[Fate/ninth heaven] Forgotten Wings; ever cry,never life [route I, day 9]

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Masterlist and readme are here.

ever cry,never life

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

  The world was young, but the heavens were old, and so was the war that was going on between the gods and the demons.
  …It got so that the gods were becoming desperate, and starting to break more and more taboos in order to keep the demons away from heaven and maintain the balance of power.
  Because the angels and the armies weren’t strong enough to really fight.

  First of all, only gods are supposed to have the power of gods.
  That’s a rule so simple it shouldn’t need to be said.
  If mortals had the power of gods, they’d surely misuse it.
  But the gods knew that if their power wasn’t spread out to enough people to make an army, they were going to lose their war, and so they came up with a plan—to create such an army, but to make each soldier flawed in a way that would compensate for their godly power.
  …You can’t add something to something that’s already whole, and doing so is dangerous. That’s a principle that’s the same in magic and art and lots of things, so it holds true here too.
  If you want to add something, the easiest way to do it is to take something away first.

  …The young scholar stands in the hallway of the council.
  He is waiting for his name to be called, to receive the blessing of the gods and become their warrior.
  —He understands, a little, what that means.
  He will stop being an ordinary angel and become something else.
  There have been holy warriors, Grim Angels, in his family before.
  This is the fate of the Rozwelli blood—to serve the gods from birth unto death.
  His skin will change color, as will his wings.
  —When he progresses, he will not be receiving the gods’ “blessing” per se, but the actual flesh and blood of the gods themselves.
  He has been assigned to the god Rediensilve.
  …To the angels, all the gods are worshipped as one, because all deified beings sprang from the same source and are one and the same at the root.
  Names, classifications, are all things for the human scholars and the surface worlds.
  …He has been given an identification number, and will be given his own class.
  …He will bathe in and consume the sacrifice of a god, and become more than just an angel.
  When the transformation is over and his body is ready, he will be given his weapon in exchange for part of his being.

  …He doesn’t know yet what will be demanded of him, but as a Rozwelli it is his duty to give up whatever is asked.
  There are angels who have lost their wings, some of their organs, their ability to maintain prana, and numerous other things.
  The sacrifice asked of him could be literally any part of his being.

  …It is his duty to give up whatever it is.
  Deep down, the scholar might be a little afraid, but he hides it.
  He is serving Asgard.
  He is serving the gods, and his family.
  —This is why I was born.
  The young scholar closes his eyes and waits for his name to be called.

  “Ledah Rozwelli” will disappear.
  All his hopes and dreams for the future, will vanish like an illusion.
  …And he will become a tool.
  All it means is that it was not to be.
  All it means is that this is what fate had in store for him.
  Thinking so, the scholar accepts what he is told and prepares himself.
  From today on, he will become a knight of Asgard, so he must conduct himself like one.

  …
  …I wake up.
  ……I had another dream.
  The dreams were already worrying enough, but now that I know they’re about Lancer…,
  ………I can’t get it out of my head.

  In a dismal mood already, I wash my face and put on clothes haphazardly.
  Then I head downstairs.

  …As usual, Lancer and Rose are both at the table, and Vienya is there too.
  There’s no food again, so it seems as though I’m to be making breakfast once again.
  I sigh and head for an apron.
  I think I’ll be able to make a breakfast for four with toast and jam, and there should be side dishes as an alternative to something sweet.
  While I’m getting out the bread, there’s a tapping at the window above the sink.
  “—Huh?”
  …I go to investigate.
  There’s a black bird like a raven or crow with badly rumpled feathers.
  It’s tapping at the window insistently with its beak.
  …This is Vienya’s familiar, isn’t it?

  “…Uh, Vienya?”
  I look back toward the table, where she raises her head to stare at me.
  …I open the window.
  The bird hops in tamely.
  …As I close the window behind it, Vienya comes running up to stand next to me and holds out her hands.
  The bird jumps onto them and then hops up to her shoulder.

  …Like that, it seriously seems more like a pet than a familiar.
  Vienya reaches up absently to scratch the bird’s back as she returns to the table.
  Rose gives her a dirty look, but as usual she seems oblivious to any hostility.
  …I sigh and go back to fixing the toast.

  Since it’s going to take some time to actually heat up the side dishes, I bring the toast over for everyone to eat beforehand.

  Vienya tears off pieces to give to her familiar, and Rose sighs and gives herself extra jam.
  Lancer eats silently and carefully, and somehow manages to avoid getting any jam on his fingers. I’m seriously impressed.

  When I’m done and am about to go check on how the side dishes are doing, the doorbell suddenly rings.
  “…Wait, since when were people coming over?”
  It’s the morning.
  Unless they’re cutting class, our silly classmates shouldn’t be coming to bother us.
  “—Lancer, you may want to go into spirit form just in case. We don’t know who this is, after all, but they might barge in like Mimee-san and the rest of them did.”
  Lancer nods and blinks out of sight, and I wipe my hands on my apron absentmindedly and get up to answer the door.

  “Good morning. Please excuse us for coming to bother you so early.”
  “—”

  …Standing at the door, is a familiar young man.
  At his side is an even more familiar young girl.

  The young man bows his head slightly and straightens up.
  His long brown hair is tied back, and he is dressed casually in a button-down shirt, but although his clothes might make him look like a student, the way he stands gives him a sense of elegance.
  The golden-haired girl is wearing a pretty one-piece dress with a thin cardigan and a sun hat.
  Both of them are smiling.

  —I can sense their prana.
  Unmistakably, this is Saber and her Master, but neither seems to be attempting to conceal who they are or their natures.
  If even I can sense their prana, then they are definitely here as Saber and her Master, not by chance at all.
  And yet they don’t seem to want to fight, so I don’t really understand it.

  “It’s Lancer’s Master, correct?”
  Saber’s Master asks gently, and I nod to confirm it with a confused head.
  “I thought so.
  “Forgive us for intruding all of a sudden. Vienya sent us word about what happened the other day, and so we thought we should stop by to thank you for helping her when we couldn’t.”
  I nod again.
  I can understand it in my head, but all the same, I’m not sure how the pieces add up.
  “It’s all right.”
  Saber says so with a concerned face.
  “We really aren’t here to cause trouble—and we just followed Moja back here. If we’re unwelcome, then please don’t be angry at Vienya. She didn’t ask us to come or even tell us where you lived.”

  “—Huh.
  “So, Ein. Are you going to stand there forever, or are we letting them in?”
  …I turn.
  Rose is standing there with folded arms.
  She probably came after hearing the door open, and listened in.
  “As for you guys, if that’s all you want then there’s no need for thanks. We just did what was natural, and Yellma and Avenger are just plain bad news.”
  For some reason, Saber and her Master are smiling again.
  “There’s no need to be shy about it. You saved our comrade when we weren’t there to do anything. That deserves more than just a simple thank you.
  “—Besides, there was another matter, if we can come inside.
  “If possible, we’d like to make an alliance with you.”

  …So.
  After a short moment of surprise, Rose and I welcomed Saber’s Master and Saber into our house, and with the breakfast cooking, everyone is seated around the table.
  …With six people, it’s kind of a tight fit.
  Maybe if we knew each other better it would feel like family, but Lancer is staring at Saber suspiciously, and it’s giving the scene a real air of hostility.
  “—First of all, allow me to introduce myself.”
  Saber’s Master nods and touches his chest.
  “My name is Roswell Branthèse. As you can tell, I’m the Master of Saber. I was chosen to represent the house of Valois in this Holy Grail War, and I came here from overseas.”
  He speaks Japanese quite fluently for a foreigner, but he has the air of a scholar and so it doesn’t feel too unusual.
  “And obviously, this is Saber.”
  Saber bows her head politely, and I nod back.
  “—Um. I’m Ein, Lancer’s Master. And this is Rose, and Lancer.”
  Rose responds with a bored-sounding “hello”, and Lancer does not even nod his head.

  “Before we talk about that.
  “I’ve got a question, if that’s alright. You guys were allies, so why weren’t you there to back Vienya and Archer up when they needed it?”
  Rose crosses her arms and looks at them seriously.
  …It’s a merciless demand, and yet I know why it’s important to know.
  It would be terrible if we relied on Saber only for her not to be there when it was most important.

  “That’s…”
  Saber hangs her head.
  Roswell places a hand on her shoulder and looks at us sadly.
  “—It’s all right. We were unable to accompany Vienya that night because Saber was injured at the time.”

  —Injured?
  Rose and I exchange confused looks.
  …I turn back to the golden-haired girl.
  Saber had not yet raised her head.
  She continues to sit still and silent, ashamed.
  “—Roswell.”
  She says softly.
  “Is it okay to explain?”
  Roswell looks at her, and nods.

  “—It’s my fault.
  “We saw each other then… four days ago.
  “I went ahead to pursue that man, but…”

  …I see.
  I’m starting to understand the situation better now.
  Yggdra and Gulcasa were bitter rivals until the very end, according to the legend.
  Saber was just acting naturally, and not thinking about it.

  “…It was truly a disaster.
  “I caught up to Berserker only to be flanked by the both of them. Berserker I know how to handle, but with his Master there too…”
  Saber falls silent, but Roswell begins to speak in her place.

  “I sensed she was in grave danger through the Command Spell and ordered her to return. It could have been terrible, but we escaped alive, and Berserker didn’t come after us any longer.”
  Ordered her to return?
  I bet he means, he used a Command Spell.

  “—I’m so sorry, Vienya.
  “Because of me, Archer…”
  Saber shakes her head.
  Her golden hair sways as she condemns herself.

  “—…”
  Beside her, Vienya reaches out.
  The small girl places her hands on Saber’s shoulders and smiles.

  On her shoulder, the bird flaps its wings and opens its beak.
  “NOT YOUR FAULT!”

  “…Vienya.”
  Saber reaches out and holds the small girl close.
  …It’s a sight that I feel I don’t have the right to interrupt.

  At her end of the table, Rose nods and folds her arms.
  Her expression is neutral, and it’s plain that she’s accepted Saber’s explanation.
  She doesn’t ask if Saber won’t make the same mistake twice, and I’m glad.
  Even I can understand that Saber seems to have learned from what she did wrong.
  Asking any further would be cruelty, and as harsh as Rose can be, she isn’t a cruel person.
  …Lancer, too, seems to know better than to speak out, although he has not yet ventured a word about it.

  “I do have a question.”
  Saber and her Master both look at me as I ask.
  “Why come to us? Aside from rescuing Vienya, you’ve had to save us twice. Why ask for an alliance with us?”

  Roswell smiles slightly.
  “It’s partially because of that. We’ve come to each other’s aid, so it already feels like we have an affinity. And we’ve also spoken to each other before, so Saber and I know that you aren’t very different from us. You value fair play, and when all is said and done, Lancer seems to be quite powerful. So?”

  I glance to Rose, who shakes her head.
  “Ein, I’m here to help you, but in the end, you’re Lancer’s Master, not me. This is up to you.”
  …I turn back to Lancer, who simply closes his eyes.
  It seems that whatever I do, both of them will accept it.

  “…Then, it’s settled. Having another Master and Servant to work with will be a great help. Please look after us from here on.”
  There’s a release of tension from Saber and Roswell.
  …But it feels like the tension from where Lancer is sitting just increased.

  “Thank you. Please look after us, too.”
  —Still.
  Even if Lancer doesn’t like it, I’m sure that I’ve made the right choice.

  “—It’s terrible of us to impose so early into this alliance, but there’s one last matter.”
  Roswell said that an hour ago, and then things took a turn for the worse.

  Because of the distance between our place and Roswell’s, which is in Shinto, we decided that for the sake of easy communication and cooperation, Roswell and Saber would be moving into our place until the end of the Grail War.
  Our house is the larger of the two, and Roswell has less things to move—those are the reasons for them coming here instead of us going to their place.
  Also, I think that Lancer would be more comfortable on familiar ground than in the home of someone that used to be an enemy.
  He seems to be having enough trouble simply accepting former enemies into our own home as it is…

  Still sitting at the table, Rose seems pleased.
  “This should solve the problems of both Avenger and the Riders.
  “See? Now that we have two allied Servants, we can abuse the same advantage as those kids. We just have to head out on patrol, smoke Avenger out, and double-team her. Nothing’s really going to make up for the fact that we don’t know who Avenger is, but even with her identity unknown, we’ll be able to overpower her.
  “It’ll also be easier to defeat her Master with a lot of combat mages. If we work on protections for you, you could even help us fight her.”
  “—I don’t know about that.
  “I know that she’s evil and she’s our enemy, but I still don’t like the thought of killing another person with my own hands.”
  I say so with hesitance in my voice.
  …It would be bad for me to fight against that Yellma with this kind of reluctance, and I know that Rose will see that and understand it.
  Besides, I don’t want to say it in case I offend Rose, but it feels like we’ll sink to Yellma’s level if we start going after the Master instead of the Servant.
  The deaths of the Servants can’t be helped, and it’s not as bad as they aren’t really dying, but if we can, I want to keep the Masters alive.

  Lancer stares towards the doorway.
  Roswell and Saber haven’t returned yet.
  Well, they’re moving in, so I’m sure they have a lot to do at their place before they come here. I hope they don’t have too much to pack, or reorganizing this place might even become a hassle.
  “Master.”
  Lancer says so in even tones that somehow feel cold.
  “Do you expect us to go out tonight and fight when Saber and I have had no chance to strategize or compare our fighting styles?
  “If we go up against Avenger unprepared, we will simply get in each other’s way.”

  “—No, we should probably go out and attack Avenger tomorrow.”
  Lancer has a good point, after all.
  “When we train tonight, you and Saber can take the time to learn how to work together. And I’ll meditate or something so that I won’t be slacking off.
  “How does that sound?”

  Rose nods.
  “I don’t think it’s a bad idea. We should probably wait until they get back to really decide on anything, though.”
  And so saying, she heads into the kitchen.

  …Ah.
  There’s something that I should be remembering about now.
  What is it?
  Vienya tugs on my sleeve and points at the refrigerator just as Rose opens the door.
  —It’s too late.
  Rose turns towards me with dangerous expression.

  “You stupid Ein, how come there isn’t anything in here?!”

  …And so.
  Luckily there was enough for the four of us for lunch, but as soon as that was over, I was unceremoniously thrown out of the house.
  My orders are to stock the pantry and the fridge back up, and I don’t think Rose will let me back in the house until I have food with me.
  What’s worse, she sent Vienya and Lancer with me…
  I’m pretty sure that her reasoning was that Lancer would be useful if I were attacked somehow, and she doesn’t like Vienya anyway… and she has to be in the house because otherwise Roswell and Saber won’t be able to get back in unless someone is still there.
  But it’s still kind of strange to be headed to the marketplace with this small girl and the presence of my Servant following us down the road.

  Lancer is silent all during the trip, and of course Vienya can’t let her familiar speak for her in the middle of a crowd of mundanes.
  But the way she looks around at everything makes even something this routine seem much more interesting than usual.

  We stop by the greengrocer’s to restock on vegetables, and also at the bakery for more bread.
  If I’m remembering correctly, we were almost out of soy sauce too, so I head down to get a new bottle.
  Stopping for the things like meat that need to be in the freezer comes last, like always.
  Vienya carries some of the lighter bags for me.
  She runs around from one side of the market to the other.
  Unlike what you would expect of a young girl, she’s far less interested in the little toys and things that are being sold here and there, and more attracted to food of all kinds.
  …Well, liking sweets is still something you would expect from a girl her age.
  But then Vienya just seems to like food.

  It’s a little bit fun… going shopping like this.
  Lancer is very quiet, but I don’t feel any hostility from him anymore, so it’s like I imagine an older sibling would be.
  And it’s obvious that in this kind of comparison, Vienya would be the little sister.
  I don’t have siblings, and the closest thing to that I ever could have would be Rose.
  So it really is fun to picture ourselves like this.
  If Lancer were able to materialize, we probably really would look like a family.

  On the way out of the marketplace, Vienya stops by a vending machine.
  It gives out cups of coffee, from what I can tell.
  Vienya waves me over, and so I stop to take a look as well.
  …Oh.
  She has coins in her hand and is gesturing insistently.
  There’s enough to pay for three cups of coffee, and I understand.
  She’s saying she wants to treat us.
  …I don’t really understand why she wants me to work the vending machine instead of her, but it’s fine, as she can point out what she wants to me.
  Vienya buys a strawberry latte and I get a cup of cappuccino.
  “—Lancer?”
  I ask quietly, to make sure passers-by don’t hear.
  “What kind do you want?”
  In the silence, I can feel Lancer’s confusion.

  …Is it because as a Servant, he still considers it more natural that he should be treated like a tool…?
  Or is it because even in life, he was treated for so long as something less than human…?

  “…Anything is fine.”
  Lancer’s response is very quiet.
  I spend the last of the money Vienya gave me on a plain coffee with milk.

  Because there are still people around, we can’t have Lancer materialize and give his coffee straight to him, so we hurry towards home.
  The air is cool out, and the steam from the coffee twirls into white wisps as we walk.
  Once we arrive, the sounds from inside say that Roswell and Saber have arrived.

  Vienya, who has already finished her coffee, takes off her shoes and brings her bags into the house with her.
  I sit down on the step just inside the entrance and put my bags down.
  There’s enough time for this, at least.
  Lancer appears.
  …I can’t read his expression.
  But I smile and hold out the coffee we bought for him.
  “Here. It should still be hot.”
  Lancer does not sit down, and the blank look on his face does not change.
  But his hand reaches out.
  For a moment, his warm fingers brush mine.
  The contact is very brief, but I can’t help but be struck by it.

  …The sight must be very absurd.
  I’m sitting in the entrance with a half-finished cup of coffee in my hands, grocery bags behind me.
  And standing before me is the angelic knight in red robes, drinking coffee with a solemn face in complete silence.

  ““—Thank you for the food.””
  Everyone pushes their plates back and relaxes around the table.
  Rose helped me with dinner, and so it managed to become enough of a feast for all six of us.
  Vienya clears away everything that’s left, and takes the plates up to the sink to be watched.
  As she does so, Rose outlines for Roswell everything that we know about the nine Servants in this Grail War, and what we’re aware of about the remaining five enemies.
  “…Avenger, huh…”
  Roswell folds his arms and looks at the table seriously.
  “That class hasn’t been summoned since the Third Grail War. It’s surprising that anyone would want to pull that card, considering its reputation from that battle.”
  Rose mentioned before that the Avenger summoned during the Third Grail War was a weak Servant, and so I can agree.
  Saber nods her head.
  “The Avenger class was only added during the Third Grail War, according to my Master’s research, and so it doesn’t have any class abilities like the other Servants.
  “Basically, an Avenger can only fight based on the Master’s level of power and its worth as a Heroic Spirit. A Servant called into that class would need to be powerful if its Master wanted to win the Holy Grail War.”
  I think back to the battles where I’ve seen Avenger fight.
  “—I would say she’s probably pretty strong. When we fought her, Lancer was able to overpower her, but she was still close to his level, even though she’d already fought with Archer that day.”
  “That means that if we’re able to corner her with both Lancer and Saber, it’ll be easy to take her out as long as she doesn’t start waving her Noble Phantasm around too much.”
  Rose says so with a pensive face.
  “Rather, in a situation like this, the real problem isn’t Avenger, but Avenger’s Master.
  “If this Yellma woman is prepared to order her Servant to kill a defeated Master, she probably isn’t above ordering Avenger to prey on human souls to increase her power.”
  …Yeah.
  That would be the worst case scenario, and the way that Yellma behaved, I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s already attacked innocent civilians.
  Roswell shakes his head.
  “If you’ve checked the news lately, it seems that there have been a few unexplained disappearances in Shinto over the past few days. That might be Avenger and her Master’s doing.”
  My guts contract.
  There’s nothing we can do about it right now, but I still hate the thought.
  “…Shinto, huh?”
  Rose murmurs thoughtfully, and then smiles.
  “Come to think of it, the two times we ran into them, they were either in Shinto or right at the bridge. I think we know where we’re going to look for them tomorrow night, then.”

  Like that, it’s decided that we’ll be patrolling Shinto all in a group tomorrow night.
  Even though she has lost her Servant, Vienya will be coming with us.
  She’ll be more use dealing with Yellma than I will, and I don’t think anyone wants to stop her from settling things with the people who took Archer away from her.
  At the very least, I don’t intend to, and I don’t think Rose cares enough about Vienya to try to hold her back.
  We will gather all our strength and strike tomorrow, to put this to an end before anyone else has to get hurt—

  …Metallic sounds.
  The clash of metal against metal, and the sounds of bodies moving.
  Despite that, the air is calm, and the rhythmic sounds of battle serve as a good backdrop to meditate against.
  Here in the basement, Lancer and Saber have been testing each other’s strength.
  It’s similar to the way that Lancer has been teaching me to fight, except that as he’s fighting with another Servant, they can compete as complete equals.
  It seems less like a battle and more like some kind of effortless dance.
  They exchange blows back and forth, blocking and dodging.
  I suppose that the best way to learn and understand someone else’s style in battle would be to spar with them, after all.
  Rose is sitting on the staircase with Roswell.
  The two of them are talking about their own magical strengths.
  Apparently, Roswell specializes in the transformation of energy, and has no skill in either reinforcement or projection.
  That’s all I’ve actually heard, and that’s all I need to know.
  I can guess from this that their styles of combat are similar, and I’ll only be present at the battle to guide Lancer and defend them from Avenger for a few moments if she attacks them and Lancer is a distance away.

  I resolve my heart slowly.
  My mind is my forge of weapons.
  Right now, I am not a very skilled blacksmith, but as I gain experience, I will continue to get better, and I can do what I need to in order to protect myself for even a short time.
  Tomorrow, we will settle things.
  Like that, the hands of the clocks move forward, towards the moment when the date will finally change—