In Which Medea Spoils Hinako's Smug — Alt. Title: The Reveal of Saber's Identity
Hmm, the Lady Yuenü? She's from before Hinako's time, fits perfectly as a Saber and countering Thunderer is easy, as being good enough with a sword in Fate means you unlock conceptual magic.
Medea of Colchis continued, once more, to sip her tea. Servants has no need for sustenance — doubly so considering her Master — but it is relaxing nonetheless, to partake in slight refreshment. She was a princess before this all. Still, it meant that she have the time to consider her Master's words.
Sword shard. Guarded. An artifact not whole but kept sacred nonetheless. The artefact itself isn't as important as the details surrounding it. She pulls back, to the repository of modern information the Grail System provided. It's robust, but much the one from Fuyuki, it is made with a base of information available in the Age of Man. Still, it will do its job.
Before her Master's time, before her self-professed sapience around 200 BC in the vast lands of Asia, there's a few candidates. All predate the Celestial and- there.
Even if one were to consider the fact that the reported sex of the many eligible heroes and notables, there's but one who fit her Master's hints. A fact that said master knows she knows now, judging by the fact that her expression is turning into the sort of ones her mentor made. The sorts that belied a perplexed annoyance of having done a task earlier than anticipated in a manner that ruined her mood.
Without further preamble, she said it. "Lady of Yue."
"Eh?" Billy blurted, all while the gears behind his head turns and inputs the keyword into the Grail System's database.
"...How astute, Caster. You cheated, didn't you?"
"Only in so far that I needed to check what you said." She allowed herself a small smile. "It's not as easy as you might think it is - piecing the facts together. So, now that the secret is out, what do you know of her? The repository is inaccurat-"
Billy cut her off, his composure rattled by the revelation. "Except for the fact that you think I somehow have a chance against the progenitor of all Chinese sword arts?! Master, are you being serious?"
"I am. And her legends have been lost. Much, anyway."
Caster raised her hand to stop Archer's tirade. "And are they as conflicted then as they are now?"
"Somewhat. Some remained clear to me, however. She was trained, in part or in full, by one of the Four Celestial Monkeys. Perhaps even by Sun Wukong himself."
"How did that tidbit be forgotten? And how is this a fair fight on my end?"
"I did say that I was rather rash in my early days, didn't I?"
Medea looks at the Elemental oddly. "You... murdered all who knew of her deeds?"
"The monkeys were in the way. And not all of the deeds were lost. But they were distorted far easier than most. Her divinity too, were an exaggeration. Of a sort. Her links to Xuannü might have been established as a postdated fact."
"I still don't get how I am supposed to beat her. If the records I am getting is right, she's just that good at sword arts."
"In a fight to the death or a sparring match, her movements are fast. But you are just as fast. I never said that her attacks are unavoidable, but that Thunderer itself might become countered."
"So what, a counter to a counter attack?"
"In a sense." The guarded answer came then. Inwardly, Hinako herself is unsure how Yuenü's Noble Phantasm would manifest. She is certain enough that can handle Thunderer and yet, the form itself might be unknown.
Thankfully, the Caster switched the subject, "That's all well and good Master but what is she like? Sounds like someone who's a potential handful than not."
Hinako takes deep breath then. "That is where I am unsure of."
"Huh?" "Explain?"
"The stories that have been told varies. Either she was a refined lady who was sought by Goujian, who mastered her arts already in her prime, or she was a simple peasant girl who lived in the hilly bamboo forests of Zhejiang. Both versions mentioned that she is a calm spirit in combat, that she inherited the qualities of her mentor in many ways than one."
"Both versions might be true."
Hinako looks at the shard in her hand. "That might be so. But again, we've no idea when we can start summoning her. Or other Servants for the matter."
"...I think I'll start training then, I think Mister David wouldn't mind if I spar with him."
AN: My mood is Hinako's own for the past 12 hours. I'll strive to make further Servants a harder deal to guess. Congratulations, Random, you got the guess.
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