It's kinda hilarious to see a lot of people assume that Gil would find out the truth about Halmeus with Clairvoyance. There's a lot of reasons why Gil cannot find out even without taking into account the fact that Halmeus' status is hidden from the world by some unknown force.
Small hints: 1. Belief has infinite power 2. Kinokoverse has parallel worlds 3. There are always bigger fish in the sea
A few of the reviews came pretty close, so I'll refrain from spoiling more. On to the story then!
It was the sixth day of the Fourth Holy Grail War, and the freezing cold winter breeze was still prominent, robbing what warmth was left in the air. Today, however, was a rather sunny day, and the golden rays of the afternoon sun softened the winter chill.
On this very day, a chartered plane from Germany carrying a couple of people landed on the runway of Airport F, the nearest airport to Fuyuki City.
"We arrived, Saber! How was your flight? I do hope that it was somewhat pleasant."
A beautiful silver-haired woman ... Irisviel von Einzbern, who was looking at the scenery outside from a passenger flight with sparkling eyes, asked her companion who was sitting next to her.
In fact, Irisfiel was secretly looking forward to the reaction of her companion...Saber, however, did not answer any of her questions.
Or rather, it was more likely that Saber hadn't even heard her question in the first place.
"Oh, my God, Saber! We're already in Japan."
Hearing these words, Saber's attention finally returned to the outside world. When she saw the other passengers bustling down the stairs, she stood up in a hurry.
"I'm sorry, Irisviel. For someone like myself to be so irresponsible..."
"You've been reading that book the whole time we've been on board. Is it really that interesting?"
I've never read that book before. Can you show it to me later?
In contrast to Irisviel, who smiled cheerfully as she stepped down the ramp, Saber's eyes widened in surprise.
"Hasn't Irisviel ever read this book? I don't think Kiritsugu would not have known about this..."
"'The Record of Halmaeus'...? Hmm, I've heard of it...I've never read it though."
Irisviel said with a troubled look on her face, and Saber tilted her head in confusion as well.
She couldn't believe Kiritsugu hasn't read it.
'I'm sure that if he had read it, he would have recommended it to Irisviel', Saber had predicted, though from how Irisvial acted, she was proven wrong.
Saber knew the circumstances of this beautiful princess.
She has never actually walked in the outside world since she was born, and has been living in a hidden castle in that extremely cold and secluded forest, learning about the world from the movies and pictures Kiritsugu occasionally brought her, and imagining about the scenery of the world Kiritsugu talks about.
It wouldn't be exaggerating to say that reading books was her only entertainment in his life. Kiritsugu's books of the outside world was the best way to relieve her boredom.
Therefore, she was aware that Irisviel is a bit naive in some respects.
She has already realized that the black dress she herself wore, which looks like a tailcoat, and the cashmere coat of Irisviel, which was instantly recognizable as a luxury item, is considered strange in modern-day fashion.
Even so, the fact that Irisviel did not know anything about this book was quite surprising.
"Is it a famous book?"
"'In my time, it was better known than any other book. And perhaps it still is."
Irisviel had told her about Kiritsugu's desire for the Holy Grail; to redeem the world with an all-powerful wishing machine. To do so, he is willing to give up everything to win this Holy Grail War.
Saber thought it's a wish to be proud of. Wielding this sword for the fulfillment of that wish would be a great honor for any knight. She has no doubt about that.
That was precisely why she was so confused. What is the reason for one who aims to save the world, to not show the heroic story of Halmeus, a tale of the Hero who made it happen, to his own wife?
"What's the story about?"
"...There's no end to the tales I could tell you. During the meetings of the round table, we often clashed with each other's arguments and lost control of the situation. So, let's talk about it in a nutshell."
She remembers the times long past, the scene of that day. With books in hand, they had explored the meaning of justice together, questioned the merits of the ideal of protecting all people, and discussed the pride of knights.
Some said that Halmaeus was the true hero who gave the perfect answer to all of these questions, while others said that he was a guideline for those who would come after him, and that in the end, the people living in this era must be the ones to give the final answer.
It was so fun. That's why she was so devastated. That's why she lamented the hell that occurred on that hill of Camlann.
The fact that Britain was destroyed, the fact that she will never see his knights again, the fact that she could not do anything about it.
All of this was unacceptable to Saber.
It was this thought that brought Saber to the Holy Grail War.
"It is, frankly speaking, a hero's record. Indeed, it's a record of heroes...but it's really more of a book about philosophy, history, and tactics. The record is vast, and it's not just a simple record of, 'Who's the hero, where did he fight and what did he fight against, and how did he win'."
"I'm sorry for the confusing explanation", Saber said. Irisviel shook her head at her apologetic Servant.
"I understand. It's hard to explain. So, what did this Halmeus person do? Or, rather I should ask, what did he accomplish?"
A hero cannot be just a strong and courageous person. It is also not enough to be wise. Only those who have 'accomplished something' in their lives, good or bad, are allowed to call themselves heroes.
So, it was only natural that Irisviel would want to find out what he had done.
Saber thought about Irisviel's question for a moment, then nodded, and solemnly opened her mouth.
"Halmaeus is a hero who has accomplished the ideal of justice.
He has triumphed over a million battles. Unknown to a single sacrifice, nor known to one despair.
That's what the poets of later times chanted about Halmaeus."
"..."
"And Halmaeus himself, just before his final death, said to his friend; 'Should I abandon the few I love to save the many I do not know? Or vice versa? Both are right and both are sad. That's why I've saved them all. That's why I shall continue to save them all.' This was exactly why Halmeus was praised as the savior of humanity and the embodiment of ideal justice."
When she heard this, a feeling of understanding sunk into Irisviel's heart.
"I see", she said, realizing the reason why her husband has not shown her the record.
For one who has chosen not to save a few for the sake of many, to show the stories of one who has saved all, to one who he has decided not to save...her gentle husband could not have allowed that to happen. He thought that act alone would be too sinful and cruel, more than anything else.
"That's ...of course. If only justice could be served like that, it would be the best."
"...Yes. But it's not an easy road to take. Being right was not as easy as I had once imagined.
I had to cut down villages to protect my country. To save more troops, I used one of my troops as a decoy and discarded them. I believed that this was the only way to protect the country, and so I did it. That was my role as king.
The ideal of being like Halmaeus degraded into nothing more than a dream of what Halmaeus would have been like. In the end, I even began to use the name of the hero as if it were an excuse, 'For I was not Harmeas, I couldn't have saved more.'"
Yes, this was the reason why Kiritsugu hates Saber so much.
If you listen to them talk, the reason for such a disagreement was obvious, even if they deny it outright.
Although they are different, Saber and Kiritsugu are also similar in many ways.
They both read the same stories and longed for the same things. Their ideals were never realized, and they both accepted 'unavoidable sacrifices'.
In the case of Kiritsugu, it was for peace, and for Saber, it was for the country of Britain. The two of them were so much alike.
And both of them, yes both of them, were trying to fulfill their ideals with the Holy Grail. They were both trying to catch up with the ideal they dreamed of with the all-powerful wishing machine.
Since Saber didn't know about Kiritsugu's life, she wasn't able to understand why he hated her so much. However, Kiritsugu knew about Saber's life.
A girl much younger than himself was forced to bear the tremendous burden of the future of her country and the lives of her people. And that she had chosen to do so with her own hands.
He was filled with anger towards Britain, anger towards the girl named Artoria Pendragon, and a certain kind of hatred towards someone of his own kind.
"Even so, I could not protect Britain. You know the end of my life. The hearts of my knights were turned against me, and in the end, the country was destroyed by Mordred's rebellion. On that hill of Camlann, I...I-Irisfiel? What's wrong?"
"...No, it's nothing. It's nothing, Saber."
As she said this, even smiling as she did so, drops of tears began to accumulate in the corners of her eye. A tear, unable to bear its own weight, ran down Irisviel's cheek.
No matter how Saber looked at it, this was not 'nothing'. Also, the density of the gazes that had been gathering even before the incident became increasingly dense. They were attracting too much attention.
Saber pondered for a short while and decided that the maiden's tears should not be exposed to the public eye. She decided that it would feel better if she rested in a secluded place.
Quickly grabbing her thin, white hand, Saber firmly guided Irisviel through the curious crowd.
I was discussing things with Kariya, and before we knew it, we were both taking a nap.
I thought I had a dream of Kiritsugu crying while shooting me with one of his bone-marrow bullets... I don't know, maybe it was just my imagination.
The more you try to remember your dreams, the more likely it is for you to forget them entirely. I don't know why that is a thing.
Still, the days are so boring that I wonder if the Holy Grail War was ever this uneventful. The second and third days were pretty intense and focused, but when I thought about it, it was the sixth day when Saber and Lancer fought each other in the warehouse district.
Servants are usually summoned on the second day, so it was only natural that I would have some free time.
Nevertheless, that will end today. Today is the day that Saber and Irisviel will arrive in Japan, and the first battle of the Fourth Holy Grail War will finally begin.
...Hassan of the Hundred Faces? That was a one-sided slaughter.
Anyway, from now on, it's really going to be a bloody fight for life. Both the heroic spirits of the dead and the living, the masters, will be putting their lives in danger.
I'm no exception. I have already died once before and once more after my reincarnation, but I still have a deep-rooted fear of death. Maybe because it's a biological instinct?
Well, it's better than it used to be. If it wasn't, I'd have run away a long time ago.
"Gghh... ..."
Still, Kariya is in serious condition. In the novel and the anime, there was not much description, but I wonder if he actually suffered so intensely every day.
I'm positive that he's gotten a little better since he summoned me, but even so, he's been having nightmares ever since. Even before I woke up, he was probably tossing and turning in his sleep. Basically, his body has reached its limit.
He also seems to have frequent nightmares. Earlier, he screamed out something like, "The horizon...it's...black ... No, no...no no no no...! It ...it's an army...an army of darkness...! ...Stop! It's too reckless! How can you possibly fight this by yourself...!"
He must be having quite the nightmare.
Unfortunately or perhaps fortunately in this case, since my power level is so low, the amount of mana that Kariya needs to supply is almost non-existent. In addition, something like this kind of...charismatic aura that floods out of my flesh seem to be restoring his physical condition bit by bit.
In a way, I'm an eco-friendly servant. I might be the perfect servant for Kariya.
At least, when it comes to fuel efficiency this might be true, but in other words, that's about it. Iskandar, for example, who has a reputation for consuming huge loads of mana, has a significantly more powerful noble phantasm than that of an average servant.
It's not every day that you find a servant with good fuel efficiency, high basic performance, and a powerful noble phantasm. Of course, there are also those whose potential changes greatly depending on the master, though that's fairly rare.
For example...fate/Apocrypha's Caster of Red Camp is a prime example. If he was called in a normal Holy Grail War, he'd be a complete waste of a servant.
"Anyway...What to do...hmm...the best course of action..."
As I spend my days rambling and watching TV, I can't help but notice the news. There was a case involving a series of kidnappings of young girls in the vicinity. Ryunosuke and Castor.
It seems like the uproar is getting bigger with every day.
I wonder how many days it took for the church to notify us about the rule change. As expected, I can't remember such details. The seventh day? Or the eighth day?
At any rate, this knowledge of the original story is the greatest advantage I have right now. I'll have to make use of it even if I can't remember most of the more precise details.
But even so, I have no way of confirming if the story is progressing as it should be. In the first place, the Berserker slot has already been filled, and it can even be said that the story has already been out of order since day one.
For now, I guess I'll have to carefully observe tonight's battle in the warehouse district and see if things are going well or if there are any deviations.
"..."
It's three o'clock in the afternoon, I've finished my nap, and I think it's time to go out and find a good spot to observe the spectacle that's about to unfold.
Lancer might be hanging around, but that wouldn't be a problem. No one would recognize me as a Servant anyway. At the very least, I've never been out on the streets and had someone look at me in a way like; 'This is no ordinary guy! He must be a warrior in disguise!'.
The fact that my mana was so thin I had been called "no better than a third-rate magician" by Zouken Wormfather was no fluke. I'm sure that only the purest of hearts can understand the warm aura that my master, Kariya, seems to sense from me.
If Lancer finds out...well let's think about that when we get there. He's Mr. Chivalry, you know. I'm sure he'll let you off the hook if you show him how scared you are.
"Wow, HALMEUS! He did something I never could without blinking! What a HERO! YES! CRUSH THEM! ORAORAORAORAORA!"
I don't want to wake up Kariya, who seems to be getting hyped with his fists raised, so I decided to leave a note behind.
I wonder what kind of dream he's having. He looked pretty bad just a while ago, but now he's acting like Ryunosuke who got high after seeing Caster's Chuthulu knockoff. Kariya's still asleep, though. ...It's pretty funny when you look at it from the outside.
Well, I'm relieved. This is way better than hiding in the sewers and getting eaten by bugs while all alone.
Take your time, Kariya. Get some rest.
You deserve it, after all.
I'm pretty sure Halmeus would gain another believer soon enough. Poor Hero-kun, lol.
PLs review if you like this! Review for Halmeus-kun!
X-kalibuuuur, over and out!