(3rd POV)
Inside the church, Olga sat beside Altair. Though six people had gathered around the table, her golden eyes drifted toward the boy, whose presence gave her butterflies in her stomach.
For some reason, she couldn't maintain eye contact with him for long without her face flushing red. Before they had gathered at the church to discuss their next steps, Olga had seen the boy—the one who gave her butterflies—resting on another girl's lap. For a fleeting instant, a pathological desire crossed her mind.
She didn't understand the feeling, but she knew she didn't like seeing him so close to someone else.
Hmph! If he wanted to rest on someone's lap, why not mine? That thought crossed her mind as she glanced at her own thighs, which were much thicker and softer than those of that maniacal Servant.
Olga had already noticed that, from time to time, Altair's eyes wandered toward her thighs, covered by tights.
In her mind, the only conclusion was that her thighs were obviously much better than the other girl's.
Her gaze returned to the boy, who was now lying across the table.
Without realizing it, those irrational urges bloomed again in her heart, especially as she saw Oda Nobunaga by his side.
Olga shook her head, momentarily dispelling those feelings.
In her mind, she attributed those impulses to her pitiful physical and emotional state. She had been fighting exhaustion since the meeting began.
She had spent hours in extreme danger, and the dark circles under her eyes—barely hidden by makeup—were a clear sign of fatigue.
Years of poor nutrition due to anorexia still affected her body even though she had overcome the disorder. Stress, lack of rest, and inadequate food had reduced her to a shadow of herself.
Deep in her heart, Olga hated to admit it, but if she were alone, she would've given up a long time ago. As a leader, she believed she had no right to stop, no matter her personal issues.
Yet this leader was physically and emotionally relying on a teenage boy a few years younger than she was.
And she knew full well she was depending too much on him, though she felt humiliated about it.
Altair, the mysterious and strange demi-servant, had become her crutch, both physically and emotionally.
An adult depending on a teenager was, in her own words, "the height of shame"—but that was her reality.
Lev Lainur Flauros had always been her emotional support, but in just a few hours, Altair's help felt more genuine and honest than Lev's ever had.
Why?
She asked herself.
Why do the help and acknowledgment of a boy feel more sincere than that of a man who's always been by my side?
With these muddled thoughts, Olga shook her head again, trying not to dwell on them.
But the motion caught Cú Chulainn's attention, and he looked at her as if she'd lost her mind.
Altair, lying across the table, opened one eye.
"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, concerned, his red pupil locking onto her.
For a moment, she got lost in those wild eyes. The butterflies in her stomach stirred again as she stared directly at him.
"Olga?" he tilted his head, still lying down.
Hearing his voice, she snapped out of her trance.
"What… Yes, I'm fine," she replied, a bit confused.
"Great," he said with a sleepy smile.
"Hey! Hey! Kids!" Cú Chulainn, the Child of Light, casually propped his feet up on the table. "Alright, let's cut to the chase—we need to split up."
The redhead sitting beside Olga frowned, annoyed.
"Split up? Why?" asked Ritsuka, looking directly at Cú Chulainn.
The messy-haired boy, still sprawled across the table, opened his mouth.
"Because we're being targeted by a long-range Servant."
"Who?" Ritsuka pressed, confused.
"You forgot about that attack from Archer? He's definitely still after us," he murmured, yawning.
"Archer is still pursuing us?" Ritsuka raised a finger to her lips.
"Absolutely. That guy's a tough nut to crack," Cú Chulainn added with a sarcastic smile.
"You two are like cats and dogs," Altair said, amused.
"Really? A dog joke? With me?" Cú Chulainn shook his head, feigning offense.
"They're fun, Dog of Culann."
Hearing the boy's words, Cú Chulainn rolled his eyes.
"Back to the topic—it's time to go on the offensive. As much as I hate the idea, considering what we've got," Cú Chulainn said seriously. "If I had been summoned as Lancer, we wouldn't have this problem."
"I don't think you could beat Saber alone, but your Lancer class is stronger," Altair said, sitting up and rubbing his sleepy eyes. "Oh, right—forgot to mention. Saber's probably King Arthur."
Altair's words brought silence to the group.
"Altair-senpai, that was important," Mash said, raising her arms and scratching her cheek.
"Why did you wait so long to say it?" Cú Chulainn smacked his forehead.
"Wait… Altair-kun, you mean King Arthur? From the Arthurian legend?" Ritsuka asked with a glint in her eye.
"Yes, that one," he said, yawning.
"I see… But why do you think that, Miller?"
"I have my reasons—mainly something Medusa said."
"It's a guess, but it's the only one we have, so let's go with it. Still, we need to split up..."
"Let's organize into two teams instead," Nobunaga said, resting her arms on the table with a neutral expression.
"What will the teams be?" Olga asked, clearly uncomfortable with how close Nobunaga and Altair were—nearly shoulder to shoulder.
"Honestly, I don't think we need to split up, but since I'm in the minority, let's just do it. One team will be bait to draw Archer's attention, while the other pushes forward toward the Holy Grail's cave," Altair raised his arm, stretching.
"But who'll be the bait team, Altair-senpai?" Mash tilted her head.
"Again, simple…" A smile formed on both Nobunaga's and Altair's lips. "My Servant and I are more than enough. We'll destroy everything in our path."
Cú Chulainn blinked at Altair's words.
"Haha! You're interesting, kid," he laughed.
"What?!" Olga slammed her hand on the table, staring at Altair. "You can't be the bait—"
"Rrrauuughhh!"
A guttural roar echoed through the city, cutting off Olga's words as everyone turned toward the church entrance.
"What was that?" Ritsuka blinked.
"No… it can't be," Cú Chulainn stood abruptly. "He shouldn't be here."
Without another word, he rushed outside. The remaining five exchanged looks and then followed him out.
Outside the church, their eyes locked on a tanned man with white hair standing atop a building.
"Archer! You fool—what did you do?!" Cú Chulainn shouted, raising his staff.
Archer gave a mocking smile. "It wasn't easy, but I've brought you a little gift."
With those words, he vanished instantly, just as another roar echoed across Fuyuki.
"Grraauuuughhh!"
Moments later, a colossal figure dropped onto the building where Archer had stood. Atop it stood a massive man, statue-like, with messy black hair and terrifying golden eyes. In his hands, he held a stone axe-sword.
The creature lowered its head, growling. Ritsuka and Olga instinctively stepped back, their bodies trembling in fear. Cú Chulainn furrowed his brow, while Altair gave a slight smile.
"Berserker," Altair muttered.
"B-Berserker…" Olga echoed, shaking. That creature was something far beyond human.
"Yes," Cú Chulainn nodded grimly. "But he shouldn't be here. He's always stayed hidden in the forest."
"The enemy probably lured him out," Nobunaga shrugged. "Hey, my retainer—this really isn't the time to be smiling."
"Sorry! But I'm scared for the first time."
"That's not a reason to smile."
"Quite the opposite. How strong is he, to make me feel fear? Honestly, I'd expect nothing less from the demigod… Heracles."
Altair looked at his trembling hands.
"That creature is Hercules?!" Ritsuka pointed at the Berserker, who now roared atop the building, his eyes locked on them.
"Yes. The greatest hero of Greek mythology—son of Zeus," Altair said, clenching his fists and taking a deep breath. "Change of plans."
He turned to the group.
"Archer probably brought Berserker to wear us down—or kill us. Either way, he wins. We can't escape. But I suggest a different path…"
Altair narrowed his eyes at the giant atop the building.
"One group will defeat the Berserker. The other will push forward to end this war."
It was obvious that even if they all teamed up to defeat Berserker, Archer would strike at their weakest moment. This was the best strategy—at least, the best Altair could come up with.
"I understand… but who'll be on the team to face Berserker?" Before Cú Chulainn could finish, Nobunaga cut in.
"Isn't it obvious?" Nobunaga stepped forward, standing beside her Master.
"It'll be us," Altair smiled.
"Altair-senpai!"
"Altair-kun!"
"Miller!"
The three girls cried out at once, worried.
"I see," Cú Chulainn stepped back. "Be careful, kid."
"You can't be serious," Olga turned to him, shocked.
"Out of all of us, they're the only ones with a chance of winning," Cú Chulainn said solemnly.
"Miller…"
"I said it'll be fine," he said, stepping forward.
Olga bit her lip, staring at Altair's back. It looked broad and comforting… she didn't want to leave him, but she knew she'd only get in the way.
"You'd better get going. Our friend doesn't like waiting," Altair said, summoning the Monkey King Robe as Berserker roared.
"He's right. Let's move," Cú Chulainn said, turning around. "Good luck, kid."
"Thanks."
Ritsuka bit her lip, hesitating, but turned too.
"We'll meet at the cave, right, Altair-kun?"
"Definitely."
"Be careful, senpai."
"Good luck, Miller. Just remember—you don't have my permission to die." Olga turned away, reluctantly.
"I wouldn't dare," he said, summoning Ruyi Jingu, which grew to nearly two meters.
Hearing their footsteps behind him, Altair spun the Ruyi Jingu and pointed it at the giant.
"Rrragh!" Berserker roared, flexing his legs to leap toward them.
"This might get tricky," Nobunaga said, cracking her neck and summoning multiple arquebuses.
"Right?" He grinned at the Servant beside him.
Almost at the same time, Berserker leaped, destroying the building beneath him as he descended toward them.
With a grin, Altair shouted:
"Grow!"
The Ruyi Jingu in his hands expanded, shooting toward the Berserker as he fell toward the Master and Servant.
••• ••• •••
A/N: This chapter ended up being longer than I expected, but I really wanted to delve deeper into Olga's emotional state.
Don't forget to throw power stones and leave a review to motivate me.
A/N 2: And just like that, my bro Hercules stepped onto the scene.
(Hercules - Character Image)