"Frankly, we have no chance of winning."
"Whaaaat...?"
My honest confession made everyone's faces twist in troubled expressions. After a night full of events, we had just started a meeting to discuss our future plans, and that was the first thing I blurted out. I guess it had a little too much impact. My bad.
However, I had to say it because my initial goals and strategy had been completely torn to shreds. This time, Kiritsugu-san was also in attendance.
"No chance of winning... what on earth do you mean by that...?"
"That's a good question, Waver-kun. Let me present the reality. This was the strategy I had in mind."
I started drawing a diagram on a whiteboard I had bought. Well, it was mostly filled out already. It showed the basic information of the Masters and Servants and the relationships between the various parties. I was considerate of Rider and didn't write anything unnecessary.
"When did you even get that...?"
"What are you saying, boy? Knowing your enemy is the most important thing in a battle, isn't it?"
"I know that! That's not what I'm talking about!"
"Waver? I'm about to start explaining, so please be quiet."
"Ugh, fine, whatever!!"
Waver looked extremely dissatisfied. But I decided to start my explanation by force. I pointed the pen at a newly added section.
"Last night, with Kiritsugu-san taking down Caster's Master, the remaining Servants are Saber, Rider, Archer, and Berserker."
The defeated Servant was marked with a clear 'X' in red ink.
"Among these, Saber and Rider have an alliance. My plan was to add Berserker to our side and defeat Archer."
"But Berserker was an enemy. Didn't you go to negotiate with them?"
"The Master had changed."
I operated a remote control and turned on the projector.
"You spent money on this again..."
The image projected was a video taken by the mecha dragon last night. It clearly showed the figure of Matou Zouken, the master of the蟲蔵(Mushi Kura), with a Command Spell.
"When I negotiated, the Master was certainly Matou Kariya. But yesterday, it was different."
"Meaning...?"
"Zouken must have killed Kariya. And taken the Command Spell."
Kiritsugu-san gave the answer.
"I think so too."
I wrote down Matou Zouken's name as Berserker's new Master.
"Why? He was supposed to leave it to his son at first, so why did he suddenly show up...?"
"There could be a number of reasons. For one, the old man has a grudge against me personally. Not only did I blow up the Matou workshop, but I also kidnapped Sakura-chan, who is necessary for the next generation of the Matou family. Or more simply, to interfere with the dismantling of the Holy Grail."
At least one thing was clear: peaceful negotiation was impossible. That old man was serious. It was useless to say anything to a monster who had strayed from the path of humanity.
"It would be the worst if he teamed up with Archer..."
I don't think you need to worry about that. Even if they teamed up, Archer wouldn't cooperate with anyone, and besides, if they tried to intervene in a fight, Berserker would just be adding another target since he already incurred Archer's wrath in their first encounter. The worst-case scenario would be the two Masters attacking together. I'd rather not deal with that.
"So, why does that mean we have no chance of winning? We clearly have the numerical advantage in Servants."
"Hmph, Velvet-kun. To think that someone of your caliber is a student of my class... it's almost embarrassing enough to tarnish my reputation. I suppose you thought that we would need Berserker's power to counter Archer's Noble Phantasm?"
"Archer's Noble Phantasm... you mean the one that shoots swords? The one that impaled you?"
Thanks for bringing up that unpleasant memory.
"That's right. And with that, what else do you remember?"
"Uhh..."
Waver started thinking. Did my impalement really leave such a strong impression on him? Well, it would. But that's not the important part.
"The night of the first battle..."
Irisviel began to speak softly.
"Berserker used one of the flying swords!"
"Exactly. Berserker has a Noble Phantasm that allows him to make anything he holds his own. I can do something similar, but his skill level is on a completely different level."
"I see! So you were planning to counter him with that!"
"That's right. We can't win if we face Archer's firepower head-on. My calculation was that if we had Berserker with his compatible Noble Phantasm, we'd have a chance, but..."
"It didn't work out..."
"..."
Even for the King of Heroes, fighting against three Servants and Berserker should be tough. I thought we could win if we had a meticulous strategy against his arrogance, but...
And on top of that,
"Saber as well."
"That's... true. It seems she was badly hurt by the opposing Berserker..."
Irisviel was worried, but her concern was misplaced. Rider also seemed to understand, as he lowered his gaze. Rider, who had witnessed Saber's situation at that time, probably didn't think it was the result of a proper fight. After all, she was beaten up with almost no resistance.
Saber was currently lying in a futon. Since she couldn't dematerialize, Saber had to rest like a normal person. I was genuinely surprised when Maiya-san asked me if I was going to sleep with her. I didn't think she was the kind of person who would make a joke like that.
I should probably take care of her while she's sleeping.
"...Should we finally reveal their True Names? Archer's and Berserker's."
"What?! You knew, you little...!"
"Well, I did come from the future."
"If you had told us, we could have planned things differently!"
Your Servant told me to keep my mouth shut. I couldn't say anything even if I wanted to. But now, that worry is gone. Saber saw Berserker's face and spoke his True Name. Anyway,
"Rider, you already know Archer's True Name, don't you?"
"I only have a strong suspicion. There are few kings with an attitude bigger than mine. And the sake I drank back then was not made by human hands. There is no one who would have such a thing other than him."
"W-who is it?!"
"Gilgamesh, the king of Uruk in ancient Mesopotamia. If you think that way, it explains the countless Noble Phantasms. All the treasures he collected in his lifetime... no, the very fact that he collected them has been sublimated as a Noble Phantasm. Ah, as the King of Conquerors, I would love to plunder it so much my mouth would water..."
"...I won't say if you're right or not. It's not confirmed yet."
"That reaction is all the answer I need... but I'll overlook it this time."
I thought he might get upset, but Rider just laughed. He was like a boy happy that his deduction was correct.
The problem with Berserker is,
"Berserker's True Name is Lancelot. A member of the Knights of the Round Table. Lancelot, the Knight of the Lake."
"No... then..."
Irisviel covered her mouth. As someone who had spent a lot of time with Saber, she must have understood everything from just that. The others also seemed to be well-versed in the biographies of famous names. Waver also had a pained expression as if he had something stuck in his throat. Even Kayneth-san closed his eyes and said nothing. Everyone was considering Saber's feelings.
"So, can Saber still fight?"
"Kiritsugu?"
Everyone except for one person.
"The injury itself is not life-threatening. However—"
"What's important now is to defeat Archer and Berserker and dismantle the Holy Grail. Saber's circumstances have nothing to do with that. She shouldn't have time to worry about something she did in the past. We don't have enough fighting power, do we?"
"Kiritsugu! No! If you say something like that...!"
In the first place, if we defeat both, the Holy Grail will be ready. We can't just defeat them carelessly. Irisviel tried to stop him, but Kiritsugu-san's mouth didn't close.
"It's okay, Irisviel. Heroes are living creatures that love to shed blood for others. Their own blood, and others' as well. They are a race that sings praises of slaughter. She needs to fulfill her role properly."
"Kiritsugu, you...! Shou-kun, you say something too!"
"...Kiritsugu-san. Saber is also a human. Putting aside the slaughter and all that, she can be shocked by human relationships. Regarding our fighting power... frankly, you're right, but it's questionable whether that Saber can perform to her full potential..."
I thought this was a bad turn of events, so I tried to intervene in a safe way. But it seemed I was too late. Kayneth-san stood up and spat out.
"Hmph, to be a Master who can't even be considerate of his own Servant... the Einzberns have fallen. To think they made such a filthy magus their Master."
"What a good position to be in. A Master who has already lost his Servant. You can look down on the troubles of other living creatures from a high place. I'm so jealous."
"Living creatures? That's why you're a failure. A Servant is, after all, just a shadow of a true Heroic Spirit. They are merely familiars. They only exist in this moment. But there is a proper way to use them. To be so impatient for victory without even understanding that... your vileness is showing, isn't it?"
...No, you screw up a lot, too, you know? I won't say it, since it would cause a conflict.
"There is no problem."
The one who cut in was,
"Rider?"
"It has been decided that I will settle things with that golden one. I'll ask you to stay out of it. This is a King's decision!"
"No!!"
I was the one who reacted. As someone who knows the outcome of that battle, I cannot allow that to happen.
"Rider, you can't—"
"—win against him? I see, that's what's written in the history you know, isn't it?"
"Gah!!"
I was careless.
"Such a history must be overturned, mustn't it? You should have known long ago that this King of Conquerors is not so docile as to retreat just because he's told he would lose. Rather—"
He grinned.
"—I'm the type that gets fired up."
I understood that and knew it. That's why—
"That's why I've been doing all sorts of things to prevent that from happening!"
And yet,
"Shou. For you, this might be a past world, just one of the incidents on record. But we are living in this very moment. Not everything will go according to your will."
"That's not it. I wasn't trying to make everything go my way. I was trying to make it a slightly better ending..."
If things continue like this, it will be the same. The ending will be almost identical, with just a few fewer people dying. I can't accept that.
"...It can't be helped. Shou, come outside."
"Huh? ...No! We're not fighting!"
That's what Rider would think. We fight, and the winner's word is law. It's very simple, easy to understand, and right up Rider's alley.
"If we can't yield our opinions, isn't this the only way to settle it? What's your complaint?"
"That won't accomplish anything! It'll just waste magic power!"
"Shou. That's what I mean by trying to make things go your way."
"What did you say...?"
That can't be right. No matter how you look at it, what Rider is saying is logically flawed. When you consider everyone's safety, this isn't the time to be keeping a verbal promise. It's foolish to challenge someone when you know you're going to lose.
"Indeed, your actions seem to be correct. You could say that no one who sees your actions would call you a bad person. But you are merely moving others toward the outcome you desire."
"Doesn't everyone try to make things end the way they want them to? I'm just—"
"No. You say that all of your actions are 'for others.' But despite saying that, you lack the natural motivation to want to help others."
Static ran through my head.
"All you have is the will to get closer to the 'happy image' you have in your mind. The troubling thing is that this will is so strong, and it's a kind of happiness that everyone would acknowledge. No one can point out that distortion."
Not so long ago, I certainly did a small, small thing—
"But a distortion is a distortion. Eventually, it will become unbearable and lead to a fatal result."
"Rider-san."
Irisviel's clear voice pulled me back to reality.
"...Let's take a break. Let everyone cool their heads, and then... let's decide everything then."
With Irisviel's words, everyone dispersed to their rooms. I also left the room with Sakura-chan.
It was late at night, and no sound could be heard from outside. The only sound was our footsteps. On the way to the room, Sakura-chan muttered.
"...Will you save me?"
"Of course."
I could answer without hesitation, looking her in the eye.
"...Thank you."
Sakura-chan smiled, relieved.
Even though it was a large mansion, the rooms weren't that far away. And they weren't separated from each other either. The room we were assigned was close to where Saber was sleeping.
I was about to open the sliding door when I suddenly thought of something.
"I think I'll go check on Saber."
"Yeah. It seems you owe Saber-san a lot, too."
I tried to close the sliding door I had just opened—but I hit something. It was something fluffy. It was human-shaped but had distinctive ears. It was Mickey Mouse. A Mickey Mouse stuffed animal. It was a little dirty, but there was no mistaking it.
"What is this?"
"Huh? This is..."
Sakura-chan reached out, so I handed it to her. She fluffy-fluffed it for a while. Then she looked at the tag and let out a small gasp.
"This is mine. My sister and I got it when we went to Disneyland with my family."
"Oh, I see. So that's what it is. It was Sakura-chan's—"
Something's not right. Why is something like that here—!! This is bad!!
"He got to us first!! We're already in the enemy's range!!"
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