[Fate/ninth heaven] Forgotten Wings; SIN [route I, day 6]

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Masterlist and readme are here.

SIN

  —This is a story.
  This is an old story from days when the world was much younger than it is now.

  …Every time, he awoke to the familiar graveyard.
  Flowers were blooming all around the mausoleum, and in the light that shone down from the sky, the world was painted in soft colors.
  It was a beautiful sight, and yet at the same time, it wasn’t a place for the living and breathing.
  …Someone who wandered into that place lost might feel their energy and will seeping away and fall into the horror as it slowly shredded their mind.
  …Because the inside of the mausoleum was filled with living corpses.

  In actuality it was a kind of “stasis”.
  The mausoleum was a gruesome weapons storehouse.
  When the weapons weren’t in use, they would be returned to the storehouse to sleep until they were needed again.
  No one knew how the weapons would last out in the open, so society as a whole considered that sleep to be a necessary thing.

  For the “weapons” themselves, that reality was very different.
  He never questioned it, and didn’t think about it too much because it was just the way things were, but inside I think he was actually very tired.
  The weapons were returned to the storehouse and put to sleep whenever they weren’t in use.
  He fought the enemies of the heavens over and over, but to him it felt like an endless battle that had no meaning.
  He was told that he was saving people, but in the end, he never saw the people he was meant to save, nor did he ever see the impact of his victories.
  —But this is the way it should be.
  Because he had been chosen.
  Because this was the will of the heavens, and he had no choice but to obey.
  …And yet, all the same, he was tired.

  There was no joy in battle or in victory.
  And there was no meaning to be found in the endless sleep.
  He was awakened and sent into hell over and over, and as soon as the battle ended, he was returned to the mausoleum.
  To that familiar, beautiful graveyard that was at the same time a bed of all horrors beyond human comprehension.
  …Because he was a weapon, and no weapon needed a will, or desires.

  That,
  was his life as one of the chosen.

  …I wake up.
  I wake up covered in sweat after a worrying dream, and go to wash my face.
  …This is the third time I’ve had such a strange dream in a row.
  ……A dream about the same idiot.

  This time… I don’t know, but it seems different somehow.
  Maybe the dream really got to me, but I feel uneasy as I change into new clothes and head into the living room.

  …
  After a dream like that…, how can I put it.
  This is a really comforting scene.
  Rose is sitting at the table with her plate half empty, talking to Lancer, who is eating quietly as usual.
  Maybe I was just imagining things last night or maybe I’m getting used to it, but the scarlet knight that seemed so out of place before actually looks included.
  He doesn’t reply to Rose much, but he watches her as he eats.
  His gestures are elegant with no wasted movement, and his dark eyes are calm.
  The hair like woven gold wavers softly as he nods to Rose.
  Rose doesn’t seem uneasy with him either, and is talking to Lancer as though it’s normal.
  …Today is the fourth day that Lancer has been a part of this home, and it’s starting to feel as though he belongs here.
  My place at the table is set with food already there, and somehow it feels like we’ve already become a family of three.

  “Good morning, Rose, Lancer.”
  Rose looks up and waves to me, and Lancer also looks up at me.
  Rose is smiling, and while Lancer isn’t smiling, his expression isn’t cold or judgmental, but calm—it’s a warm feeling.
  “Hey, sleepyhead. You got here just in time, I don’t think your food will be cold yet.”
  I sit down and thank her for the food.
  Today’s breakfast consists of omelets and pancakes, with bowls of yakisoba on the side.
  It’s a strange combination of Western and Japanese styles, but it still looks really appetizing, and I’m not wrong.
  For a while, there’s only the sound of our utensils as we eat.

  …Actually, this kind of scene makes me wonder.
  We’ve seen a number of other Servants so far, and their Masters.
  I wonder just how they face the mornings every day?

  Well, Saber and her Master seem to get along well, and back when we saw them together they were talking normally.
  I can’t see them not eating breakfast together.
  …It was harder to judge about Vienya and Archer, but it looked like their relationship wasn’t uneasy or anything. Picturing them eating breakfast together is a little bit weird even so, but that’s more because of Vienya than anything else.
  I wonder if she’s able to get the vending machines to work now when she’s at them?
  …Then, there’s the Riders and their masters, Nana and Primea.
  Those girls seemed really immature, and it was hard to judge their relationship with their Servants too…
  Still, a funny mental image pops into my head of those knights having to look after the two girls like babysitters.
  …The scary thing is that it might not be too far off, but somehow that’s even funnier.

  I wonder what kind of morning Berserker and Nessiah are having.
  Part of me wants to think that it’s cold and uncomfortable, but that may just be my prejudice as Berserker is a demon, after all, and there are some real problems with Nessiah’s personality.
  More honestly, though, remembering the picture of Berserker in the air with his arms around his Master—and how tightly and carefully they were holding each other—makes me think that however their morning is going, it wouldn’t be too awkward.
  It couldn’t be, or at least I don’t think so. …Yeah, those two also seemed to get along well.

  I shouldn’t be thinking things like this—and I’m sure that Rose and Lancer would scold me for humanizing the enemy or some such thing.
  Still, it puts me at ease somehow to think that none of the Servants are being mistreated.

  Yeah.
  Servants are Heroic Spirits, after all.
  Heroes who did their best in life and still have to fight for something like this ought to have a place where it’s okay for them to relax.
  Even if all they have is a Master who smiles and says good morning, a warm breakfast and a place to curl up in the sun before the next strategy meeting, I think that would be all right.
  …Maybe it’s presumptuous of me, but a thought like that makes me happy.

  “Ein, what the heck is with that weird smile?”
  Rose teases me with a grin and reaches across the table to push me in the shoulder.
  I just smile.
  Lancer looks at me with what might be concern, and I smile to reassure him.

  Like that, breakfast goes without any issues.
  I’m in the middle of cleaning the plates…
  …when suddenly, there’s the sound of the doorbell.

  “…Wait, were we expecting anyone today?”
  I turn off the faucet and put the plates on the drying rack, and go to answer the door absentmindedly.

  When I get there, Rose is also moving to open the door.
  “Sorry for intruding!”
  …On the other side,
  are Mimee-san, Aura-san, Fia-san, and Serene.

  …Um.
  I turn to Rose, not knowing what to do.
  Rose is also looking between me and everyone, flabbergasted.

  “Um. …Um. Everyone, what are you all doing here?”
  Serene shrugs at us as though it’s obvious.
  “Today is Sunday, so we decided to come in and throw you a get-well party. What else would we be doing?”

  …Oh.
  That’s right, because of the Grail War we’ve had to take off of school.
  Rose announced it very suddenly, so it seems that everyone has come to the conclusion that I must be sick…, or something of that sort.
  “We properly brought food, and it’s not as though you’re doing anything, so it’s fine, isn’t it?”
  The disgrace of a high school girl is already taking off her shoes and getting ready to enter the house.
  —Uh.
  Uh, this is really bad, isn’t it?
  Mimee-san, despite being an honor student and supposedly knowing better, is also taking off her shoes.
  She was carrying bags, but she hands them to her juniors and forces all the burden onto them while she lines her shoes up next to Rose’s and mine.
  And then before Rose and I can think of anything to put an end to this disaster before it has a chance to begin, Serene and Mimee-san march into the house.
  Fia-san and Aura-san are both smiling a bit helplessly.
  …I see, so they must have been roped into this by their irresponsible seniors.
  I see, I see.
  …I sigh.
  “Well, I suppose I’ll hold on to these for you. Uh, please pardon any mess.”
  I bow a little and reach out to take the bags of food, and Fia-san and Aura-san both bow back to me.
  “Oh, no need to apologize, Sempai. We came uninvited, after all.”
  “We’re very sorry to bother you at a time like this…”

  “—Ein!”
  Rose hisses at me, alarm written all over her face.
  …But, well, what can we do?
  Fia-san and Aura-san have been pushed so far already, so all I can do is try to be a good Sempai and not trouble them any further.

  …Then, from the living room.
  “—Oh? Who is this?”

  —
  …Oh.
  Oh no.

  I run through the halls as fast as I can while not dropping the bags.
  …It’s just as I feared.

  Mimee-san and Serene are standing in the living room looking curiously at Lancer, who never had enough warning to dematerialize.
  The scarlet knight…,
  is looking back at them as though he’s a cornered animal.
  He turns to me.
  Lancer turns to me with a helpless expression.
  His eyes are asking me why.
  In the greatest show of emotion I’ve seen from him so far, the hero of so many wars in the heavens has turned to me and is begging me whole-heartedly to rescue him from this unforeseen situation.

  …I,
  I just don’t know what to do, and am left standing here at as much of a loss as anyone.
  From behind me, I hear a sigh and a tsking noise.
  “—Well, the secret’s out. Now you know why Ein and I had to leave school so quickly.
  “This is Lancer, and he’s going to be staying with us for a couple of weeks.
  “As you can tell, he’s a foreigner, and he’s still learning Japanese and getting used to the city, so we have to do what we can for him.
  “Don’t bother him too much. If you all talk on top of each other he’ll get confused, and he’s quiet to begin with, so you guys are way too noisy to interact with him at all.”

  …Thank God.
  Thanks to Rose’s quick thinking, we’re completely saved.
  As Mimee-san and Serene turn to sulk at her, I set the bags down near the kotatsu and then sit down next to Lancer.

  “—Master.”
  Lancer turns to me with an uneasy face.
  “It’s okay, Lancer.
  “If there’s anything they say that you don’t know how to answer or don’t want to, just tell them that you don’t understand the question. We’ll make them leave you alone.
  “…Um, these people are my classmates. Serene isn’t a magus, but the other three are all apprentice magi. They might be able to sense your prana a bit, but since this is a house of magi I don’t think it’ll be too much of a problem.
  “…And Lancer, uh. One more thing. You can’t call me ‘Master’ while they’re here, okay? Just use my first name for now.”
  Without saying a word, the blond knight nods.
  He still seems very uncomfortable, but his face is telling me that he’ll trust me for now.

  …Jeez, since when was Lancer so reliant?
  He’s usually so aloof and forbidding, but I guess he’s just so out of his depth right now that all he knows to do is depend on me to get him through it.
  It’s a little worrisome as it shows he has problems adapting to things, and just that he’s so unused to other people can’t be good, but this kind of shy and childlike side to Lancer isn’t necessarily bad.
  …It’s cute, like a skittish cat being coaxed to be around other people.

  Anyway.
  Even though we’ve just eaten, somehow I wind up in the kitchen with Fia-san while the others crowd around Lancer.
  …Hang in there, Lancer. We’ll have to get them out by dinner, so just hold on until then.
  “Fia-san, it’s really okay if you want to go sit with the others. I can handle things in here by myself, especially since it’s just washing vegetables and heating things up.”
  Fia shakes her head and smiles.
  Her long green hair sways softly.
  “No, it’s all right, Sempai. I want to help. Besides, everyone’s caused more than enough trouble already, so I want to help out a bit.”
  I sigh.
  It seems like I really can’t persuade her, although since she’s a girl and my junior, chivalry says that I really ought to be doing the work.
  …Actually, I kind of wish I could persuade everyone to let Fia-san and Lancer change places, since Lancer is seeming less and less comfortable by the moment and Fia-san tends to work too hard.
  Really, though, that might not be such a good idea.
  First of all, it looks like Mimee-san and Serene are having fun interrogating Lancer, and Rose is having fun defending him.
  Second of all, Lancer has never offered to cook, so I don’t know if he’s any good in the kitchen or if he doesn’t like cooking.
  It would be just like a failure of a man like me to only make things worse despite trying to fix them, so I’ll keep quiet for now.

  “—So, Lancer-kun.”
  Mimee-san is smiling, thoroughly enjoying herself.
  I don’t know if she’s noticed Lancer’s discomfort, but she’s talking to him the way that she would talk to any other junior, including him in her usual friendly way.
  “What brings you to Japan? Judging by your clothes, you’re from a ways away, aren’t you?”
  “…”
  Lancer first looks to Rose, and then to me.
  His eyes are saying that he needs clear instructions on what to do, or he’s not going to be able to cope with this kind of situation.
  “I’ll be here for a short time to do my job. After that…, I believe I’ll be returning to where I’m from.”

  “…Ouch.”
  I feel a bite of pain in my finger, and look down.
  The peeler I was using for the vegetables slipped and scraped my hand.
  …That’s right.
  Lancer is only going to be here for the Holy Grail War.
  Even if we win and Lancer is able to make his wish…, he’ll disappear after that, won’t he?
  Back to wherever Heroic Spirits go when they aren’t summoned into the world.
  …
  ……
  …I don’t like that.
  I don’t know what it is I don’t like about that, but I don’t like it.
  It hasn’t been very long, but Lancer already feels like he belongs here with us.
  “Sempai?”
  Fia-san is looking in my direction with a concerned face.
  I smile to reassure her.
  “I’m okay, I just spaced out for a little bit. I didn’t even cut myself or anything, there’s no need to worry.”
  Fia-san nods and looks back down at the pot.
  She’s heating up rice to put the red peppers in, and after that I’m going to fry it while she switches to the vegetables.
  Somehow, she still seems really troubled.

  Suddenly, Fia-san takes a breath and makes a determined face.
  “I’m not going to lose!”
  …Um, huh?
  I don’t really understand, but if she says so, I guess that’s a good thing.

  …So.
  In the end, I was completely ineffective in coming up with a plan to rescue Lancer from my classmates, and Rose had to protect him while Fia-san and I finished preparing the luxurious lunch materials Mimee-san brought to compensate for the intrusion.
  At least Aura-san stayed quiet, but when we sat down to eat, even Fia-san started to bother Lancer with a lot of questions.
  After we ate, though, Mimee-san finally seemed to understand that she might be intruding and gathered everyone up to go home.
  “If you guys ever decide to stop playing hooky, feel free to bring Lancer-kun to school, okay? He should be able to sit in on classes, and he’ll be able to play around with us and see what it would be like to be a foreign exchange student.”
  I’m sure she wanted to drag him to the magic study group as well, but unfortunately for Mimee-san’s plans, we’ll be far too busy to entertain her more as long as this goes on.

  …Sigh.
  I know it’s a small thing to complain about after all the battles and such, but seriously, those guys sure are noisy.
  Rose is in the kitchen cleaning up, and I’ve come back into the living room to see that Lancer still hasn’t moved from the same spot he’s been in since they got here.
  Ordinarily I wouldn’t complain because it’s rude, but seeing how Lancer still looks, I sit down next to him and let my irritation show a little.
  “I guess it could have been worse, but all the same, I wish they’d show a little more consideration… they didn’t leave a moment too soon.”
  Beside me, Lancer lets out a small sigh of his own.
  I look at him.
  Lancer has a downcast expression on his face, and he’s not looking at me.
  Maybe he’s stiff from having to sit there for so long?
  If Lancer had gotten up and moved, they might have realized that his wings are wings, and not a part of his clothing, so he’d had no choice but to stay still no matter what.

  “…Tiresome.”
  He says so in a listless voice.
  “I’m sorry.”
  I apologize for them without thinking.
  “It really wasn’t fair to spring all of that on you without any warning.”
  …Lancer sighs again.
  He really seems out of sorts, but the look on his face is more depressed than angry.
  I think his eyes would be more intense if that were the case.

  “…I’ve grown unused to such displays.
  “Perhaps this is a sign that I lack discipline.”
  Lancer ponders, berating himself for his helplessness in front of the girls.
  …As I thought, Lancer really does take things too seriously.
  Who knows how long he’ll stay angry at himself if this keeps up, so I suppose I should try to cheer him up a little bit.
  “It’s just that they’re really noisy. Well, they’re energetic girls that don’t have important things to worry about, so it’s not like there’s something wrong with their being noisy, but you’re quiet by nature, so even if they didn’t recognize it and show some consideration, no one was expecting you to know how to be noisy with them.”
  “…Hmm.”
  Lancer still seems worried.
  I rest my hand lightly on his shoulder.
  “You really don’t have to mind it so much.”
  “…oh.”
  Lancer turns to look at me, surprised, and I pull my hand back.
  “…Ein.”

  …
  “—I apologize, Master.”
  Lancer looks away.
  “It’s okay. You can call me whatever you like, it doesn’t matter to me.”
  “…”
  Lancer doesn’t reply, nor does he look back at me.
  …If calling me by name is more natural for him, I want him to do it, but he doesn’t have to get this nervous about it.
  ……Come to think of it, Lancer sure is awkward in situations that don’t have to do with battle and strategy for the Grail War.
  I don’t think it’s a bad thing, but I should remember to be careful with Lancer during everyday scenes like this one from now on.

  …There isn’t much left of the rest of the day until dinner, but it goes uneventfully.
  Since lunch was so big, I just make bowls of miso soup for everyone.
  …Tonight, we’re going out to patrol for the first time.
  There are a number of unknowns, but at this point, if we hide forever, nothing is going to happen.
  There’s also the matter of Assassin and Caster, the two Servants we have yet to encounter.
  We have to find our enemies and do our best to overcome them.

  …Dinner passes in silence.
  It’s a completely different, tense atmosphere from the comfortable silence of breakfast.
  Rose washes the dishes quietly, and I sit in the entrance, putting on my shoes and a jacket.
  It’s dark outside, and it’s sure to be cold.
  …Lancer dematerializes.
  He says that he’ll stay incorporeal until we run into someone, both so that civilians won’t see him and so that the other Masters won’t take so much notice of us.
  As proved by everyone in class, it isn’t unusual for people in Fuyuki to have a small amount of magical energy.
  As long as Rose conceals her presence, my magical energy should also go unnoticed.

  …We leave the house and lock up carefully.
  From here on out, Rose is a magus, and I am a Master.
  We have to do our absolute best to win this battle.

  …Since we’ve already run into Berserker here in Miyama, we decide to go to Shinto.
  Ignoring the suburbs and the mountain, we head in silence for the long bridge.

  We crossed this way only a few days ago to speak to Hector-sama, but then Rose and Lancer were talking to each other and the mood was much more relaxed.
  Now, there’s only the sound of the wind as we cross the water as dark as any abyss.

  —The city is mostly empty.
  There are people heading back and forth still, but largely the streets are bare and the world is very quiet.

  With Rose at my side and Lancer invisible behind us, I walk through the streets.
  Time passes, and the moon rises higher in the sky.
  There are fewer and fewer people around.

  It’s probably only about 10:30.
  Still, after everything that happened in the past war, apparently the city of Fuyuki has grown the defense mechanism of shutting down and sleeping earlier than other places.
  In the end it wouldn’t save people if a real monster of a Servant were around, but this is enough to make the people feel safe, and to empty the city out during the times when our kind is most active.

  We draw close to the park.
  The burned field where even now very little grows, and even someone like me can still feel the air of death.
  The final battle that became a conflagration and killed hundreds of people at the end of the fourth Grail War.

  …Within the field…, I see lights flashing in the distance.
  “What is that?”
  The words have just left my mouth when I feel a sting of pain in my Command Spell.
  “…”

  “…Master.”
  Lancer’s voice feels like it’s just at my ear.
  “There are Servants fighting there.”
  The knight states so with certainty.

  “Ein, we should get as close as we can.”
  Rose murmurs it to me, even though we’re still far away.
  “We don’t necessarily want to be seen or get involved, but this is a good chance to learn about the abilities of the other Servants.”
  …I nod, and begin walking as softly as I can.

  We stay in the shadows, but with Lancer’s presence cloaked it seems as though the Servants fighting and their Masters have yet to actually notice us.

  As we get closer and closer, I’m able to make out four figures in the distance—a Master on either side of the conflict, and two bright forms exchanging blows so quickly that I can barely make them out. Those must be the Servants.

  The Master closer to us is a young woman with long, dark hair who’s wearing black clothes and a long white coat. I can just make out the nervous look on her face.

  …The Master further away is also a woman. She has very long, light hair and is wearing a bright blue dress. I think she’s smiling, but it’s hard to tell because she’s holding a fan at her face.
  Aside from her hair, she looks like a tourist from the continent.

  Although the Servants are fighting, the Masters aren’t exchanging blows.
  This fight seems to be more like our encounter with the Riders than our fight against Berserker.
  Either the Masters are content to let their Servants do battle, or neither of them can provide support for their Servant without harming their Servant as well because of the close quarters—something along those lines.

  “Well, dear?”
  —The silver-haired Master calls out in an amused voice.
  “I think the outcome is just about decided, don’t you?”

  “—”
  The dark-haired Master doesn’t answer.

  There’s a heavy sound of metal, and the two Servants separate, leaping back to stand by their Masters and glaring at each other across the field of battle.

  “—Master.”
  The Servant of the dark-haired woman is a slight-figured girl who appears to be younger than me.
  She’s carrying a crossbow on one arm, and the other is encased in metal, extending into a massive claw.
  Her short blue hair flutters softly in the moonlight.
  “…Assassin.”
  The Master murmurs as if calling to her Servant.
  Her voice is a soft question, as if asking what their chances are.

  …So this is Assassin.
  It’s true that this Servant doesn’t seem suited to vicious head-on battles as she’s only a small girl, but as she’s still a Servant it wouldn’t be a good thing to write her off as one.
  She probably has plenty of hidden abilities that make up for her small size, and she seemed to be exchanging blows with her enemy competently.

  The other Servant must be Caster…
  Or so I think, but the Servant in front of the woman with the fan is a female knight in black armor.
  She’s tall and holding a large sword, and her long hair blows into curls in the wind.
  The deep purple lace she wears floats around her almost like some kind of bridal veil, or a dark mist.
  …She’s looking at Assassin and her Master with a displeased expression.
  And it’s strange, but there’s an odd feeling about her.
  I don’t know how to put it, but—even Berserker had the presence of a hero about him, despite that demonic pulse that surrounded his body.
  This strange Servant doesn’t have the same sense of pride.

  “Lancer.”
  I call out to him quietly, so that we won’t be overheard by the Masters and Servants up ahead, but my words will only reach Lancer and Rose.
  “It’s not possible for two unconnected people to call Saber, is it?”
  I still can’t see him, but it feels like Lancer is shaking his head, and I picture his pale gold hair fluttering elegantly.
  “This Master does not possess the art that those girls did.
  “—It isn’t possible for there to be twin Sabers, and that Servant doesn’t have the presence of a magus. She is not Caster.”

  “—Tch.
  “Yellma, I didn’t answer the summons for crap like this.”
  The knight doesn’t turn, but she speaks dismissively to her Master.
  “Assassin, it’s been kinda fun hanging out with you, but unless you can show me a better fight, I’m done playing. I’m bored, let’s go.”

  Assassin looks down helplessly.
  And Assassin’s Master hangs her head.
  “—Assassin, I’m sorry.
  “It seems like with my magical energy, we really…”
  “Please wait, Master.”
  Assassin half-turns so that she can address her Master.
  The small girl faces her opponent gallantly.
  “—Don’t consider this battle finished yet. If it costs my life, I will carve a path for my Master’s victory.”

  The knight nods a bit.
  It’s a kind of begrudging show of respect, and it seems to fit her nature.
  “It’s not like I don’t like your attitude, but the way things are you don’t have a chance.
  “Come on, Yellma, I’m bored. If you’re making me fight for you anyway, I at least want to have some goddamn fun while I’m doing it.”

  The knight’s Master has not stopped smiling, and just snaps her fan shut, tapping it against her own shoulder.
  “—Why would we be retreating now?
  “You’re my Servant, and this is the opponent you’re fighting. I’m not allowing you to run away from something this weak, go on and finish them off.”

  —The knight sighs.
  Rather than dispirited, it’s a very annoyed sound.
  Then she sinks into her stance, holding her sword at the ready.
  “—You heard that coward calling herself my Master.
  “You haven’t run away yet, so you’d better get ready to die, Assassin.”

  Assassin doesn’t answer, but rushes forward.
  She rushes forward as though melting into the wind, and vanishes into the dark like a shadow, reappearing above the unknown Servant with her crossbow at the ready…!

  …But the knight must have expected such an attack.
  She’s already swinging her sword up above her to counter…!

  Assassin doesn’t fire her weapon, but swings her other arm down and grabs hold of the blade of the black knight’s sword.
  With her metal-covered arm, she won’t receive any damage from holding onto its edge.
  The knight swings her weapon and propels Assassin towards the ground, but Assassin lets go and sends a crossbow bolt up, straight for the knight’s chest—!

  The knight leans to the side, but the arrow has already opened a cut over the side of her face.
  A single cut appears along her cheekbone, marring the perfection of her white skin, and blood pours down it like tears.
  Of course, she’s a Servant.
  The wound has already healed by the time the first drops of blood have reached her chin.

  —Still, the knight grins dangerously.
  “Oh, so you had some fight left in you after all—”

  There’s a sound like an explosion.
  Before I can clearly see what happened, Assassin is sent flying through the air with a clear shout like a bell.

  “No way, a directed energy attack—?!”
  Rose lets out a startled voice beside me.

  Assassin lands on her feet like a cat and lunges forward as though to attack again,
  but the knight simply readies her sword,

  “—Goodbye, Assassin—”

  and swings it with a sound like rushing death.

  “EXHAUST NOTE…!”

  Following the arc of the sword is something like deep purple and black wind made form, magical energy so concentrated that even I can see it with my naked eyes.
  Unlike the magic that Saber’s sword gave off, I can tell that this is the real thing, not just a trail of energy.

  “Ah—”
  Assassin draws to a halt as she realizes her mistake, but there’s no time to do anything else.
  The beam of dark energy hits her across the chest and torso, heavily bisecting her body.

  “Master—, Soala…”
  Assassin murmurs.
  Her eyes are wide with shock.
  There’s no blood, but instead, along the lines of the wound, Assassin’s body dissolves into pale shining sand and drifts away on the wind in halves.

  The knight lowers her sword with a sigh and closes her eyes.

  “Assassin—”

  Assassin’s Master falls to her knees.

  …And just like that, one of the Servants is gone from this world.

  “…Well, there you go.
  “I killed her, just like you wanted. And now I’m pissed ‘cause you keep making me attack weaklings, so can we get out of here now?”
  The black knight looks at her Master irritably.

  The knight’s Master spreads her fan again and flutters it with an annoyed face.
  “You aren’t done yet. I said finish them, so finish them both.”

  “Wha—”
  The black knight’s face twists in disgust,
  Rose curses,
  and my heart jolts in my chest.
  —I feel sick.

  “What the hell is this! If I had to get summoned to an idiot like you, then the least you can do is give me interesting battles to fight! So what the hell are you talking about, this isn’t even a fight, you’re telling me to step on worms, I don’t want to dirty my sword with this! Huh, so you’re so stupid that you’ll spit on the pride of the Heroic Spirits like this? Get real! Give me a fucking break, Yellma, I’m done here! I don’t have any interest in wielding my sword any further!”

  The knight’s Master, the woman named Yellma, smiles dangerously.
  It’s a predatory smile and it reminds me of pictures of carnivorous plants.

  “—The pride of the Heroic Spirits?
  “You’re joking, right? When did you have anything like that? A Servant like you that only has the right to respond to the Avenger class has no right to talk about pride or act honorable or pretend to have any kind of chivalry. You responded to my summons because you were willing to break the rules for victory, didn’t you? So why don’t you just shut up and kill the girl while she’s trapped in our boundary field and nobody without any magic can so much as hear her screaming, Avenger?
  “You used your Noble Phantasm anyway, and we can’t let even a weak magus with Command Spells live. So I’m commanding you as your Master, hurry up and kill her!”
  Yellma raises her hand with an ugly sneer.
  There’s a red glow and a crack like the one I remember from yesterday, and red sparks encircle Avenger’s body like a cage.

  —Avenger screams.
  Intense pain, and above that, even more intense hatred.
  The black knight falls to her knees, her long hair cascading around her as she supports herself on her sword.

  —Suddenly.
  Tangible rage and an immense desire to kill bloom beside me, and Lancer appears with his Noble Phantasm at the ready.

  “Rose, we have to do something…!”
  Beside me, Rose is already lighting up her Magic Crest.
  “—I know. Beyond any sense of justice or this being the way things have to be, any Master that would force their Servant to do something like that has already broken the rules.”
  There’s no rule like that in this Grail War,
  but I know that what Rose means is that the Master named Yellma has broken the rules of humanity.

  Before us, the black knight is already rising to her feet again.
  Her body is still surrounded in red sparks, and she’s trembling all over.
  She advances towards Assassin’s Master as though she’s sleepwalking, but her steps are stilted and there’s sweat on her face.
  —She’s resisting the order with all her might, but the Command Spells can’t be disobeyed.
  Unless she’s stopped, she’ll absolutely kill Assassin’s Master no matter what.

  Assassin’s Master herself has gotten back onto her feet, and is holding both her arms out with a determined expression.
  Her face says that no matter how hopeless of a situation she’s in, she’s going to resist to the end if there’s even any way she can fight back.
  I can feel her gathering prana, but I don’t think that level will be able to fully repel a Servant.
  She doesn’t even seem as strong as Cierra-sensei, let alone Rose.

  Lancer swings his sacred spear, but hits something like a wall and is thrown back.
  “—Mn.”
  He swings again, and sparks fly off the invisible barrier, but he can’t cross it.

  “Lancer—no way, is it even hopeless for you?”
  “—Certainly if I were to use my Noble Phantasm, I would be able to break it in one strike, but…”
  The sentence trails off.
  I understand.
  I hate it, but I understand.
  If we use Lancer’s Noble Phantasm and expose the identity of his Diviner, his enemies here will be able to know who he is, and even if we rescue Assassin’s Master, we’ll then have to defeat Avenger and her Master here.
  We may not be able to do that while protecting Assassin’s Master.
  “—This barrier is powerful, but not powerful enough to repel me forever. I will continue trying.”
  Rose points at the barrier, and a blast of magic hits it near where Lancer is attacking with a sound like a gunshot.
  …Avenger and the two Masters don’t even seem to notice.

  …Again, I’m not able to do anything.
  If I were better at manipulating mana, I might be able to help Rose blast the barrier, but I can’t, and I don’t think there’s anything here I could reinforce…
  I rack my brains trying to think of some kind of weapon, but what would be able to crack this barrier if even Lancer’s Noble Phantasm can’t do it yet…?!

  Assassin’s Master throws power at the still-advancing Avenger, but the magic washes off as though it can’t even touch her.

  There are only a few paces left between them, and lurching drunkenly, Avenger swings her sword.
  There’s the sound of an impact, and then Assassin’s Master falls to the ground with a thump.
  There’s no blood.
  At the last minute, Avenger must have been able to use the flat of her sword.

  …I realize.
  Rose and Lancer won’t make it.
  Even if I could think of something, I can’t make it.
  Avenger lifts her sword up over the fallen body of Assassin’s Master.

  …She’s still struggling.
  The sparks have gotten bigger and she looks like she’s in terrible pain.
  There’s sweat all over her skin wherever it’s left bare.

  And I can see her expression.

  Avenger’s eyes…, are filled with tears.
  Her teeth are gritted and she’s biting her lip.
  But rather than screaming in anger or hatred, the black knight is crying, lamenting her inability to reject the way her body is being violated.

  —I watch, unable to turn away.
  “—!!”
  —Avenger brings the sword down with all her strength.

  A wet sound.
  There’s a soft gurgling wet sound, and blood sprays across Avenger’s face and body.
  …She sags against her sword.
  Assassin’s Master must be dead, as nothing seems to be compelling Avenger to move.

  “—Well, that’s that.
  “You certainly are a troublesome Servant, but now that all that’s over with, we should go home.”
  Avenger’s Master turns and walks off, disappearing into the night.
  …She must be hiding her prana signature, as I can’t sense her.
  Avenger lingers for a few more moments, and then disappears.

  “…Master.”
  Lancer’s voice is very quiet.
  “The barrier is gone.”

  I start to move forward, but a hand on my arm stops me.
  It’s Rose.
  “Come on. We have to go home now.”
  “But…!”
  “There’s nothing we can do for her. Tomorrow the police will be here and will find her body, and if we try to move her they’ll just come bother us. We can’t explain this, and we don’t need to drag civilians into the war. More than that, if we bury her, how are the people who knew her going to find out what happened to her?
  “All we can do is just go home.”
  “—”

  …Damn it.
  ……Damn it all to hell…!

  ………
  …I lie on my back in the dark and stare at the ceiling.

  I’m in my room.
  I’m in my room, lying on my bed with the lights turned off.
  …It feels like I shouldn’t be here.

  …………
  I can’t get the image out of my mind.
  Assassin disappearing.
  That Master’s unconcerned orders.
  The tears on Avenger’s face,
  …and that same face covered in blood.

  I should have done something.
  But what could I possibly have done?
  I’m Lancer’s Master, but all the same, I’m only a useless magic user.
  No blame can be placed on me, and yet all the same I know this is my fault.

  I’m supposed to know heroes.
  So I should have been able to think of some kind of weapon.
  Even if it had killed me, I could have tried to project something and broken the barrier in time to save that woman.
  But I froze up, and someone died.
  I was too busy protecting myself and my own interests to order Lancer to use his Noble Phantasm.
  Without a doubt, Lancer’s Noble Phantasm could have saved that Master’s life.
  …She was already out of the Grail War.
  It shouldn’t be possible to summon Servants anymore.

  I can’t stop picturing it.
  Rose was silent all the way home.
  Lancer didn’t say anything either, but beyond his calm expression I could sense his intent to kill only strengthening.
  …To Lancer, too, this isn’t something that can be forgiven.
  Because of the pride of the Heroic Spirits.
  That woman named Yellma was ordering a Heroic Spirit around and made it do her dirty work, like an actual servant.
  I understand that this isn’t something Lancer’s own pride can overlook.

  But for tonight, we’ve already lost our chance to do anything.
  Going back to try to chase Yellma and Avenger would just be stupid.
  Even if we found them on their home base, we would have the disadvantage there.

  Something happened today…, that can’t ever be taken back.
  The life of a Master was lost.
  And a Servant disappeared from this world.

  …I’ve heard from Rose that even if Servants die, they don’t die permanently.
  Their containers are destroyed and their souls return to the Throne of Heroes.

  Still, something shaped like a human has disappeared.
  And her chance to have a wish granted has ended, too.
  And we just stood by and did nothing.

  …But then.
  This is the Holy Grail War.
  The sixth war in which Masters and Servants kill each other over a single chair.

  …There’s nothing…, to be done about it, is there…?

  Hopelessly.
  My mind chases itself in circles, and I fall into an uneasy sleep.