FSN Fate Day 03 (EN)
Scene 00 - Promised sign
"―――"
She moves faster than I can think.
The knightly girl leaps out of the shed without hesitation.
"...!"
I get up and follow the girl, even forgetting the pain in my body.
There's no way that girl will be a match for him.
Even armored like that, she is a girl smaller than me.
"Sto―――!"
My words are silenced by the sound.
"Wha...?"
I can't believe my eyes.
This time, my head really goes blank.
"What is she?"
The sound of weapons.
The moon is hidden behind the clouds and the yard has returned to its original darkness.
In it, sparks are born from steel hitting steel.
The lance-wielding man wordlessly attacks the girl who jumped out of the shed.
But the girl parries the blow of the lance and knocks away all following attacks, driving the man back with every blow.
"......"
I... can't believe it.
The girl called Saber is overpowering that man.
―――The battle has begun.
What happened between me and him earlier wasn't a battle.
A battle is a fight between two people who can kill each other.
Whatever the difference in skills, if each has a way to kill the other, then you can call it a battle.
Their fight is a battle in that sense too.
The man's lance that I couldn't even see is thrown with even more power.
But...
The girl parries it with the "thing" in her hands and closes in on the man.
"Damn...!"
The man retreats a bit.
He holds his lance vertically to protect his ribs as the girl goes for them.
"Guh...!"
For a moment, the man's lance glows.
It was a blow like an explosion, and I guess it really was one.
The instant the man blocks the "thing" the girl's holding, the lance in his hand glows as if electrified.
The man, and even I, can tell what that is.
That is a force of magical energy so strong that it's visible.
In each of the girl's blows is a terrible amount of magical energy.
That outrageous amount of magical energy is penetrating the opponent's weapon just by touching it.
Such a thing... it must take such force just to block it.
If you think of the man's lance as an accurate sniper rifle, the blows of the girl are like those of a powerful shotgun.
Every time the girl swings, the yard is filled with light.
But...
That isn't what's overpowering the man.
"Coward, what are you doing, hiding your weapon...!"
The man complains while avoiding the girl's fierce attacks.
"......"
The girl doesn't answer, but only attacks even more with the "thing" in her hands...!
"You...!"
The man retreats with not even a chance for a counterattack.
That's only natural.
Because the girl's weapon is invisible.
As he cannot sense her range, it would be careless to attack recklessly.
Yes, it is invisible.
The girl definitely has "something" in her hand.
But as you can't see what shape it is nor how long it is, you can't tell anything about it.
Perhaps it's totally invisible, as it does not show up even when sparks fly off from it.
"Damn."
The man must be having a hard time defending against it, as his moves aren't as sharp.
"――――"
And the girl lets out a voice for the first time.
She swings her "weapon" with more fury.
A storm of swings without pause!
The flying sparks remind me of a blacksmith hitting iron.
―――The lance-wielding man blocks them, clucking his tongue.
I must say, I admire his skills even though he tried to kill me.
The man is blocking invisible blows, watching only the opponent's legs and arms!
"Fuh...!"
But that's it.
You only need to beat down someone who's gone defensive.
As if to say so, the girl steps even closer to the man and...
Delivers a blow with all her might, as if smashing him down...!
"Don't underestimate me, fool...!"
He must see this as his opportunity as the man disappears.
No, he jumped back, making it look like he disappeared.
The girl's blow cuts through air and destroys the ground, kicking up dust.
The blow, swung as a final one, was easily dodged!
"Idiot, what is she doing...!?"
I can tell even from a distance.
I don't know about the careful blows from before, but such a big blow won't be able to touch that man.
Even that man's body must have been straining under all those attacks.
But he suppressed it for an instant, and jumped away.
As if this blow will determine the victor...!
"Ha...!"
The man who jumped back several meters jumps as soon as he lands.
As if reversing his retreat, he jumps at the girl.
In contrast, the girl still has her sword in the ground.
"...!"
That opening is irrevocable.
The red lance returns in less than a second, and...
The girl twirls her body with the sword still in the ground.
"...!"
So the contest lasts less than a second.
The man sees his mistake and tries to hold back, while the girl uses her whole body to execute her blow!
"Guh...!!"
"......"
The man blown away and the girl who blew him away both seem discontent.
It's only natural.
They each launched their blows to kill the other.
Even if they allowed them to escape immediate danger, they were worthless.
Their distance opens.
The two stare at each other silently.
"―――What is wrong, Lancer?
It would not do your name credit if you just stand there. If you will not come, I can."
"...Hah, you're going to come and die? I don't mind, but let me ask you this first.
Your Noble Phantasm, is it a sword?"
The man glares, as if staring right into her heart.
"Who knows?
It might be a battle axe or it might be a spear. It might even be a bow, Lancer."
"Heh, keep talking, Saber."
Perhaps it's really funny for him.
The man... the one called Lancer lowers his lance.
It looks like he's indicating that he doesn't want to fight anymore.
"...?"
The girl is puzzled by Lancer's action.
But I know that stance.
It was used in that fight a few hours ago in the schoolyard.
It's the fatal move that was supposed to have ended the show.
"...I'll ask just in case since this is our first meeting. Do you want to call it even?"
"――――――――"
"It's not a bad deal, right? See, that senile Master over there is useless, and it so happens my Master is a coward.
I think it's in both our interests to hold off on this match until we're better prepared."
"―――I refuse. You will fall here, Lancer."
"I see. Geez, all I wanted to do was check things out, you know? I didn't want to stay long once a Servant came out."
It seems like the air around them distorted.
Lancer lowers his stance.
A chill runs through the air at that moment.
It's exactly like back then. The magical energy rumbles in a whirlpool, centered on that lance.
"Noble Phantasm...!"
The girl readies her apparent sword and glares at the enemy in front of her.
The girl, facing the enemy, knows better than I how dangerous he is.
"...See ya. I'll take that heart of yours!"
The beast jumps.
Lancer instantly appears in front of the girl, as if he teleported, and...
Thrusts his lance at the girl's feet.
"――――"
It was a bad move, even to my eyes.
With the lance already lowered, it wouldn't be effective to aim low at the girl.
To prove my point, the girl jumps over the lance and moves forward to slash Lancer away.
At that moment.
"Gae..."
With words themselves charged with magical energy...
"Bolg...!"
The lance thrust at the girl's feet rushes towards her heart.
"...!?"
Her body rises into the air.
The girl is driven up into the air by the blow of the lance, and she crashes down... no, lands on the ground.
"Ha, kuh...!"
...She's bleeding.
The girl, who hasn't even received a scratch so far, is bleeding badly from her chest.
"A curse... no, a reversal of causality...!"
She speaks in pain.
...I'm surprised too.
No, since I saw it from a distance, I can tell better than her that the attack just now was a strange one.
The lance was definitely aimed at her feet.
But it suddenly changed its course, moving strangely in an impossible direction, and pierced the girl's heart.
But the lance itself has not grown or bent.
It looked so natural that it makes one think that the lance was already in her heart... and for that reason, it's strange.
It's not as simple as the lance changing its course and piercing her heart.
The lance did not change its course, but changed the means so that the result would be so.
...The lance thrust with that name carried the "result" of "piercing her heart" as a premise.
In other words, the process and the result were reversed.
As long as there was the result of the lance piercing her heart, the course of the lance was merely something added later to prove that fact.
An evil thorn that breaks through all defenses.
A lance that pierces the heart every time it's used, a weapon that determines your fate just by its use.
How can anyone block such a ridiculous attack?
However the enemy tries to dodge it, the lance will pierce their heart without fail.
―――That's why this move is fatal.
A cursed lance that always pierces the opponent with one thrust.
But...
The girl has evaded it by a small margin.
She is wounded, but it was not a fatal blow.
In a sense, her actions were more impossible than the lance.
The instant the lance was thrust, she turned and jumped back with all her might, as if she knew this was going to happen.
Either she had incredible luck or enough divine protection to nullify the curse of the lance.
Either way, she avoided a fatal blow and sullied the lance's name.
"Haa, haa"
The girl catches her breath.
The blood that was running so much has stopped, and even her stabbed wound is healing.
"......"
I guess that's extraordinary.
I knew she wasn't normal, but still, that's too strange.
Like her skills to fight against Lancer, like the incredible magical energy in each of her blows, and like her body that heals by itself... this girl clearly surpasses Lancer.
...But that was only up to now.
Even if it's healing, her wound is deep.
If Lancer attacks her now, she'll be defeated without even being able to defend herself.
But.
With this overwhelming advantage, Lancer doesn't move.
He glares at the girl, grinding his teeth so hard that I can hear it.
"You evaded it, Saber. My fatal Gae Bolg."
A voice that seems to echo from the ground.
"...!? Gae Bolg... you are Ireland's man of light!"
Lancer frowns.
His hostility disappears and he clucks his tongue in annoyance.
"...I screwed up. If I'm going to use this move, it needs to be fatal. Geez, I guess being too famous is bad too...."
The pressure goes away.
Lancer doesn't even attack the wounded girl and simply turns his back and moves to the edge of the yard.
"It is the rule of Servants to fight to the death if your identity is discovered... but unfortunately, my Master is a coward. He's telling me to go back since you have evaded my lance."
"―――You are running away, Lancer?"
"Yeah. I don't mind if you come after me, Saber.
Just be prepared to die when you do."
With one bound.
Lancer easily jumps over the wall and disappears.
"Wait, Lancer...!"
The wounded girl starts running to pursue the enemy.
"I-Is she stupid......!?"
I run through the yard with all my strength.
I think that the girl will go after him if I don't stop her instantly.
...But there was no need for that.
When the girl tries to jump over the wall, she clenches her chest and stops.
"Kuh...."
I run to her and stare at her.
No, I tried to approach her to call out to her, but I forget about it the instant I come near her.
"――――――――"
...To put it simply, everything about her is absurd.
Now that I'm near her, I can tell that the shining armor she wears is really heavy.
The old-fashioned cloth is smooth, a vivid blue.
...No, that isn't what fascinates me.
The girl, who seems to be a few years younger than me, is beautiful.
The golden hair lit by the moonlight is finely textured, as if sprinkled with gold dust.
The face, with some sign of naivety, has elegance, and her white skin looks soft.
"――――――――"
I can't call out to her because I am fascinated by her beauty, and also for another reason.
"...Why."
Because seeing the girl fighting and getting hurt somehow made me mad.
No matter how strong she is or how armored she is, I think it's wrong for a girl to have to fight.
All the while I'm fascinated with her, the girl has her hand on her chest.
But that ends quickly.
The girl lets her chest go and looks up as if the pain has gone away.
She stares directly at me.
I'm not sure how I should talk to her, but I notice something about her.
"...The wound is... gone...?"
Even though it missed her heart, that lance stabbed her in the chest. But she's unscathed.
...I've heard of healing magics, but I didn't see her using anything like that.
So that must mean she automatically heals even when she is wounded.
"...!!"
Then my brain switches gear.
This is no time to be fascinated by her. She is a strange being. I can't let my guard down until I know what she is.
"Who... are you?"
I take half a step back and ask her.
"...? What do you mean? I am the Servant Saber.
...You summoned me, so I do not think you should need to confirm it."
The girl answers in a quiet voice.
"The Servant Saber...?"
"Yes, so please call me Saber."
She replies without hesitation.
Her tone is polite yet gentle, and just hearing it makes my head go blank...
"...!!"
...Hey, what am I getting excited about...!?
"I-I see. That's a strange name."
I hide my burning face with my hand and reply really stupidly. I don't know what else to say.
I wouldn't know of any such thing to say. Since I asked her name, isn't it natural for her to introduce herself? In that case, it would be impolite to stay silent like this.
"...I'm Shirou. My name is Emiya Shirou, and I live in this house."
What am I doing?
Are my answers getting stupider?
But she told me her name, so I should answer too.
I know I'm confused right now, but I have to be polite no matter who this is.
"......"
The girl... Saber just stares at me without changing her expression.
"No, wait. I take that back. That's not what I meant to ask you. Actually..."
"I know. You are not a formal Master, correct?"
"Huh...?"
"But you are still my Master. As long as we have made a contract, I will not betray you. There is no need for you to be so cautious."
"Uh...?"
Crap.
I can hear her words, but they make no sense to me.
All I know is that she's calling me with a ridiculous word like "Master".
"That's wrong. My name isn't 'Master'."
"Then I shall call you Shirou. Yes, I like the sound of that better."
"...!"
As soon as she says my name, I think my face lit up on fire.
Shouldn't you call someone by their last name on a first meeting...!?
"Wait a minute. Why are you calling me――――
Ow...!"
Pain suddenly runs through my left hand.
"I-It's burning......!"
The back of my hand is burning.
My hand feels like it's in a fire, and on it is a strange mark that looks like a tattoo.
"What the..."
"That is called a Command Spell, Shirou.
It is the three claims on a Servant's obedience, and the life of a Master. Please do not use it thoughtlessly."
"W-Who..."
Before I can finish with "are you?", the air around her changes.
"―――Shirou, heal my wounds."
She speaks in a cold voice.
It seems her attention is on something far away, behind the wall, and not on me.
But is she expecting me to heal her...?
"Wait, you're asking me? I'm sorry, but I don't know any such difficult magecraft. Besides, it's already healed."
Saber frowns a bit.
...I think I said something really wrong there.
"...Then I shall face them as I am now. The regeneration only healed the outside, but one more fight should not be a problem."
"...? One more what...?"
"There are two enemies outside. Judging by their presence, it should only take a few seconds to defeat them."
Saying so, Saber jumps lightly.
Just like Lancer, she leaps over the wall and disappears outside.
I'm left alone in the yard.
"...Enemies outside?"
As soon as I say it aloud, I realize what it means.
"Hold on, are you going to fight again...!?"
My body starts to move.
Without thinking, I run to the gate with full force.
"Haa, haa, haa...!"
I run to the gate, unlock it with trembling hands, and jump outside.
"Saber, where are you...!?"
I search through the dark.
The moon is hidden, now of all times, and it is completely dark.
But...
I hear something nearby.
"There...!?"
I run to the small road with no sign of anyone on it.
―――It all happens in an instant.
Saber is confronting a familiar guy in red.
Saber runs at the man in red without takes his guard down with one blow, and...
Scene 01 - Night of fate
I leave Sakura, who has club activities, and head to the school building.
The schoolyard is full of spirited students running around.
"......"
But still, there's something oddly wrong here.
The school is like it always is.
The students at morning practice are lively, and the new school building is spotless.
"...Maybe it's just my imagination."
But when I close my eyes, the air completely changes.
The school building is covered with stains like membranes, and the students running around the schoolyard seem like empty dolls.
"...Maybe I'm just tired."
I shake my head to clear it.
I head to the lifeless building.
School ends early on Saturdays.
Classes end before noon, and after I finish helping Issei afterwards, the sun is starting to set.
"Well, let's head home."
I pack up and leave my classroom.
And then.
"Oh, you're still here, Emiya?"
I bump into Shinji.
There are a couple of girls behind him, being rowdy.
"You were still here even though you had nothing to do? Oh yeah, you were sticking up for the student council again, right? I envy you. You can get good reports from the school without doing any club activities."
"I'm not helping the student council. It's only natural for a student to fix the school equipment, right? After all, we're the ones using them."
"Heh, keep talking like that. For you, everything is natural. Didn't I tell you that I hate how you act like a good kid?"
"Hm? ...Sorry, I don't remember that. I thought that was just the sort of thing you say, so I didn't really notice it."
"...!!
Heh, fine. Then you're going to fix everything at this school?"
"Fixing everything would be impossible. The most I can do is take care of things."
"All right, then do me a favor. Our archery club is in kind of a mess right now.[l]
It's a bit disordered, and some of the bows need strings attached.
If you have time, can you do that too? You used to be a member. Don't just stick to the student council, and you should be useful to us sometimes as well."
"What? Senpai, didn't Fujimura-Sensei tell you to do that?"
"That's right. You'll be scolded tomorrow if you don't do it properly."
"But the shop will close if I start cleaning now. It's fine if he does it, right?"
"I don't know. Besides, an outsider wouldn't know how."
"Are you sure? Shinji said he used to be in the archery club, so we can let him do it."
They're getting rowdy behind Shinji.
It seems they're in the archery club, but they must be members that Shinji recruited recently as I don't know them.
"I'll leave it to you, then. The key's in the usual place, so go ahead. You don't mind, right Emiya?"
"No. I have some free time, so this isn't a bad thing to do once in a while."
"Haha, thanks! Let's go, everyone. He says he'll do the boring chores for us!"
"Oh, wait Senpai! Oh yes, please take care of the cleaning, Senpai."
The cleaning ends quite easily as I know the place well.
It took a while as it is quite big, but it was fun cleaning the place I used until a year and a half ago.
I picked up a bow thinking it might be okay to shoot just once, but since it wasn't mine, I decided not to.
If I ever want to, I can just bring my own bow and come here.
"...But there are so many more carbon bows now. There was only one when I was in my first year."
Carbon-based bows are good, unlike wood and plastic bows.
But the biggest problem is the price, and they're not something we could buy with the club budget.
Back then, Shinji was the only one using it... are the new members rich too?
"...What a waste. You can modify a wooden bow a lot more."
Well, I guess that's personal taste right there.
When I look at the clock, it's way past curfew.
It's a little after seven o'clock. The gates should be closed by now, so there's no reason to rush now.
...But still.
Was this dojo always this dirty? There are loads of places that look unkept.
"...Well, another hour or two won't matter now that I've done this much."
I've started this, so I'll finish the job.
The wind is blowing.
It's so cold that my cheeks are getting numb.
...Fuyuki City isn't usually cold during the winter, but it is cold tonight of all nights.
"――――――――"
My breath hangs around as a white cloud.
I wrap up my body to hold off the cold.
"No wonder it's dark... the moon's behind the clouds."
There's no light in the sky when I look up.
Because of the strong winds, the clouds are moving fast.
It's past curfew and there's no sign of life in the empty school.
It seems this place is filled only with chill, as it's all silent.
"...?"
Just now...
I think I hear something.
"―――I do hear something. Is it coming from the school grounds...?"
This night.
I must have been curious about the sound that broke the silence.
To investigate it, I find myself heading there even though I somehow know that I mustn't.
I go to the schoolyard.
"...People?"
Well, they only look like that from a distance.
It's a dark night with no light.
If I want to know more, I'll have to go closer to the schoolyard.
I can hear the sounds louder now. It's the sound of metal hitting metal. That must mean someone is fighting with weapons there.
"...That's stupid. What the hell am I thinking...?"
I dismiss the image from my mind with a bitter smile and walk on.
―――At that time.
Maybe my instincts noticed the danger, as I hid myself as I approached. I don't know if this is fortunate or not.
But anyways, when I get by a tree that is big enough to hide myself, I take a closer look at the source of the sound――――
My mind stops completely.
"――――What the..."
There's something strange there.
A man in red and a man in blue.
They are dangerously armed, and as their ominous appearance suggests, they are actually slashing at each other.
I can't understand.
I can't follow them with my eyes.
My brain does not work properly, faced with their impossible movements.
But the clang of their weapons tells me they are trying to kill each other.
"――――――――"
I just knew immediately when I saw them...
They are not human. They are probably just things that look like humans.
I can tell not because I'm learning magecraft.
Anyone would realize they're not human.
After all, humans can't move like that.
So they are something no one should associate with.
"――――――――"
I can feel their murderous intent even from a distance.
...I'm going to die.
My body understands faster than my brain that I will definitely die if I stay here.
That's why my heart is racing so fast.
As a living thing like them, I sense that they're living things made only to kill.
"――――――――"
...They're using weapons made only to kill.
I remember the murder yesterday.
They said the family was killed with some weapon like a sword.
"...!"
I shouldn't watch any longer.
But my body won't follow my commands and I can't even breathe.
My mind wants to run away, but my judgment tells me I'll be seen the moment I run away.
...More than the conflict within me, my body is just numb.
Even though I'm a good forty meters away, I can't breathe properly, and it's like I have a spear pointed right at my back.
"――――――――"
The sounds stop.
The figures separate and stand facing each other.
The moment I feel relief at the end of their battle, I sense an even stronger intention to kill.
"......!!"
My heart stops.
The numbness in my body becomes convulsions, and I clench my teeth to try to hold my trembling body.
"What the hell is he!?"
An overwhelming amount of magical energy is flowing into the guy in blue.
Kiritsugu showed me once what it's like to draw in magical energy from the surroundings.
It was a beautiful magecraft that impressed even an amateur like me.
But that thing is different.
Just as even the simple task of drinking water could seem ugly if it goes too far, what he is doing is so excessive that anyone with knowledge of magical energy would hate it.
"――――――――"
He's going to die.
The guy in red is going to die.
It's a blow with that much concentrated magical energy. There's no way he'll be able to survive it.
He'll die.
He's not human, so something merely like a human will die.
That is...
That's...
That's... something I can just ignore?
That doubt takes my mind off of them.
The binds on my body disappear, and the instant I take a deep breath...
"Who's there!?"
The guy in blue stares at me, who's hiding.
"...!!"
The blue guy's body sinks.
Just that motion tells me that I'm his target now.
"Ahhh...!"
My legs start running automatically.
I finally realize that it is an action to escape death, and I put all the energy in my body into running away.
I don't know how fast I run, but before I know it, I'm in the school building.
"How stupid of me."
I regret my actions, panting heavily.
I should have run into town to get away.
What am I doing, fleeing to such a deserted place?
And a school, of all things. Isn't there some better place to hide than here?
Anyways, why do I think I'll be killed if I don't escape?
"Haa――――Haa, haa..."
My heart aches from running so much.
Turning around, I can sense nothing pursuing me.
The only sound in the air is the sound of my footsteps.
"Ah... haa, haa."
So, I can finally rest.
I stop my feet, unable to take another step, send oxygen to my pumping heart, and look up to finally realize that I am safe.
"...Man... what was that...?"
I recall the scene from earlier while catching my breath.
Anyway, I'm sure that it wasn't something I should have seen.
Some things like humans were fighting in the school grounds.
That's all I can remember.
But there was something else I saw, out of the corner of my eye.
"...Wasn't there someone else too...?"
But I can't remember what that figure looked like.
To be honest, I didn't have the composure to notice anything other than those two fighting.
"Well, anyways..."
"The chase is over, right?"
The voice comes from right in front of me.
"Yo. You ran pretty far."
He speaks in a friendly tone.
"......"
I can't breathe.
My brain stops, and even though I cannot think...
...I vaguely understand that I am going to die.
"You know better than anyone that you can't escape, right? People who get killed are usually like that. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. You don't have to feel ashamed."
The lance is casually raised.
"You were just unlucky, kid. Well, you saw us, so die."
And the man's lance mercilessly pierces Emiya Shirou's heart.
There wasn't even time to dodge it.
All the training I did was for nothing.
I knew I was going to be killed.
I knew I was going to be pierced by that lance, yet I could not move at all.
"Aa... ah."
The world distorts.
My body grows cold.
Feeling vanishes from my fingertips.
"Gah..."
I cough up blood, once.
More blood should have come up, but it only happens once.
Perhaps the man's lance is special.
The blood slowly clots and the heart that should have exploded stops working with just a single pierce.
"――――――――"
I can't see well.
There's no feeling in me.
I feel like a jellyfish floating in the dark sea at night.
I don't feel any pain already.
The world is white, and only I am black.
So, rather than feeling like I'm dead, it's more like the world around me has disappeared.
I know this.
I felt this ten years ago.
This is how someone feels when dying.
"Dead men tell no tales. It's only natural for the weak to die, but..."
I cannot concentrate on my vision.
"Man, you really make me do unpleasant jobs. It's a joke that a hero is acting like this."
I can only hear voices.
"I know, I have no complaints. I saw the girl's Servant, so I'll go back."
A voice filled with irritation.
And after that, I hear footsteps running through the hallway.
"Archer, huh? I want to finish the match with him, but I have to follow my Master's plan. ...Geez, I don't like him."
The voice suddenly disappears.
I guess he jumped out of a window or something.
And after that...
Footsteps approach me and stop.
In that brief period.
...More footsteps.
I can't... hear... much... now...
"...Follow him, Archer. Lancer will probably go back to his Master. This won't be worth it unless we at least find out what his Master looks like."
...Whose voice was that?
I concentrate my fading mind, but I can't remember anything.
Right now, my breathing is too noisy.
My lungs must still be alive.
The air coming out of my mouth is as loud as a hurricane.
"...But it's amazing he isn't dead yet."
I sense someone looking at my face.
Perhaps my breathing was loud as the figure tries to close my mouth and...
"...Stop it. Why does it have to be you?"
I hear the person grit their teeth, then they touch me without hesitation.
"...Reforge the damaged organ and use it as a substitute, and restore the heart in the process, huh? If I succeed, I'll be accepted to the Clock Tower instantly...."
A pain-filled voice.
With that, my mind stops fading.
"――――――――"
Feeling returns to my body.
Slowly, bit by bit, like a drop of water going down a leaf, feeling returns to my body.
"――――――――"
What is the person doing?
The person is sweating and places their hand on my chest with all their heart.
"――――――――"
When I notice, the place where the person placed their hand is terribly hot.
It must be so hot that the frozen blood melted and started to flow again.
"Phew."
I sense someone take a deep breath and sit down.
"I'm tired..."
I hear a clang of something falling.
"...Well, I guess it can't be helped. Forgive me, Father. Your daughter is terribly heartless."
And that's it.
The person speaks to mock themself, and leaves.
"――――――――"
My heart resumes its activity.
And then, my mind stops.
...This is not the sleep of death.
This is a restful sleep, to recover the energy to wake up again.
Scene 02 - Alter ego
We walk through the nighttime town.
It's past one in the morning and there's no one out at this time.
The lights in the houses are out, and only the streetlamps illuminate the silent town.
"Hey Tohsaka, are you planning to walk to the neighboring town?"
"Yeah. The buses and trains have stopped running. A walk at night is good once in a while, right?"
"I see, then if I may ask, do you know how long it takes to get there?"
"Well, it should take about an hour walking. If it gets late, we can always take a taxi."
"I won't waste that kind of money. And besides, what I mean is, it might be dangerous for girls to walk around at a time like this. You know it's dangerous, right? I won't be responsible if something happens."
"Don't worry, nobody's going to mess with us. You may be forgetting, but Saber is really strong."
"Oh."
She's right.
Whoever it is, if someone attacks her, they will be counterattacked viciously.
"Rin. What was Shirou saying? I did not quite understand."
"Huh? Well, he was just making a big misunderstanding or being plain stupid. He's saying he'll help us if some pervert appears."
"What? Shirou is my Master. I should be protecting him instead."
"I don't think he's thinking about that sort of thing. He seems unconcerned about magi and Servants and all. I kind of wonder what's going on in his head."
"......"
Tohsaka and Saber now know each other well enough to talk to each other.
Saber has been silent ever since I stopped her from going out dressed like she was.
She said she wouldn't take off her armor, so I made her wear a raincoat, and she's been quiet ever since.
Now, she follows me and only speaks to Tohsaka.
"Wait, where are you going, Emiya-kun? Isn't that the wrong way?"
"We need to get to the bridge, right? Then this will be a shortcut."
I don't want to walk alongside them, so I quickly make my way to the small side-road.
They follow me without objection.
We come out into a park.
We have to cross that bridge to go to the neighboring town of Shinto, but――
"Wow, I didn't know about this road. I see, since you can get to the bridge from the park, all you have to do is head for the park."
Tohsaka looks up at the bridge, talking happily.
Maybe it's just because it's nighttime.
Tohsaka's face, looking up at the bridge, seems even more beautiful than at school... I'm troubled.
"Let's go. We didn't come here to play around."
I hurry Tohsaka, who is standing still in the park, and make my way up the stairs.
Once we reach the road alongside the bridge, Shinto will be straight ahead of us.
There's no one on the bridge.
That's only natural as not many people use it even during daytime.
It's more normal to use the bus or the train to get to the neighboring town, so this bridge is rarely used.
That's because it's so long and it carries a fear that it might collapse on you.
That must be why this place isn't used for dates, even though it's perfect location-wise.
"...That's stupid. What am I thinking?"
Saber is following me silently and Tohsaka is walking right beside me.
Trying to ignore them, I hurry across the bridge.
Beyond the bridge, Tohsaka leads us into the suburbs.
When I think about Shinto, only the office buildings in front of the station come to mind, but there are streets from older times once you get away from the station.
The suburbs are the most extreme of those.
There are hilly roads and a high ground overlooking the sea.
As you go farther up the hill, there are fewer buildings and the foreigners' cemetery built on the slope of the hill can be seen.
"The church is up here. You must have been there at least once, right?"
"No. I know it used to be an orphanage though."
"I see. Then it'll be your first time today. You should prepare yourself. The priest there is a difficult man to deal with."
Tohsaka starts up the hill.
...Looking up, I can see a building at the top of the hill.
A church atop the hill.
I never thought I'd visit God's house for the first time for a reason like this.
"Wow―――this is really awesome."
The church is magnificent.
The whole top of the hill must be the church's land as a flat field welcomes me as soon as I reach the top.
The church isn't that big, but it is compelling, towering over its visitors.
"Shirou, I will remain here."
"Huh? Why? I can't just leave you when we've come up here together."
"I did not come for the church. I followed to protect you. If your destination is the church, you should not go any farther, so I shall wait here for your return."
Saber says clearly.
It doesn't seem like she'll budge an inch, so I decide to respect her decision.
"All right. Then I'll be going."
"Yes. Please do not let your guard down whomever you are facing, Master."
It is a large, impressive chapel.
Since it's so large, many people must come here during the day.
If he's entrusted with such a church, the priest here must be a man of character.
"Tohsaka, what kind of a person is the priest here?"
"It's kind of hard to explain. I've known him for ten years, but I still can't grasp his character."
"You've known him for ten years...? That's a pretty long relationship. Is he a relative of yours or something?"
"He's not my relative, but he is my guardian. On top of that, he is my senior as an apprentice, and my second teacher."
"Huh... senior as an apprentice, you mean apprentice as a magus!?"
"That's right, but why are you so surprised?"
"Because he's a priest! Aren't priests forbidden to use magecraft!?"
By their nature, a magus and the church cannot be in harmony.
The organization that magi belong to is called the magecraft Association,
And the other side of religion, the side you wouldn't see while living a normal life, is called the Holy Church.
The two are barely similar. They cooperate in name, but they're always trying to kill each other when given the chance.
The church hates heretics.
They totally eliminate the inhuman, and they count magecraft-using humans among their targets.
For the church, miracles are only given to the chosen holy saints. Any miracles handled by other people are heresies.
There are no exceptions, even for those within the church.
The higher one rises in the church, the more one is prohibited from the impurity of magecraft.
And for a follower entrusted with a church like this and the more divine protection one receives, the more one should stay away from magecraft―――
"...No, first of all, is the priest here on our side?"
"Yes. He is the one supervising the Holy Grail War after all. He is a real Agent. ...Well, I don't know if he has divine protection, though."
Tohsaka's footsteps echo as she approaches the altar.
It's bad manners to do that when the priest isn't here, but it's so late at night.
He won't be in the chapel, so if he's anywhere, it will be the private room in the back.
"...Hmm. So who is this priest? You said a name like Kotomine before..."
"His name is Kotomine Kirei. He's a student of my father, and we've had an inseparable relationship for ten years now. ...Well, I wish I'd never met him, though."
"―――I feel the same way. I did not want an apprentice who did not respect her teacher."
A footstep.
He must have noticed our entry as he slowly appears from the other side of the altar.
"You didn't answer my repeated calls, and now you bring a strange guest. ...Hmm, so he is the seventh one, Rin?"
"Right. He's a magus, but he's pretty much a beginner, so I just couldn't let him be.
...I believe it was the rules to report here when one becomes a Master, right? It's a rule you invented, but I'll follow it this time."
"Very well. Then I must thank this young man."
The priest called Kotomine slowly turns to me.
"――――"
...Without realizing, I step back.
...He's not scary at all.
...I don't feel any hostility from him.
But this priest still has a presence that makes the air around him feel heavy.
"I am Kotomine Kirei, the one entrusted with this church.
What is your name, seventh Master?"
"―――Emiya Shirou. But I haven't agreed to this 'Master' thing yet."
I glare back at the priest, trying not to lose against his presence.
"Emiya――――Shirou."
"Huh―――?"
The weight on my back turns into a chill.
The priest slowly smiles as if he's met someone pleasant.
――――That smile.
It makes me―――
"I thank you, Emiya. You have brought Rin here. If it were not for you, she would not have come."
The priest makes his way toward the altar.
Tohsaka moves away from the altar and stands beside me.
"Then let us start. Emiya Shirou, you are Saber's Master, correct?"
"That's wrong. I certainly made a contract with her, but I don't understand this whole Master and Holy Grail War thing.
If a Master should be a proper magus, then you should go and choose a more suitable person."
"...I see. This is serious. Does he really know nothing, Rin?"
"I told you he's a beginner. Train him from the very first steps, will you? You're really good at that, right?"
Tohsaka urges the priest.
"―――Oh, I see, I see. That's how it is, huh?
I understand. This is the first time you have ever depended on me.
Emiya Shirou, I can never thank you enough."
Father Kotomine laughs.
Their conversation makes me feel uneasy.
"First, let us correct your misunderstandings.
Listen, Emiya Shirou. Master is not a role you can give to someone else nor is it something you can stop being once you are chosen.
Those who have those Command Spells carved on them cannot resign from being a Master. You must accept that fact."
"――Why can't I quit?"
"The Command Spell is a holy mark. Becoming a Master is a trial placed upon you. You cannot escape it just because it is inconvenient.
You cannot be released from that pain until you obtain the Holy Grail.
If you wish to retire from being a Master, all you can do is obtain the Holy Grail and wish for it. If you do that, everything will be as you desire, Emiya Shirou.
Your wishes, even cleaning out all the mud inside of you, is possible―――Yes, it is even possible to start everything over again.
Therefore, you should desire it.
If the time comes, you will appreciate being chosen as a Master. If you wish to erase those burns that cannot be seen, all you have to do is to accept that holy mark."
"Wha―――"
I feel dizzy.
The priest's words don't make any sense.
They just confuse me more and more as I listen.
...But still, his words soak into my brain and clot like blood.
"Kirei, don't go off topic. I asked you to tell him the rules. I didn't ask you to open up his old wounds."
A voice cuts in.
"―――T-Tohsaka?"
That clears up my dizzy head.
"I see. It is pointless to say anything to these kinds of people, so I was trying to take away his morality while he still misunderstood.
...Heh, I guess it's true that compassion is not good for others. And I rather enjoyed it too."
"What? Does it do you good to help him?"
"Of course. Helping people means saving yourself in the end. ...Well, it won't do any good to preach to you now.
So, let us return to the main topic, Emiya Shirou.
The battle you have been dragged into is called the 'Holy Grail War'.
Have you learned from Rin that this is an all out war between seven Masters, using seven Servants?"
"...I did. It's some ridiculous thing where seven Masters kill each other, right?"
"Indeed. But we are not committing these inhuman acts because we want to.
Everything is a ritual to determine who is the most suitable to receive the Holy Grail.
Because of its greatness, we require trials to determine its owner."
...What trials?
I'll bet this priest doesn't think of this Holy Grail War thing as a "trial".
"Hold on. You keep saying 'Holy Grail War', but what is it? You can't possibly mean the actual Holy Grail, right?"
The Holy Grail.
A grail said to have received the blood of the Christ.
It is considered to be one of the greatest holy relics, and said to be capable of many miracles.
The most common rumor about it is that the one who obtains the Holy Grail will obtain the world.
...But that's just an invention. After all, the Holy Grail itself is almost something that "exists, but doesn't exist".
"A Holy Grail that makes wishes comes true" certainly appears in many folklores and legends around the world .
But that's it.
A fictional power that doesn't exist and isn't possible. That is the Holy Grail.
"So answer, Kotomine Kirei. Is the Holy Grail you're talking about really the Holy Grail?"
"Of course. The Holy Grail that appears in this town is real. As a proof, the great miracle of the Servants has occurred.
Summoning and controlling past heroes. No, a miracle close to resurrecting the dead is almost a True magecraft.
A Holy Grail with this much power shall grant its owner unlimited power. The object's unreality is worthless in front of that truth."
"―――――"
So.
He means that even if it is a fake, it doesn't matter if it has powers that would overwhelm even the true Holy Grail.
"...All right. Let's assume there really is a Holy Grail. Then why is it required to do something like the Holy Grail War? We shouldn't be killing each other if the Holy Grail exists. If the Holy Grail is so great, we can all share its power."
"That is a fair argument, but we do not have such freedom.
Only one person can obtain the Holy Grail.
That is not something we chose, but what the Holy Grail has decided."
"The Holy Grail decides the seven Masters and summons the seven Servants.
I told you that this is a ritual. The Holy Grail chooses the people suitable to obtain it, and selects its appropriate owner by making them fight for it.
That is the Holy Grail War―――the ritual where those chosen by the Holy Grail kill each other to obtain it."
"――――――――"
The priest speaks plainly.
I have no rebuttal, and I look down at my left hand.
...There is the mark they call the Command Spell.
It must mean that as long as I have this mark, I cannot quit being a Master.
"...I'm not convinced. Even though only one person can be chosen, I don't like the idea that all we can do is to kill the other Masters."
"Huh? Hold on. You're misunderstanding if you think that you have to kill them. There's no need to kill the Masters."
"Huh? But you said we have to kill each other. Kotomine said so too."
"You will kill each other."
"You be quiet, Kirei. Now, the Holy Grail in this town is in spirit form. It's not something with form, so it's something we have to call forth by a special ritual―――meaning we have to materialize it.
We can call for it as magi, but since it is in spirit form, we cannot reach it. Do you understand what that means?"
"Yeah. Only spirits can touch spirits, right?
―――Oh, that's why you need the Servants...!"
"Exactly. To put it simply, the goal of the Holy Grail War is to eliminate all the Servants except your own. So there's no rule that you have to kill the Masters."
"―――――"
Man, she could have told me that earlier!
Honestly, Tohsaka and this priest were being mean.
...Now I'm relieved.
So even if we enter this Holy Grail War, Tohsaka's not going to die.
"I see. I guess that is one way to think.
Then let me ask you, Emiya Shirou. Do you think you can beat your own Servant?"
"...?"
Beat Saber?
That's impossible.
In the first place, magecraft is useless against her, and she is skilled with her sword.
"Then let me ask you one more thing. It is a boring question, but do you think you are superior to your Servant?"
"...??"
What's he saying?"
I can't beat Saber, so there's no way I'm superior to her.
For this question, my answer will always be that I am weaker than my Servant, so...
"――――Oh."
"That's right. Servants are hard to defeat even with a Servant. So what should you do?
See, it's such a simple solution. Servants can only exist with a Master. No matter how powerful the Servant is, the Servant will disappear if the Master dies. So..."
That's right, it's a natural solution.
No one would choose to take the hard way.
If you want to win, the most effective way to kill the Servants would be to kill their Masters instead.
"...Okay. I understand that killing the Master is an effective way to eliminate other Servants.
But then, if their Servant gets killed, does that make someone not a Master anymore? Only Servants can touch the Holy Grail, right? Then there is no point to a Master that doesn't have a Servant."
"No, the right to be a Master still remains as long as you have the Command Spell. A Master is a magus that can form a contract with Servants. As long as you have the Command Spell, you can form a contract with Servants.
The Servants whose Masters are killed do not disappear right away. They can stay in this world until their magical energy runs out. If such 'abandoned Servants' exist, a Master with no Servant can form a contract with them. That will allow them to rejoin the war.
That is why Masters kill other Masters. Because if you allow them to live, there is a risk that they will impede you in the future.
"...So what if you use up your Command Spell? Then you won't be able to form a contract with other Servants, and the freed Servant will go off with someone else too."
"Wait, that's――――"
"Yes, you're right. If you use up your Command Spell, you will be liberated from your duty as a Master.
...However, I do not think a magus exists that would waste a Command Spell that allows them to use such powerful magecraft.
If there exists such a magus, he isn't even an amateur, but just a chicken."
The priest laughs, as he knows what I'm thinking about.
"......"
I'm annoyed.
That priest is making fun of me. I think he's trying to provoke me.
"You must understand now. So we will finish the explanation of the rules.
―――Well then, let us return to the beginning, Emiya Shirou.
You said you have no intention of being a Master. Do you still feel that way?"
"If you want to abandon your responsibility as a Master, that is fine too.
As you have realized, you may use up your Command Spell to end your contract with Saber. In that case, I will guarantee your safety until the Holy Grail War ends."
[wrap ʹext="-...?"]"...? Hold on. Why do you have to guarantee my safety? I can protect myself."
"I do not have enough free time to care for you either, but this is one of the rules.
I have been dispatched to supervise the repeating Holy Grail War.
That is why I must minimize the victims of the war.
Protection of magi who lost their claims to being a Master is one of my biggest responsibilities as the supervisor."
"――――Repeating Holy Grail War...?"
Hold on.
Repeating... does he mean that this kind of battle has happened many times before...?
"What do you mean? The Holy Grail War didn't just start now?"
"Of course not. Do you think a supervisor would have been dispatched if it were so?
This church bears a duty to recover the holy relics, as we are the lowest of the special agencies. Originally, it was our goal to research and recover the holy cross, but here, we have a duty to investigate the Holy Grail.
We have to investigate the 726th Holy Grail that has appeared in this far eastern land. We must recover it if it is real, and dispute it if it is not."
"726th... that many Holy Grails?"
"Who knows? It just means that there have been at least that many things that seemed like one.
And one of those is the Holy Grail from the Holy Grail War observed in this town.
According to records, it is said that the first battle occurred about 200 years ago.
Since then, the battles between Masters have been repeating in a cycle of about 60 years.
This is the fifth Holy Grail War. Since the last one was ten years ago, this will be the shortest cycle yet."
"Wha―――are you guys insane? You guys have repeated this thing four times already...!?"
"I feel the same way. As you said, people have repeated this event many times.
―――Yes.
In the past, the Holy Grail Wars were terrible. Masters were driven by their desires, forgot their teachings as magi, and just killed each other indiscriminately.
I think you already know, but it is the highest crime for a magus to use his magecraft in public. A magus cannot allow his identity to be revealed to the public.
But Masters in the past have violated that.
The magecraft Association dispatched a supervisor to caution them, but they only made it in time for the third Holy Grail War. The one dispatched then was my father. Do you understand now, boy?"
"...Yeah, I understand we need a supervisor.
But from what you said, isn't this Holy Grail War fundamentally bad?"
"Oh? How is it bad?"
"Because the past magi were people who would break the rules of the magi, right?
Then let's say this Holy Grail thing really exists. What will you do if the one who remains is someone who uses the Holy Grail selfishly? It's bad if such a thing is obtained by someone who has no problem killing others.
If it is the job of the Association to look after magi, then shouldn't you guys be punishing those kinds of people?"
I question, with a little hope.
But as I expected, Kotomine Kirei laughs.
"Of course not. There are no magi who will act outside their own interests. We only supervise the rules of the Holy Grail War. We do not care about what happens afterwards. The Association is not concerned about the kind of person that obtains the Holy Grail."
"That's ridiculous...! What if the Master that obtains the Holy Grail is the worst guy possible!?"
"It would be problematic, but we can do nothing. It is the Holy Grail that chooses its owner. And we do not have the power to stop a Master who has been chosen by the Holy Grail.
It is a grail that makes wishes come true, after all. The one who obtains it will be able to do as he pleases.
―――But if you do not want that, then all you have to do is win it yourself. That is the most reliable way, isn't it?"
Kotomine is trying to hold back his laughter.
It's like he's enjoying my clumsy inability to accept the facts.
"What's wrong, boy? I think that was a good idea, so will you not accept it?"
"...That's none of your business. Anyway, I don't have any reason to fight. I'm not interested in the Holy Grail, and I don't feel like a Master even if you tell me I am."
"Oh. So you are not concerned about what the winner of the Holy Grail would do, even if it leads to disaster?"
"That's―――"
...I can't answer that question.
Crap, his words are violent.
They force the truth onto me, whether I want it or not.
"That is fine, if you have no reason to fight. So you are not troubled by what happened ten years ago?"
"―――Ten years... ago...?"
"That's right. At the end of the last Holy Grail War, an unsuitable Master touched the Holy Grail. I do not know what that Master wished for. All we know is the results of the disaster that came afterwards."
"――――――――"
For an instant.
That image of hell flashes in my head.
"――Hold on. That can't be..."
"It is. It is an event that everybody in this town knows about, Emiya Shirou.
Five hundred killed or wounded. A hundred and thirty four buildings burned down. That inferno, still unexplained, is the remains of the Holy Grail War."
"――――――――"
―――I feel sick.
My vision blurs.
I lose concentration and I can't focus my eyes.
My body stumbles.
But I hold myself firm.
I hold onto consciousness by clenching my teeth.
I hold back my nausea with the anger boiling up in me.
"Emiya-kun? What's wrong? You're pale white. ...I know it's not a comfortable story, but... if you want, we can take a rest for a while."
I must have looked terrible.
I think it's very rare for Tohsaka to be worried like that.
"Don't worry. I feel better after seeing your weird face."
"...Hey, just what is that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, I have no hidden intentions. I meant it literally, so don't worry about it."
"Well, fine... hey, that's worse, you big oaf!"
The school's number one honor student, Tohsaka Rin, smacks me in the head.
That does it.
With that, the nausea and anger go away.
"...Thanks. You really did help, so don't bully me too much. I have a few more things to ask about."
She looks like she hasn't hit me enough, but she still lets me continue.
"Oh, you still have questions? All right, let out everything you want to say."
He should know what I want to ask, yet he asks me to go on.
Fine.
Emiya Shirou won't lose to you.
"Then I'll ask. You said this is the fifth Holy Grail War. Then, has anyone ever obtained the Holy Grail?"
"Of course. A sad event like that annihilation doesn't happen every time."
"Then―――"
"Do not be hasty. It is easy just to obtain it. After all, the Holy Grail is managed in this church. If you speak of just touching it, I touch it every day."
"Huh―――?"
T-The Holy Grail is at this church...?
"Of course, it is only the vessel. It is empty. Rin said it earlier that the Holy Grail is in spirit form.
What we maintain is a well-made replica of the Holy Grail. We use this as the catalyst to draw down the real Holy Grail and transform it into a Grail that grants wishes. It's like the relationship between Servants and Masters. ...Yes, there was indeed a man who obtained the real Holy Grail temporarily, using that method."
"Then, was that Holy Grail real? No, what happened to the guy who obtained it?"
"Nothing. The Holy Grail was imperfectly completed. It was the result of a foolish man, affected by sentiment."
...?
With the previous pressure gone, the priest narrows his eyes as if in regret.
"...What do you mean? Didn't the Holy Grail appear?"
"It is easy to just make the Holy Grail appear. Once the seven Servants are present, the Holy Grail will appear in time. As Rin said, there is no need to kill other Masters.
But that does not complete the Holy Grail. That thing decides its own appropriate master. And for that reason, it could not be obtained by a man who avoided battles."
"Heh, so that just means it's useless to obtain the Holy Grail without settling matches with the other Masters.
The Master who obtained the Holy Grail first in the last war was just a chicken. He just ran away from the Holy Grail, saying that he didn't want to fight other Masters."
So saying, Tohsaka looks away from Kotomine.
"―――No way."
Does that mean Kotomine was one of the Masters in the last war, and that he retired because he refused to fight in spite of obtaining the Holy Grail...!?
"...Kotomine. You didn't fight?"
"I did until halfway. But I made a bad decision. As a result, I only obtained an empty Holy Grail.
Well, I guess that was my limit anyway. Because the other Masters were all monstrous. I lost my Servant first and was taken under my father's protection.
...Come to think of it, it was inappropriate for a son of the supervisor to be chosen as a Master.
Father died at that time. Since then, I have succeeded the role of the supervisor, and I protect the Holy Grail at this church."
Saying that, the priest called Kotomine Kirei turns around.
Before him stands the symbol of worship.
"That is the end of our conversation.
The only ones qualified to obtain the Holy Grail are those who have Servants. When there is only one of you left, the Holy Grail should naturally appear in front of you.
Tell me your decision as to if you want to join this battle, the Holy Grail War, now."
The priest requests my final decision.
"――――――――"
I'm at a loss for words.
I had no reason to fight until just now.
Now, I have a reason to fight and a will to fight.
But can I really accept that?
"Are you still undecided?
Look, a Master is not something you can be just because you want to. Rin has been training long as a magus, but it was not determined that she would be a Master.
All that could be decided beforehand was whether to prepare for it or not.
Only magi are to be chosen as Masters. If you are a magus, you should have been ready already.
I guess it cannot be helped if you say you are not.
You and your teacher were failures in that case. It is merely annoying for such a magus to be fighting, so get rid of your Command Spell now."
"―――――!"
He doesn't need to ask.
I――――
...Revoke the Command Spell.
...Fight.
Scene 04 - Forest of no return / DEAD END 1
...I can't approve of this.
Such dirty killings are wrong.
"What's wrong? Will you fight or not? State now, Emiya Shirou."
...He doesn't even need to ask me.
I――――
"――――I won't fight. I'll abandon my right as a Master."
I look directly at the priest and answer.
"I see. I'm disappointed, but it is the Master's will. Emiya Shirou has abandoned his rights as a Master and withdrawn from the Holy Grail War. ――――Is that acceptable, Rin?"
"...?"
The priest addresses Tohsaka and not me.
Tohsaka answers,
"I don't care. If that's Emiya-kun's choice, I can't say anything about it."
"...Hmm. I'll take that sense of guilt as a yield.
"Then let us begin right away, Emiya Shirou. Put out your left arm."
"...Fine, but what are you going to do?"
"It should be quick. I am merely erasing the Command Spell on your arm.
There are two factors causing Masters to be Masters.[l]
One is the contract with the Servant, and the other is the Command Spell on your arm.
You will be freed from the Holy Grail War if you lose both of these."
The priest takes my left arm and,
"―――This will hurt. Try to relax."
With a plunge.
Rips off my arm with his bare hands.
"GII―――!!!!!?"
My body jerks in pain.
With a sound, someone's fingers enter my arm.
"Guh―――!?"
It is not an illusion.
If there were an illusion, it was that of my arm being ripped off.
In reality, there isn't a scratch on my arm.
A stranger's fingers move through my flesh.
This is... yes, it's just that the priest's fingers, which are transparent like a ghost, are sinking into my arm.
"―――Done. The operation was successful."
"...Uh, huh―――?"
I look at my left arm.
...There are no wounds on my arm and only pain remains.
In exchange for that unpleasantness...
The Command Spell on my hand has changed shape.
"――――The shape's changed... no, is it that there's fewer strokes on it now...?"
"Yes. There are three strokes for the Command Spell. Kirei took two of those out from you. Like a spiritual doctor who removes the infected part without hurting the body."
"Spiritual doctor...?"
I think that's a special magi who heals the body by treating the spirit.
I hear their magecraft is a "curse" that can remove the infected part without using a single surgical knife on the body...
"...I'm surprised. Spiritual treatment is an unusual act used in uncivilized areas. It's not something a man of the church should know."
"Don't say that. I was unfit to be a priest the moment I took up magecraft.
So it should not matter if the kind of magecraft I know is unfit for a priest. Do not worry about the type.
"It was the only thing I was good at. I learned many magics, but this was the only one that fit me.
My magical aptitude is specialized in "opening wounds", for good or for bad. Thanks to that, I am inferior to even my student over there."
"For good or for bad? Of course it's good.
There aren't many spiritual doctors as good as you in the Association, and there are only a few in the church that can handle spirits as well as you do."
"Who knows. No matter how great this healing method is, the spirit is only a contact treatment relying on the body.
It is nothing close to a miracle that allows connection with the "soul", the proof of existence independent of the body―――
―――But anyways, the treatment is complete.
The rest is up to you, Emiya Shirou. Use your last Command Spell to cut the contract between you and your Servant."
"...? Cut the contract with my Servant...?"
"Yes. Request abolition of contract before Saber, who's waiting outside. ...I'm sure she won't accept it, so Kirei left you a Command Spell to force her to agree."
"That is correct. By using up your Command Spell and abolishing the contract with your Servant, you present to the other Masters that you are 'harmless'.
Then you are openly freed. A sane Master would not think of attacking a powerless Master.
By relinquishing a power you have gained by chance, you will regain your peaceful life."
"......"
I will break the contract with Saber by choice.
...That's betraying her.
Even if it was by chance, I called for her and she protected me.
"......"
...Have I made the wrong choice?
I cannot approve of Masters killing each other.
I can't approve of it, but if I can't overlook it either, then―――
"What are you doing? No incantations are necessary to activate the Command Spell. All you have to do is to put your mind to it and order your Servant.
You can tell her directly or you can just cut the contract here. Choose whichever you like."
"......"
―――No.
I've made my decision.
I can't take anything back now, and the priest probably wouldn't allow it.
"...I'll go and settle this directly with Saber. Then I won't be a Master, right?"
"Directly with Saber... Emiya-kun, that's..."
"Yes, I guarantee that. ―――Go and inform your Servant of the parting. After that, I shall welcome you into the church as subject to protection."
The priest welcomes me, but I don't know how serious he is.
...Anyways, I have no intention of putting myself in his care.
I will only abandon my right as a Master: I will not ask for his help after that.
"I refuse that. I won't need your help. I'll settle things with Saber and after I use up my Command Spell, I'm going home.
That'll be it. I will never see you again."
"I see. ...Well, certainly, we shall never meet again.
―――Farewell, Emiya Shirou. It is the path you have chosen yourself. Take pride in it."
"――――"
He doesn't need to tell me that.
I turn my back on him and leave the church.
...I exit the church.
She is there in the stone-paved plaza, under the tall sky.
"Have you finished your conversation, Master?"
"Yeah, I learned what this Holy Grail War thing is.
...And taking that into consideration, I decided. Saber, I withdraw from being a Master."
"――――――――"
Saber's brow does not even twitch.
Her green eyes seem to accept my decision, as if it were natural.
"――――Does that mean you will be abandoning the contract with me?"
"That's right. I'm not fit to be a Master. ...And you too, Saber. It would be better for you to form a contract with a proper Master, not one like me."
"――――Yes. If I am after a better winning chance in battle, I should form a contract with another magus. Archer's Master should be able to draw out my full potential."
"...I see. Then I can abandon our contract now, right?
I'll use the Command Spell to cancel the contract, so you will be free."
"――――Shirou, I will ask you only once.
Will you not change your mind about your intention not to be a Master?"
"I will not change my mind. I have no intention to kill others."
I say so, looking directly at Saber.
...And at that time.
The raincoat Saber is wearing sways.
"Oh――――"
I blankly stare at the death in front of me.
In the time it takes me to blink, Saber runs towards me,
"Huh――――?"
Sweeps my legs out from under me and knocks me over.
"Ugh――――!?"
Pain runs through my legs after a moment.
T-There's no blood. I still have my feet.
"Agh..."
I'm relieved that I still have my legs.
...Thank God. She only swept me with a metal rod.
My legs hurt like they're about to tear off, but it's much better than having them cut off――――
"Shirou. A magus who is no longer a Master will be killed by his Servant. No matter how inexperienced you are as a magus, you have the power to keep me in this world as you have called for me.
...A Servant needs a Master.
If you break your contract, I will kill you and take that body.
Do you still say you will abandon your rights as a Master?"
"......"
I look up at Saber, concentrating my fading consciousness.
There is no enmity or murderous intent in Saber's expression.
As natural as it is to breathe,
Saber would kill me without emotion to stay in this world.
But still――――
"―――That's right. Even if I were to change my mind, I can't do it. Not because I only have one Command Spell left.
...I refused to fight. I refused to become a Master. ...Having such a person as your Master would only result in defeat."
...No matter how it came about, my mind gave up.
If I have refused battle once, the second time must be the same.
I would lament, every time I face danger, that I should not have entered the battle.
It would be bad for both you and me to make such a person your Master.
"Then you do not mind being killed by me here?
...I cannot be a spirit. If I cannot absorb your soul, your body will face a painful death. You are going to accept that...?"
"...Of course not. I don't like fighting, but I like being killed even less. ...I know it won't help, but I'll resist until the last second and flee."
I gather my courage and glare back at Saber, not allowing myself to be overwhelmed by her.
...And then.
"Saber...?"
"―――I understand. Use your Command Spell, Shirou. It is your decision. I have no right to intervene."
"―――Huh?"
"Do not worry. It is just the case that I could not establish trust with my Master this time. If you abolish the contract with your Command Spell, I will be free. ...I should only be able to maintain this body for about two hours, but I will just find a new Master in that time."
Saber says so plainly.
Spurred by those words,
I pray to the Command Spell on my left hand to abolish the contract.
"You are now free. It was only a short union, but your magical energy was pleasant.
...I shall not see you again, but I shall pray that you safely survive this battle."
The silver armor recedes.
"―――――!"
Without realizing, I almost try to call after her, but I stop myself before I do such a stupid thing.
I am not permitted to call out her name.
...She did not blame me for selfishly abandoning the contract, and she cared for my safety to the end.
Since I have rejected her and backed out of the Holy Grail War, I cannot call out and stop her――
It is a silent night.
Even though it's past midnight, the town is too silent.
"......"
To be honest, it's eerie.
I don't think I'm exaggerating. I think that word is very suitable for this atmosphere.
"―――Man. I wonder when it started to be like this?"
It's obvious.
The Holy Grail War. The secret battle between the six magi is stealing the life out of this town.
"...!"
My chest starts to hurt.
The chest that was stabbed by Lancer only a few hours ago is aching.
"―――Let's go home. What good will it do to go back to the church now?"
Enduring the pain in my chest, I head home.
I'll think about what I should do once I'm home.
I should be able to calm down if I go home, take a bath, and relax a bit―――
But.
―――I'll think about what I should do when I get home.
That thought itself was a mistake.
"Huh―――――?"
Like a bad dream, it tells me that there is no road ahead of me.
"I see. You're alone now, Onii-chan."
I raise my head at the girl's voice.
Under the blue moon.
On top of the hill that should lead me back home,
are a girl and a strange figure.
"Gi――――"
And they burst.
I didn't even have a chance to see it, scream, nor turn and run.
The black giant standing there swings his weapon upwards, and just the sheer force of the weapon moving causes my arm to
"―――――AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?"
"AH, AHHHHHHHH, AH, AH―――!"
It flew off. It flew off. One of my arms flew off.
It flew off from my shoulder and blood is spilling out like crazy and the road behind me is red like red paint's smeared on it... and bones, bones are sticking out of my shoulder, and...
"Berserker, I don't feel like playing chase, so just squash him."
"Gu, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...!!!!"
I roll.
Both of my legs are bent as if sitting Japanese-style.
But they are both bending the wrong way, with my feet bending forward from my knees down.
"Ha... a, ah...!?"
My thoughts cannot catch up to the events.
My thoughts cannot catch up to the events due to the pain.
―――Berserker.
I definitely heard that.
Then, the monster in front of me―――
"Heehee, you're well-mannered, Onii-chan. I know that, it's that thing called assisted suicide, right? My grandfather said that Japanese people are a neck-cutting tribe who die by having their necks cut off while sitting Japanese-style."
―――I begin to pass out.
The girl's innocent voice doesn't match this situation.
"Ah―――, don..."
I look up.
I can't breathe.
My lung. One of my lungs has been blown about fifty meters behind me.
I fall onto the ground on my back.
Both my legs have become like caterpillars. And they're broken, so they can't move.
So I use my remaining left arm to drag myself away,
"Oh, you can still move? But I'm so sorry. You can't run away now. And besides, it's useless even if you do get away.
―――Because even if you do, that body of yours will die in a matter of seconds."
"Ha――――"
My body feels light.
I've lost over half my blood already.
It's amazing I'm still conscious.
My brain is starved of oxygen, and it should have stopped already-
"But you can be relieved. It's no fun if you die that easily, right? So I gave you a small hand!
Onii-chan will stay conscious no matter how much it hurts or how much of you gets destroyed until I crush your head.
So―――even if I do this, you'll be able to writhe like a living thing."
"GI, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
I'm crushed.
By that shockwave of his weapon like a printing press, my lower half is crushed from the waist down.
Things that used to be my legs and meat and bones are beautifully turned into two-dimensional objects.
"AH, AHHH, AHHHHhHHHHH...!"
I can't die.
There is only blood left in my head and my body does not function, and my nerves are wanting to die and escape the pain, but my consciousness will not go away.
"Phew, pheew, pheeeeeew...!"
My throat sounds like a flute.
It echoes inside my skull.
―――My thoughts are still confused.
But wanting to escape this pain,
"Ah―――you're wrong. I'm not... a Master... any... more."
I tell the girl, as if asking for help.
...An instant of hope.
The girl gasps as if being surprised,
"―――Yes, so what?"
She says with an angelic smile.
"Ah―――ha."
My senses freeze.
I will not be saved no matter what.
I fully understand that I will be killed here.
"Hm, maybe you're small enough for me to pick up now.
Then I'll invite you to my castle, Onii-chan.
There are lots of tools once we get there, so let's continue this there."
"――――――――"
My senses will not die no matter how much I am hurt.
They will not die, so rationality freezes.
I don't know how much longer the head will last,
But at this moment, Emiya Shirou gives up all hope.
Scene 05 - The Strongest Enemy
As soon as I leave, the pressure on my shoulders lifts.
Certainly, you could say that getting away from that priest helped.
But Tohsaka standing out in her uniform...
...And the blond-haired girl in a raincoat standing near her make a strangely well-matched sight that somehow takes the pressure off me.
"――――――――"
Saber is silent as always.
She's looking at me, so it seems she is interested in the decision I made.
"Let's go. We're going the same way until we get back to town."
Saying that, Tohsaka starts walking.
Following after her, we leave the church as well.
The three of us descend the hill together.
We didn't talk much on the way here, but there's even less talk now.
Even dull as I am, I know why.
After what happened at the church, I truly became a Master.
And that must be the reason Tohsaka is walking a little apart from us.
"―――"
I understand that.
I understand, but I don't like thinking about Tohsaka like that.
"Tohsaka. Is your Servant okay?"
"Huh...?"
"Oh yeah. Archer is okay. ...Though it doesn't seem like the damage caused by your Saber will heal fast, so I don't think I'll be able to materialize him for a while."
"Then he's not with you right now?"
"No, he's taking shelter at my house right now. He'll be at a disadvantage if he was attacked by other Servants right now, so I'm making him stay ready at a place of strength."
I see.
Unlike my house, I'll bet Tohsaka's house is well prepared against outside attacks.
A house is like a fortress for a magus. They will not lose as long as they stay there.
That must mean enemies will not attack you as long as you stay on your home ground.
...I see.
The boundary field at my house is merely an alarm against intruders, but even having that makes a big difference.
"Oh yeah, Tohsaka. That guy said he was the supervisor of the Holy Grail War, but does he know your Servant?"
"He shouldn't. I haven't told him."
"I see. You guys seem to have a good relationship, so I thought so."
"...Hey Emiya-kun. I'll warn you now. Don't tell anybody your Servant's identity. Keep it a secret even from people you trust or you'll end up exiting this battle early."
"...? What do you mean Saber's identity?"
"What I mean is, which hero the Servant is.
No matter how strong someone may be, if you reveal your potential, you'll surely be beaten someday. ...It's fine, so have Saber tell you her real name later on.
You should understand what I mean then. ...Though, hang on. You're like this, so it might be better if she didn't tell you."
"Why?"
"Because you can't keep secrets. You'll be able to keep a secret better if you don't know about it."
"...Hey now, what do you think I am? I can take care of myself."
"Really? Then do you have anything you're hiding from me?"
"Huh...? Anything I'm hiding from you, that's..." I say, as my face fires up.
I don't have a guilty conscience, but well, would kind of admiring her count as something I'm hiding from her...?
"See. I don't know what you're hiding, but it's no good if it shows on your face.
You have other good aspects, so don't worry about it."
"...Hmph. Then what about you? If you're hiding it from that priest, does that mean you don't trust him?"
"Kirei? Hardly. I'm not crazy enough to trust him. He's a cheat who transferred from the Church to the magecraft Association without quitting the Church. He'd happily sell my information to the other Masters."
...Tohsaka says with annoyance.
It seems she really doesn't trust that priest.
I'm a bit relieved, but still, her words do seem to hold a bit of affection.
――And we pass the bridge.
There's no conversation between us now.
The cold winter air and our cold breath.
A faint sound of flowing water and the white streetlamps that light up the bridge.
Small things like that are engraved into my memory.
Oddly, I didn't think about looking at Tohsaka, who's walking next to me.
Right now, it seems walking on a bridge at night together like this is more precious than seeing her face.
Me, Tohsaka, and the girl called Saber I know nothing about.
We three walk together without doing much.
We reach the intersection.
The intersection that leads to our houses, the place where we must part with Tohsaka.
"We'll part here. I've repaid my debt, and it would be troublesome if we stayed together any longer. We should part and become enemies from tomorrow on."
It must be to end the ambiguous position we are in right now.
Tohsaka starts talking and cuts off suddenly.
From that, I realize.
She did not explain the rules to me out of any sense of obligation.
She just supported me, understanding the situation I'm in, and acted fairly.
So things are back to normal once the explanations are over.
I will just be her target as a Master now.
"...Hm?"
But if so, what she just said was strange.
Tohsaka must have meant that it would be difficult to fight if she feels empathy for me.
For Tohsaka, everything that happened tonight must have been unnecessary.
'It would be troublesome if we stay together any longer.'
If she is going to say something like that, she should have left us alone from the beginning.
Tohsaka's smart, so she should know that all too well.
But still, she set aside all thought of loss or gain and helped me out.
So what happened tonight was totally out of good faith.
The Tohsaka in front of me is too different from how she is at school.
Even when I put it nicely, she's sour, cranky, unapproachable, and she's so different that I want to scream out.
Man, it feels almost like a fraud.
...Yet, still...
Tohsaka Rin is just how everyone thought she was.
"I see. Tohsaka, you really are a good person."
"Huh? What are you saying all of a sudden? I won't go easy on you even if you flatter me."
I know that.
She won't go easy on me, and that's why she said it'll be a bother if she feels empathy for me.
"I know. But I don't want to be enemies with you if I can help it. I like people like you."
"Wha―――"
Tohsaka falls silent for some reason.
I hear Tohsaka's house is in the western-style district in the opposite direction to my place.
Since she's taken care of me until now, I would like to walk her home, but...
"A-Anyway, just run to the church if your Servant ever gets killed. If you do, at least your life will be safe."
"I won't like it, but still, I'll take that advice. It won't happen, though. However I look at it, I'll die before Saber does."
I calmly analyze the situation.
"――――Phew."
Tohsaka reacts strangely once again.
After letting out a sigh, she glances at Saber.
"All right. I won't give you any more warnings because that'd really be empathy.
Just be careful. Even though Saber is strong, it won't matter if you, her Master, gets killed."
She turns her back and starts walking.
"―――"
But.
As if she's seen a ghost, her feet stop dead in their tracks.
"Tohsaka?"
The instant I call out to her, my left hand throbs in pain.
"―――Hey, have you finished talking?"
A young voice echoes through the night.
The voice like a song is unmistakably that of a young girl.
My vision is drawn to the top of the hill.
I don't know when the clouds parted, but a bright moon is now shining in the sky.
―――There.
A long shadow.
There's a strange shape that shouldn't be here in this pale town of shadow pictures.
"――Berserker."
Tohsaka mumbles a word I'm not accustomed to hearing.
I don't even need to ask.
That thing is definitely a Servant.
And at the same time――an overwhelming sense of death, exceeding even the one in the fire ten years ago.
"Good evening, Onii-chan. It's the second time we've met like this."
The girl smiles as she says so.
That innocence sends a chill down my spine.
"――――――――"
No, spine is an understatement.
Not just my body, but my mind is frozen as well.
That thing is a monster.
I'm not staring at it, but just its presence makes me unable to move.
I understand naturally that I will die in the instant I move even a muscle.
It feels like a knife is pushed right against my naked chest.
...Still, I feel nothing.
Probably because there's too little hope of me getting out of this alive.
All fears and impatience are drowned by hopelessness, so I don't feel a thing.
"―――Crap. He's totally on a completely different level."
Unlike me who's paralyzed, Tohsaka has the composure to stand ready.
...But it'll come to nothing.
Even though I can only see her back, I can sense the despair she's feeling.
"Huh? Oh, your Servant is taking a rest? That's no fun, I thought I'd kill you both at once."
The girl says unhappily, as she looks down at us from the top of the hill.
...We're in an even worse situation now.
That girl knows Tohsaka's Servant is not here.
―――And then.
The girl lifts the sides of her skirt and bows unsuitably for this situation.
"Nice to meet you, Rin. I am Illya.
You should work it out if I make that 'Illyasviel von Einzbern'."
"Einzbern―――"
Tohsaka's body moves slightly as she seems to recognize that name.
Perhaps she liked Tohsaka's reaction, as the girl smiles happily. And...
"Then I'll kill you. Go ahead, Berserker."
...She orders the strange shape behind her, as if she's singing.
The larger body flies through the air.
The thing called Berserker comes flying down the whole distance from the top of the hill――――!
"―――Shirou, stay back...!"
Saber runs. Her raincoat comes off and my vision is blocked for a second.
Saber runs to Berserker's landing point and Berserker lands with a huge thud at exactly at the same moment.
"...!"
The air trembles.
Saber stops Berserker's great sword with her invisible sword.
"―――!"
Saber makes a pained face.
There,
Berserker's gigantic sword flashes like a whirlwind―――!
A great thunderous roar.
The crash of steel that almost tears the air results in defeat for Saber.
A sliding sound.
Even though she blocked Berserker's giant sword, she is driven back along with the sword she used to block it.
"Guh..."
Saber's posture collapses.
The lead colored Servant chases after her.
The gray figure swings its giant sword as if it's the only thing it knows how to do.
Saber doesn't have the time to dodge it and blocks it with her sword.
It does not matter if Saber's sword is invisible or not.
Each of Berserker's attacks is a fatal one that must be blocked with all her might.
Therefore, Saber has to stay on the defense.
For her, the only chance of victory is to find a means of attack in between Berserker's attacks.
But.
That's only if Berserker leaves an opening.
The black rock sword is just like a storm.
With such a large body.
And with such a large sword, and yet Berserker is moving faster than Saber.
The attacks he sends out are just smashing swings with no technique to them.
But that's enough.
If there is overwhelming power and speed, there is no room for technique.
Techniques are something humans invented to compensate for their weaknesses.
Weaknesses are things that giant doesn't have.
"―――Run."
I murmur with my frozen body.
That thing cannot be defeated.
Saber will be killed if we go on like this.
So she should run away.
It would be easy for her to get away if it were just her here.
She should know that already...!
"Oh―――"
That's bad.
My body is numb, but maybe that's why my mind is so calm.
The storm of death that strikes without a pause.
Unable to take all the attacks, Saber retreats, and this time...
The final blow that cannot be blocked is swung.
Saber's body rises.
She manages to defend against Berserker's giant sword, even in a bad posture.
But that's only to avoid a fatal wound.
She couldn't brace herself to totally block the giant sword, and the impact blows her away.
―――She falls, her body drawing a big arc.
Before she falls on her back, Saber turns in mid-air and lands on her feet.
"...Ugh...!"
She manages to recover.
But red blood is running down her chest.
"―――That's..."
...How stupid of me.
I was forgetting something important.
I don't know how much a Servant can fight in one day, but this is already her third battle.
And on top of that, Saber has the wound in her chest inflicted by Lancer.
"Uh, gh―――"
Saber moves as if to protect her chest.
Berserker moves and slashes like a raging wind at the wounded Saber and――
Receives many attacks on its back.
"―――Vier Stil Erschie[szlig]ung...!"
I don't know what kind of magecraft it is, but Berserker's body explodes from Tohsaka's spell.
Judging from the magical energy given out, the magecraft directly hitting Berserker must be an impact close to that of a high-caliber pistol.
But even that is meaningless.
It doesn't even scratch Berserker's body.
He isn't nullifying magecraft like Saber.
It's just that the magecraft is not doing any damage.
"...!? Gah, what kind of ridiculous body does he have...!?"
But Tohsaka does not stop casting,
But Berserker ignores Tohsaka's spells and charges at Saber.
"...!"
Saber raises her head in pain.
She holds her sword up to still fight.
―――That gets my body to move again.
"No, run, Saber...!"
I yell with all my might.
Hearing that,
she faces the enemy she cannot compare to.
There is no end to Berserker's attacks.
Saber's body sinks every time she blocks a blow, and she slowly approaches her final moment.
―――But still, where in that small frame does she have all that power?
Saber doesn't retreat.
She blocks the surging waves of the giant sword and tries to drive back Berserker with her willpower.
There is no chance of victory.
The way she's holding her ground looks bizarre, as she should know she will be defeated if she keeps fighting.
Maybe it sensed something in her posture.
"
―――!"
The figure, silent up to now, roars.
A blow impossible to block.
The blow that even swings through Saber blows her away.
The sound of something falling in the distance.
...Fresh blood spills out.
In that pool of blood, with a body that should not be able to get back up...
"Ag..."
She stands up unconsciously.
...It's as if...
She is saying I would be killed if she didn't do so―――
"―――――――――――"
That...
Makes me realize how foolish my choice was.
Berserker stops after defeating Saber.
Without paying attention to me or Tohsaka, it waits for its master's orders at the top of the hill.
"Hah, there's no way you would be able to beat him. My Berserker is the greatest hero of Greece."
"...!? Greatest hero of Greece, you must mean―――"
"Yes. The one standing there is the devil called Hercules.
He is the worst monster there is, on a different level from the heroes you guys can summon."
The girl who called herself Illya narrows her eyes cheerfully.
Those are eyes of joy, about to finish off her enemies.
―――I don't even need to say who the ones getting killed are.
Saber will be killed right here.
Then what am I going to do?
Am I going to fight that monster in her place?
I can't do that.
Just approaching that thing without being prepared would stop my heart.
I―――
Run away with Tohsaka...!
Save Saber...!
Scene 06 - Girl rhapsody / DEAD END 2
―――I'll get away from this place.
Saber can't beat that monster.
She will certainly be killed if I let her continue fighting.
If that's the case―――
"Tohsaka, this way...!"
"...!?"
I take Tohsaka's hand and start running.
If we are that girl's targets, she will definitely come after us.
Then Saber will survive, and we have a chance of surviving too if we run away to a place with more people...!
"Hey, you can't turn your back on him―――!"
"Huh...?"
The hand I grabbed is shaken off.
And in a flash.
Tohsaka moves between me and "the thing", as if to protect my defenseless back, and...
"Ha―――gg..."
...Has her chest pierced through by the giant's sword.
"――――Tohsa-"
I can feel my face stiffening as I turn around.
"Guh..."
Tohsaka coughs up blood and looks down at the sword in her chest.
"Man―――what was I doing?"
...Does she mean trying to protect me, or trying to attack Berserker?
Tohsaka tilts her head in wonder, as if she knew it was useless from the start and...
"―――The church. Go to Kirei."
Leaving those words, she is thrown to the ground.
"―――――Ah.."
My body reacts before I can think.
The black giant standing before me.
Using the opportunity when he threw Tohsaka away,
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh―――!"
I run desperately, like an animal through rings of fire.
"Oh, he ran away. Heehee, that's cute, Onii-chan. You think you can get away from Berserker?"
―――I run.
The only thing in my head is Tohsaka's words.
The church. I have to get up this hill and go to the church.
Go to the church and ask for help from Kotomine.
I have to do it.
Or Tohsaka will die.
Or Saber will die too.
Or I won't be able to save them, and I too, will...!
A blow in the back.
Not with the sword.
The giant struck my back with its arm like a bushhammer.
―――Ah...
"Geez, you're useless...! I told you not to kill him easily, but you can't even do that simple thing...!? You good-for-nothing, I'll kill you to your last one if you disobey my orders again...!"
―――Ar, gh[r]
"Huh...? He's alive...? He's still alive even though he was thrown all the way over here...?"
―――I can't breathe. My backbone is smashed, I can't... breathe.
"I see. You're alive, Onii-chan. You can't use any magecraft, but I guess there was still a reason you were chosen as a Master.
―――Good. There'd be no point in me coming to Japan if it wasn't like this."
"―――Uh, ―――"
...I can't move.
You can't call me alive anymore.
I... am...
"No, I won't let you die that easily. I have to hurt you more and teach you how wonderful your life was up until now."
The silver-haired girl holds my head.
Her cold white fingertips freeze my skull.
In that instant, when I am turned into something that is not me,
"―――Fufu. I'll turn you into an ugly doll that can't even die. Onii-chan is going to take Kiritsugu's place from now on."
I wish with my last thoughts for Tohsaka and Saber to be safe.
Scene 07 - Distortion(I)
I―――can't abandon someone who needs help.
Emiya Shirou has chosen to live like that.
And most importantly... I can't leave the girl who fought to protect me.
"All right, Berserker. She will regenerate, so violate her after you chop her head off."
Berserker resumes his action.
I―――
"Y-Youuuuuuuuuu...!!"
I run with all my strength.
There's no way I can do anything against that monster.
So the least I can do is to push Saber away and save her from Berserker's attack――――
"――Huh?"
I fall.
Why...?
I was going to push Saber away, get Saber away from Berserker, and think about what to do after that, so why...?
"Ga――ha...."
Why?
Why am I on the ground, unable to breathe?
"...!?"
...I hear shocked voices.
First is from Saber, who is right in front of me.
And Tohsaka is astonished at a distance.
And for some reason, Illya, who is looking down at me dumbfounded, is also surprised.
"...Hu... h?"
I'm missing my stomach.
I'm on the ground.
On the asphalt are a small amount of blood compared to the wound, soft-looking organs, bones, and many things like that.
"...I see. How stupid of me."
In short, I didn't make it in time.
Yes―――it was impossible to push Saber out of the way, so I just shielded her.
And my stomach was blown out by that sword.
"―――Guh."
Geez, I'm ashamed of myself for failing even in a situation like this.
I've been working hard to become a superhero, but I keep making mistakes when it really counts.
"―――Why?"
The silver-haired girl asks in a daze.
After standing there dumbfolded for a while,
"...That's enough. This is boring."
Without finishing off Saber, she calls Berserker back.
"―――Rin, I'll kill you if I see you again."
The girl leaves.
After watching her leave, my vision cuts out.
My consciousness fades away.
I really can't recover this time.
I was somehow saved when I was killed by Lancer, but that won't happen again.
There's probably no magecraft that can save a person who has lost most of their stomach.
"...W-What were you thinking!? Don't you know I can't save you again...!?"
I hear an angry voice.
It's probably Tohsaka. She seems really angry, and I'm sorry.
But it can't be helped.
It's not like I can do everything like Tohsaka. All I could use was my body.
...So that's why...
The only thing I could do was to use my body to shield Saber.
Scene 08 - What is burned in
I'm in a fire.
Collapsing buildings and burning people.
No matter how far I run, the scenery is always red.
This is a vision of ten years ago.
A memory of the distant past I haven't remembered in a while.
I run through it, as if recreating the scene.
There's no escape even though I know it's a dream.
I run, run, keep running.
In the end, where I end up is how I'm saved after running out of energy.
"―――――"
I wake up with a bad feeling.
A feeling like a metal weight is inside my chest.
I feel my forehead and find that I'm sweating a lot even though it's winter.
"...Oh, it's already this late?"
It's already past six o'clock.
From the kitchen, I can hear the sound of the kitchen knife cutting something.
"Sakura is early as usual."
There's no time to be impressed.
I have to get ready quickly and go help fix breakfast.
"Shirou, what are you gonna do today? Will you be working this afternoon cause it's Saturday?"
"No, I don't have work today. I think I'll be doing something with Issei. Why?"
"Oh, nothing. I just hoped you might come and visit me at the dojo today. I'm in a pinch this month."
"Hm? In a pinch? What is?"
"My wallet. I'd be really happy if someone made me lunch."
"I refuse. It's your own fault, so you should skip a meal once in a while."
"Heh, I'm not expecting anything from Shirou. The only one I'm depending on is Sakura-chan. Right, Sakura-chan?"
"Yes. If you don't mind having the same lunch as me, I can prepare one."
"Yep, fine, fine. Let's eat lunch together today then."
Breakfast continues as usual. Today, along with the usual, there's simmered lotus root with chicken.
I don't think she has to make anything this elaborate for breakfast, but I think she made a lot of it to take for lunch too.
Sakura is a member of the archery club, and Fuji-Nee is in charge of the archery club.
It's natural for them to share lunches.
"Oh yeah, Shirou, you were late this morning. Did something happen?"
Fuji-Nee looks at me, sipping her miso soup.
...Geez. She's usually slow, but she gets sharp only at times like this.
"I had a dream about my past. I just woke up grouchy, that's all."
"I see, nothing unusual. I'm relieved."
Fuji-Nee ends the conversation like she's not interested.
I'm not worried at all about it either, so I shouldn't get mad about it.
Ten years ago.
I used to have nightmares back when I couldn't get the fire out of my mind.
But I saw less of it as time passed, and I'm well over it now that I can let it slide even after dreaming about it.
...But I guess it was pretty bad back then. Since Fuji-Nee has been here since that time, she's sensitive to my change.
"Shirou, are you not hungry? You don't happen to have no appetite this morning, right?"
"I am hungry. I'm fine, so don't try to take my food using my dream as an excuse."
"Man, I'm glad you've gotten so strong, but personally, I wish you were more delicate."
"That's my line. I wish you'd be more sweet."
We make fun of each other without looking at each other.
That proves my liveliness, and Fuji-Nee laughs with relief.
"...Heh."
To be honest, I'm glad she's worrying.
But she'll be elated if I thank her, so I act like I'm discontented.
"Hm?"
Not knowing the circumstances, Sakura looks puzzled at the way we're acting.
Scene 09 - Unnatural mark
After Fuji-Nee leaves, we lock the house and leave.
"Senpai, I won't be able to come and help out from tonight until Monday. Is that all right?"
"Hm? That's all right. It's the weekend anyways. You should be hanging out with your friends, so don't worry about it."
"Huh? No, that's not it...! It's not like that. It's just a personal errand, and I'll be attending the club too! S-So you can come to the dojo if anything comes up!
I'm not going off to play because it's the weekend, so please don't misunderstand me."
"...Huh?"
Sakura's acting suspicious, and she looks very tense.
I don't really understand what she wants to say, but I guess she just means she can't come over this weekend.
"Okay. I'll go to the dojo if something comes up."
"Yes, it will make me happy if you do so."
Sakura looks relieved.
And when she looks down, her face suddenly stiffens.
"Senpai, your hand."
"Hm?"
Sakura is staring at my left hand.
Looking down at it, it's bleeding.
"Huh?"
I pull up my sleeve.
There is certainly blood there.
"What's this? Maybe I cut it while fixing something last night."
But it doesn't hurt at all.
There's just a welt on there.
The welt goes straight from my shoulder down to the hand, and it looks kind of like a small snake running from my shoulder to my hand.
"Well, I don't feel any pain, so it should go away quickly. Don't worry, it's nothing."
"...Yes, if you say so."
Perhaps she's feeling bad from seeing the blood, as Sakura looks away and falls silent.
Scene 10 - Worsening bruise
After Fuji-Nee leaves, we lock the house and leave.
"......"
"Sakura? You don't look well. Are you feeling sick again?"
"Huh...? No, I'm fine. How about you, Senpai? You looked awful this morning and, um, your bruise from yesterday might be worse."
Yesterday's bruise...?
Oh, that welt on my left hand.
"No, it didn't get any worse. It's just a welt, so it should heal in no time."
"......"
She must be worried about something as she continues to stare at me.
"Uh.... it's fine. It's nothing, seriously."
"......"
"What? You've been acting awfully strange since yesterday. This is just a welt, right? Or what, did you step on my hand while I was asleep and you feel guilty about it?"
"S-Senpai, I'm not that heavy! I just..."
"Just what?"
"...Um, I just hope I'm wrong."
"...Huh?"
I don't understand her.
Sakura doesn't talk much, but she tends to say important things clearly.
She doesn't usually talk like this.
"...Senpai. I have a favor to ask of you if it's all right."
"Huh? Yeah, if it's something I can do."
"...Yes. I won't be able to come and help you until tomorrow night. Can you try to stay in your house during that time?"
"...? Are you telling me to skip work on Sunday?"
"Yes. I want you to stay in your house as much as possible. Um, I'll come and help once I'm done with my errand."
"I see... well, I guess I can take a rest for a day.
All right then. I'll relax during the weekend. Is that okay, Sakura?"
"Yes, that will help me out a lot."
I guess it's fine to relax once in a while.
I have some extra living expenses from working a lot recently, so I'll clean up all the junk this weekend.
Scene 11 - Tiger Dojo 1
Hello! Is everyone doing fine?
An hour of gaming a day, for all you who died so easily, this is the assistance corner that solves all your problems in a flash, the Tiger Dojo!
So. First of all, I would like to ask what the meaning of this corner is! It totally destroys the mood of the actual story!
Answer, senior student!
Osu! This dojo is the backstage that always saves the dull and stupid Shirou. It can be said that this is the central foundation that supports "Fate" itself.
It would not be an exaggeration to call this the main storyline of "Fate"!
Marvelous! Bravo! Oh bravo!
Yes, well done. I think everyone's starting to realize now, but this dojo is an important part of "Fate".
Everyone, please don't be tricked by those fake heroines that have large parts in the story, and if you see a dangerous choice, please choose it.
Well, as for this Shirou......
Oh man, squashed lower body and only the head left?
Someone who would do such a thing must be brutal and cruel. What do you think about that, student?
No problem! This is a cute and pop genocide of love!
Unsatisfactory!
Owww... I-I made a mistake. This is the result of a weak Onii-chan making this particular heroine angry.
That is exactly right. In other words, broken samurai code, seppuku if you turn your back.
From now on, please choose cowardly choices like this as you'll die a lot.
But since this is supposed to be a Q&A corner, I shall help you with your problem.
Senior student, what is the counter-measure this time?
Osu, go back to the choice and choose the other one.
All right, well done.
Unexpected deaths like this are set up all over the place, so it's standard to save at choices.
Well then, that's it for this time! I shall wait for you at the next practice!
See you!
Scene 12 - Worms from hell
There's a sound.
It's hard to determine if the sound is someone crying or something being dragged.
The sound is all there is.
There are only decaying things here.
The stone walls are fragile like rotten trees,
and the air is sweet like honey.
The living things on the floor are melted like ripe fruit, and even time is rotten and meaningless here.
This space is worn out after a long period of time.
This darkness is the grave of all that were not mourned for, because of the tenacity of a certain bloodline.
"―――It seems all seven have gathered."
In the center of the decay wiggles the largest decay.
The sound of worms and the smell of rotten meat.
The master of this basement room is rotten but alive, and swarmed by the otherworldly worms.
The worms that crawl up his feet suck on the skin at the ankles and use their suckers to consume the meat and burrow into it.
There aren't merely a hundred or so of these swarming worms.
If a human were swarmed by this black carpet, they would not even last a minute.
A human would have all their meat and bones taken by the worms and would crumble as a boneless skin.
"Not enough. These worms need to be replaced soon."
But the thing does not crumble.
No, the more the worms enter his body through the ankles, the more complete his body becomes.
―――That thing is not being consumed by the worms.
The worms swarming the room are the ones being eaten.
The amount stored will last a hundred years.
If this is something that eats only worms, it means that much more life is already guaranteed.
"There are still more chances to come. It does not mean this is the last chance. If the conditions aren't perfect, I should restrict myself to just watching, but..."
"Well," says the figure with a smile.
The "place" this time is far from perfect.
The hole is opening less than ten years after the last battle.
The supervisor, the priest, has two Servants, and the Servant residing at the Ryuudou Temple has summoned a Servant herself.
The conditions are not good.
The grail that would be filled in such an unstable battle would be far from perfect.
Even if the gate is opened, it would not be possible to reach inside it.
"Then I should just restrict myself to observing, but unfortunately, the pieces I have are well-suited."
The condition to fight for the Holy Grail is terrible.
But one thing―――that "thing" created after a lot of work has been completed perfectly.
It shall reach it once it is open.
It shall definitely reach the Holy Grail if it makes no mistake in the procedure.
After all, it has had the content of the Holy Grail planted within it.
It is a cellular tool that has been contaminated by the Holy Grail for the past ten years.
So as things with the same origin, it is only natural they will attract each other.
"...Heh, there is a next time for me, but that thing won't last long. I received it as an afterbirth, but I never thought it would turn out this well."
That thing prepared as an experiment is so suitable you could call it perfect.
It was planned to be disposable, but if it can be used, it should be.
Either way, it is something that was planned to be disposed of.
Even if it is destroyed in battle, it does not change the fact that it will be disposed.
"―――Then, there is only one problem.
How I will motivate it."
The prepared "compatible work" hates conflict.
It would be simple if its mind could be taken over, but the work's mental barrier is stronger than expected.
Well, one with a strong Magic Circuit was what was wished for.
So it is only natural for it to be strong against a poison that tries to violate the self.
Should it be the obedient doll or the superior pupil?
As long as the latter is decided, controlling it is out of the question.
"―――Once is fine. If there is a small opening, it will seek the Holy Grail on its own, but..."
Creating that small opening is the hard part.
It does not have a mentality that will break down under external pressure.
If it did, it would have broken already eleven years ago.
That thing is the strongest fortress that has no blade to strike back.
Then, what will break it must come from within.
Its emotions will become the key to change it.
"―――You're here. Then I shall create that small opening."
Footsteps echo through the darkness.
The appearing person walks to the worms in the middle of the decay, and...
"Do I have to kill every Master?"[r]
And asks the anticipated question.
"――――――――"
Of course, it does not need to answer such a question.
All Masters must be killed.
We must take away all Servants.
That is the idea swirling in this basement.
But pushing that aside...
"If you say so, it cannot be helped. Then I shall restrict myself to observation this time."
The thing says so.
A voice of relief and a relaxed air.
After giving a kind smile that has no intention of fighting,
"But it is a bit annoying if that is the case. Out of all the Masters, the daughter of Tohsaka is pretty well-made. If there is a winner, it will probably be her."
It murmurs disappointedly.
"――――――――"[r]
The slack air returns.
A small change―――a faint emotion of evil fills the room.
The one that disliked conflict was moved by that one word.
It is built on that small movement.
A small crack.
A small opening that should not be opened, which the thing itself does not notice.
"―――Kuh."
The rotten meat laughs.
Swarmed by worms and still rotting, it continues to laugh, still holding a human shape.
Scene 16 - One more time
"Ah... guh."
I wake up.
I feel sick. My whole body is in pain, and I have a sharp headache each time my heart throbs.
"What... happened?"
I can't remember because of the sharp headache.
My body is cold, probably from lying on the floor for a long time.
The only certain thing is my ripped uniform, and my own blood on the floor.
"...!"
I get up with a hazy head.
The spot where I was lying looks like a murder scene.
"...Damn, I really..."
...Had my chest pierced?
"...Hah... guh..."
Bearing the pain, I enter the closest classroom.
Moving to the locker with unsteady steps, I take out a mop and a bucket.
"...Huh... what am I doing...?"
I'm still in a panic.
Why do I still think I have to clean up, when I've just met something totally outrageous and been killed instantly? Am I an idiot?
"...Haa... haa... damn, it won't come off..."
...I wipe the floor with the mop.
With unsteady hands, I manage to get the blood wiped off, and pick up any trash lying around and put it into my pocket.
...Maybe I'm destroying the evidence.
I'm still in a daze, so perhaps that's why I'm doing something so absurd.
"...Ah... haa... haa... haa..."
I put back the mop and bucket, and leave the school like a zombie.
...I get hotter as I walk.
The air is so cold, but it feels like my body is burning.
...When I get home, the day has already changed.
There's no one home.
Neither Fuji-Nee nor Sakura is around now.
"...Ah... haa, haa, haa."
I collapse to the floor.
I lie on the ground and finally calm down.
"......"
I take a deep breath.
When I inhale, my heart cries in pain as if cracking apart.
...No, that's wrong.
It wasn't just cracked.
It had a hole in it, but it healed, and the wound tries to open up again when I inhale.
"...So it's true that I was almost killed."
No, that's wrong too.
I wasn't almost killed... I was actually killed.
But I'm still alive in spite of that, because someone saved me.
"...I wonder who it was. I should at least thank them."
Since the person was there, that person might have something to do with them.
But that makes no difference to the fact that the person saved me. I have to thank them one of these days.
"Ah... guh...!"
The moment I let my guard down, the pain returns.
At the same time, I feel like vomiting.
"Ah... hah, guh...!"
I sit up and resist the sickness.
"...Huh..."
I place my hand on my bare chest where the uniform is ripped.
Even though I was saved, I did have a hole in my chest.
That feeling.
Such an unpleasant feeling, a spearhead entering my body, isn't something I can forget easily.
"...Damn, I'll have nightmares about this for a while."
If I close my eyes, it feels like the lance is still in me.
I shake off that illusion and try to calm down.
"...All right, I'm starting to calm down."
The result of all that training every night.
Just taking a few deep breaths clears my mind, and the heat and nausea vanish from my body.
"So, about those guys..."
A man in blue and a man in red.
They looked human, but I don't think they were.
Were they like ghosts or something?
But I've never heard of ghosts with form, able to associate directly with people.
And they were talking too. If they have their own will, it's hard for me to think of them as ghosts.
...I've heard that the only ghosts with a body are spirits, but aren't they shaped differently from humans...?
"...No, that's not the problem."
There's another fundamental problem.
...Those two who were killing each other.
...The murderous burglar that has appeared in the neighborhood.
...The ongoing ominous events in Fuyuki City.
"......"
All I can tell with such thoughts is that it's way out of my league.
"...If Father was still alive..."
Perhaps because the wound on my chest is so vivid, I complain about things I shouldn't.
"...Idiot. I've already decided to do whatever I can, even when I don't understand."
Complaining comes later.
First, I have to decide whether or not it's my concern.
"...!?"
The bell hung from the ceiling rings.
This is a magus's house, even if only a poor one.
There is a boundary field that alerts me when a stranger enters the property.
"A burglar, at a time like this...?"
As I speak, I realize my foolishness.
That can't be it.
With this timing, right after that strange incident, that can't be it.
There's an intruder.
Not a burglar, but an assassin who's here for my life.
Because I remember that guy saying...
'You saw us, so die.'
"......"
The house is filled with silence.
In the silent darkness, the murderous intent I felt at school is slowly drawing closer.
"...!!"
My throat gulps.
I feel a sharp chill running down my spine.
I will be instantly pierced if I move from this room.
"...!!"
I frantically contain the scream about to escape my mouth.
The instant I release it, the assassin will happily jump in and take the opportunity to kill me.
...If that happens, it will be just like before.
Unprepared, I will be pierced by that lance again.
"...Ah... haa, ah..."
The moment I think about it, my breathing goes wild.
Damn it.
I'm ashamed that I'm about to give up my saved life so easily and that I'm afraid.
"Guh."
Gritting my teeth and holding my chest, I try to restrain myself.
I should get used to it.
This is the second time.
This is the second time I'm about to be killed.
That alone is enough to make me want it to end differently from last time. Besides, I'm a magus.
What have I been learning for the past eight years, if I can't even protect my own life?
"...All right, let's do it."
Enough thinking.
Right now, I just have to counter the intruder.
"...First of all, I need a weapon."
Even though I'm a magus, all I can do is "strengthen" something that could be a weapon.
To fight, I need a weapon.
The shed has lots of things that could become weapons, but it's too far away.
If I'm attacked when I leave the living room, it will just be a repeat of what happened earlier.
...It'll be difficult, but I have to find a weapon here.
Something long and thin would be best. My opponent's weapon is a lance, so something like a knife won't do.
It would be great if there were a wooden sword or something, but of course, there's nothing.
If anything here could be weapon, it's...
"Man... only the poster Fuji-Nee left here..."
I'm disappointed.
But despite that, I'm determined even in this hopeless situation.
Things are already as bad as they can be, so they can't get any worse.
So all I have to do is run forward until I run out of energy.
"――――Trace, on."
With the words that suggest my reconstruction, I channel magical energy into the 60cm long poster.
I have to turn it into something that can repel that lance, so I need to channel magical energy into every corner and solidify it.
"Basic quality, analyze."
I extend my consciousness.
As if soaking my blood into the poster through my skin, I permeate magical energy into it.
"Basic quality, reinforce."
A sense that I've hit the bottom.
Right before the magical energy overflows from it...
"Trace, off."
I cut off all connection with the poster and shudder at the feeling of success.
The poster is now as hard as metal.
But it is as light as it was before, so I couldn't ask for a better sword.
"I... did it."
How many years has it been since I last succeeded the strengthening magecraft?
It's kind of ironic. The magecraft I've never been able to achieve since Kiritsugu died is finally working in this kind of a situation.
"Anyways, now..."
I might be able to do something.
I have some knowledge of how to use a sword.
I hold the poster with both hands and stand up.
I'll die anyway if I stay here, and I don't think I would be able to flee even if I escaped this house.
So all I can do is to run straight to the shed and make a stronger weapon.
"Phew."
Come if you're going to come, it won't be like before. And the instant I think that...
"...!"
My whole spine shivers.
When did he arrive?
Appearing from the ceiling, the guy drops straight at me.
"Wha... huh?"
Silver light descends upon me.
The guy that seems to have come straight through the ceiling descends to pierce my head.
"You...!!"
I frantically escape by rolling forward.
He lands softly while I keep rolling.
But I stop rolling and stand with my freshly-made sword in hand.
"......"
He turns to face me, looking bored.
"...You're causing unnecessary troubles. I was being considerate by killing you before you noticed me."
He raises his lance again, seemingly uninterested.
"......"
I don't know why, but he lacks the spirit he had at the schoolground.
In that case, I might be able to outwit him...!
"...Geez. I never thought I'd kill the same person twice in one day. I guess it just means the human world is always filled with bloodshed."
The man is complaining as if he thinks nothing of me.
"―――"
I slowly move backwards.
It's about three more meters to the window.
Once out the window, it's about twenty meters to the shed.
Then, I can run off this instant...
"See ya. Don't come back this time, kid."
He says blankly, as if sighing it out.
"Ahhh!?"
Pain assails my right arm.
"...?"
It happened in an instant.
The man's lance is thrust, without time for me to react.
...I would have faced my second death with that blow.
But what prevented it was my newly-made sword.
He must have thought it was just paper.
The lance, thrust as if the poster wasn't there, was deflected by it and only skimmed my right arm.
"...Wow. That's a strange technique you've got there."
The man's expression goes away.
His carelessness disappears, and he's now staring at me with beast-like eyes.
"Agh."
I screwed up. I was just being stupidly optimistic when I thought I could do something.
The thing before me is a monster beyond belief.
Painfully, I realize my foolishness for letting my guard down even slightly against him.
...That's right.
If I'd been really desperate, I should have ran frantically to the window as soon as I miraculously avoided his first attack...!
"I thought you were just a kid, but I see... I do feel some magical energy from you, even though it's weak. That must be why you're alive even after I stabbed you through the heart."
He points his lance at me.
"......"
I won't be able to block it.
I can't possibly block that lightning-fast blow.
If his weapon were a sword, I might have been able to at least prepare for it.
But that's a lance.
A sword follows a line, but a lance has a point.
How am I supposed to block a blow from a point that I can't even see coming?
"Good, it looks like I might be able to have a little fun."
The man's body descends.
In that instant...
His lance is swung, sideways.
I block the lance coming at my face with just my instincts.
"Guh...!?"
"Good boy. Here comes the next one...!"
There's a huge whirlwind.
I don't know how he's moving the lance in this small room, but it makes a beautiful arc and...
"...!!!"
...Comes to attack my body from the other side...!
"Gah...!!?"
My constructed sword, moved to stop it, bends.
Is he using a hammer!?
Damn, this numbness feels like I've broken the bones in my arm!
"Damn, you...!"
"Huh?"
I swing the sword instinctively.
He must take me lightly as he hasn't pulled back his lance, so I flick away the shaft with my sword!
"Guh...!"
The arms that hit it go numb.
The sword bends even more, and the man's lance only moves slightly.
"...You're useless. I gave you a chance, but you didn't do anything worthwhile. Well, I guess it's asking too much to expect a good armed fight from a magus..."
The man was just playing with me.
He let me hit him once, since I blocked him twice.
...But I used up my one and only chance for just a makeshift attack.
That's why he sees no point in fighting me anymore.
"―――You've let me down. I'll just kill you now, kid."
He readies his lance again.
"Say..."
During that small unnecessary movement...
"...What you want, you idiot!"
Without looking behind me, I jump out the window...!
"Haa, haa, ha..."
I break the window with my back and roll outside.
I roll a few times, get up, and....
"Haa!"
Without a thought, I turn and swing behind me.
"Hmh...!"
The man hesitates a moment, as I deflected his lance thrust.
As I expected.
If I jumped out the window, he would definitely come after me.
And he would kill me even before I could get up.
That's why I expected the fatal blow and swung at it.
It was a bold plan. I would have died if it was a second too late or a second too early. But considering the difference in our skill, I could never have been too early.
So all I had to do was get up as fast as possible and swing at what was coming behind me.
The result was perfect. I won my bet and deflected the man's lance...!
"Ha, ah...!"
I quickly regain my balance.
Now, I have to make it to the shed before he recovers!
"...Fly."
"Huh...?"
The man who supposedly had his lance knocked away comes up to me empty-handed and...
...Spins and executes a roundhouse kick.
"......"
The scenery flies past me.
My battered chest is numb and I cannot breathe.
No, what's more surprising is, I'm flying.
I never in my dreams thought that I would be sent flying by a mere roundhouse ki――――
"Guh...!"
I fall to the ground from my back.
I hit a wall and come crashing down.
"Guha, ah...!"
I can't breathe.
My vision is blurred.
I manage to stand, supporting myself against the wall of my destination, the shed.
"Haa, haa."
I track the man with my blurry vision.
...I must have been kicked twenty meters.
The man approaches, lance in hand.
"Guh...!"
I'll be killed.
I'll definitely be killed.
The man will be here in a second.
If I don't want to die now, I have to get up and face... him...
"......"
The lance comes out at me.
I can't even turn around fully, and my collapsing body faces the man's lance.
"Damn, if you're a man, keep yourself together...!"
How fortunate.
I got lucky as I couldn't hold myself up and my knees collapsed.
The lance goes over my head and hits the door of the shed, opening it.
"Oh..."
So, this is my last chance.
If I go in the shed, there should be something that I could use as a weapon...
"Guh...!"
I enter the shed on all fours.
There...
"Here, this is it!"
A fatal, inescapable blow is thrust.
"Youuuuuuuu!"
And I block it.
I unroll the poster and make it into a one-time shield.
"Hmm...!?"
A huge impact.
The opened-up poster did block the lance, but it was not strong enough. It's pierced through and transforms back into its original paper.
"Ah, Guh...!"
Hit by the impact of the thrust lance, I'm flung to the wall.
"Agh..."
I fall on my butt and recover myself.
When I raise my head to try to find a weapon...
"Checkmate. That was a pretty surprising move, kid."
The man is pointing the lance at me.
"――――――"
This is it.
The man's lance is pointed directly at my heart.
I know this...
This is the smell of death I felt just a few hours ago.
"...But I don't understand. You're quick-witted, but you suck at magecraft. It seems like you have talent, but I guess you're just too young."
...I can't hear him.
My mind is focused only on the weapon in front of me.
It's only natural.
Because I'll die when that thing is thrust.
So everything else is gone from my mind. What else can I think about now that things have ended up like this?
"It's unlikely, but maybe you were the seventh one.
Well, this is it for you even if that's the case."
The man's arm moves.
The movement I couldn't even see before looks like it's in slow-motion now.
The running silver light.
The spearhead moves straight for my heart.
It will spill blood in the next second.
I know this feeling.
The feeling of metal running into in me...
The taste of blood coming up my throat...
The sense of the world around me disappearing...
I felt all of it earlier.
...And I have to experience it again? Really?
I don't understand. Why do I have to go through this?
...This is bullshit.
I can't accept this. I can't just die here meaninglessly.
I was saved. I was saved, so I can't die so easily.
I have to live and fulfill my obligations. If I die, I can't do that.
But the lance will pierce me.
The spearhead will cut into my flesh and pierce my heart.
"――――"
It pisses me off.
It's ridiculous to kill someone that easily.
It's ridiculous for me to die so easily.
Dying twice in one day, that's ridiculous as well.
Damn, everything is so screwed up that I can't contain it all and...
"Damn it, I..."
Won't be killed meaninglessly...
by someone like you―――!!!!!!!
"Huh?"
Truly, it...
"What...!?"
...It appeared like magecraft.
In a blinding light, it appears from behind me.
My mind stops.
All I know is that the figure who appeared is a girl.
moment it appears, it repels the lance thrust at my heart and steps up to the enemy without hesitation.
"...Can it be!? The seventh Servant..!?"
The man readies his deflected lance, and the girl swings something she is holding.
Sparks fly twice.
A strong swing.
The man hesitates, receiving a heavy blow from the girl.
"Kuh!"
He must have realized he is at a disadvantage, as he jumps out of the shed with bestial speed.
While keeping her guard up against the man, she quietly turns to me.
The wind is strong today.
The clouds drift and the moon appears for a brief moment.
The silver light that shines into the shed lights up the girl in knightly form.
"......"
I'm speechless.
Not because I'm confused by the sudden turn of events.
I'm at a loss for words because of this girl's overwhelming beauty.
"――――――――"
The girl stares at me emotionlessly with her jewel-like eyes.
"―――I ask of you. Are you my Master?"
She says in a valiant voice.
"Huh... Ma... ster...?"
I only repeat back her words.
I don't know who she is or what she's talking about.
All I know is that this small girl is the same kind of being as the man outside.
"......"
The girl says nothing and just stares at me silently.
―――How can I put this?
The figure in front of me is so special that I forget the situation, that the man outside could come and attack at any second.
It feels like time has stopped just around me.
The fear of death has disappeared and only the girl fills my vision.
"I, Servant Saber, have come forth in response to your summons.
Please give me an order, Master."
She speaks again.
The instant I hear the words Master and Servant...
"...!!"
A pain shoots through my left hand.
It's like a hot iron has been placed on my hand.
I grab my left hand instinctively.
That must have been the signal, as the girl quietly nods her lovely face.
"From this time forth, my sword shall be with you and your fate shall be with me.
―――Now, our contract is complete."
"Contract? What are you talking about...!?"
Even I have some knowledge of magecraft. I understand what that word means.
But the girl doesn't answer me and looks away with the same grace she had when she nodded.
――――She looks at the door of the shed.
There stands the man, his lance ready in his hand.
Scene 17 - Tohsaka Rin(II)
...Easily slashes the man in red.
Saber raises her arm to finish him off.
But right before the man in red's neck is slashed, he disappears as a powerful magecraft is cast.
Saber doesn't stop.
She dashes to the person behind the man in red and easily cuts off the large spell the person launches.
"What the..."
I knew she was strong, but this is overwhelming.
That spell right now was at a level of intervention magecraft that I cannot even compare with.
Father could use one as strong as that, but to cast a natural intervention of that power instantly... I don't think even a first-class magus could do so.
But Saber nullified even that master-class magecraft.
The enemy must be a magus, as the match is decided right there.
The magus's attacks are no use against Saber, and she mercilessly attacks the magus.
A sound of someone falling backwards.
The magus has miraculously dodged Saber's blow, but the enemy now cannot move.
Saber corners the enemy and points her invisible sword.
"......"
My mind freezes.
Probably because the moon lights up the scene for an instant.
I can tell that the figure Saber is pointing at is human.
I can't tell who it is, but the image of Saber killing someone and getting splattered with blood pops into my head.
"......"
Saber moves...
She will pierce the enemy's throat with the "thing" in her hand.
"STOP, SABER!!!!!!!"
I scream as loud as I can.
Her sword stops.
Thank God I can't see her sword.
The end of her invisible sword isn't wet with the enemy's blood.
"...Don't. Please don't do it, Saber."
I address her, glaring.
Preparing myself to do my best to stop her.
"Why do you stop me, Shirou? She is Archer's Master. We have to kill her here."
No, Saber has no intention of stopping.
She only stopped because I said so, and she is ready to bring her sword down at any time...!
"I-I'm telling you to wait! You're calling me Master or something, but I don't understand anything at all. If you're going to call me that, I think you should explain things to me first...!"
"......"
Saber doesn't answer.
She only stares at me in silence.
"You're doing this in the wrong order, Saber. I still don't understand who you are. But I'll listen if you talk, so please don't do this."
"......"
Saber is silent.
Still pointing her sword at the fallen enemy, she looks at me discontentedly.
"What do you mean by that?
Are you demanding ideals like not hurting anyone unnecessarily?"
"Huh...?"
Not hurting anyone unnecessarily...?
Well, it is true that we should avoid fights as much as possible, but I'm not so good-natured as to release someone who came to attack me.
"So you are saying... do not take life even if it is that of the enemy, correct? I will not obey such an order. An enemy is someone you must defeat. If you still want me to stop, make me obey with your Command Spell."
"...? I'm talking about you. A girl shouldn't be swinging swords around, all the more so if you're hurt.
...Oh wait, I don't even know if it's a sword or not, huh? Anyway! You're a girl, so you can't do that!"
"―――――"
Saber looks dumbfounded, as if taken aback.
How long were we standing like that?
"...So? When will Saber-san lower her sword?"
The figure on the ground suddenly speaks.
"...!"
Saber suddenly returns to concentrating her attention on her sword.
"Give up. I have no sword to lower in front of an enemy."
"Even if your Master says to lower it?
Wow, so even Saber would betray her Master, huh?"
"――――――――"
Saber grits her teeth.
But Saber lowers her sword and relaxes.
Saber's hostility disappears, so she must have put away her sword as well.
"I see. Then I can stand up, right?"
The one on the ground stands up.
She looks shameless, brushing her rear.
...Hey, wait a second.
That sulky person is definitely-WHAAAAAAT...!?
"You, you're Tohsaka...!?"
"Yes. Good evening, Emiya-kun."
Tohsaka Rin replies with a big smile.
"Uh..?"
That gets me.
If she greets me normally like that, everything that happened up to now seems like a dream and... No, my head's about to explode, geez, how easy would things be if it did...!?
"Um, no, well, um... so you were using magecraft right now, so that means..."
"I'm a magus. Well, we're the same, so it's not something I need to hide."
"Guh..."
When she replies clearly like that, it makes me seem stupid for asking.
"Let's talk inside. You don't know anything, right Emiya-kun?"
So saying, she walks toward the entrance.
"Wait, what are you thinking...!?"
And then...
She turns, and the smile on her face isn't like the previous one.
"Are you stupid? I am thinking about a lot of things. That's why I want to talk to you.
Emiya-kun, it's good to be surprised by sudden turns of events, but it could sometimes cost you your life if you don't just accept it. Incidentally, do you understand that now is one of those times?"
She glares at me.
"...!!"
"It's fine if you understand. So let's go to your place."
Tohsaka goes through the gate.
"...She's really pissed..."
It's only natural.
She had a sword pointed at her until now, and she was almost killed.
"No, but still..."
Is it just my imagination or is she totally unlike how she seems at school?
So, I'm in a strange situation.
In front of me is the school's number one idol whom I admire, Tohsaka Rin.
And following silently behind me is Saber, who calls herself a Servant.
"......"
Oh.
The hallway suddenly feels like a different dimension.
But I can't be a coward forever.
I'm a magus, even if I am just an amateur.
Tohsaka Rin, a magus just like me, is acting so fearlessly, so I have to act firmly too.
...But I can only work out a few things.
First, about Saber, who's following me.
I am sure that she is some kind of a familiar, because she calls me Master and I've made a contract with her.
I hear that a familiar is some kind of an assistant for a magus.
Most magi transfer part of their body into something and summon it as another self.
For the other self, a magus usually uses a small animal.
That's simply because it's easy to take over the mind of something like a cat or a dog.
Some magi use a human as their familiar, but they need enough magical energy to restrain a human at all times if they do such a thing.
But if one constantly uses enough magical energy to control someone, it would take most of the magus' magical energy to sustain the familiar.
But that'd be putting the cart before the horse.
A familiar is something that assists the magus.
To reduce the burden on the magus, it is commonly accepted that small animals are most suitable.
...So I've been taught, but...
"Hm? What is it, Shirou?"
"...No, it's nothing."
...Saber looks human no matter how you look at her. And she is clearly superior to me, her master.
I don't have the magical energy to control such a person, and more than that, I don't have the Magic Circuit to summon a familiar.
"......"
So Saber must be something rather unlike a familiar.
She said she is a Servant.
I don't know what that is, but I think the man called Lancer and the man in red with Tohsaka were the same thing.
Then it must be that Tohsaka is also called a Master.
I just saw her magecraft skills.
If I am worth half a magus, she is worth about three magi... though of course, there's no point in comparing me to other magi when I can only use the strengthening magecraft.
Anyway, Tohsaka is an amazing magus.
In any spiritually superior land is a family of magi that looks after that land.
The Emiya family only came to this land in Kiritsugu's generation, so we're just strangers.
That's why I didn't know that Tohsaka was a magus, and I'm sure Tohsaka didn't know that I knew magecraft.
...There are several magi in this town that I don't know about.
If Lancer is the familiar of another magus in this town, then does it mean that I stuck my head into a conflict between magi?
"Wow, it's pretty big. Japanese-style is unusual for me.
Oh, is that the living room, Emiya-kun?"
Saying so, Tohsaka goes into the living room.
"......"
Let's stop thinking for now.
Let's just listen to Tohsaka's story.
I turn the lights on.
It's already past one in the morning.
"Oh, it's so cold! What's this, the windows are broken?"
"I couldn't help it. I was attacked by this Lancer guy. I was just desperate."
"Oh, I see. Then were you fighting him alone until you summoned Saber?"
"I didn't fight him. He just beat me up."
"Oh, so you don't try to show off, huh? ...I see, I see, you're really just as you appear, Emiya-kun."
Tohsaka walks over to the broken window.
"...?"
Tohsaka takes a piece of the shattered glass, takes a look at it, and...
"―――Minuten vor Schwei[szlig]en"
She cuts the tip of her finger and puts a drop of her blood onto the glass.
"...!?"
What kind of magecraft is this?
The shattered glass combines on its own and restores itself in a matter of seconds.
"Tohsaka, that was..."
"It's just a small demonstration. It won't be enough to repay you for saving me, but I have to at least do this much.
...Well, I'm sure you would've fixed it even if I hadn't, but that's just a waste of magical energy, right? All you really have to do is replace the window, but we don't want to talk in this cold, do we?"
She says so as if it's something natural.
But needless to say, her skills are beyond my understanding.
"No, that's amazing, Tohsaka. I can't do that sort of thing, so I'm glad you fixed it."
"Huh? There's no way you can't fix it.
Handling glass is so elementary. Restoring glass that broke a few minutes ago is only like an admission test for any school, right?"
"So that's how it is? I was only taught by my father, so I don't even know the basics or the elementary stuff."
"―――Huh?"
Tohsaka freezes.
...Dammit. It seems I said something I shouldn't have.
"...Wait. Then you're saying you're just an amateur who can't even run your own workshop?"
"...? I don't have a workshop."
...Well, I do have that shed as my training area, but I think Tohsaka would get mad if I called that my workshop.
"...I think it's impossible, but I'll ask anyway. Could it be that you don't know how to handle the five main elements, or how to make a Pass?"
I honestly admit that I don't know.
"......"
Wow, that's scary.
She's so beautiful usually, so she looks pretty scary now.
"Then what are you, just an amateur?"
"That's not true. I can at least use strengthening magecraft."
"Strengthening... that's an awfully odd magecraft. So, you can't do anything other than that?"
Tohsaka glares at me.
"...Well, to be honest, probably not."
Her glare makes my answer vague.
"...Geez. Why did Saber get summoned to a guy like this?"
She sighs.
"Hm."
It makes me mad.
I haven't been playing around. I know I'm an amateur, but I don't think it matters right now.
"Well, I don't care. There's no point in complaining about what's already happened. More importantly, I have to pay back my debt right now."
Tohsaka takes a breath.
"Well, I'll begin.
Emiya-kun, you don't know what kind of situation you're in right now, correct?"
"......"
I nod.
"I thought so. Well, I could tell easily, but I have to confirm, right? It's only putting flab on my mind if I tell someone that already knows about it."
"...?"
I think that was a weird phrase, but I stay quiet as I think she'll beat me up if I make fun of her now.
"To put it bluntly, you have been chosen as a Master.
You have a holy sign on one of your hands, right? On your hand or on your arm. There are personal differences, but there should be three Command Spells engraved. That is the sign of a Master."
"On my hand... oh, this."
"Yes. That is also a spell that rules the Servant, so take care of it. It's called a Command Spell and you can retain control over your Servant as long as you have it."
"...? What do you mean 'as long as I have it'?"
"The Command Spell is an item of unconditional obedience. I think you've already realized that Servants have their own will, but that mark overrules their will and makes them obey your command."
"There's no spell needed to activate it, and it will be activated when you put your mind to using it.
But you'll lose one for every time you use it, so make sure you only use it twice.
If you lose all your Command Spells, you'll be killed, so be careful."
"What... I'll be killed?"
"That's right. It's fundamental in the Holy Grail War for Masters to kill other Masters. And the Master that kills the other six Masters is awarded with the Holy Grail."
"What...?"
H-Hold on.
I don't understand what Tohsaka is talking about at all.
Like the part about Masters killing other Masters.
And the part where the winner gets a Holy Grail... wait, does she mean that Holy Grail...!?
"You still don't understand? To put it simply, you've been dragged into a game.
A survival game between the seven Masters, a game called the Holy Grail War. A battle royale between the Masters that won't end until you kill all other Masters."
Tohsaka Rin states so as if it is the most natural thing in the world.
"――――――――"
That phrase swirls in my head.
I have been chosen as a Master.
Tohsaka says she is a Master.
Familiars called the Servants.
―――And.
A battle to the death between other magi called the Holy Grail War.
"Wait. What is that? What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
"I understand how you feel, but I'm just telling you the truth.
...Besides, you should understand deep down. You should know you're in a situation you can't run away from, having been almost killed by that Servant twice now."
"――――――――"
That's...
Certainly, I was almost killed by that Lancer guy, but...
"Oh no, that's wrong. In fact, you weren't almost killed, you were actually killed. I'm surprised you're alive again."
"―――"
Tohsaka's comment finishes me off.
...That's right.
That guy killed me, and I certainly died.
No excuse nor negotiation was possible. I was just someone who had to be killed.
So...
Even if I do deny this battle to the death that I cannot understand, the others in it will not withdraw.
"―――"
"Do you get it now? Then I'll go on.
I don't exactly know what the Holy Grail War is.
But I know that every few decades, seven Masters are chosen and given Servants."
"I'm also chosen as a Master. That's why I made a contract with a Servant, and you made a contract with Saber.
Think of the Servant as a familiar, given to you by the Holy Grail to win the Holy Grail War.
And as Masters, we are to work together with our Servant to kill other Masters."
"......"
Tohsaka's description is too brief for me to understand.
But there is one thing I do wonder about.
"...Hold on. You say Saber is a familiar, but I'm not convinced.
Familiars are things like cats and birds, right? Well, I do hear that some use human ghosts, but Saber has a body. Besides, she doesn't look like a familiar."
I glance at Saber.
Saber is quietly listening to our conversation.
...She looks just like a human being.
I don't know her identity, but she's a girl about my age.
Just having a girl like that near me is more than enough, so I don't get it when she tells me that Saber is a familiar... and besides, my heart is pounding right now.
"Familiar, huh...? Well, Servants are in that category, but they are on a different level. Because that girl over there is a Ghost Liner, considered to be the strongest of all familiars."
"Ghost Liner......? Then do you mean she really is a ghost?"
A human ghost that stopped living a long time ago.
The remaining minds of those with strong abilities, who remain in this world even after they die.
But that doesn't make sense.
A ghost doesn't have a body. A ghost can be only hurt by ghosts.
So, as I have a body, a ghost shouldn't be able to kill me.
"A ghost... huh? She's similar, but Saber would kill you if you compared her to one.
Servants are heroes of the past given bodies. Beings surpassing humans, more like spirits."
"Huh? Heroes of the past given bodies?"
"That's right. A legendary hero was pulled from the past or the present or whenever and given a body.
"Well, it's the role of the Master to summon them, and the Holy Grail does the rest.
It's impossible for a magus to give shape to a soul, so we're assisted by a strong Artifact."
"Hold on. So a 'hero of the past' means... what...!?"
I look over at Saber.
Then she's a heroine from the past too?
Well, it's true that nobody would dress like that now, but still...
"That's impossible. I've never heard of any such magecraft."
"Of course not. This isn't magecraft. Think of it as a phenomenon created by the Holy Grail. It's impossible to recreate a soul and give it a body without it."
"...Recreation of the soul? Then a Servant isn't a ghost...?"
"No. Haven't you been taught that any humans, animals, or machines that leave any great achievements behind get removed from the ring of reincarnation and sublimate into beings of higher rank?
Heroes are that sort of beings.
To put it simply, they have been worshipped and made into artificial gods."
"'Ghost magecraft' such as supplicating ghosts uses heroic spirits to make miracles happen.
But the Servants are familiars of the heroes themselves.
So they accompany you in spirit form, but if need be, you can give them form to make them fight."
"...Hm. So you mean you can give them form or keep them in spirit form?
I don't see your Servant, so he's in spirit form right now?"
"No, he's healing his wounds in the summoning circle at my house right now.
Saber wounded him just now, right? If I hadn't withdrawn him by force, he would have had his head chopped off.
"Look, the only ones who can beat these Servants are other Servants, spirits like them. Well, we can hit them too if they take form, so we might be able to beat them.
But Servants are all strong as monsters, right? So we let monsters deal with monsters. The Master usually supports them from behind."
"...Hm."
Tohsaka's explanation irritates me for some reason.
She calls them monsters. I don't know about the other Servants, but I don't waͮt her to talk about Saber like that.
"Anyway, someone who becomes a Master must kill all the other Masters using his Servant.
Do you understand it so far?"
"...In words, yes. But I'm not convinced.
To begin with, who started such a thing and why?"
"That's not something I know about, nor should I answer. You should put that kind of question to the one overseeing the Holy Grail War.
The one thing I can tell you is that all you can do now is to fight, and Servants are powerful familiars, so you should use them wisely."
Tohsaka says so, and now turns to Saber.
"So from what I hear from Emiya-kun, you must not be in full form, Saber. You were summoned by an apprentice magus who has no idea how to be a Master."
"...Yes, I am not in full form as you say.
Since Shirou does not have the magical energy to give me form, it will be difficult for me to turn into a spirit or to replenish my magical energy."
"...I'm surprised. I'm surprised that you were in that bad of a state, but I didn't think you'd tell me honestly. I was wondering how I ought to find out your weakness."
"I do not wish to let others know of my weakness, but I do not think I can fool you. It would be meaningless to hide our situation from you.
So it will be better for us to tell you of our situation, and to have Shirou better understand the situation he is in right now."
"Correct. And you have a good personality too. ...Geez, I'm regretting it even more now. If I was your Master, I would have certainly won this war!"
Tohsaka clenches her fists with anger.
"Hmm. Tohsaka, do you mean I'm not fit to be her Master?"
"Of course not, idiot."
Wow. She just said something that any normal person would have trouble saying.
"What? Do you have any more questions?"
And she doesn't realize it.
Her honor student image from school crumbles inside of me.
...Good going, Issei. Tohsaka certainly shows no openings, just like a devil.
"Well. We're done talking, so let's get going."
Tohsaka suddenly says something strange.
"Huh? Go where?"
"We're going to see the guy who knows all about the game you're involved in... the 'Holy Grail War'. You want to know the reasons behind the Holy Grail War, right?"
"Of course. But where is it? It's already late, so..."
"It'll be fine. It's in the neighboring town, so we should be back by dawn if we hurry. And besides, it's Sunday tomorrow, so it should be fine to stay up late."
"No, that's not the problem."
It's just that a lot of things happened today, so I want to have a rest and think about them.
"What, you're not going? ...Well, if you say so. But what about you, Saber?"
Tohsaka asks Saber.
"Hold on, this has nothing to do with Saber. Don't push her."
"Oh, you're already feeling like a Master? You don't want me talking to Saber?"
"T-That's not it! It's just that if what you said is true, then Saber is a heroine from the past, right? So she wouldn't know about this time since she was just summoned.
So..."
"Shirou, that is wrong. Servants can adapt to any time. So I know a lot about this age as well."
"Really?"
"Yes. This is not the first time that I have been summoned in this age."
"Wha...?"
"No way, what are the chances of that...!?"
Hey, Tohsaka is surprised too.
...So that must mean Saber said something incredible.
"Shirou, I agree with her. You lack experience as a Master. As a Servant making a contract with you, I want you to be stronger."
Saber stares at me silently.
...It's a gentle stare that's worried not for herself, but for me.
"...All right. I'll go.
So, where is this place, Tohsaka? It's a place we can come back from, right?"
"Of course. We are heading to Kotomine Church in the neighboring town. That's where the false priest, the one who oversees this battle, is living."
Tohsaka makes an evil smile.
It looks like she's having fun dragging me around while I don't know anything.
"......"
It might be prejudice...
But I'm beginning to feel like there's a problem with her personality....
Scene 18 - Decision
I won't run away.
Honestly, this Holy Grail War and Master stuff doesn't seem real to me.
But still, if there are only two choices, fighting or running away, I will never run away.
The priest said it too.
If I am a magus, I should be ready.
That is why I must decide.
Even though I'm an amateur, Emiya Shirou is a magus.
If I have decided to become a superhero in the footsteps of Emiya Kiritsugu, whom I've admired all this time―――
"―――I will fight as a Master.
If the cause of the fire ten years ago was the Holy Grail War, I can't let it happen again."
As if he likes my answer, the priest smiles with satisfaction.
"―――"
I take a deep breath.
I have cut away all hesitation.
As a man, I said I will fight.
So from now on, all I have to do is go forward with pride so that I will not go against my word.
"Then I shall approve you as Saber's Master.
In this instant, the Holy Grail War is accepted.
―――I approve the battle in this town, from now until only one Master remains. Everyone shall follow their pride and compete fully against each other."
The priest's voice echoes heavily through the church.
There is no meaning to that declaration.
Only Tohsaka and I heard the priest's words.
This man merely rang the starting bell as the priest of this church.
"So it's decided. Then I'm going home, but can I ask you a question too?"
"I don't mind. This might be the last time, so I shall answer most questions."
"Then I shall ask. Kirei, you're the one in charge of looking after this, so you should have information on the other Masters. I've followed the Association's rules, so at least tell me what you know."
"That's troubling. I really want to tell you, but I do not know the details either.
Including Emiya Shirou, there are not many legitimate magi this time. There are only two Masters I know about. Three if you include Emiya Shirou."
"Oh, I see. Still, you should know the order they were summoned.
You are the supervisor after all."
"...Hmm. Berserker was first. Caster was second. The rest are pretty much the same. Archer was yesterday, and Saber was summoned a few hours ago."
"――I see. Then that means..."
"The Holy Grail War has officially started.
Rin, you are not allowed to come to this church until the Holy Grail War is over. The only time it is permitted is..."
"When I lose my Servant and wish for protection, right? So I pretty much get points deducted if I come here for any other reason."
"That is correct. You may become the victor, but the Church will not ignore the points deducted. They will take the Holy Grail away from you after a boring discussion. That would be the worst case scenario for me."
"You fake priest. A person on the side of the Church supporting the magecraft Association?"
"I am serving God. That does not mean I am serving the Church."
"Whatever. That's why you're a fake."
And Tohsaka turns her back to the priest.
After that, she just makes her way to the exit without saying goodbye.
"Hey, is that okay, Tohsaka? He was your fellow pupil, right? So―――"
Shouldn't there be a more proper farewell?
"I don't care. I rather feel relieved from breaking the ties to him. More importantly, you should leave too. You have no business here now."
Tohsaka walks across the floor without stopping and really leaves.
I sigh and follow her.
And then.
"―――!"
I feel a presence behind me and turn around.
The priest who was behind me before I knew it, is looking down on me.
"W-What? Do you have anything else to say?"
I back off as I say so.
...Just as I thought, I don't like him.
Maybe we're just incompatible or something, but I can't get myself to like him.
"If you don't have anything to say, I'm going!"
I make my way to the door, trying to escape his stare.
As I go.
"―――Rejoice, boy. Your wish will finally come true."
The priest says, as if declaring an oracle.
Those words are...
Aren't those the true feelings I haven't yet realized?
"―――What are you saying, all of a sudden?"
"You should know. Your wish will not come true unless there is a clear evil. Even if it is not something you approve of, a superhero requires a villain to defeat."
"―――――!"
I feel like everything has turned black.
The priest said it.
The greatest wish and the ugliest wish I have are the same.
...Yes, the desire to protect something,
...Is, at the same time, none other than the wish for something to violate it.
"―――Y-You..."
But there's no way I'd wish for something like that.
I don't remember a moment when I've wished for that.
Such an insecure wish...
...Just means the target ideals are inconsistent.
But the priest says as if to pierce my heart, "Good thing you have an enemy now."
"No, you do not have to gloss over it. Your worries are right for a human being."
"――――!"
I shake off the priest's words and walk to the door.
"Farewell, Emiya Shirou.
This will be my last warning, but take care on your way home.
Your world will change completely from now on.
You are now at the point of kill or be killed. You are now a Master."
Scene 19 - Tiger Dojo 2
Hello! I'm Fujimura Taiga, the instructor of the Tiger Dojo, a dream-like rescue corner that trains people who die easily.
And I'm Illya, keeping Taiga company out of compassion, even though I don't have to be here.
Daryaaaaaaaa!
Senior student! Your name in this dojo is senior student!
Ouch... throwing me back... the demonic sword, Tora-shinai, is fearsome indeed...
"Tora shinai" has been added to the weapons dictionary.
Huh? Did you hear a weird sound just now?
Nope. Anyways, what is the theme this time, Taiga?
Yes, our topic this time is about the sudden deaths.
It's sudden, but you die easily in "Fate" if you let your guard down.
Everyone basically shows no mercy, so it's proper practice to save every time you reach a choice. Shirou's everyday life is a scramble filled with red lights.
Yeah, Onii-chan is always so unguarded. As I thought, I have to protect him.
Chest.
Ouuuch! Master, that shinai really hurts! Please use a more gentle shinai!
Request denied. A girl like you who kills out of love should run around the dojo three times. At once!
What? I'm against anything tiring.
You don't want this Tiger Stamp!?
Ohh. All right, I'll go.
Well. The cause of your death this time is considering to run away from that very dangerous kid.
It's kill or be killed once you meet her.
Be careful, since a half-hearted choice will bring only death.
Tiger? There's a weird cat near the dojo.
Step on its tail and drive it off.
And don't call me Tiger.
All right. I made it go somewhere.
Very well. Then we are done.
The story is just getting started. Once you get through this trouble, the battle as a Master will finally... start... or maybe it won't start yet...
Which is it?
Hmmm... I guess a bit more training...?