FSN Fate Day 04 (EN)

Scene 00 - Principle of action-Tohsaka Rin(III)

This is a story from a winter five years ago.

It was a night with a beautiful moon.

I wasn't doing anything, just watching the moon with Kiritsugu.

Even though it was winter, the weather wasn't cold.

The corridor was only a little chilly, and it was a good night to enjoy the moon.

Back then, Kiritsugu didn't leave the house much.

Not going outside, he would just laze carelessly around the house.

...I regret it even now, thinking back to it.

Why didn't I notice that it was like the actions of an animal that knows its time of death?

"When I was a child, I wanted to be a superhero."

Suddenly.

That man, himself a superhero in my child's eyes, said that as if yearning for it.

"What? What do you mean by 'wanted'? Did you give up?"

I became angry and asked him.

Kiritsugu laughed apologetically and looked up at the sky.

"Yes, unfortunately. Being a hero is a time-limited thing, and it becomes hard to call yourself that when you grow up. I wish I'd found that out earlier."

I agreed with that.

I didn't know why, but I thought it couldn't be wrong because Kiritsugu said so.

"I see. Then I guess it couldn't be helped."

"Yeah. It really couldn't be helped."

Kiritsugu answers.

So of course, my response was determined.

"Yeah, it can't be helped, so I'll take your place.

It's impossible since you're an adult, but it should be all right for me. Let me take on your dream.

"―――I'll make it come true."

Before I could finish, my father laughed.

He made a face like he didn't even need to hear the rest.

After breathing in, Emiya Kiritsugu said...

"Yeah―――I'm relieved."

He quietly closed his eyes and his life ended.

Since he looked so peaceful, I thought he would wake up again in the morning, so I didn't disturb him.

Perhaps being used to seeing death factored in too.

Without doing anything, I just looked up at the man who was my father, as he entered a long sleep.

There were no sounds of insects in the garden as it was silent.

In the bright night, I remember only my eyes being hot.

I did not cry out nor did I feel sad.

But I could not stop my tears until the moon sunk.

That is the story from a winter five years ago.

Perhaps I cried ten years worth of tears since after that, there was nothing.

Fuji-Nee's father planned the funeral, and I started living in this house by myself.

Nothing changed even though Kiritsugu was gone.

Emiya Shirou would become a superhero like Emiya Kiritsugu, so there was no time to be playing around.

―――That's right.

I didn't mention it, but I remember perfectly.

The figure of the man who saved me, who was left to the fire ten years ago.

He held up in his arms an unconscious child, about to die from burns. He became so happy that tears welled up in his eyes, and took the child outside.

From that time, he was the subject of my admiration.

No one saved me.

I couldn't save anyone.

In it all, I was saved, and a person was there to save me.

―――That's why I decided to become like him.

Become a superhero, so that I could save people and let no one be killed... just like him.

Kiritsugu died peacefully, leaving me his dream of becoming a superhero himself.

It's only natural for a child to succeed their father.

Emiya Shirou must become a superhero and save someone just like the old me.

I swore so as a child.

To fulfill the dream of the man I admired the most.

...But honestly, I don't get it.

What this superhero thing is supposed to be, how to become one, how to make everyone happy like Kiritsugu always said... and I became this thing called a Master and things like the blond-haired girl following me around is confusing my head and really―――

"......!"

When I open my eyes, I'm in a familiar room.

"What, I'm in my own room?"

As soon as I speak, I start to feel terribly sick.

"...Ugh... it tastes bad... in my mouth..."

I taste blood in my mouth.

Maybe it was filling my mouth, but I breathe in thick air.

"―――"

I'm not sure why I feel like this.

I feel really sick to my stomach, so I want to go to the bathroom and wash my face.

"―――All right."

I stand up.

I feel dizzy.

I almost fall and support myself by putting a hand against the wall.

"...Ugh."

The nausea increases when I move.

...No, this is more like pain than nausea.

My body is heavy and it feels like my stomach is turning every time I move. Maybe someone would feel like this if someone poured burning lead into their stomach.

"...Ugh... Imagining that is giving me headaches."

I wipe the sweat off my forehead and wobble out of my room.

"...All right. I feel better now."

I wash my face and wipe the sweat off my body.

"...?"

There are bandages wrapped around my stomach for some reason.

I can't recall anything about them, so I leave them be for now.

"...I'm hungry. I wonder if there are any leftovers..."

Even though my stomach feels terrible, it seems my body wants energy.

"Guh..."

Putting my mind into it, I start to walk along the wall.

I still feel dizzy, and my body feels dull.

"Ow―――Owww―――"

I walk forward, letting out miserable sounds.

...Really, what did I do before going to bed?

I don't remember any training that could have caused this pain.

I reach the living room.

Sakura and Fuji-Nee must be at school.

There's no breakfast prepared in the living room, and there's none of Fuji-Nee's loudness.

The quiet living room is like a typical Sunday―――

"Good morning. I'm afraid I came in without asking you, Emiya-kun."

――No, it's not.

"Wha―――!?"

Tohsaka Rin is sitting on a cushion.

Her calmness makes me think I'm the guest in this house and not her.

Yeah, that's why I'm even more surprised.

"......"

I don't know how to answer her, so first of all I sit down.

And then, I take a deep breath and ask,

"Tohsaka, why..."

"Hold on. Could you apologize first? I can't calm down until I hear an apology for last night."

I don't even have time to ask her why she's here.

Tohsaka is glaring at me like she's really mad.

It seems she's really angry about last night, but what happened last night―――?

"―――Hold on."

I recall it now.

That's right, why am I so relaxed?

I tried to save Saber and... Berserker blew away my stomach.

"...Ugh."

The nausea returns.

I feel a chill, remembering the feeling of having a hole in my body.

Something in my stomach moves.

It feels really sick.

It feels really sick, but that's definite proof that I'm alive.

Wait, that's weird.

Shouldn't that have been instant death for me?

"―――That's strange. Why the hell am I alive?"

"Do you remember? The stupid thing you did last night? If you do, then please review your actions."

Tohsaka lets out a humph and criticizes me.

...Huh, that's really annoying.

My head, which was frozen by the fact that Tohsaka is here, finally resumes activity again.

"What are you saying? There was nothing else to do at that time! Oh... well, it does look stupid if you just look at the results, but I was going to do it better.

So it wasn't a mistake."

I protest, glaring at her.

"...Hm."

W-What?

Why is she sighing?

"Didn't I tell you that Servants will disappear if their Master is killed? So it's crazy to try to protect your Servant.

"Look, Saber will disappear if you're killed. If you want to save Saber, think of a way to do so from a safe place.

...Geez, don't you understand that protecting your Servant with your life is just meaningless?"

"It's not that I protected her with my life. I tried to save her, and it just happened to work out like that. I didn't think things would end up like that either."

I did think I would be killed if I went near that monster, but that's a different matter.

"...I see. You seem to be misunderstanding."

As if she's read my mind, she sulks even more.

"Look Emiya-kun. I'll come out and say it, but I didn't take you to the church to help you win.

I was trying to help you stay alive even if you were left on your own. It seems you didn't understand that part of it."

"Help me stay alive...?"

"That's right. You shouldn't take risks if you realize that a loss equals your death. You seem to be someone who would walk out at night by yourself even in a situation like this.

If I threatened you, I thought you wouldn't take risks and you might get through this."

"I see. I didn't notice that."

So that's why she's complaining to me about not realizing that and running at Berserker.

"...? So why are you mad, Tohsaka? It shouldn't bother you if I'm the one that made the mistake."

"Of course it bothers me! You made me worry for a whole night!"

Tohsaka throws out a temper.

...But I see.

I'm honestly happy she's worrying about me.

Looking at the situation, it seems Tohsaka was the one who treated my wound.

"I see. I guess you helped me out. Thank you."

I bow my head to show my thanks and apologize.

"――――"

"Heh, it's fine if you understand. If you've learned from this, try to act smarter next time."

Tohsaka looks away.

Her gesture is snappy, but it seems she's in a good mood again.

"Then we're done with what happened last night.

I'll go into the main topic, but which do you want to talk about? About last night or about something serious?"

"...?"

Tohsaka starts a conversation as if it's natural to do so.

Her straight-forwardness surprises me, but thinking about it, she's here because she has something to talk about.

If she didn't have business with me, she would have gone home already.

What is it that Tohsaka, my enemy, wants to discuss in her enemy's territory?

I'm interested in that, and I also want to know what happened last night.

It's stupid not to ask, so I―――

Ask about yesterday.
Ask about the serious stuff.
...I have a bad feeling about this. I don`t want to hear either.

Scene 01 - Understanding the current situation

Even if I'm going to listen to her, I have to know the situation I'm in first.

I have to know where I am before I go somewhere else.

That is the basic principle of a journey.

"I want to know what happened yesterday first."

"That's right. Knowing the current situation comes first. Wow, you're pretty smart."

Tohsaka smiles contently and describes what happened yesterday.

It seems that Berserker left after I fell unconscious.

She tells me that my body started to heal itself, and that it looked fine after about ten minutes.

And she says she brought me here since I didn't regain my consciousness even when my wound had healed, and that's where we are right now.

"The important thing here is that you survived on your own. I did help you, but it was your own power that healed that wound. Don't mistake that part."

"It seems that way from what you told me. So you didn't heal it?"

"Of course not. I can't do anything like revive a dying person any more. Emiya Shirou himself healed his own wounds."

"―――Hm."

What can I do, now that she said that?

My stomach is certainly healed, but I have doubts about Tohsaka's story.

I can't use healing magecraft, let alone revival magecraft.

"Then the cause must be the Servant.

Your Servant must be really powerful, or something went wrong during the summoning. ...Well, I think it's both, but I think some kind of line formed between you two."

"A line? You mean like the karmic line connecting a familiar and a magus?"

"Oh, so you have a working knowledge of familiars?

Then this should be easy to explain. In other words, Emiya-kun and Saber's relationship is not a normal relationship like the one between a normal master and their familiar.

"It looks like Saber has natural healing powers, so some of that may be flowing into you.

Normally, the magus's power flows into the familiar, but in your case, the familiar's power is flowing into you and helping you out."

"...Hmmm. So putting it simply, it's like a river flowing upstream?"

"That's a good way to put it. It is not naturally possible, but I bet Saber's magical energy is so great that it can even change the flow of a river. That's the only reason she is able to go against Berserker with her small size."

"Not naturally possible... then is the relationship between you and Archer that of a normal magus and familiar?"

"Yes. He doesn't listen to much of what I say, but we do still have such a relationship."

"The connection between a Servant and a Master is like that of a gasoline and an engine. We provide the magical energy, and the Servant just uses it.

...Well, I guess there have been some Masters who shared their physical bodies with their Servants to obtain fake immortality. Not dying until their Servants are dead, something like that... Hey, are you listening, Emiya-kun?"

"Huh...? Yeah, I'm listening.

Then, are you saying most wounds on my body will heal even if I don't do anything?"

"Using your Servant's magical energy. I don't know how, but I'm sure the cause is in Saber's materialization. I know you haven't learned the curse of self-healing."

"Of course not. My father never taught me anything that difficult."

"No, I mean that if that's the case, I've nothing to worry about. Don't worry about it, it has nothing to do with you."

"...?"

What is it?

Tohsaka's words are indirect and hard to follow.

"Oh well. Just don't do anything too reckless.

It's good that you survived this time, but you won't survive if you take that kind of wound again. You shouldn't get any optimistic hopes that you'll survive any major wounds."

"I understand. I feel bad about taking damage and having Saber helping me."

"Idiot, that's not the reason. I'm sure you're not just using Saber's magical energy to heal your wounds.

―――You're definitely using something.

I don't know what it is... your life span, your luck, or your savings account, but you're definitely using something up."

Tohsaka gives a humph once again.

I feel the same way, but...

"Tohsaka, doesn't my savings account have nothing to do with this?"

"Of course it does! magecraft uses up your money, so it's something that drains your money the more you use it!

I won't allow myself to be wrong!"

Tohsaka Rin erupts with the fires of personal grudges.

It's strange.

The more I talk with her, the more I understand this is the real Tohsaka Rin, and that the Tohsaka at school is just a mask she puts on.

...No, it's something I had realized already yesterday.

"Well, putting the part about money aside.

I'll be serious, is that all right, Emiya-kun?"

"That's why you stayed here, right? All right, I'll listen."

"Then I'll be direct about it. What are you planning to do from now on?"

She asks directly the one question I don't want to be asked.

...No, that's not it.

It's not that I don't want her to ask me, but I haven't made my mind up yet.

I'm the one who wants to ask, what do I do now.

"...Honestly, I don't know. You say I should fight for the Holy Grail, but I've never been in a fight between magi.

First of all, I―――"

I want to try to avoid killing people, and most of all―――

"I'm not interested in something mysterious like the Holy Grail.

I'm not too sure about risking my life for something I don't want."

"I knew you'd say that. You'll be killed by your Servant if you say something like that."

"Wha... Why would I!?"

"Because the Servant's goal is also the Holy Grail.

They can be summoned by the Masters because the condition on their summoning is that they obtain the Holy Grail."

"The most important thing for a Servant is to obtain the Holy Grail.

They obey their Master and risk their life for their Master, because they have a chance of obtaining the Holy Grail.

So just try saying that you don't want the Holy Grail. You can't complain even if they kill you and call you a betrayer."

"...What is that? That's weird, because Servants are what the Master summons, right?

So―――"

"Do you think a Servant would obey a human for no reward?

The Holy Grail grants the wish of whoever obtains it. The Servant of the Master who obtains it is no exception.

Even the Servants have their own wishes. That is why they respond to the otherwise impossible summoning."

"It's not that the Masters are summoning the Servants to obtain the Holy Grail.

The Servants are answering the Masters' call because they can obtain the Holy Grail."

"―――――"

Servants have their own desires...?

Then, does that mean Saber has a wish she wants the Holy Grail to grant?

"That's why the Servants try to eliminate other Servants even without orders from their Masters. Only one can obtain the Holy Grail. They cannot accept other Masters obtaining the Holy Grail.

Unlike their Masters, they don't have the power to take away the Command Spells. So the only way they can disarm other Masters is to kill them."

"So even if the Master has no intention of fighting, battle is inevitable.

A Master who is attacked by a Servant must fight it off with their own Servant. You heard enough from Kirei to know that this is the nature of the Holy Grail War, right?"

"―――Yeah, he told me that last night.

But―――"

That means allowing your Servant to try to kill other Servants.

I thought it would be over if I reached a compromise with other Masters, but if the Servants are ones summoned to obtain the Holy Grail and if it is true that they will not give it up, then a battle between the Servants is inevitable.

...Then...

The girl that fought to protect me is also ready to kill or be killed to obtain the Holy Grail?

"...That's awful. I don't know about this heroic spirit thing, but Saber is human. She was bleeding badly yesterday too."

"Oh, don't worry about that part. There's no life or death for the Servants. Even if Servants are eliminated, they just go back to where they belong. Heroic spirits are a phenomenon. They can't be killed. The only ones that can be killed during a fight are the Masters."

"No, but still..."

Even if it's a temporary death...

There's still the fact that something human-shaped has disappeared from this world.

"What? Are you saying it's murder? Are you still carrying such a sense of justice even though you're a magus?"

"――――――――"

Her comment is only natural.

As a magus, death is always right beside me.

I understand it and I'm already prepared for that.

But still―――I'm not strong enough to judge people's deaths as good or bad.

"―――Of course. I won't participate in a fight to the death."

"Oh? So you're just going to wait for the others to kill you? You're ceding the victory to other Masters?"

"That's not it. The point is to survive to the end, right? I don't have any intention of killing others, but I'll have no mercy in a fight to protect myself.

...If the opponent is out to kill me, they won't complain if they are killed in return, right?"

"Oh, so you'll be staying on the defensive. Then you'll just be observing what other Masters are doing, right? So even if someone like yesterday goes around killing everyone, you're going to ignore it?"

Someone like yesterday...?

She must mean that inhuman monster.

"―――――"

Superhuman strength that allows the destruction of a house or two with a single blow...

...Certainly, if that thing wished, this town could be in ruins in just one night.

And on top of that, the problem is that the Servants are normally in spirit form.

Humans can't see those in spirit form.

But since the Servants can affect the real world as spirits, you could call them the most powerful weapon.

With the technology we have now, there are no weapons that can affect a spiritual being.

Our attacks are useless against them, and their attacks can damage us.

It's not just a one-sided game.

Murder by a Servant is like a natural death for normal people.

Death caused by an invisible killer will just be treated as accidental death or suicide.

"What is that? Servants―――no, Masters and Servants don't just attack other Masters? Other people have nothing to do with them, right?"

"Yeah, I really wish that was the case. But if it were, you wouldn't need a supervisor like Kirei, would you?"

"I should have said earlier. Servants are spirits. They are already complete, so they don't grow.

But magical energy used as fuel is different.

The more magical energy they have available, the more they can use the powers they had in life.

That part is the same as for us magi... do you understand?"

"I do. So they can use magecraft repeatedly, right?"

You could say magical energy is the gunpowder to fill a gun, and the magus is the gun itself.

The type of gun depends on the magus's abilities: pistol, rifle, machinegun, shotgun...

Using that metaphor, Servants are cannons.

Using a large amount of gunpowder, they fire a large bullet.

"That's right. Servants aren't given their magical energy by nature. They act with the magical energy inside them.

We Masters support them, so Servants can only use their powers using their own magical energy plus the magical energy of their Master.

"But that means an amateur Master like you would be no match for other Masters, right?

So there's a loophole... well, I guess you could call it an obvious answer. Servants can supplement their magical energy from other sources.

Servants are spirits, so they can get nourishment from eating things that are like them."

"―――Hm?"

Nourished by eating things that are like them...?

"Things like them? You mean spirits? But what kind of spirits would they eat?"

"It's a simple answer. Nature spirits obtain power from nature itself.

So where do you think Servants, human spirits, get their power from?"

"―――Oh."

It is a simple answer.

As we humans eat meat, the human spirits―――

"Exactly. Usually, they replenish enough magical energy from their Master.

But it's obvious that one gets more magical energy from many people rather than just one person, right?

To put it bluntly, a weak Master makes his Servant eat humans."

"――――"

"Servants transform human emotions and souls into magical energy.

That is the most efficient way to make your Servant more powerful. There are many Masters who kill humans as sacrifices for their Servant."

"As sacrifices... so you're saying that if a Master didn't care about his methods, he would kill humans to make his Servant stronger?"

"Yes. But I don't think a smart Master would do such a thing."

"You see, even if Servants are powerful, there is a limit to their magical energy capacity. They can't store magical energy over their capacity, so there is a limit to how much they can kill and collect magical energy.

The Association wouldn't ignore you if you went around killing people, and most of all, other Masters might figure out your Servant's abilities and identify them from the cause of death. Not to mention the identity of the Master as well.

It is highly advantageous in the Holy Grail War to keep your identity a secret, so a normal Master should be stingy about using their Servant."

...I see.

Certainly, if nobody knows that you are a Master, there's no danger of other Masters attacking you.

Conversely, if you know who the other Masters are, you could definitely pull a surprise attack on them.

By that theory, there won't be many Masters that would have their Servants attack humans and reveal their identity―――

"...I'm glad. Then there's no problem. That means Servants won't indiscriminately attack humans without orders from their Master."

"Right. They are heroes, right? Someone who would go out and kill people wouldn't be called a hero in the first place―――well, no, I can't really say that for sure.

There are many examples of people becoming heroes just because they were a mass murderer."

"―――"

Tohsaka makes an ominous comment.

As it seems to be her true feelings rather than just sarcasm, a bit of strain in her personality might be showing.

Scene 02 - The serious stuff

"――――――――"

I'm more interested in why Tohsaka is still here.

"Then I want to hear about the serious matter. I want to know why you stayed here."

"―――All right. Then I'll ask for your conclusion first."

"...?"

...What is it?

It seemed for a second like Tohsaka was disappointed...

"Then I'll be direct about it. What are you planning to do from now on?"

She asks directly the one question I don't want to be asked.

...No, that's not it.

It's not that I don't want her to ask me, but I haven't made my mind up yet.

I'm the one who wants to ask, what do I do now.

"...Honestly, I don't know. You say I should fight for the Holy Grail, but I've never been in a fight between magi.

First of all, I―――"

I want to try to avoid killing people, and most of all―――

"I'm not interested in something mysterious like the Holy Grail.

I'm not too sure about risking my life for something I don't want."

"I knew you'd say that. You'll be killed by your Servant if you say something like that."

"Wha... Why would I!?"

"Because the Servant's goal is also the Holy Grail.

They can be summoned by the Masters because the condition on their summoning is that they obtain the Holy Grail."

"The most important thing for a Servant is to obtain the Holy Grail.

They obey their Master and risk their life for their Master, because they have a chance of obtaining the Holy Grail.

So just try saying that you don't want the Holy Grail. You can't complain even if they kill you and call you a betrayer."

"...What is that? That's weird, because Servants are what the Master summons, right?

So―――"

"Do you think a Servant would obey a human for no reward?

The Holy Grail grants the wish of whoever obtains it. The Servant of the Master who obtains it is no exception.

Even the Servants have their own wishes. That is why they respond to the otherwise impossible summoning."

"It's not that the Masters are summoning the Servants to obtain the Holy Grail.

The Servants are answering the Masters' call because they can obtain the Holy Grail."

"―――――"

Servants have their own desires...?

Then, does that mean Saber has a wish she wants the Holy Grail to grant?

"That's why the Servants try to eliminate other Servants even without orders from their Masters. Only one can obtain the Holy Grail. They cannot accept other Masters obtaining the Holy Grail.

Unlike their Masters, they don't have the power to take away the Command Spells. So the only way they can disarm other Masters is to kill them."

"So even if the Master has no intention of fighting, battle is inevitable.

A Master who is attacked by a Servant must fight it off with their own Servant. You heard enough from Kirei to know that this is the nature of the Holy Grail War, right?"

"―――Yeah, he told me that last night.

But―――"

That means allowing your Servant to try to kill other Servants.

...Then...

The girl that fought to protect me is also ready to kill or be killed to obtain the Holy Grail?

"...That's awful. I don't know about this heroic spirit thing, but Saber is human. She was bleeding badly yesterday too."

"Oh, don't worry about that part. There's no life or death for the Servants. Even if Servants are eliminated, they just go back to where they belong. Heroic spirits are a phenomenon, so they can't be killed. The only ones that can be killed during a fight are the Masters."

"No, but still..."

Even if it's a temporary death...

There's still the fact that something human-shaped has disappeared from this world.

"What? Are you saying it's murder? Are you still carrying such a sense of justice even though you're a magus?"

"――――――――"

Her comment is only natural.

As a magus, death is always right beside me.

I understand it and I'm already prepared for that.

But still―――I'm not strong enough to judge people's deaths as good or bad.

"―――Of course. I won't participate in a fight to the death."

"Oh? So you're just going to wait for the others to kill you? You're ceding the victory to other Masters?"

"That's not it. The point is to survive to the end, right? I don't have any intention of killing others, but I'll have no mercy in a fight to protect myself.

...If the opponent is out to kill me, they won't complain if they are killed in return, right?"

Someone like yesterday...?

She must mean that inhuman monster.

"―――――"

Superhuman strength that allows the destruction of a house or two with a single blow...

...Certainly, if that thing wished, this town could be in ruins in just one night.

And on top of that, the problem is that the Servants are normally in spirit form.

Humans can't see those in spirit form.

But since the Servants can affect the real world as spirits, you could call them the most powerful weapon.

With the technology we have now, there are no weapons that can affect a spiritual being.

Our attacks are useless against them, and their attacks can damage us.

It's not just a one-sided game.

Murder by a Servant is like a natural death for normal people.

Death caused by an invisible killer will just be treated as accidental death or suicide.

"What is that? Servants―――no, Masters and Servants don't just attack other Masters? Other people have nothing to do with them, right?"

"Yeah, I really wish that was the case. But if it were, you wouldn't need a supervisor like Kirei, would you?"

"I should have said earlier that Servants are spirits. They are already complete, so they don't grow.

But magical energy used as fuel is different.

The more magical energy they have available, the more they can use the powers they had in life.

That part is the same as for us magi... do you understand?"

"I do. So they can use magecraft repeatedly, right?"

You could say magical energy is the gunpowder to fill a gun, and the magus is the gun itself.

The type of gun depends on the magus's abilities: pistol, rifle, machinegun, shotgun...

Using that metaphor, Servants are cannons.

Using a large amount of gunpowder, they fire a large bullet.

"That's right. Servants aren't given their magical energy by nature. They act with the magical energy inside them.

We Masters support them, so Servants can only use their powers using their own magical energy plus the magical energy of their Master."

"But that means an amateur Master like you would be no match for other Masters, right?

So there's a loophole... well, I guess you could call it an obvious answer. Servants can supplement their magical energy from other sources.

Servants are spirits, so they can get nourishment from eating things that are like them."

"―――Hm?"

Nourished by eating things that are like them...?

"Things like them? You mean spirits? But what kind of spirits would they eat?"

"It's a simple answer. Nature spirits obtain power from nature itself.

So where do you think Servants, human spirits, get their power from?"

"―――Oh."

It is a simple answer.

As we humans eat meat, the human spirits―――

"Exactly. Usually, they replenish enough magical energy from their Master.

But it's obvious that one gets more magical energy from many people rather than just one person, right?

To put it bluntly, a weak Master makes his Servant eat humans."

"――――"

"Servants transform human emotions and souls into magical energy.

That is the most efficient way to make your Servant more powerful. There are many Masters who kill humans as sacrifices for their Servant."

"As sacrifices... so you're saying that if a Master didn't care about his methods, he would kill humans to make his Servant stronger?"

"Yes. But I don't think a smart Master would do such a thing."

It is highly advantageous in the Holy Grail War to keep your identity a secret, so a normal Master should be stingy about using their Servant."

...I see.

Certainly, if nobody knows that you are a Master, there's no danger of other Masters attacking you.

Conversely, if you know who the other Masters are, you could definitely pull a surprise attack on them.

By that theory, there won't be many Masters that would have their Servants attack humans and reveal their identity―――

"...I'm glad. Then there's no problem. That means Servants won't indiscriminately attack humans without orders from their Master."

"Right. They are heroes, right? Someone who would go out and kill people wouldn't be called a hero in the first place―――well, no, I can't really say that for sure.

There are many examples of people becoming heroes just because they were a mass murderer."

"―――"

Tohsaka makes an ominous comment.

As it seems to be her true feelings rather than just sarcasm, I guess Tohsaka is a realist.

"Anyways, that's what I wanted to confirm.

Now you know what kind of beings Servants are, right?

Masters aren't the only ones trying to win the Holy Grail War. As you've entered this battle, you have an obligation to command your Servant."

"―――――"

...An obligation to command my Servant.

So I can't allow my own Servant or other Servants to attack innocent people―――

"So, you understand your situation?

Now, about your body. Do you remember what happened to you after that?"

"―――No, no memory of anything, I..."

I ran towards Saber and got my stomach blown away by Berserker.

I lost consciousness then, and I don't know anything about last night nor why I'm alive.

"...Heh, that's what I thought. Before I continue, I'll explain what happened."

With an unpleasant sigh, Tohsaka starts to describe what happened yesterday.

It seems that Berserker left after I fell unconscious.

She tells me that my body started to heal itself, and that it looked fine after about ten minutes.

And she says she brought me here, since I didn't regain my consciousness even when my wound had healed, and that's where we are right now.

"The important thing here is that you survived on your own. I did help you, but it was your own power that healed that wound. Don't mistake that part."[l]

"It sounds like a lie...

...Then, you didn't heal it?"

"Of course not. I can't do something like reviving a dying person any more. Emiya Shirou himself healed his own wounds."

"―――Hm."

What can I do, now that she said that?

My stomach is certainly healed, but I have doubts about Tohsaka's story.

I can't use healing magecraft, let alone revival magecraft.

"Then the cause must be the Servant.

Your Servant must be really powerful, or something went wrong during the summoning. ...Well, I think it's both, but I think some kind of line formed between you two."

"A line? You mean like the karmic line connecting a familiar and a magus?"

"Oh, so you have a working knowledge of familiars?

Then this should be easy to explain. In other words, Emiya-kun and Saber's relationship is not a normal relationship like that between a normal master and their familiar.

"It looks like Saber has natural healing powers, so some of that may be flowing into you.

Normally, the magus's power flows into the familiar, but in your case, the familiar's power is flowing into you and helping you out."

"...Hmmm. So, put simply, it's like a river flowing upstream?"

"Not naturally possible... then is the relationship between you and Archer that of a normal magus and familiar?"

"Yes. He doesn't listen to much of what I say, but we do still have such a relationship."

"The connection between a Servant and a Master is like that of a gasoline and an engine. We provide the magical energy, and the Servant just uses it.

"Huh...? Yeah, I'm listening.

Then, are you saying most of the wounds on my body will heal even if I don't do anything?"

"Using your Servant's magical energy. I don't know how, but I'm sure the cause is in Saber's materialization. I know you haven't learned the curse of self-healing."

"Of course not. My father never taught me anything that difficult."

"No, I mean that if that's the case, I've nothing to worry about. Don't worry about it, it has nothing to do with you."

"...?"

What is it?

Tohsaka's words are indirect and hard to follow.

"Oh well. Just don't do anything too reckless.

It's good that you survived this time, but you won't survive if you take that kind of a wound again. You shouldn't get any optimistic hopes that you'll survive any major wounds."

"I understand. I feel bad about taking damage and having Saber helping me."

"Idiot, that's not the reason. I'm sure you're not just using Saber's magical energy to heal your wounds.

―――You're definitely using something.

I don't know what it is... your life span, or your luck, or your savings account, but you're definitely using something up."

Tohsaka gives a humph once again.

I feel the same way, but...

"Tohsaka, doesn't my savings account have nothing to do with this?"

"Of course it's connected! magecraft uses up your money, so it's something that drains your money the more you use it!

I won't allow myself to be wrong!"

Tohsaka Rin erupts with the fires of personal grudges.

It's strange.

The more I talk with her, the more I understand this is the real Tohsaka Rin, and that the Tohsaka at school is just a mask she puts on.

...No, it's something I had realized already yesterday.

Scene 03 - Invitation refusal

"......"

Hmm... I don't think either of the stories can be good.

"Hm? Why are you silent? It shouldn't take that much thought."

"Shouldn't it? I feel like you'd get mad if I asked you about either one, so I don't want to hear either."

I cross my arms and offer my honest feelings.

"―――――"

Oh.

Crap, it feels like I've just poked a sleeping dragon awake.

"...T-Tohsaka...? You look really dreadful..."

Something like a terrible wrath...?

"Oh? What do you mean by a dreadful face? I'll ask you just in case, but did I look angry to you?"

I-It felt more like dangerous...!

"Um, well... I think I saw a vein in your forehead for a second, though maybe it was my imagination..."

I answer the intense smile in bits and pieces.

"Ohhh. So that's how I looked to you? So you must think I'm angry?"

"Uh... um, are you angry, Tohsaka...?"

"Of course I am!!!!!!!

Out of all things, you don't want to hear either!?

Do you have any idea of the situation you're in, you idiot!?"

Tohsaka roars like a beast.

"Uh, um..."

I want to escape from that coercion, but...

"Don't run! Just sit there, Japanese-style!"

"―――!"

I automatically straighten my back and sit down.

"Um. Tohsaka, why Japanese-style?"

"It's obvious, right!? So I can dictate to you!

It seems your head's still asleep, so stay like that until you wake up!"

"......"

Tohsaka is seriously angry.

I feel like she's going to bite my head off if I disobey, so I nod.

I'm facing a beast.

I think it's best to play dead in front of a raging beast, or something like that...

"Hmph. First, I'll tellbout the current situation. I'll explain what happened last night."

So, Tohsaka tells me what happened last night.

It seems that Berserker left after I fell unconscious.

She tells me that my body started to heal itself, and that it looked fine after about ten minutes.

And she says she brought me here since I didn't regain my consciousness even when my wound had healed, and that's where we are right now.

"The important thing here is that you survived on your own. I did help you, but it was your own power that healed that wound. Don't mistake that part."

"It seems that way from what you told me. So you didn't heal it?"

"Of course not. I can't do anything like revive a dying person any more. Emiya Shirou himself healed his own wounds."

"―――Hm."

What can I do, now that she said that?

My stomach is certainly healed, but I have doubts about Tohsaka's story.

I can't use healing magecraft, let alone revival magecraft.

"Then the cause must be the Servant.

Your Servant must be really powerful, or something went wrong during the summoning. ...Well, I think it's both, but I think some kind of line formed between you two."

"A line? You mean like the karmic line connecting a familiar and a magus?"

"Oh, so you have a working knowledge of familiars?

Then this should be easy to explain. In other words, Emiya-kun and Saber's relationship is not a normal relationship like the one between a normal master and their familiar.

"It looks like Saber has natural healing powers, so some of that may be flowing into you.

Normally, the magus's power flows into the familiar, but in your case, the familiar's power is flowing into you and helping you out."

"...Hmmm. So putting it simply, it's like a river flowing upstream?"

"Not naturally possible... then is the relationship between you and Archer that of a normal magus and familiar?"

"Yes. He doesn't listen to much of what I say, but we do still have such a relationship."

"The connection between a Servant and a Master is like that of a gasoline and an engine. We provide the magical energy, and the Servant just uses it.

"Huh...? Yeah, I'm listening.

Then, are you saying most of the wounds on my body will heal even if I don't do anything?"

"Using your Servant's magical energy. I don't know how, but I'm sure the cause is in Saber's materialization. I know you haven't learned the curse of self-healing."

"Of course not. My father never taught me anything that difficult."

"No, I mean that if that's the case, I've nothing to worry about. Don't worry about it, it has nothing to do with you."

"...?"

What is it?

Tohsaka's words are indirect and hard to follow.

"Oh well. Just don't do anything too reckless.

It's good that you survived this time, but you won't survive if you take that kind of wound again. You shouldn't get any optimistic hopes that you'll survive any major wounds."

"I understand. I feel bad about taking damage and having Saber helping me."

"Idiot, that's not the reason. I'm sure you're not just using Saber's magical energy to heal your wounds.

―――You're definitely using something.

I don't know what it is... your life span, your luck, or your savings account, but you're definitely using something up."

Tohsaka gives a humph once again.

I feel the same way, but...

"Tohsaka, doesn't my savings account have nothing to do with this?"

"Of course it does! magecraft uses up your money, so it's something that drains your money the more you use it!

I won't allow myself to be wrong!"

Tohsaka Rin erupts with the fires of personal grudges.

It's strange.

The more I talk with her, the more I understand this is the real Tohsaka Rin, and that the Tohsaka at school is just a mask she puts on.

...No, it's something I had realized already yesterday.

"Well, putting the part about money aside.

I'll be serious, is that all right, Emiya-kun?"

"That's why you stayed here, right? All right, I'll listen."

"Then I'll be direct about it. What are you planning to do from now on?"

She asks directly the one question I don't want to be asked.

...No, that's not it.

It's not that I don't want her to ask me, but I haven't made my mind up yet.

I'm the one who wants to ask, what do I do now.

"...Honestly, I don't know. You say I should fight for the Holy Grail, but I've never been in a fight between magi.

First of all, I―――"

I want to try to avoid killing people, and most of all―――

"I'm not interested in something mysterious like the Holy Grail.

I'm not too sure about risking my life for something I don't want."

"I knew you'd say that. You'll be killed by your Servant if you say something like that."

"Wha... Why would I!?"

"Because the Servant's goal is also the Holy Grail.

They can be summoned by the Masters because the condition on their summoning is that they obtain the Holy Grail."

"The most important thing for a Servant is to obtain the Holy Grail.

They obey their Master and risk their life for their Master, because they have a chance of obtaining the Holy Grail.

So just try saying that you don't want the Holy Grail. You can't complain even if they kill you and call you a betrayer."

"...What is that? That's weird, because Servants are what the Master summons, right?

So―――"

"Do you think a Servant would obey a human for no reward?

The Holy Grail grants the wish of whoever obtains it. The Servant of the Master who obtains it is no exception.

Even the Servants have their own wishes. That is why they respond to the otherwise impossible summoning."

"It's not that the Masters are summoning the Servants to obtain the Holy Grail.

The Servants are answering the Masters' call because they can obtain the Holy Grail."

"―――――"

Servants have their own desires...?

Then, does that mean Saber has a wish she wants the Holy Grail to grant?

"That's why the Servants try to eliminate other Servants even without orders from their Masters. Only one can obtain the Holy Grail. They cannot accept other Masters obtaining the Holy Grail.

Unlike their Masters, they don't have the power to take away the Command Spells. So the only way they can disarm other Masters is to kill them."

"So even if the Master has no intention of fighting, battle is inevitable.

A Master who is attacked by a Servant must fight it off with their own Servant. You heard enough from Kirei to know that this is the nature of the Holy Grail War, right?"

"―――Yeah, he told me that last night.

But―――"

That means allowing your Servant to try to kill other Servants.

...Then...

The girl that fought to protect me is also ready to kill or be killed to obtain the Holy Grail?

"...That's awful. I don't know about this heroic spirit thing, but Saber is human. She was bleeding badly yesterday too."

"No, but still..."

Even if it's a temporary death...

There's still the fact that something human-shaped has disappeared from this world.

"What? Are you saying it's murder? Are you still carrying such a sense of justice, even though you're a magus?"

"――――――――"

Her comment is only natural.

As a magus, death is always right beside me.

I understand it and I'm already prepared for that.

But still―――I'm not strong enough to judge people's deaths as good or bad.

"―――Of course. I won't participate in a fight to the death."

"Oh? So you're just going to wait for the others to kill you? You're ceding the victory to other Masters?"

"That's not it. The point is to survive to the end, right? I don't have any intention of killing others, but I'll have no mercy in a fight to protect myself.

...If the opponent is out to kill me, they won't complain if they are killed in return, right?"

Someone like yesterday...?

She must mean that inhuman monster.

"―――――"

Superhuman strength that allows the destruction of a house or two with a single blow...

...Certainly, if that thing wished, this town could be in ruins in just one night.

And on top of that, the problem is that the Servants are normally in spirit form.

Humans can't see those in spirit form.

But since the Servants can affect the real world as spirits, you could call them the most powerful weapon.

With the technology we have now, there are no weapons that can affect a spiritual being.

Our attacks are useless against them, and their attacks can damage us.

It's not just a one-sided game.

Murder by a Servant is like a natural death for normal people.

Death caused by an invisible killer will just be treated as accidental death or suicide.

"What is that? Servants―――no, Masters and Servants don't just attack other Masters? Other people have nothing to do with them, right?"

"Yeah, I really wish that was the case. But if it were, you wouldn't need a supervisor like Kirei, would you?"

"I should have said earlier that Servants are spirits. They are already complete, so they don't grow.

But magical energy used as fuel is different.

The more magical energy they have available, the more they can use the powers they had in life.

That part is the same as for us magi... do you understand?"

"I do. So they can use magecraft repeatedly, right?"

You could say magical energy is the gunpowder to fill a gun, and the magus is the gun itself.

The type of gun depends on the magus's abilities: pistol, rifle, machinegun, shotgun...

Using that metaphor, Servants are cannons.

Using a large amount of gunpowder, they fire a large bullet.

"That's right. Servants aren't given their magical energy by nature. They act with the magical energy inside them.

We Masters support them, so Servants can only use their powers using their own magical energy plus the magical energy of their Master."

"But that means an amateur Master like you would be no match for other Masters, right?

So there's a loophole. Well, I guess you could call it an obvious answer. Servants can supplement their magical energy with other sources.

Servants are spirits, so they can get nourishment from eating things that are like them."

"―――Hm?"

Nourished by eating things that are like them...?

"Things like them? You mean spirits? But what kind of spirits would they eat?"

"It's a simple answer. Nature spirits obtain power from nature itself.

So where do you think Servants, human spirits, get their power from?"

"―――Oh."

It is a simple answer.

As we humans eat meat, the human spirits―――

"Exactly. Usually, they replenish enough magical energy from their Master.

But it's obvious that one gets more magical energy from many people rather than just one person, right?

To put it bluntly, a weak Master makes his Servant eat humans."

"――――"

"Servants transform human emotions and souls into magical energy.

That is the most efficient way to make your Servant more powerful. There are many Masters who kill humans as sacrifices for their Servant."

"As sacrifices... so you're saying that if a Master didn't care about his methods, he would kill humans to make his Servant stronger?"

"Yes. But I don't think a smart Master would do such a thing."

It is highly advantageous in the Holy Grail War to keep your identity a secret, so a normal Master should be stingy about using their Servant."

...I see.

Certainly, if nobody knows that you are a Master, there's no danger of other Masters attacking you.

Conversely, if you know who the other Masters are, you could definitely pull a surprise attack on them.

By that theory, there won't be many Masters that would have their Servants attack humans and reveal their identity―――

"...I'm glad. Then there's no problem. That means Servants won't indiscriminately attack humans without orders from their Master."

"Right. They are heroes, right? Someone who would go out and kill people wouldn't be called a hero in the first place―――well, no, I can't really say that for sure.

There are many examples of people becoming heroes just because they were a mass murderer."

"―――"

Tohsaka makes an ominous comment.

As it seems to be her true feelings rather than just sarcasm, a bit of strain in her personality might be showing.

Scene 04 - Rin`s proposal

"Let's get back to the conversation. So, what are you going to do?

Since you don't want to kill people, you're just going to watch, is that right?"

...I take back what I said.

She really has a bad personality. She's a real bully, putting me on the spot and asking me that with a smile.

"I'll just have to stop them. The Masters will calm down once they lose their Servants, right?"

"Unbelievable. You say you won't go out and kill other Masters, but you also say you'll kill them if they do anything bad.

Emiya-kun, do you realize you're contradicting yourself?"

"Yeah, I know it's selfish, but I can't think of any other choices. I won't change my decision no matter how much you argue against it."

"Hmm. But there's one problem with that. Can I tell you what it is?"

She's plotting something. With that face, she's definitely plotting something.

But as a man, I have to listen.

"O-Okay. What is it?"

"Do you remember the Master yesterday? The girl who was talking about killing you and me."

"――――"

How can I forget? They attacked us mercilessly.

"That girl will come and kill us. I think you know that too."

"―――"

I... see.

That girl is a Master too.

Since she knows Tohsaka and I are Masters, she will come and attack us someday.

I don't know if it'll be today or tomorrow, but I do know it's a death sentence.

At least, I know I can't stop such a monster.

"Her Servant, Berserker, is on a different level.

You can't match it, being an inexperienced Master. You say you won't do anything except defend yourself, but you won't even be able to do that."

"―――Sorry. But you wouldn't be able to beat it either, right?"

"I wouldn't be able to beat it head on. It's the most powerful Servant in hand-to-hand combat. I don't think any previous Servant could match it. Even I wouldn't be able to escape if Berserker attacked me."

"...I feel the same way. I don't think I'll get another chance if it attacks me again."

Unconsciously, I place my hand on my stomach.

The wound on my stomach is healed now.

No, you couldn't call it a wound. It was pretty much instant death.

My nausea returns just at the thought of taking another blow like that.

"That's right. Do you get it? You can't choose to wait until the Holy Grail War is over without doing anything."

"...Yeah, I get it. But what are you trying to say? I don't quite understand.

You're not having fun watching me being condemned to death, right? ...Uh, or are you?"

"I don't have such bad taste.

Geez, don't you get it after I've said so much? In short, I'm asking you if you want to join up with me."

"...?"

Hm? Hmmmm, hm?

Um, if I take that at face value, that's...

"―――Join up!? You mean, me and Tohsaka!?"

"Yes. My Archer received a fatal wound and is healing right now. It will take a while for him to heal fully, but he should still be about half as useful.

And there are no problems with your Servant, but her Master is dragging her down, so she is half as useful as well. See, it adds up fine."

"Huh. I'm not that bad."

"Even though you've almost died three times from what I know of? I think you're the first person I've ever seen almost die three times in one day."

"Guh―――but that's..."

"I'll compensate you for the alliance. I'll forgive you for beating Archer and I'll teach you about being a Master. Oh, and if we have time, I can look at your skills as a magus. How about it?"

...Ugh.

That certainly is an attractive proposal.

As I don't know anything, Tohsaka would be a reliable teacher.

And if I can help it, I don't want to fight against Tohsaka.

Not because she's the girl I admired at school.

In fact, if I didn't know her like this, I wouldn't have felt this much resistance.

...The Tohsaka Rin in front of me is so different from how people describe her as an honor student.

But talking to her, she is just Tohsaka and it seems she's just as she appears.

Well―――in other words, I'm saying I find her so much more attractive this way that I'm wondering why I even have to tell myself this―――

"Emiya-kun? I want to hear your answer."

She urges my response.

I―――

...All right. Let`s cooperate.
...Im sorry, but I cant.

Scene 05 - Solo&Only

"......"

It should be something I don't even need to think about.

I'm a novice, and Tohsaka is at her full potential as a Master and a magus.

Considering the events yesterday, it'd be smarter to join up with Tohsaka.

But―――

"Emiya-kun. I want to hear your response."

"......"

I feel like I'm being too hasty joining up with someone right now.

I don't think Tohsaka is out to trick me, but I should figure out the situation first.

Or else, I won't be able to judge what's right and what's wrong.

"―――I'm sorry, Tohsaka.

I'm glad you're worried about me, but I can't give you the response you want. This is a serious matter, you know? I feel I shouldn't rush to a decision."

I look directly back at her and answer.

Tohsaka narrows her eyes a bit and nods emotionlessly.

"Then the negotiation has failed. ...Well, you have a point too. If you really do want to win, you can't trust anyone."

"That's not it. I trust you, Tohsaka. It's just that I can't decide on my own. If I'm Saber's Master, I can't make a promise without her consent."

"I see. That is true. You are a Master now."

Giving a nod of understanding, Tohsaka turns away.

She leaves, her hair fluttering behind her.

And the girl who could have been my ally turns, and...

"Goodbye. We will be enemies the next time we meet."

...Like the girl Illya, leaves a cold warning.

"―――Alright."

I take a quick breath and consider my current situation.

I haven't had time to sit down and think since the incident last night―――when I saw the battle between Lancer and Archer.

I had my chest pierced by Lancer, returned home after I was somehow saved, I was attacked once again by Lancer, and―――

"I was saved by Saber and became a Master."

What I heard at the church.

The murderous battle called the Holy Grail War.

The Holy Grail that grants any wish, supposedly given to the winner.

There are many things I don't know about, but I definitely have a guide.

"―――Yeah, I need to go and talk to Saber first."

I look around the house.

I look around where someone could be, all the guest rooms, but I cannot find Saber.

"That's weird... she's in that outfit, so you'd think it'd be easy to find her."

Even saying that, I can't find Saber anywhere.

It seems Servants can become spirits, but I can't do that.

No, first of all―――

"Even though they call me a Master, I don't know anything about her."

I don't understand who she is or how she exists.

The only thing I understand is...

No matter how superior their existence may be, they still get hurt in a fight and they bleed if they are wounded.

"―――Oh."

Saber is in the silent dojo.

Her appearance is different from yesterday's.

Sitting in a Japanese-style on the wooden floor, she is not wearing her armor.

She has changed into refined clothes that suit her well, and is sitting silently.

"―――――"

...I lose my voice at the figure.

With her back straight and sitting Japanese-style with her eyes closed, Saber looks beautiful.

Her state, melting into the silence, reminds me of pure water.

"――――――――"

And that removes the last doubts within me.

Even if she is a Servant, I think she is holy.

So―――I should not follow a wrong path with her.

"Saber."

I call out.

Saber slowly opens her eyes and returns my gaze.

"You are awake, Shirou."

A calm voice.

Her voice, echoing through the dojo as if permeating it, is surprisingly suited to this place.

"―――Yeah. I just got up. What were you doing here?"

"I was resting. I cannot treat you, so I thought I would get myself into perfect condition."

"―――!"

Saber says so while looking at me.

...Well, um...

I feel a tension, different from the one I felt with Tohsaka.

"Shirou? What is it? Could it be that your body is still...?"

"...! ―――N-No, there's no problem...! I'm just perplexed for my own reasons, so don't worry...!"

I take a step back, shaking my head.

"...?"

Looking away from Saber, who is tilting her head questioningly, I calm down my pounding heart.

"...Calm down. What am I so tense about―――!?"

I take a deep breath.

...But it doesn't seem to die down quickly. In fact, I don't think it ever will.

"...Geez, why has she changed...?"

I complain without meaning to.

Saber's clothes are so real that they make me conscious of her womanhood, whether I like it or not.

...She is terribly beautiful.

I thought I figured that out yesterday, but she really hits me with it now.

If she dresses so much like a girl, as a healthy guy, I'm troubled.

"Shirou."

I tense up the moment our eyes meet.

But I didn't look for her so as to not talk to her. I'm troubled, but I can't stay quiet forever.

"―――All right.

May I, Saber? It'll be the first time we sit down and talk―――"

I make up my mind and talk to her.

―――And then.

"Shirou. Before that, there is something I would like to tell you about last night."

She interrupts my words with a sullenness that makes her earlier calmness seem like an illusion.

"――? All right, what is it?"

"It is about last night.

You are my Master. It is troubling if you take such an action. Battle is my work, so you must concentrate on your role. If you go and die in vain yourself, there is no way I can protect you."

Saber says so clearly.

―――That makes the tension I was feeling vanish.

"W-What do you mean!? You would have been slashed if I didn't do that!"

"In that case, I would have just died. It was not something you should have been hurt for.

I will repeat myself. Please do not take such an action again.

There is no need for my Master to protect me, and there is no reason for it either."

"Wha―――don't be stupid. You don't need a reason to save a girl...!"

Maybe she was surprised at being yelled at, but she pauses for a moment as if I've done something unexpected.

And then, she stares at me with indescribable dignity.

"Uh..."

I back up a bit being stared at.

Her look makes me realize that I've said something really out-of-place, and it embarrasses me.

"A-Anyway, I'm grateful that you brought me home. I'll thank you for that."

I thank her while looking away.

...It's awkward to thank her in the first place, but it's even more awkward to thank her in this situation.

But still, before anything, I have to thank her for helping me.

"You are welcome. It is natural for a Servant to protect her Master, but I am happy to be thanked. You are very polite."

"No. I'm not polite."

So there's something I need to clarify right now.

"Going back to our conversation, Saber.

...Oh, I'll ask formally. Can I call you Saber?"

"Yes. Since I have formed a contract with you as a Servant, I am your sword. I will follow your orders, defeat your enemies, and protect you."

Saber says so without the slightest hesitation.

There's no room for me to question her about it.

"Become my sword, huh? To win this Holy Grail War?"

"...? Is that not why you have summoned me?"

"No. I only summoned you by chance.

As you know, I'm only an amateur magus. I'm sorry, but I don't have the knowledge nor the power of a Master.

But I've decided to fight, so I'll fight. I'm an unskilled Master, but are you okay with that?"

"Of course. You are my Master, Shirou.

This fact will not change. A Servant does not have the freedom to choose its Master."

"―――――"

...I see.

Then I should try to respond to her to the best of my ability.

"...All right. So you're content that I'm your Master?"

"Yes. But Shirou, I will not allow defeat for my Master.

If you have no chance of victory, I will make one for you. I will use every means possible to have you obtain the Holy Grail.

We Servants do not serve the Masters without compensation. We serve you because we also desire the Holy Grail."

"Huh―――? Hold on. The Holy Grail, you mean you want it too...!?"

"Of course. After all, the only ones who can touch the Holy Grail in spirit form are we Servants, who are also spirits.

The Master that wins the Holy Grail War will obtain the Holy Grail through the medium of their Servant. After that, the Servant that served the winning Master will have its wish granted in compensation.

―――That is the relationship between Masters and Servants."

"――――――――"

...I see.

Now that she says it, it's obvious something like a "heroic spirit" would never obey a mere human being.

Since they have their own objectives, they serve the Master in exchange.

...Then that means Saber has a wish she wants granted.

That is why Saber has no doubts and declares that she will fight, even with an amateur Master like me.

"...All right. Then can I ask you something else?

A Master is a magus that summons Servants, right?

That's fine, but I don't quite understand you guys. Like, Saber and Lancer, I know those aren't your real names."

"Yes, those are only the names of the classes given to us. ...All right, I shall describe it briefly since we have the chance."

"We Servants are heroic spirits.

We have each won fame during our lives or have accomplished some great deed beyond human ability.

Whatever the means, we are beings that have reached the rank of gods with our own strength."

That doesn't even need to be said.

Heroic spirits are heroes that had supernatural abilities while they were alive, who are worshipped after their deaths, and promoted into the ranks of spirits instead of becoming ghosts.

"But that is also to our disadvantage. As we are heroes, our weaknesses have been recorded.

Revealing our names, revealing our identity, means revealing our weaknesses."

"...I see. Heroes usually do have opponents they are weak against. That's why you're hiding your real name and using the name Saber?"

"Yes. However, I am not called Saber only for that reason.

There are seven Servants called forth by the Holy Grail, and every one of these is selected according to the class."

"Class...? You mean like Saber and Archer?"

"Yes. Summoning a true heroic spirit is already almost a miracle. To summon seven is too much even for the Holy Grail.

As a solution, the Holy Grail prepared seven vessels in advance and only called forth heroic spirits compatible with these vessels.

Those are the seven classes.

Saber.

Lancer.

Archer.

Rider.

Caster.

Assassin.

Berserker.

"The Holy Grail calls forth from all times the heroic spirits, with abilities corresponding to each of these classes.

And those who receive these classes are called Servants."

"...I see. You were a heroic spirit skilled with swords, so you were summoned as Saber?"

"Yes. There are heroic spirits that have multiple attributes, but I believe I am the best when it comes to swords."

"But that is also the weakness of the Saber class.

Since I am not a magus, I can only defeat your enemies as your sword."

"So you're not well-suited to trickery. No, I don't think that's a weakness. You're that powerful, so that should be enough, right?"

"Shirou, you cannot win this war just by being strong in battle.

For instance, if your enemy is stronger than you in combat, what will you do?"

"Huh? Well... if I knew I couldn't beat them in combat, I'd have to do something without fightin―――"

Having said that much, I understand.

If the enemies are strong, you wouldn't fight a proper battle.

Beating opponents with your sword isn't the only way to fight.

If you can't beat an enemy with your sword, all you have to do is beat them some other way.

"Exactly. If your enemy finds out you are skilled in combat, your enemy will most likely not challenge you in combat. ...And in that sense, Servants that lack ability will use any means possible."

"The Servant Assassin has low attributes, but has a special ability to hide its presence, and the Servant Caster is versed in magecraft that does not exist in this age.

You cannot be optimistic because of a mere difference in power. And on top of that, we have our 'Noble Phantasms'. No matter what kind of Servant we are, as heroic spirits, we have our guaranteed fatal attack."

"Noble Phantasm―――?"

That's not a term I've ever heard.

I think I might know what it means from the sound of it, though...

"Noble Phantasms are special weapons carried by Servants.

Weapons like Lancer's lance, Archer's bow, and my sword are such.

Heroes are not called heroes by themselves. Heroes have the weapons that symbolize them that make them a hero."

"The hero and his weapon are one. So those who became heroic spirits each wield a powerful weapon.

That is the 'Noble Phantasm'―――the trump card for Servants, and the thing we must take the most care of."

"――――――――"

...Saber says that Noble Phantasms are weapons that heroes wielded when they were alive.

I recall that blue knight.

The lance that absorbed magical energy from the air and pierced Saber's chest with incredible movements.

That was certainly not something fit for humans.

That lance itself carried a strong curse, but I also felt a strange amount of magical energy in the word Lancer said back then.

Then could it be...?

"Saber. Are Noble Phantasms magics?

Lancer's lance certainly seemed like a lance with history, but the lance itself wasn't extraordinary.

But that lance went beyond the realm of weapons with his words. Isn't that some sort of magecraft?"

"Yes, Noble Phantasms are certainly similar to magecraft.

For example, Lancer's lance itself is a Noble Phantasm, but it demonstrates its full potential only when he puts magical energy into it and says its true name."

"A Noble Phantasm could be called a materialized divine mystery.

As spells are necessary to activate magecraft, recitement of the true name is necessary to awaken and activate the Noble Phantasm.

But there is also a danger in that. By saying the true name of their Noble Phantasm, the identity of the Servant is revealed."

"...Oh yeah. Heroes and their weapons are one. If you know the weapon's name, you naturally know the identity of the owner."

Saber nods silently.

That is why the Noble Phantasm is a trump card.

In exchange for revealing the name, it launches an unavoidable fatal blow.

But when it does not prove fatal... the Servant will expose all its weaknesses.

"Then, Saber. Is your Noble Phantasm that invisible sword?"

"...Yes. But I have not revealed its identity yet. No Servants should know my true name at this point."

Saying that, Saber looks down awkwardly for a second.

"Shirou. I have a request about that matter."

"Huh? What kind of a request?"

"About my real name. Usually, Servants give their true names to their Master only, to determine future plans.

But you are inexperienced as a magus.

A superior magus would be able to read your mind, so―――"

"Oh, so you can't tell me your real name? ...Yeah, you're right. Like hypnotism, suggestion, or... well, I don't think there'd be any, but if any other Master had mystic eyes, I might just start babbling about it.

―――All right. Let's do that. I'll rely on you to decide when to use your Noble Phantasm."

"Uh―――um, can you really decide that so quickly?"

"It wasn't easy. I thought it through.

I agreed after thinking about it, so don't worry."

"――――――――"

...Well.

I get most of this stuff, but I still don't have a grasp of the situation.

"Hey Saber, do Servants and Masters have some sort of a mark? I don't really know what I should be doing."

"No. Unfortunately, there is no clear way to distinguish them.

But if other Servants are near, Servants are able to sense them. All the more if they are materialized. Servants themselves are powerful magics.

I am sure you felt Berserker's presence."

"Ugh―――that could be true. But it's bad to be able to tell only when you're attacked. I need to at least know before they approach, so I can take some sort of countermeasure."

"Then, how about searching for the Master's presence? Masters are magi. Since they use magecraft for a living, they will leak magical energy. If you search for that, you may be able to determine the Masters in this town."

"...Sorry. Unfortunately, I can't do that sort of thing."

After all, I didn't even realize the real identity of Tohsaka, who goes to the same school as I do.

We were in the same building for two years, and on top of that, I've seen her several times.

"―――Geez. No wonder people call me an amateur. The only evidence I'm even a Master is this Command Spell. It seems there'll be lots of difficulties ahead."

I sigh.

―――And then.

"Shirou. Could you close your eyes for a moment?"

Saber speaks with a serious face.

"...? Close my eyes? Why?"

"To prove that you are a Master. Just close your eyes and breathe normally."

"......"

...I close my eyes.

I feel something slightly touching my forehead.

―――Hey, it's prickling. Could this be the end of her sword―――!?

"―――Saber? Hold on, are you doing something weird?"

"...Master, please stay silent and concentrate on my fingertip. If you are a magus, you should be able to feel my magical energy."

"―――Hm."

I see, so it's Saber's finger that's touching me.

I pull myself together and calm down.

―――Then.

What is this?

"Saber, what was that?"

"It's not something you should be asking me. You and I are connected by our contract, so its only natural for you to be able to understand my status."

"―――Understand? You mean, what happened just now?"

"I do not know how you saw it. It is your standard that measures the Servant's ability. Some Masters classify according to color, and some classify according to animals."

"So in other words, you perceive it in a way most comprehensible for you.

This is a standard concept for a Master, so please check frequently. Like me, once you see someone, you shall understand their details."

...I see.

I was a bit surprised since it was so sudden, but I might be able to act a bit like a Master now.

"―――Master. I have simplified things, but that is all the explanation I can give you."

"Okay. It was quick, but I get it now. Sorry, Saber."

"...You should not be 'sorry.'

If you understand the situation, you should be deciding what to do from now on."

She asks me, leaning forward.

...I see.

Saber is the same type as Tohsaka: attack first.

"Well, we won't be doing anything different.

I don't have the will to go out and beat other Masters like Tohsaka."

"―――Shirou, that does not make sense. Do you not have the will to obtain the Holy Grail as a Master?"

...Saber narrows her eyes.

They are the calm eyes of a swordsman who allows no disagreement.

"―――――"

I stare back, trying not to lose, and clearly tell her my intentions.

"I do. But that's only because I don't want anyone evil obtaining it. I have no reason to want the Holy Grail for myself."

"―――!"

"But that doesn't mean I will not fight.

I'm a magus, even if I'm an amateur. I understand I can't back out of this now. I know I can't survive this without doing anything."

"Then you are saying you are fighting not to obtain the Holy Grail, but rather to prevent the conflict resulting from the Holy Grail?"

"...? ...Yeah, I guess you could put it like that. Yeah, I think that's what I mean. I can't put it into clear words, but such a fight is worth something, right?"

That's right.

I don't feel anything toward the Holy Grail.

But for a reason like that, I think I can fight with all my power and with pride.

"...I do not understand. You say that you are a magus. Then you should desire the almighty Holy Grail. Does a magus not master magecraft because he has a wish he cannot make come true?"

"What are you saying? I have no unfulfillable wishes. I do have lots of things I have to do though."

That's right.

So for now, I should try my hardest not to involve any unnecessary people.

"―――Then are you saying you do not want the Holy Grail? That you will not fight to obtain it?"

"I didn't say that. Since I'm fighting, I do intend to obtain the Holy Grail."

"That is a contradiction. Why do you desire something that you have no need for, going so far as fighting?"

"...?"

Well, because...

Winning means obtaining the Holy Grail, and most of all...

"You need it, right? So we have to obtain it."

"―――――"

"Yeah, I don't know what kind of people the other Masters are.

Some of them may be really good people.

But I've decided to be your ally. So if you say you want the Holy Grail, it's only natural to help you with all my power, right?"

"―――――"

"...Well, it's only a second-hand ideal from my father, but he said I should be selfish to become a superhero.

It's pointless to support everybody, so he told me to only ally with people I like and trust."

"I never thought that way before, but I think that's how I should be now.

I can't do something like fighting for myself.

But if I can fight for you, then that's good."

And to be honest.

If this girl seriously yearns for it, it's only natural to want to obtain it for her.

...Well, I am a guy, you know.

"Then are you saying you will not fight if I give up the Holy Grail?"

"―――Hm."

That's a problem.

If Saber says that, all my premises will crumble.

"...No, it would still be the same. I said I'll fight.

So I won't run. This is for certain, Saber."

I declare this, looking her in the eye.

Saber does not answer immediately, but looks up at me after letting out a deep breath.

"I understand. If you say so as a Master, I will only obey. My goal is the Holy Grail, and even if your goal is to stop the conflict, our destinations are the same.

―――But, Shirou."

Saber stops.

With eyes that seem to be gazing upon something far away,

"I cannot clearly put this into words, but you will regret it later on. ...You will surely regret it."

She says those words.

Scene 06 - Saber(I)

Is it because Tohsaka went home and my tension disappeared?

My body feels dull, so I lay down in the living room.

"―――"

I stave off the returning nausea by lying on my side.

The clock ticks in the silent living room.

"...A fight between Masters, huh?"

I still don't understand what it is.

The only thing I'm sure of is that it's beyond me.

It would feel more real if I had more interest in the Holy Grail―――

"Why, I wonder? All I feel toward the Holy Grail is disgust."

A grail said to make wishes come true.

I don't know what kind of a thing it is, but it's an artifact that can even summon these things called Servants.

It might not go as far as granting any wish, but it should have more than enough value for any magus to want it.

But still―――I'm not interested in it.

It's true that I'm dubious about its reality, but accepting that easy way to reach a goal feels like cheating myself.

"And the worst aspect of this thing is that the selection method is a battle."

...But this is a fight for a single chair.

No matter what your expectations are, as long as you enter it, you can't survive unless you defeat your enemies.

And depending on your methods, defeating other Masters might result in harm to innocent people.

That's why...

―――Rejoice, Emiya Shirou.

My reason for fighting is not to win the Holy Grail War.

―――Your wish will finally come true.

It is to stop those that would try to win it by any means possible.

"―――――!"

I feel dizzy again.

It's only natural.

Even if it appears to be back to normal, my body was almost split in half a few hours ago.

There's no way this sickness will go away quickly. It seems more likely that it'll continue for the rest of my life.

Because I was almost killed three times in a day.

If someone weak joins a battle, it's natural for him to get hurt.

As compensation for my lack of strength, I almost lost my body...

And she was wounded protecting me.

"―――!"

I get up.

"Oh yeah, her...!"

What am I doing?

I totally forgot about her because Tohsaka was here.

No, I unconsciously avoided thinking about her.

―――Coward.

I have been avoiding recalling the girl who was wounded because of me.

The one that was bleeding miserably because of me.

"Tohsaka didn't say the most important thing...!"

I pull my resting body together and stand up.

Tohsaka didn't say anything about Saber.

She said she and Saber brought me here, but she said nothing more.

The fact I need to know most: if she, the one wounded by Berserker, is all right or not.

"Guh―――――"

I look through the house, bearing the dizziness.

I look around where someone could be, all the guest rooms, but I cannot find Saber.

"That's weird... she's in that outfit, so you'd think it'd be easy to find her."

There's no sign of the brave armor-clad Saber anywhere around the house.

Tohsaka said Servants can become spirits, but I can't do that.

No, first of all―――

"They say I'm a Master, but just how am I a Master?"

I don't understand who she is nor how she exists.

This is like a new soldier being given a tank.

"That's right. Even if you give a guy that has only used old guns a brand new weapon, he won't know how to use it."

I complain.

Well, the lucky thing is, this tank has an auto-pilot function. Even if the driver is terrible, the tank will fight on its own.

"―――"

Angry at my thoughts, I hit my head against the wall.

"...How rotten of me, idiot. That was such an impolite complaint."

I apologize to the blond-haired girl in my head.

Now, I feel like I have to find her and confirm her safety.

"She's not here either―――"

I search throughout the house.

It's a big house, but I didn't play hide-and-seek here with Fuji-Nee as a kid for nothing. I know the efficient way to search this place.

If I haven't found her after searching this much, then―――

"The yard, the shed, or―――"

There are several possibilities, but I don't even consider the possibility that she's not here anymore.

She said she would protect me.

So I don't think she would leave this place.

"―――Maybe."

It suddenly hits me.

Not the house, the yard, nor the shed where we first met.

Come to think of it, there is another large building in this place.

"She must be there."

I hurry.

I head to the dojo, separated from the main building.

"―――"

I'm a bit tense.

If she's not here, I will have to admit that she is gone.

"...?"

That makes me realize.

The inconsistency... even though I know nothing about her, I want her to stay.

A wooden-floored room with nothing unnecessary.

A dojo built only to train oneself in.

In this silent place, in the faint sunlight...

She is sitting there naturally.

"―――――"

A space filled with tranquility.

The sunlight shining in is white, and it makes her and the dojo into one.

I can see nothing amiss in her dignified posture.

Just by sitting there, she stiffens the air in the dojo.

But there's nothing cold about it.

It's because her figure is so pure, it makes me forget even about the cold winter air.

"―――, ―――"

Even the sound of my breath is a nuisance.

The girl, sitting Japanese-style in the corner of the dojo, is definitely the girl from last night.

The girl who appeared just before I was killed by Lancer, and the girl that mercilessly slashed him with her sword.

Her golden hair, that was reflecting the blue moonlight, is now one with the warm sunlight.

"―――――"

That really makes me remember.

This is exactly what I felt when I first saw her.

The girl clad in armor, slashing her sword to silently overwhelm her opponent,

I wasn't surprised by how out-of-world that scene was.

It doesn't matter what she's wearing. It probably wouldn't change even if she was covered in mud.

The girl that moved me deeply is still in front of me.

"―――――"

That is why I forget even to breathe and continue to stare at her.

Forgetting about Masters, the Holy Grail War and everything.

In this instant―――I have completely accepted Saber.

I do not know how long it was.

Saber opens her eyes as if awakening from sleep.

"―――Oh."

My disappointed voice echoes loudly through the dojo.

Saber stands up, perhaps noticing the sound.

"......"

I walk towards her, still not knowing what to say.

"You are awake, Shirou."

A calm voice.

Her voice, echoing through the dojo as if permeating it, is surprisingly suited to this place.

"Y―――Yeah. I just got up."

I answer with a dull head.

"Shirou? You seem pale, are you feeling ill?"

The golden-haired girl approaches me.

"Uh, n-no...! I'm feeling really good...!"

I quickly step back to get away from Saber.

"...?"

Looking away from Saber, who is tilting her head questioningly, I calm down my pounding heart.

"...Calm down. What am I so tense about―――!?"

I take a deep breath.

...But it doesn't seem to die down quickly. In fact, I don't think it ever will.[l]

"...Geez, why has she changed...?"

I complain without meaning to.

Saber's clothes have changed dramatically since yesterday.

She's wearing normal clothes, completely unlike her armor.

It's rather unexpected and I'm troubled by it.

...She is terribly beautiful.

I thought I figured that out yesterday, but it really hits me now.[l]

Perhaps her armor looked so surreal that I didn't notice yesterday.

But if she dresses like a girl, as a healthy guy, I'm troubled.

"Shirou."

I tense up the moment our eyes meet.

But I didn't look for her so as to not talk to her.

I'm troubled, but I can't stay quiet forever.

"It's Saber, right? This will be the first time we sit down and talk, but―――"

I make up my mind and talk to her.

―――And then.

"Shirou. Before that, there is something I would like to tell you about last night."

She interrupts my words with a sullenness that makes her earlier calmness seem like an illusion.

"――? All right, what is it?"

"It is about last night.

You are my Master. It is troubling if you take such an action. Battle is my work, so you must concentrate on your role. If you go and die in vain yourself, there is no way I can protect you."

Saber says so clearly.

―――That makes the tension I was feeling vanish.

"W-What do you mean!? You would have been slashed if I didn't do that!"

"In that case, I would have just died. It was not something you should have been hurt for. I will repeat myself. Please do not take such an action again. There is no need for my Master to protect me, and there is no reason for it either."

She speaks plainly.

It must be because she is speaking so practically.

"Wha―――don't be stupid. You don't need a reason to save a girl...!"

I reply unconsciously.

Maybe she was surprised at being yelled at, but she pauses for a moment as if I've done something unexpected. And then, she stares at me with indescribable dignity.

"Uh..."

I back up a bit being stared at.

Her look makes me realize that I've said something really out-of-place, and it embarrasses me.

"A-Anyway, I'm grateful that you brought me home. I'll thank you for that."

"You are welcome. It is natural for a Servant to protect her Master, but I am happy to be thanked. You are very polite."

"No. I'm not polite."

More importantly, there's something I need to clarify right now.

It's something I should have asked right after I got home yesterday.

If she is really my Servant,

And―――if she is really taking part in this war.

"Going back to our conversation, Saber. ...Oh, I'll ask formally, but can I call you Saber?"

"Yes. Since I have formed a contract with you as a Servant, I am your sword. I will follow your orders, defeat your enemies, and protect you."

Saber says so without the slightest hesitation.

There's no room for me to question her about it.

"Become my sword, huh? To win this Holy Grail War?"

"...? Is that not why you have summoned me?"

"No. I summoned you because―――"

I can't say it was by pure accident.

No, first of all, I didn't even summon her.

She just appeared when I was in danger, and saved me with her own decision.

The result is the situation we are in.

I became Saber's Master, and I was dragged into this thing called the Holy Grail War.

Not one bit of it was my intention.

I'm just an amateur magus that was dragged into this battle beyond my abilities―――

"―――! What of it?

...I've already convinced myself that I have to fight. I can't complain now."

I shake my head lightly and stop whining.

―――That's it.

A man has said he will fight.

So I cannot even talk about running away.

This will be the last time I will talk or think about whining.

No matter how the decision came, I have decided to fight.

"Shirou?"

"―――Oh, it's nothing.

But Saber, there's only a small chance of winning if you stay with me. I don't have the powers or the brains of Tohsaka, so tomorrow might end up like today. Are you okay with that?"

"Does that mean that you lack the will to fight?"

"I have the will. I just don't have the chance of victory, so I'm asking you if you're all right serving such a Master.

This is a battle I have decided to take on.

So―――"

I think it's wrong for someone to get hurt in my place.

Even though I'm weak, making Saber fight,

And―――

I can't stand letting a scene like that happen again.

"You are my Master, Shirou. This fact will not change. A Servant does not have the freedom to choose its Master."

"―――――"

That's true.

That's why Saber is my Servant right now.

Then I should try my best not to burden her too much.

"...All right. So you're content I'm your Master?"

"Yes. But Shirou, I will not allow defeat for my Master.

If you have no chance of victory, I will make one for you.

I will use every means possible to have you obtain the Holy Grail. That is why we follow the call of the summoning."

To obtain the Holy Grail, huh?

Tohsaka said Servants also have a wish they want granted.

So Saber must be no exception.

That is why she has no doubts.

But that means...

"...Hold on, Saber.

You said any means possible, right? Does that mean you do not care what measures you take to win the war? For example, attacking people to gain pow―――"

I cannot finish.

Saber is looking at me like I'm an enemy.

"Shirou, that is not a possibility.

I can only do those things I will allow myself to do. I cannot betray my beliefs. It is against the knight's oath to hurt those who are unarmed."

"But I must obey if you order so. In that case, you will have to use one of your Command Spells to compensate for treading inside me."

I am overwhelmed by her angered voice.

"―――――"

But still, I'm happy and relieved.

Her lack of doubt gave her the image of a cold fighting machine, but I know now that she is not a cold-blooded killer.

"―――Yeah, I won't let you do such a thing.

As you say, we have to do our best with what we can do. ...I'm really sorry. I insulted you without realizing it."

"Uh... no, I jumped to a hasty conclusion without knowing your intentions. You are not at fault, so please raise your head..."

"Huh? Oh sorry, I apologized without realizing it."

I raise my head.

"―――――"

I don't know what's funny, but Saber has a small smile on her face.

"...?"

Well, I'm glad she's smiling, so I won't ask her about it.

"...Oh, I forgot to tell you.

I said we'll do whatever we can, right? As one measure, I've decided to cooperate with Tohsaka for a while. Remember Archer's Master, who you were with for a while yesterday?"

"You mean Rin? ...I see, that is certainly an intelligent choice. There will be many things you can learn from her, until you become a suitable Master."

...Thank God.

If Saber agrees, I can proudly cooperate with Tohsaka.

The only other thing I need to ask her right now is―――

Which heroine is Saber?
Is she all right?
...Where did you get those clothes?

Scene 07 - No concern for safety

I'm worried about Saber's body, after she was wounded so much.

"More importantly, Saber.

...Um, are you all right? The wound you took from Berserker was pretty bad."

"...? My body is just as it appears.

That wound was certainly one that would have led to my defeat, but it was not fatal. I finished healing it about an hour after Berserker left."

"Huh... then, you're completely healed now...?"

"Of course. But I am not back up to my normal condition yet.

Berserker's hit was a simple one, so it could be healed easily, but the wound made by Lancer's Noble Phantasm is different.

That lance must bear a special curse as the wound from him is not completely healed yet."

"―――――"

...Not completely healed, huh?

It doesn't look that way, but Saber isn't one to talk about her pain.

As long as I am fighting alongside Saber, I should pay attention and worry about her body.

Scene 08 - Saber`s circumstances

―――It would be about Saber's real name.

"Saber. I heard this from Tohsaka already, but Servants are magics that summon heroic spirits, right?

Then―――you have a real name that's not your class name Saber, right?"

"Yes. The name Saber represents why I am here in this time. It is not a name to represent my real identity."

"I see. Then what is your real name?

Tohsaka said it wouldn't be a battle unless I knew my own Servant's real name."

Servants are heroic spirits.

Their identities are heroes, famous in every age.

They hide their identities and the scope of their power with their class names.

A Servant's real name is something that should be kept hidden.

But it is also something the Master must know.

Because if one does not know which hero the Servant is, he does not know the Servant's potential.

Master and Servant are one.

They won't be able to fight fully if one keeps a secret from the other.

They shouldn't be able to fight fully, but―――

"―――Shirou, about that matter, please excuse my rudeness.

A summoned Servant must immediately inform their Master of their true name. ...But I cannot fulfill that oath."

"Saber...? Why can't you fulfill this oath?"

"This is what I believe is for the best. No matter how hard you try to hide my name, there are many ways to take the information from you.

Since your magecraft resistance is not high, mental intervention would be simple if the enemy was a superior magus. If you were under a spell, my real name could be revealed against your will.

I would like to prepare for that and not have my real name within your knowledge."

"Oh, I see. That's right. I would give it right away if they used suggestion on me."

And informing the Master of your real name is for a normal Master and Servant.

Even if I knew Saber's real name, I wouldn't be able to come up with an effective plan. Most of all, I don't care about it.

"All right. Let's keep it a secret then. We have to take care, since I'm inexperienced."

"It helps me if you say that. ...But then, I am not someone that famous. I should be a few ranks below Berserker, and it would not do too much even if my name were revealed...."

Saber murmurs in regret.

...That's bit unexpected. Saber has some human characteristics, and she regrets being inferior to Berserker.

"Isn't that alright? A trump is a trump because it's hidden. Your Master is weak like this, so I understand that you have to try everything.

...And Berserker, he's unfair.

There's nothing to be ashamed of. And―――from my point of view, you aren't inferior. You had that big wound, yet you were exchanging blows straight on."

"You are right. I suffered defeat last night, but the result should be different once my wound heals."

"Eh―――Uh, yeah. I hope... so."

I give an empty response and look away.

...That was a surprise attack.

When she smiles, Saber is―――

And then.

I hear a sound of something heavy falling at the door.

"Huh?"

I turn around, wondering what it was.

There...

...is Tohsaka with a big bag at her feet.

"Huh―――?"

My mind freezes.

Tohsaka, who supposedly went home, is at my dojo. She's wearing normal clothes for some reason, and why does she have that big bag―――?

"...Huh? What are you here for, Tohsaka?"

"I just went to go get my stuff from my house. It's natural, since I'll be living here from now on."

"...!!!!?

"L-Live... you mean you, living in my house...!!!?"

"That's what cooperation means. ...What did you think our talk was about earlier?"

"Uh―――――um."

I'm so surprised I can't speak.

Something. I have to say something back, or something terrible is going to happen, but my head will not function.

"Where's my room? If you don't have one prepared, I'll choose one myself."

Still, the unexpected invader mercilessly continues the discussion.

"Ah―――hold on, that's―――"

Isn't this bad morally?

Look, Tohsaka is the idol at my school. Just having her in my house will cause a panic, so having her live here would be crazy and Fuji-Nee would kill me. Or maybe she's planning to drive me insane to reduce the number of Masters...!?

"Oh, why don't you prepare a room for her as well? Your Servant takes up space unlike my Archer, so you should give her a place to sleep. Well, I wouldn't mind if you guys shared the same bed."

Sharing the bed... that means sleeping in the same bed, right?

"Of course I won't! What are you saying while I'm not saying anything!? I wouldn't do such a thing, Saber is a girl...!"

"―――You're missing the point, but oh well. That's what Shirou says, Saber.

He says he doesn't like to be in the same room with a girl."

"......"

Not moving,

Saber makes a difficult face.

"That is not good, Shirou. Servants are to protect their Masters. The hours of sleep are the most crucial time for protecting you, so I cannot protect you unless I am in the same room."

"I'm in more trouble even if you say that! What are you thinking, are you two really girls!?"

"......"

Why?

Why are you two looking silently at me like that?

"...Hmm. Servants are Servants, so there's no need to treat them as humans. But I guess it's useless to tell Shirou that."

"――――"

My mouth, about to protest, stops.

The weird feeling I had when talking with Tohsaka in the living room returns.

―――Actually.

I've figured out the cause of this feeling.

"...Hold on, Tohsaka. Since when did you start calling me by my name?"

"Oh, am I? I wasn't really conscious of it, so it must have been a while ago."

"...It was. I think you've been calling me that for a while."

"I see. I'll be careful if you don't like that, but you don't like it?"

Tohsaka says so plainly, without realizing how I'm feeling.

...Geez, it's just like you said, Issei.

I think Tohsaka Rin is a real devil.

"...Fine. Call me whatever you like. I don't care, whichever you prefer is fine."

"Really? Then I'll do that."

"Rin, please do not end the conversation. We have not come up with a solution to the matter of the room for Shirou and I."

"Oh, of course, of course. But it'll be hard to stay in the same room with Shirou acting like that. There's no point in treating a Servant like a human, but why don't you give up, since Shirou doesn't want it?"

"That is incorrect. Shirou only said it would trouble him, and he did not say he did not want it."

"Well then. What do you say, Shirou?"

"―――――"

Hold on.

Why, after only a day, does she keep on calling me Shirou like I'm a cat she found?

...No, that's not the problem, but Saber's room is.

"Shirou, I will ask you again. It is a Servant's duty to guard you while you sleep. I believe you understand your position as a Master."

Uh... even if you glare at me like that, I can't do it.

"...No. I'll prepare a separate room for Saber.

Um, I'll try to prepare one as close to mine as possible, so please be happy with that."

"―――――"

"S-Scaring me won't work! As a man, I won't surrender to you on this. Saber, you should understand your situation better...!"

"Huh? That is why I am trying to protect my Master as a Servant―――"

"No, I mean about yourself...! Geez, if you don't understand, that's fine! If you say any more, I'll make you obey using my Command Spell...!"

I breathe out hard and intimidate Saber.

"...It is troubling if you use your Command Spell for such a thing. Our future is doomed if you use one of the three rights to order me not to protect you."

"Yeah. I'm sure Shirou would be the first and the last Master to do that."

Don't be stupid. I don't want to use it for this either.

"...I understand, I will follow my Master's plan. But what will you do when you are attacked by an enemy? Servants such as Assassin will close in without letting their presence become known. In such cases, will you be able to protect yourself until I arrive?"

"Well―――"

I can't claim I'll manage.

I was able to against Lancer, but that luck won't repeat itself.

"That would be impossible. This house has a boundary field that alerts us if an enemy enters. We won't be able to avoid a raid, but we should be able to detect a surprise attack. In that case, you would be able to protect him before he was attacked, so you can just go ahead and stay in a room you like."

"...That is certainly true, but..."

"How about next to Shirou's room? You're fine if she's not in your room, right, Emiya-kun?"

She pronounces the "Emiya-kun" ostentatiously.

"Tohsaka, that's just sophistry, you know?"

"It's a sound argument because I'm making it for your sake. Well, which room should I choose?"

Tohsaka walks to the house with her bag, as if telling us the conversation is over.

She looks cheerful like a student picking her room on a field trip.

"......"

"―――"

Perhaps because her actions are so selfish.

Saber and I just see her off with blank amazement.

We return to the main building.

First of all, I should show her around the house so she can choose her own room.

"This is the Japanese-style room. The back side has common rooms like the living room and the bathroom. And if you follow the open corridor to the outbuilding, you reach the guest rooms... It looks like Tohsaka went that way."

I explain as I walk.

Saber follows me silently without nodding. I'm not sure if she's listening or not.

"The map of the house is fine. Where is Shirou's room?"

"My room is this way. It's somewhat back there."

"Then please guide me that way. I must talk to you privately."

"Talk to me privately......?"

So she doesn't want Tohsaka to hear it?

Tohsaka is in the outbuilding, so I think this place is okay, but she is a Master after all.

Someone could overhear us, so the open corridor is no place to talk secretly.

"Here. This is my room."

"Wha―――this is Shirou's room?"

"Hm?"

Saber is surprised the moment she walks in.

"What? I don't think there's anything here that should be too surprising."

"No, there is nothing here to surprise me, as there is nothing here. Is this really your room, Shirou?"

"There's no point lying to you. I only come here to sleep, so it's natural there's nothing here."

"...I see. I was surprised. I thought you were a more assorted person."

Saber enters the Japanese-style room and touches the wall to check the feel of it.

It is a soft gesture, as if she understands the object's memory just by touching it.

"...I'm relieved. This is a desolate room, but that does not mean it is treated badly. This is a simple but warm place."

"Warm? ...Well, I guess so. I don't know if it's how the house is built, but this place is cool during the summer and warm during the winter. My father always said I took the good room."

"Yes, the room is the reflection of its owner, so I was worried about your spirit. But this will not change my impression of you now."

Saber says this with relief, but I don't understand what she wants to say.

"So? What did you want to talk privately about?"

"It is a bad thing. Something I do not want the other Masters to know at the very least."

"...Hm."

Judging by her expression, the bad thing must be our weakness.

"...I see. I see what you mean. I'll listen seriously, so go ahead."

"Yes, about that... this probably is not something we can solve.

We Servants maintain our body using the magical energy transferred from our Masters. That is why Servants require a Master. But―――"

"...I'm an incomplete Master, so I don't have enough magical energy for you to maintain your body?"

"No. It is not a problem if I receive even a small amount of magical energy from you. But I am not receiving any magical energy from you. The spiritual connection we ought to have is not present."

"―――"

So that means...

I, as the gasoline, am not sending any fuel for Saber to work as an engine?

"Saber, that's..."

"It is not your fault. I believe something happened during my summoning. Some fault occurred, and the line that should have connected was not connected."

"―――Some problem during the summoning..."

When Saber appeared, it wasn't anything like a summoning.

It was just an accident.

Since she was summoned like that, it'd be strange if there weren't anything wrong with her.

"...Hold on. Then what's going to happen? Since you can't replenish your magical energy, will you disappear?"

"Yes. If I use up the magical energy I have, I will not be able to stay in this world."

"I have battled three times already since my summoning.

My healing ability is a regeneration magecraft, so magical energy consumption will increase if I take damage. ...Let me see, I used about ten mature magi's worth of magical energy last night."

"―――"

I'm astonished.

Magical energy is reduced every time she fights and there's no way to restore it.

If she already used up that much magical energy, how much longer can she stay in this world―――?

"Do you understand, Master?

So I must try to use my magical energy as little as possible. If no magical energy is provided, I must sleep and suppress my magical energy usage."

"Sleep... um, will your magical energy replenish if you sleep?"

"...I do not know. But at the very least, I will not consume any magical energy while I am asleep.

So I wish for you to allow me to sleep as much as possible. I will not be able to constantly protect you, but I would like you to understand that this is a measure necessary for us to win."

"Oh―――"

I sigh with relief.

...Thank God. If that's all it is, I'll accept all she wants.

"Of course that's all right. You can rest when you get tired. If that allows you to stay longer, that's so much better."

"Then I will sleep often from now on, so please do not leave the house while I am doing so. If you are attacked somewhere far from here, I will not be able to come and protect you immediately."

"It would be a different story if I could leap through space, but Servants with such an ability are rare.

To call me from a distant place would require backup from the Command Spell, so I would like you to try to stay near me."

"...Hm."

As much as I'd like to do that, I can't nod.

I can't imagine living with Saber, and most of all, I have my own life as well.

"...I'll try. But are you sure that's all?

If you sleep, you―――"

"It should not be a problem. I cannot be certain since this has never happened to me, but I did not fight even seven times last time. Even if I do not defeat them, other Servants defeat other Servants."

"I see. So not everyone has to fight all the other Servants. If all goes well, we can end this war pretty easily."

The only people I am going to fight are those with inhuman attitudes.

I'm sure that not all of the seven Masters are like that.

Tohsaka is ready to fight, but she would follow the rules of the magi.

So the five remaining Masters―――if they all have humane attitudes, I won't have to fight.

Saber said she didn't even fight seven times last time, so this time―――

"Huh?"

Hold on.

Even fight... seven times... last time?

"Hold on, Saber. Um, was it Saber too last time? No, I mean, were you in the last Holy Grail War as well...!?"

"This is the second time I have participated in the Holy Grail War.

I was Saber too at that time. There are heroic spirits that attribute to several classes, but I only correspond to the class of Saber."

"―――――"

Tohsaka mentioned...

That out of the seven, Saber is the most powerful Servant.

And this girl is saying she has become that twice in a row.

"Then... did you remain until the end last time?"

"Of course. I had no constraints last time, so I did not fall to any Servants."

Saber says this as if it's just something natural.

That makes me realize even more,

that I have been given a sword I do not deserve.

"...Geez. Then you must be full of complaints with someone like me as your Master."

"I only fulfill the duties given to me. If I can obtain the Holy Grail, I have no complaints about my Master."

"I see. That's a relief, but still―――"

She was undefeated last time, but she has already suffered two wounds this time.

In her condition, unable to replenish magical energy, she always has to think about her remaining magical energy.

The result of a battle with such a burden was...

...That image of her covered in blood.

"―――――"

That image is engraved in my mind.

The image of a girl smaller than me, covered miserably in blood.

"Shirou, such regret is useless."

"Huh―――?"

Saber's voice brings me back.

When I raise my head, Saber's expression is serious.

"It is not as if I suffered no defeat.

I am your Servant now because I did not fully win. I am used to taking wounds, so it is not something you should mourn over."

"Used to...? Even wounds close to fatal?"

"Yes. To wield a sword means to take injury as well. That should be the same for you too. There is no reason for just me to avoid harm."

"That's―――true. But are you saying that you don't mind getting hurt?"

"If it does not result in death. If I die, I will not be able to protect my Master."

"...What is that? So you're saying you don't mind getting hurt to protect your Master?"

"That is the role of the Servant.

...Rin's words are certainly correct. There is no need to treat Servants as humans. We are a tool to protect our Master. You must understand that."

Saying so, Saber walks to the sliding screen.

Beyond it is the side room.

This room was enough for me, so I never used it.

"I will be getting some sleep. I will wake up at dinnertime, so please let me know if you are going outside."

She quietly opens and closes the sliding door.

――We are a tool to protect our Master.

You must understand that―――

"...What is that?"

That pisses me off.

But I can't call out to her, so I just consider her words in my mind.

Scene 09 - Funny clothes

―――It should be about those clothes of hers.

"By the way Saber. I want to ask you something."

"Yes, what is it?"

"Where did you get those clothes? I was surprised that you were wearing something different from yesterday."

Actually, I'm still surprised.

"They are something Rin has prepared for me. Since I cannot turn into spirit form, she gave me these so that I would not attract attention."

"―――Oh, I see."

"What about them?"

"Well, yeah, um..."

I try to say they look good on her, but I stop myself.

If I said such a thing, I'd blush red as a tomato.

"Shirou?"

"Uh... um, well... yeah, um.... oh, yesterday's armor!

Yeah, I was wondering what happened to the armor you were wearing yesterday!"

"You do not need to worry about it. I have control of when I wear the armor, so I have it off while I am wearing these clothes.

That armor is woven by my magical energy. I can call it forth as it is needed."

"―――――"

I can only sigh in admiration.

...Anyways, it is true that she would draw attention in her armor.

So with the way Saber's dressed now, I should be able to persuade people in the neighborhood that she is a relative of Kiritsugu.

...Well, I would have to do so anyway.

Scene 10 - Saber`s circumstances

And then.

I hear the sound of something heavy falling at the door.

"Huh?"

I turn around, wondering what it was.

There...

is Tohsaka with a big bag at her feet.

"Huh―――?"

My mind freezes.

Tohsaka, who supposedly went home, is at my dojo, and she's wearing normal clothes for some reason, and why does she have that big bag―――?

"...Huh? What are you here for, Tohsaka?"

"I just went to go get my stuff from my house. It's natural, since I'll be living here from now on."

"Wha...!!!!?

L-Live... you mean you, living in my house...!!!?"

"That's what cooperation means. ...What did you think our talk was about earlier?"

"Uh―――――Uh."

I'm so surprised I can't speak.

Something. I have to say something back, or something terrible is going to happen, but my head will not function.

"Where is my room? If you don't have one prepared, I'll choose one myself."

Still, the unexpected invader mercilessly continues the discussion.

"Ah――― hold on, that's―――"

Isn't this bad, morally?

"Oh, why don't you prepare a room for her as well? Your Servant takes up space unlike my Archer, so you should give her a place to sleep. Well, I wouldn't mind if you guys shared the same bed."

Sharing the bed... that means sleeping in the same bed, right?

"Of course I won't! What are you saying while I'm not saying anything!? I wouldn't do such a thing, Saber is a girl...!"

"―――You're missing the point, but oh well. That's what Shirou says, Saber.

He says he doesn't like to be in the same room with a girl."

"......"

Not moving,

Saber makes a difficult face.

"That is not good, Shirou. Servants are to protect their Masters. The hours of sleep are the most crucial time for protecting you, so I cannot protect you unless I am in the same room."

"I'm in more trouble even if you say that! What are you thinking, are you two really girls!?"

"......"

Why?

Why are you two looking silently at me like that?

"...Hmm. Servants are Servants, so there's no need to treat them as humans. But I guess it's useless to tell Shirou that."

"――――"

My mouth, about to protest, stops.

The weird feeling I had when talking with Tohsaka in the living room returns.

―――Actually.

I've figured out the cause of this feeling.

"...Hold on, Tohsaka. Since when did you start calling me by my name?"

"Oh, am I? I wasn't really conscious of it, so it must have been a while ago."

"...It was. I think you've been calling me that for a while."

"I see. I'll be careful if you don't like that, but don't you like it?"

Tohsaka says so plainly, without realizing what I'm feeling.

...Geez, it's just like you said, Issei.

I think Tohsaka Rin is a real devil.

"...Fine. Call me whatever you like. I don't care, whichever you prefer is fine."

"Really? Then I'll do that."

"Rin, please do not end the conversation. We have not come up with a solution to the matter of the room for Shirou and I."

"Oh, of course, of course. But it'll be hard to stay in the same room with Shirou acting like that. There's no point in treating a Servant like a human, but why don't you give up since Shirou doesn't want it?"