VOLUME 4
Chapter 3
Ch3-1
…For the next two days after that, everything was peaceful. Staying inside the hideout would let them avoid unnecessary trouble, so Sieg wanted to spend time there idly—and ponder a vague thought he still couldn’t quite put into words.
But his Servant wouldn’t allow that.
“Come on, let’s go out and play!”
“Wait, what are you saying—!?”
And the holy maiden’s attempt at restraint was meaningless in the face of Rider. Rider of Black pulled them both along with him to his heart’s content.
They marched through the town and ate, went around the many famous tourist sites, and talked and laughed without minding the suspicious gazes of those they passed. Whenever they occasionally encountered trouble, Rider and Ruler dealt with it. Irritated people would smile wryly when the flawlessly cute Rider talked to them, and those who with ill intentions would run away hanging their heads after hearing Ruler’s reprimanding tone and words.
Sieg felt as if he was walking with a typhoon and an angel. It felt extremely safe, but also extremely tiring.
But he was only tired. And that weariness itself was extremely comforting.
“—Are you having fun?”
Rider asked him that, taking Sieg by surprise. For some reason, Ruler also stared intently at Sieg as if waiting for his answer.
Sieg replied.
“Of course I’m having fun.”
It was true that he felt a slight amount of smoldering impatience inside. He was anxious about the future, and dark clouds hanged over their destination. Naturally, he hadn’t forgotten about any of that. He hadn’t, but—
The sunlight was dazzling, the sky was clear and blue, and the people passing by were overflowing with energy and liveliness, for good or ill.
Just walking through such a place made his heart pound with excitement.
Sieg smiled, and Rider and Ruler nodded in satisfaction.
He didn’t know the reason for their reaction. Even when he asked why, the other two merely traded looks and giggled… It’s surely something good, Sieg thought.
—When it became nighttime, Sieg thought.
He wracked his brain over difficult questions over things he didn’t have an answer for, like human goodness, human evil and human instinct. He read books and sought the guidance of the other two people with him, but even with that, he still wracked his brains over the answers he couldn’t find.
And he also thought about Amakusa Shirou Tokisada.
“…Why is he trying to save humanity?”
Sieg suddenly murmured that while reading a book on a sofa in the living room.
“Hmm? Isn’t that because humans are sinful beings to him?”
Rider answered as if it were extremely obvious.
It was a simple answer, but Sieg also thought it was correct. Humans were sinful beings by nature, and that was precisely the reason Shirou was trying to save humanity. Though Sieg didn’t know how he intended to use the Greater Grail to bring it about—in any case, Shirou was filled with the sense of duty that he must save the sinful humanity.
“Then does Amakusa Shirou hate humans?”
“I don’t think so, though?”
While lying down on another sofa, Rider pointed at the book on Amakusa Shirou that Sieg had been absorbed in reading. It was a book he had brought from the Fortress of Millennia, thinking it might be useful somehow. Though Sieg had been bestowed knowledge about the other Servants, he wouldn’t be able to understand what kind of person the enemy’s leader was unless he tried to learn about him.
…If it was just a matter of fighting, there might not be a problem with not knowing. If he changed into the great hero Siegfried, he could probably defeat Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, who, in the end, was merely a saint from the Far East, in one blow.
But Sieg somehow felt that was wrong. Regardless of which side defeated the other, Sieg wanted to at least know about his opponent. Even if he could understand or agree with them, he should be aware of their existence and objectively know about their life.
Pulling the trigger to kill the enemy without knowing anything about them or their goal—Sieg felt that that alone was something he shouldn’t do.
Therefore, thought it was only vague details, he had learned about Amakusa Shirou Tokisada. And the more he learned, the less he understood.
If he was summoned as a normal Servant, then Sieg could understand. Even when he was summoned as Ruler, there probably hadn’t been any problems when it had been in the Far East.
According to the research of the Yggdmillennia magi, the Third Holy Grail War had apparently been extremely gruesome.
The armies of supposedly allied countries each moved secretly amidst the war along with the many participating magi—and by the time anyone realized it, it had developed into a massacre that no one could control.
In his first life, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada had witnessed the massacre of thirty-seven thousand people, and in his second life, he saw the hideous conflict between magi and armies.
“Shouldn’t it be impossible for him to like humans after that—?”
“…I don’t think so.”
Ruler suddenly spoke up from her own sofa where she sat. Rider and Sieg looked at her. Ruler murmured as if she were speaking to herself instead of them.
“If you live as a hero or a saint, you will naturally see both the ugly and beautiful sides of humans. Human evil, human goodness, or perhaps something that transcends either of them. No matter how much of the ugliness he saw, he wants to believe in the beautiful things. It’s precisely because he wants to continue liking humans that he wants to save them—that might be how he thinks.”
“…I see.”
That’s a reasonable conclusion, Sieg thought. But Rider objected while wriggling his feet on the sofa.
“But would he reach the conclusion of ‘saving humanity’ in that case? Hmm… like, wouldn’t he wish something like erasing bad humans and leaving only good humans?”
“That isn’t salvation, but selection. No saint or hero has the right to choose who should and shouldn’t be saved.”
Sieg titled his head curiously at Ruler’s words.
“But you yourself fought in the past, didn’t you? In order to protect your homeland and defeat the enemy. Isn’t that selecting the people who should be saved?”
“…Yes, that’s true. I don’t think that was mistaken. But even if it wasn’t mistaken, my actions were a ‘sin’. I didn’t think of myself as a saint; I’m merely a commonplace woman who heard God’s laments.”
Therefore, that wasn’t selection, but a choice. She had decided to save these people and destroy those people. That was the nature of how humans saved other humans.
One must never classify those who should be saved and those who shouldn’t from high above.
“Shirou Kotomine—Amakusa Shirou Tokisada should also understand that. He obtained the Greater Grail not for the sake of saving only those who should be saved, but to save all humans. However, that is a mistake. That’s precisely why I’m here.”
“A mistake… huh? Then, if it wasn’t a mistake, you would also choose that salvation of his?”
Ruler stiffened at Sieg’s question. The coffee cup in her hand trembled slightly.
“…Ruler?”
Hearing Sieg’s curious voice, Ruler frantically shook her head.
“N-No. It’s nothing… Yes, I think I would consider it if that salvation was perfect. But there is no such thing.”
“Right? It’s impossible! If there were such a thing, some much wiser guys in the past would have already done it! Living beings can’t live just being saved by others!”
“…Then does that apply to me who was saved by you?”
Rider glared at Sieg after he spoke.
“Geez! That’s not it! You weren’t saved. You simply saved yourself! I just helped a little! To reverse the question, would you have thought of escaping by yourself if you had known that you would eventually be saved?”
Sieg became at a loss for words.
…If he had known he would be saved for a fact, would he really have fought so desperately?
If he had known that someone would save him if he just waited—
“—That’s right. It’s certainly true that you were saved by Rider of Black, Sieg-kun. But when you consider the process until he did so, you were the one who saved yourself first. You shouldn’t disregard that.”
Sieg felt an emotion that was really hard to describe after hearing Ruler’s words. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling, but some odd emotion that mixed happiness and shame and tickled his heart somehow. Though he understood it was ‘embarrassment’, Sieg still took a little while to respond.
“…Is that so?”
“It is, it is.”
While saying that, Rider picked up some Yakigashi1.
“Oh, strawberry. What luck!”
“Muu. Rider, haven’t you been eating nothing but the strawberry-flavored ones since earlier?”
Ruler glared at him. The sweets that she had bought along with coffee so they could enjoy it together were drastically decreasing in the strawberry-flavored ones due to Rider’s very specific eating preferences.
“I’m just randomly grabbing from the pile… Oh, another strawberry.”
“A-Aren’t they all gone now!? Rider, you! Gluttony is a grave sin!”
“I-It’s fine! The chocolate ones are also tasty! I’m going to bed, good night!”
Perhaps sensing his disadvantage here, Rider suddenly went into spiritual form and ran away.
“Geez…”
While watching all this, Sieg grabbed one of the chocolate-flavored sweets. Putting his dulled sense of taste to work, he managed to taste the chocolate.
“I think it’s plenty tasty.”
“Yes…”
He threw one of the sweets to her as she acted downhearted. When she ate it, Ruler’s cheeks loosened into a happy smile.
“Ah, it’s like I’m falling into decadence…”
“…I think you’ve already plenty falling into decadence when it comes to eating, though. No, sorry. That was a slip of the tongue.”
When Sieg reflexively pointed that out, Ruler pouted.
“This is a unique form of summoning for me, so it can’t be helped. Besides, my calorie consumption is quite fierce, so she doesn’t have to worry about getting fat either.”
“She? …Ah, you mean Laeticia.”
Ruler—Jeanne d’Arc—had been summoned using the girl known as Laeticia as a core.
“Yes. She’s a very good girl.”
The instant the topic turned to Laeticia, Ruler’s expression relaxed.
“I would think so. Even if she isn’t fighting, she has the necessary character to follow you into this situation.”
“Yes. Though she seems to have become interested in something else—”
Ruler smiled in amusement. Something else… Certainly, amidst the unbelievable fantasies of the Great Holy Grail War, magecraft and most of all Servants, an ordinary person could easily become interested in any of them.
“Ah, I know. You’re surely misunderstanding, Sieg-kun.”
“…Did you read my mind?”
Sieg tilted his head in confusion, making Ruler smile all the more.
“Yes. After all, what she’s become charmed by is—!?”
Before she could say any more, Ruler covered her mouth with her own hands.
“What’s wrong?”
“N-No. It’s nothing. More importantly, Sieg-kun, would you like to talk with Laeticia? We’re not in a pressing situation right now, after all.”
Sieg tilted his head curiously at Ruler’s question. Even if she asked if he would like to talk, it would actually be his first time meeting her.
“I felt like she kept her distance when I first met you, but is it all right to talk with her?”
He didn’t mind being hated, but he wouldn’t force someone who hated him to talk—so Sieg tried to be considerate of Laeticia.
“It’s fine!”
—Ruler suddenly stood up and shouted loudly. Sieg stared at her in puzzlement, and Ruler covered her mouth with a shocked expression.
Silence. After a while, Ruler sat back down on the sofa.
“…Could it be that you’re Laeticia?”
When Sieg asked that, she tried to feebly shake her head—but then nodded.
Her expression was somehow helpless, unable to calm down. The way she anxiously clenched her hands was certainly like that of an ordinary girl that could be found anywhere.
“Umm, yes. That’s right, I’m… Laeticia.”
“Nice to meet you, sort of, I guess.”
Laeticia smiled and nodded at Sieg’s words. Her smile seemed a bit sad to Sieg.
“Yes, nice to meet you, Sieg-san. I’m truly glad to have gotten the chance to properly meet you. I’ve only watched you up until now, after all.”
“I see. Umm… are you all right with me? Sorry, that was vague. Err…”
Laeticia giggled and nodded at Sieg’s ambiguous question.
“No, it’s not a problem. It’s just that, how to put it… I was nervous before. It’s fine now. I’ve been watching Sieg-san for a while.”
She displayed a soft smile that was slightly different from that of Ruler—even though their facial features were exactly the same, the atmosphere they gave off was clearly different from each other.
“Then that’s good… But you’ve really gotten dragged into something serious.”
Someone who lived a normal life had suddenly been possessed by a saint one day. Moreover, she got involved in a war over the Holy Grail and witnessed cruelty that one normally wouldn’t be able to endure seeing.
Even if she could simply put her mind to sleep inside, there were probably times when she saw things she didn’t want to see.
“The holy maiden Jeanne-sama treats me very preciously. Besides, truth be told, my heart is dancing with excitement a little as well.”
“You heart is… dancing?”
Sieg tilted his head curiously, and Laeticia nodded.
“Umm, I realize it’s imprudent of me—but, I was someone who didn’t know about magecraft or anything really until now. If Jeanne-sama hadn’t descended upon me, I probably would have lived my entire life without knowing any of it.”
She clasped her hands together as if in prayer and continued to speak.
“But I was able to learn through this experience. I’ve met heroes who are only told of in myths and legends face to face. Whether they be enemies or allies, it’s all been a precious experience for someone ordinary like me. And I also, umm, got to meet… you too, Sieg-san.”
“…It’s true that homunculi are a rare sight.”
After some thought, Sieg nodded in understanding—and Laeticia’s became downcast at those words.
“It’s not because you’re a homunculus. It’s because you’re Sieg-san.”
“…Hmm.”
Sieg tilted his head. His reaction, which could only be described as naivety itself, showed how he just didn’t understand.
Laeticia thought.
This person dispassionately assessed his ‘personal’ value to a frightening degree. He was a Master, the Servant Saber of Black, and a homunculus that could use magecraft. And he probably thought he was nothing else besides those things.
He treated his kindness towards others, his bravery which didn’t lose to that of heroes and everything else about him—as non-existent. He thought it was natural for anyone to have those qualities.
Laeticia found that unbearably sad.
“…Umm, Ruler… No, Laeticia.”
Laeticia raised her face. Sieg stared at Laeticia with a serious gaze. He straightened his back and looked straight at her.
“Did I say something rude to you?”
“Huh? Umm, why do you think that—?”
“No, it’s just that you were looking at me sadly. Ruler would probably correct me or get angry if I did something rude. But right now you’re Laeticia. I thought you might get sad instead in such a case, but is that wrong?”
So it’s like that, Laeticia thought. She became saddened again, but immediately understood.
In the end, this was something that had to be conveyed with words. Because Sieg couldn’t see that which anyone could naturally understand or boast of in the depths of their hearts.
This might be her best chance.
Be brave, she reprimanded herself.
If she didn’t say it here, she might never get to say it—Laeticia hated the thought of that.
“No, that’s not it. I… That’s right, I simply don’t want you to make light of yourself, Sieg-san. Umm, I’ll only say it once, okay?”
“Sure.”
Laeticia sucked in a deep breath, leaned forward and spoke to Sieg.
“Sieg-san, even without being a Master, Servant or magus, you are a truly wonderful person just for being yourself.”
Those words left Sieg with a dumbfounded expression for a little while. Laeticia nodded in satisfaction and then quietly closed her eyes—
“—I also think so, Sieg-kun. And I pray that you’ll eventually think of yourself that way as well.”
Ruler lightly patted his hand. Completely dumbfounded, Sieg nodded vaguely. Ruler hoped that Laeticia’s words would act as some kind of impetus and help him understand little by little.
“I—”
Sieg couldn’t continue his sentence.
He questioned the world, he questioned humans and he questioned good and evil. But he still hadn’t questioned himself. If he continued questioning the world while remaining empty inside—he would probably one day conclude that he was a worthless being.
The value of his life wasn’t something to be decided by others; he had to decide it for himself. And when he acknowledged his own value, it would help form the path Sieg would walk.
Ruler wanted to believe that. She wanted to protect him. Even if they wouldn’t walk alongside each other, if she could at least help him find his path—
“…”
She was hit by a headache similar to vertigo. You have no right to speak of dreams, a voice growled inside her mind.
You brought him here—you led this homunculus to the battlefield as if it were completely natural. By the Lord’s will.
“Ruler, what’s wrong?”
Sieg asked her worriedly, and Ruler frantically shook her head.
“It’s nothing,” she answered, and Sieg then fell into deep thought once again. Watching that, Ruler thought once more.
—I certainly brought him here.
She didn’t know what would happen next. But she had a responsibility. Ruler bore responsibility for not having made him run away.
As such, she would continue to protect him… even if she had to wager her own life to do so.
As she swore that within her heart, Ruler felt relieved. She could wager her life for him. She felt relieved at that part of herself.
There was one thing that she didn’t notice… These feelings that seemed to burn her body from the inside out consisted of not just guilt.
Laeticia found that sad. Even if she pointed it out to her with words, the holy maiden probably wouldn’t acknowledge it. And by the time she did acknowledge it, it likely would be far too late.
Thus, the final night would end with everyone passing their time peacefully.
—The night wore on.
Archer of Black clenched a fist and raised it towards the starry sky above.
He wasn’t thinking of his coming opponent as his former student. The enemy was a great and matchless hero, the strongest warrior Achilles, who ran across the battlefield over the course of the Trojan War—
His heart cheered. And at the same time, he resolved himself. There was no proof he could win even if he fought Achilles in perfect form. When he considered it coolly, Archer was at a 7:3 disadvantage. Achilles’ spear was certainly swift. Even if Archer completely grasped his abilities and habits in battle, the possibility that he couldn’t process the data fast enough in real time was extremely likely.
Moreover, that was based on the assumption of first annulling the disadvantage of his foothold and his opponent not using his chariot.
To bring about such a convenient development, considerable luck and planning was necessary.
But that was precisely why Archer engraved the fact that he had to win in his heart. Because victory was the final lesson he could teach to his Master.
How strange, he thought with a smile. He would never have thought he would pass the final night feeling so calm. Only one pair could win in a normal Holy Grail War.
In such a situation where it would be natural for him to die amidst regret, he was lucky to have fortuitously met so many comrades—unbelievably so.
We’ll definitely win.
With his heart full of overflowing feelings, Archer of Black reflected upon that simple conclusion.
—The night wore on.
Rider of Black slept. He slept regardless of the fact that he was a Servant. He fell asleep despite not needing to. And he saw a dream.
Naturally, it was a dream of his Master.
…However, Sieg’s life was so short and condensed it was only a fleeting twinkle. The first person he met soon after being born was none other than Rider of Black himself.
And so, Rider met himself as he watched Sieg’s past.
He felt Sieg’s feelings and thoughts as he watched. He experienced just how happy Sieg had felt when Rider appeared—and said he would save him.
Ah, I’ll protect you, I’ll protect you, I’ll protect you, I want you to become happy!
Rider’s heart danced. Rider had forgotten that they would part soon… or rather, he blocked it off from his thoughts. He understood. It would surely be painful and sad.
If Rider could physically incarnate, he would be able to stay by Sieg’s side, but that was quite difficult. Whether or not they managed to get back the Greater Grail, there was no telling whether it would be able to grant a wish at that point.
But, he could vaguely tell—it was already too late for that. His instincts were quite reliable at times like these.
So, for now, let’s only think of fun things. I’ll do my best as a Servant. Rider thus swore.
His chest was hot and his head swirled with formless thoughts, and that was why he could understand as he became unbearably excited.
He would fight with his life on the line for his Master. He couldn’t help but feel happy about that.
As he surrendered himself to sleep, Rider of Black’s lips slackened into a slight smile.
—The night wore on.
It was late at night. Unable to sleep, Caules absentmindedly gazed at the courtyard outside from his window. His human eyes could only faintly make out the contour of things in the darkness at best. But he managed to make out the silhouette of the rubble that hadn’t yet been cleaned up outside.
Caules had often watched his Servant from here. She had usually followed him everywhere from behind, but the only independent action she took was flower picking in the courtyard.
Though it was only a few days ago, it felt nostalgic to him, and he hated himself for feeling that way.
At the same time, he was surprised at how clearly he recalled that scene. Within their scarce conversations, Caules had only once asked Berserker of Black a certain question.
“I thought you would have hated flowers?”
She had tilted her head, as if not comprehending what he had said. Caules had smiled bitterly—perhaps that was only natural. The episode about her throwing flowers into a lake was only a fictional production from a movie.
When he apologized and told her to forget about it, Berserker had nodded and began engrossing herself in flower fortune-telling once more. Holding the peeled petals in her hands, she then stood up and threw them up towards the sky.
The flower petals had danced downwards on a gentle breeze.
It only lasted an instant—but that scene was vividly engraved in his mind. She had seemed unbearably ephemeral as she stood there amidst the falling petals.
He should have talked with her a bit more. Anything would have been fine, about the things they each liked, the things they each hated; he should have talked with her about anything without reserve. Even if she couldn’t exchange words, she should have been able to convey something in her own way.
But she was no longer here. Caules had let her die in an manner that was the same as if he had killed her with his own hands.
The piece of rubble that was stabbed into the ground of the flowerbed couldn’t help but look like some kind of gravestone to him. And then his thoughts began to turn into an even worse direction.
“Idiot, stop it.”
He knocked his head. He didn’t have the time to be soaking in sentimentality. Everything would end tomorrow night. He didn’t even know whether he would be alive then.
But—he still had a responsibility as a Master. Even if his Command Spells were gone and his Servant had vanished, Caules had participated in the Great Holy Grail War by his own will and fought by his own will.
So he would ascertain the outcome right to the very end, as far as he could go. Those were the shackles Caules had placed on himself.
“…Let’s sleep.”
Caules decided to try sleeping even if he had to force himself. Naturally, he had stimulant-type herbs and spells at hand, but those were only for use in emergencies or when his research was making progress. If he managed to fall asleep, then that was fine. Still, he’d had the Magic Crest transplanted into him not long ago. His body was hot and in pain, so he wouldn’t be able to sleep well anyway.
Additionally, there were also spells and herbs for preventing nightmares. Should I use one?—Caules wavered over it a little, but decided not to in the end.
He accepted the nightmares about the past and the near future without running away. He knew it was terribly self-righteous of him, but he believed he should face at least this much.
Caules fell asleep, while praying that he and, most of all, his sister would manage to get through tomorrow safely.
—The night wore on.
Unlike her brother, Fiore decided not to sleep. Part of it was that she had trouble falling asleep, but she was also scared of seeing dreams. Her resolve was like soft pudding—it would collapse with the slightest shake.
Unlike usual, Archer was still in materialized form at this hour.
“There’s something I want to think about while maintaining this physical body for a while.”
It wasn’t that large of a burden on her, so Fiore had gladly allowed it. Most likely, he was thinking on a castle lookout not far from here right now.
Fiore thought about Archer. Even though tomorrow would be their final farewell, she felt strangely calm.
Only, she felt an indescribable sense of transience, feeling that something precious was gradually getting further away. Was it because she would give up magecraft after tomorrow, because of her coming parting with Archer, or was it perhaps both? She thought about it absentmindedly.
Before she had transplanted the Magic Crest, she had thought it would be fine this way.
Immediately after the transplant, she felt regret and worry over the fact that she might have done something terrible.
And now, her feelings wavered little by little like a pendulum.
She had thought about discussing it with Archer. About how she might be regretting her choice. But she stopped herself from doing so. This wasn’t something she should speak of in this situation. Most of all, her Servant seemed like he would give advice without changing expression at all right now.
—She would do her best on her own.
It was quite disheartening, but also something precious. A person’s life was a path chosen even amidst a repetition of regrets. Those regrets would also probably melt away little by little every day.
But even so, she would continuously make new regrets one after another. She would forget them, cover them up, and live while always glossing them over—Ah, how human of her that was.
There were only three things in her life that she had decided to never regret.
The first was how she had loved that dog. Its irritated expression when she washed it in the shower and cleaned off the dirt. Its softened expression when it dried in the hot wind. The way it wagged its tail when she patted its head—its final days were precious memories to her no matter how tragic it was.
The second was her summoning and meeting Chiron as Archer of Black. It was one of the few events she could proudly call a success in all regards in her life.
The third was having learned magecraft… She had enjoyed it. It wasn’t depressing or completely pointless. The joy she felt when she successfully used spells burned in her chest even now.
She would be able to live proudly with just the memory of that alone.
Even if she lamented what she lost, she still felt pride over having once had something more precious to her than anything else.
“Ah, but I might die tomorrow.”
She murmured that aloud to herself, and then giggled. Naturally, she would feel regret if she died—but she felt like she would be able to take pride in it even if she only managed to make a single step forward.
Without sleeping, Fiore quietly waited for tomorrow.
VOLUME 4
Chapter 3
Ch3-2
—The night wore on.
Saber of Red and Shishigou Kairi had left Bucharest and were heading by car to Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Force base, which lay about three hundred kilometers away from the city.
The items Shishigou had requested through the Association of Magi were there. They would no longer return to Bucharest, as their plan was to head to the battlefield next—in other words, to the Hanging Gardens.
The driver Shishigou and Saber of Red in the passenger seat rode the car without exchanging any words. As some melancholy country music flowed out from the car radio, neither of them felt any awkwardness at the silence between them. Saber thought that in itself was strange.
When she’d been alive, she’d never experienced such a silence with anyone else. In most cases, people ran from her, she stood up to take action, or she and the other party hated each other to the point that they were on the verge of killing each other.
There was no one who had let their guard down with her, and there was no one she had let her guard down with. She had thought that was what life, what a knight and what the being known as Mordred was.
“…Hey.”
“Hmm, what?”
She didn’t even find his curt way of talking all that irritating. There were very few cars on the road right now, and even the few sounds on the road merely emphasized the calm and silence.
“…Hey, I said, what is it?”
Shishigou voice was dubious—speaking of which, she had merely called out to him without any question in mind. Perhaps she had merely thought, Now then, what should I ask?
“Ah… I forgot what it was.”
After turning silent again for a little while, Shishigou tilted his head in confusion and muttered.
“…That happens a lot to humans, but does the same apply to Servants?”
“It does, doesn’t it? After all, we’re so real that this is called our second life. Thought we don’t need to eat or sleep.”
“And yet you eat quite a lot—”
“Shut up. That’s not because I’m hungry, but because I’m curious about the taste.”
“As expected of someone born on the island known for having the worst cooking.”
“Stop it with the insults I can’t refute, Master.”
She continued talking with him about this worthless topic even while thinking it was worthless. It was fun, so fun that it made her think it would be even more fun if they had alcohol too.
Why hadn’t she been able to talk like with anyone during her life—? It was obvious; it was because her father hadn’t. As the one who would succeed her father, she couldn’t do anything that her father didn’t.
But the things that her father hadn’t done were so fun.
Did her father never converse with others because it was fun? Or because her father didn’t find it fun? Or did her father merely think it was unnecessary?
It might be all of those reasons. Her father always looked too far ahead. Her father had freely devoted all efforts to build a peaceful country.
Naturally, her father’s knights had always devoted their efforts to that cause. But they were too short-sighted. Though it was necessary to first make a foundation in order to build a castle, they didn’t understand that and merely asked for the castle.
Or perhaps it was the opposite. They were unable to understand what their efforts in the present would bring in the future.
To dry up a village within their territory was a callous and cruel act… They didn’t move a single step from that viewpoint. They didn’t see the victory that lay beyond it. That was only natural; the possibility that they would lose if they didn’t dry up their own territory was merely a hypothetical future.
Naturally, the king had explained to them. They had heard the king’s words that the village was being sacrificed for the sake of victory. But—
—Maybe, maybe they could have won even without drying up their villages?
When they thought like that, distrust towards the king always took root in them… After all, it had been none other than the Knight of Rebellion herself who had said that to instigate them.
The king was isolated, the king was alone—that was a natural, unmistakable fact.
But… maybe it would have been better to talk to each other.
If they had been frank with each other and deepened their mutual understanding, maybe a different path would have appeared—
“What’s with you, suddenly turning silent?”
“Shut up. A future king like me has a lot of worries that ordinary people can’t understand.”
“Yeah, yeah, the imperial court magus will be quiet now.”
When Shishigou said that, Saber of Red suddenly imagined it—Shishigou wearing a robe that just emphasized his suspicious appearance and bending his back like an old man.
She couldn’t help bursting out with laughter.
“It doesn’t suit you at all! It’s no good, Master! You should start by rectifying that fact of yours first.”
“Hey, don’t say things about other people’s faces. Despite how it seems, I’m sensitive about this frightening appearance of mine!”
Saber of Red was a little surprised by those words—and then she realized again. It was a trivial detail, but she had once again learned something new about the person known as Shishigou Kairi.
Just by spending a few days together, she had learned a ton of facts about someone else. How much would she have learned about others if she talked with them during her life?
If she had talked with the king—would she have been able to understand the king?
Even though it was already in the far past, she couldn’t help but regretfully think that way.
“…Are we there yet?”
“Just a little longer. I know you’re bored, but—”
“No, I’m not bored. More importantly, talk to me more, Master. Talk about something trivial and worthless.”
Shishigou smiled bitterly at her pestering tone.
In truth, they still had a long way to go. He was worried that she would be bored, but if she was satisfied just by talking, then that was perfect.
“Can’t be helped. Then let me tell you the story of a man I met on a certain battlefield—”
The Master Shishigou spoke of a trivial tale, and the Servant Saber laughed as she listened to that trivial tale, and then recounted her own few absurd stories from when she was a knight.
This might be the last time I laugh, Saber thought.
She wasn’t scared of dying, and she would feel no despair even if her wish wasn’t granted. She would merely say “That’s how it is” with a light sigh and shrug.
Even if the two of them were blessed with luck in every aspect, made a perfect battle strategy, thoroughly displayed their abilities and got the Holy Grail, their parting would still eventually come.
“…Hey, Master. Is parting sad?”
As a slight urge of weakness sprouted in her, she involuntarily asked that question. She already expected his answer. ‘Parting isn’t sad. If people have memories, they can live on.’
Shishigou, of course, betrayed her expectations when he replied.
“Of course it’s sad. All the more so if it’s an eternal separation. Listen, Saber. To part with someone means you can’t talk with them. Being unable to talk with them means you’ll eternally lose the chance to understand each another. No matter how strongly you’re connected to them—as they fade away into the flow of time, the things you remember about them will also disappear.”
“Then meeting other is pointless?”
“Completely pointless. If we were perfect beings, we wouldn’t need to meet anyone else in the first place. The reason we meet and talk with others is in order to try and fill something we lack within ourselves. But sadly, we’re far from perfect. That’s why we have to fill up our feelings of loneliness by encountering others. In other words—encountering others is a luxury. If you think of it that way, you can endure meeting even the most unpleasant of people.”
“…What contrary logic.”
Saber’s amazed voice made Shishigou heartily laugh. Indeed, what he said wasn’t mistaken. It was a trivial conversation without any potential for anymore more, an act that wasted time in a completely pointless manner.
It was such a luxury, such precious time spent—
All the more so for a Servant. Normally, a Servant would only fight, fight and fight until everything was over, after all.
“So well, let’s enjoy this luxury while we have the chance. Now then, back to my story—”
Shishigou continued talking—and she listened to that trivial story while closing her eyes.
—The night wore on.
Like Rider of Black and Caster of Red, Archer of Red didn’t like going into spiritual form very much. She preferred perceiving the feel and smell of the earth.
There was practically none of the smell of iron which she hated in the Hanging Gardens, but she couldn’t sniff the smell of trees or earth either. And most of all, she couldn’t hear the laughter of children here.
Since the dawn of history, the ones who were most exploited in this world were children. Many children simply cried and died without ever being able to smile and laugh.
Each time she thought that, Archer was struck by despair strong enough to tear out her heart. The world should have been simple. A world where all children laughed only required adults to give a little concern and help.
And yet they trampled over, abused and never gave love to the young ones born into this world, who they should have been considered half of themselves.
Having once been one of those children, Archer could understand quite well. How cruel and painful it was. And also—how joyous it felt to have her pleading hand grasped by someone else.
“—That’s right. That’s why I won’t deny you all. I’ll accept you. I’ll love you. I’ll truly love you all.”
Looking at her discolored right arm, Archer smiled. The vengeful spirits continued to whisper.
Kill, kill, kill, kill everyone, kill every last one of them.
…It was abnormal. Low-class vengeful spirits could only repeat the desires from when they were alive. If they wanted to ‘return’, they would continue to earnestly seek to return. Even if a hundred or a thousand years passed, as long as they existed as spirits, that wouldn’t change.
But the vengeful spirits possessing Archer’s right arm had changed their wish. Was it born from Archer of Red’s own desire, or was it because the vengeful spirits actually understood Archer’s love and hatred? Even Archer herself didn’t know.
She was certain of only one thing.
Her wish was absolutely correct, and the fates of the children in the world hanged in the balance. She couldn’t afford to lose. Even if—she became a beast that froze the hearts of those who saw her.
That’s right, she had that power. Not her power as a hero, but the power of a Monstrous Beast of punishment sent by the gods—but if it was for the sake of these children, she would happily become a beast.
So just wait a little longer. It’s all right, I’ll gladly become the cornerstone for you all.
She whispered while holding her right arm closely.
Her right arm replied to Archer’s words with a faint “Thank you”. At the very least, she [heard] it.
As long as she had this voice, she could fight. She could kill. She could trample over all obstacles and destroy all evil.
Even if she was exterminated as a monster, she would let herself fall into destruction while smiling—
—The night wore on.
Rider of Red took the ‘poisonous serpent’ stance with his spear. It was an effective style where he held the middle part of the handle and could use quick thrusts while warding off the enemies attacks. He aimed at the stomach of his enemy, Chiron, with that stance.
However, the attack was avoided quite naturally by the enemy screwing his body with a side step.
The enemy saw through Rider’s movements. The moment he took this stance, the enemy understood where he would aim.
—How should he respond as he pitched forward in readiness? After remaining vigilant for a counter and dodging to the left or right, the enemy used a punch or kick. There was an 80% chance the enemy would do a roundhouse kick and attack at the same time as he twisted his torso; that was the most logical course of action. That’s why, now that he was pitching forward, the enemy would be forced to aim at his head. How should he defend himself? He could draw back his spear and thrust it again… but it wouldn’t make it in time. He could lower his head and dodge… but that would cause his stance to collapse even further.
Cut and retry.
He resolutely set up his first move by jumping and then thrusting—Retry.
He tried to thrust after tripping his enemy up—Retry.
He swiped his spear horizontally, turned around as the attack was blocked and swiped his spear again. He aimed at the knees and thrusted downwards—No good. Retry.
“Damn it, nothing works.”
Rider of Red closed his eyes with a sigh. His palms were soaked with sweat. The back of his neck was cold, and his entire body hurt as if he’d actually been punched and kicked everywhere.
Rider was imagining a hypothetical one-on-one battle against Archer of Black in a situation where they were on a flat field without any obstacles.
In the end… he had gone over five battles, and made mistakes and lost each time. As long as he fought with the spear that Archer had taught him how to use, all his combos were seen through. Additionally, Archer’s power of observation was practically on the level of future sight. If Rider tried to use a surprise attack, Archer would read it and deal him a counterattack.
Naturally, the situation wasn’t as bad as it seemed. The way Rider lunged with his spear was truly divine speed incarnate. Even if his attacks were seen through, they couldn’t all be avoided. In the hypothetical battle just now, he had fought in a situation where his speed was not taken into account.
But he couldn’t say for sure that it wouldn’t actually go that way. Archer of Black’s skills knew no depth. He was perfectly balanced in all aspects; that was precisely why all heroes sought to be trained by him. Moreover, Servants were summoned in the form of their prime. Though his appearance was human, his stats were of that when the being known as Chiron was at his most perfect.
If he ignored all their feelings and bonds in the coming battle and simply considered and compared their respective power, Archer of Black was the enemy wanted to fight the least. Therefore, Rider always imagined the worst situation as he fought—and continued to lose each time.
“…I feel like I keep making a mistake right from the first move.”
Since his opponent had greater battle power than him, making a mistake right from the start was fatal. Since they both knew almost all of each other’s moves, he could tell the fight would end in this manner by logically thinking it through.
Since both of them moved completely logically, the first one to make a mistake would lose.
However, there was a strong possibility that such a situation wouldn’t occur. The only thing that the Black camp had which could deal with his chariot was the other Rider’s Hippogriff. His opponent couldn’t fly no matter how he struggled.
These conditions wouldn’t be overturned unless something significant was done.
But on the other hand, the enemy should also be desperate to overturn this situation. The Black camp might use a plan that he himself couldn’t think of.
In that case, his opponent would definitely aim for him. He knew that since he would definitely do the same if he were in the same position.
That was because he possessed a body that couldn’t be harmed except by those with divine blood—and “he” was the only Servant on the other side who had divine blood.
…No, such reasons didn’t matter.
Rider knew. His quivering muscles, creaking bones and boiling cells whispered to him.
—The one to fight that man will be you.
—You are the only one who has the right to fight him.
It wasn’t that he wanted to kill his opponent. He didn’t hate him either. This was a pure contest of strength; he wouldn’t hate his opponent even if he lost, and he wouldn’t bear a grudge even if he was killed.
He just wanted to fight him, to swing his clenched fists, to kick and to pierce him with his spear.
How strong was he compared to the teacher he had once loved and respected? He wanted to show him. In life, he had been extolled as a hero by everyone. But his teacher had never seen his exploits after their final parting.
He was proud.
Just like other heroes such as Heracles and Jason, he was incredibly proud of having been taught by Chiron. And yet, his teacher had always merely smiled calmly. He felt no pride in granting wisdom and strength to young heroes like Achilles. Neither did he feel jealous of them for being praised as heroes.
“Of course. Even without me, they would have naturally become heroes on their own eventually. I merely gave them a little push from behind. But you know, Achilles. That act… that act of giving them a little push is something I take great pride in—”
Chiron had once said that to Achilles when he was young. This might be a thought that suddenly came to Achilles at that time. Or perhaps it was something he always thought about while he was being taught—
Achilles thought to himself that Chiron, who continued to teach and guide others, had never once fought seriously.
And at the same time, he also thought that he wanted to drag out his great teacher’s—full power.
The Great Holy Grail War truly was a miracle unto itself.
Depending on the situation, they both might not be able to display their power to perfection.
But that moment would come. It would definitely come. Rider intended to devote this final remaining day to training.
The night wore on, and the sun would soon rise again. But Rider continued to glare through the darkness without closing his eyes.
Error, retry, miss, retry.
Rider of Red continued to repeat hundreds of battles in order to take down Archer of Black—
—The night wore on.
In a small spring within the confines of the Hanging Gardens which ruled the sky, Lancer of Red bathed himself out of habit. Naturally, Servants had no need to clean themselves, but his habits from when he was alive wouldn’t go away.
Karna silently washed his body while gazing at the mysterious phenomenon of the water flowing upstream.
In contrast to his magnificent armor and dazzling spear, Karna preferred the simple life.
In the first place, he himself had never wished for his armor or spear. His armor was given to him due to his mother’s supplication to the gods, and he received his spear in exchange for giving up his armor.
The reason he had lived after being abandoned by his mother was due to the power humbly bestowed upon him by his father and the armor he had received thanks to his mother.
He always lived without ever sullying his father’s name.
That guiding principle of his hadn’t changed even now in his second life. So naturally, he had to obey his Master as a Servant. Lancer of Red refused to commit any act that would sully his father’s name.
However, his Master had already been restrained even before Lancer had been summoned, a problem that went beyond merely the matter of how he acted.
His Master continued to view a dream with empty eyes. He couldn’t communicate with him, and there was no chance of mutual understanding. The only thing Lancer understood from his ramblings was that his Master mistakenly thought that he had obtained the Holy Grail.
Knowing that was enough for Lancer. He would obtain the Holy Grail and grant his Master’s wish… Of course, he knew full well how difficult that would be to accomplish.
He probably wouldn’t manage to get it. The Holy Grail was right before his eyes, but this wasn’t a situation where he would take it away that easily, and most of all—Lancer of Red’s Master had been changed to Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, the one who currently possessed the Grail.
He had no intention of betraying his former Master, but he couldn’t go against Shirou. He was completely cornered in every direction.
However, such a situation was par for the course for Karna, the Hero of Charity. He held no grudge against his former Master or his current Master Shirou.
He merely did what he could within the range of actions that were available to him.
He merely give the things that were asked from him as long as it was possible.
And he always accepted everything solemnly no matter the result.
—No, perhaps not quite everything.
Lancer of Red recalled the one thing he had continued to obsess over.
There was person, one hero in this world that had continued to stir up Karna’s heart.
His name was Arjuna. ‘Kiritin: The Shining Diadem’, ‘Vijaya: The Victor’, ‘Dhananjaya: The Prosperous One’—he was a man who had various names and was loved by all.
If Karna was a man who had everything taken from him in exchange for his spear and armor, Arjuna was a man who had received everything with no compensation in return.
Was the emotion Karna held within him envy? Or was it something else entirely?
Karna had never known the answer to that right until the very end. After all, as someone who had never envied anything or anyone, he had been unable to concretely put a name to the feelings that stirred his heart.
…Soon after this Great Holy Grail War began, he had received another chance to find out.
Saber of Black—Lancer could tell that that man held traces of Arjuna somewhere in him. When he heard of his true name from Shirou Kotomine afterwards, Lancer had understood the reason for that.
The tragic hero from a royal bloodline who had obtained wealth, prestige and everything else—Siegfried.
But unlike Arjuna, his end was terribly tragic.
An untimely death due to a sneak attack. Without even the time to swing his dragon-slaying sword, the invincible Siegfried had his only weak point attacked and lost his life.
Karna thought of all the various Heroic Spirits participating in the Great Holy Grail War as unique and rare beings.
He thought of his allies as comrades to work with and his enemies as rare warriors of valor. In that sense, Karna ‘comprehended’ the other Heroic Spirits more deeply than anyone else.
But the only one he held a personal interest in was Saber of Black. Though they had exchanged few words, Lancer had glimpsed into the man after exchanging hundreds and thousands of blows with their respective weapons.
A man who was very similar to Arjuna, but at the same time hungered for something.
A man who held no regrets over his untimely end, but instead sought something new.
And—a just hero, so evident that anyone could tell. He had wished to fight Lancer of Red once more and saw him as an enemy that must be defeated. That was the greatest honor and joy for a warrior like Lancer.
That battle, and that promise. Had there ever been anything else that made him boil so much with excitement before? He felt gratitude for the actions and warm conversations of humans. But that was far removed from ‘selfishness’. He had never possessed a desire and joy that made him seethe.
But he found it on the battlefield. Now that he thought back, Karna had only encountered joy on the battlefield. His entire existence was focused on the tip of his spear. It was the only instant where he was released from the thoughts of the people he allied with and could freely run forth as his ‘bared self’.
The sparks of clashing weapons were twinkling stars to Karna. A worthy enemy who could easily push back his bared self and told him to give it his all. Thought it was arrogant of him, it was enough to make him think that his entire life had been for the sake of tasting the joy of that moment. That’s why, when Saber of Black disappeared, when the prospects of another fight vanished in the empty sky, Lancer had felt unspeakable regret.
Saber of Black had disappeared.
But—he still hadn’t died. Lancer didn’t know the reason behind it, but Saber was still in this world even now.
In that case… their promise was also still valid.
Naturally, Lancer understood that ‘he’ was a being far removed from Saber of Black. Lancer understood that ‘he’ was a being who had been born with everything taken away from him, even more so than Lancer, and yet still struggled to live.
But a promise was a promise. It couldn’t be changed. Back then, Karna and Siegfried had wagered each other’s lives, battled with deadly technique and put off the conclusion for later.
—They had sworn on their names to definitely fight and unleash their utmost power against each other. It was a trust founded on their very lives. To break it would be equal to insulting that man’s life.
He had surely entrusted something to the one who had now become Saber of Black. Lancer believed that ascertaining that was would tie to the promise they’d made.
Thus, Lancer of Red lived, in order to protect his Master to the end of the war and fulfill his promise with Saber of Black.
Chapter 3
Ch3-3
—It didn’t feel like nighttime at all to me.
The calm air became filled with a heavy heat, burning my skin.
—Here again?
I touched the coarse rock surface with my hand. Just how many times had I encountered the evil dragon Fafnir already? No matter how many times I swung my sword, my blade never pierced its skin. I had to constantly avoid its attacks by a hair-breadth; failing even once would mean instant death.
There was no showy heroic tale in that battle.
It was a hellish comedy where I had to swing my sword just in order to survive, no matter how unsightly and ridiculous it looked.
I know that I can’t beat it. I had no experience or spark in me; inside, I was merely a soft homunculus who had taken on the outer shell of a hero.
But right now, I was the dragon-slayer Siegfried. I had to challenge this despairing battle once again.
The dragon opened its jaws and released a bluish-white light.
Flames burst out. I determined that it was impossible to dodge. I released the power of Balmung and blocked the attack by pushing forward—!
The dragon’s breath was a surging blast of extreme heat, extreme impact and extreme pressure. A normal human would die in an instant from either being burnt to ash or having their lungs torn out of their very mouths from the wind pressure.
…Even so, I managed to survive it.
I tried to suck in a breath and ended up coughing violently.
I seemed to have survived thanks to the sturdiness of my shell and the sword blast from Balmung. The great pain and suffocation I felt could be endured as long as I had this shell.
But—
My arms couldn’t move. Even though my entire body was as hot as if I had been bathed in boiling oil, the heat of my body was frozen in fear. I couldn’t win; even with a hero’s body, it was impossible for ‘Sieg’ to beat it.
What should I do?
There’s no way I could know. Fighting, escaping and negotiating were all impossible against this enemy. I had no option besides giving up.
—As if I could give up.
Even after scolding myself like that, I couldn’t think of anything. Perhaps sensing that, the dragon sidled forward as if to bestow fear onto me.
And then, it suddenly opened its jaws and attacked. I reflexively counterattacked with my sword.
Perhaps the inside of its mouth would be softer than its skin…
That faint hope was easily smashed.
“Wh… at…?”
If my hopes had merely been smashed, then I still could have dealt with it. But what the dragon aimed for wasn’t myself, but the great sword which had blocked its breath earlier—Balmung.
The dragon’s teeth, whose hardness far surpassed any steel, clamped down on the sword and bite off the blade.
The legendary sword which had been bestowed to Siegfried by the Nibelung. The dual holy and cursed sword which released a blast of twilight—
If it was held not by a hero, but by a homunculus… then it could also break easily like this.
I… really wasn’t Siegfried after all. That hero had managed to come out with a plan to break through even a situation like this.
And yet, the only thing I could do was resolve myself worthlessly. I was going to die. I don’t know what will happen in reality, but the me here would be torn about by the dragon’s teeth.
Losing this battle is inevitable; I was merely unlucky.
I wanted to explain it away with such swords. I was merely unlucky—for being here, in this situation and at this moment.
That’s only natural. Just what do you think you are?
A homunculus, an artificial lifeform created through magecraft, and a mass-produced one at that. I merely survived by relying on fortunate chance and clinging to the kindness of others.
—My soul is pure and untouched, and therefore I can become anything.
My self-torturing thoughts halted at that sudden revelation. But, before I could understand what exactly it was, the dragon clamped down on me with its mouth.
Its fangs bite into me. I writhed in pain so great I couldn’t even scream. I let go of the handle of my sword and feebly hit the dragon with both hands.
I was being devoured while alive. The experience was more painful and terrifying than I had ever imagined. As I struggled, my gaze happened to meet the eyes of the dragon—and it seemed to be laughing smugly at me.
Ah, this dragon has surely devoured thousands of humans. It had probably tasted their fear and despair.
Even though it was of the dragon race, the very top of the Phantasmal Species, it was unbelievably avaricious. It continued to gather up possessions and devour humans who presented themselves as sacrifices.
No matter how many times it was hit, the hands of humans couldn’t even be felt by it, let alone hurt it.
Its fangs crushed and pierced my armor and body. This armor’s hardness wasn’t ordinary, but it was like paper before the fangs of a dragon.
I want fangs, I thought.
I want fangs to fight. I want fangs to win. I want fangs so as not to lose.
I want this dragon’s fangs.
Before me was the dragon’s upper jaw. I opened my mouth and bite into it like a starved wolf.
A howl rang out—the dragon was shocked, unable to believe it.
I couldn’t believe it either.
I realized.
And then I laughed.
Thus, my path was settled.
I threw away all other options, not knowing if I’d ever had them in the first place, and cut open a path.
The [Dead Count Shapeshifter: Dragon Revelation Command Spells] on my left arm, which governed destruction. There was no longer any need to count down to my death. The result would be the same no matter how many Command Spells I use. Since I decided to participate in this war, the countdown would definitely reach zero.
But I was already resolved to everything.
I bit into the upper jaw and bared my fangs at the dragon.
——And then, Sieg opened his eyes. His consciousness was clear and free of pain.
He looked out the window from his bed. It was still dark outside, but the sky was becoming slightly bluish.
Dawn wasn’t far away. Determining he couldn’t sleep any further, Sieg decided to get up.
Chapter 3
Ch3-4
—The night came to an end as dawn broke.
Ruler gazed at the gradually changing sky through the window without getting tired of it. She had already finished her morning prayer. If she were to consider Laeticia’s physical health, it might be better to go back to sleep—but even so, she didn’t feel like sleeping at all.
Her heart felt uneasy for two reasons. The first reason had to do with Amakusa Shirou Tokisada… and his plan to save humanity.
Certainly, at a glance, it looked as if she had been summoned as Ruler in order to prevent his plan. But currently the Greater Grail was in the possession of the enemy, and at this rate she wouldn’t be able to prevent his plan.
At this point, wasn’t it as if she had unconsciously acted to the benefit of her enemy?
…No good, she was starting to think about the threads of destiny. The threads of destiny were complex, twisted and intertwined all over the place. Thinking about it would only lead to doubt and uncertainty.
The plan to save humanity that Amakusa Shirou had declared he would accomplish was merely the mutterings of a madman. His plan would definitely bring about destruction—that was why she had been summoned. It was precisely because she thought that way that she clearly opposed him, and averted her eyes from the countless doubts that ran through her mind.
What if his wish truly is correct?
Could she really say that the answer that a hero like him had reached over the course of sixty years was truly mistaken?
A way to save humanity without hurting anyone and without spilling a drop of blood certainly does not exist—Did she really think that?
All humans should have dreamt of achieving it at some point during their lives.
Why did she say that Amakusa Shirou Tokisada couldn’t do it?
If his wish was correct.
If his words were true.
What should Jeanne d’Arc choose?
And there was also the other reason for her worries. In a sense, it might be the more serious problem.
She had always continued to think about it, the role ‘he’ was meant to fulfill in this Great Holy Grail War—
“Can’t sleep?”
The moment she heard those words, Ruler stifled the unease in her heart and turned around. Sieg stood there wearing plain pajamas.
“Yeah. The night is almost over. Most likely, today will be the last. We will head towards the Hanging Gardens and fight. In order to stop Amakusa Shirou Tokisada.”
“Yeah, we have to stop him.”
“…Is it okay if I ask you one last thing?”
Ruler spoke in a somewhat stiff voice. When Sieg nodded, she asked hesitatingly.
“Sieg-kun, are you really sure you should be on this side?”
It was a question she had asked him several times before. Being on this side, being part of this war, participating in a battle of kill or be killed—How conscientious of her, thought Sieg as he replied in the affirmative.
“Yes, of course.”
There was no hesitation in his voice. But Ruler continued questioning him.
“…Rider once told you that ‘You can do anything now’, right? That’s exactly right. Your current self can go anywhere and do anything. Your greatest worry, your fellow homunculi are embarking on a new life. Yet why must you still fight? You don’t have to fight; it’s fine if you don’t fight, Sieg-kun.”
Sieg felt a strong pressure as if his heart were being gripped.
You don’t have to fight, there’s no need—
Those soft words and kind voice were things he had wished for somewhere in his heart. But he shook his head as if to shake off the warm temptation.
“I… have a duty as both a Master and a Servant.”
He had become a Master and could even become a Servant. There was surely meaning in that—
“Sieg-kun, merely acting according to a higher purpose isn’t everything there is to life.”
Ruler said that in a somewhat self-punitive tone. Sieg felt like those words were extremely heavy and important.
“Ruler…”
“It’s true that you obtained power. That power is necessary, and that might be precisely why you’re here. But even if you’re here by your own will, it isn’t your fate to be here. That’s why—that’s why it’s fine for you to run away, Sieg-kun.”
Ruler trembled, as if enduring some violent emotion.
Being guided here by destiny, being here because it was necessary—there was something wrong about that way of thinking.
When Sieg started to ponder on it, Ruler placed a hand on his cheek. She looked at him with a sad smile.
“…Sorry. I seem to have confused you. Please be at ease. You’ll surely be fine, Sieg-kun.”
You’ll be fine—Ruler whispered that and looked out the window once more. Faint light was starting to pour it through the window.
The dawn of the end had finally arrived.
The night ended for everyone, and the sky gradually became tinged with the light of dawn.
The result of the war over the Holy Grail wouldn’t determine whether or not the world was destroyed.
But the world would be pressed to choose between undergoing a transformation or not.
Amakusa Shirou Tokisada would save humanity ‘righteously’.
Jeanne d’Arc would deny that ‘righteously’.
They each had their own justice and things they wouldn’t turn over. There was no evil in this battle; there was only justice and faith.
However, most wars might be like that. Every human who has a great cause to fight for and dreams of a world that blesses them and their comrades with happiness chooses to fight.
In the end, this Great Holy Grail War was the same.
You didn’t win because you were just and correct. The victors were just and correct because they won.
Both Rulers understood that. Therefore they wouldn’t censure each other, but merely fight to kill one another.
If there was a way for this war to end without any further blood being spilled, it would only be by one side understanding and accepting that the stance of the other side was correct.
And that situation was impossible nine times out of ten. Too much blood had been spilled for either side to understand each other.
Even so, one camp held a naïve hope. That perhaps they could understand each other by talking—
CHAPTER 3 END
VOLUME 4
Chapter 3
Ch3-1
…For the next two days after that, everything was peaceful. Staying inside the hideout would let them avoid unnecessary trouble, so Sieg wanted to spend time there idly—and ponder a vague thought he still couldn’t quite put into words.
But his Servant wouldn’t allow that.
“Come on, let’s go out and play!”
“Wait, what are you saying—!?”
And the holy maiden’s attempt at restraint was meaningless in the face of Rider. Rider of Black pulled them both along with him to his heart’s content.
They marched through the town and ate, went around the many famous tourist sites, and talked and laughed without minding the suspicious gazes of those they passed. Whenever they occasionally encountered trouble, Rider and Ruler dealt with it. Irritated people would smile wryly when the flawlessly cute Rider talked to them, and those who with ill intentions would run away hanging their heads after hearing Ruler’s reprimanding tone and words.
Sieg felt as if he was walking with a typhoon and an angel. It felt extremely safe, but also extremely tiring.
But he was only tired. And that weariness itself was extremely comforting.
“—Are you having fun?”
Rider asked him that, taking Sieg by surprise. For some reason, Ruler also stared intently at Sieg as if waiting for his answer.
Sieg replied.
“Of course I’m having fun.”
It was true that he felt a slight amount of smoldering impatience inside. He was anxious about the future, and dark clouds hanged over their destination. Naturally, he hadn’t forgotten about any of that. He hadn’t, but—
The sunlight was dazzling, the sky was clear and blue, and the people passing by were overflowing with energy and liveliness, for good or ill.
Just walking through such a place made his heart pound with excitement.
Sieg smiled, and Rider and Ruler nodded in satisfaction.
He didn’t know the reason for their reaction. Even when he asked why, the other two merely traded looks and giggled… It’s surely something good, Sieg thought.
—When it became nighttime, Sieg thought.
He wracked his brain over difficult questions over things he didn’t have an answer for, like human goodness, human evil and human instinct. He read books and sought the guidance of the other two people with him, but even with that, he still wracked his brains over the answers he couldn’t find.
And he also thought about Amakusa Shirou Tokisada.
“…Why is he trying to save humanity?”
Sieg suddenly murmured that while reading a book on a sofa in the living room.
“Hmm? Isn’t that because humans are sinful beings to him?”
Rider answered as if it were extremely obvious.
It was a simple answer, but Sieg also thought it was correct. Humans were sinful beings by nature, and that was precisely the reason Shirou was trying to save humanity. Though Sieg didn’t know how he intended to use the Greater Grail to bring it about—in any case, Shirou was filled with the sense of duty that he must save the sinful humanity.
“Then does Amakusa Shirou hate humans?”
“I don’t think so, though?”
While lying down on another sofa, Rider pointed at the book on Amakusa Shirou that Sieg had been absorbed in reading. It was a book he had brought from the Fortress of Millennia, thinking it might be useful somehow. Though Sieg had been bestowed knowledge about the other Servants, he wouldn’t be able to understand what kind of person the enemy’s leader was unless he tried to learn about him.
…If it was just a matter of fighting, there might not be a problem with not knowing. If he changed into the great hero Siegfried, he could probably defeat Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, who, in the end, was merely a saint from the Far East, in one blow.
But Sieg somehow felt that was wrong. Regardless of which side defeated the other, Sieg wanted to at least know about his opponent. Even if he could understand or agree with them, he should be aware of their existence and objectively know about their life.
Pulling the trigger to kill the enemy without knowing anything about them or their goal—Sieg felt that that alone was something he shouldn’t do.
Therefore, thought it was only vague details, he had learned about Amakusa Shirou Tokisada. And the more he learned, the less he understood.
If he was summoned as a normal Servant, then Sieg could understand. Even when he was summoned as Ruler, there probably hadn’t been any problems when it had been in the Far East.
According to the research of the Yggdmillennia magi, the Third Holy Grail War had apparently been extremely gruesome.
The armies of supposedly allied countries each moved secretly amidst the war along with the many participating magi—and by the time anyone realized it, it had developed into a massacre that no one could control.
In his first life, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada had witnessed the massacre of thirty-seven thousand people, and in his second life, he saw the hideous conflict between magi and armies.
“Shouldn’t it be impossible for him to like humans after that—?”
“…I don’t think so.”
Ruler suddenly spoke up from her own sofa where she sat. Rider and Sieg looked at her. Ruler murmured as if she were speaking to herself instead of them.
“If you live as a hero or a saint, you will naturally see both the ugly and beautiful sides of humans. Human evil, human goodness, or perhaps something that transcends either of them. No matter how much of the ugliness he saw, he wants to believe in the beautiful things. It’s precisely because he wants to continue liking humans that he wants to save them—that might be how he thinks.”
“…I see.”
That’s a reasonable conclusion, Sieg thought. But Rider objected while wriggling his feet on the sofa.
“But would he reach the conclusion of ‘saving humanity’ in that case? Hmm… like, wouldn’t he wish something like erasing bad humans and leaving only good humans?”
“That isn’t salvation, but selection. No saint or hero has the right to choose who should and shouldn’t be saved.”
Sieg titled his head curiously at Ruler’s words.
“But you yourself fought in the past, didn’t you? In order to protect your homeland and defeat the enemy. Isn’t that selecting the people who should be saved?”
“…Yes, that’s true. I don’t think that was mistaken. But even if it wasn’t mistaken, my actions were a ‘sin’. I didn’t think of myself as a saint; I’m merely a commonplace woman who heard God’s laments.”
Therefore, that wasn’t selection, but a choice. She had decided to save these people and destroy those people. That was the nature of how humans saved other humans.
One must never classify those who should be saved and those who shouldn’t from high above.
“Shirou Kotomine—Amakusa Shirou Tokisada should also understand that. He obtained the Greater Grail not for the sake of saving only those who should be saved, but to save all humans. However, that is a mistake. That’s precisely why I’m here.”
“A mistake… huh? Then, if it wasn’t a mistake, you would also choose that salvation of his?”
Ruler stiffened at Sieg’s question. The coffee cup in her hand trembled slightly.
“…Ruler?”
Hearing Sieg’s curious voice, Ruler frantically shook her head.
“N-No. It’s nothing… Yes, I think I would consider it if that salvation was perfect. But there is no such thing.”
“Right? It’s impossible! If there were such a thing, some much wiser guys in the past would have already done it! Living beings can’t live just being saved by others!”
“…Then does that apply to me who was saved by you?”
Rider glared at Sieg after he spoke.
“Geez! That’s not it! You weren’t saved. You simply saved yourself! I just helped a little! To reverse the question, would you have thought of escaping by yourself if you had known that you would eventually be saved?”
Sieg became at a loss for words.
…If he had known he would be saved for a fact, would he really have fought so desperately?
If he had known that someone would save him if he just waited—
“—That’s right. It’s certainly true that you were saved by Rider of Black, Sieg-kun. But when you consider the process until he did so, you were the one who saved yourself first. You shouldn’t disregard that.”
Sieg felt an emotion that was really hard to describe after hearing Ruler’s words. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling, but some odd emotion that mixed happiness and shame and tickled his heart somehow. Though he understood it was ‘embarrassment’, Sieg still took a little while to respond.
“…Is that so?”
“It is, it is.”
While saying that, Rider picked up some Yakigashi1.
“Oh, strawberry. What luck!”
“Muu. Rider, haven’t you been eating nothing but the strawberry-flavored ones since earlier?”
Ruler glared at him. The sweets that she had bought along with coffee so they could enjoy it together were drastically decreasing in the strawberry-flavored ones due to Rider’s very specific eating preferences.
“I’m just randomly grabbing from the pile… Oh, another strawberry.”
“A-Aren’t they all gone now!? Rider, you! Gluttony is a grave sin!”
“I-It’s fine! The chocolate ones are also tasty! I’m going to bed, good night!”
Perhaps sensing his disadvantage here, Rider suddenly went into spiritual form and ran away.
“Geez…”
While watching all this, Sieg grabbed one of the chocolate-flavored sweets. Putting his dulled sense of taste to work, he managed to taste the chocolate.
“I think it’s plenty tasty.”
“Yes…”
He threw one of the sweets to her as she acted downhearted. When she ate it, Ruler’s cheeks loosened into a happy smile.
“Ah, it’s like I’m falling into decadence…”
“…I think you’ve already plenty falling into decadence when it comes to eating, though. No, sorry. That was a slip of the tongue.”
When Sieg reflexively pointed that out, Ruler pouted.
“This is a unique form of summoning for me, so it can’t be helped. Besides, my calorie consumption is quite fierce, so she doesn’t have to worry about getting fat either.”
“She? …Ah, you mean Laeticia.”
Ruler—Jeanne d’Arc—had been summoned using the girl known as Laeticia as a core.
“Yes. She’s a very good girl.”
The instant the topic turned to Laeticia, Ruler’s expression relaxed.
“I would think so. Even if she isn’t fighting, she has the necessary character to follow you into this situation.”
“Yes. Though she seems to have become interested in something else—”
Ruler smiled in amusement. Something else… Certainly, amidst the unbelievable fantasies of the Great Holy Grail War, magecraft and most of all Servants, an ordinary person could easily become interested in any of them.
“Ah, I know. You’re surely misunderstanding, Sieg-kun.”
“…Did you read my mind?”
Sieg tilted his head in confusion, making Ruler smile all the more.
“Yes. After all, what she’s become charmed by is—!?”
Before she could say any more, Ruler covered her mouth with her own hands.
“What’s wrong?”
“N-No. It’s nothing. More importantly, Sieg-kun, would you like to talk with Laeticia? We’re not in a pressing situation right now, after all.”
Sieg tilted his head curiously at Ruler’s question. Even if she asked if he would like to talk, it would actually be his first time meeting her.
“I felt like she kept her distance when I first met you, but is it all right to talk with her?”
He didn’t mind being hated, but he wouldn’t force someone who hated him to talk—so Sieg tried to be considerate of Laeticia.
“It’s fine!”
—Ruler suddenly stood up and shouted loudly. Sieg stared at her in puzzlement, and Ruler covered her mouth with a shocked expression.
Silence. After a while, Ruler sat back down on the sofa.
“…Could it be that you’re Laeticia?”
When Sieg asked that, she tried to feebly shake her head—but then nodded.
Her expression was somehow helpless, unable to calm down. The way she anxiously clenched her hands was certainly like that of an ordinary girl that could be found anywhere.
“Umm, yes. That’s right, I’m… Laeticia.”
“Nice to meet you, sort of, I guess.”
Laeticia smiled and nodded at Sieg’s words. Her smile seemed a bit sad to Sieg.
“Yes, nice to meet you, Sieg-san. I’m truly glad to have gotten the chance to properly meet you. I’ve only watched you up until now, after all.”
“I see. Umm… are you all right with me? Sorry, that was vague. Err…”
Laeticia giggled and nodded at Sieg’s ambiguous question.
“No, it’s not a problem. It’s just that, how to put it… I was nervous before. It’s fine now. I’ve been watching Sieg-san for a while.”
She displayed a soft smile that was slightly different from that of Ruler—even though their facial features were exactly the same, the atmosphere they gave off was clearly different from each other.
“Then that’s good… But you’ve really gotten dragged into something serious.”
Someone who lived a normal life had suddenly been possessed by a saint one day. Moreover, she got involved in a war over the Holy Grail and witnessed cruelty that one normally wouldn’t be able to endure seeing.
Even if she could simply put her mind to sleep inside, there were probably times when she saw things she didn’t want to see.
“The holy maiden Jeanne-sama treats me very preciously. Besides, truth be told, my heart is dancing with excitement a little as well.”
“You heart is… dancing?”
Sieg tilted his head curiously, and Laeticia nodded.
“Umm, I realize it’s imprudent of me—but, I was someone who didn’t know about magecraft or anything really until now. If Jeanne-sama hadn’t descended upon me, I probably would have lived my entire life without knowing any of it.”
She clasped her hands together as if in prayer and continued to speak.
“But I was able to learn through this experience. I’ve met heroes who are only told of in myths and legends face to face. Whether they be enemies or allies, it’s all been a precious experience for someone ordinary like me. And I also, umm, got to meet… you too, Sieg-san.”
“…It’s true that homunculi are a rare sight.”
After some thought, Sieg nodded in understanding—and Laeticia’s became downcast at those words.
“It’s not because you’re a homunculus. It’s because you’re Sieg-san.”
“…Hmm.”
Sieg tilted his head. His reaction, which could only be described as naivety itself, showed how he just didn’t understand.
Laeticia thought.
This person dispassionately assessed his ‘personal’ value to a frightening degree. He was a Master, the Servant Saber of Black, and a homunculus that could use magecraft. And he probably thought he was nothing else besides those things.
He treated his kindness towards others, his bravery which didn’t lose to that of heroes and everything else about him—as non-existent. He thought it was natural for anyone to have those qualities.
Laeticia found that unbearably sad.
“…Umm, Ruler… No, Laeticia.”
Laeticia raised her face. Sieg stared at Laeticia with a serious gaze. He straightened his back and looked straight at her.
“Did I say something rude to you?”
“Huh? Umm, why do you think that—?”
“No, it’s just that you were looking at me sadly. Ruler would probably correct me or get angry if I did something rude. But right now you’re Laeticia. I thought you might get sad instead in such a case, but is that wrong?”
So it’s like that, Laeticia thought. She became saddened again, but immediately understood.
In the end, this was something that had to be conveyed with words. Because Sieg couldn’t see that which anyone could naturally understand or boast of in the depths of their hearts.
This might be her best chance.
Be brave, she reprimanded herself.
If she didn’t say it here, she might never get to say it—Laeticia hated the thought of that.
“No, that’s not it. I… That’s right, I simply don’t want you to make light of yourself, Sieg-san. Umm, I’ll only say it once, okay?”
“Sure.”
Laeticia sucked in a deep breath, leaned forward and spoke to Sieg.
“Sieg-san, even without being a Master, Servant or magus, you are a truly wonderful person just for being yourself.”
Those words left Sieg with a dumbfounded expression for a little while. Laeticia nodded in satisfaction and then quietly closed her eyes—
“—I also think so, Sieg-kun. And I pray that you’ll eventually think of yourself that way as well.”
Ruler lightly patted his hand. Completely dumbfounded, Sieg nodded vaguely. Ruler hoped that Laeticia’s words would act as some kind of impetus and help him understand little by little.
“I—”
Sieg couldn’t continue his sentence.
He questioned the world, he questioned humans and he questioned good and evil. But he still hadn’t questioned himself. If he continued questioning the world while remaining empty inside—he would probably one day conclude that he was a worthless being.
The value of his life wasn’t something to be decided by others; he had to decide it for himself. And when he acknowledged his own value, it would help form the path Sieg would walk.
Ruler wanted to believe that. She wanted to protect him. Even if they wouldn’t walk alongside each other, if she could at least help him find his path—
“…”
She was hit by a headache similar to vertigo. You have no right to speak of dreams, a voice growled inside her mind.
You brought him here—you led this homunculus to the battlefield as if it were completely natural. By the Lord’s will.
“Ruler, what’s wrong?”
Sieg asked her worriedly, and Ruler frantically shook her head.
“It’s nothing,” she answered, and Sieg then fell into deep thought once again. Watching that, Ruler thought once more.
—I certainly brought him here.
She didn’t know what would happen next. But she had a responsibility. Ruler bore responsibility for not having made him run away.
As such, she would continue to protect him… even if she had to wager her own life to do so.
As she swore that within her heart, Ruler felt relieved. She could wager her life for him. She felt relieved at that part of herself.
There was one thing that she didn’t notice… These feelings that seemed to burn her body from the inside out consisted of not just guilt.
Laeticia found that sad. Even if she pointed it out to her with words, the holy maiden probably wouldn’t acknowledge it. And by the time she did acknowledge it, it likely would be far too late.
Thus, the final night would end with everyone passing their time peacefully.
—The night wore on.
Archer of Black clenched a fist and raised it towards the starry sky above.
He wasn’t thinking of his coming opponent as his former student. The enemy was a great and matchless hero, the strongest warrior Achilles, who ran across the battlefield over the course of the Trojan War—
His heart cheered. And at the same time, he resolved himself. There was no proof he could win even if he fought Achilles in perfect form. When he considered it coolly, Archer was at a 7:3 disadvantage. Achilles’ spear was certainly swift. Even if Archer completely grasped his abilities and habits in battle, the possibility that he couldn’t process the data fast enough in real time was extremely likely.
Moreover, that was based on the assumption of first annulling the disadvantage of his foothold and his opponent not using his chariot.
To bring about such a convenient development, considerable luck and planning was necessary.
But that was precisely why Archer engraved the fact that he had to win in his heart. Because victory was the final lesson he could teach to his Master.
How strange, he thought with a smile. He would never have thought he would pass the final night feeling so calm. Only one pair could win in a normal Holy Grail War.
In such a situation where it would be natural for him to die amidst regret, he was lucky to have fortuitously met so many comrades—unbelievably so.
We’ll definitely win.
With his heart full of overflowing feelings, Archer of Black reflected upon that simple conclusion.
—The night wore on.
Rider of Black slept. He slept regardless of the fact that he was a Servant. He fell asleep despite not needing to. And he saw a dream.
Naturally, it was a dream of his Master.
…However, Sieg’s life was so short and condensed it was only a fleeting twinkle. The first person he met soon after being born was none other than Rider of Black himself.
And so, Rider met himself as he watched Sieg’s past.
He felt Sieg’s feelings and thoughts as he watched. He experienced just how happy Sieg had felt when Rider appeared—and said he would save him.
Ah, I’ll protect you, I’ll protect you, I’ll protect you, I want you to become happy!
Rider’s heart danced. Rider had forgotten that they would part soon… or rather, he blocked it off from his thoughts. He understood. It would surely be painful and sad.
If Rider could physically incarnate, he would be able to stay by Sieg’s side, but that was quite difficult. Whether or not they managed to get back the Greater Grail, there was no telling whether it would be able to grant a wish at that point.
But, he could vaguely tell—it was already too late for that. His instincts were quite reliable at times like these.
So, for now, let’s only think of fun things. I’ll do my best as a Servant. Rider thus swore.
His chest was hot and his head swirled with formless thoughts, and that was why he could understand as he became unbearably excited.
He would fight with his life on the line for his Master. He couldn’t help but feel happy about that.
As he surrendered himself to sleep, Rider of Black’s lips slackened into a slight smile.
—The night wore on.
It was late at night. Unable to sleep, Caules absentmindedly gazed at the courtyard outside from his window. His human eyes could only faintly make out the contour of things in the darkness at best. But he managed to make out the silhouette of the rubble that hadn’t yet been cleaned up outside.
Caules had often watched his Servant from here. She had usually followed him everywhere from behind, but the only independent action she took was flower picking in the courtyard.
Though it was only a few days ago, it felt nostalgic to him, and he hated himself for feeling that way.
At the same time, he was surprised at how clearly he recalled that scene. Within their scarce conversations, Caules had only once asked Berserker of Black a certain question.
“I thought you would have hated flowers?”
She had tilted her head, as if not comprehending what he had said. Caules had smiled bitterly—perhaps that was only natural. The episode about her throwing flowers into a lake was only a fictional production from a movie.
When he apologized and told her to forget about it, Berserker had nodded and began engrossing herself in flower fortune-telling once more. Holding the peeled petals in her hands, she then stood up and threw them up towards the sky.
The flower petals had danced downwards on a gentle breeze.
It only lasted an instant—but that scene was vividly engraved in his mind. She had seemed unbearably ephemeral as she stood there amidst the falling petals.
He should have talked with her a bit more. Anything would have been fine, about the things they each liked, the things they each hated; he should have talked with her about anything without reserve. Even if she couldn’t exchange words, she should have been able to convey something in her own way.
But she was no longer here. Caules had let her die in an manner that was the same as if he had killed her with his own hands.
The piece of rubble that was stabbed into the ground of the flowerbed couldn’t help but look like some kind of gravestone to him. And then his thoughts began to turn into an even worse direction.
“Idiot, stop it.”
He knocked his head. He didn’t have the time to be soaking in sentimentality. Everything would end tomorrow night. He didn’t even know whether he would be alive then.
But—he still had a responsibility as a Master. Even if his Command Spells were gone and his Servant had vanished, Caules had participated in the Great Holy Grail War by his own will and fought by his own will.
So he would ascertain the outcome right to the very end, as far as he could go. Those were the shackles Caules had placed on himself.
“…Let’s sleep.”
Caules decided to try sleeping even if he had to force himself. Naturally, he had stimulant-type herbs and spells at hand, but those were only for use in emergencies or when his research was making progress. If he managed to fall asleep, then that was fine. Still, he’d had the Magic Crest transplanted into him not long ago. His body was hot and in pain, so he wouldn’t be able to sleep well anyway.
Additionally, there were also spells and herbs for preventing nightmares. Should I use one?—Caules wavered over it a little, but decided not to in the end.
He accepted the nightmares about the past and the near future without running away. He knew it was terribly self-righteous of him, but he believed he should face at least this much.
Caules fell asleep, while praying that he and, most of all, his sister would manage to get through tomorrow safely.
—The night wore on.
Unlike her brother, Fiore decided not to sleep. Part of it was that she had trouble falling asleep, but she was also scared of seeing dreams. Her resolve was like soft pudding—it would collapse with the slightest shake.
Unlike usual, Archer was still in materialized form at this hour.
“There’s something I want to think about while maintaining this physical body for a while.”
It wasn’t that large of a burden on her, so Fiore had gladly allowed it. Most likely, he was thinking on a castle lookout not far from here right now.
Fiore thought about Archer. Even though tomorrow would be their final farewell, she felt strangely calm.
Only, she felt an indescribable sense of transience, feeling that something precious was gradually getting further away. Was it because she would give up magecraft after tomorrow, because of her coming parting with Archer, or was it perhaps both? She thought about it absentmindedly.
Before she had transplanted the Magic Crest, she had thought it would be fine this way.
Immediately after the transplant, she felt regret and worry over the fact that she might have done something terrible.
And now, her feelings wavered little by little like a pendulum.
She had thought about discussing it with Archer. About how she might be regretting her choice. But she stopped herself from doing so. This wasn’t something she should speak of in this situation. Most of all, her Servant seemed like he would give advice without changing expression at all right now.
—She would do her best on her own.
It was quite disheartening, but also something precious. A person’s life was a path chosen even amidst a repetition of regrets. Those regrets would also probably melt away little by little every day.
But even so, she would continuously make new regrets one after another. She would forget them, cover them up, and live while always glossing them over—Ah, how human of her that was.
There were only three things in her life that she had decided to never regret.
The first was how she had loved that dog. Its irritated expression when she washed it in the shower and cleaned off the dirt. Its softened expression when it dried in the hot wind. The way it wagged its tail when she patted its head—its final days were precious memories to her no matter how tragic it was.
The second was her summoning and meeting Chiron as Archer of Black. It was one of the few events she could proudly call a success in all regards in her life.
The third was having learned magecraft… She had enjoyed it. It wasn’t depressing or completely pointless. The joy she felt when she successfully used spells burned in her chest even now.
She would be able to live proudly with just the memory of that alone.
Even if she lamented what she lost, she still felt pride over having once had something more precious to her than anything else.
“Ah, but I might die tomorrow.”
She murmured that aloud to herself, and then giggled. Naturally, she would feel regret if she died—but she felt like she would be able to take pride in it even if she only managed to make a single step forward.
Without sleeping, Fiore quietly waited for tomorrow.
VOLUME 4
Chapter 3
Ch3-2
—The night wore on.
Saber of Red and Shishigou Kairi had left Bucharest and were heading by car to Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Force base, which lay about three hundred kilometers away from the city.
The items Shishigou had requested through the Association of Magi were there. They would no longer return to Bucharest, as their plan was to head to the battlefield next—in other words, to the Hanging Gardens.
The driver Shishigou and Saber of Red in the passenger seat rode the car without exchanging any words. As some melancholy country music flowed out from the car radio, neither of them felt any awkwardness at the silence between them. Saber thought that in itself was strange.
When she’d been alive, she’d never experienced such a silence with anyone else. In most cases, people ran from her, she stood up to take action, or she and the other party hated each other to the point that they were on the verge of killing each other.
There was no one who had let their guard down with her, and there was no one she had let her guard down with. She had thought that was what life, what a knight and what the being known as Mordred was.
“…Hey.”
“Hmm, what?”
She didn’t even find his curt way of talking all that irritating. There were very few cars on the road right now, and even the few sounds on the road merely emphasized the calm and silence.
“…Hey, I said, what is it?”
Shishigou voice was dubious—speaking of which, she had merely called out to him without any question in mind. Perhaps she had merely thought, Now then, what should I ask?
“Ah… I forgot what it was.”
After turning silent again for a little while, Shishigou tilted his head in confusion and muttered.
“…That happens a lot to humans, but does the same apply to Servants?”
“It does, doesn’t it? After all, we’re so real that this is called our second life. Thought we don’t need to eat or sleep.”
“And yet you eat quite a lot—”
“Shut up. That’s not because I’m hungry, but because I’m curious about the taste.”
“As expected of someone born on the island known for having the worst cooking.”
“Stop it with the insults I can’t refute, Master.”
She continued talking with him about this worthless topic even while thinking it was worthless. It was fun, so fun that it made her think it would be even more fun if they had alcohol too.
Why hadn’t she been able to talk like with anyone during her life—? It was obvious; it was because her father hadn’t. As the one who would succeed her father, she couldn’t do anything that her father didn’t.
But the things that her father hadn’t done were so fun.
Did her father never converse with others because it was fun? Or because her father didn’t find it fun? Or did her father merely think it was unnecessary?
It might be all of those reasons. Her father always looked too far ahead. Her father had freely devoted all efforts to build a peaceful country.
Naturally, her father’s knights had always devoted their efforts to that cause. But they were too short-sighted. Though it was necessary to first make a foundation in order to build a castle, they didn’t understand that and merely asked for the castle.
Or perhaps it was the opposite. They were unable to understand what their efforts in the present would bring in the future.
To dry up a village within their territory was a callous and cruel act… They didn’t move a single step from that viewpoint. They didn’t see the victory that lay beyond it. That was only natural; the possibility that they would lose if they didn’t dry up their own territory was merely a hypothetical future.
Naturally, the king had explained to them. They had heard the king’s words that the village was being sacrificed for the sake of victory. But—
—Maybe, maybe they could have won even without drying up their villages?
When they thought like that, distrust towards the king always took root in them… After all, it had been none other than the Knight of Rebellion herself who had said that to instigate them.
The king was isolated, the king was alone—that was a natural, unmistakable fact.
But… maybe it would have been better to talk to each other.
If they had been frank with each other and deepened their mutual understanding, maybe a different path would have appeared—
“What’s with you, suddenly turning silent?”
“Shut up. A future king like me has a lot of worries that ordinary people can’t understand.”
“Yeah, yeah, the imperial court magus will be quiet now.”
When Shishigou said that, Saber of Red suddenly imagined it—Shishigou wearing a robe that just emphasized his suspicious appearance and bending his back like an old man.
She couldn’t help bursting out with laughter.
“It doesn’t suit you at all! It’s no good, Master! You should start by rectifying that fact of yours first.”
“Hey, don’t say things about other people’s faces. Despite how it seems, I’m sensitive about this frightening appearance of mine!”
Saber of Red was a little surprised by those words—and then she realized again. It was a trivial detail, but she had once again learned something new about the person known as Shishigou Kairi.
Just by spending a few days together, she had learned a ton of facts about someone else. How much would she have learned about others if she talked with them during her life?
If she had talked with the king—would she have been able to understand the king?
Even though it was already in the far past, she couldn’t help but regretfully think that way.
“…Are we there yet?”
“Just a little longer. I know you’re bored, but—”
“No, I’m not bored. More importantly, talk to me more, Master. Talk about something trivial and worthless.”
Shishigou smiled bitterly at her pestering tone.
In truth, they still had a long way to go. He was worried that she would be bored, but if she was satisfied just by talking, then that was perfect.
“Can’t be helped. Then let me tell you the story of a man I met on a certain battlefield—”
The Master Shishigou spoke of a trivial tale, and the Servant Saber laughed as she listened to that trivial tale, and then recounted her own few absurd stories from when she was a knight.
This might be the last time I laugh, Saber thought.
She wasn’t scared of dying, and she would feel no despair even if her wish wasn’t granted. She would merely say “That’s how it is” with a light sigh and shrug.
Even if the two of them were blessed with luck in every aspect, made a perfect battle strategy, thoroughly displayed their abilities and got the Holy Grail, their parting would still eventually come.
“…Hey, Master. Is parting sad?”
As a slight urge of weakness sprouted in her, she involuntarily asked that question. She already expected his answer. ‘Parting isn’t sad. If people have memories, they can live on.’
Shishigou, of course, betrayed her expectations when he replied.
“Of course it’s sad. All the more so if it’s an eternal separation. Listen, Saber. To part with someone means you can’t talk with them. Being unable to talk with them means you’ll eternally lose the chance to understand each another. No matter how strongly you’re connected to them—as they fade away into the flow of time, the things you remember about them will also disappear.”
“Then meeting other is pointless?”
“Completely pointless. If we were perfect beings, we wouldn’t need to meet anyone else in the first place. The reason we meet and talk with others is in order to try and fill something we lack within ourselves. But sadly, we’re far from perfect. That’s why we have to fill up our feelings of loneliness by encountering others. In other words—encountering others is a luxury. If you think of it that way, you can endure meeting even the most unpleasant of people.”
“…What contrary logic.”
Saber’s amazed voice made Shishigou heartily laugh. Indeed, what he said wasn’t mistaken. It was a trivial conversation without any potential for anymore more, an act that wasted time in a completely pointless manner.
It was such a luxury, such precious time spent—
All the more so for a Servant. Normally, a Servant would only fight, fight and fight until everything was over, after all.
“So well, let’s enjoy this luxury while we have the chance. Now then, back to my story—”
Shishigou continued talking—and she listened to that trivial story while closing her eyes.
—The night wore on.
Like Rider of Black and Caster of Red, Archer of Red didn’t like going into spiritual form very much. She preferred perceiving the feel and smell of the earth.
There was practically none of the smell of iron which she hated in the Hanging Gardens, but she couldn’t sniff the smell of trees or earth either. And most of all, she couldn’t hear the laughter of children here.
Since the dawn of history, the ones who were most exploited in this world were children. Many children simply cried and died without ever being able to smile and laugh.
Each time she thought that, Archer was struck by despair strong enough to tear out her heart. The world should have been simple. A world where all children laughed only required adults to give a little concern and help.
And yet they trampled over, abused and never gave love to the young ones born into this world, who they should have been considered half of themselves.
Having once been one of those children, Archer could understand quite well. How cruel and painful it was. And also—how joyous it felt to have her pleading hand grasped by someone else.
“—That’s right. That’s why I won’t deny you all. I’ll accept you. I’ll love you. I’ll truly love you all.”
Looking at her discolored right arm, Archer smiled. The vengeful spirits continued to whisper.
Kill, kill, kill, kill everyone, kill every last one of them.
…It was abnormal. Low-class vengeful spirits could only repeat the desires from when they were alive. If they wanted to ‘return’, they would continue to earnestly seek to return. Even if a hundred or a thousand years passed, as long as they existed as spirits, that wouldn’t change.
But the vengeful spirits possessing Archer’s right arm had changed their wish. Was it born from Archer of Red’s own desire, or was it because the vengeful spirits actually understood Archer’s love and hatred? Even Archer herself didn’t know.
She was certain of only one thing.
Her wish was absolutely correct, and the fates of the children in the world hanged in the balance. She couldn’t afford to lose. Even if—she became a beast that froze the hearts of those who saw her.
That’s right, she had that power. Not her power as a hero, but the power of a Monstrous Beast of punishment sent by the gods—but if it was for the sake of these children, she would happily become a beast.
So just wait a little longer. It’s all right, I’ll gladly become the cornerstone for you all.
She whispered while holding her right arm closely.
Her right arm replied to Archer’s words with a faint “Thank you”. At the very least, she [heard] it.
As long as she had this voice, she could fight. She could kill. She could trample over all obstacles and destroy all evil.
Even if she was exterminated as a monster, she would let herself fall into destruction while smiling—
—The night wore on.
Rider of Red took the ‘poisonous serpent’ stance with his spear. It was an effective style where he held the middle part of the handle and could use quick thrusts while warding off the enemies attacks. He aimed at the stomach of his enemy, Chiron, with that stance.
However, the attack was avoided quite naturally by the enemy screwing his body with a side step.
The enemy saw through Rider’s movements. The moment he took this stance, the enemy understood where he would aim.
—How should he respond as he pitched forward in readiness? After remaining vigilant for a counter and dodging to the left or right, the enemy used a punch or kick. There was an 80% chance the enemy would do a roundhouse kick and attack at the same time as he twisted his torso; that was the most logical course of action. That’s why, now that he was pitching forward, the enemy would be forced to aim at his head. How should he defend himself? He could draw back his spear and thrust it again… but it wouldn’t make it in time. He could lower his head and dodge… but that would cause his stance to collapse even further.
Cut and retry.
He resolutely set up his first move by jumping and then thrusting—Retry.
He tried to thrust after tripping his enemy up—Retry.
He swiped his spear horizontally, turned around as the attack was blocked and swiped his spear again. He aimed at the knees and thrusted downwards—No good. Retry.
“Damn it, nothing works.”
Rider of Red closed his eyes with a sigh. His palms were soaked with sweat. The back of his neck was cold, and his entire body hurt as if he’d actually been punched and kicked everywhere.
Rider was imagining a hypothetical one-on-one battle against Archer of Black in a situation where they were on a flat field without any obstacles.
In the end… he had gone over five battles, and made mistakes and lost each time. As long as he fought with the spear that Archer had taught him how to use, all his combos were seen through. Additionally, Archer’s power of observation was practically on the level of future sight. If Rider tried to use a surprise attack, Archer would read it and deal him a counterattack.
Naturally, the situation wasn’t as bad as it seemed. The way Rider lunged with his spear was truly divine speed incarnate. Even if his attacks were seen through, they couldn’t all be avoided. In the hypothetical battle just now, he had fought in a situation where his speed was not taken into account.
But he couldn’t say for sure that it wouldn’t actually go that way. Archer of Black’s skills knew no depth. He was perfectly balanced in all aspects; that was precisely why all heroes sought to be trained by him. Moreover, Servants were summoned in the form of their prime. Though his appearance was human, his stats were of that when the being known as Chiron was at his most perfect.
If he ignored all their feelings and bonds in the coming battle and simply considered and compared their respective power, Archer of Black was the enemy wanted to fight the least. Therefore, Rider always imagined the worst situation as he fought—and continued to lose each time.
“…I feel like I keep making a mistake right from the first move.”
Since his opponent had greater battle power than him, making a mistake right from the start was fatal. Since they both knew almost all of each other’s moves, he could tell the fight would end in this manner by logically thinking it through.
Since both of them moved completely logically, the first one to make a mistake would lose.
However, there was a strong possibility that such a situation wouldn’t occur. The only thing that the Black camp had which could deal with his chariot was the other Rider’s Hippogriff. His opponent couldn’t fly no matter how he struggled.
These conditions wouldn’t be overturned unless something significant was done.
But on the other hand, the enemy should also be desperate to overturn this situation. The Black camp might use a plan that he himself couldn’t think of.
In that case, his opponent would definitely aim for him. He knew that since he would definitely do the same if he were in the same position.
That was because he possessed a body that couldn’t be harmed except by those with divine blood—and “he” was the only Servant on the other side who had divine blood.
…No, such reasons didn’t matter.
Rider knew. His quivering muscles, creaking bones and boiling cells whispered to him.
—The one to fight that man will be you.
—You are the only one who has the right to fight him.
It wasn’t that he wanted to kill his opponent. He didn’t hate him either. This was a pure contest of strength; he wouldn’t hate his opponent even if he lost, and he wouldn’t bear a grudge even if he was killed.
He just wanted to fight him, to swing his clenched fists, to kick and to pierce him with his spear.
How strong was he compared to the teacher he had once loved and respected? He wanted to show him. In life, he had been extolled as a hero by everyone. But his teacher had never seen his exploits after their final parting.
He was proud.
Just like other heroes such as Heracles and Jason, he was incredibly proud of having been taught by Chiron. And yet, his teacher had always merely smiled calmly. He felt no pride in granting wisdom and strength to young heroes like Achilles. Neither did he feel jealous of them for being praised as heroes.
“Of course. Even without me, they would have naturally become heroes on their own eventually. I merely gave them a little push from behind. But you know, Achilles. That act… that act of giving them a little push is something I take great pride in—”
Chiron had once said that to Achilles when he was young. This might be a thought that suddenly came to Achilles at that time. Or perhaps it was something he always thought about while he was being taught—
Achilles thought to himself that Chiron, who continued to teach and guide others, had never once fought seriously.
And at the same time, he also thought that he wanted to drag out his great teacher’s—full power.
The Great Holy Grail War truly was a miracle unto itself.
Depending on the situation, they both might not be able to display their power to perfection.
But that moment would come. It would definitely come. Rider intended to devote this final remaining day to training.
The night wore on, and the sun would soon rise again. But Rider continued to glare through the darkness without closing his eyes.
Error, retry, miss, retry.
Rider of Red continued to repeat hundreds of battles in order to take down Archer of Black—
—The night wore on.
In a small spring within the confines of the Hanging Gardens which ruled the sky, Lancer of Red bathed himself out of habit. Naturally, Servants had no need to clean themselves, but his habits from when he was alive wouldn’t go away.
Karna silently washed his body while gazing at the mysterious phenomenon of the water flowing upstream.
In contrast to his magnificent armor and dazzling spear, Karna preferred the simple life.
In the first place, he himself had never wished for his armor or spear. His armor was given to him due to his mother’s supplication to the gods, and he received his spear in exchange for giving up his armor.
The reason he had lived after being abandoned by his mother was due to the power humbly bestowed upon him by his father and the armor he had received thanks to his mother.
He always lived without ever sullying his father’s name.
That guiding principle of his hadn’t changed even now in his second life. So naturally, he had to obey his Master as a Servant. Lancer of Red refused to commit any act that would sully his father’s name.
However, his Master had already been restrained even before Lancer had been summoned, a problem that went beyond merely the matter of how he acted.
His Master continued to view a dream with empty eyes. He couldn’t communicate with him, and there was no chance of mutual understanding. The only thing Lancer understood from his ramblings was that his Master mistakenly thought that he had obtained the Holy Grail.
Knowing that was enough for Lancer. He would obtain the Holy Grail and grant his Master’s wish… Of course, he knew full well how difficult that would be to accomplish.
He probably wouldn’t manage to get it. The Holy Grail was right before his eyes, but this wasn’t a situation where he would take it away that easily, and most of all—Lancer of Red’s Master had been changed to Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, the one who currently possessed the Grail.
He had no intention of betraying his former Master, but he couldn’t go against Shirou. He was completely cornered in every direction.
However, such a situation was par for the course for Karna, the Hero of Charity. He held no grudge against his former Master or his current Master Shirou.
He merely did what he could within the range of actions that were available to him.
He merely give the things that were asked from him as long as it was possible.
And he always accepted everything solemnly no matter the result.
—No, perhaps not quite everything.
Lancer of Red recalled the one thing he had continued to obsess over.
There was person, one hero in this world that had continued to stir up Karna’s heart.
His name was Arjuna. ‘Kiritin: The Shining Diadem’, ‘Vijaya: The Victor’, ‘Dhananjaya: The Prosperous One’—he was a man who had various names and was loved by all.
If Karna was a man who had everything taken from him in exchange for his spear and armor, Arjuna was a man who had received everything with no compensation in return.
Was the emotion Karna held within him envy? Or was it something else entirely?
Karna had never known the answer to that right until the very end. After all, as someone who had never envied anything or anyone, he had been unable to concretely put a name to the feelings that stirred his heart.
…Soon after this Great Holy Grail War began, he had received another chance to find out.
Saber of Black—Lancer could tell that that man held traces of Arjuna somewhere in him. When he heard of his true name from Shirou Kotomine afterwards, Lancer had understood the reason for that.
The tragic hero from a royal bloodline who had obtained wealth, prestige and everything else—Siegfried.
But unlike Arjuna, his end was terribly tragic.
An untimely death due to a sneak attack. Without even the time to swing his dragon-slaying sword, the invincible Siegfried had his only weak point attacked and lost his life.
Karna thought of all the various Heroic Spirits participating in the Great Holy Grail War as unique and rare beings.
He thought of his allies as comrades to work with and his enemies as rare warriors of valor. In that sense, Karna ‘comprehended’ the other Heroic Spirits more deeply than anyone else.
But the only one he held a personal interest in was Saber of Black. Though they had exchanged few words, Lancer had glimpsed into the man after exchanging hundreds and thousands of blows with their respective weapons.
A man who was very similar to Arjuna, but at the same time hungered for something.
A man who held no regrets over his untimely end, but instead sought something new.
And—a just hero, so evident that anyone could tell. He had wished to fight Lancer of Red once more and saw him as an enemy that must be defeated. That was the greatest honor and joy for a warrior like Lancer.
That battle, and that promise. Had there ever been anything else that made him boil so much with excitement before? He felt gratitude for the actions and warm conversations of humans. But that was far removed from ‘selfishness’. He had never possessed a desire and joy that made him seethe.
But he found it on the battlefield. Now that he thought back, Karna had only encountered joy on the battlefield. His entire existence was focused on the tip of his spear. It was the only instant where he was released from the thoughts of the people he allied with and could freely run forth as his ‘bared self’.
The sparks of clashing weapons were twinkling stars to Karna. A worthy enemy who could easily push back his bared self and told him to give it his all. Thought it was arrogant of him, it was enough to make him think that his entire life had been for the sake of tasting the joy of that moment. That’s why, when Saber of Black disappeared, when the prospects of another fight vanished in the empty sky, Lancer had felt unspeakable regret.
Saber of Black had disappeared.
But—he still hadn’t died. Lancer didn’t know the reason behind it, but Saber was still in this world even now.
In that case… their promise was also still valid.
Naturally, Lancer understood that ‘he’ was a being far removed from Saber of Black. Lancer understood that ‘he’ was a being who had been born with everything taken away from him, even more so than Lancer, and yet still struggled to live.
But a promise was a promise. It couldn’t be changed. Back then, Karna and Siegfried had wagered each other’s lives, battled with deadly technique and put off the conclusion for later.
—They had sworn on their names to definitely fight and unleash their utmost power against each other. It was a trust founded on their very lives. To break it would be equal to insulting that man’s life.
He had surely entrusted something to the one who had now become Saber of Black. Lancer believed that ascertaining that was would tie to the promise they’d made.
Thus, Lancer of Red lived, in order to protect his Master to the end of the war and fulfill his promise with Saber of Black.
Chapter 3
Ch3-3
—It didn’t feel like nighttime at all to me.
The calm air became filled with a heavy heat, burning my skin.
—Here again?
I touched the coarse rock surface with my hand. Just how many times had I encountered the evil dragon Fafnir already? No matter how many times I swung my sword, my blade never pierced its skin. I had to constantly avoid its attacks by a hair-breadth; failing even once would mean instant death.
There was no showy heroic tale in that battle.
It was a hellish comedy where I had to swing my sword just in order to survive, no matter how unsightly and ridiculous it looked.
I know that I can’t beat it. I had no experience or spark in me; inside, I was merely a soft homunculus who had taken on the outer shell of a hero.
But right now, I was the dragon-slayer Siegfried. I had to challenge this despairing battle once again.
The dragon opened its jaws and released a bluish-white light.
Flames burst out. I determined that it was impossible to dodge. I released the power of Balmung and blocked the attack by pushing forward—!
The dragon’s breath was a surging blast of extreme heat, extreme impact and extreme pressure. A normal human would die in an instant from either being burnt to ash or having their lungs torn out of their very mouths from the wind pressure.
…Even so, I managed to survive it.
I tried to suck in a breath and ended up coughing violently.
I seemed to have survived thanks to the sturdiness of my shell and the sword blast from Balmung. The great pain and suffocation I felt could be endured as long as I had this shell.
But—
My arms couldn’t move. Even though my entire body was as hot as if I had been bathed in boiling oil, the heat of my body was frozen in fear. I couldn’t win; even with a hero’s body, it was impossible for ‘Sieg’ to beat it.
What should I do?
There’s no way I could know. Fighting, escaping and negotiating were all impossible against this enemy. I had no option besides giving up.
—As if I could give up.
Even after scolding myself like that, I couldn’t think of anything. Perhaps sensing that, the dragon sidled forward as if to bestow fear onto me.
And then, it suddenly opened its jaws and attacked. I reflexively counterattacked with my sword.
Perhaps the inside of its mouth would be softer than its skin…
That faint hope was easily smashed.
“Wh… at…?”
If my hopes had merely been smashed, then I still could have dealt with it. But what the dragon aimed for wasn’t myself, but the great sword which had blocked its breath earlier—Balmung.
The dragon’s teeth, whose hardness far surpassed any steel, clamped down on the sword and bite off the blade.
The legendary sword which had been bestowed to Siegfried by the Nibelung. The dual holy and cursed sword which released a blast of twilight—
If it was held not by a hero, but by a homunculus… then it could also break easily like this.
I… really wasn’t Siegfried after all. That hero had managed to come out with a plan to break through even a situation like this.
And yet, the only thing I could do was resolve myself worthlessly. I was going to die. I don’t know what will happen in reality, but the me here would be torn about by the dragon’s teeth.
Losing this battle is inevitable; I was merely unlucky.
I wanted to explain it away with such swords. I was merely unlucky—for being here, in this situation and at this moment.
That’s only natural. Just what do you think you are?
A homunculus, an artificial lifeform created through magecraft, and a mass-produced one at that. I merely survived by relying on fortunate chance and clinging to the kindness of others.
—My soul is pure and untouched, and therefore I can become anything.
My self-torturing thoughts halted at that sudden revelation. But, before I could understand what exactly it was, the dragon clamped down on me with its mouth.
Its fangs bite into me. I writhed in pain so great I couldn’t even scream. I let go of the handle of my sword and feebly hit the dragon with both hands.
I was being devoured while alive. The experience was more painful and terrifying than I had ever imagined. As I struggled, my gaze happened to meet the eyes of the dragon—and it seemed to be laughing smugly at me.
Ah, this dragon has surely devoured thousands of humans. It had probably tasted their fear and despair.
Even though it was of the dragon race, the very top of the Phantasmal Species, it was unbelievably avaricious. It continued to gather up possessions and devour humans who presented themselves as sacrifices.
No matter how many times it was hit, the hands of humans couldn’t even be felt by it, let alone hurt it.
Its fangs crushed and pierced my armor and body. This armor’s hardness wasn’t ordinary, but it was like paper before the fangs of a dragon.
I want fangs, I thought.
I want fangs to fight. I want fangs to win. I want fangs so as not to lose.
I want this dragon’s fangs.
Before me was the dragon’s upper jaw. I opened my mouth and bite into it like a starved wolf.
A howl rang out—the dragon was shocked, unable to believe it.
I couldn’t believe it either.
I realized.
And then I laughed.
Thus, my path was settled.
I threw away all other options, not knowing if I’d ever had them in the first place, and cut open a path.
The [Dead Count Shapeshifter: Dragon Revelation Command Spells] on my left arm, which governed destruction. There was no longer any need to count down to my death. The result would be the same no matter how many Command Spells I use. Since I decided to participate in this war, the countdown would definitely reach zero.
But I was already resolved to everything.
I bit into the upper jaw and bared my fangs at the dragon.
——And then, Sieg opened his eyes. His consciousness was clear and free of pain.
He looked out the window from his bed. It was still dark outside, but the sky was becoming slightly bluish.
Dawn wasn’t far away. Determining he couldn’t sleep any further, Sieg decided to get up.
Chapter 3
Ch3-4
—The night came to an end as dawn broke.
Ruler gazed at the gradually changing sky through the window without getting tired of it. She had already finished her morning prayer. If she were to consider Laeticia’s physical health, it might be better to go back to sleep—but even so, she didn’t feel like sleeping at all.
Her heart felt uneasy for two reasons. The first reason had to do with Amakusa Shirou Tokisada… and his plan to save humanity.
Certainly, at a glance, it looked as if she had been summoned as Ruler in order to prevent his plan. But currently the Greater Grail was in the possession of the enemy, and at this rate she wouldn’t be able to prevent his plan.
At this point, wasn’t it as if she had unconsciously acted to the benefit of her enemy?
…No good, she was starting to think about the threads of destiny. The threads of destiny were complex, twisted and intertwined all over the place. Thinking about it would only lead to doubt and uncertainty.
The plan to save humanity that Amakusa Shirou had declared he would accomplish was merely the mutterings of a madman. His plan would definitely bring about destruction—that was why she had been summoned. It was precisely because she thought that way that she clearly opposed him, and averted her eyes from the countless doubts that ran through her mind.
What if his wish truly is correct?
Could she really say that the answer that a hero like him had reached over the course of sixty years was truly mistaken?
A way to save humanity without hurting anyone and without spilling a drop of blood certainly does not exist—Did she really think that?
All humans should have dreamt of achieving it at some point during their lives.
Why did she say that Amakusa Shirou Tokisada couldn’t do it?
If his wish was correct.
If his words were true.
What should Jeanne d’Arc choose?
And there was also the other reason for her worries. In a sense, it might be the more serious problem.
She had always continued to think about it, the role ‘he’ was meant to fulfill in this Great Holy Grail War—
“Can’t sleep?”
The moment she heard those words, Ruler stifled the unease in her heart and turned around. Sieg stood there wearing plain pajamas.
“Yeah. The night is almost over. Most likely, today will be the last. We will head towards the Hanging Gardens and fight. In order to stop Amakusa Shirou Tokisada.”
“Yeah, we have to stop him.”
“…Is it okay if I ask you one last thing?”
Ruler spoke in a somewhat stiff voice. When Sieg nodded, she asked hesitatingly.
“Sieg-kun, are you really sure you should be on this side?”
It was a question she had asked him several times before. Being on this side, being part of this war, participating in a battle of kill or be killed—How conscientious of her, thought Sieg as he replied in the affirmative.
“Yes, of course.”
There was no hesitation in his voice. But Ruler continued questioning him.
“…Rider once told you that ‘You can do anything now’, right? That’s exactly right. Your current self can go anywhere and do anything. Your greatest worry, your fellow homunculi are embarking on a new life. Yet why must you still fight? You don’t have to fight; it’s fine if you don’t fight, Sieg-kun.”
Sieg felt a strong pressure as if his heart were being gripped.
You don’t have to fight, there’s no need—
Those soft words and kind voice were things he had wished for somewhere in his heart. But he shook his head as if to shake off the warm temptation.
“I… have a duty as both a Master and a Servant.”
He had become a Master and could even become a Servant. There was surely meaning in that—
“Sieg-kun, merely acting according to a higher purpose isn’t everything there is to life.”
Ruler said that in a somewhat self-punitive tone. Sieg felt like those words were extremely heavy and important.
“Ruler…”
“It’s true that you obtained power. That power is necessary, and that might be precisely why you’re here. But even if you’re here by your own will, it isn’t your fate to be here. That’s why—that’s why it’s fine for you to run away, Sieg-kun.”
Ruler trembled, as if enduring some violent emotion.
Being guided here by destiny, being here because it was necessary—there was something wrong about that way of thinking.
When Sieg started to ponder on it, Ruler placed a hand on his cheek. She looked at him with a sad smile.
“…Sorry. I seem to have confused you. Please be at ease. You’ll surely be fine, Sieg-kun.”
You’ll be fine—Ruler whispered that and looked out the window once more. Faint light was starting to pour it through the window.
The dawn of the end had finally arrived.
The night ended for everyone, and the sky gradually became tinged with the light of dawn.
The result of the war over the Holy Grail wouldn’t determine whether or not the world was destroyed.
But the world would be pressed to choose between undergoing a transformation or not.
Amakusa Shirou Tokisada would save humanity ‘righteously’.
Jeanne d’Arc would deny that ‘righteously’.
They each had their own justice and things they wouldn’t turn over. There was no evil in this battle; there was only justice and faith.
However, most wars might be like that. Every human who has a great cause to fight for and dreams of a world that blesses them and their comrades with happiness chooses to fight.
In the end, this Great Holy Grail War was the same.
You didn’t win because you were just and correct. The victors were just and correct because they won.
Both Rulers understood that. Therefore they wouldn’t censure each other, but merely fight to kill one another.
If there was a way for this war to end without any further blood being spilled, it would only be by one side understanding and accepting that the stance of the other side was correct.
And that situation was impossible nine times out of ten. Too much blood had been spilled for either side to understand each other.
Even so, one camp held a naïve hope. That perhaps they could understand each other by talking—
CHAPTER 3 END
