[Your reward: [Hassan of the Hundred Faces]*3 has been sent via mail. Please claim it promptly.]
"With three out of the remaining five Servants on our side, haven't we basically secured victory?" Illyasviel followed Jiang You to a remote area on the outskirts of Fuyuki. He wanted to meet his very first Servant before logging off—after all, a player who obtains a new item must at least take a good look at it before sleeping.
Though Illya wanted to say that what she was doing wasn't much different from a Servant's job, she swallowed her words.
"Do you think this is a numbers game?" Jiang You spread his hands. While he, as the player, was bound to claim ultimate victory, his combat force was a ragtag bunch. "A nearly all-E-ranked Caster like me, an Assassin who is practically useless in direct combat, and, thanks to my presence, can't even carry out sneak attacks. As for Berserker, he's the only real muscle we have, but he's still outclassed by the two remaining enemies."
The command over Lancelot had already shifted to Kiritsugu. While Lancelot's parameters had returned to their original values, his Berserker state still prevented him from fully obeying Kiritsugu's orders, meaning Jiang You retained a general level of authority.
"And that mongrel king? With his temper and how he doesn't get along with me, there's no way to grind for Affection Points. I should've just played a Shadow Game with him and sent him straight back to the Throne of Heroes." Jiang You made a mental note to beat Gilgamesh into submission as soon as he logged in tomorrow.
"True. With your Noble Phantasm, sheer numbers don't really give you an advantage." Illya nodded. "Well, let's drop that topic. Let's meet Assassin. I still don't know which Heroic Spirit holds the Assassin class in this Holy Grail War."
"Caster—No, I should call you Master. I am Hassan of the Hundred Faces. From this moment on, we, the multitude of shadows, shall be at your side."
At Jiang You's summons, a woman with long blue-purple hair, wearing a white skull mask, and clad in dark attire knelt before him. "My apologies, Master. At the moment, only about ten percent of me is willing to obey your orders."
Jiang You didn't mind how many of Hundred Faces' identities obeyed him—she wasn't particularly useful anyway. He scrutinized her appearance; she looked just like the version that followed Kirei Kotomine in Fate/Zero and the primary representation in Fate/Grand Order.
"Is this your true form?" Jiang You was curious. Neither the main series nor its related games had clarified this. He wondered if this crossover event would finally provide a definitive answer.
"My true form…? No. Or rather, I don't know. Each 'me' embodies the existence of the title 'Hundred Faces.' Every one of us is a true 'Hundred Faces.'"
Even in life, Hassan had struggled with this dilemma. She had responded to the Holy Grail's summons not only to carve her name into history like a true hero but also in hopes of unifying her fragmented identity.
"Is that so? Then I'll just assume this is your main form." Jiang You wasn't surprised that the event didn't give a clear answer. He unceremoniously decided that the woman in front of him was the 'main body'—at least she was easy on the eyes. "Tell the others not to harbor hostility toward me. I know and understand your wish."
The moment Jiang You said this, Hundred Faces felt a subtle change within her Saint Graph, though a self-examination revealed nothing amiss. The voices in her mind continued chattering—some agreeing with Jiang You, some opposing, and some cursing him outright.
"You know?" Hundred Faces temporarily ignored her own condition and focused on his statement. Even her previous Master hadn't known her wish. In life, she had never spoken of it, even while leading the order. Jiang You shouldn't have had any way of knowing.
"You hope that, one day, the countless voices in your mind will fall silent, so you can finally sleep peacefully at night, right?" Targeting weaknesses was easy—hitting the right spot would make loyalty shoot up instantly. Maybe he could even farm some Affection Points.
"I command you with a Command Spell, Assassin: from now on, you shall no longer be disturbed by the thoughts of your other selves. I command you with a Command Spell, Assassin: all individuals bearing the name 'Hundred Faces' shall have the freedom to choose whether or not to remain linked to the collective consciousness."
Jiang You burned two Command Spells in succession to stabilize Hundred Faces' mind. As the red markings faded, even with her mask concealing most of her face, it was obvious that she was struggling to suppress a smile.
That meant the Command Spells had worked. The ones in Fuyuki were way more effective than the ones in Chaldea.
"My lord, all of me sings your praises. Please, command us as you will—no one shall voice opposition." A thrill she had never experienced in life made her voice tremble with emotion.
A multitude of Hundred Faces appeared around Jiang You, bowing to him in the utmost reverence.
[Hassan of the Hundred Faces' Affection Rewards have been sent. Please check your inbox.]
Jiang You's mailbox was suddenly flooded with system notifications.
Flipping through them, he noted that while Hundred Faces' main body wasn't much of a combatant, her deck contained some useful cards for the current event.
There was even one card with an effect similar to Kuriboh, though unfortunately, he didn't see any King Hassan cards.
Jiang You couldn't resist knocking on Illya's head. "See that? She just joined and already gave me all these cards. You haven't given me anything."
"That's your own Noble Phantasm! Why are you blaming me!?" Illya clutched her head in protest. After spending several days together, she had more or less figured out Jiang You's speech patterns. The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became—so she kicked Jiang You in the shin.
Even with E-rank Endurance, Illya's kick wasn't strong enough to hurt him. Instead, she recoiled from the impact and clutched her foot in pain.
Jiang You checked the time—time to log off. He had work tomorrow. "Tomorrow morning, go meet with my Master, Kiritsugu Emiya. I've already sent him the info. I probably won't log in until the afternoon. Make sure to avoid Gilgamesh—he doesn't tolerate annoyances. Time for bed. Tonight, Hundred Faces, you should enjoy the quiet sleep you've always wished for."
"As you command, my lord. We sing your praises from the depths of our hearts."
Hundred Faces bowed once again—only to feel a chill on her face. She looked up in confusion, only to see Jiang You had swiped her mask.
On a whim, Jiang You put the mask on his own face and turned to Illya. "Think if I paint myself black, I could pass as one of Assassin's doubles? There's so many of them—it should be easy to blend in."
"If you darken your skin, it might actually work," Illya nodded.
"A simple disguise would suffice. One of me specializes in such deception," Hundred Faces confirmed.
"Sounds fun. Maybe I'll try it sometime. Alright, I'm logging off. You guys get some sleep too."
His excitement faded as sleepiness crept in. Dropping the idea of playing cards with Hundred Faces, Jiang You exited the game.