[Altair Brando]
The blue-haired man crossed his arms over his chest, his posture exuding a familiar confidence.
"Caster!?" shouted Ritsuka, raising her hand and pointing directly at him with evident surprise.
Neither she nor I expected to encounter our old acquaintance again, the one who adored his cursed spear so much.
Caster's red eyes landed on us, shining with a peculiar light and recognition.
"Hey, I remember you guys... wait, I actually remember you!" He blinked, staring at us in confusion, as if something impossible were unfolding before his eyes.
Ignoring his perplexity, I took a step forward.
"What's up, man," I raised my hand in a casual greeting, offering a slight smile to the Child of Light.
"Kid, didn't I tell you to summon me as Lancer next time?" He raised his arm, pointing at us with clear indignation in his voice.
I sketched an ironic smile. This guy is truly fanatical about Gáe Bolg..
Well, if I had a cursed spear that always pierces the opponent's heart with a fatal blow, I'd also be upset about losing it. As I reflected on this, I heard our red-haired mage laugh, echoing through the hall.
"Hehehe! My bad, really." Ritsuka scratched her head, raising her arm with a relaxed and guilty smile.
"It's fine! It's fine! Some things are inevitable." He sighed, lowering his hands with a resigned gesture. There wasn't much he could do besides accept his current class.
"Geez, you complain too much." Raikou raised her head, staring at him with blood-red eyes, clearly finding the blue-haired Servant quite irritating.
"Cut me some slack. You'd understand if you saw my beautiful spear." He smiled with genuine nostalgia, making Raikou roll her eyes. "But it's strange that I remember you guys..." Cu Chulainn still seemed genuinely confused by this fact.
"Hmm... Shouldn't you remember?" Ritsuka asked with curiosity, observing our old friend from the singularity.
[This is really strange... Servants shouldn't remember their past summonings.]
With Nahida's words echoing in my mind, I raised my hand and placed it on my chin. My little knowledge repository was right, although there were certain special occasions when a Servant could remember their Master.
[Hmm... this is probably due to their summoning system.]
I could almost visualize my Nahida with her little hand on her chin, observing the summoning device with scientific curiosity.
"Servants generally forget everything between summonings." Da Vinci shrugged beside me, confirming our suspicion.
"The lady is correct, but not all Masters are as impressive as you two." He winked his right eye at us with a mischievous smile.
"Fufufu! Obviously." Ritsuka placed her hands on her hips, puffing out her chest with shameless pride.
"Senpai, too much pride isn't good," Mash warned Ritsuka with a serious and concerned expression.
"Mash, we have to enjoy compliments from time to time." The redhead ruffled Mash's pink hair with a radiant smile.
"If Senpai says so..." Mash lowered her head, slightly embarrassed but smiling.
These two adorable girls truly possessed the power to purify people's hearts.
"Well, that was touching." Da Vinci clapped her hands, calling everyone's attention. "But about you remembering, I think I can explain." An analytical gleam passed through the inventor's eyes.
"Oh!" Caster's red eyes turned to her with renewed interest. "It's a pleasure, beautiful lady. I'm Cu Chulainn, the Child of Light." He made an elegant and courteous bow.
"She was a man before." Romani pointed at Da Vinci with his thumb, completely destroying the moment. "Total false advertising, dude. Not to mention that, deep down, she's a pervert." Romani said with scientific seriousness.
Cu Chulainn's eyes widened, rapidly alternating between Da Vinci and Romani. He opened his mouth and closed it again, completely speechless after this bombshell revelation.
Seriously? Dude. A goddess who used to be a one-eyed old man altered her class… now, one of the greatest geniuses of the Renaissance, turning into a woman, is going to bother you? It's kind of idiotic to be bothered by gender-bending in a universe that turned King Arthur himself into a woman.
I let out an exasperated sigh. "Dr. Romani, I don't think you should reveal secrets that aren't yours. If she's comfortable with herself, who are we to interfere?" I said with a pragmatic shrug.
With my words echoing through the hall, a heavy silence settled. Romani looked at me, blinking his green eyes with surprise.
Hmm... Maybe I said too much. Not that I particularly care.
"My son is so sensible!" Speaking of gender-bending, Minamoto-no-Raikou - who should have been a man in history - was now hugging me, pressing her generous breasts against me.
[It's pretty easy to get her "excited," isn't it?]
Don't even get me started, but this time I couldn't understand the specific reason for her excitement. Before I could fully process it, a hand gently landed on my head.
Hmm!?
"You're a good boy. I almost want to steal you to be my student." Da Vinci ruffled my hair affectionately, smiling. "But you're absolutely right. I chose this form and I don't regret it one bit." She continued messing with my hair while smiling with genuine gratitude.
"Hey! Why do I look like the villain now?" Romani pouted, looking away with embarrassment.
"Well, you kind of are," Ritsuka added fuel to the fire, clearly enjoying the situation.
Meanwhile, Cu Chulainn watched the whole confusion with an amused smile.
"You guys are quite lively." He gave us a wide and genuine smile. "But, miss, you still haven't explained why I remember them." Cu Chulainn pointed to Da Vinci, who gently removed her hand from my head and turned her attention toward him.
"It's simple. It's probably an inherent feature of the summoning system. Servants summoned by the FATE system can retain most, or even all, memories from previous summonings, including memories from past Holy Grail Wars." Da Vinci explained with a serene and scientific smile.
"I understand perfectly." Cu Chulainn rubbed an imaginary beard on his chin thoughtfully. "But, by the way, why am I receiving so little magical energy from the Master? It's practically a miracle I'm walking around with so little." He examined his own hands with genuine curiosity.
"Summoned Servants receive all necessary magical energy directly from the summoning system. Within the limits of Chaldea, they can remain materialized for virtually unlimited periods without perceptible energy drainage. Of course, a formal contract with the Master is still necessary for full functionality." Da Vinci shrugged with technical naturalness.
"Man, you guys really covered all the bases." Cu Chulainn rested his chin on his staff with evident admiration.
I couldn't help but completely agree. The FATE system was truly impressive in its complexity.
As he rested his chin on the staff, his eyes turned to Olga and he instantly frowned.
"If my memory isn't playing tricks on me, weren't you human?" He examined her with half-closed and suspicious eyes. "Why do you give me exactly the same feeling as this guy?" He pointed directly at me.
Olga just crossed her arms and snorted disdainfully, refusing to answer.
"A difficult lady." Cu Chulainn smiled with amusement and turned his eyes to me, clearly seeking an explanation.
"In short: in the singularity, she didn't possess a real physical body. When the singularity ended, she would have completely disappeared. So, I used the body of one of my clones as a vessel to preserve her soul... Ah! There was also a dramatic traitor at the end of the singularity... Hmm, I don't think I'm forgetting anything important... Well, it's no longer relevant. My arm was destroyed at the molecular level during the process... an educational experience, I must admit."
[...]
[An... interesting summary.]
I appreciate the subtle sarcasm.
But leaving aside the part about my arm, I still needed to discover the true limits of Olga's new body. At first glance, she seemed to be at the same level as my clone, but completely without combat experience.
Making a mental note to test the pros and cons of her new body, I looked at Cu Chulainn, who was literally slack-jawed at my casual explanation.
"Looks like you guys went through some really intense experiences. I don't even know what to say honestly." He scratched his head with genuine perplexity. "Well, at least you're all alive."
"That's already an excellent start." Ritsuka crossed her arms, agreeing with pragmatism.
Considering our previous adventure, where we faced a completely corrupted version of King Arthur, this perspective seemed more than fair.
"Hahaha!" Cu Chulainn laughed heartily and turned to Ritsuka with evident affection. "You're still as brave as ever, Master."
"One of my best qualities." She placed her hand on her chin with justified pride, while Mash sighed and shook her head with a small tolerant smile on her lips.
The warrior of light couldn't help but sketch an approving smile before returning his attention to me. "Hey! Kid, I haven't forgotten our promise." He struck his staff against the ground with determination. "I'll teach you about runic magic and primordial runes... but I'm warning you that I'm not exactly a good teacher."
"No problem, my man. I just need basic guidance - the real teacher is already here in my head." I raised my hand, tapping my temple with a knowing smile.
[Fumu! Obviously!]
Imagining Nahida puffing out her little chest in justified pride, I couldn't help but sketch a genuinely amused smile.
"If you say so." Cu Chulainn shrugged with casual acceptance.
"So... are we going to summon another Servant now?" Mash asked with evident curiosity.
"Of course. This Irishman just needs to leave the summoning circle, and the next one will be automatically summoned, using your last 3 remaining Saint Quartz." Olga cast a particularly unpleasant look at the Caster still standing in the summoning circle.
"Oops! Sorry, miss." Cu Chulainn took a deliberate step forward, positioning himself to Ritsuka's left, while Mash remained faithfully at her right.
Almost instantly after he left the summoning system, the circle of orbs began to spin at Ritsuka's feet, forming a luminous and hypnotic ring. Within seconds, a controlled explosion of mana rose directly from the circle, shooting through the hole in the ceiling toward the sky.
This time, for a few tense moments, the orbs became golden and bright before the blue geyser abruptly changed to a deep and mysterious violet.
Our eyes collectively widened with surprise and anticipation. Then, from the gracefully dissipating violet geyser, an authoritative voice echoed.
"I have come as summoned." A cold, yet majestic voice completely filled the hall. "I am Saber, Artoria Pendragon." She took a decisive step forward, her presence commanding instant respect. "Are you the one who will be my Master?"
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