeping inside?

What do I do?

My mind hasn’t fully taken everything in, but there’s likely no time to do so. I need to think fast.

What does the Assassin plan to do? What is my best course of action? What are the chances of survival? But most of all…

Can I really just sit back and watch someone die in front of me?


Critical Choice:
1) Stay still and continue watching the house
2) Go and warn the lady about ‘Assassin’
3) Attack ‘Assassin’

[Spartacus]

1