I don't own HSDxD and gain no profit from this writing.
Chap 9
The light tap of the rain woke Issei up in the early morning. He glanced at it and found out it was 5 o'clock. Outside the sky was still dark, the only sound he could hear was the rain. Issei turned his head to Lancer and saw that she was still sleeping peacefully her chest moved only a little when she breathed. They had been together almost a week yet Issei's heart still skipped a beat when he saw her this close. For a second Issei wanted to just stay in his room to look at this beautiful goddess but he knew he had more important things to do.
[Your body has slowly adapted to the new changes. It should be fine to engage in heavy activities now.] The dragon spoke to him through telepathy.
'I see. Thank you for reminding me that Ddraig.'
"Good morning Lancer." Issei lightly whispered.
"Good morning Issei." She answered him instantly. Now Issei truly believed Lancer never actually slept, or maybe she was so good she could hear everything and respond to them even when she slept.
"Master, for what reason you are up this early?"
"I need to train my body." Issei quickly made his bed. "I'm still too weak to support you in battle and I doubt in this state I could fight any Master who knows how to fight."
It was true. Before in their fight against Berserker and his Master there was nothing he could do. The reason why he wasn't killed by that psycho was Lancer protected him all the time, even after she was heavily wounded. If Issei wanted to earn the grail he could not afford to hide in his hole. He needed to fight to win this war.
Lancer accompanied Issei to the training room which was quickly cleaned after a few minutes. With the newfound strength in his body Issei did more than a hundred pushups and situps with ease. Lancer was mildly surprised by what he could do but she didn't trouble him with questions. After his warm up Issei turned to Lancer.
"Okay Lancer, let's begin the training."
Lancer nodded. She came to the stand to pick up two wooden swords and gave Issei one.
"Alright Issei, first I need to know what you are capable of. It is impossible to teach you advanced techniques with such short time but at the very least you will understand how to survive a battle after our training."
Issei gripped the wooden sword hard. He carefully observed Lancer's stance. His experience with Saber told him that he should never underestimate ancient heroes in the past even if they were training. Even the weakest servant is better than him in both experience and power. Lancer would hold back her power yet she wouldn't hold back on her skills. Currently Lancer was holding the sword in both hands, the tip of the sword was raised a little over her head. Lancer was taller than Issei so in this stance she could easily chop down on him.
Issei moved straight to Lancer. He couldn't see any weak point in her at all so the only thing he could do was to rush in to do the largest damage. He aimed for her neck, if he moved his sword to the left side of her sword then she would have to hit him from the right, Issei would just have to look out for that to dodge the attack in time. However before his sword could come close to Lancer he was hit from the left shoulder. The attack was so strong Issei lost his momentum and slided on the floor, his sword barely touched Lancer's leg.
"A direct attack like that would result in defeat. Issei you are not experience enough to avoid a counter and not fast enough to surprise your opponent." Lancer calmly said. She didn't wait until Issei recovered to assault him with a barrage of slash, stab and bash. Her attacks were complex but they were more simple than what Saber had shown him. If Saber's attacks were similar to a rainstorm Lancer's was akin to a tsunami. They were fast and heavy, Issei could barely block or dodge them when Lancer kept hitting him. Still Issei didn't give up, even when Lancer's wooden sword hit his body multiple times he tried to block or dodge what he could and return the attacks which were easily parry by Lancer.
Two hours later Issei had several bruises on his body, his grasp on the wooden sword was weak, his legs were shaking and he was breathing heavily. The floor was drenched in his sweat. In contrast Lancer looked like she was just enjoying a walk in a park. Not a single wrinkle could be seen on her white shirt and her breathe never changed after two hours of sparring.
"Let's stop here Issei." Lancer lowered down her sword. "You should be taking a short break to recover." She came to take his wooden sword then put them back on the rack.
"Thanks Lancer." Issei inhaled a large amount of air, trying to cool down his body. He sat down and leaned on the wall to rest his body. A minute later Lancer returned with some water for him. He thanked Lancer and received the cup.
"So..." Issei gulped down the cool water. "How am I?"
"I'm sorry to say but you have no talent for the sword." Lancer said in a concerned tone. "You might get killed if you try to fight someone with a sword in this state."
"It's true huh." Saber also said the same thing. Issei had no talent for the sword, it would take him a long time to be able to master the sword but the war would be long over before that.
Issei sighed. Was there any other option for him? He recalled that the guy Freed had a gun. Indeed gun is a great weapon for anyone in the modern age. It is easy to use and fast to learn. A gunner fights at long range so it will be easier to avoid or hide from the attacks of the enemies. It is not hard to carry a handgun with its size compares to a sword. However it is hard to acquire firearm in Japan, not to mention since guns require ammo Issei would need to be careful with how many shots he could use in a fight. Firearm training also means he would need more ammo before he could land a good hit on the target. A normal gun is probably useless against a prepared mage too, he recalled the now dead mage who could defend himself against Freed's gun with little trouble. If Issei had no skill in melee combat even if with a gun that mage could rush in to kill him. Other masters likely would have protection against modern firearm too, they were in a supernatural war after all.
Then again having a gun was better than having nothing at all. It was just like Lancer said, even if he somehow managed to master swordsmanship his mundane sword could barely hurt other masters. A magical sword would be nice… except he had none. An item like that wouldn't fall in his hands like a JRPG game conveniently.
"Hah…" He let out another sigh. Could he ask Himejima for a magical katana? She should have one… At least that's what he thought. Issei however doubted she would give him one or Lancer would allow him to get one from Himejima. After the day they beat Berserker Issei could feel that Lancer was becoming more distant toward Himejima. He had a few theories but he didn't want to openly ask her so he just ignored them. Issei knew he was weak so it's important that he should rely on Himejima until he was strong enough.
'But at this pace I will only become stronger after the war.'
Issei glanced at the clock on the wall, he saw that it was about 7:30. Breakfast should be done shortly. Issei stood up then went to change his clothes. When he was done he went to the dining room with Lancer. Inside the food had been brought to the table. Saber was humming an old tone that he didn't recognize.
"Good morning Saber."
"Good morning you two."
Lancer silently nodded her head to Saber. By the time Himejima came out from the kitchen with the rice cooker the rain was over. Everyone thanked for the food then digged in.
"Hyodo, do you have any plan for today?" Himejima asked.
"Ah I want to go to the warehouse to retrieve my bicycle." This was the second time he left his bicycle outside. What an embarrassment.
"I see. Remember to be careful."
Issei continued to have another bowl. "What about you Himejima? Are you going to school today?"
"That would be nice but I'm afraid I have other matters that require my attention. Last night there was another incident in the neighborhood. The culprit was without doubt one of the church's masters. That's why today I need to investigate and see if I can track their traces." Himejima paused for a second. "There was no causality because Archer stopped them right on time. However we can't rely on him to know where to intercept the enemies when they have the first strike advantage."
Another attack from that psycho Freed's group… How many more innocents would be dragged into this bloody war until they were satisfied? Though he didn't expect Archer to be able to prevent the incident. Thanks goodness the people were saved.
"Let me help you Himejima!" Issei loudly said. "We can't let them continue to harm the civilians!"
"That won't be needed. I have requested the aid of Archer's master in this problem. He is a person who is good at detective work. We will prevent them from killing more people to gain more mana. You two should avoid any supernatural problem for now. If we catch Freed and his cohort on the street Saber will make sure to kill them. I can promise you that."
So Himejima had decided to work with Archer's master today. Issei couldn't help but felt curious toward that pair of servant and master. Both he and Lancer hadn't met them. Even though Himejima said that Archer wasn't an enemy Issei also knew what Lancer told him made sense. It was because they did not know who was Archer that they had to be careful with him.
Issei nodded to Himejima's words and finished his breakfast. He helped Himejima wash the dishes and bowls which surprisingly she allowed him to unlike the last time.
"We will be heading out then." Issei quickly went back to his room to take his jacket. He and Lancer began to walk to the warehouse which was quite far from the Himejima's shrine. The ground had many spots due to the morning rain, some small puddles of water were here and there on the path they walked. Issei carefully avoided those, Lancer was in her physical form so it would be bad if he accidentally stepped on the water and dirtied her clothes.
At 8 o'clock in the morning there were a lot of people on the street, mostly students who were going to school along. Fortunately they were from a different school so none of them stopped by Issei to ask him why he didn't go to school today. However a lot of people turned their heads to look at Lancer. It was uncommon to see a blond foreigner in this part of the town, naturally people would take a look when someone like that walked around here.
Issei felt his cheeks heating up a little when there were so many eyes on them even though he knew they were all looking at Lancer. He stealthily glanced at Lancer to see if she was uncomfortable but there was none of that. Lancer held her head high with pride, she didn't return the gaze to anyone but there was no sign of arrogant in the way she looked. The king treated the attention given by the citizens naturally.
Issei sped up his walking speed, he wanted to quickly get to the warehouse then returned home. Lancer kept up with him with no trouble. An hour later they were almost there at their destination. Luckily for him the area around the abandoned warehouse was deserted.
"It should be here…"
Yet there was no warehouse. The entire site was devoid as if nothing had been built in the first place.
"No way…" Issei looked at the vacant land. "My bicycle! It's not here!"
No matter how hard he looked he couldn't see anything resembled his bicycle or the leftover of the abandoned warehouse. Previously the fight against Berserker caused the destruction the warehouse but didn't break the entire thing down. Yet now there was nothing here.
Lancer came to the place where the abandoned warehouse was to take a closer look. "Looks like the site has been cleaned up. There are some traces of magecraft here and there. Either the church or the Mage Association had sent people to clean up the aftermath of the battle the day before yesterday." She turned back to Issei. "Looks like they have disposed everything that could be used as evidence of the battle. It is unfortunate but your bicycle must have been taken away too Issei."
Issei shook his head in disbelief. "What am I gonna do now? Dad won't forgive me if he finds out I lost the bicycle."
"Is it important to you?" Lancer asked.
"It wasn't the latest model or expensive when he bought it but it was my father's gift to me when I passed the test to Kuoh High." Issei hated himself for losing such an invaluable gift from his father. This wasn't the first time he ruined his father's good intention. "Damn it… I don't have enough to buy a replacement either."
His saving could barely allow him to buy a secondhand bicycle, even if he was to sell his eroge collection it wouldn't be enough.
"Issei, do you happen to know somewhere that you can gamble?"
"Eh?" He unconsciously replied in confusion.
"I ask if you know a place where you can gamble. Do you know gambling?" Lancer asked him again, this time in serious tone.
"Gambling? Well I think I know some places…"
An hour later they were at a racecourse located in a nearby town. Because Issei wasn't an adult and Lancer didn't have an ID they couldn't get into a casino. A horse racing racetrack was the most suitable place for their circumstance.
"You can see which horse to bet on that." Issei pointed at the large chart. They were sitting in the middle of the rows. From here he could barely see the number on the jockeys' shirts but to a servant it wasn't a problem at all. Lancer observed one race to get the idea how it worked. She then looked at the chart thoroughly before turning to Issei.
"Buy me the ticket of the 59." Lancer said.
"Will this really work…" Even if he said so he still followed her decision.
And the horse number 59 did win the race. Issei couldn't believe it even when they announced the result. Lancer didn't seem to worry about that, when the board showed the next selections she told Issei to buy the ticket for the next horse. He simply obeyed her.
He couldn't remember how many races had passed but by the time it was over the people who sat around them had been following Lancer's choices.
"I heard that they have this kind of gambling here, it sure is interesting." She had a smirk on her face as she led Issei out of the dome. "Too easy, they should have put up more tricks if they wanted to challenge me." She puffed out her breasts with pride. Naturally Issei's eyes were glued to the vibration of them. He shook his head to calm down himself but the memory had been implanted into his brain.
However when they got to the booth to receive the money Issei and Lancer met an upset man. He was obviously not the one who had been selling tickets to Issei but the manager.
"Would you please show me your ID or passport?" The manager said to Lancer in a bitter voice. He had to be angry that Lancer could make so much money when she won all the bet.
Issei's heart stopped beating for a second. Lancer was a servant summoned from the past, even if she had an ID nobody would believe the name Arthur Pendragon on it. He also didn't take into account that they would need to show the ID to get the money, not that he could make or know where to make a fake ID.
"Is it necessary for me to show you my ID or passport?" Lancer calmly replied. "For what purpose that you need to check it?"
"To make sure that you are an adult. We don't accept underage people in this place."
"Ho? Are you saying that I'm not an adult then?" Lancer questioned him back. "Shouldn't my appearance be enough for you to judge my age?"
"Kuh…" The manager bit his lips.
"That's right! It is rude to ask a lady's age you know!" Issei said, unnoticed of Lancer's stare on him. With no other choice the manager handed over the money that Lancer won to them.
On the train back to Kuoh Town Issei recounted the money. He didn't do it in front of everyone at the racecourse but he knew he should count how much they actually got.
"Thank you Lancer. If it wasn't you I would have no idea what to do." Issei took a large sum of money and gave it to Lancer. It was hers in the first place, he only took enough to buy a new bicycle to replace his old one.
"No you keep it Issei. It is your investment so you should be the one who keeps it. What the servants gain is also what the masters receive. Besides modern currency is unnecessary for servants." She declined his offer.
"That's also true." Servants are summoned to participate in a holy grail war. Food and accommodations are but something 'nice to have' for them. When they first met Lancer needed nothing but the mana from Issei. It was only due to his persistence and her interest in modern food that Lancer started to eat like him. On top of that if Lancer actually wanted a lot of money she could ask the grail for unlimited wealth.
"Issei, there is one more thing that I want to remind you."
"Yes?" He could hear the shift in her tone.
"I am your knight Issei. My duty is to defeat your enemies and protect you as long as our contract remains. You also said that you would join the war to win the grail. Therefore you need to remember that my gender does not matter. A tool has no need for such a trivial thing. Please do not treat me like a woman for the sake of our victory."
Issei wanted to open his mouth to oppose it but he couldn't. He knew Lancer's words were partially true, yet he couldn't help but felt upset over them. However Lancer obviously had more experience than him on top of being the stronger one. Issei couldn't find the heart to object to the person who had been fighting and saving him multiple times. He decided to reluctantly nod his head.
Lancer had a small smile, she tried to change the topic to divert the mood. "Please do not concern yourself with it. This war will be over long before you know. Think of the reward when you get the grail. I can even give you some tips on how to court a lady if you want."
"Eh?" Issei was surprised to hear that.
"It is not unusual for knights to flirt and court the fairest of the ladies. Among my knights Lancelot, Gawain and Tristan always tried to compete to see which one could bed the most beautiful woman. While I didn't particularly care about romantic engagement I had learned a few tricks from them."
Issei decided that this was the one in a hundred chances to learn how to get chicks from an ancient king. He bowed his head to Lancer. "Please teach me professor Lancer!"
"Alright, first you must be handsome. That's how the ladies are attracted to you and choose you instead of others. A glance from a handsome man can charm any young lass."
"I have to be handsome?"
But that is totally impossible! How does one become handsome!? If he was handsome in the first place he would get a girlfriend already.
"Well you are… actually you are quite average. I don't think any of my knights had the same look as yours..." Lancer said in a low voice. "Okay the second thing is that you must be courageous! In order to impress the ladies you must show them that you can brave through the hardest challenges including fighting the strongest giant or a dragon the size of a house!"
"I would die for real if I did something like that!"
Besides no such things existed in this world, or at least in this side of the world. Issei suddenly shuddered to imagine that there were giants and dragons lurking somewhere in Kuoh Town, waiting to be killed by him to impress the beauties.
"Hm… My knights were very strong so those were challenges to them and not suicide missions… But what you said was true. Your swordsmanship won't impress anyone and certainly you will die if you carelessly fight any of those monsters… The third one is you must shove sweet words into their ears. Women are weak when you praise their beauty even though they are not. Words like 'Your eyes are the stars themselves.' or 'Before your voice the song of birds are but a boring tone.' work every time."
"That sounds too cheesy! No women would fall for those lines!"
"You are wrong." Lancer shook her head. "Even if they know those are trite and hollow they still enjoy them, in fact they long to hear those words from men. I had heard that one knight said the same lines over and over again yet the ladies still fell for him."
Issei had a troubled face. What Lancer said had some merits to it yet to him it was difficult. In the first place he had no idea how to sweet-talk women.
"Although… Issei, if you were to praise a lady, what would you say to her?"
"... Your breasts are the best?"
"I thought so." Lancer let out a silent sigh. "Given that you're very blunt it will be tough for you to make up those lines. If saying sweet words is too hard you can definitely rely on the last trick, guaranteed to work in any circumstance. That is you must be rich! If you are rich the ladies will flock to you. You can use money to buy them trinkets made from jewels or rare metals to bring them to your bed." Lancer peeked at the money Issei was holding. "That should be enough right? They don't sell jewels at the price of an ox in this age right?"
"I don't think so… I mean I don't know the price of an ox but I don't think jewelry is that expensive. What you said is that something pretty common though. Buying presents to woo chicks is." Issei scratched his cheeks.
"Yes, it is common for people to marry into someone with wealth in my age." Lancer said.
"In short if I want to pick up girls I need to be handsome, powerful and rich. Sounds useful."
"Is that sarcasm I'm hearing from you Issei?" Lancer raised her eyebrows. "Those three are the most basic conditions to impress any wench. I had observed my knights and learned that they always worked. No female will refuse you when you have all three. I trust that you will follow them when you want to court someone."
"Thank you for your wise wisdom oh ancient king." Issei also wanted to ask her how many girls Lancer had succeeded in using these three tips but then he remembered how king Arthur died so he shut his mouth fast. He also sincerely doubted they could help him win her heart.
Lancer had a disapproving glare at Issei but said nothing.
The train took them back to Kuoh Town a little pass noon. Usually Issei would have lunch at this time in school. However he would be absent from school for days so picking food at the canteen wasn't an option. Issei believed Lancer wanted to try more types of food at the school but for now let's eat something else.
"Lancer, do you want to try steak?" Issei gave her a can of tea bought from the nearby vending machine.
"It's a dish which the chef puts large piece of cooked meat on a hot pan right? It certainly sounds interesting but Issei, don't you need to buy a new bicycle? Or you are planning to buy it in this town?" Lancer took a sip at her can.
"Then let's go. Ah about the bicycle I will go to the mall to buy one tomorrow. Taking such a large amount of money to the mall would be bad." Issei too took a sip.
If the salesman found out he had a lot of money on his body he might pull out a trick or two to make him spend more. Issei wanted to avoid that.
The steak house was 20 minutes on foot from the train station. It is a popular place for both students and adults. The price is reasonable and the quality of the food is good. Issei believed it was in the top 10 of the best restaurants in Kuoh Town.
"I have come to this place a few times with my friends." Issei led Lancer to a table for two. As expected a number of people were drawn to Lancer when she stepped into the restaurant. She didn't care about the stare of the people but didn't give out an arrogant air either. Her body language was graceful, even when she just looked at the menu.
Issei on the other hand had to face the full cold glare of almost everyone. He was pretty sure that they were badmouthing him with their murmurs. It couldn't be helped when he was sitting on the same table as someone as beautiful as Lancer. He tried to ignore them by looking intensively at the menu.
"I'd like number 12." Lancer pointed at the image on the menu. "As for how it should be cooked I will pick 'Rare'."
It was the largest one among the steak. Issei wasn't really surprised when Lancer wanted to eat that one. When they were waiting for their meal Issei asked Lancer.
"Earlier in the racecourse, how did you do that? Did you observe the body of the horses to know which one would win the race?"
Issei still found it hard to believe she could win multiple bets just like that. He could only come up with the conclusion which was because Lancer had taken care of the horse in her past she could determine the strength, speed and stamina of the horse. From analyzing the strong and weak points she predicted which horse would win the race.
"It was true that I had observed the horses before making my decision but it wasn't the most important factor." Lancer sagely said.
"Then it was?"
"Instinct."
"Instinct?" Issei repeated in confusion.
"Yes, Instinct." Lancer replied in serious tone. "Instinct is the most powerful skill Issei."
"I see…" So it was her 6th sense. Issei recalled servants had a stat called 'Luck' which could also be a factor in how the world revolved around what they did. What Lancer did earlier was a combination of Instinct and her Luck which allowed her to win multiple bets in a row. That wasn't something a normal human could possess. Issei thought he could learn a trick or two from her but looked like the method wasn't for someone like him.
The dishes were brought to their table 5 minutes later. It seemed that Lancer was given a priority by the manager of the restaurant. If it had been Issei he would have done the same thing to impress this foreign customer too.
Lancer used the knife and fork to cut and eat the meat naturally. She was a westerner these tablewares should be more familiar to her.
"How is it?"
"Delicious. Even in the rare feast in my castle food with this quality was extremely rare. It is truly great that I have a chance to taste the achievement of the modern age." Lancer said happily. Her hands moved in rapid movement to cut the meat and bring the piece to her mouth. She finished hers faster than Issei's. By the time he had 1/3 of his steak left Lancer had ordered the second one which he didn't mind. They were pretty loaded after what Lancer did. Issei was glad that she could enjoy this life, especially when once her wish became true Lancer would be thrown into a chaotic world.
When they were about to leave the manager asked if they could take a photo of Lancer, in return they would give her a special coupon so she could come here to eat for free in a month. It was essentially a way to promote their restaurant.
"I see. When will we take the photo?"
"Ah we will just take the photo with this lady here." The manager said in a way so Issei wouldn't be included. That was expected. After all if a pervert is on their ad the reputation of the restaurant will drop.
"Then I will have to decline your offer." Lancer said, she quickly walked out of the restaurant with Issei behind who had an apologetic expression.
"You don't like to take a photo with them Lancer?" He asked timidly.
"I don't like it when they give my master unjust treatment when he is the one who pays for the meal." She answered in a straight voice. "My image is not something they can buy without respect for my master."
"... Thanks, Lancer." Issei muttered so she wouldn't hear him.
They headed straight to the Himejima shrine. When Issei knocked on the door he was greeted by Saber. It looked like Saber and Himejima had returned before them.
Issei took a 10 minutes rest then went to the training room with Lancer.
"Let's begin." Even though Issei said that he didn't know what kind of training Lancer would give him. He had accepted the fact that he had no talent for the sword so it might be better to train in something else. However before Lancer said anything the door was slided. The two of them were greeted by Saber.
"I have come to help you train! Yesterday wasn't good because you slept all day long but today should be fine." Saber said cheerfully.
Lancer narrowed her eyes when Saber just came in casually like that.
"We have no need for your input in my master's training." She flatly declined Saber's offer.
"Oh ho." Saber faked a surprised voice. "So you are planning to train him. You, a westerner, plan to teach a person from the east in your style."
"Yes, even if my master is terrible I can teach him how to fight. Your presence here is unnecessary." Lancer boldly said. "If you question my skill then I will have you know that my swordsmanship is second to none."
Saber chuckled. "You who summoned as a Lancer claim that your skills are better than mine, a proper Saber? Please stop joking before you embarrass your master more."
But Lancer wasn't joking. Between the two servants a killing aura could be seen by an amateur like Issei. Both of them really had no intention to back down from their points.
"Say Lancer, why don't we have a sparring to see whose skills are better. Why I will even give myself a handicap and just use one of my arms. Otherwise when you lose you will complain that your class is not the most optimal one so you can't do your best."
"Fine by me. Don't cry when you think your flashy eastern swordsmanship is inferior to mine." Lancer coldly replied.
"Please stop you two! Please do not fight!" Issei jumped between them.
"Do not step into this matter master. Let us decide who will be the one to train you through combat." Lancer had already drawn a wooden sword from the rack.
"Please stop Lancer. It is me that you should focus on because I am the one who needs training. Can we at least listen to what Saber said before anything else?" Issei begged.
Lancer looked like she wanted to decline but Issei still blocked her so she calmed down for a second. "Sure. Let us hear what Saber wants to do with you." She lowered down the sword but didn't put it back yet.
"Thank you. Now Saber, what is it that you want to help me?" Issei quickly said.
Saber didn't seem to want to lose a chance to test Lancer but she released her fighting intention. "Alright Issei, first summon your Sacred Gear."
Issei focused his thought on the red gauntlet to make it appear on his left arm.
"Other masters will have a weapon or a type of magecraft that can be used in combat. Compare to a normal person who got dragged into this war you only have this Sacred Gear. Therefore you will focus on how to make it your weapon." Saber did a stance. "Follow my lead."
Issei lowered the center of his body and pulled his arm back next to his belly.
"Hand to hand combat is only useful if you can enter a melee range. I suggest you start working your legs out so you can close in faster." Saber continued. "This gauntlet is very durable, if you are under long range attack use it to protect your face and body. The enemies will find it hard to break the gauntlet to harm you. However since the gauntlet can only cover a part of your body, remember to look out for attacks that can go behind or over your gauntlet. Now do a straight punch."
Issei used his left arm to punch the air like Saber said.
"No, that punch is too weak. When you punch you need to twist your arm. The rotation will increase the speed and power behind your fist. Don't just use your arm muscles but your back and waist muscles too. Here look at me and repeat it."
They continued to train until Issei grasped the basic of straight, jab, bash, hook and uppercut attacks. Saber then had him practise those for the rest of the time. Occasionally she would give him more advices on how to use which attacks in which circumstances. By the time the sky turned dark Issei's body was dripping sweat.
"That's it for today. The next time we will be training for footwork. After we cover those we will be doing mock fights which will help you experience how to use your moves." Saber patted his shoulders. "You did it good today. You might not have a talent for a sword but you sure have a knack for hand to hand combat."
"Thank you Saber." It was Lancer who stood up to come to Saber. "Certainly my master is better at this style of fighting more than swordsmanship. If I offend you before then I'm sorry for my unbefitting actions."
Saber waved her hands. "Don't worry about it. You just wanted to help your master the best you could. If you want to make up for me then pay for a bottle of sake will be the best." She sighed. "My master doesn't have any liquor and she doesn't give me enough to buy them either."
"Sake is a Japanese rice wine right? If it's possible I'd like to try it." Lancer also showed interest in sake. Since they had money now that shouldn't be a problem.
"Saber, I'm curious. You guys worked with Archer in the morning right? How was he?" Issei asked, he tried to return his breath to normal.
"Archer is hm, his long bow is definitely something you see from the west. He was good at tracking, stuffs like trails left behind were quickly discovered by him." Saber pondered. "Though we couldn't even see his face under the shadow of his hood. However that guy for sure is not someone who is good at a direct fight. I have a feeling that he is more of a hunter and assassin than a real archer."
Now that was interesting. The difference between a hunter and an archer could help them determine the real identity of Archer.
"Well his master is not a bad guy so you guys shouldn't worry about it too much. To be honest I'm more interested in you." Saber turned to Lancer. "Servants who claim that they are both good at spear and sword are rare. To test my skills against a sword master of the west is one of my dream. Lancer when the time comes I want to clash my swords against yours."
"Me too. It will be an honor to fight you Saber." She had a proud smile on her face.
Saber laughed. "My master will be angry if we fight when we are allies. Your wounds also prevent you from fighting at your best so that will be boring. Let's do it when our enemies are defeated." She then quickly left the room.
Issei sat down on the floor to rest for a short time. It didn't hurt him but the training sure was exhausting. Lancer went to get him a cup of water.
"So Lancer, what do you think of it? Can I make it if I do what Saber said?"
"It's certainly better than fighting with a sword. Originally I only treated your Sacred Gear as a magical artifact to increase your power and not as a practical weapon. Saber did it right when she had you train in hand to hand combat." Lancer agreed with Saber's idea. "However I'm still against her training you as stated before. If she teaches you then your moves will be reported to Himejima, when we fight them you will be put into disadvantage position."
Issei couldn't deny that. Since Lancer was a servant she would always see others as enemies. It was something any servant would do. For sure Saber wouldn't hide what she did for him. Issei guessed that it was Himejima who let Saber train him, otherwise she wouldn't do it.
"Still I want to learn the footwork from her. I will need all the basic technique if I want to survive a fight against other masters."
"Yes, but after that I will be the one to train with you in mock fights. I am not good at teaching but you can trust me on that." Lancer said.
Issei nodded. If Lancer had allowed Saber to teach him he shouldn't overdo it and annoy Lancer. He glanced at the clock and saw that he should have enough time for a bath before dinner.
"Well I gotta take a bath now." He doubted Himejima would permit him to sit in the same room as her when his body is full of sweat. When he was done they headed to the dining room. Issei helped Himejima to bring the food to the table while Saber and Lancer waited for them.
"Thanks for the food."
Dinner was all Japanese food like usual. It looked like Himejima only knew how to cook Japanese dishes, not that Issei wanted to complain.
"How was the day? Did you find anything?" He asked.
"Not really." Himejima shook her head. "All the trace led back to the church so we either storm it now with Saber or wait until Lancer recovers to have a full assault with all of our force. We did however found out several abnormal magic circles around the city. It is the type neither I nor Archer's master familiar with so there's nothing we can do."
"Several abnormal magic circles huh?"
No matter what they did it couldn't be good. That's what Issei believed. Still if Himejima said that she couldn't remove them then there was nothing he could do.
"Our best chance is to defeat Assassin's master before they can activate the magic circles." Issei came to conclusion.
Everyone agreed with him.
"Yes, however I don't think we should rush in. Even though Berserker was killed they still have Assassin and Rider. In a battle one against two should only be considered when you have no choice. That's why we will only attack their base when Lancer is fully recovered." Himejima concluded.
With that said they continued to eat dinner then returned to their rooms. Issei took a short break to digest all the food. In the meantime he tried to do something but ultimately there was little to do. There was no internet, no television, no comic books.
"I got my porn magazines here…"
Yet he didn't dare to read them. Issei didn't want to get caught when he was immersing himself in the porn then failed to notice Lancer when she returned from her bath. It was best not to upset her more. A knight in her age didn't do perverted things right? Lancer was a king and the embodiment of the code of chivalry. Issei doubted she would appreciate it when her partner read porn when she wasn't looking.
"I don't want to do homework either…"
He was taking a break from school but the homework he got before hadn't been done yet. With so many things happened Issei didn't have the time to finish them. Now when he had free time he didn't have the motivation to do homework.
[If you have free time why don't you try to meditate?]
"Meditate?"
[Yes, meditation can let you dive deeper into the Sacred Gear to understand its power more. You can also learn of the potential of your body.] Ddraig explained.
"Yeah…" Issei could understand why meditation was important to him. "Please teach me how to do it."
[First you sit in the lotus style, then you take a deep breath, close your eyes and finally focus on nothing but yourself.]
Issei did as Ddraig said. However it was harder than what he thought. When he closed his eyes the only things he saw was Lancer and her breasts. Issei hadn't had a chance to see her naked so he tried to imagine them: the size, the color of the nipples, the shapes of the areola. Lancer was beautiful so obviously her breasts had to be beautiful too! In his mind Lancer had the best breasts he could think of, yet those were from a hentai he read so they couldn't be compared to the real things. Issei knew the ones in his head were the fake ones, even if he imagined them they would hold no candle to the real breasts of Lancer.
That's why he had to try his best. Issei couldn't stand the fact that he couldn't recreate the breasts of Lancer in his head. His pride as a pervert was on the risk here!
[That's not how you meditate…]
"Master? What are you doing?"
"Guahh!" Issei choked on his breath. "L-Lancer!? Since when did you come back?"
"I just come back from the bath." Lancer slided the door back. "Oh are you meditating? I heard that eastern warriors usually meditate to gain an insight of their arts. Sorry if I disturb you Issei."
"Eh about that, please don't worry about it." Issei tried to hide his embarrassment.
"Right." She sat down face to face against him."If you are not busy then let us talk about something else."
He could hear the shift in her tone so Issei straightened himself to listen to Lancer. Even though Lancer didn't use shampoo she still smelt nice.
"Issei, you said that you would fight to win the grail. Do you have any plan to defeat all of our enemies yet?"
By enemies Lancer had to include Saber, Himejima, Rider and Argento too. No matter what he said she would see them as enemies. It was the nature of a holy grail war after all.
"I don't have a plan yet, however I intend to learn the motivations and objectives of the masters in this war."
Lancer raised her eyebrows. "I expect an apologize for that joke you just said Issei."
"It is not a joke. I want to know the reason why they participate in this war and more importantly, their wishes." Issei said seriously, he had no intention to back down from Lancer when he said it.
"That is insane. There is one and only one reason for anyone to participate in a holy grail war Issei. That is to get a chance to have a wish from the miracle device." Lancer shook her head. "Even if you are to learn their wishes, what can you hope to do to achieve them? What made you think that they will tell you and let you help them? If their wishes could be achieved without the help of the grail, why would they participate in this risky war?"
"That…" He couldn't answer those questions. Issei knew in his heart what Lancer said was the objective truth. If he was to deny them he would be lying to himself.
"That's why you should stop it. What we need to be discussing is how to defeat them." Lancer pressured him.
"Yes we will discuss on how to defeat them but still I want to talk to them. You know there's a saying 'Know your enemies.'?"
"That was from Sun Tzu: 'Know your enemies, know yourself, win hundreds of battles.'" Lancer nodded sagely.
"That's why even though I might not be able to help them achieve their wishes through other means by learning our opponents we can still analyze their thought patterns, what kind of tactics and styles they prefer when they fight and more." Issei explained. "However if I indeed can make their wishes come true without the grail, that would be the best for both of us."
Lancer didn't reply to him immediately. She seemed to be deep in thought. Issei continued to pray that she would agree to his method. He knew it was an unnecessary thing to do, foolish even. From Lancer's view it had to be a waste of time and effort, moreover it was a risky move that could endanger them. There was little to nothing that could be gained when they followed this method.
However that did not mean Issei should not take this path.
"We will do as you said." Lancer finally sighed. "However know that if we can't reach a compromise on both sides we will return to my method."
Her answer showed that she wasn't satisfied but at least she gave him a chance to do what he wanted.
"Thank you very much Lancer, I appreciate it." Issei bowed down his head. At the very least they could decide what to do once they learned the motivations of Argento and Himejima, Issei really hoped it wouldn't come down to a fatal battle between them.
"Good, first let's try to find out what is Himejima's wish."
"We could try to figure it out from Saber, that is if Himejima told her about her wish." Lancer said. "She will be training you for one more day. If we play the right card we can get some intel from her. However don't expect any result from it. Servants are bounded to be loyal to the masters so unless there are things to gain they won't give out information for free."
Issei narrowed his eyes. The way he saw it Saber was an easygoing person. If her swordsmanship was involved she would fiercely defend it but she wasn't someone who held grudge. Issei wondered what he could do to learn of Himejima's wish.
"Hm… Himejima has opened up to you a bit but you still got a long way if you want her to tell you something like that. However I think her wish is something that is related to her family. Issei do you remember what she said yesterday?"
"What do you mean by that?" Issei asked in confusion.
"She told you to visit your parents. There was a tone of regret and jealousy when she said that. If I am correct then her wish is something related to her parents. Perhaps they are no longer here so she wants to see them again. Is that not the most famous reason why people seek the holy grail?"
That is, to resurrect the dead. The most famous legend about the holy grail is always about resurrecting the lover who is killed.
"Make sense to me. But if that is Himejima's wish…"
Then no matter what he could do he would never be able to grant her that wish. Issei also recalled that she had never mentioned anything about her parents nor he had seen them once when they were at school. It wouldn't be hard to convince him that Himejima was the last one of her family.
"Well that is just my assumption. We don't know the truth until we hear it from her or Saber."
"Yeah, you are right. Let's try to bring up the topic of family when we meet Saber the next time. Next will be Argento. I think we should have an easier time to try to learn her wish."
"She is a nun. It shouldn't surprise anyone when she decides that she needs to find the holy grail in order to please her god." Lancer said nonchalantly. "A mission to recover one of the holy items for the church that will greatly prove her faith."
Issei had to agree to Lancer on that. He remembered that Argento sounded rather desperate when he asked her why she participated in this war.
"To bring the grail back to the church, that is not something we can do for her."
"Yes. However she is not strong, or at least has not showed any combat capability. I think it's possible for her to give up the grail once Rider is defeated. We can chase her out of this town when it's over." Lancer told him her intention.
That was harsh but Issei guessed they had not other option. Other masters might not be so merciful that they would allow Argento to stay alive after her servant was defeated. If Argento was out of the town and ran away they wouldn't have the time to chase after to finish her when the war wasn't over yet.
"Let's talk to her again if we meet her this Sunday. Now who's next… Hm you know let's skip Assassin's master and Freed. I don't feel like talking to them would result in anything useful."
"I'm glad you know that." Lancer nodded. "We will kill both of them when the time comes."
"Right. So we should talk to Caster and Archer's master. We know Caster's place but I have no idea what to do with Archer and his master." Issei wondered.
"Those two are the last pieces of the picture. Right now the only one who knows how to contact them is Himejima but she's keeping it close to her. I don't think she has any intention to let us meet them by ourselves. Archer stopped Assassin's master from gathering more mana and worked with Himejima so it's safe to assume that they are on our side, at least for now. For the time being let's focus on other masters first."
Issei agreed with her. "Okay, then tomorrow we will meet Caster. See if we can do something about her."
"Yes, if they act hostile to us I can finish them off." Lancer said confidently. "Thanks to you I have become as powerful as I can be. You have my gratitude master."
"I just do what I can for you Lancer. Please do not thank me for that. Besides I should be the one who thanks you. I wouldn't have survived that night if you had not stood to defend me." Issei quickly said.
Lancer didn't say anything afterward so it was a bit awkward for him. Issei cleared his throat and stood up. "I will head to the training room now. Saber's lesson is useful so I should practice it more when I got free time."
"Let me accompany you Issei."
"Yeah but you know, can you stay outside of the room?" Issei scratched his cheeks.
"Is it a problem if I watch you train?" Lancer asked.
"No it's not! I mean, I want to train alone to have an easier time to focus."
"I see. If my presence disturbs your training then I will be on standby outside of the room. Call me if you need anything."
"Thank you Lancer." That was tough. Issei really wanted to impress Lancer when he trained, if he made a mistake she would point it out too but tonight's training was different from the morning.
When they arrived at the training room Lancer sat outside while Issei headed inside.
'Alright Ddraig, it's time to test Boosted Gear.' Issei summoned his gauntlet.
[Before even 1 Boost could drain you out but right now the changes in your body has allowed you to use Boosted Gear much better. It also allows Lancer to be able to fight at her full strength.]
Issei mentally nodded. Before Lancer's stats were not good and she couldn't use her noble phantasm properly without the support of a command spell. However after that night she had become a different person, all of her stats were better and without doubt she could summon her horse anytime. Her noble phantasm should be operated at full power too. It was all thanked to the mana inside his body.
Issei had no reason to fear that Lancer could be defeated once her wounds were healed.
'Right now how many Boost can I take?'
[Around 2 or 3. More and your body will start to take strains. However if you keep it at 2 or 3 you can fight without getting exhausted quickly, the power might be lower but you can fight a long battle. If you use 4-5 Boost your power will jump to a new height but you will likely become tired out more afterward. In a battle that will be your fatal weakness, if the enemies learn it they will strike after your power runs out so be careful.]
'There is also an issue with the 10 seconds interval.'
Each Boost requires 10 seconds to be available. Even an idiot will understand it if he sees it in action once. There was no way they would let Issei powerup in leisure.
'The best thing I can do is to hide until I have enough Boost…'
[Hm, with your strength that will be too difficult. Moreover people have been training for years when they participate in this war. Both that psycho master and that mage could handle themselves in a fight. You who has not once trained your body for combat will not be able to compete against a strong thug, much less than combatants with weapons and magecraft. It is unthinkable that you can defeat them even when you have Boosted Gear.]
Ddraig was right. Issei who lived a normal life couldn't survive a fight against those who practiced swordsmanship and studied magecraft.
'That is why I have to cheat.'
[Correct. Life is unfair, that's why if you want to win you have to cheat. There is a technique that you can use when you wait for Boost. It is called Mana Burst. You see how Lancer could move quick and strike hard? She uses that skill to achieve that.]
'Really? Then please teach me Mana Burst Ddraig!'
[Originally I developed Boost from Mana Burst since it can only enhance power. Nonetheless it will be helpful for you in this state. First you must learn how to move the mana to the places where you will use it, your legs or arms' muscles for example. Next you will pull the mental trigger to turn the mana into explosive energy. In that instant you will be able to do what your body usually cannot. It will take some time to learn this skill but it shouldn't be too hard for you.]
'With this I will have more options in a battle. It also should enhance my attack power with Boosted Gear too.'
[However similar to Boost there will be strains on your body if use Mana Burst too much. Remember to use it in the right time. I recommend you to do it to close the gap between Boost interval. In case your enemies are too powerful just run until Lancer kill them or save you.]
Issei knew that was the best tactic but he hated it when he had to put more burdens on Lancer. When they fight servants will fight against servants and masters against masters. If it was possible Issei wanted to beat the master so Lancer could focus on the servant.
That was why he had to train with all he got. For the sake of Lancer Issei would gladly turn his body into a weapon.
"Yosh, let's begin the training!"
1. Servant: Lancer
True name: Arthur Pendragon
Master: Issei Hyodo
Strength: B
Endurance: A
Agility: A
Mana: A
Luck: B
NP: Rhongomyniad-The Lance that shines to the End of the World
2. Servant: Saber
True name: ?
Master: Akeno Himejima
Strength: B
Endurance: B
Agility: B
Mana: C
Luck: C
NP: ?
3. Servant: Berserker
True name: ?
Master: Freed
Strength: B++
Endurance: B++
Agility: C++
Mana: D++
Luck: C++
NP: Spinning Axe (?)
4. Servant: Assassin
True name: ?
Master: ?
Strength: ?
Endurance: ?
Agility: ?
Mana: ?
Luck: ?
NP: Iron Maiden (?)
5. Servant: Rider
True name: Saint George
Master: Asia Argento
Strength: D
Endurance: A+
Agility: C++
Mana: C
Luck: A+
NP: Ascalon-The Blessed sword by which Force is slain
Bayard-The Phantom War Horse
6. Servant: Caster
True name: ?
Master: Kitsune? Nekomata?
Strength: ?
Endurance: ?
Agility: ?
Mana: ?
Luck: ?
NP: ?
7. Servant: Archer
True Name: ?
Master: Akeno Himejima's Ally?
Strength: ?
Endurance: ?
Agility: ?
Mana: ?
Luck: ?
NP: Long Bow (?)
AN: Again I had to grind so I couldn't spend time to write so sorry for the late chapter. At least I got my 5th Joint Recital so that's good. I really hope I can get Artoria Lancer in the upcoming gacha.
To answer the question this grail war will happen in roughly two weeks.
