* Lucid9 – Warm feeling

* Muv Luv Alternative – Over My Dead Body

* Umineko – Hibuta [Launch]


Chapter XXXVIII: The Shield Knight


* Lucid9 – Warm feeling

That had been the strongest tremor Leo had felt in his entire life. Not that he had felt that many over the course of nineteen years, but this one was noteworthy if only because he had been standing close to the origin. He had heard a deafening explosion, and the earth had shaken violently without any warning. And it had been followed by the sound of everything crumbling down, something of a terrifying noise.

And now, nothing.

A deep silence.

Leo thought this place might collapse as well. After all, he was just sitting down in the hallway that led to the lobby where the two Sabers were fighting. In fact, he wasn't sitting far from the door. Yet, through some sort of miracle, this place was still in one piece. Or maybe it wasn't a miracle, and Galahad had somehow cushioned the impact by standing in the way.

...He didn't really care either way. Now that there wasn't so much as the sound of metal clashing against metal, it was as though time had stopped – the calm after the storm.

"...Master, are you unharmed?"

Leo lifted his head and saw his Servant standing by the hallway's entrance.

The lobby had been completely ravaged and razed to the ground it seemed. The ceiling had even collapsed, and now it was nothing but a field of rubbles with a good view on the night sky. Of course, that meant the winter chill could enter freely. Not like this place had had any kind of heating system, but now there was a cold wind blowing into the corridor. Even with Leo's light winter clothes, he felt a strong chill across his body.

But he didn't pay it any mind either.

In the middle of destruction and darkness, Galahad was standing upright and completely unharmed. His armor's faint golden glow was drowned by the moonlight, but it was still there. Somehow, the knight was the complete opposite of the room he was leaving.

"About as unharmed as you." Leo replied. "It's funny, I don't remember you being this tough when you were fighting against Caligula. I didn't even need to heal you this time."

"...At that time, I was fighting inside Rider's Noble Phantasm. The temple of the moon had weakened me, so I wasn't at my best." It almost sounded like Saber was apologizing.

"Is that so..."

Leo was pretty sure that the boat in question was only supposed to seal divine blessings, but maybe he was wrong. His interested was waning already. He didn't care... or maybe he did. He wasn't sure anymore.

At the moment, he was sitting down against the wall, with his arms around his knees. He had stayed this way all along, even while the two Servants were ducking it out. Even when the battle had reach its climax, he hadn't even thought of moving away. His heart was beating at the same usual pace – he wasn't even sure if he had felt any excitement or anything. No matter how you looked at it, it wasn't normal for someone to remain undisturbed while a legendary battle was waged in the room next to them. But at this point, even that was outside his concerns.

He knew how he should feel, but he couldn't. He felt too weak to even feel the way he should.

Maybe he was too tired.

After his last meeting with Hatsuyo, he had headed home in order to catch some sleep. Tough luck: even though that was something he had been begging for, he had barely gotten any rest. He had just laid down on his bed, trying hard not to think.

But that was impossible, obviously.

He had fallen asleep, but had woken up many times, and in the end he felt worse than if he had never gone to bed. Every time, no matter how hazy his mind was, it was always the same thoughts tormenting him. He wished he could stop thinking altogether, but these throughts were deeply related to how he was feeling, so as long as he felt this way they would come back.

It was ironic: he had been overwhelmed by his emotions so often lately, you would think he had managed to get something off his chest. But it was the exact opposite – he felt that even more was stacking up. He didn't know what it was, but he was reaching saturation at this rate. He had become... afraid of feeling. That was why, it was as though he was making a subconscious effort not to feel anything.

"By the way, why are you here? What about Saber of Black?" Nonetheless, he kept talking, if only for the sake of having a conversation.

"...She has disappeared. I don't believe she died, but I cannot feel her presence anymore." Even with his poker face, the knight was visibly confused. "...In any case, there is no danger anymore. You don't need to be afraid."

"I'm not afraid."

"...Is that true?" More confusion. "...I thought people were afraid when there is danger."

"You think that too, huh?" Leo said with a tired voice. "...Actually, maybe I'm terrified."

Maybe he was scared deep down but his brain refused to acknowledge it?

Or maybe that was just something he was convincing himself of.

Or maybe-

"Uuughhhh! I've had enough of thinking! I wish I could turn my brain off." Leo held his head between his hand. "You're lucky to feel nothing, Saber."

"...I don't feel nothing."

"It's practically the same. Compared to me, you don't have to hurt or feel sad. Nothing ever disturbs you. I wish I could be the same."

"...You wish you were like me?"

"That's what I said."

"...Is that really what you think?"

"Do you think I'm joking?" It was annoying having to repeat himself.

"...No one ever thought that of me before though. No one ever envied me. Everyone seemed... sad." The knight looked down at his feet, but Leo couldn't fathom what was going on in his head. "...I don't believe they were wrong. But, Master, you're mistaken."

"About what?"

"...Once, I had a fight with Perceval. Did I ever tell you about it?"

"I think..." Leo remembered something like that, but he was pretty sure he had never learned the details. His curiosity was piqued ever so slightly.

"...It was because of my...condition. He had never been so furious before. And hurt."

"That guy had every emotion turned up to eleven, right?" Perceval probably couldn't have understood Galahad anyway. It had probably just been a fight between someone who feels too much and someone who feels too little.

"...Yes, he was that kind of person. That's why, he hurt all the more. That's where you are mistaken, Master."

"What do you mean...?"

Galahd lifted his head again to look into Leo's eyes.

"...At that time, I hurt too. It hurt to see my dear friend hurting." His gaze was so earnest, Leo couldn't doubt him, even with all the cynicism in the world. "...I am aware of my condition, but I'm not free from pain, Master. When Perceval hurt, I hurt as well. And now too, I hurt when I see you hurt."

"Wha...?"

When he heard that, it was as though someone had punched Leo. But he didn't feel that way because of Saber's sympathy.

"...So you see, there is no need to envy me. Actually, I'm the one who envies you, Master. You seem to understand so many things that elude me. Such as making jokes."

"...Why...?"

"...?" Saber tilted his head.

"Why are comparing me with Perceval?" Leo couldn't make sense of it. Of anything his Servant had said. "He was your companion, right? Why would you compare me with your best friend? Why are you always like this...?"

"..."

"Why would you envy me? Why would you want to be someone useless like me...? How can you even compare me with you...?!" Why was Galahad saying such nonsense...? "I'm a jerk. I never thanked anyone. All I did was get angry at them. I even hated you a little, even though you didn't do anything to me. And now... and now... I don't even know what I want! I know how much I'm hurting, but I can't even do anything about it... I'm just wallowing..."

"..."

"How can you envy someone like me? I'm not even sure how I should feel... I'm not even sure who I thought I was this entire time. Even my feelings are worthless!"

'Why haven't you given up on me yet', was what Leo almost blurted out.

"That's wrong Master." Galahad replied without a trace of a doubt. "They're not worthless."

"How can you say things like that...?" Leo wasn't even bewildered anymore. He was desperate to understand.

"...I witnessed it. Master's earnest struggle. It may not have been for a long time, but what I've seen wasn't wrong. It wasn't fake. It was you, Master. Not the one you imagine, but the one you are."

"What do you mean...?"

"...I've already promised I would protect your life no matter what. You've entrusted your hope to me, so I will not betray it. I will fulfill your wish no matter what." Such was the knight's cryptic answer. "...You can trust me, since I'm a hero."

"..."

Leo... didn't know what to say. He just blinked several time with his mouth wide open.

He wasn't sure what feelings were stirring up now – in the first place, he had decided against feeling anything. Why... was Saber this way? He was supposed to be a legendary hero unbothered by emotions, so why had he always been supportive of him? There was no condescendence in his kindness, not even a hint of self-importance. Why was that man, whom Leo had known for less than a month, the only one who hadn't given up on him?

He wanted to say something... he had to ask something.

But before he could, the reality of the situation caught up with them.

* Muv Luv Alternative – Over My Dead Body

"...!" Galahad lifted his head suddenly. "...The enemy."

He turned around and, in the blink of an eye, he had gone back the now wrecked lobby.

For a second, Leo just stayed there, frozen. He had almost forgotten there was a war going on around them. He hadn't been given the time to find his words; Saber was gone before he could even ask which enemy he was talking about. It would only be logical for it to be the Saber of Black, but if that was the case then it was weird for Galahad to just call her 'the enemy' the way he did.

So he stood up.

The Leo who had previously felt it wasn't even worth worrying about a battle right next to him, that same Leo followed his own curiosity and stood up to walk after Saber. It didn't even occur to him how dangerous a thing it was to do. He wasn't really aware of what his Servant had knocked into him, but at least now he was mulling over the same old thoughts. He was only curious about Galahad and about what was happening in the lobby. There was something he wanted to see.

And the very moment Leo stepped in front of the lobby's entrance, thunder struck.

KHHHhh!

Except it wasn't thunder: there was lightning indeed, but what had fallen from the sky was a maiden of war clad in armor. On her back, a pair of large, white feathered wings were spread out, and seemed to conduct electricity. But the most striking was her weapon – an oversized spear with a blade as large as a shield. She had come down from the sky spear first, and it was no wonder that Leo had mistaken her for thunder since she had fallen with the same violence.

And right below her was Galahad.

The knight had successfully blocked her heavy spear with his shield. However, the horsepower behind the attack was visible even to Leo: Saber had actually had to push back hard to absorb the impact – it was like a hammer striking a nail. At the exception that, in this case, the nail wasn't burried into the ground. On the contrary, it was the entire ground which collapsed further; the floor of the lobby had been flattened, and the chucks of concrete lying around had been scorched black by the lightning and flames.

In the midst of this destruction, only Saber stood unharmed.

And in this situation, the knight found nothing better to do than to greet Lancer.

"...Well met. I am Saber of Red. Let us fight honou–"

"I already know what honour is worth from fighting your friend Archer!" The spearwoman barked. In a heartbeat, she took flight again and rose high up in the night sky. "You should already know who I am!"

Then, she broke the barrier of sound and dived again. This time, instead of coming down in a straight line, she curved her path as to strike from the side. The collision was just as powerful as the previous one – Leo only managed to saty on his feet by taking support on the wall. Saber nonetheless managed to parry again, but the sheer power behind the charge was too much to absorb completely. He was pushed back even without breaking his stance, and his feet left two trails in the hard ground, a testament of how much strength was in play in both camps.

It was mindblowing to think that this was the same Saber who hadn't budged an inch from Chi You's merciless onslaught. Technique alone wasn't enough to break through the wall known as Galahad, but that Lancer was using brute force on a whole different level. It was easy to mistake her with a force of nature, a power that had to be acknowledged as a threat no matter what. Nonetheless, Saber had effectively managed to parry her second assault.

"... ... ...rably."

"I expected no less from the Mage's Association's defensive line." Lancer conceded, but the compliments ended here.

She repeated that cycle quite a few time: she'd gain altitude before striking down from the sky, form all kinds of directions. And though Galahad could block all of them, he was practically being tossed around. Eventually, he was even driven against a wall, and the latter collapsed entire from the impact. But even if this battle seemed one-sided, it was also true that neither of them were losing.

Leo was watching all of this in stunned silence.

It wasn't his first time witnessing the forces of nature known a Servant – in fact, he couldn't say for sure that this was more intense than the battle against Chi You. Yet, somehow, he couldn't take his eyes away from the fight in front of him. Maybe it was because his own Servant was in difficulty.

Or perhaps it was due to Saber's words before.

For some reason, Leo felt the absolute need to watch the knight fighting.

"...Saber..."

But he was abruptly interrupted in his contemplation: the sound of gunfire resounded. A single round had been fired, and it had been fired at Leo.

The latter didn't realize immediatly what had happened. All he knew was that he had heard the sound of a gun, and that his right ear was ringing painfully. It took him a handful of seconds to make the connection between those two informations, and to realize he had indeed been shot at. The bullet had missed his head by very little – the young man owed his life only to the disturbances resulting from the intense battle between the two Servants.

But even after realizing that, his reaction was slow: instead of taking cover, a dumbfounded Leo looked for the origin of the gunfire. And he quickly found it: it was hard to spot him, as he was concealed by the darkness, but Leo did catch a glimpse of a silhouette, right before a blast of thunder illuminated the night.

And their eyes met.

Or maybe they didn't, it was hard to tell at this distance. But that was definitely the feeling Leo got. It was the first time Leonidas Argas and Ewald Wachhund met eye to eye, and for a second it was as though time had slowed down. It was also the first time since the Azores that someone was trying to kill Leo – and yet, he didn't feel fear or urgency from it.

His mind had properly processed the fact that someone was shooting at him, and yet all he felt on the moment was 'Ah' and 'So what?'.

So of course, if he didn't move from where he stood, he would definitely get shot this time.

But something happened at that time: Lancer ascended in the air once again, but not in order to charge from the sky this time. She had tried that enough time to acknowledge that it wasn't working against Galahad. So instead, she remained in the sky as runes started to dance around her. There were a great many of them, so many that they illuminated the night sky like stars. The air was charged with magical energy to the point that even Leo could feel it, and his gaze turned to Lancer instead of his would-be murderer.

Something big was coming.

"...Master!" Before Leo knew it, Saber appeared in front of him, standing between him and danger like a shield.

At that same moment, Lancer unleashed her spell – the runes turned into a torrent of purple thunder, blue flames and hail. This surreal blend poured toward what used to be the lobby, and once it made contact with the ground, it spread destruction in all directions. Leo could feel the intense heat, and the electricity was making all the hair of his head stand on their end – but neither flames nor lightning could reach him. Not when Saber stood valiently in front of him with his shield raised. The spell was also creating a blinding light as a result, and all Leo could see was Galahad's back.

When the thunder vanished and the flames dispersed, both Master and Servant were unscathed, which felt like a miracle.

"I said you were tough, but this much is..." Leo was all the more surprised due to having witnessed this violence first hand.

"...I will not fall. I am the Galahad who was summoned here in London. My homeland grants me strength." Was the only explaination the knight gave – he didn't have the time to chat. "...Here is not safe for you, Master."

"Uh, ri- ah!"

Galahad didn't mean that Leo should run away - he was taking him away.

The knight turned around and grabbed his Master before disappearing inside the corridors of the Mage's Association. Leo hadn't even had the time to say anything, but he wondered if it was alright to leave since they had been told to guard this place. He didn't attach that much importance to orders, and it was kind of a silly thing to wonder while their lives were at stakes. Still, he instinctively wondered if he would be scolded for it.

These kind of thought really underlined how disconnected Leo was from the reality of this situation. At least he could remain calm... if that was a good thing. In any case, while he didn't feel like complaining for being carried around roughly, he was still curious as to how their opponents would react. They didn't seem to be giving chase, but their target was the Clock Tower anyway, so it seemed ovious that they would come after them.

"Saber, do you know where you're running to?"

"...I don't." The knight admitted. "...I'm simply trying to take you to safety."

It was a touching intention, but Leo wondered if that was even possible. In this situation, the safest place must have been next to Saber, where he would also be in danger. And while thinking about that, Leo noticed something: Galahad's armour was attracting his hair, as well as the hair of his coat. It must have been a side effect of Lancer's lightning, since Galahad's armor was made of metal. It was probably harmless, like rubbing a balloon against your arm. But Leo had a hunch nonetheless: sometimes, purple electricity seemed to be running across the metal armour, and that was definitely not normal for static electricity.

"...Saber, I think they know where we are." He pointed out calmly.

"...!"

The knight didn't even question Leo's statement – no, actually he must have felt Lancer's approach better than his Master.

At this moment, they were still at floor level, and they hadn't gotten very deep inside the building either. Since the Clock Tower was built like a maze anyway, they simply needed to know what turns they were taking. But if Lancer of Black had decided to wait outside... well, there was nothing more than a wall separating them.

And sure enough, a couple of seconds later, the warrior maiden came busting through the wall. In fact, she blew up the entirety of the wall from one end of the hallway to the other, like it was nothing. Now, lightning and flames were spilling into the building as well.

Galahad reacted at once – and he immediatly dropped Leo. And not gently at that, but he could probably be excused considering it was for Leo's own safety. So while the Servant turned around to face his enemy, the Master made a rough landing with a grunt of pain. And for that matter, since they had been moving very fast before, Leo rolled over a few meters before the carpet's friction halted his course.

He didn't mind as much as he should though, and simply stood up to take a look back: Saber once again engaged Lancer, but this time they were fighting on the street.

They were probably afraid of the building collasping on itself if they went all out inside. Unlike his battle against Chi You, here Galahad didn't hesitate to move around, and it was a battle that left the realm of physics. The two of them were moving faster than the speed of sound on average, and the only way the young man managed to track them with his eyes was thanks to the lights they both emitted.

And each time the golden and purple lights crossed path, they created shockwaves in their wake and sent pieces of pavement flying away.

But, could Leo really afford to be distracted?

"...!"

Stop music

After all, Galahad wasn't the only one who could carry his Master around. And there was someone else who was after his life; Leo had been too quick to forget about that. Well, no, he hadn't forgotten – but things were happening too fast.

Destroying the wall also had the purpose of letting Lancer's Master in.

Once Leo understood that, his eyes skidded over the corridor, and he found the silhouette of Ewald Wachhund stepping inside.

Now they could see each other more clearly. So that was what the man trying to kill him looked like. He gave off a different feel from Linandir Eïchtobell. His expression was completely blank, just like Galahad. But, maybe because he had gotten used to the latter, Leo couldn't help feeling that even his Servant had more life in his face.

...

What... expression was Leo making? He couldn't tell. In this very moment, his eyes were riveted on the Master of Black, and on the firearm in his hand. It was as though time had been suspended, and all Leo could hear was the pounding of his heart.

...

And yet, he couldn't move.

...

Not because his body was paralyzed.

(...Ah.)

It was exactly the same as before. His heart was pounding, but Leo found himself to be eerily calm.

He didn't feel fear.

He didn't feel the need to move out of danger's way.

He had felt that way earlier when being shot at, and also when the two Sabers had been fighting. The feeling that... even if he was about to die... maybe it wasn't worth running for his life. He didn't want to die; yet strangely, eerily, the idea of it wasn't scary to him. He felt as though... it was just easier to do nothing. He was tired, in more than one way. Maybe, if he managed to get some sleep, he would be horrified that he thought this way.

Maybe...

Or maybe not.

It was really tiring. His father. His uncle. Hatsuyo. The Holy Grail War. Even if he cheered himself up, it felt so useless. So now... he had a gun pointed at him... the finger was already on the trigger, so he was about to die any moment now. Leo observed all of that, but didn't move, and didn't want to move. All he could think... was how strange this feeling was.

BANG

BANG

BANG

Ewald fire three rounds in quick succession.

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

CLANG–!

"...!"

"...!"

* Umineko – Hibuta [Launch]

But there was no pain.

There was no blood. No wound.

The only thing that had reached Leo was the deafening sound of gunfire, but they couldn't do more than hurt his ears. And in fact, even that sound had been almost drowned out by another violent noise.

Leo wasn't sure what had happened, and neither was Ewald. In fact, even Lancer of Black, who was still fighting outside, was completely flabbergasted.

"What... what are you doing, Saber of Red...?!"

Leo's mind was drawing a blank. The bullets should have reached him... but something had passed in front of him even faster, before leaving his field of vision. He wasn't quite sure what it had been, until he looked at the wall next to him. Something was embedded in there, something large and heavy: a shield as white as snow, with a cross drawn on it with blood.

A shield that had passed in front of Leo just in time to block off all three bullets.

A shield who should be in someone else's hands.

Why...

Why...

"Uh...?" Leo could only let out a dumb, confused moan.

The only one here who wasn't taken aback was the very knight who had stopped in the middle of a life-threatening battle to discard one of his most precious equipment, and was looking at Leo with a determined look in his eyes. Compared to his usual lack of expression, this determination was glowing like a fire. Galahad hadn't been able to break away from Lancer to jump to his Master's help, so he had done the only he could to save Leo.

"...I will keep my promise. I will not let you die!"

Was all the knight said, as though that was all that needed to be said. He had even shouted it loud enough that Leo could hear it, even though the Servants were fighting tens of meters away from the building.

Not everyone was equally confused however – Ewald quickly regained his composure and didn't waste time. He was entirely focused on the task at hand, which was to kill his opponent at all cost. So once again, he aimed with ruthless efficiency and pulled the trigger.

"...!" Leo looked at him.

But...

He was...

BAN–CLANG–!–!

"Wh..."

It happened...again.

This time, Galahad managed to break even Ewald's lack of expression: the Master of Black opened his eyes wider than he had ever done before. He couldn't believe what had just happened, and neither could Leo, nor Brynhildr. What was so unconceivable wasn't that the bullet had once again been intercepted, but the way Galahad had done it.

He had thrown his sword.

A fine golden blade with a red hilt was now stuck in the wall, right next to the shield.

A mighty foe was standing right next to Saber, someone who could match him despite his tremendous strength. Lancer may have been frozen in her tracks by the sheer surprise, but she was still there. And the distance between the two Servants and the Masters was nothing to scoff at. If he was locked in a deadly battle against Lancer, there was no way Saber could go and retrieve them.

But the knight knew that very well.

Galahad's hands were now empty. He had no shield and no sword to fight with – he had discarded them both to protect Leo.

"...I will save you, no matter what!"

"...Saber..."

Again.

That guy was doing it again.

Why was he so damn earnest? And why was that hitting Leo harder than any bullet could? It was more than a slap – Saber's earnesty had touched Leo and broke the dam.

Leo's body was trembling. He was shaking from head to toe, shaking from the fear he hadn't been able to feel a minute ago. Emotions were overcoming him so much that it made his trembling even worse. But it was a good thing: that fear was waking call that snapped him out of his lethargy.

Just...what had he been thinking?

He was horrified to even think about it, but more than that, he was afraid of death. His body wanted to live, and this will to survive instilled strength in his legs. Leo didn't waste the opportunity Saber had bought for him, and while Ewald was still too stunned to react, he turned around and made a run for it. The Master of Black also snapped out of it once he saw his target getting away, but Leo turned around a corner before he could shoot again.

"...Lancer, I'm giving chase." And Ewald did exactly that. Galahad had nothing more to throw at him anyway.

Thus, both Masters disappeared inside the building.

Meanwhile, the two Servants were still standing in front of each other. Now that he had done all he could do, Galahad refocused his attention on Brynhildr. Saying that the latter was glarring at him was the understatement of the century. Even she could barely make sense of discarding his means of fighting in the middle of a battle. No, actually, it was more than incomprehension: she was feeling deeply insulted.

"Saber, what do you think you're doing?" She asked in a dangerous tone. "Are you expecting me to allow you to retrieve your sword?"

"...No, nothing of the sort." Galahad replied flatly, as though it was none of his concern. In the meantime, he raised both of his fists in front of him in a fighting stance. "...I can defeat you without weapons."

"...! You...!" Purple lightning ran through her wings and down to the tip of her spear. The flames answered to Lancer's anger and flared up. Her opponent didn't really understand how she felt, nor why she would feel that way – and that confused look on his face was all the more infuriating. "I will make you eat those words! Once a Valkyria sets out to battle, the outcome is in our hands!"


Thank you for reading!

I wasn't kidding about the uploading pace.

~Legends Storyteller.