Being betrayed by the Witch of Betrayal wasn't what I'd call a surprise. I'd had that little epiphany on the way over. No, I even questioned her supposed intelligence for choosing to break our contract in the forest devastated by myself just half an hour ago. A forest devastated solely because my dismantle missed her and sliced the top off a mountain right beside it.
Nobunaga even laughed in my face for it, making sure I heard ALL of her rambunctious cackles. The experience was unpleasant. It sounded like someone was strangling a particularly enthusiastic goat right next to my ears.
That was to say, by the time I got there, all annoyance had faded away.
There, my 'understanding' of the situation worked against me.
I'd expected to find her gone.
Instead, I found a man on the verge of dying, propped up against a tree. Kuzuki, I recognized. The man she was fighting for. Out here in a forest, someone had given him the good ol' London special. His shirt was torn by half a dozen wounds, dyed a dark red with his own still-warm blood. One of his arms was shattered and hung limp.
There was another stab wound a little too close to his neck for comfort.
Despite his visceral state, I wasn't really thrown off. My time at the Clock Tower was still short compared to most of my fellow magi, but their penchant for violence was the one thing I quickly grew used to.
I inhaled deeply.
The air tasted ionized. She'd fought someone. A good few trees around them were marked by battle scars, burnt in some places, torn apart physically in others.
Walking closer to get a better look, I spotted a dozen stab marks on the tree Kuzuki was lying against. Someone had thrown a couple of dirks right at him. And, judging by his current state, they'd not even deigned to remove them physically.
A sudden cough broke me from my thoughts.
I glanced behind me just in time to see Nobunaga step off a rifle. She took one look at Kuzuki, then pointed a finger at me and laughed even harder.
"I-I guess you don't need to worry about them breaking their word anymore."
"I never was," I shrugged. "But, I guess this ruins our bet."
"Mhm, I was really looking forward to the look on your face when she re-appeared even stronger. Instead-"
She picked up a stick and crouched down next to Kuzuki, "-they leave me this. None of us wins the bet this way."
I watched her poke the stoic man. "No, I win the bet. They got murked before betraying me so they didn't. That guy's still alive, by the way."
His breathing was terribly shallow, his eyes entirely unfocused, but still alive. This time, I could save him too. Rin wasted all the mana in one of her precious gems to heal Shirou, I needed nothing to produce the same mystery.
Sighing, I brought a hand closer to his face. He shifted, trying to resist even that.
"You don't want to live?"
He grunted miserably.
"Too bad. You don't really have a choice."
For once, I wasn't doing this out of the goodness of my saintly heart. No, there was a decent chance that this would not be their fate had I not forced them out of that fortified temple. Of course, in the midst of war, that was the wrong conclusion to draw from this. Yet, who decided that?
I was going to do whatever I wanted, like always.
With another grunt, he shoved himself out of my reach, falling on his side.
Nobunaga whistled. "I admire the will."
"Listen to me," I crouched down next to him. "Avenge her. Let me give you the chance. Don't pussy out of life. Caster is dead, isn't she? You loved her, so you know she'd want you to live. You don't because you were probably used as a hostage…"
That was what I expected any magus to do in such a situation.
For the first time, his gaze met mine.
"Me personally, I don't give a shit. All I know is, if that happened to my lady, I'd murder the guy responsible at least. Afterwards, end it all if you want. Or blame me too once he's dead, and die that way."
When I reached out for him again, Kuzuki did not resist or try to move out of the way. The air lit up, mana swirled. Then, the spell was done. His restoration was complete. His clothes were marred by blood still, but the wounds the blood came from were no longer there.
"There we go." I nodded, satisfied with my handiwork.
Slowly, with not a word, Kuzuki lifted himself up. He stared at me blandly for a good while before finally, nodding back and turning to leave.
"Well, that was a little disappointing." Nobunaga let her head fall to the side, her jet black hair fell with it, "I don't know what, but I was still expecting a more pronounced reaction to being saved."
I ignored her whining. "Kuzuki, who was it?"
He halted his steps, "Assassin."
Then, he was gone.
Assassin, hm. One of the two servants in this war I was yet to find. That was good to know. Although, it was a tad disappointing to know that the number of servants involved had been reduced from seven to six so quickly.
February had barely even started.
I lingered for a while longer, staying in the place I supposed Caster had died. A random spot in some destroyed forest. Considering her life, where she was used as a puppet by the Greek Gods to aid the hero Jason, for her to die this way after finding actual love was rather tragic.
Especially when I recalled how relieved she was at the chance to simply… go away with the man she loved.
At the same time, Kuzuki was also damned. I didn't even want to put myself in his shoes, even as a hypothetical.
"It seems my lessons haven't been falling on deaf ears, after all!" Nobunaga declared suddenly, crossing her arms. "Pitting one foe against another. In the best case, he finds Assassin for us and dies or kills him for us."
"Somehow, I doubt that last one. Kuzuki's not me."
The Demon King of the Sixth Heaven simply shrugged.
-
"Oh? Hal? I was just about to sleep. Is something the matter?"
Somehow, simply hearing Luvia's voice over the phone brought me immense relief. I relaxed into my bed, and let out a long sigh. She was in no danger. I never expected her to be. That didn't seem to matter at all to my heart considering how it tensed up when she took a few seconds longer than usual to pick up my call.
"Nothing, I… I just miss you, I think."
"H-Hm, of course! It's me, after all. It's only natural you miss me!" Her attempt at calm confidence was thwarted by her own quivering voice. I smiled. For a moment, silence reigned. Then, a quiet voice came through, "I miss you too."
"I hope my family's not a bother." I turned on my side.
She laughed softly. "Your mother has some of her inhibitions… and some questions but why their stay is so long. I even appreciate her apprehension."
At that, I sighed. Even now, I failed to understand those 'inhibitions' of my mother's, especially when she took to Caren so quickly. There was a decent chance those had something to do with my missing father but I didn't really have the courage to question my mother.
"But your sister is a delight!" She said suddenly, with more enthusiasm than I'd expected, "Your mother can't say no to her at all. I mean, not that I can either, but she's the one to shut down her mother's attempts at leaving. Her tantrums are so cute. I can see why you spoil her so much."
I felt oddly proud of her for that, and oddly moved by her affinity for my family.
"She won't even talk to me." I confessed with a sigh.
Luvia did her rich-girl laugh. "She just misses you sorely."
We talked for a good bit, about the most menial of things until she stopped replying entirely. At first I was confused, then I heard light snoring on the other end. With a soft chuckle, I cut the call and put my phone on the nightstand.
Soon enough, I drifted off as well.
-
That morning, I didn't wake up on my own time. No, Caren shook me awake, dressed in her habit for some reason. When I asked, she said nothing, merely pointed out the window. I walked over to find Rin standing outside the gate, impatiently tapping a foot against the ground.
"What does she want this early?" I murmured.
"I heard explosions nearby last night." Caren shared idly, "Might have something to do with that. She could also be here to inquire about your actions last night… in which case, my suggestion is to kick her to the curb."
Her brutal suggestion made me raise a brow.
"Look at how she entices men. Her skirt is too short. Why are her legs so meaty anyway? Ah, this does not fit a servant of the Lord. I apologise."
"C-Caren… are you jealous?"
She responded by tilting her head. "Why would I be jealous of you spending time with a heretic whore instead of me?"
"Damn. You really don't hold back, do you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
She definitely understood what I was talking about.
-
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