flightworks | [Fate/ninth heaven] re:Birth; pure (II) [route II, day 9] (Reply)

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pure (II)

—This is a story about a girl.

Finally.
She crossed back over the border into her own country.
…Even though she had found help in a number of places, her army was small, and couldn’t possibly compete with the enemy army head-on.
For those reasons, they decided to sneak in through the back of the city, at a point where defenses were sure to be weak.
The enemy didn’t know the terrain or the climate, and they slipped back into the city under cover of fog.

…She had been paralyzed emotionally by a number of concerns.
This would allow her army to regain the city, but then what?
And what of the people?
If the townsfolk had been injured or killed along with the army and the men of the court…

But her worries were for nothing.
The enemy guard was broken through, the few of the empire’s divisions that remained in the castle town were routed, and she was able to look around and see with her own eyes that none of the common folk had been harmed.

—Finally.
The time came.
As it transpired, the usurper himself had been close by, and soon mounted an attack on the city in an attempt to take it back from her.
No matter how powerful he happened to be, she was not afraid.
Her people were safe.
She had justice on her side, and justice couldn’t lose to evil.
…And even more than that.

This was the man who had killed her father and mother.
This was the man who had shattered her idyllic life like it had been an illusion.
…For the first time.
She knew hatred and rage.
The princess knew an overwhelming desire to kill.
…In this battle, there was no need to hesitate or to worry about what was right and wrong.
She already knew.

…From the thin connection like a capillary, I watch.
It had been a closely fought battle.
…At last, her forces were able to seize a narrow victory.
The army of the empire was forced into a retreat, and her country was freed.

All around the princess, soldiers were cheering, celebrating, giddy with success.
…She couldn’t understand what they were doing.
It wasn’t over yet.
…It wasn’t going to be over until that man was dead for what he had done.

What he had done to her country, to her parents, and to her.

While her men went on with their partying, she dispatched scouts and paced and waited.
She could justify it with any number of sensible reasons, but the truth was simply and plainly that she wanted revenge.
“Wanted” may be too mild a word for the emotions she was feeling.
…She hungered for it.
…She couldn’t rest without it.
Even though she had freed her castle, her parents would never come back.
Her innocent belief that she could live happily without knowing pain or fear would never come back.
…So she hated him and cursed him in her heart, believing she could only stanch her own pain by striking him down.

Finally, a messenger returned to her and she left amidst the celebrations.
The man who had killed her father was badly wounded and retreating slowly under heavy guard, with none of his captains to aid him.
She still had a chance if he hadn’t met up with his troops yet.
So she took her sword and set out.

…She caught up with him easily enough, and chased after him on the sheer force of her rage alone.
His men threw themselves before him to shield him from her, and she pushed them each aside, leaving bodies in her wake.
And again, they fought.
He seemed more intent on getting away, and protected himself rather than trying to strike at her, which made her even more furious.
She wanted to duel him as her father had dueled him, and win.
There could be no greater justice.

—But.
Once she had chased him over the river, there was a great explosion and the bridge they had crossed crumbled, falling into the water.
Soldiers in the empire’s colors of red and black, along with the imperial captains who slew her guards during her flight from the capital, emerged from the trees.
She could hear the trumpet calls of her own forces in the distance, but she knew that with the bridge down they would not make it in time.
…The usurper, the emperor, her father’s killer, spoke to her.
He called her a fool for letting her thirst for revenge control her, and told her as his soldiers began to encircle her that she was going to pay for it.

Still she swung her sword.
If she was going to die in this place, then she would take as many of them with her as possible.
…And she didn’t make it easy on them.
Fueled by her rage and her fear, tall piles of corpses were formed at her feet.
She was given hope by the fact that at least one part of the ruse to lure her out had been true—namely, that the emperor had been injured in the battle for the capital, and injured badly.
As long as he wasn’t fighting at top form, then she had a chance.
She truly believed that.
…And yet.

When there was finally a gap in the soldiers all trying to pin her down, she lunged.
It was her only chance.
If she failed to strike that man down, she would likely be restrained and killed, and even if she killed him her chance of escaping was slim.
…But at that moment, even then, she desired revenge more than she cared about her own life, and so she lunged.

Right as her sword was about to pierce the emperor’s unprotected side—

—one of his generals interrupted the blow, protecting her parents’ killer with his own body.

The man she ran through there was a magus.
…Much like the witch she had killed to prevent a holocaust in the country of magic, he had no way to defend himself in close-range combat.
He had known that should he do this it would cost his life, but without hesitation he had thrown himself before the emperor anyway.

When his blood hit her face and arms, it was warm.
It splattered on either side of the wound and once again, her mortal enemy stood with blood spattering his face and running down his armor.
…But.
This time that man’s face was white and his eyes were wide with shock.

The princess pulled her blade back and the magus who had leapt in the way fell.
The emperor knelt beside him immediately, as if he had forgotten their battle entirely, and she realized the meaning of his expression as he began to plead with the man in his arms to stay alive.
…This was someone important to him.
Her emotions tore in two directions.
…With this, he would feel the same pain as her, and that was most definitely justice.
…The other thing she felt was something akin to shock and remorse.
She remembered the massacres that had been wrought by her hands, the massacres that had turned the wheels of justice with rivers of spilt blood, and for a moment she couldn’t move.

—They bound her there.
They took advantage of her shock to fight her back and capture her, all while her own troops couldn’t reach her.
She was alone and close to defenseless, and she’d lost her one chance to break free.
…But all through that.
The last thing she saw as she lost consciousness was the young emperor kneeling in the dirt of the road, cradling his dying loved one in both arms—

…
……I wake.

Through the drawn curtains, I can tell that I’ve overslept, as it’s lighter than usual outside.
…Hmm, I suppose I was flustered enough last night that I forgot to set my alarm.

I get dressed and wash my face with a muzzy head.
…I can’t get the images from that dream out of my mind.
Apparently, Yggdra used to be a very hot-blooded person.
I can tell a distinct difference between the girl in my dreams and the one I interact with now.
Well, there are lots of different factors.
Yggdra as I know her is older and more experienced, and I’m seeing her memories when she had just become a warrior and was going through a number of traumatic things.
She fought ruthlessly then as well, but wasn’t used to killing.
Things troubled her back then that I don’t think would bother her quite as much now.
…I think I’ll keep that to myself as I don’t know how she would take a thought like that.

…Well, she starts acting obstinate like she does in my dreams whenever she faces off with Berserker.
It’s probably like she said, and that her old feelings of resentment and her rivalry are revived so powerfully she can’t act as mature anymore.
Even though she’s a hero, she’s not completely infallible.
…I’m glad.
It’s selfish to even think so, but she already outclasses me so much as it is, I don’t think I could keep up with her at all if she were a real saint.

……But there was something else.
It was the man with Berserker in the dream.
Somehow he seemed familiar, as though I’d seen him somewhere before.

“—I must be imagining it.”
If that person were related to Yggdra’s army or my ancestors, I would have seen portraits of him before, since we have a number of historical records at the family estates.
So I’ll ignore that feeling for now.
If there’s some meaning behind it, I’m sure I’ll realize it eventually.

Thinking about things like that, I head downstairs.

“—Good morning.”
“Good morning! Were you able to sleep well?”

—Hmm.
I get the feeling I’m seeing something a little strange.

…Yggdra is in the kitchen.
She’s wearing an apron and holding a whisk.

On top of which, there are dishes in the drainer as though they’ve been used and washed, and the books that Yggdra bought are open on the counter.

…Hmm.
I’m a little afraid to check the trash, as I get the feeling that a lot of her failed experiments will be in there.

“You can leave the food to me today, I’ve been practicing!”

…She says so with a cheerful expression.
……Hmm.
I’m a little bit worried.
…That’s a lie, this is definitely scary.

Well.
I don’t think I can discourage her when she’s looking at me wish such a shining face.

…It’s a little after noon.
I did sleep very late, and I took the time to put dishes away while Yggdra went on cooking today’s lunch.
…She wasn’t so bad, but apparently she did practice extensively as nearly all the food in the fridge is gone…
I’m going to have to go out to replenish our stores tomorrow.

Anyway, she makes a simple lunch with sausage and egg drop soup and we sit down to discuss what to do from here.

“—Well, there’s no helping that we’ll have to go out and fight tonight.”
I sigh.
…Yesterday was a lot of fun, but we have to get back to business now.
We can’t just play forever, as that’s both dangerous and will dull our senses for when a real battle happens.

“That’s certainly true.”
Yggdra puts the plates away with a delicate clinking sound.
“—It’s the eighth day since I was summoned, and so far we only know of one defeated Servant.
“We still have to defeat or at least discover the condition of Lancer, Avenger, the Riders, Berserker, and the last Servant, either Caster or Assassin.”

…Well.
“Avenger’s Master was loitering around the bridge area.
“If we have to go after someone, we should probably go there late at night and examine the territory just in case.
“—We may be able to track them even if they aren’t there.”
Well, I’m just being hopeful in this case, I suppose.
“If we could find out where the Riders are…”
We’d have to track them from places we’ve seen them.
……Honestly.
I think sadly of Vienya and Archer.
…Even if we’d just been able to save Vienya, her familiar could have done us a lot of good for scouting purposes.
I can create familiars, of course, but mine are much more conspicuous than a bird, about on the same level as Rosary’s golems.
…I don’t want to think about this too hard.

“Certainly, if we want to go about removing the elements that would mean the most trouble for civilians, we should go after either Avenger or the Riders.”
Yggdra nods to me like I have a point.
“Lancer’s Master, when we saw him, seemed to be kind enough.
“And I know Berserker well enough to know that his morals won’t allow him involving innocents.”
She scowls as though she hates to admit it, and I remember from her dream that when that man conquered her country, he left the civilians alone.
…And since his Master was the one who protested our location two days ago, it seems that the two of them are in accord well enough that they wouldn’t force a battle in an especially populated area.
“—So, the bridge.”
Yggdra nods.
“We’ll go there after sundown—whatever time you think that it would be least populated, since that is when it’s most likely to be the site of battles.”

…We actually have a concrete plan tonight, which is good.
…It’s a little more reassuring to be heading out with a plan than to just wander aimlessly and hope that we strike lucky.

So we spend the rest of the day getting ready.
Yggdra stays in spiritual form for the hours leading up to dinner to conserve energy.
And I…

I sit down with the books that I have regarding Aventheim.
I want to read up on the capabilities of the two Riders Meslieness and Silvanoier while I have the chance.
And on top of that, the Riders seemed to recognize Avenger.
So I may be able to find something on another knight from the Land of a Hundred Heroes who resembles her if I search.

…Well, in the end, nothing comes up.
Most of the female knights in that kingdom who wielded swords were all fencers, and I’m sure that a knight with a personality that eccentric would have been considered notable by someone or other.
You couldn’t whitewash someone like that out of history.

Perhaps the Riders and their Masters just deduced her identity from something else.

Yggdra and I prepare dinner together.
…It’s definitely more fun to be in the kitchen with someone else when they have some idea of what they’re doing, and she had a recipe for fried dumplings that she wanted to try out.
It was even a success.
We’ll just definitely need to schedule a shopping trip for tomorrow.

…And even though we had dinner late, we wait then.
I play classical music again, Franck instead of Beethoven to see what Yggdra thinks.
She seems to approve.
…I wonder what she would think about popular music nowadays.
I can’t really daydream about taking her down to a karaoke booth, though, as that’s the pastime of high school students and salarymen.
…Not to mention that neither of us know any of the songs.
But if I can let her hear the radio someday, maybe I should pick her up an album of something she likes.
……Well, that’s a foolish thought.
She’ll be gone at the end of this war, and so no matter how much money I have, it’s all spending it on frivolous things to make her stay more comfortable, and I have to draw the line somewhere in my own mind.
Yggdra wouldn’t ask for such a thing on her own, so I shouldn’t think of it either.
It’s very simple.

…And so we leave the house at around ten o’clock at night.
The city has already started to quiet down somewhat, and with Yggdra in spiritual form, I make my way quietly towards the bridge.
…The Shinto side seems to be calm, and I cannot sense the energy of Masters in the city.

Time passes.
It is close to eleven o’clock, and the cars have stopped coming.
“—I guess we should go.”

So we walk in the cold starlit night towards the bridge.

…As we make our way.
“—Oh.”
It’s faint, but there’s still a reaction in my Command Spell.

“It seems as though there’s already a battle under way.”
Yggdra says so quietly in a self-assured voice.
…I can’t honestly tell anything other than the fact that a Master’s presence is there, but then as a Servant, Yggdra likely has better senses than mine.

“—I see.
“Well, we should go and observe.
“We’ll be able to see the enemy’s strength that way, and if the winner is worn out I suppose we can always attack them then.”
It’s a distasteful tactic, but it might be the only thing that could save us from the Riders unless another Servant came to back us up like the incident with Berserker and Avenger.

“—You’re certainly right about that.
“Let us go.”

Yggdra agrees in an emotionless voice as we keep walking.
…I’m sure that this is a distasteful tactic for her too.
But even so.
We can’t lose.

…As we draw in closer, I can see it.
Great bolts of light are flashing about as the Servants do battle.
There are two attacking one, and so this must be the Riders fighting against a single other Servant.
…I can make out the two Masters Primea and Nana standing on one side of the road, and the figure of a woman on the other.
…Meaning that they’re either battling Avenger or the Master we haven’t seen yet.

Closer.
…The woman in her gaudy dress with the long silver hair is clearly Avenger’s Master.

Well.

I cast a spell to help conceal my own presence as I move forward.
But even so, they’re so intent on their battle that I doubt they would notice me unless I got within the range that they could make out my distinct Command Spell’s presence, or unless Yggdra materialized her body.
“—All there is to worry about is if their attacks shoot off energy in our direction.
“I’m counting on you if that happens.”

She does not reply aloud, but I sense her nod.

…Closer.
I hide by one of the supports of the bridge and watch their fight.

None of the magi are doing anything, apparently content to watch their Servants do battle without moving to help.

The two Riders rain down their attacks upon Avenger as though they are shortswords wielded in the two hands of a single warrior.
…The amount of energy being given out is very great.
I worry a little bit that if their attacks go astray, they could severely damage or even destroy the bridge itself, sending us all into the water.
“—That won’t work, so you don’t have to worry.
“There’s a boundary field underneath the asphalt.”
…Ah.
Now that Yggdra says so, I do see.
It’s a fine mesh, but it will give out before the bridge does, and when it gives out all there is to do is reform it.
It’s not a thing that could hold up to battle, where your opponent might strike in between reloads of the spell, but for a preventative measure to keep all the combatants from falling and drowning, it’s ideal.

Avenger stands in the middle of that rain of energy.
Holy energies from one side and demonic from the other.
The two Riders concentrate their energies in tandem, in a well-established order that only comes from having trained together.
…In truth, these two knights weren’t in the same platoons, but they all still trained using the same techniques, and must know down to their very bones when to take each kind of action.
They do not speak except to shout out when they strike blows, and so all of their attacks must be coordinated via eye contact and body language.

…This kind of attack truly is death against a single Servant.
The only way to thwart them should be to separate them and deal with them individually, where they would not be so overwhelming.

…And yet.

Avenger moves in the middle of the storm as though dancing.

“—”
…My breath is taken away.
Her technique and style are all different from Yggdra’s.
Yggdra’s weapon is used as a bludgeoning tool and something to pierce and slice.
Avenger’s sword is covered in spikes, and she uses it to stab and tear.
She twirls on tiptoe.
Even though she’s already in stiletto heels as part of her armor, she twirls like a prima ballerina on the stage and pivots her body perfectly to push away the attacks of both Riders.

…Blood flies and none of it is hers.
She continues to strike glancing blows and even injure her opponents by blocking them.
When her sword isn’t available to meet the enemy’s strike, she leaps off the ground and pivots, striking out with both legs in something like a windmill made up of roundhouse kicks.

…It is elegant and beautiful, and it is bloodthirsty.
If I had to compare it to a flower, it would be a poinsettia or a nightshade, as both have proud blooms and are highly toxic.
No matter where they attack from, she is able to counter it almost immediately.

…And she is only on the defensive, spinning and spinning and attacking effortlessly.
…I understand what the two Riders meant.
She sees right through them no matter what they do, and so they have no possible chance of victory.

—Avenger’s Master knows her victory.
She smiles.
It’s a very unpleasant smile.

Nana and Primea do not move.
Apparently they cannot do anything to actually help their Servants, and the battle blocks the way to Avenger’s Master.
…Considering that, the bizarre magic of projection might be the only tool the Masters themselves have for times like this.

Avenger’s Master seems content to simply watch them.
Maybe she can’t attack them either, but the look on her face makes me think of some predatory animal playing with its food before eating it.
…I’m sure she’s just being lazy.
She’s complacent in watching her Servant.
…Avenger seemed to find her Master distasteful.
…And watching this… I too cannot help but feel as though this pair is unsuited somehow.

…As if a signal has been given, both the Riders leap away.
They hold identical stances with their weapons outstretched, and I get the feeling that they’re about to unleash their Noble Phantasms in tandem.
…But.

“—This is boring.”

Avenger flutters to the ground like a large violet butterfly.
Her legs are stretched out elegantly and she raises her sword, holding her free arm out.
She is poised and deadly, and the lace flying about her body comes to a rest draped around the shape of her legs, only rustling as the wind blows her hair.

“I’m not like Yellma.
“Playing with your food like that is stupid once you get bored.”

She swings her sword in a lazy arc, and both her enemies rush her—

“EXHAUST NOTE—!!”

There’s a flash and a crack and shadow energy so powerful as to appear purplish white spins out in a spiral as she swings her blade.

It tears both Riders apart, and their bodies explode into dust like tiny flower petals.

…Her Master grins and raises her hand.
“I’ll have you take care of the little girls as well, shall I?”

“—”
Avenger does not move.
…Obviously she doesn’t agree with what her Master wants her to do.

The girl named Nana is shaking.
Instead of just being fearful, it looks as though she literally cannot control her limbs.
Like a robot short-circuiting in a movie with bad special effects.
…The other girl, Primea, stands in front of her.

“Trace—on.”
The shape like a halberd appears in her hands as she prepares to face down the enemy.

…But.

There is a crack like lightning.

…It really is like lightning.
A bolt of white light shot down from the sky.

“—…”
Avenger’s eyes widen, and she staggers, propping herself up with her sword.
…I am close enough to see blood run from between her lips to drip towards the ground.

…There’s a hole.
There’s a great yawning cavity that the surprise attack opened in her ribcage, and from the inside of the injury out, she is turning into pale-colored ash.

Her body sags slightly and her eyes go unseeing as she vanishes.

“—”
I can’t think.
…I can’t even process what’s just happened in front of me, let alone think.

“—Assassin!”

An unknown female voice calls out, and everyone turns towards the direction of that voice.
Then.
…Another bolt of power rains down and strikes Yellma.

There’s a small explosion of blood,
and her body crumples with an ugly wet sound.

“—”

I.
…I can’t.

There’s a woman.
There’s a woman in a white coat with long dark hair walking up towards ups from the Miyama side of the bridge.
…And then there’s a flicker, and a younger girl with short pale hair walking towards her.
That girl.
I don’t need my Command Spell vibrating to tell me that that girl is Assassin and the young woman is her Master.
I only need my eyes to tell me that they’re responsible for this.

“Assassin.
“It may be distasteful to ask for this, but at the same time, we can’t take the risk of letting Masters with Command Spells run around.”

In a cold, quiet voice, she orders her Servant to kill the helpless Nana and Primea as well.

“—Yes, Master.”
The girl with blue hair nods and walks forward.

Nana’s body is still shaking.
Primea shields her, holding out her weapon with the other girl to her back as she faces down the advancing Servant.
…I know.
……I know how this is going to end.

“—We can’t let this go on.”

I shed the spell hiding me and break into a run.

…But Yggdra is faster.
By the time I’ve come within a few feet of the two small former Masters, she has already crashed against Assassin with her sword out and a blazing aura of righteousness rippling the air where she went.

“—No matter the cause, there’s no need to kill a pair of children, is there?”
I call out to Assassin’s Master, who looks at me with impassive eyes.

“—Onii-chan.”
Primea’s voice comes from behind me, but I don’t look back at her.

“There is need.
“These two have already cheated, so who’s to say that they won’t make a contract with another Servant if its Master is killed and it still has enough prana to look for a new one?
“—We don’t have the same luxuries as you do, Master of Saber.”

Yggdra staggers briefly as Assassin vanishes from before her.

“Or would you prefer to simply remove their Command Spells and leave them alive?
“That seems even more cruel to me.”

—

I remember the ruin of Vienya’s nerves and have to struggle to stay conscious.
…I want to vomit, but I have to block out the images.

“You two.
“—If you run now, you might be able to make it to the supervisor’s church, and whoever they are, they’re bound to help you—”

“I won’t let you.”

A soft voice.

I whirl around, and Assassin is walking towards us from the end of the bridge we arrived by, a crossbow in one hand and a set of red claws on the back of the other.

…I suppose it’s only to be expected when this is the Servant who’s oriented towards stealth, but still, a situation like this…

…And.
As I wonder to myself how we’re getting out of this alive and with both of these kids safe—
“—What’s going on?!”

A fresh pain in my Command Spell and running footsteps.
…There.
From behind Assassin’s Master, two familiar people are running towards us.

…That’s definitely Lancer’s Master and the magus who’s always with him.
Meaning—

—In the sky.
High above us, silhouetted against the clouds and the moon—
…is the knight dressed all in red.
He holds his brightly colored lance and hangs in midair with wings spread.

“—Assassin.”
He speaks in a nearly toneless voice.
“You have lost the advantage.
“—If you do not desire to die…”

The girl summoned as Assassin stops in her tracks.
…She looks toward her Master as if asking what to do.

“—Tch.”
The dark-haired woman narrows her eyes.
“Then let’s get out of here for now, Assassin.”

“Wait, you’re not—”
But although Yggdra moves as if to intercept them, Assassin seems to melt into the air, and the next moment she is standing beside her Master, taking her arm.
…The both of them appear to twist into the air and vanish.
It must be Assassin’s presence concealment.
…At any rate, there’s no hope in chasing them now.

“—”
“—”

Yggdra sighs and allows her Noble Phantasm to disappear, and Lancer sets down on the asphalt.
…Now that I get a good look at it, his Noble Phantasm appears awfully similar to the kind of weapons that the former Masters of the Riders project, but this isn’t the time.

“—I can tell that there was a battle here, but—”
Lancer’s Master begins, looking at us all as if asking for an explanation.

…No one else speaks, so I gather myself.
“—These two battled Avenger and lost. Both their Servants were killed. Avenger and her Master were both killed when Assassin arrived, and Saber and I intervened in order to keep these children alive.
“That should be everything, up until when you arrived.”

Lancer’s Master nods with a troubled expression.

“—Are you guys okay?”
…Saber and I aren’t hurt, so he’s probably talking to Nana and Primea.
……And neither of them answer.
…Well, they lost their Servants like that.
And they saw someone die in front of them—a human, not a Servant.
If that’s enough to shake an adult, then it’s certainly a traumatic experience for a child.

“Listen.
“You should go straight to the church and retire from the Grail War.
“Or if you don’t think that that’s safe enough, hurry and leave Fuyuki as soon as you can.
“—Avenger’s Master is gone now, but there’s still Assassin’s, and right now your lives are what’s most important.”

…Lancer’s Master explains so in a kind voice, and I don’t know if the two girls are even listening, but they leave after he’s done talking, walking aimlessly towards Shinto.

“—I hope they’ll be all right.”

The magus with him gives him a dirty look.
“Well, now that we’re finished wasting our time.
“—We’d all better go home.”

“You’re right.”
Lancer’s Master smiles.
“—Anyway, I guess now we’re even for the first day of the Grail War.”

…Oh.
……This boy was still thinking of repaying something like that?
Even though his intervention in our first battle with Berserker definitely saved our lives as well, he still…

“There’s no need to worry about things like that.
“Three Servants died here tonight.
“—That’s a lot to think about and a lot to make plans around.
“Still, I’m grateful that we’ve been able to support each other on the battlefield this many times already.”
He seems to be a good boy, after all, and the presence rising from him as a magus isn’t bloodstained at all.

He bows his head and smiles.
“—Yeah. Here’s to hoping we don’t have to fight.
“Come on, Lancer, Rose. Let’s go home.”

With a few waves and bows, we part ways for the night.

“—”
…When we return to the house, I lean against the door after closing it.
Only pride is keeping me from sagging all the way down to the floor.

“…”
Yggdra is staring off into the distance with an expressionless face.

Well, that’s only natural, I suppose.
…Before now, the only defeated Servant was Archer, and yet right now half of the summoned Servants are gone.
……I don’t think it even needs to be said, but from here on out our highest priority needs to be fighting Assassin.
Out of the four remaining Servants—Yggdra, Berserker, Lancer, and Assassin herself—Assassin and her Master seem to be the ones that would be the most ruthless.
…If they’re targeting Masters who’ve already lost the right to participate, then that’s not forgivable, and they must be neutralized.
And besides.
Once we get rid of the Servant and Master that deal in subterfuge, the rest of the war will be based in honest battles that won’t endanger anyone.
Ein and Rose, the magi with Lancer.
And Nessiah.
And myself.
None of us have lost sight of the “rules” of humanity.
……And even though we are magi, I think that those things are important.
We are searching for a path to the Origin, but even so—
The least we can do is protect our morality so that we don’t injure the uninvolved with our own selfishness.

I don’t want to let myself be twisted the way Rosary was.
…I don’t… want to be like Avenger’s Master or like Assassin’s.
We are the descendants of Valois Verlaine.
With a history like our family’s, we should really know the weight of an innocent life.

…I do feel a little bit bad that all we could do was leave Avenger’s Master on the bridge.
Still.
If we interfered with her body, then the police would cause problems.
……If she had any family anywhere, then they at least deserve to know that she died instead of being left wondering forever.

“—We’ll do what we can.”
I force myself to stand upright.

“—Roswell.”
Yggdra looks at me as if in surprise.

“We’ll go after Assassin starting tomorrow night.
“—If we have to, I suppose we can even enlist the masters of Lancer and Berserker. I can’t forgive her, and even if it’s difficult to fight alongside our rivals, all we can really do is ensure a fair battle for the rest of the war.
“Maybe it’s naïve of me, but I’ll accept the consequences if that’s the case.
“—I don’t want to accept attacks on Masters who have already lost their Servants.”

…I’m a little worried that she’ll laugh me off, but instead Yggdra smiles at me.
“—That’s right.
“Let’s rest for tonight. We can plan tomorrow.”

We go upstairs and into our separate rooms.
……All in one night, the flow of the Holy Grail War has changed.
Even now, I am assured that we can win.
…This… is more important than victory.

…I could see Vienya’s silhouette in those girls.
And because I mixed them together for a moment, I can’t forgive anyone trying to attack them—
It’s a simple feeling like that.
…I’m sure Yggdra knows already.

But because she accepts the me that’s like that.
I can put my faith in her.
We shall settle this all tomorrow night—

[Fate/ninth heaven] re:Birth; pure (II) [route II, day 9]

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