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votestaynight · 1 year

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13th day "infinity arms"/14th day "moonlight (I)" (scene 1)

Saber raises her sword. She is already within striking distance.

"――No. Don't do it, Saber." But I run to Saber as if driven by the pulse of my heart.

"What?" Saber suddenly stops. It's not that Caster did something. Saber felt 'something' from Caster and stopped herself.

"You――" Saber instantly tries to dodge it. But. Caster must have hidden something in the ground as hands of bone burst out of the ground and grasp Saber's feet――!

"――Hm. I was not expecting you to have instinctive foresight, but this is it, Saber!" A blade emerges from Caster's black robe.

It's a weirdly shaped dagger. It's thin and brittle. A blade not suitable for killing. But Saber detests this blade, and Caster swings it as if this is her chance for victory.

Saber must be surprised, getting her feet grabbed from the ground. She does not even repel the dagger and takes it in astonishment―― "Y――ouuuuuuuuuuu…!"

"Wha――" I can hear Caster's voice behind me. I can't see what the robe's expression is like. All I could do was stand in front of Saber and take the blade in her place.

"Gu――ou…!!!!" …But it wasn't a good job. I didn't have enough confidence to block Caster's dagger straight on. So I figured out it would be more certain if I covered Saber, and I held her in my arms as if to hide her. As a result, Caster's dagger wrenched open my back.

"Gu, ga…!!!!" I stop myself from crying because of the pain and strengthen my grip on Saber.

"Shi… rou…?" I can't tell what words are being said beside my ear. "Get… away――Saber, go… back…" Before I can tell her to jump away, Saber must have understood.

My body moves. Saber jumps back as if to shake off the hands coming from the ground, and I'm carried with her.

"Shirou, your wound――――!" Saber's voice is urgent. Even though she laid me on the ground softly, the pain in my back just increases. It's like having my back cut with scissors, then having lead driven into it. From this pain, it feels like a cell phone is being pushed in the wound――

"Shirou, please hold on, Shirou――!" …I guess she's not panicking. But the loud voice rare for Saber makes me rather calm.

"――Hey, I can hear you even if you don't shout. This just hurts, so it's nothing. Take care of Caster instead…" Nodding my head, I point at where Caster should be.

"――Yes. I will finish things right away. Please hold on for a little while." …Saber faces Caster once again.

"So that is your Noble Phantasm, Caster?" Saber's voice sounds threatening. The dark shadow clucks her tongue in irritation and raises the warped dagger in her hand.

"…Yes. It is blunt as you can see, and it cannot kill even one person. But as you have sensed, it is a magical mark said to be almighty in one aspect. …If you do not wish to touch it, I suggest that you do not come near me, Saber."

Even though she says so, I can sense less composure in Caster than before. Even as powerful as Caster is, as long as she uses magic, she won't be able to hurt Saber. No matter what kind of a Noble Phantasm that dagger is, it won't do any good against Saber now.

"…Don't mind it, Saber. Her secret is revealed. You should be able to beat her without a… problem… now." I order her, gritting my teeth.

"Oh, is that fine, Saber? You can certainly corner me, Saber. But who will protect that man while you do so? I do not think I need to say this, but you are the only one that is immune to my magic. Can you not guess what I will do to that boy if I am cornered?"

"――You…" Saber says from the bottom of her lungs.

――The sound of the bones increases. They surround us.

"Da――mn." …I made a mistake. Even if I could save Saber, it's pointless if I'm hurt like this. I'll only be a burden like this. If it was just Saber, Caster wouldn't even be a match for her.

"…So you said you came here to talk, Caster." "Wha――Sa… ber…" "Please do not say anything, Master. This is the right choice for now."

Saber lowers her sword. I think I hear Caster laugh amidst the surrounding sounds of bones.

"I shall listen to you, Caster. I may let you go depending on your conditions." "Are you sane? I hold your lives in my hands. If you act so boldly, I might just crush you."

"Do not get me wrong. All you have is my Master's life, not mine. ――But if you assault that, I will not hold back. If you are to kill my Master, I will be sure to defeat you with everything I have before I disappear."

The air freezes. Even the bones around Caster are cowed by Saber's words.

"…Fine. I will not do anything to that boy. My target was you to begin with. There is nothing wrong with releasing a Master or two." "…? I was your target to begin with…?"

"Right. There is no reason to ignore a hero that can even defeat Berserker. The only remaining Servants are me, you, and Lancer. If you become my ally, Lancer is nothing."

"――Three are left? Then Assassin is already defeated?" "Who knows? He is not here anymore, so I assume he was defeated. It is only natural for a Servant who cannot protect their Master to disappear."

"―――――!" Assassin was beaten…? Then the Master at Ryudou Temple is no more? I didn't even know his identity, but that means another Master has disappeared. The only remaining Servants are Saber, Caster, and Lancer, who has not shown himself since that first night――

"…Hm. This is the only useless talk I will engage in. All I want is your Noble Phantasm. Give me your sword if you do not want your Master killed."

"――That is useless. I am the only one able to use this sword. A heroic spirit must surely know that only the possessor of a Noble Phantasm may use it."

"Oh, you are right. Then in that case, I will just have to obtain you as well. However superior the knight, I can persuade it to be on my side… and more than anything, I like you. It would be fun to control you."

Caster sounds really delighted. "…!" My lacerated consciousness boils up. I kick the pain in my back aside and get up.

"Don't be ridiculous――" I can't let Saber fall under Caster's control just because of me. I decided to protect Saber, so I can't stay down with this kind of a wound――!

I take the wooden sword in my hand and swing at the bone creatures surrounding me.

"No, Shirou…!" Saber's voice sounds urgent. "Oh? If you want to commit suicide, I won't stop you." Caster sounds delighted. The sound of many bones hitting against each other.

As if to nullify all of those sounds… All the bone creatures are swept away instantly by a heavy rain of arrows.

"Wha――" I stand there dumbfounded. The arrows that showered down like rain have disappeared as if they were an illusion. But it cannot be an illusion. The swarming bone creatures do not exist anymore.

"Kuh, who is it――!?" Caster looks up. "―――――" Saber must have already noticed this guy. Saber is looking up at the 'thing' on top of the wall with surprise.

"―――――" There's something unexpected there. The man with his back to the moon is golden. The man clad in gold is looking down at the yard with a cruel smile――

"W-Who――" She must have instinctively realized that he has destroyed her troops as Caster raises her voice.

"―――――" The man doesn't answer. No, he hasn't even taken notice of Caster. He is only looking at one person. The silver knight beside me.

"Answer! I am asking you who you are…!" Caster's voice sounds emotional. And with that, the man finally looks at Caster.

"―――――!" Caster gasps, stared at by those red eyes. The man's stare is so cold. ――That thing isn't treating Caster as human. Even I can tell from here. It's only natural for Caster, the target of that stare, to be terrified by that pressure.

"W-Why are you getting in my way――?" She asks in a trembling voice. She must know she'll be swallowed if she doesn't do so. ――But.

"I have no reason to name myself to a lowlife. Get out of my sight, you fool." The man answers with a verdict of death.

A snap. When I realize the sound is of his fingers snapping, the tragedy has already begun.

Many weapons suddenly appear in space and shoot at Caster like a machine gun.

"――[margos]――!" Caster raises her arm. Concept of a shield. A film like glass is created right above Caster.

――It probably has strength equaling Berserker's body. But was it useless because it was made of glass? Built like a crystal, it cannot even block one of the showering weapons and shatters into pieces.

"Eh――?" A dumbfounded voice. Without showing any concern for Caster's question, they pierce the black robe. There's no mercy at all. The robe is pierced by lances. As the robe is blown away, more lances pierce it.

The sword into her falling body, an arrow into the arm falling to the ground, and the axe into her pained head. Each becomes a deadly guillotine. Survival is impossible. Caster is completely cut apart and dismantled, and she now looks like a mountain of red meat.

…Wind blows. The black robe who lost its master floats away. Floating away. The shredded robe still barely keeps its form. …Now, it is all that remains of what used to be Caster.

"―――――" I can't say anything. My strained mind just watches the black robe floating miserably in the wind.

In that instant. "――How insolent. I told you to get out of my sight. It should only be polite to kill yourself quickly!" The golden man roars in a voice full of contempt.

"Wha――" It's not an illusion. The black robe twists like a wave, grows black wings, and tries to fly away.

But it's too late. I don't know what the man did. It's just that a crack ran through the night sky. The dislocation in the sky swallows the black robe. It reminds me of someone getting run over by a steamroller.

"Ah――Ah…!" The black robe falls. Underneath it is Caster, unscathed. There… The storm of swords showers onto her.

"Hi, ah, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" …The scream echoes through the night. The swords multiply in response to the scream, and the scream gets louder in turn.

"Ah, ha, it hurts, take it out, it hurts, take it out, plea… se…!!!" Caster must have regenerative powers like Saber. She cannot die even when swords are stabbed into her, so her figure is just too miserable.

…The rain doesn't stop. The weapons each differ in shape, and none of them are the same. And I don't want to admit it, but――each one of those weapons equals the 'Noble Phantasms' of the Servants.

"No, this cannot… be――such a… ridiculous… number――" The merciless rain of Noble Phantasms. Caster struggling under it is just――

"Guh, ah, I am… dying…? I, am going to die? Die… in such… ridiculous fashion… no, aha… This is too funny… no… this is not… true… aha, aha… Haha… Ahahahaha, ahahahahahahahahahahahaha Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha Hahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh――――――――!!!!!"

…And that ends it. With a black mist hiding Caster, the Servant disappears.

The infinite cycle of torture that I thought would last forever lasted only about ten seconds in reality. Through it all. Saber stares at the golden knight standing on top of the wall.

"Huh. It is a great sin for a mere magus to even speak of capturing the king of knights. It is rightly mine as I am the king. Such a skewering befits a fool pursuing the king's treasure."

"So, long time no see, Saber. Do you remember the decision I made?" The man says in an intimate manner. "―――――" Saber doesn't answer. But her glare is different from before. "Why that face? Are you still not ready? It has been ten years. That should be enough time to decide――oh, well… that's only for me. It must be like yesterday for you. …Geez, what a silly woman. Making a man wait."

The man laughs happily. …My chest is hurting. Partly from seeing that tragedy. But more than that, I feel sick when that man looks down on Saber with such a ridiculous expression――

"――. So there are more lowlifes left." Commenting unhappily, the man turns to the mansion. "…?" There――on the porch in front of the living room are Ilya and Tohsaka.

"…What is that…" Ilya is looking up at the man as if she's seen a ghost. Straining her eyes, she shakes her head saying it's impossible.

"No――who are you?" "Huh? Fool, you cannot tell? I am one of the heroic spirits you know so well." "――Liar!" Ilya jumps off the porch and glares at the man.

"I don't know. I don't know you. A Servant I don't know about shouldn't exist…!"

"Wha――hold on, Ilya……!" My call to restrain her comes too late. The cluster of magical energy Ilya releases shoots straight for that man.

A clanging sound. The man didn't do anything. A mirror-like shield appeared in front of him and reflected Ilya's magical energy shot.

"Eh――?" As she fired the magical energy in anger, there's no way she can react to it. Ilya stands dumbfounded before the magical energy she fired――

"…! ――That hurts…" She is barely saved by Tohsaka, who instantly blocked it.

"…Hm. I see. It is a strange hybrid this time. I assume they have schemed a bit so as not to make the same mistakes as last time." The man looks at Ilya. A cold stare like the one directed at Saber… a stare prizing a possession.

"…No. No, no, nononononononono…! I-I hate you…!" Ilya still glares at the man, pinned by Tohsaka.

"I do not care about your circumstances. Open it quickly. You are the fifth one." The man speaks plainly. What kind of effect does it have? "Ah――no――" Ilya shakes violently and faints.

That's it. That's all that'll happen. All Tohsaka and I can do is look up at that man. …We both understand. He isn't looking at us. We would just share Caster's fate if we raised our voices.

"―――――" But Saber is different. She is staring at the gold knight in a different kind of silence.

"――Let me ask you one thing. Why are you still in this world, Archer?" Saber tries to control her voice. Tohsaka and I can only be shocked by her words.

"There need be no reason. The Holy Grail is mine. What is wrong with coming to collect what is mine?" "How foolish. You are not a hero like that. No, first of all――"

"Stop. If you say any more, we will have to fight. ――Well, that was my original intention, but I lost interest. This place is too shabby to celebrate our reunion."

Saying so, the man turns away. He turns his back as if saying he has no interest in us. "We shall meet again sometime. My decision has not changed since that time. Be prepared by the time of our next meeting."

The man disappears. With that, the tension in the air vanishes and the yard returns to its usual silence. But that's the only thing that returned. My home is ruined, and Ilya is unconscious. Saber, keeping her back to us, still bears that heavy silence.

I lay a futon down in the living room and place Ilya on it. Even though she's unconscious, Ilya's face looks calm and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with her.

"Hey, don't look away! The bandage will slide off." She hits my back.

"Ow…! Tohsaka, that's no way to treat a wounded guy!" "Shut up. I'm treating your wounds, so be quiet for a while. Here, raise your right hand. I don't think it's necessary, but I'll put some medicine on it as well."

"Tch――it's cold." "It's fine if you can feel. Here, we'll wrap this up next." She skillfully wraps the bandage around my right shoulder.

It's past ten. After returning to the living room, Tohsaka started to treat my wounds. She started, but the wounds have mostly already healed, so all that's left is to treat them just for show.

"Done. But you sure do have a strange body. Only vampires have bodies with such healing powers. Are you really human?" …I think she asked me something similar a while ago.

"Hey, I'm a normal human being. I don't even know how this is happening, so I can't give you an answer."

"Don't play with me. Would a normal human be up and running after they've had their spinal cord cut? I never asked because it was useful, but it's getting too freaky now. Maybe you're from some place where people can only be killed by decapitation?"

"……" The worst part is, Tohsaka is seriously considering that. She might come after my neck one day with an axe in hand.

"Hey, don't you think so too, Saber? I think you're the cause, but it's still too far beyond human."

"Huh…? Shirou's healing power is not his own?"

"Of course not. Do you think someone who only knows 'strengthening' magic could do such high class magic? His absurdity must come from being connected with you. I can only guess that your healing power is flowing into him."

"…Is that so? I have never felt such a connection. If that were the case, my magical energy should be flowing to Shirou even now. More importantly, my healing power is not as strong as Shir――"

"Saber? Why the sudden pale face?" "――" Saber is staring into space as if she can't hear Tohsaka.

"…No, it cannot be…" Shaking her head, Saber looks away.

"…?" "…?" Tohsaka and I look at each other. Saber's acting strange. …No, I know why. Saber's spirit has been low since that golden knight appeared.

"…Well, let's put the matter of Shirou on hold. More importantly, Saber, did you know that gold guy? He was saying you were his."

"……" Saber doesn't answer. It's obviously something she doesn't want to talk about. But I still want to know. Tohsaka's question is mine as well.

"――Saber. Tell me if you know. Who was that guy? You called him Archer."

"…Yes. I do not wish to admit it, but I do know him. But it is impossible. There are only seven Servants. He cannot be summoned." "Servants――so, he is a Servant."

No, that's obvious. But in that case, there's a big problem.

"He is of class Archer. Of course, he is not the Archer whom Rin made a contract with. His abilities and character are too different."

…I know that too. It only lasted a short while, but I was able to feel how much of a monster he was.

"Hold on. That's not right. If he's the Servant Archer, that makes eight. Seven should be the limit of the summons in a single period. It's not like they restock when some of them disappear. After all, even the Holy Grail doesn't have the magical energy to summon more than seven."

"There are seven Servants because that's the basic limit, right? Then how can they summon an eighth――hold on. Saber, you met him in the previous war?"

"…Yes, Rin. On the last day of the previous Holy Grail War, I fought against him in a sea of fire." "――" My body tenses up for an instant. Saber fought him in a sea of fire…?

…It's nothing new. Kotomine already told me that the fire was caused by the Holy Grail War. So this shouldn't be a surprise. It's just――I was unconsciously trying not to think about it until now.

"What happened? Did you beat him?" "No, I did not… no, I could not beat him. Because I…" "――You were beaten instead? He's someone you couldn't beat even when you were properly summoned?"

Saber hangs her head and doesn't answer. That pretty much answers her question.

"Saber――couldn't win?" Not just the imperfect Saber as she is now, but Saber with her full power? …Is that even possible? If you look at her skill as a swordsman, Saber certainly is invincible. Admittedly, Saber was the weaker against Berserker. But Saber has that Noble Phantasm.

The Noble Phantasms of other Servants are powerful, but Saber's exceeds even them. I don't think there's any hero she can't beat using her holy sword――

"Then there's only one possible explanation. He's not a Servant summoned in this war, but a Servant that remains from the previous war. It only makes sense when that's true."

"――!" My mind stops. It's not that I agree with Tohsaka. But what she said matches what I've been hoping for since yesterday.

"…But that is…" "That's the only possible explanation. Only seven Servants can be summoned each Holy Grail War. If there are any other Servants, they must be the 'winner' of the previous Holy Grail War. Am I wrong?"

…A heavy silence. But. Why is she in such a good mood?

"Tohsaka. What are you so happy about?"

"Of course I'm happy. There's a precedent. I don't know who he is, but he's the guy who won the last Holy Grail War, right? Then he must have obtained the Holy Grail. And he's staying in this world because of its blessing." "――"

"In other words, he's proof that you can keep your Servant in this world if you obtain the Holy Grail. I want to capture him and question him about it."

――Yeah, you're right. I don't know who he is, but he's a Servant and he's still here after the previous war. That means there's a way for Saber to stay in this world like him.

"Well, we don't know who he is or what his motive is, but I'm sure he's an enemy we'll need to defeat. So Saber, what's his true identity?"

"…I do not know. Even at the end, I could not tell who he was. That hero did not have a Noble Phantasm symbolic of him."

"He doesn't have a symbolic Noble Phantasm…? That can't be true. A Servant without a Noble Phantasm can't be a Servant. "And besides, he――"

"Yeah, he was using so many. It should be easy to work out his true identity with so many Noble Phantasms. You just need to identify the appropriate hero for them."

"Then let me ask you. Did you recognize any of those Noble Phantasms?" "Of course. Let's see…"

Tohsaka ponders, She thinks about it for a minute. But then, she tilts her head in confusion.

"――No way. That's impossible…" "…? What's wrong, Tohsaka? What's impossible?"

"――I can't believe it. The bloody one was probably Dainsleif, and the one like a sickle was Herpe. There was one that looked Chinese and another that looked like a Buddha thing――"

Tohsaka looks crazy, talking to herself. I guess this is what you call digging yourself a hole.

"Um, that one was similar to Saber's sword, but it should be different. It seems like it's from Northern Europe judging from its simple design, and most forms of demonic sword are from Northern Europe, but――" She starts to grit her teeth.

"Hey, Tohsaka." There's no point in leaving her like that. I have to stop her now or there'll be some damage. I don't need to add that I'll be the one damaged.

"Tohsaka, Tohsaka. Come back." "Geez, be quiet Shirou! I'm getting confused because you're bothering me!"

"I'm not trying to disturb you. It's about his Noble Phantasm, right? I saw Dainsleif, Herpe, Durandal, Vajra, and Kaladbolg. Oh, and I saw Gae Bolg. I couldn't identify the Chinese one, but those are the most famous ones, right?"

"Ugh… you're right." She glares at me in irritation. I'm hurt if she makes a face like that. I'm not knowledgeable, but it just popped into my head.

"But what does that mean!? No hero has that many Noble Phantasms. No, more importantly, the sources are all different. I don't understand it――"

"Yes. That is why I could not tell his true identity. He has an abundance of Noble Phantasms, the proofs of a hero. I could not narrow down his true identity because he had so many."

The two ponder. Well, there's certainly no way to tell if he has that many. It's like hiding a tree in a forest, or something.

"Shirou. Do you have anything?" She glares at me. Yeah, she's definitely taking it out on me.

"Have what?" "Anything you noticed or guessed. Anything that popped into your head. What we need are unexpected opinions. Only accidents solve a deadlock situation." Hm, she might be right.

"Hahaha, I see. ――You're making fun of me, right?" "Don't be rude. I just think you're useless. So, do you have anything?" "Nothing." I give up honestly. Tohsaka groans in regret.

"…Then there's only one answer. Saber, don't you think they're all fakes? Nothing else can explain it." "I feel the same way. However――"

"…? No, they're not fakes." How did they arrive at that answer? First of all, he wouldn't have been able to pierce Caster with fake Noble Phantasms.

"Oh. What do you base that on, Emiya-kun?" "I'm saying those are real. Rather, everything else seems fake." "Huh?"

"Well, it's just my intuition. …Um, it's hard to explain, but those are all real. Lancer's Gae Bolg is real, but I think the Gae Bolg he used is real as well."

"…?" Gah, it's harder to explain if she makes a face like that. No, forgetting that, why did I think that? It's just that all the things he used were Noble Phantasms. I can feel that.

…Is it because I used 'projection' against Berserker? I could tell they were real Noble Phantasms just by looking at them. Conception dwells in superior weapons, and something is missing from weapons that merely imitate them in shape. I realized that when I imitated Saber's sword. By that argument, I think that all the Noble Phantasms he used were perfect――

"…Well. Putting what Shirou said aside…. As we don't know his true identity, his objective is next." Tohsaka sneaks a glance at Saber.

"We already know he's after the Holy Grail, but there's one other point I'm curious about. Can I ask you directly, Saber?" Man. Why does she put on that really evil smile when it comes to this kind of subject?

"…What do you mean, Rin? You do not need to hold back if you wish to ask me something."

"Really? Then I'll ask. What do you think of him? From the way he spoke, it seemed like he really has the hots for you." "……"

…I'm not following Tohsaka's lead, but I sneak a glance at Saber. Tohsaka is saying it wrong, but it's true he was attached to Saber. No, it wasn't that nice. He saw Saber as his and only his.

"I do not care what he thinks about. …But, I remember that he did propose marriage to me in the previous war. Naturally, I deflected it with my sword." Marriage, you mean――!? "Wha――" What is that Servant thinking――!?

"Wow. I don't know if you should be happy in this case, but you don't feel too bad about it, right? You must be happy as a woman to be proposed to even after you became a Servant."

"That is not true. I have no such freedom to begin with. My goal is to obtain the Holy Grail. ――Honestly, such nonsense irritates me."

"Really? Even if you feel that way, he was pretty into you. His type doesn't care how much they're rejected. You're stubborn too, so he might be a good match for you."

I don't know what's so funny, but Tohsaka's words are irresponsible. Tohsaka seems to be happy to be talking to Saber about this kind of thing. Saber seems to have no interest, but… "I am telling you that I have no interest in such a thing. He is certainly a superior heroic spirit, but his way of thinking is too different from mine." Saber answers honestly.

"Ohhhh. Did you hear that, Shirou? Saber has no interest in men. Are you relieved?" "Rin, I believe that is of no concern to Shirou. Your statement is a little strange."

"I would think so. That was a mistake on my part. But the strange part is the funny part." Tohsaka laughs evilly. Her eyes seem to be laughing not only at Saber, but at me as well.

"―――――" It irritates me for some reason and I stand up. "Huh? Where are you going, Shirou?" "Tea. I'm thirsty. I'll get some for everyone while I'm at it."

I spit that out and go to the kitchen. I don't know why, but I'm irritated. So I think I'll prepare extra bitter tea for Tohsaka.

"Then, I'll go back to my room. Let's have the complicated talk tomorrow after Ilya wakes up." After messing a lot with Saber, she drinks the bitter tea and stands up.

"Yeah, go to sleep. Don't come back." "Yeah, yeah. I'll leave the rest to you, then." I don't know what's so funny, but Tohsaka leaves in a good mood.

"――What are you going to do, Shirou? You should not push yourself even if your wounds have healed, so I think you should rest for tonight."

"Yeah, that's my plan. But I'll watch over Ilya for a bit longer. I'll move her to a room if there doesn't seem to be any problem, and I'll go to bed after that." "I see. Then, I shall accompany you."

Our conversation ends there. It gets really awkward once it's quiet as Tohsaka was the loud one. …No, awkward isn't the right word. There are things I'm worried about and things I need to say, so my mind is impatient. Come to think of it, what I want to tell her is all in a mess.

About the Holy Grail. About her still being alive. …Even if she does obtain the Holy Grail, there's no salvation for the girl called Arturia. I don't even need to say why. She has no wish for herself even now.

"…Saber, about what we were discussing before…." Our eyes meet. Her awkward eyes seem to know what I'm going to say.

"Yes, what is it, Shirou?" She tries to block my question with a calm voice. …But I have to tell her.

"About what we were saying earlier. Tohsaka said it too that Servants can stay if they obtain the Holy Grail, right? Then――"

"No, I have no intention of staying here. I will return to my original time once I obtain the Holy Grail." "And you're going to redo the selection of the king? You're going to start everything over and not save yourself on the verge of death?"

"Right. It is the duty of a king to protect the country. My powers were not enough, so I must at least select an appropriate king in my place." "――" Her words really make me angry.

"――You idiot! Wake up…! The duty of the king doesn't matter! You're here, so you should do what you want to now――!" "――"

"I won't allow you to have any other goals. You're strong, right? Then finish this battle quickly, obtain the Holy Grail, and quit being a Servant…! If you have a wish, don't go to the past and redo everything. If you want to change yourself, don't change the past, but change who you are now――!"

…Saber doesn't answer. She gives a small sigh. "You are obstinate, Shirou. I want you to stop bringing this up." She firmly rejects my opinion.

"And it is not as if one can stay if one obtains the Holy Grail. Archer… that Servant does not remain in this time because of the Holy Grail. It was impossible for anyone to obtain the Holy Grail in the last war."

"…? Saber, what does that――" "It is impossible to obtain what does not exist. On that day when the town was in flames, the Holy Grail was destroyed. By the Master who betrayed me, Emiya Kiritsugu."

"――" My vision closes in. I hold my body steady with my hands as it's about to fall.

"Emiya… Kiritsugu…?"

"Yes. He was my Master ten years ago in the previous Holy Grail War. I won to the end, and the Holy Grail came into Kiritsugu's hands. Archer and his Master still remained, so the Holy Grail War should have been ended by their defeat."

"But Kiritsugu threw the Holy Grail away. As a result, the town went into flames. …That man ordered me to destroy the Holy Grail because Servants are the only ones that can touch the Holy Grail. Kiritsugu used his last Command Spell to force me to destroy the Holy Grail."

"Servants cannot stay in this world once the Holy Grail disappears. Kiritsugu did not try to keep me here either. My memory ends there. I could not ask him about the betrayal nor settle my match against Archer."

"―――――" Well, it's not like I never thought about it. Father was a magus. If he lived in this town all his life, he must have been involved in a Holy Grail War. But still――

"Why didn't you tell me that my father was a Master, Saber?"

"…Usually, a Servant does not hold memories of previous summonings. The same hero will not be summoned as a Servant again. I am an exception to this rule. So I believed I should not mention this fact to you, Shirou. …And I did not wish to tell you what kind of Master Kiritsugu was."

"…? Why wouldn't you want to tell me?" "Shirou. As you have seen my past in your dreams, I also saw your past. …I was surprised by your past, but I could not believe how much Kiritsugu had changed. Emiya Kiritsugu is a great person in your memories. But he is not like that in my memories."

"…To state it simply, he was a typical magus. He was only interested in his objectives and he eliminated everything in his way. I could not see any human emotion in him. He only spoke to me three times during the whole war. …I do not think I need to tell you when he spoke to me.

"―――――"

"He was not cruel nor a born killer. But he did not have anything that you would call emotion. Just as he treated me only as a tool, he treated himself only as an object."

"…Kiritsugu killed every emotion and killed every enemy. I do not know what he believed in to make him do so, but he ordered me to destroy the Holy Grail when it was in front of him. To be honest…. I have never cursed the Command Spell or a Master who has betrayed me, more than I did at that time.

――There's some truth in Saber's words. No, they must all be true.

Come to think of it, I don't know what Kiritsugu was like before that time ten years ago. I couldn't guess anything about him before that time, and I saw no need to learn about such things. It doesn't change a thing even if Kiritsugu was cold-hearted. The man that adopted me was really childlike. So my memory is my only truth.

But what hurts my heart is…. If Kiritsugu was really a cold person, his last moments were just too empty――

"…I see. Maybe I was able to summon you because I'm his son."

"…I do not know. Kiritsugu summoned me in a legitimate way. As Kiritsugu's aptitude as a Master was high, he was hired by a magus family with a long history and entered the Holy Grail War. I heard that everything he needed to become a Master was provided by that family."

"They had excavated King Arthur's artifact from Cornwall and gave it to Kiritsugu to use in the Holy Grail War. Kiritsugu used it as a catalyst to summon me. So Kiritsugu himself does not have any factor to summon me nor is his attribute close to mine. You probably summoned me because of some other factor."

…I get it. It's not too surprising that Father used to be a Master. What's surprising is that his Servant was King Arthur… the one standing in front of me right now.

And one more thing. Saber said that the Holy Grail was destroyed. Then――isn't this war completely meaningless?

"…I don't get it. You already knew there's no Holy Grail anymore, right? So why did you decide to take part in this ridiculous battle?"

"…I certainly do not know if the Holy Grail actually exists. But it would be strange for there to be no Holy Grail if I am summoned. Have you forgotten, Shirou? I became a Servant to obtain the Holy Grail. To put it another way, I will not be summoned unless the Holy Grail is present."

"Ah――well, then. The Holy Grail can restore itself even if it's destroyed?" "No. The Holy Grail is not something easily replaceable. It would be impossible for a destroyed Holy Grail to be restored."

"Then――" "But it should exist. Servants are summoned since they are drawn to the Holy Grail. Servants would not exist if there is no Holy Grail. That priest said so as well."

"Priest――oh, him." The supervisor of the Holy Grail War living at the church. That man that manages the Holy Grail must be able to answer all my questions.

The end of the previous war. What happened to the destroyed Holy Grail and to the Servant Archer? And yes――what did Kiritsugu see at the end of the battle to make him destroy the Holy Grail?

I wake up alone. Even if she has recovered, Saber still has to sleep periodically. Saber went to bed right away after that, and I went to bed too to relieve Saber.

That was an hour ago. It's past midnight. …I'll be able to sneak out without Saber or Tohsaka finding out now.

I go out without making a sound. I thought about using the bicycle, but it'd be a problem if I wake them up by doing so. I guess I'll walk there.

There's no one around. Even if it's midnight, this silence is abnormal. The air is frozen and I can't sense life from any of the buildings.

On the other hand, I feel a contradictory heat under the road as if there's a whirlpool of something black. …Has something happened to the town in the few days I was held at Ilya's place? It feels like ill omens are everywhere.

"…It's not just me." I look up at the mountain in the distance. The Ryudou Temple which is far away from the city just looks like a black lump from here. It's just that… It seems like it's throbbing along with the night wind.

I cross the dark river and walk to Shinto. "――That's right. It's already been ten days since then." That day. That night I first met Saber and walked on this bridge with Tohsaka seems like so long ago.

――I see the church. "I've never been to the church." Even though I told Tohsaka that, I do have a connection to this church. I was supposed to be entrusted to the church and adopted somewhere later.

"…The Emiya household or the church. Come to think of it, it was a big turning point."

Ten years ago. All the children in that hospital were orphans, and they were all temporarily entrusted to the church. I was the only one of them adopted from the hospital.

That must be why. I felt kind of guilty and unconsciously avoided the church. That's why I told Tohsaka it was my first time visiting the church on the night eleven days ago.

The lights in the church are still on. …I don't like that priest, but there's something I need to ask him. "――Well, let's go." I take a deep breath and go through the heavy doors.

"Priest Kotomine, are you here?" I keep on walking while I call out. I can't sense anyone in the chapel. Even though the lights are on, it's so big and quiet that I feel more afraid than I would in complete darkness.

"Hey, is anyone here?" …There's no reply. I can't go in any farther, so maybe I should give up and go home for tonight――

"…!" I instantly turn toward the sound. "So, it is Emiya Shirou. What are you doing here at this time?"

"―――――" The sudden encounter leaves me speechless.

"It is late. I was going to sleep――but your expression suggests that you seek confession here." Kotomine says so and returns to the door he emerged from.

"Oh――no, wait. Um, I had something I wanted to ask you." "I know. I will not turn anyone away even if they come at odd hours." So saying, Kotomine opens the door to the back of the chapel.

"Follow me. I'm sure it has to do with the Holy Grail War. I cannot have us talk about such bloody subjects here." Kotomine disappears into the back without waiting for my reply.

"――!" I've come this far, so I can't go back empty-handed. I renew my determination not to be intimidated by Kotomine and follow him.

"Wow――the outside was brilliant, but the inside is exquisite as well…" Is this a courtyard? There's a park and passageway that seems too elegant for Kotomine to live in alone.

"What are you doing? Come here if you have something to talk about." The priest turns yet another corner.

"…Damn, he really doesn't wait." I follow him, complaining. The church is like a small maze, so I have to follow him obediently.

"―――――" It's a modest room made of stone. This inelegant room seems to be Kotomine's.

"I am unfortunately out of alcohol. I have nothing to welcome you with, but forgive me." Kotomine says so while sitting down.

"―――――" …Is this the faint smell of wine? He must really like it if the smell is lingering in this room.

"What? Did you not have something to talk to me about? It is bothersome if you just stand there dumbfounded." "I-I'm not dumbfounded! I was just surprised by this room, and I'll go home right away once I'm done with my business…!"

"Good. I do not have enough leisure time to socialize with children either. Keep your questions concise." "…!" …As expected, I hate this guy. It feels like he can read my mind, and I feel intimidated when I talk to him.

"So, what is it that you want to talk about, Emiya Shirou? I believe I have already told you everything I can."

"…Don't lie. You must have known about it. My father was Saber's Master and he destroyed the Holy Grail. You're the supervisor that manages the Holy Grail, so you must…!"

"Oh. Did Saber say that?" "Um… yeah, I heard that's how the previous Holy Grail War ended." "―――――" The priest sinks into silence as if pondering.

"…Hm. It is unusual for a Servant to retain their previous memories. Maybe Saber is a failure or Saber herself is abnormal. Either way, you cannot claim she is a normal Servant."

"Heroic spirits do not retain memories. There would be contradictions if they did since they are summoned into many ages: the past, present, and future. All they have are memories from when they were alive. Anything that happens to them after they become a heroic spirit should not remain in their memory――"

The priest ponders as he must not assent to the fact. …I see. He doesn't know that Saber isn't a complete heroic spirit yet, so he's having trouble understanding.

"No, that's wrong. It seems that Saber's circumstances are different from the other Servants'." "Different circumstances? …I see, so that must be why you came here. All right, go ahead."

"―――――" I don't like his haughty attitude, but this is no time to oppose him. I don't like it, but this priest might give me some answers.

"It seems Saber isn't dead yet. She still hasn't completed the contract to become a heroic spirit. Something like, she wished for the Holy Grail on the verge of her death and she agreed to become a heroic spirit as a price for obtaining it. So she isn't dead yet. She won't die until she obtains the Holy Grail, and she said she'll become a complete Servant once she does so."

"Not dead… then that must mean Saber is still in the cycle of rebirth. So she is not removed from the concept of time like other heroic spirits?"

"Right, I think that's it. Tohsaka said Saber's frozen in time by herself." "――I see. So rather than disappearing after she accomplishes something, she continues to be summoned as a heroic spirit until she obtains the Holy Grail."

"But the Holy Grail has not yet been obtained, so she returns to her deathbed every time she fails. And she has been summoned into this time as well, bearing all her previous memories. ――Ha. Obtaining the Holy Grail in order to die… I do not understand heroes. And even if she does obtain it, all that is left for her is to be summoned as a Servant."

"…That's right. Even if she does obtain the Holy Grail and gets her wish granted――she'll just become like the other Servants, right? …I don't like that. Anyways, what are Servants? They say it's making heroes your familiars, but can that even be possible for a contradictory hero like Saber?"

"I do not understand the system. …Eternal continuation of the soul. The Servant system is constructed by imitating that secret process. Only the deviser would know about this."

"…? ――Eternal continuation of the soul…?" "No, that is just the past. It has nothing to do with this matter, so forget about it.

"So, Emiya Shirou. You are saying that you want her to stop being a Servant, correct?"

"――" Did he guess right? I certainly think Saber's situation is strange. It's fine that she wants to obtain the Holy Grail. But all that awaits is her elimination.

If a king other than King Arthur is chosen and King Arthur is no more… I think it's wrong for her to be summoned as the hero King Arthur after that. So――if she can stop being a Servant and live as a normal human being――

"That is impossible. Dead people will not come back to life. Even if her time is stopped, Saber is already dead for us. The power of the Holy Grail summons her into this time because she accepted the price of becoming a heroic spirit. If she does not seek the Holy Grail, she will not be summoned as a Servant. And as long as she seeks the Holy Grail, she will become a complete Servant sooner or later."

"…Even if she fails this time, she has infinite chances. Since Saber is still in the loop of time, she cannot be in two chances to obtain the Holy Grail at once, and she cannot redo a chance she has already failed. She will fail a chance she has already failed, no matter how many times she tries. Once she has experienced the result, she will not be able to change it."

"But still, it should only be a matter of time before she obtains the Holy Grail. This is not the only opportunity for her. Trials to obtain the Holy Grail exist in all ages. If she continues to challenge each one, she will obtain the Holy Grail."

"…From the beginning, she is being summoned as a heroic spirit because she obtains the Holy Grail as a result. From the moment she appeared in front of you, there was no way to stop her from becoming a Servant."

"――" …I thought so. As long as Saber seeks the Holy Grail, there's no way to stop her from being a Servant. After all, she'll continue like this unless Saber herself decides to use the Holy Grail for her own sake.

Even if this Holy Grail War ends and there's no need to fight any more. She will go on to the next chance to obtain the Holy Grail if she cannot obtain it this time. Once she obtains it, she'll become this heroic spirit thing and be sent out to many ages――

"…Then, she'll continue to be a Servant whether she obtains the Holy Grail or not?" "No, that is not the case. If the Holy Grail is truly omnipotent, it will be able to save Saber."

"Huh――? But you just said that was impossible――"

"Yes, it is impossible to stop Saber from becoming a Servant. But your wish is for her to stay in this world, is it not? Then it is not that difficult. You are able to keep her here as a human even after the Holy Grail War ends. Although, she will return once she dies."

"――How do I do that?" "The heroic spirits and Servants are spurious. Normally, what is summoned as a heroic spirit does not have a mind. It is summoned as a tool to meet an objective and disappears."

"But Servants are different. They are the true body summoned by the Holy Grail. So they can live as humans just by keeping them in this world."

"You can do such a thing? Saber said she disappeared when the Holy Grail was destroyed. Isn't it true that Servants can't stay if the Holy Grail is gone?"

"Of course. The Holy Grail merely summons these Servants, and it is the role of the Master to maintain them after that. But that is possible only because the Holy Grail is aiding the Master. The magical energy of a magus is not enough to maintain a Servant. If one does not have a donor called the Holy Grail, their Servant will disappear."

"…I thought so. Then…" "No. If you do not have enough, all you need do is compensate for that. For Servants, furnishing magical energy is only an act of compensation. It is their true nature to consume souls. If their existence starts to fade, it can be replenished using other souls."

"Wha――" Does that mean attacking random people like Shinji did?

"Don't be ridiculous! I can't do such a thing…! First of all, Saber wouldn't want to stay if she had to go that far…!"

"I see. Then you would have to use the contents of the Holy Grail. ――It is simple. If you want Saber to live as a human being, have her consume the Holy Grail."

He must have predicted my response. The priest's expression tells me that he was waiting to reach this conclusion from the beginning.

"――You mean, have the Holy Grail grant my wish?"

"No. It has nothing to do with your wish. It is the contents of the Holy Grail itself. Did you not hear from Rin? Servants are able to start a second life by drinking the water of the Holy Grail? That only means they have become a familiar summoned in this age. Their bodies will still be that of a Servant, but they will be able to stay in this world as long as their Master is alive."

"――But that means…" That hasn't solved anything. Even if she can stay in this world, it's meaningless if she's still a Servant. She can't exist without magical energy from her Master, and even if she stays in this world like that, she returns to that hill after she dies.

…And Saber wouldn't do it. She isn't interested in a second life, and she's said she's going to use the Holy Grail for another purpose. Oh, but first of all――the key to everything is the Holy Grail… Does it mean it still exists in this world?

"…I get it. That just means I have to obtain the Holy Grail, right? But does the Holy Grail still exist? If my father destroyed it, then…." "Then what?"

"…If there's no Holy Grail, there's no reason to fight. This ridiculous fight is pointless." "You have no reason to fight, huh? Why do you say that now? ――You had no reason to fight from the very beginning." As he says so. Time freezes.

――No reason to fight. That's what this priest told me before. At that time――I just became a Master and I didn't have much of a reason to fight. That's why I ignored it, and I thought it was just sarcasm.

But what about now? I have a reason to fight. If there is a Holy Grail, I want to end this fight and give it to Saber.

I have a reason to fight. I have a reason to fight. So why do his words make my body shake so much that I want to vomit――?

"――We'll forget about that for now. Now is not the time to open up your wounds." …I hear a voice. A voice I don't want to hear. But it makes my mysterious nausea stop.

"There is a Holy Grail. The Holy Grail is only a vessel anyways. If it goes away, the preparer will prepare another one." "…? …The preparer will prepare another one? ….. Is the Holy Grail that easy to make?"

"Just making the vessel is. Of course, one needs an appropriate skill, but the Holy Grail War could not come to be without such a skill."

"…First of all, the Holy Grail is not a cup that received the blood of God. It was based on a magical pot passed down from ancient times. You should know about it if you are a magus. Utopia. It means 'an unreachable place' in Greek. It is said that an omnipotent vessel exists there. And there were magi who tried to reproduce this omnipotent vessel."

"They were the three families: Einzbern, Makiri, and Tohsaka. They spent many generations researching the ritual to reproduce the omnipotent vessel and completed it two hundred years ago. That was the first Holy Grail War――the ritual that summoned the omnipotent vessel to the artificial Holy Grail to open up the path."

"Einzbern…? You mean, Ilya's family?"

"Yes. The Einzberns specialized in 'the golden rule of the line'. They were the best suited to make an imitation of the Holy Grail. But they cannot summon the Holy Grail with just that. They need a suitable land and a strong curse. The ones who provided these were the Tohsaka and the Makiri."

"At that time, the Church and the Magic Association were in the middle of a bloody war. A far eastern land was chosen as the place for the ritual. Einzbern must have invited Tohsaka in because Tohsaka was in charge of the land around here and their master was a master of summoning. For Einzbern, the summoning of the Holy Grail would be impossible without the help of Tohsaka."

"But betrayal could easily occur with two families involved. They must have thought three should be involved as they also brought in the Makiri family." The Makiris are a family with history as well. They were the family most skilled with familiars. It was they that came up with the Command Spell to bind the Servants."

"…And they worked together to summon the Holy Grail, but when they succeeded, what came after was bloody killing. The first summoning of the Holy Grail ended while they were busy killing each other. As generations passed, they made rules called the Holy Grail War and went back to cooperating, at least in form."

"Tohsaka provided this land and the system to model the Servants, and Makiri provided the Command Spell to bind these Servants. And Einzbern supplies the vessel for the Holy Grail to dwell in. That is the cooperation they decided on."

The priest continues happily as if something pleases him. But, I see… they say the Holy Grail War is a ritual, but Ilya's family was the original proposer.

"So, that is it. It was the Einzberns that prepared the Holy Grail. As they were betrayed by Kiritsugu last time, they have thrown in their greatest trump card. The daughter of Einzbern probably holds the Holy Grail."

"――?" Ilya has the Holy Grail…? …That's weird. I don't think she had anything with her….

"Well, are you happy now? I do not know what troubles you. But the only way to solve it is to use the Holy Grail. Now that you know that, go home. The battle is not yet over. You are crazy to be walking about without having Saber by your side."

"That's none of your business. I know there's still Lancer's Master――" Hold on. There's one more thing I need to ask him.

"――Kotomine. Servants will disappear once the Holy Grail disappears. That's what you said, right?" "Yes. Do you have a problem with that?" "I do. I don't know who it is, but there is an eighth Servant. According to Saber, he has remained in this world since the previous war."

"Wha――t?" It must have been a surprise. Kotomine opens his eyes and mutters in disbelief.

"What's going on? I came here since I thought you would know."

"…So, you are saying there is a Servant that did not disappear? It is not that strange. The previous war ended with Saber destroying the Holy Grail. So in other words, there was still another Servant left."

"Saber disappeared by her own will, but if a Servant wished to stay, then the answer is simple. He must have acquired the magical energy he needed by feeding on souls and lived these past ten years."

"――That's ridiculous. His presence was absurd. You or my father certainly would've noticed if that thing had been around for ten years."

"…I know. Someone was probably hiding him. The Servant's Master, or…." "Or what?"

"A magus who knew about the Holy Grail War but did not become a Master. I know one such person, but that is impossible as well. The old Makiri has already retired." Kotomine must be satisfied, as he gets up from the sofa.

"This is it. I cannot let this be as a supervisor. I shall investigate that Servant. You should concentrate on your remaining battle with Lancer." Kotomine walks to the exit as if there's nothing more to talk about.

"―――――" …Well, there's certainly nothing more to be gained from being here. I leave the dark room and follow Kotomine, who leads me to the exit silently.

I leave the church. Behind me, "Saber will die once she obtains the Holy Grail. You know what that means, don't you, Emiya Shirou?" The priest asks as if confirming it.

"――" The priest is looking down at me from the doorway.

…Saber will die if she obtains the Holy Grail. I already know that. Saber's goal is to obtain the Holy Grail, and she doesn't want the Holy Grail's power. Once she obtains the Holy Grail, nothing will bind her. She will be freed from her situation, frozen on the verge of death, and――she will die an unrewarded death on that hill.

"What's wrong? You're not the type to give that kind of a warning, are you?"

"I was just happy that you are supporting Saber. I am warning you out of kindness. Saber will disappear once she obtains the Holy Grail. If you wish to be with her, you should give up the Holy Grail."

"…That's even more of a contradiction. I won't be able to keep Saber here if I don't have the Holy Grail."

"You do not need to rely on the Holy Grail. It's just like that Servant we were talking about. If you want to keep Saber, all you need to do is feed her souls."

"――Don't play with me. I can't do that." I glare at the priest. "I see. That is too bad." He must not even care about my glare as the priest is laughing.

"Then your only hope is the contents of the Holy Grail. Even if your Servant does not wish it, all you have to do is keep one Command Spell. Your wish will be granted that way."

――The priest is saying… That it doesn't matter even if Saber doesn't want it. That if I am a Master, I can just force Saber to drink using the power of the Command Spell.

"―――――" "Oh, did I offend you? Don't glare at me so much. That was just a warning. Well, you could also respect Saber's choice. It is her life. We have no right to say anything about it."

"I shall investigate that Servant tomorrow. Come here again if you feel like it." The door to the church closes. Looking up at the church, I grit my teeth telling myself that I will never come here again.

I cross the moonlit bridge. This is the place where I walked with Saber. At that time, I was just looking at the scenery, not thinking about anything.

'Saber will die if she obtains the Holy Grail. You know what that means, Emiya Shirou――'

"――!" I know. I know without him telling me. …But why is everything so complicated? Saber must not obtain the Holy Grail. But it is the only thing that can save her.

'If you wish to be with her, you should give up the Holy Grail. If you want to keep Saber, all you need to do is feed her souls――'

…I can't do that. Even if I accepted that, Saber wouldn't. She would rather disappear than do such things. She would disappear and repeat this kind of war?

'Then, keep one Command Spell. ――That way, your wish shall be granted.'

"…! Damn, shut up, you shitty priest…!" I stop and punch at the rails as if shaking off the Command Spell. A hard steel sound echoes through the night. …That's the only sound around here. There're no people nor cars around.

"Damn… why am I even thinking about it?" I lean on the rail and spit it out. I know I should just ignore Kotomine's opinion. But his words had a charm that make me unable to ignore them.

…What did I want to do and what was I trying to fight for? At first, it was to end the Holy Grail War. When did that purpose fade away and become secondary? Was it when I was obstinate about fighting by myself? Was it when I decided to cooperate with Saber, after I painfully realized how powerless I was?

Or. Is it from that time I made a sword for her, after that night in the ruins?

――I'm just trying to deceive myself with all that. I don't even need to think about it. Back then. When I met her in the moonlight in that shed, my mind was already made up――

"――" But that would have been fine. If I hadn't found out because of the dreams, this probably would've ended before I knew it. But I found out. I couldn't leave her alone and decided I didn't want to lose her.

I want to stay like this. I want to keep watching her smile――

"――Ow." The girl, watching the sunset alone on that hill of swords. My chest hurts thinking back to it. She never had time that was her own. …I just don't like that.

Kiritsugu said we shouldn't let girls cry. I think a smiling face is much better than a crying one. That's why I was irritated when Saber wasn't smiling. But when I told her to smile. She said that it was better if she saw me smiling. ――That's… It's like seeing stars through a telescope that you can never reach.

"――――Dammit." I look up at the night sky. Looking up at the star I can never reach, Drip. An unnoticed tear falls down my cheek.

"――I like her." I say so to no one. However dull I am, I have to admit it. There's nothing I can do about it. I like her so much that I can cry for no reason.

"Welcome back. You were pretty late." ――And then. Tohsaka is standing in the doorway.

"T-Tohsaka…? Why are you――" "Let's talk inside. Come in, you seem tired." She takes my arm without asking me and starts to walk… And takes me to her room.

"Here's some tea. It must've been cold outside." She says so rather bluntly, but she's thoughtful.

"…Yeah, thanks." Honestly, I appreciate the hot tea. It's about an hour to the neighboring town. Since I walked slowly, my body is freezing cold.

"So, did you go to Kirei's place?" She asks me directly. …I see. So Tohsaka knew all along. But she didn't even stop me, just waited for me to come home, and prepared me some tea.

…I've made up my mind, and I appreciate Tohsaka's thoughtfulness. That must be why. "Yeah, I did. I had something I wanted to ask him." I reply honestly, not hiding anything.

"I see. I won't ask what you went to do. That's fine with you, right?" "Yeah. It wasn't anything too useful either. I just confirmed the situation."

"I see. But I'm surprised that Saber isn't a complete Servant yet. It's like a bad joke that the strongest Servant is the least complete." "Yeah. Saber shouldn't have become a Servant." I nod.

"That's a surprise. Maybe you and Archer could've gotten along. He said the same thing you did." "…Eh? Archer, you mean…?"

"Yeah. Archer said he regrets it, so he doesn't want Saber to experience the same thing." "…? Why would he worry about Saber? Didn't he hate her?"

"That's true. But I think he might have been a knight with some connection to Saber. He was obviously going easy when he first fought Saber, right? I suspected it after that."

"Really? But it didn't seem like Saber recognized him." "Is that so? But Saber was the king, right? So she can't have known all her people, and there's also the possibility that she's forgotten him."

"…Hey now. We'll never get anywhere if you start saying things like that. If she sees him and doesn't recognize him, I think that means she doesn't know him."

"That might not be true. According to the legend, there were many knights that got chased out of Camelot. He might have been one of them. If he was hiding his identity because of Saber, that would make sense."

Tohsaka's actively talking to me. "―――――" Is she trying to care for me? I don't think it's having much effect, but she's a nice girl. She's usually merciless, but she tries to help people when they're weakened.

…And so, we drink tea together for a while. She must have run out of patience as she looks at me seriously.

"So. What do you want to do, Shirou?" "Hm. I'll go on a date tomorrow." I can't think of anything else, and I already decided so on my way home. …And then.

Where did that solemn atmosphere go? After making a really rude face, Tohsaka… "Ha――Haha, ahahahahahahahaha!" …Bursts into laughter.

"Heehee, hold on, I-I wasn't ready for that, aha, ahahaha! That's great, that's so amazingly selfish, Shirou!" …Damn! Now that I think about it calmly, I should have known this was going to happen. I'm such an idiot…!

"S-Shut up! What's wrong with being selfish? I know this isn't the right time, but I won't let you interfere!" "N-No, no. Shirou, Shirou, you're too funny, hahahaha." Tohsaka hits my back, holding her stomach.

"Guh…" Could this be the worst treatment I've taken so far?

"Ha, haha, ha――oh, I'm laughing my heart out." She tries to catch her breath. "…That's good for you. It's not funny at all for me." I complain. Then.

"Do your best on the date. I like you guys." Tohsaka says so, her attitude completely changed.

"Ah… uh. Yeah, I will." I manage to reply. …That was a real surprise attack. If she says that kind of a thing with that kind of an expression, all I can do is nod――

I return to my room. Saber is still asleep, and the mansion is quiet like nothing has happened.

It was raining today, but what will the weather be like tomorrow? Looking up at the moving clouds, I step out of character and wish for it to be sunny tomorrow.

――So. Before I realize it, it's morning already.

"…I'm useless. I couldn't get any sleep at all." I stop the alarm clock with a sigh. Today is my date with Saber, no matter what she says. I'm going to go take her to places she hasn't been and play around, and the most important thing is for her to enjoy herself. I was trying to use the knowledge I don't have to come up with a plan for the day, but the alarm clock went off before I noticed the time.

"……" I set the alarm clock, just in case. I couldn't come up with any good plans last night, so I borrowed it from Tohsaka thinking I might take a long time to come up with a plan. I used it going against my principles, but it was useless in the end.

"…Come to think of it, I've never gone on a date before." I sigh again. That's the problem. Even more shocking than the fact that I couldn't get any sleep is the fact that I couldn't come up with any plan that might make a girl happy, even though I thought about it all night.

"――Fine. I'll leave this to luck. I'll take her everywhere and make her realize what it means to have fun…!"

Saber is a girl. If we go to cute-looking stores, she's bound to have fun. Well, I think the plan has some weak points, but I've made up my mind so that's what I'm going to do. It's not like I have any other ideas, so I'm going to entertain her today until she gives up.

"Then Ilyasviel has not woken up yet?"

"Nope, she's still asleep. It looks like it'll take her a bit longer to wake up, but I guess that's good luck today. If she were awake, she'd be following Shirou around and bothering him."

"Yes. We cannot have her continue to accompany Shirou as she has been. It ended like that last night, but we are going to start seriously searching for the remaining Master today. Shirou cannot be concerned with Ilyasviel."

"Oh, that's not what I meant, but… oh well. It won't do any good if I tell you, and this is yours and Shirou's problem." Tohsaka tries to hide her laughter.

"Huh? A problem for me and Shirou…?" Saber's expression questions me. "―――――"

We're done eating breakfast, so this is a good time. Saber is ready to go and search for Masters, but I have willpower as well. I just need to come out with it like a man.

"About that, Saber. We'll be going into the neighboring town today. So if you need to get ready, do so now."

"Looking for the Master? In that case, I would have thought the suburbs would be a better choice than the neighboring town――" "No. We're going to go hang out, so there's no point in going to the suburbs."

"Huh――?" Saber freezes. …I'll really have to get back at the person behind her who's trying not to laugh.

"Um, Shirou… what do you mean by that? You are not going to go hang out with Rin, but, um…" "I'm going, so who else but you will come with me? Tohsaka has nothing to do with this since she'll be staying here to take care of Ilya."

"――How ridiculous. We would not accomplish much even if we did search the neighboring town. Doing such a thing is meaningless. What are you trying to do?"

Saber complains directly. …This is what I expected, but the future looks troublesome as she still thinks we're going to town to look for the Master even after I told her clearly.

"…Geez. You don't understand when I put it this clearly? In other words, I'm saying let's go on a date. How about it?"

I ask, ignoring Tohsaka's stare. I don't know how much she understands. "I do not understand what you are saying. Can you give me a concrete description?" She asks, even less happily.

"―――――" That flips a switch within me. …It seems like caring for her has the opposite effect when it comes to things like this. It seems it would be to both our benefits to state it clearly.

"Shirou. I will obey if you want to go into town, but please explain to me what you mean by going to this 'date'. Even though I am familiar with this age, there are words I still do not understand. Please do not use technical vocabulary."

"It's not a technical vocabulary. I'll tell you since you don't know. Going on a date means going out to play with a girl." "Huh――?" Saber freezes.

"…? A girl… you mean, me…?" She murmurs, still astonished. When I nod, Saber frowns even more unhappily.

"…I understand the meaning of the word, but I do not understand your intent. What is the reasoning behind such a thing?"

"――Hm." Her reaction is unexpected. The intention of a date is obvious, but I'm a bit hesitant to tell Saber straight on――

"Geez. She's misunderstanding because of the words you're using. Don't use the word date, explain it to her in simpler terms." Tohsaka interrupts as if unable to ignore us.

"Look, Saber. A date is basically a rendezvous. Shirou says he's going to play, but it's a chance for a man to appeal to a woman he likes."

"――!" I cough. Tohsaka is right, but I think a date and a rendezvous are vastly different.

"―――――" …But I shouldn't interrupt. It seems Saber finally understands what a date is.

"――That's right, Saber. We're not going to fight today, but we're going to go into town instead. After all, we won't be able to fight during the daytime since there are a lot of people around. So, we should be able to do whatever we want right now."

"――That is true, but… this is too meaningless. There is no benefit for you in doing this."

"That's not true. Even if it were, I wouldn't mind. I've already decided to spend today for you, so don't worry about me. Anyways, we're going into town today. I won't change my mind no matter what." I stare straight on at Saber.

"―――――" After thinking with a serious face for a while… "…Then will you go into town by yourself even if I do not go?"

"Yeah, I'm definitely going. Or the stuff I thought about all night will go to waste." "…Then I will have to go with you. As a Servant, I cannot leave my Master alone."

With a deep sigh, Saber answers in her usual manner.

"―――――" I get really angry about her following me because she's my Servant. But I managed to succeed in getting Saber out. So I just have to take Saber to places without thinking too much about it――

"See ya. Bring me back something." I gesture to Tohsaka to go to hell as she makes fun of me right to the end, and we go outside.

"――So. What are we going to do exactly, Shirou?" "We'll go the neighboring town. There's a bus from the intersection, so let's take that."

The road is awfully quiet. It's past nine on a weekday. The town is starting to come alive, but it must be a bit too early for people to start going anywhere. There's no one out on the road, and it's like we have the place to ourselves.

"…Come to think of it, I'm starting to feel no resistance to skipping school. I've been at home all the time recently."

"Of course. You are a Master, so it would be strange for you to be out walking."

She replies sharply. …She's walking behind me as usual, but it feels different today. To put it nicely, I feel pressure from behind me. Anyways, Saber is going to be harder to handle today.

We get on the bus. It would have been full of people an hour ago, but there aren't many people using it at this time. The only people on the bus are an old lady and a kid, so it's like we have this place to ourselves.

"Let's sit at the back, Saber." I call out to Saber, about to sit right at the front, and sit at the back end of the bus.

"……" Saber watches the passing scenery silently.

…Looking at her, I realize how crazy I'm being right now. The bus to the neighboring town is ordinary for me. But in this ordinary thing, there is something extraordinary.

…Well, in short… To be honest, my mind starts to twist like a Rubik's cube realizing we're about to go on a date.

"―――――" ――Oh. Crap, I'm getting really nervous.

"―――――" I take a deep breath, trying not to let Saber notice. And I know I shouldn't, but I sneak one more glance at Saber.

"――!" My heart jumps. …The Saber sitting next to me is a Saber I don't know. No, Saber herself is the same. All that's changed is the place.

But still. Just that makes me realize she is 'different'. Something I didn't notice back at my place. This ordinary scene seems like a different world just because it has Saber in it.

Her hair is like golden silk, and her green eyes are so beautiful that their mere presence is overwhelming. There wasn't much to compare her against up to now, so I forgot about it.

…I remember the time I first met Saber. I was probably avoiding her because I was embarrassed about being fascinated by her. No matter what Saber says, she is a girl before she is a swordsman for me. I didn't know how to approach her and didn't realize my feelings for her.

"……" It seems I got the order wrong. I was finally able to believe in Saber with everything I have, and then I decided to go on a date with her. Just those two are in the wrong order. And I finally realize when our day is about to begin, just how big a deal it is to go on a date with a girl you like.

But so what? I can only do my best, so I can't back out now.

"―――――" I calm myself and shake off my weak spirits. The bus has crossed the bridge and it's going into the developing area where the buildings are. I breathe out and prepare myself. The announcer I'm so used to hearing announces the next stop, Shinto station.

It's still nine in the morning, but the area in front of the station is crowded.

Most shops open at ten, but cafes and bookstores are already open. There are already many more people than there were at Miyama City, and this place is as crowded as it is on weekends.

"……" Getting off the bus, Saber looks around unhappily. …It's only natural. Saber was against this date and people passing by are looking at her curiously. She must not feel too good about that.

"…Ugh. Come to think of it, this was bound to happen if I brought Saber here in the morning." But that's going to follow us around for the whole day. If there's a way to calm it down, it's to make Saber have so much fun that she forgets about the people staring at her.

"――All right." I pound a fist and turn to Saber.

"Saber. I'll ask you first. Is there any place you want to go? We've come all the way here, so we should at least do whatever we want today."

"I do not know. I have no place that interests me. Before even that, I have no knowledge on which to base such a decision."

"Really? …That's too bad. Then I guess it's really up to luck. The future looks bad if you don't have anywhere you want to go and I don't have any idea where to go."

"…I don't want to ask this, but you do not have a plan, Shirou?" "Hm? Well, I have a few, but no details. Let's just go to random stores."

Well, that's still difficult. I know places where I won't get bored, but I can't even imagine where a girl would be happy to go to. …Geez, if it's going to end up like this, I wish I'd gone out with a girl just once….

"…Honestly. Please do not take offence, but there is something wrong with you. Your plan to take a rest is fine, but how can you not even have a plan for that rest?"

Oh, Saber enters her scolding mode. …This is the first time she's started to complain about something outside of the dojo. I knew she was irritated not being up for this and being looked at by curious eyes, but I didn't think she was this irritated.

"I have always wanted to object to your lack of planning. You are closely aware of everyone around you, but you treat yourself too carelessly. As a result, you yourself have to pay the price for this discrepancy. ――Are you listening to me, Shirou!?"

"I am. So basically, you're not happy about being here right now, right? Well, it's natural you wouldn't like it since it's pretty obvious it's going to be boring going anywhere with me."

"Eh――um, it is not that, but I――I am saying, now is not the time to be doing such things."

"I know that too. But I won't listen since I've already decided to have you accompany me today. I won't change my mind no matter what." I look at Saber. Saber just looks back at me in shock.

"――But I'll listen if you have something to say. I'm sure you have complaints, so tell me them right now. I won't have to worry about making you unhappy if you do so. If you say you don't want to go on a date, I'll think of something else."

"Um… no, I do not think you need to go that far… I, um…." Saber averts her gaze and runs out of words.

"You have no complaints? Then let's go. You have no requests, so don't get mad at me wherever we go." I'm considering an ordinary place like an aquarium. I decide and grab Saber's hand.

"H-Hey, Shirou! I-I have no complaints, but there is no need to hold my hand!" "…? I don't want to waste time, so we'll be running for a while. I'll show you the way, so follow me."

"Eh… no, I cannot do so in a situation like this…!" I start to run without waiting for Saber's reply. Since I've talked big to Saber, I can't act miserable now. I just have to take her to every possible place I can think of.

I run, holding Saber's hand. She must have accepted it as Saber finally stops complaining and follows me quietly.

Well, it's before ten o'clock. I'll make the two hours before lunchtime worthwhile and surprise her――

To summarize, the two hours went by like a storm.

We went to a boutique I usually don't go to, and we played bowling while I taught her the rules. I couldn't find an aquarium, but we fed some birds in a park. We also went to an antique store, and I still think it was best not to go to the movie theater. Anyways, I kept taking her to places a girl might like for the past two hours and there were many results: honorable defeats and total defeats.

…But I don't think this is what people would call a date. This is more like a contest, a fight to the death where the first one to give up loses.

Saber is the same as usual no matter where I take her, and she sometimes goes so quiet that I seriously start wondering if she's really mad. She gives no reaction, so I became desperate to make her happy at the next place I take her to.

As a result, I became obstinate about making Saber smile and ran around different places all morning. But it's already noon without much success.

So. As Saber reminded me it's time for lunch, I decided to take a short break, but…

"…What is this place?" I complain once we're seated at a table.

"I recommend the restaurant by the river if you're going to have lunch." That was the only advice Tohsaka gave me last night. I trusted her and chose this place, but I never thought it would be so fastidious.

"……" I look at the menu. Fortunately, the menu has a version in Japanese as well, so I have no problems reading it. But the trouble is, I can't understand what kind of food it is from the name and the prices are outrageous.

"…Am I on Mars? I seriously don't know what I should order…." I groan, looking at the menu.

"Shirou…? Did we not come by here to eat lunch?" I hear a rather frail voice from the other side of the table. "Yeah, but it's too different from what I'm used to…"

I raise my head. And then. There is Saber, with an expression like a cornered rabbit.

"Saber…?" "If this place is not suitable for lunch, let us return to the mansion. I prefer the food you prepare, Shirou."

"Eh… you mean, you want to go home?" "No, I do not want to go back home, but, um… today has been really exhausting, so I am more tired than usual."

"Really? …I see, I thought about going out into town again after eating, but… if you're tired, we can rest here for a while."

"No, that is not what I meant! Tired was not the word I meant. Um, it should have been…"

Saber stops. The small gurgling sound was fortunately small enough that only I could hear. …Oh. If she was hungry, she could've just told me.

"Excuse me. So in other words, I am saying it would be helpful for us to have lunch quickly." "Roger. Yeah, it's no fun, but let's order something safe and get our food quickly."

It's simple if all we want are light snacks. I order two things from the lunch menu and decide to eat quickly.

I consider what to do in the afternoon while drinking the after-meal coffee. What I learned this morning is that anything physical is not good.

Saber gets serious when it comes to contests. That's good for me, but it makes Saber stand out even more. After we finished a game, Saber got angry because she caught all the attention she wanted to avoid.

"So we should avoid anywhere that involves moving around… Hey, Saber? I'm asking for the second time, but is there anywhere you want to go?"

"Me? No, there is not. I cannot tell, so I will leave it up to you."

Saying so, Saber lifts her teacup. Saber ordered English tea and it seems she really likes the taste. We don't have much English tea at my place, and even if we did, it's all instant tea-bags. It seems Saber was a bit dissatisfied with the drinks at my house as she seems to like English tea. I should put that into consideration starting tonight.

"―――――" Saber is sitting there and drinking tea. She doesn't seem happy or bored.

If I had to use one word to describe her, it'd be that she looks natural. She drinks her tea, sitting up straight in the shadows of the streaming sunlight. Even though this is the first time I've seen such a thing, it doesn't seem strange. It feels like I've seen such a scene before. …Why do I feel that? The Saber I know is a tense girl, who's always holding a sword and fighting.

"――Oh, I see." But it's only natural. I also know her attitude after she lets go of her sword. Once she stops fighting, Saber has always been calm and gentle.

This scene looks natural rather than new because this is her true nature. No matter how superior she is as a swordsman, it is natural for Saber to be like this. Rather, it's abnormal for her to hold a sword at all.

…I once thought in my dream that she wasn't suited for fighting. I don't think I'm wrong. No matter how superior her technique or no matter how many battles she's experienced… As long as she is who she is, it can't have been a comfortable place to be.

…So this is natural. Saber is resting, not holding a sword. This calm scene is the way she should be.

We do the same thing in the afternoon. I go to every place I can think of, and Saber follows me silently. But it's not as painful as it was in the morning.

I don't know if it's because I'm getting used to it or whether Saber is complying. Saber still isn't talkative, but if I look closely, her expression isn't like it is when she's mad. There's a feeling of accomplishment and happiness when I see Saber leave a shop with light steps.

――So. Considering many factors that might make Saber happy from many angles…

I'm a bit dubious, but I've determined that this shop will be the best suited for Saber.

"Wha――" Saber stands there dumbfounded. I don't know if her shoulders are shaking because she's angry or because she's deeply moved.

"S-Shirou, this is…?" "The biggest stuffed animal shop in town. I've never been here before since men aren't allowed in."

Of course, there's actually not a rule like that. But since there're only women and no men, it's like an unwritten rule. To prove it, there are only girls in here.

The golden-haired Saber is being stared at, but being a guy, I'm being glared at. I'm sure they want to tell me not to come into their sanctuary. …I feel the same way. I would not approve of men entering this place.

"Well, let's ignore everyone and look around since we're here. Saber, is there an animal you like?"

"Eh… um, I feel that lions and panthers are lovely, but… is that strange?" She asks me with upturned eyes.

"――!" I look away instantly and contain my laughter. The funny thing is, Saber is strange for thinking she's strange for thinking lions are cute.

"…Shirou, that gesture was unnatural. I feel unreasonable anger, but perhaps it is just my imagination?"

"Oh, sorry. Liking lions is so like you, so I had to laugh."

"…! How dare you laugh at other people's preferences!? There is nothing wrong with lions!" "I'm telling you I'm sorry. I'll take you somewhere good as an apology, so don't get mad."

I go into the store while trying to hold my laughter. Well, it looks like the stuffed animals are that way.

So. It's taken about an hour to go around the store. I looked at Saber staring at stuffed animals and felt really nervous with all the girls there. Anyways, it was the most tiring hour so far.

But the worst part is, we've only looked through half the store. It took us this long to look at just half of it because Saber was frequently paralyzed… I mean, Saber kept staring down stuffed animals. It looks like Saber is interested in the other half too, so I'll have to accompany her…

"Shirou…? Why are you sighing? Are you tired from walking…?"

"Hm…? Yeah, I'm a bit tired. I'm usually not so weak, but this place is special. I guess I shouldn't be doing things I'm not accustomed to."

I let out a big sigh. I don't mind being looked at by other people while walking with Saber, but a girls-only place like this is really uncomfortable. Boredom sometimes tires one's body.

"How about you? This must be your first time in a place like this. Tell me if you're tired."

"I certainly do not feel calm, but you look more uncomfortable. Not just here, but you seemed this way in the previous store and the store before that. …I do not want to think this, but are you choosing places you do not wish to go to?"

"―――――" For me… Saber's words are enough to cast away my worries.

"Yeah. To be honest, I'm choosing places I don't like."

"…As I thought. Why do you continue to choose places you are unfamiliar with? You will…"

"Well, because these kinds of places are suitable for girls. I'm the one that started this whole thing and today's your day as well."

"――" "And it's not that uncomfortable either. It's fine since you're with me. I have such a cute girl with me, so people might get jealous, but I'll never be out of place."

"H-How ridiculous. I am a Servant even though I am not armed. You do not need to treat me as a woman just because we are not fighting. Please treat me as a Servant as usual."

"You're the ridiculous one. You're a girl to begin with. It's not like I'm treating you differently today. Am I acting any differently?"

"Oh――" In astonishment, Saber opens her mouth as if she's just realized that.

"No, you are the same. You are acting the same as always, Shirou." "Yeah. So you don't need to worry about me. So let's go. We're going to buy the one you like the most, so we have to go look at the remaining half."

I take Saber's hand. Saber silently follows me. "…That is right. It has been like this from the start, but I did not realize it until this moment…" She murmurs to herself.

The unusual day goes by quickly. Saber never laughed nor could I laugh from my heart.

It's not like there was any memorable moments nor were it so boring that I regret doing it. To be frank, this was nothing. Saber might have been happier if we'd stayed at the mansion and trained together.

But today wasn't bad. It wasn't fun or boring, but I can be proud of it in the end. …After the battle is over and everything goes back to normal… It would be too sad if all the time Saber and I had was spent fighting.

Even if it's something stupid, she has to spend some time not fighting, or there's no point in her being here. So I can be proud of myself for now. …The end is near. When everything comes to an end and when there's no more need to fight… If Saber will remember this moment and remember that this happened, that alone is enough for me to be proud of.

We go home on foot. Because Saber said, "Let us walk home." …Just as I decided to go home by bus.

There's some wind now. The vivid setting sun is lighting the bridge red. "――Oh." Saber notices something and stops. She is watching a mountain of rubble.

It's not that tall even though it's a 'mountain' of rubble. Steel frames and the likes are piled right up to the water surface and are slightly distorting the flow of the river. I don't know why, but it seems like a ship sank or something, and pieces of it flowed into a mountain. I heard the local residents have been demanding its removal for a long time since it damages the beautiful sight.

"…? What's wrong, Saber? Did that catch your attention?" "No, I was noticing that it still remains because I was the cause of it. I used the Noble Phantasm here, having fought on water in the previous war. The only damage was that the river dried up, but I also destroyed the ship that was unfortunately anchored there."

"Huh――? You mean Excalibur!?" "Y-Yes. But fortunately, nobody was on board and the damage was minimal. The river is back to normal, so you should not get so mad. "…I regret it as well."

"……" …I should watch out. I have to take care to only use Excalibur in an open place like this.

"Shirou…? Are you still mad?"

"Eh? No, I'm not mad. I was just surprised. And I was just thinking how many traces there are from the last war. The rubble in the river shouldn't be a problem compared to the wasteland in that park. Well, I guess it was unfortunate for the owner of that ship."

"Please do not worry as Kiritsugu said the owner had insurance. He parked the ship there as a buffer, so he used the ship as a wall to reduce the power of the Noble Phantasm."

"…Oh. So you destroyed the ship knowing it was there?"

"I did not know! Kiritsugu prepared it without telling me. …I think Kiritsugu knew how the battle would turn out. I did not notice since he never said anything before or after he prepared the ship."

Saber looks down at the river yearningly. The water surface reflects the sunset. The wind coming from the river is a bit strong and flutters Saber's hair.

…Is it because she looks so beautiful like that? "Saber, did you have fun today?" I was assaulted by a sudden fear that Saber might just disappear, and I ask something I don't need to ask.

"Huh? Did you say something, Shirou?" "Yeah. I asked you if you had fun today." …She gasps. Saber opens her eyes in amazement.

"Yes. I would be lying if I said this was not new to me." She says so in a voice of hope. As if such a thing will never happen again.

"――" …I knew what her answer would be. All I can do now is nod and just go home. Everything can return to the way it was――just like that.

"I see." I nod, looking at Saber. "Then let's go again. It's not like this has to be the last time." And I say something I won't be able to take back.

"―――――" Saber freezes. …She must have realized what I want to say. She shakes her head, looking directly at me. As if saying there won't be a next time. As if this mistake is only for today.

"――Why?" I know Saber's answer. But I ask, not liking the answer I expect.

"I do not even need to explain. Servants exist to fight. A day like today is merely denying my own existence. I obeyed since you decided to take a rest, but I believe resting should not be necessary from now on. There are only a few enemies left. I would like to start searching for Lancer right now if you would order me to…"

She looks at me with eyes full of fire. Saber is saying she will start fighting right now if I order it. That… …Causes me to get mad about all the things I can't approve of.

"――What's with that? You really want to fight that much?" "Of course. I draw closer to the Holy Grail the more I fight. Battle should be prioritized over everything. You should know that as well."

"Yeah, I understand. That's why it's strange. I've always wanted to say this, but you're contradicting yourself. You say fighting is important, but you don't like fighting. You're fighting against your will because there's no other way, right?"

"Wha… that is not true. I do not hesitate to fight. I have already told you that I will do anything to win." Yeah, she did say that. But that's not a reason to like fighting.

"As far as you can manage, right? …Look, Saber. If you just want to defeat other Masters and obtain the Holy Grail, you could just attack people and take their power. But you don't want to do that, right?"

"――That is…"

"It's not that you don't want to involve innocent people. You know well enough that people will be dying once you start fighting. That's why you want to minimize the battles. People will die if you fight, so you want to end the battle as quickly as possible. ――In other words, you're frightened of fights with victims."

"―――――" She gasps. After opening her eyes as if she's seen a ghost, she grits her teeth and straightens her stare.

"You are wrong. I do not fear battles." "…Yeah. I don't think you were ever scared. Because an individual's fear must have been suppressed by what you call the king's mission." "――!"

"But you still fear battles. You were strong and good at fighting. But that's not a talent you ever wanted, right? ――I'll say this honestly. Fighting doesn't suit you. You must have hated even pulling out that sword. Your claim that fighting is your only objective is just an excuse to try to deceive yourself."

――It's so simple. Why didn't you or anybody around you notice it?

"――Shirou. I will not tolerate any more insults even from you." "You can't stand it because it's the truth, right? You won't be able to fight anymore if you admit it."

She grits her teeth. Saber glares at me in anger. "―――――" I can't back away. If I believe I'm right, I can't run away.

"…So, you should stop. You want to stop too, right? You must know fighting doesn't suit you. So just quit it. Stop being a Servant and do something that suits you."

She needs to regain the happiness she should have had as a human. For that, I――

"――How ridiculous. I have no choices besides fighting. I only exist to obtain the Holy Grail. I submitted my body to fulfill my promise as king. I cannot allow any other use for myself."

"You――" 'I only exist to obtain the Holy Grail'. That annoys me the most. Why does she say ridiculous things like that as if to convince herself? Everyone around her took her word because she kept saying things like that.

"You idiot! That's not true…! There are infinite ways! You're here and different from before…! So――you have to live for yourself. Don't make any mistakes and don't use the Holy Grail…"

――The final wish she's permitted.

"…Don't use it for people you don't care about. If you're here, you need to be happy here."

I hear the wind. Saber doesn't answer. She doesn't even nod. She just looks back at me.

"――I cannot accept your words. I made a contract to obey you, but I did not give you my heart, Master." She replies with a strong voice.

"I cannot forsake my oath as a king. There is a duty I must fulfill as the king. King Arthur's goal is to obtain the Holy Grail. Even if I achieve that goal, I will not return to being Arturia. I have only ever had one wish. ――This wish has never changed since I pulled out the sword."

"…Why? That's not a thing you have to do. It's wrong for you to be unrewarded for your actions. You don't need the Holy Grail. And…"

…And Saber's wish won't come true. It's impossible to erase everything that's happened.

"Saber. You can't redo what's already done. …No, I think it's something you mustn't do. You should know that."

"…No. That is not true."

"――I'll tell you. However bad the result, you can't change what's happened. Wanting to redo something because you couldn't do it is just childish selfishness…!"

…Our words end there. Saber doesn't say anything, and I don't have anything to say. The wind has stopped as well. No. The wind hasn't stopped, it's only died down for a second.

Another sound of wind. Just as I feel the wind on my cheek… "――I thought you would understand, Shirou." The wind has changed into a headwind.

"Is that all you wanted to say after wasting this meaningless day?" A cold voice. It contains only rejection.

"Do not be so conceited. What makes you think you understand me? You have no right to invade me. Do not fight? What are you saying when you need me to protect you? Please, give me that nonsense after you are able to fight on your own. ――Humph. I do not think that will ever occur."

"No――it's not nonsense…!"

"It is nonsense. Think about myself? That goes for you as well. You do not consider your life. You say I am mistaken, but you are even more mistaken. …Only corpses consider others more important than themselves. How can a fool who does not even know the value of his own life address me so?"

"Wha――Saber, you…"

"Did I annoy you? Then I will not mind if you dissolve your contract with me. You do not need the Holy Grail anyway. I will defeat the remaining Masters by myself and obtain the Holy Grail myself. …If you do not wish to fight, you can go and hide somewhere far away."

"Saber. Are you serious?" I ask with a trembling voice. My teeth are chattering because I'm suppressing my emotion.

"Of course. My only goal is the Holy Grail. Everything else is unnecessary. ――You are no exception, Shirou."

The hammer comes down. I bear my head going white and stop myself from raising my fist.

"You blockhead…! Fine, if you want to fight, go ahead and do what you want! I don't care anymore!"

But I can't stop my emotions. I yell what sounds like an excuse and run away from Saber. I get away from her. But, for a moment. I think I see Saber standing there absent-mindedly.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit…!" I run. I keep running, not knowing what's so vexing or maddening.

'Everything else is unnecessary. You are no exception, Shirou.'

"…!" I grit my teeth hard and stop myself from yelling out. Just remembering it makes me white out and I might run into a pole or something.

…No, it would be easy if I could do that. If I was just angry at Saber, I could just take it out on something. But that's not the cause of this fury. It's not just Saber that I'm mad at. It's so vexing, and I keep running so hard because I hate how weak I am.

…Saber was standing there absent-mindedly. The words she said, just as the wind changed directions.

'I thought you would understand, Shirou――'

"…! Damn it! You idiot, I don't understand…!" I spit that out, then regret it so much that I almost fall. …What was it about? Her voice like a farewell sounded like she was crying. Come to think of it, maybe those words were the only honest thing she said.

Those words murmured with her head hung. A voice of hope, disappointment, and wishes. ――Then… Who was the betrayer, and who was betrayed?

I run into my room and shut the door. I collapse. I don't want to stand up. I just want to lie down and go to sleep.

"Haa――Haa, haa, ha――" But my body is still burning. My heart feels like it's splitting open and my lungs are desperate for air. I ran full speed from the bridge to here. My body must be exhausted. I haven't run enough emotionally, but my body is telling me to calm down.

"Haa… haa, haa, ha――" I slowly calm down. I take a deep breath and let it out.

"Haa… haa… haa." And after I settle my breathing. All that fills my head is the question of why I was so enraged.

"―――――" …I don't even have to think about it. I ran as if throwing something off me because I was so powerless.

…I can't save Saber. That fact is so vexing that I was angry at myself. I can't do anything. I promised to make her laugh. I promised to protect her, but I can't do anything. That makes me furious.

"…But what can I do? It's useless for anyone to say anything if Saber herself doesn't want happiness." That's why I tried hard, so she'd be able to find her own happiness. But she told me that was meaningless, and on top of that, she called me a fool.

"A fool who doesn't even know the value of his own life, huh?" …What can I do when she says that? I value my life as well and I don't want to do anything that might endanger it.

But this has nothing to do with Saber. I think it's unfair of her to bring it up right there. No matter how stupid I am, I'm sure Saber's wrong. But if she denies me like that, I can't do anything――

"…Dammit. Man, she can do whatever she likes…!" I turn over and lie on my stomach. The floor is the only view, so I close my eyes to black out my mind.

"……" That's it. I don't care about Saber anymore. If the Holy Grail is so important to her, she can go marry it. She is so obstinate that she doesn't understand after I've told her this much. I'll be burned if I associate with her any more. No, I'll be seriously hurt.

"――!" I've already been hurt, though. Not just burned. I met her, fought with her many times, and even had sex with her even though it was just to survive.

The heat of that night wasn't a burn, but it almost killed my brain. Why――Why do I recall such a thing when I'm so pissed off? If I recall that, it won't matter what Saber says.

"…Something only used to fight? Then don't show your weak parts…" …Anyways, Saber is unfair. I don't know what's so unfair, but I think it's unfair that I don't know what's unfair.

I can't hate her even though I'm this mad, and the more I try to ignore her, the more I can't. It's such a contradiction. Her whole existence is unfair. I can't hate her no matter what.

"――Damn it. I guess the one who's in love loses…" …But I can't help it. If I can't give up no matter how useless she tells me it is, I have to keep trying until the end. No matter how much Saber hates it or rejects me, if I believe I'm right――

'I thought you would understand, Shirou――'

"…!" I remember her face, about to cry. In the future. Will she make that kind of a face every time I repeat this?

"…But still. I can't agree no matter what." …Even if I'm wrong and Saber's right. If she's really important to me, I can never apologize to her――

I thought I heard a sound. …When did the sun set? The room is dark. The sound of the second hand on the clock is annoying.

"Hey, how long are you going to sleep? I need you to wake up."

"――?" "Wake up already. It's past ten o'clock. Ilya's bugging me to get dinner ready, so wake up and go keep her company." An angry voice. That wakes me up completely.

"P-Past ten――!?" I get up quickly.

"Yup. Ten-seventeen to be exact. It's way past dinnertime." Tohsaka looks flabbergasted.

"…Sorry, I fell asleep. I'll go right away, so wait for me in the living room." "That's fine, but where's Saber?" "…? Well, if she's not here, she must be in the dojo or the living room."

"Shirou. I'm asking you because she's not here." "――" Tohsaka is serious. That tells me what the situation is in an instant. "She's not back…!?"

"Hold on, Shirou! What do you mean by that…!?" Tohsaka runs out of the room after me. But I don't have time to explain. I run outside, ignoring Tohsaka's words behind me.

The town is quiet. A world like yesterday, where all signs of people have vanished. I don't have enough composure to think it strange now.

Saber isn't back. …Come to think of it, that's only natural. We argued so much. She said she would fight by herself. So――considering her personality, she really would go and fight by herself.

Saber could be anywhere. It's possible that I won't find her, and that she's fighting Lancer right now.

…But still, I came here first. The air by the river is cold. The park is so cold that it feels like frost is packed here. My breath is white, and my cheeks and ears hurt. It's so cold here, so how cold must it be on the bridge where the wind from the river rises?

That is where she is standing. Right where I fled from her. Saber is looking out at the river, not doing anything.

…Is she looking at the long-gone sunset? Her gaze into the distance seems to be watching a red horizon that has already disappeared.

"―――――" That makes me realize. She's strong, yet so weak. Her gallant figure must be proof that she could live without anybody's help. But she is also so weak that my hand might go through her if I reach out. She can't do it alone, but she defends her pride until the end.

――That's why… It was the same for me, watching stars that cannot be reached.

…The girl stares at the distant set sun, as if she knows nothing else. I can't leave her alone. If I lost, it was a complete loss for me. It made me swear to myself that I would never let her make such a face.

I walk on the bridge. I'm making sounds, but Saber doesn't notice. "―――――" I walk towards her in silence and stand next to her.

"Saber. You'll freeze if you stay out here." She jumps. …She must finally have noticed me.

"――Shirou?" Saber turns around as if to question me.

"What are you doing out so late? Tohsaka was worried since you didn't come home." "――I see. I should apologize to her."

"…It's fine. But why were you here? …Well, it doesn't matter since it was easy for me to find you."

"…I was still here because I did not yet know where to go. You told me to do as I wished. So I tried to do so. But I could not think what I should do or where I want to go. So I was thinking all this time about where I should be going."

She speaks like a lost child. She must feel guilty, as Saber keeps averting her gaze. …We did have that big fight. It's only natural for her to think I'm still mad.

"…I am sorry. Please tell Rin she has helped me very much. I shall return to you once I defeat Lancer and obtain the Holy Grail, so until then――" Is she saying she'll wander around without a place to return to?

"What are you talking about? You're coming back to my house, right? I've prepared your bed and your food."

"――But you said you do not understand me…" "That's right. I don't know what you're thinking." So saying, I take Saber's hand.

"――Shirou." "Let's go home. Even a Servant will catch a cold if they stay out here this long. Let's hurry back and eat something warm." "――U-Um, but I…"

"And I won't apologize to you. If you have any complaints, tell me now." I say so rudely, looking away from Saber.

"―――――" She looks at me, astonished. She looks like she wants to apologize, but I ignore her.

…That must have worked on her. Saber doesn't say anything and follows while holding my hand.

We come down from the bridge and into the park. …It's eleven o'clock. There's nobody in the park, but it's overly decorated with things like the fountain and street lights.

"―――――" "―――――" We keep walking. Saber is walking slowly.

…She was standing on that bridge for more than five hours. She must be freezing and be tired as well. She falls forward sometimes as I pull her by the hand.

"Should I walk slower, Saber? You don't seem to be doing well." I turn around to check on her.

"N-No. I feel fine…! It is just that… it is not because of Rin, but it really seems like a rendezvous if we are holding hands like this…."

"Eh――?" So. Hearing that, I feel my face burn up in an instant.

"Y-Yeah. …Um, should I let go? Um, I mean, if you don't like it…" "No, this is fine. Your hand is warm and very comforting."

…Our conversation ends right there. I walk on to hide my embarrassment. Saber silently accompanies me.

How much further is it to the mansion? I feel embarrassed by the warmth in my hand as I leave the park. …Many things happened today. But if it ends with this warmth, I can change religion and start to pray with that priest. But the instant I think so…

"――Where are you going? Do not take what is mine, kid." ――We meet someone we never should have met.

My happy mind freezes in an instant. Goosebumps form all over my body, and my throat won't move as if it's forgotten how to breathe.

"…Shi… rou." It must be the same for Saber behind me. Her hand holds me tightly. ――Just as I feel an unavoidable death. Saber too feels an inconcealable desperation.

"I have kept you waiting, Saber. I have come for you as promised."

…His voice sounds like it's sneering. Haughty and merciless. I can feel no human emotion in his arrogance, nothing that has ever considered the opinions of others.

"Ar… cher―――――" My voice is shaking. ――The golden Servant. The unknown heroic spirit who swept away the bone creatures and even Caster herself without any difficulty.

That monster is in front of us. He's so close to us. At a distance with which we could start fighting if we wanted to face a "death" greater than Berserker.

"What's wrong, Saber? I have come specially for you. It would be rude to stay silent. Or――do you intend to play around for a bit before you become mine, king of knights?"

Archer stifles his laughter happily. His eyes aren't looking at me. He's only watching Saber. With his rude red eyes, he's looking at her as if evaluating a work of art.

Saber's presence changes. …She must have prepared herself. Unlike me unable to even move a finger, she is already glaring at that enemy Servant.

"…Shirou, I will block his first attack no matter what. Please retreat from here in that time. …I know how hard that is, but that is all I can manage against this Servant."

Her back asks me to forgive her. …Even Saber can only manage to block his first attack. The chance of success of retreating from a guy like this is low.

Saber is asking for my forgiveness for that low chance. …Probably… …She knows she has no way to defeat that Servant.

"―――――" She can't do that. This is different from when we fought Berserker. For some reason, I know that making Saber fight this Servant would be bad.

…No, I may know the reason. I felt it when I saw his Noble Phantasms last night. ――Saber will not be able to beat this man no matter what. It's not about skills as a swordsman. Before that, the prerequisites are wrong. As long as they are heroic spirits, no heroic spirit will be able to beat him――

"――No. You're the one who's running away, Saber." "Shirou…!?" I cover Saber and face Archer.

"Oh――yeah, you had a Master, huh? He was so shabby that I thought he was a dog or something." He says happily. The man raises his hand and slowly brings his fingers together. "――" I feel sick. I'll be killed if I don't retreat now. There's no reason or logic behind it. I just feel instinctively that I'll be killed if I stay in front of him, and――

"――Go, Saber…! The church is nearby. It should be able to shelter you even against him――!"

I push Saber away and run as if shaking off the premonition of death attacking me. There's only one thing to do. I'll run up to him, "project" Saber's sword like when I fought Berserker, and――

"――" My body flies. ――What happened? The instant that man clicked his fingers, something appeared right beside me.

"O――w." I can tell it was a big hammer, and that I was smashed away flying across the ground like trash.

"Ha――ah." I can't move. I feel like all the bones in my body are broken. I can't feel my limbs, my pain is numbed, and I can't even tell if I'm alive or not.

"I will not kill you. Saber would disappear if I killed you now. It is against my will, but I shall let you live until the Holy Grail appears." The man laughs.

"Ah――kuh――" I move my hands to try to get up, but my body won't move at all. My blood isn't flowing. It feels like the energy to move my body has stopped reaching my limbs.

"But do not be conceited, lowlife. There are ways to let a Servant stay in this world without you. It is just that this is the least troublesome state. I will kill you if you annoy me."

"――" That kills my mind. He will kill me. If I move any more, he will do so without hesitation.

"―――――" How could anyone move after being told that――?

"Shirou――!" Saber tries to run to me.

"Where are you going? There is no one left to intrude. That piece of shit is not the man you should be running to." But the man won't allow that. He stands before me and waits for Saber to come to him.

"――!" Saber stops and glares at the man. There's about ten meters between them. It's a distance Saber would be able to close instantly, but――

"…Huh. It seems you are not willing to come to me. I find that hard to understand. A heroic spirit like you must know how valuable it is to be chosen by me." "――Nonsense. I am a king even though I am a heroic spirit. I will not submit to you."

"Is that so? Even if you are a king, you are still a woman. It should be a woman's joy to be held down and be violated. So why do you refuse? It is not like you are a virgin. Are you scared to become mine?"

"You――" "Do not resent me so. I do not only take. I shall give you pleasure equally. If you are to become mine, I will literally give you everything in this world. Be proud, I have accepted that you have such value."

…The man moves. He opens his arms as if to accept Saber.

"That is right. You do not need to be a guardian nor will you return to your point of death. I will say this once more, Saber. Be mine. Let us enjoy our second lives in this world."

"――I refuse. I have no interest in such things, and most of all――I do not want to live with you." She does not nod or retreat. Saber looks at Archer head on.

"Ku――fu, haha, hahahahahahahahaha!" He stops. I don't know what's so funny, but the man starts laughing.

"Great, that is what I expect from the woman I chose! Yes, there must be at least one that will not obey me…!

"All right. Then I shall do so by force. After I obtain the Holy Grail, I shall pour the contents onto you.

"――Rejoice, Saber. You will not need your Master after that. You will be taking in all the power of the omnipotent vessel. You shall not be a familiar to humans like the Servants."

The man says so with satisfaction. To that, Saber replies.

"…Archer. What is your intention?" She must have realized that fighting is the only way. Saber asks for her enemy's reasons at the end. ――But. The man's answer is an unexpected one.

"Intention? I do not remember. Unfortunately, I have obtained everything, so there is nothing I wish for." "Wha――then, you do not seek the Holy Grail?"

"The Holy Grail? Oh, immortality. Heh, I gave that to the snake." "――You gave immortality to a snake…?" Saber's presence freezes. …What was that conversation? Saber shakes her head and tries to deny the word.

"――But this world is interesting. The basic principles do not change, but the decorations are so elaborate that it seems different when it has come this far. In this case, it will not be too bad to reign over this world. …Yes, I think that is my intent. If it will let me do that efficiently, the Holy Grail is not without use."

"…The desire to rule? You are despicable, Archer. You seek the Holy Grail for such a purpose?"

"I do not seek it. Everything in this world is mine. I just do not like others using what is mine. You too should hate having your holy sword used by strangers, king of knights." "―――――"

――Saber's body grows misty. After a brief flash, Saber is wearing her silver armor. "Oh――" The man does not even move. In the next instant, Saber dashes forward. She runs up to the man instantly and slashes her invisible sword with deadly speed――!

"――!" Repelled, Saber jumps backward. If Saber's armor is materialized from her magical energy, his armor must be the same as well. In the short battle, the enemy has armed himself.

"―――――" Saber looks calmly at Archer, holding her sword ready. Even with her stare, the man does not stop smiling.

"――All right. I shall allow you to oppose me, Saber." The enemy happily announces the beginning of the battle.

The white light runs through the darkness. Saber, running up to the golden knight without hesitation, slashes her sword down surrounded by lightning――

One blow, two, three, four――! Each time Saber's sword finds the enemy, blinding light is released. Combinations like a strobe. It's just like when I first saw Saber when she fought Lancer. Saber drives magical energy into her sword and strikes with it like lightning.

The sword and armor clash. The man hasn't even drawn his weapon yet. With Saber's sword in front of him, he is just protecting his head with his hands. That man does not have the skill to block Saber's sword. Saber is much better than this man at sword techniques.

And on top of that, Saber's sword is invisible. Even if the man had a weapon, I don't think he would be able to block that invisible sword.

The invisible sword keeps hitting the man's armor. The sword smashes against the armor, shaves it, letting off lightning sparks. All the man can do is to protect his head with his hands. This isn't even a match. This is just one-sided elimination.

――But. Still, the golden armor retains its shape. If the armor is free of damage even after taking Saber's attacks so many times… …Could it be that his Noble Phantasm is his golden armor――?

"…Heh. I guess any more would be bad. You certainly do have a large supply of magical energy. My armor does not give out often, but――" The enemy who was merely defending raises his arm. Not toward Saber. I don't know why, but the man raises his hand to the night sky, and――

"Enough playing around. Offer me your body, right here." ――Is it an illusion? In his hand. A shortsword like a key is in his hand.

"――!" Saber attacks with all her power. But… …The enemy repels it with his dark red sword.

"…! ――That is a Noble Phantasm bearing a curse of vengeance――!?" Saber distances herself and glares at the sword in her enemy's hand. …The fact that the enemy has revealed his weapon is a threat. But at the same time, it means that the enemy's attacks are revealed. It doesn't matter if his Noble Phantasm is a sword or armor. As long as you can see it, you're able to deal with it.

Saber readies herself. …As the man said, his armor is at its limit. If Saber relaunches her fierce barrage of attacks, she should be able to slash him through his armor. Even if he has brought out his Noble Phantasm, it won't make a difference to the fact that the next blow will decide the match.

"――This is it. Let us decide the match we could not finish before, Archer." The sword in her hand is still invisible. Readying the holy sword sealed in wind, Saber stares at her enemy. …It seems Saber knows what that Noble Phantasm is.

That's why she intentionally distanced herself. And since she knows how to deal with it, she's confronting the enemy straight on. If their Noble Phantasms are swords and if the swords' abilities are equal, the deciding factor will be their own sword techniques. By that theory, Saber has to win.

"All right――then come at me. In deference to your sword, I shall show you everything I have." The man laughs. "Fine――!" Saber charges without hesitation.

――Saber's sword will slash his armor for sure. The instant I think that.

"――Gate of Babylon."

An invisible "door" opens behind the man.

"Wh――at…!?" Saber's body stops. The weapons the enemy takes are different from the previous dark red sword. The first is an invisible sword like Saber's. As soon as Saber defends against it, the man is holding yet another sword.

This sword is of ice. She twists her body to avoid it, but the space the sword goes through freezes. Saber retreats, covered in ice. As the ice starts to break, the enemy holds a sickle-like weapon.

"――――!" She instantly tries to block the weapon approaching her neck with her gauntlet. But it's useless. The sickle goes through her arm like the gauntlet isn't there and takes away her magical energy. …As if cutting away her bone and not her flesh or blood.

"Ah――kuh…!" Saber totters, but manages to stay standing. …It is a different kind of retreat now. Not to distance herself and prepare for the next attack. It's a desperate retreat, just to get away from the enemy――

"That is――impossible." Saber glares at the enemy, drawing magical energy into her arm. …Many handles are floating around the man. That's what slaughtered Caster, …And those are the Noble Phantasms of the golden knight who cornered Saber.

It's a scene that makes even me want to doubt my own eyes.

Those handles floating behind him are surely those of Noble Phantasms. Not just ten or twenty. No, even though I can't see them, I can feel that they are infinite. From all times and places. As if to say, that Servant has all the divine mysteries from every legend――

"Archer. Who are you?" Saber's voice is trembling. A Servant will not answer when asked their true identity. But the enemy's Noble Phantasm is so strange that Saber has to ask.

"Answer me, Archer…! A heroic spirit can only have one Noble Phantasm. No, some have more, but two should be the limit. ――A heroic spirit with infinite Noble Phantasms cannot exist…!"

"Cannot exist…? You are jumping to conclusions, Saber. Heroic spirits' Noble Phantasms are the weapons they had when they were alive. So this is a simple story. All these Noble Phantasms are things I collected while I was alive."

"――Are you insulting me, Archer? That is even more impossible. No matter who you are, it would be impossible for you to collect all the Noble Phantasms, the symbols of other heroic spirits. No such heroic spirit exists."

Saber is right. All the Noble Phantasms he has are real. There are demonic swords from Northern Europe, and demonic swords from South America. No hero made his name in so many different places. And first of all, only Lancer has Gae Bolg.

Heroic spirits' Noble Phantasms are the weapons they had when they were alive. By that rule, as soon as he has Gae Bolg, he has to be Cu Chulainn.

But he isn't Cu Chulainn. So that lance cannot be Gae Bolg. But the thing is, that is definitely the real Gae Bolg. This could be all explained if it was a fake. But as long as it's real, this contradiction is…. No, hold on. Original――the model of weapon……?

"――It can't be. But, wait…" It is possible. Myths and legends do not start from nothing. All myths have common points because a single foundation became their model. Because legends that become objects of faith are only those that originate in that land. I think demonic swords and holy swords start having special abilities around that time.

So, before that. What if the Noble Phantasms in myths and legends had a form before they were given names――?

"Oh. It seems your Master is not so bad after all. It seems he has a hunch about my true identity." "Eh――?"

Saber looks towards me. …So far away. I can't even help her if she's so far away. My body has only recovered to the point where I can barely move my fingers.

"Run… Saber――his… Noble Phantasm is…"

"Real, right? Yes, it is really simple, Saber. Let me tell you about the most ancient time, when the world was still one. That kingdom flourished, and the king collected every treasure in the world. There was nothing he could not collect, and he lacked nothing. The king had a perfect treasury, and the masses of weapons in there were never used, but instead went to sleep with the king."

"――The story is that simple. After the king's death, the contents of the treasury room spread all over the world. They were valued because they were splendid swords, and they eventually became Noble Phantasms. …Do you understand, king of knights? The Noble Phantasms you use are just the king's possessions."

…It's like inheritance. If you go back far enough, a "model" must exist. So it is only natural for every legend, myth, folklore, and Noble Phantasm to have an original model. And――in the distant past, if it was possible to collect all of their models, then one could possess all of the Noble Phantasms.

Only one hero could correspond to that. One with origins in a legend far older than that of King Arthur or Hercules. One said to rule over ancient Mesopotamia. The half-god, half-human king who collected treasures as he wished and sought immortality at the end. His name was――

"Gilgamesh――mankind's oldest king of heroes――" Saber sounds shocked. The golden knight――Gilgamesh accepts the shock with satisfaction.

"――Indeed. I am the strongest heroic spirit. You shall be no match."

And the golden knight moves forward. ――There's nothing else to talk about. All that remains is for him to use his many Noble Phantasms to defeat his enemy.

"Oh? You would still oppose me even after you know my name? You must know you have no chance of winning." "――I do not know unless I try. Even the king of heroes must have something he cannot surpass."

Saber's surroundings waver. The wind starts to twirl and becomes a raging gale to protect her. At the same time, the golden sword appears. "――No, Saber…" …It can't be. Saber's going to use the Excalibur here…!?

Gilgamesh stops. He too must know the holy sword's power as his composure vanishes. Saber keeps staring at Gilgamesh and looks in my direction for an instant.

"……" Is she telling me to run? Gilgamesh has his back to the river. And Saber is over here. It must have been when she attacked him earlier. Before I realize it, Saber is confronting Gilgamesh to protect me.

"――No. You can't use it here――" I pour strength into my limbs. Even if I try to move my numb body, all I can move is one of my arms. But I still collect all the magical energy in my body to raise my body with that one arm.

"Guh――damn it――!" My senses were gone, but every bone in my body starts to scream once I start moving. The pain is a warning. The pain is telling me I will break if I move any further.

"――! …!" I ignore it and raise my body up. "Ah――haa, ha――ah…!" I bear my pain. I don't have time to deal with it. I have to get up quickly and protect Saber.

――Because I have a bad feeling about this. A premonition I felt when I faced that enemy. She will never be able to beat him. The instinctive feeling that I should never let Saber fight him won't go away――

"――Humph. A holy sword, huh? Fine." The twirling wind is now a raging storm. Even with the holy sword shining in front of him, the golden knight does not back away.

Moreover… "Then, I shall use a weapon appropriate against it." He pulls an incongruous 'sword' from the gate behind him.

――That's the cause of my bad feeling. That sword does not appear in any legend. I could identify every one of the Noble Phantasms that were floating behind him. But even I cannot tell what that sword is.

"I have the original models of all the Noble Phantasms. But they are all nameless, and I am not their only possessor." A cylindrical sword. The sword is made of three parts, and each part is turning slowly in different directions. It looks like a rock drill to pierce through a hard surface.

"But this is different. This sword is truly a sword that only the king of heroes possesses. ――It has no name, so I just call it Ea."

"――Are you saying we shall just compare the strengths of our Noble Phantasms…?" The light concentrates. There's only about ten meters between them. Within that distance, Gilgamesh shouldn't even be able to dodge her attack.

"Right. You do not need to hold back. I have always wanted to take the sword said to be the most powerful." His laughter echoes through the park. She must consider that provocation.

"――All right. Then try to defend yourself against my sword…!" Saber's sword moves. Her lips move to say its true name. There's nowhere to run now. The Noble Phantasm released with its true name will smash all of its power onto Gilgamesh.

"It's your turn. Wake up, Ea." The cylindrical sword, Ea, roars. In response to Gilgamesh's words, the three blades turn with a whirring sound. If Saber's Excalibur brings on a whirlwind by releasing the wind, Gilgamesh's Ea creates a storm by swallowing the surrounding winds――

"EX――" Saber is more experienced with anti-castle Noble Phantasms. It is faster than Ea's roar. Saber pours magical energy into the sword up to its limit in a matter of seconds and executes it with the greatest power―― "――CALIBUR――!!" There's no hesitation. Saber releases the holy sword that can even split a river in two――!

Just before that.

"Enuma Elish――"

A light of the same magnitude takes on Excalibur's light.

A huge impact――!! The raging wind knocks over trees, and the crashing lights become an exploding sun burning my eyes…!

"Ha… no, my body――" My body is almost blown away by the wind. I manage to dig myself into the ground with one hand and endure the waves of light and heat.

――How long will the conflict last? The battle of the two rumblings that make me fear the Earth is going to split into two is… "Ku――ah…!" …Suddenly ended with her figure surrounded by a white light.

A crash. I hear something falling right beside me. "――Sa… ber…?" What it is. I can tell even with my blinded eyes.

――I thought she might be dead. That's how torn up Saber is. "Fu――haha, kuhahahahahahahahahahaha!" In the distance. The golden knight is laughing crazily, unscathed.

"Ha, so the most powerful holy sword is only that strong, huh!? Humanity's illusions are mere child's play after all!" His laugh is high pitched, and it seems like it will carry over the burning air into the heavens. ――Is it that much fun? He doesn't even look at Saber as he laughs only for his own sake.

"Sa… ber――" …There's no reply. But blood gushes out from her mouth as she tries to gasp.

"―――――" My vision turns red. ――What was I doing? I knew this was going to happen. I knew Saber wouldn't be able to beat Gilgamesh, so why didn't I stop her or even use my Command Spell?

"But this is rather boring. A complete victory for me, huh!? I am disappointed that you could not even offset my attack, Saber. Oh, I see. I should have taken it easier on you. After all, I am fighting women and children!" His irritating laugh. The responsibility is mine.

…I thought she could win. No matter how bad it felt, I thought Saber's Excalibur would be able to beat him. That's why even though I told her to stop, my Command Spell didn't react.

――I wasn't serious. If I really wanted to protect Saber, I could have made her run away using my Command Spell――and there would have been infinite ways for me to fight by myself.

"Well then. Let me have you now. You are dirtied, but you would have eventually ended up the same way. It is no problem that you are hurt now."

The laughter approaches. "――" She must have noticed that, as Saber faintly opens her eyes.

"…! Saber, are you all right…!?" I can see her breathing, but I can't touch her even if I reach out. My body still won't move and I can't even run to her. So I can only call out to her.

"Saber…! Saber, Saber…!" "…Ah…"

Saber's mouth opens. She breathes in as if asking for help, and coughs as if even that is painful.

"…Shirou…? Are you… there…?" She raises a faint voice, telling me she cannot see me.

"――Hold on. I'll――" I can't say I'll help her. I'm on the ground too, and I can only move my arms. I can only call out to her and encourage her. …She can't even see me in this ugly state?

"…Oh, I see. I have been defeated…" She speaks in a soft voice and looks at me with no light in her eyes. "――I am sorry… please run away, Master…" She says something absurd while coughing up blood.

"―――――" My vision turns red with anger. I completely depended on Saber unconsciously, and this is the result? I can't even stand up after a sudden attack? ――I grab my head with the only arm that moves. I want to kill myself. So I put strength into my hand as if to squash my head.

A firing hammer goes down. I take the switch to turn myself into a magus and smash it on with a hammer instead of my finger.

"――Never use it again. Projection magic is beyond your level――" Tohsaka's words. She says magic beyond one's level will turn the caster into a cripple.

So what? She's more important than that. If I can't protect her, I don't need my body. She has helped me many times. There never has been anyone I cared so much about. So. If I can't protect her, Emiya Shirou can just die here――!

…I can hear sounds of metal. Metallic magical energy reinforces all the bones in my body and all the broken parts of my body. I'll give it everything I have. I'll put it in the highest gear in the highest rotation from the start, and ignoring my limits, I'll create as much magical energy as possible…!

"―――――Gih." My spine catches fire and my whole body grows red hot. I bite my tongue to bear the feeling of my brain melting. I bite down on the pink flesh. If I can keep my consciousness just by making a hole in my tongue, there's no problem.

"――What?" The footsteps stop. His laughter stops as well.

"What――Shirou…? W-What are you doing…!? If you do that, your body will…!" She must feel it even though she can't see. Saber screams, trying to get back up.

――That makes my last powers turn on. I stand back up. The body that wouldn't obey me starts to move because of the magical energy poured in past its limits. This is like setting my body on fire to make it run towards water.

But I don't care. It's better than watching Saber get hurt. …That's right. I finally realize, with a mind that's about to burn away. From the beginning. I swore to hold the sword because I didn't want to see her hurt.

"Wha――I am telling you to run, so why…!?"

I obstruct the enemy. Saber is behind me. Now… I cannot even take one step backwards.

"Trace, on." …I hold down my brain which is rolling around on fire and manage my mind. I am imaging only one thing. I'll divide the projection into eight sections to create the lost sword――

I feel something hard in my left hand. …I don't even need to look to check. The second manufacture of the sword proved successful without slowing down even once.

"My… sword――n-no, that is still not enough. You must know you cannot beat him with that…! If you can move, please run away――"

"I won't. I came to pick you up, so I can't run home by myself." I ready my sword. I hold the sword, heavier than a shinai, and glare at the enemy.

"――Stop, Shirou. This man is――" I shake off Saber's words and step forward.

…There're four meters between us. If I step forward with all my might, I'll be able to attack him. The enemy doesn't move. Gilgamesh watches me for a second, then laughs. "――I guess I'll kill you." He says in an emotionless voice.

"――!" I instantly block the attack swung at me――! "――! You――!" I sway my body to the side to avoid the attack.

"――!!" But I'm not fast enough. If the first attack was a sudden gust, the next barrage of attacks is a raging wind. "Ha――kuh, guh…!" Parrying is all I can do. No, I wouldn't even have been able to block the first attack by myself.

It is fortunate that I also reproduced its memory when I reproduced the sword. A sword with a long past holds will and experience. This sword must already be familiar with such attacks. I can't judge Gilgamesh's attacks, but this sword is able to.

So the sword reacts to his attacks before my hands do. I swing to follow the sword, and as a result, I can block his attacks.

"Ha――Haa, guh――!" But that doesn't last long. My fingers numb every time I swing, and slowly, I cannot catch up with the sword.

"――Lowlife. You are worse than unsightly." He must dislike even the slight resistance. He glares at me in anger and retreats a bit.

"Ah… haa, haa, ha――" …Thank God. If he had kept attacking me, I would not have lasted more than a few seconds. I take a deep breath and try to control my breathing. ――And then.

"You filthy imitator. If you like it so much, I shall show you the real one." He takes out a sword.

"Wha――" That… is a familiar sword. The ornamentation on it is different. But its true nature, the idea of its creation, and its soul are too close to those of this sword――

"It can't be――this sword's model…"

"It is. But its strength as a Noble Phantasm is incomparable. What you have, 'the sword in the stone', originated from the legend of 'the sword of supremacy in the tree' from Northern Europe――But this is the original model, the foundation of the sacred right to select the king."

The sword of supremacy in the tree――Gram, the demonic sword of Sigmund, hero of northern Europe――its original model…?

"Children cannot defeat their parents. An imitation that deteriorates every time it is renewed cannot match the original model――!" Light runs. The sword understands better than anything that this is the same attack that terminated Berserker in one slash.

"――!" It must be protecting its owner. The sword in my hand goes for the enemy's sword with its utmost power. The name of the Noble Phantasm is Caliburn (Golden Sword of Assured Victory). But… …It is destroyed without a trace by the sword called Merodach.

I hear something sliding on the ground. Sliding. Is the ground of the park slippery because it's level? I slide across the ground and finally come to a stop.

"Shirou――Shirou, Shirou…!!!!" That voice makes me realize I'm still alive.

"Oh. Saber, you're pretty near me." Thinking so, I'm relieved. It felt like I was blown away, but it's fine if Saber's nearby. So all I have to do is get up and I can run to Saber――

"Hu――h?" I look at my arm while I stay on the ground. It's red. My arm is surrounded by a red membrane and there's no blood coming out of it.

"Do not move…! Please, please do not move, Shirou…!" …I can hear Saber's voice. It seems my body has been injured.

That attack. I'm sure I was blown away by Gilgamesh's sword. So the wound must be――oh, I see. Now I understand why Saber is acting like that.

I can only move my right hand. My left hand won't move. First of all, my left shoulder isn't attached to my body.

"―――――Ha." I can't even breathe. Diagonally down from my left shoulder. As my body is cut from the shoulder down, it's separated like lego pieces that don't fit together.

It looks like a ginkgo leaf. I've been cut from my shoulder down to my waist. It's strange that I'm alive.

…But that miracle should soon run out. I'm barely conscious right now, and my vision narrows by the second. First of all, my insides will fall out if I move. Maybe I'm already dead and my mind is lingering like a ghost.

"Fu, hahahahahahaha! I see, I thought you would be scattered, but you are rather tough. I see! Clinging to life is the only merit of a lowlife!"

He laughs. ――Honestly, I'm thankful. The more irritating he is, the more my mind stays conscious.

"But that is all. A lion doesn't suit you. I will take that woman." Footsteps. The sound of him walking to obtain Saber for sure this time.

#votestaynight #fate #fate stay/night #fate route

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