Crown of the Stars


Flame Contaminated City


The circle was 'drawn' on the floor with a hologram. Mash's shield was put over it.

Fujimaru skeptically pondered.

"Is it okay with this? According to the guide, we need to draw the circle with blood, and we need some sort of catalyst to get the Servant."

Dr. Roman pat her on her head, bearing down at her with a gentle smile on his face.

"While it's true that we need catalyst to summon a specific Heroic Spirit, simply putting an item on the summoning circle is enough to summon a Heroic Spirit even though the connection between them is somewhat farfetched."

"Huh. And why Mash's shield?"

Mash stood up after checking on the circle, clad in her Demi Servant armor. Though calling it an armor was a pretty generous assessment, as her navel is very conspicuously visible from a hole in the middle of her crisscrossing scale mail. What kind of perverted Heroic Spirit did she fuse with?

She turned and came to her Master side.

"A Noble Phantasm is a good catalyst, nevertheless."

"So basically we're gambling with whoever we summoned from the shield." Fujimaru snorted, "I guess it's fitting for us, the scions of humanity on its death thro, to bet everything on some 0,001% chance of summoning a good Servant. We're just that desperate."

"Senpai..."

The chant rattled her tongue like a strange liquid spilling from her throat. Both soothing and frightening, like a close relative that you haven't met in a long time, it passed through her mouth in a pseudo-song. Shut, shut, shut... she had trained to chant it until it was perfect as to not insult the memory of the Director's death. The holographic projection glowed even further and a pillar of light shot out of the entire diameter of the circle.

When the light slowly dimmed, a figure knelt over the shield. A familiar and yet unfamiliar presence, a lot less malice for one, came from the androgynous figure. When she spoke up, her voice was a monotonous drone that clashed with her fair features.

"I ask you, are you my Master?"

Immediately after that, her face softened. As if she understood the situation the humanity was in. Or maybe she understood what kind of meeting they had previously. Either way, she walked up to her Master and offered her hand like an old friend.

"Of course, Artoria."

Fujimaru gripped her hand with a firm handshake.

Maybe their luck was much better than they thought. Or maybe, there was more of that shield than they thought


Wicked Dragon's Hundred Years War


Artoria was a model knight. Chivalrous and gentle, strong and firm. A really admirable person. She ate like she had five stomachs, though.

They were in Jula, resting from the constant battles since they arrived in the Singularity. After clearing the forest from hostile enemies, the party had some wyverns roasted on the spit. Marie was excited to taste the new cuisine while Amadeus skeptically poked on the rare meat of the dragon's throat. Meanwhile, the Chaldeans were devouring the meat like a pack of wolves. The steak was slightly tough and there was a tinge of spiciness even though they only put salt on it, but it was very juicy. Fujimaru had to wipe her mouth every time she bit on the steak because her saliva always dribbled down her chin without her permission.

"This is heaven," she moaned, "A heaven in the middle of crisis."

"Searching for a moment of respite is also important, Master." Artoria nodded in agreement, "Just like this steak. Let us eat like kings, my good friends."

The two of them exploded in laughter, while Mash was left slightly flabbergasted. As the laughter slowly died, Artoria stole a glance at her Master. The ginger-haired young woman was again digging into the tough meat like a ravenous beast. Undeterred from the difficulty of biting the dragon spawn's flesh, it was a quite obvious sign of just what kind of person her Master was.

"This is a battle to save humanity," she mumbled, "Our responsibility is indeed heavy, Master."

Fujimaru simply glanced at her from the corner of her eyes.

The two of them didn't sit together in relaxation until after the end of the United Empire's collapse. The entire two weeks was filled with nothing but war at the front line. The traitor of Chaldea had been slain but he gave out nothing about the overarching threat of humanity. It was just a glimpse, but Artoria saw her Master despaired from the disappointment of Leff's unceremonious exist, even just a little.

They met in the common room, four days after they existed Septem, each nursing a coffee cup. While they kept meeting each other at the war council (briefing), it was a different situation than the time they met dressing only in plain shirt and bed head.

"Ah, Master."

"Morning, Artoria."

Her Master yawned widely. When she stretched her arm above her head, the long sleeve of her shirt rolled to her shoulder and Artoria saw her magic circuits still in the process of dimming down its glow. Blue lines that only pulsing only when in use, but if it was still visible when the magus didn't do any magecraft that could only mean the magus was extensively using the circuit previously. Most likely her Master was in the workshop (My Room), strengthening the Saint Graph of the growing number of Servants who answered Chaldea's summon.

She decided to ask about the matter diplomatically.

"Do you sleep well, Master?"

"Not really," Fujimaru peered at her with bleary eyes, "I don't think I get any sleep at all."

"That won't do."

"Yeah, Mash said so too." Again she yawned, "But I have a feeling that the next Singularity would be a hard one."

Artoria remembered from the last briefing.

"Okeanos, right?"

Okeanos Singularity was not an exact place like French or Rome, but instead more of an amalgamation of various sea areas of the world. As the very personification of the sea in the Greek mythology, every sea in the world is Okeanos.

Thus, while the name 'Okeanos' was more identified as the shore where the King of Conqueror was treading on before he could storm the Indian sub-continent by Chaldean Servants, from the information gathered from the time pocket was that it located at the era known as the Age of Exploration. Instead of the age of conquerors and warlords, it was the age of sailors and pirates. Of course, being a Singularity, the uniformed rank of allies and enemies might be slim.

-But knowing the age helped on identifying the currently living historical figure the Chaldea should aid.

But Artoria couldn't guess just what her Master had in mind about it.

"It's a fusion of various sea areas, so it's possible that any kind of sea from whatever era became 'Okeanos'. Vikings, uncharted islands, mythical cities like Atlantis and El Dorado. Are there even sea monsters at the Age of Exploration?"

"Most likely not. While the King of Heroes ushered the decline of the Age of Gods, and by proxy any other Divine and Nature Spirits, it was the reign of the King of Magic that truly cut off the influence of the gods."

"King of Magic?"

"The third king of Israel, son of King David, Solomon the Wise. It was he who brought magic to humanity without needing direct connection with the gods. Because of that, the gods were losing influence over reality, and they retreated to the underside of the world."

Fujimaru pondered at this before asking.

"Was it because you slew Vortigern that the Age of Gods ended?"

"Not exactly. Vortigern was the last threshold (pillar), that single thread that connecting the eras. The shift between the Age of Gods and the Age of Man was a gradual process. Think of it like the unification of Japan; Nobunaga mixed the batter, Hideyoshi put it in the oven, while Ieyatsu ate the cake. Gilgamesh is Nobunaga, Solomon is Hideyoshi, and I'm Ieyatsu."

She then quickly added, "- And about your initial question, It was several centuries between the fall of Camelot and the Age of Exploration, so I don't think there were sea monsters."

"I see."

She slowly sipped her coffee, painfully slow despite it was no longer steaming.

"You know," her Master started, "Before coming to Chaldea, I don't know that there are more of your legend than the Sword in the Stone and the Excalibur. Hell, I don't even know that you're a woman. On that topic, why did you become a king instead of a queen?"

"You mean why I dressed as a man?"

Why indeed? Sometime she questioned it herself, despite the answer was so obvious.

"Kingship was a men's world in my time. Beside... with this kind of body, I can't really protect anything."

"And being a man does? I don't really believe that."

"Yes, it needed some time, but I've realized that. From the beginning, it's not about being a man or a woman, or being a young girl ignorant of everything. Camelot was destined to fall, as it was with all nations in the world. In the end, it was my own shortcoming that caused this."

Artoria stared at her own cooling cup.

"Sometimes, I wonder if I'd never pull the Sword of Selection, just how different the world would turn out to be."

"I would think it won't be the same. The world without you."

The Servant raised an eyebrow. Fujimaru was still absent-mindedly sipping from her cup, not noticing her stare. Nevertheless, Artoria tried to suppress her blush before noticing just what she was doing and chuckled to herself.

"And here I am, trying to comfort you. But I got comforted instead."

"Comforted?"

"Never mind." She said with a snort, "You should get some sleep, Master. Those bags just don't suit you."

"M'kay..."


Mythological North American War


Fujimaru always brought five Servants (extras beside Mash) with her to the Singularities, before switching to another set of five after about the halfway mark, though there were exceptions. It was so none of the Servants would be overworked with battles and strained their personal mana reserve. She rayshifted as the second wave of the North America Singularity's Task Force along with Eric Haraldsson, Antoinette, Romulus, and Atalanta.

When she opened her eyes, she came face to face with a woman in red British military fatigue. Her eyes were deep red, regarding her with an absolute professionalism. She searched into her Master's mind's eye and read the information she had gathered about the woman. Florence Nightingale, Berserker...? What in the world?

She decided not to question the strange class arrangement of Servants and decided to survey her surroundings. A dungeon, with the smell of sea very palatable in the air. Most likely the Alcatraz. Why did they need to go to this place when the battle is in the middle of the continent?

As if answering her question, she saw golden dust characteristic to a Servant's dispersing floated in the middle of people hurdling together. A red-haired young woman was cradling an unconscious red-haired young man in her arm, but it was the woman who was disappearing.

Sita and Rama, her Master mind's eye helpfully informed her and she immediately understood. Just as the woman completely vanished in a swirl of golden light, the man opened his eyes. Even after death, the two still could not be reunited. But there was a clear understanding in the man's gaze. He nodded toward the Master, and she answered it with the same resolution.

There was no more time to waste. Even as they traveled to Edison's palace, they decided to have a war council then and there. Chaldea's technology made it possible to have a live transmission with Denver. They were preparing a major battle against the Celtic army. Queen Medb's ability to spawn soldiers was an asset of its own, and that wasn't counting the Third Pandava among their rank. While everyone pretty much agreed that Karna would be his opponent, they would still fight against approximately several tens of thousands strong. Even Edison's infantry soldiers were at their limit of production. Too many had died by the spear of Mad King Cu Chulainn.

Thus, the main foci of the American Resistance would be the Servants. Despite their legend, everyone was confident that Karna would win his duel this time. By separating the Celt into two foci, then separating Arjuna from the rest of the regime before crippling the regime he led, Mebd would suffer a heavy loss before the two regime flanked her and Cu Chulainn in Washington. It was a risky strategy motivated by desperation, resting every hope on Karna to win his battle against his fated rival.

-But the Master had met the two brothers before, and yet she said with a hint of jest nor irony, "Karna will win."

And so, everyone's morale was reforged with her steel-like determination and confidence. The party was sleeping well that night on the way to Riverton.

Nevertheless, not everyone was sleeping. Artoria caught her Master wide awake, battle strategy scribbled on one hand and a roasted rat on another. It wasn't a banquet like in Orleans, but she accepted it regardless when she made herself known.

The Master was making battle plans just in case the 'let Karna handle everything' strategy doesn't work. From killing Arjuna herself, to repelling an ambush from Cu Chulainn, to sieging Washington... Everything that will tip the scale of victory to their favor. After what the Celts had done to Geronimo's party, they had to think of every possible scenario that might play in the battlefield.

"While I thought Rama could replace Karna just fine, he crippled himself with his class choice. Not to mention he had just recovered from Gae Bolg's curse. I can't expect him fight at his best, but if we watch each other's back then we might be able to fend Cu Chulainn or Arjuna off in case of Karna failing in battle."

"Though I agree that playing it safe is a good plan, but I thought you have outmost trust that Karna would make it through?" Artoria said as she bit into the roasted rat. The meat was tough and stringy.

"I have trust in him. But in the end, he's just one man. Beside..."

"You fear that, if Karna falls, Edison would be discouraged."

"His friendship powers him after he was released from E Pluribus Unum (American Dream). And if his friends die, his morale would either shatter from grief or explode out of rage. I don't want to gamble on this one."

"So that's what you were talking about with Madame Blavatsky, pardon if I'm intruding."

"Yeah..."

Her Master spoke with the small occultist with a hushed tone immediately after the war council was adjourned. She didn't catch what they spoke of, but from what she could tell, it had to do with Edison being put in the second army, away from the Servants' battle.

"I will take care of him. Don't worry, okay?"

So Blavatsky had said.

Friends, huh...?

As if reading her mind, her Master said out of nowhere.

"Sorry that your reunions aren't that great. Lancelot isn't exactly coherent and Mordred ended up a lot more hostile than I thought."

"Huh? Oh... yes," Artoria intelligently answered, slightly offsided.

"I'll try my best to talk with Mordred, at least. Anyone you want to meet the most?"

"Well..."

-I want to meet all of my knights, she wanted to say that, but that would be very insolent of her. Her Master was rather infamous of her rage when digging around Singularities for Saint Quartz (Spiritual Core) and catalysts – asking her for 10+ people to summon was just asking her to hate the Round Table. Nevertheless...

"My brother Kay, perhaps? He might be a little rough, but he's a loyal friend."

"I see... I just hope that he won't be too rough."

"And then... maybe Merlin? He's mischievous, but he's very dependable if we can get him as an ally."

"Merlin..."

"Master?"

"No, it's nothing. I just need to check on Dr. Roman's idol site sometime."

The remark left her confused, at least until she finally met Merlin. And Gawain, and Tristan, and Bedivere.

For some reason, her Master left her, Mordred, and Lancelot out of the briefing of the Sixth Singularity. She heard the Singularity would pit them with the Crusaders, but it wasn't a reason to leave them out. Nevertheless, because they were ended up house-sitting, she and Mordred got some time together. The child had since cooled down most of her anger issue so they could at least talk like civilized people. A significant improvement, knowing the last time they met they destroyed the training ground.

When they returned from the Singularity, a familiar face came in front of them.

"My King..."

"Sir Bedivere..."

Then, she heard everything. The shifting in the Humanity Foundation Value. The Singularity's location change. The invasion of the Round Table against the Holy City of Jerusalem. The Lion King.

Her Master had suspected the Round Table would be their enemies and deliberately left them out. Chaldea went and struck the Artoria who had influenced by Rhongominiad, ending the ambition of Camelot. Her Master didn't want her at the front seat when she destroyed the kingdom Artoria once wished the Grail for.

But it was just the way it should be.

"Artoria, can I come in?"

Three raps on her door room were heard before her Master's voice mumbled from outside. Artoria put down her book and opened the mechanized door of her room. Her Master stood slightly, her arm still in sling from the fall she had in the last battle. Artoria tried not to stare, putting on her warmest smile and made way for her Master to enter the room. Quietly excusing herself, Fujimaru sat on the spot on bed Artoria gestured beside her.

As if trying to swallow her own nervousness, Fujimaru suddenly spoke, slightly louder than she usually was.

"I'm sorry."

"... Why are you apologizing? For matter of fact, what are apologizing for?"

"I don't know. But I know, in one way or another, you're going to be angry at me."

She wanted to say no, she wasn't angry. But it wasn't true.

Even against a mere replica, a city that was fated to be destroyed, she wanted to see her kingdom once more. Even risking killing her knights, even risking killing herself, even risking destroying the city with her own hands, she wanted to see Camelot. She was no Cu Chulainn who waved homesickness off as trivial. And when they had one chance to go there, her Master barred her from entering. It was true that she was feeling little resentful of the decision.

But she understood.

"Your commands are righteous." She finally said, "Your feelings are warm and kind. Your kindness touched me, Master."

"Artoria..."

"There's no need to apologize. Because I will always forgive you no matter what. Perhaps, it was I who need to apologize. You read me so well that you feel you need to preemptively say sorry for something that I'm not saying out loud."

"-That why,"

Artoria stood, before kneeling in front of her surprised Master.

"Let me devote everything to you. My sword, my strength, my spirit - everything shall be yours. I shall grant you the mankind's future without fail, I swear it!"

They spoke long and a lot about many things that they didn't expect to speak afterward. What do you like, what do you hate, what do you think of this person, what do you want to wish to the Grail – things like that.

When the last question came, Artoria hesitate only for a moment.

"The time when I searched for the Grail had passed. But... if it's a wicked thing, then I will destroy it."

"Why destroying it? Is it even wicked to begin with?"

"It wasn't always wicked. I fact, I have no doubt the original chalice that holds the Savior's blood was holy. But the Grail that causes the Grail War is not the same chalice, that I'm sure."

"...Did you fight in a Holy Grail War?"

Fujimaru asked, already had an inkling of the situation.

"In some other world, in some other past. The Throne exists above time and space." Artoria sighed, "I fought twice in a same Holy Grail War. In the same world Lord El-Melloi came, where Chaldea does not exist and 2004 Fuyuki Grail War wasn't the first."

"What happened in that war?"

"... Some soul-searching, in a way."

And it made her considering her position in those moments. Regretted, regretting, will regret, there were regrets for each possibility and choice that she might take.

But-

Right now, she was humanity's protector. Even if a nation crumbled, its people would continue on. Even if a culture faded, its memory would never did. As long as the King of Knights remained inside the Throne, people would always remember Camelot.

She was reminded of what her Master said. The world would not be the same without this Arthur Pendragon. Perfect world would be an impossibility, but heroes existed as the testament of humanity's trials. An ever distant ideal, but nevertheless worthy of pursuit.

"-It does not matter right now anyway."

Artoria finally said.