Sunk into my luxury double-bed, I stared at the ceiling lifelessly, ignoring the six or so locks on the door beside me and the constant thud that told me some kind of abomination was struggling against them.
After the previous night's fiasco, it had become a necessity. Not only was I supremely loyal enough to my Luvia to ignore even Nobunaga when she walked around naked 'cause clothes were too constricting', I just really wasn't into children. That was really all there was to it. That was why I was content to treat Caren like a weird sibling instead.
I sighed, took a look at the door, then returned to my analysis of the wooden ceiling.
Unfortunately, the eventual silence was real loud for me whenever it settled in. I lived for my whims, for what I wanted, and there was little that held me back from that. I sought excitement wherever possible, whenever possible... and most of the time, I did find suicidal ventures to throw myself at with all I had that kept me busy. It was just that the world simply wasn't fast enough, and occasionally, I was lazy enough to want exciting things to happen TO me instead of through me.
When these moments came, I was left alone with my thoughts. I didn't particularly enjoy that. So, I often spent that time messing around with all the code I'd gathered till now, recreating spells and awesome powers from memory, until I eventually drifted off into sleep.
When said sleep eluded me, I found myself troubled and uneasy. I didn't want to think about the future... but I had my family, Luviagelita and all my 'friends'. My romps with the nobility at the Clock Tower were putting them in danger. I knew this. Yet, there was no way to stop magi from coming after them without threatening death and destruction.
So, I had come to Fuyuki. Mostly, I planned on having fun like usual, but there was also another aspect that drew me to the Holy Grail War. Particularly, the Grail itself. According to my Professor, it was made by the Tohsaka, Einzbern, and Matou families as a means of reaching the end-goal of all magecraft, the Root. The absolute pinnacle. True Magic. The ability to do something well and truly impossible within the world.
If I managed to get my hands on that then-
Suddenly, my phone rang. I stifled a yawn before holding it against my ear, not bothering to check who was calling me at this time of day.
"Henry."
"Professor. Isn't it dangerous to be calling me?"
"Possibly. But, no one will find out I contacted you from me, so it's fine." He paused, and I could picture him furrowing his brows like he always did. "Look, Henry, I plan on hunting down the former Lord of Norwich, and I might not be able to help you much after this."
I chuckled at his worry, "It'll be fine, Professor. Trust me~."
Really, I didn't deserve him.
"No, I know. I also know everyone who comes after you will fail. I just wanted to ask you to keep damages to a minimum. Our world can't afford-"
"So, someone's coming." I picked out.
"What did you think was going to happen after you killed over forty family heads and heirs, along with the Enforcers present?!"
Honestly?
Nothing.
Pure skill issue.
They shouldn't have picked a fight. I held no regret, no sorrow, for magi of all people. They were all rotten wackjobs. The decent black sheep like Luvia tended to avoid coming to the Clock Tower entirely unless it was absolutely necessary.
No, I was excited by the prospect of who they'd sent AFTER the nature of my actions.
"You even destroyed the London Museum. It'd have been a national incident, and prompted a war-... No, you did declare war on the Clock Tower. All that blood, and generations of research, just gone."
Aw... Well, I felt bad for the lost code. Wait a second-
"Professor, you just feel bad about the spells they may have had, don't you?"
The answer came after a moment of silence, "...No."
Bastard.
He cleared his throat, "Onto important matters-... The Enforcer will have a servant. They planned on sending her to the war as their representative anyway but now she has an additional directive. On that note, you've already introduced yourself to the Second Owner of the land, right?"
A flustered Rin flashed through my head.
"Sort of..." I pursed my lips, "Yeah."
"Good. You're not actually related to the Grail War, after all. If you can convince her to grant you asylum then the Clock Tower might well leave you be for a while, considering how far away you are from their immediate jurisdiction."
Ah, yes. I remembered. The Clock Tower considered Japan to be a 'back-water island nation' of no significance at all in terms of culture and magecraft. But then again, those old chinwags considered anything not European to be of 'no significance'.
"Provided you stay away from the Grail War."
"On Flat's soul, I'd never-"
I heard a loud crash.
"...I think Flat just broke his neck."
Woah.
"Henry, just... just introduce yourself to her as a magus looking for a place to ply his trade, get in her good graces, and wait for me to do something about this Sealing Designation. I might be able to get it repealed... That is the best course of action for the preservation of our society."
Society? Not me?
I wondered what that possibly meant.
"You want me to... sit out a war between legendary heroes?"
"Yes."
With a cackle, I cut the call and tossed away the phone.
No way in hell was that ever happening. But, I'd heed his guidance somewhat. Tomorrow, I'd seek out the overseer of the land, she seemed pretty fun.
I turned on my side. Just then, the locked door flung away with a loud boom. I wasn't immediately sexually assaulted by Caren however, instead it was Nobunaga. My servant had changed her overly-large t-shirt for the semi-military uniform I'd first seen her in. She buried the tip of her golden katana in the floor, and stared at me through blurry crimson eyes, a cruel grin etched on her face.
"Don't ruin my floor." I sighed at the Demon King.
"Master of mine, why are you going to sleep?"
"Because I'm a normal person."
She laughed pointedly at that, like I'd made some joke, "How terribly boring."
I heard her heavy boots thud against the wooden floor as she stepped closer. Then, a sudden weight settled atop my legs. My schizo servant flipped through her personality like I flipped through the life's work of my fellow magi.
"Don't you recall the rules of engagement?" She said calmly, "All battles are to occur at night. No doubt, the other masters will be out prowling the night for a foe. Do you not want to dominate them? Do you not want what is theirs?"
I turned her way, "I don't think the Grail War's even started yet. That Rin girl had command seals but no contract."
"Then we can assault her, and the Grail will answer her desperation-"
"Yeah, can we not say that like I'm a deviant about to be locked up?"
"But you are a deviant about to be locked up." She cocked her head confusedly, "Your people hunt you as we speak, it's amusing to be on the run!"
I opened my mouth to correct her, but decided against it.
"You know what? Fair."
"I admire how little you concern yourself with that. Rarely is genius ever lauded in life." She nodded, arms crossed. "Even in my time, those who thought ahead and innovated were labelled madmen and pariahs."
"True, true. I am a genius. They really don't deserve me~"
"Mhm, mhm. The same as myself. When I first designed my three-line formation, and incorporated the west's rifles into my armies, I was met with harsh rebuttal. My own bannermen doubted me."
She burst out laughing, a hand held aloft, "It was so fun as I saw the blood drain from their faces when our enemies crumbled like hay!"
That was indeed very metal. I'd probably be jumping in excitement if I ever got to witness a sight like that.
"So let us have more fun. Let us seek out a foe who thinks himself great and mighty."
-
"Gah! That was fruitless! I should have just played games the whole night!"
"I told you we were gonna find nothing."
The Demon King of the Sixth Heaven unceremoniously threw her hands up in the air before planting her head sideways on the bar.
Caught in her momentum for a bit, I'd gone out with her. We'd scoured the entirety of Miyama Town for any presence of a servant... or even something remotely interesting, but found nothing at all. In the darkness of the night, there weren't even random strangers walking around to nag.
Well, we had found at least two more magus other than Rin. One, from a high-level detection Bounded Field cast over a traditional Japanese manor in the district reserved for natives. The other was an western manor not unlike my own that felt so ominous I was positive it was haunted.
Since my mother had raised me with the decency to not barge into someone's home unannounced for no reason, those findings added nothing to the search.
In the end, we had to settle on a small Ramen shop tucked away in an inconspicuous corner of the shopping area that was still open. A few lifeless white-collar workers were lounging about inside, and the counter was manned by an older man with a big belly and hair that had begun to show age.
Same as with the place's sign, I couldn't read the menu either.
In my defense, I wasn't Japanese. I was American and English. Asian languages were incredibly difficult to learn anyway.
Nobunaga clutched and ordered for the both of us... although she pointed at me before saying something unintelligible that left the owner staring at me for a good minute.
"Shouldn't modern Japanese be different from your time?" I observed.
"Knowledge of language came with the summoning. I've been using yours till now." Nobu mumbled disinterestedly, "My people feel different... They are lifeless. They feel weak."
"Saying that like you guys treated the peasants good back then."
She grumbled, "... I treated them well myself, you know? Japan advanced. My people grew strong. I acknowledged merit where it was due. It was those abominable leechers stuck to tradition that ruin-... If I were as bad as the rest, where do you think I found my great armies?"
I shrugged.
I really wasn't all that familiar with my own history, much less hers.
"Would you not fight for me? As a comrade? As I have and will for you?"
I stared into her crimson eyes.
Yeah, alright, I sort of understood why she had people fiercely loyal to her despite her reputation as a Demon King even in life.
Before I could answer, the loud rev of a motorbike abruptly cut through the silence of the shop. A moment later, a blonde youth stepped past the half-curtains hung at the entrance, holding a sleek black helmet in the crook of his arm.
"Welcome-...!"
Even as a man, I had to admit he was handsome, tall and perfectly proportioned, with golden hair cut short and blood-red eyes reminiscent of Nobu's own, no, worse. He was dressed casually, with black pants and an unzipped black jacket over a white shirt. He looked even more perfect than that unnaturally majestic Dead Apostle I'd fought not too long ago.
Despite all that however, nothing in particular seemed to say he was dangerous.
Yet... alarm bells rang inside my head. My chest tightened up. Beside me, Nobunaga slowly raised her head.
His gaze easily passed over the shop, before landing on me.
Then, the stranger smirked.
God, I loved my luck so much.
'Servant?' I questioned Nobu mentally.
She shook her head from side to side, meeting his smirk with a grin of her own.
-
Hope you enjoyed.
Please, don't forget to comment. It's the only way I can know if I did well.