FATE/CATBOX FICTION

Chapter 27: Lancer's Absolution

Sanson glared at Kiritsugu, unperturbed by the gun being pointed at him. Without warning, the executioner rushed toward the killer, and Kiritsugu instinctively pulled the trigger. Sanson raised his sword and quickly blocked a volley of rapid-fire bullets before advancing on the surprised Assassin. Although he sustained some damage, Sanson's class change to a Ruler granted him enough durability to shrug it off. Kiritsugu withdrew his dagger and exchanged strikes with Sanson's sword in frenzied whirls of motion.

That was when Kiritsugu noticed several red patterns etched on Sanson's right hand. He immediately recognized them as Command Spells – a privilege that only Ruler-class Servants could enjoy as overseers of Holy Grail Wars. Furthermore, there didn't appear to be just three strokes, but actually nine. Each of the curved strokes formed to resemble a triskelion, an ancient Celtic symbol possessing many meanings throughout the ages, but generally represented a cycle of three processes such as life/death/rebirth, spirit/mind/body, and father/mother/child to name a few. Way back when Sanson, Leonidas and Spartacus had been given their roles as the Caretakers, they agreed on using this symbol to represent three things; their unshakeable bond as Cliste's custodians, the shrines they were assigned to, and to honor their fallen Celtic comrade.

To Kiritsugu's astonishment, none of the Command Spells had been used yet. Based on his experience with Holy Grail Wars, it meant that Sanson could potentially use one or two to boost himself. Even if he was outnumbered, he could compensate by increasing his parameters.

If we're not careful, this could get out of hand very quickly, the Assassin realized.

Right after Sanson pushed Kiritsugu away with a potent sword swing, he raised his hand and activated one of the charges on his Command Spell. The energy transferred from his palm directly into the sword, emanating an auburn aura that concentrated the air around it into a diagonal razor-sharp edge that extended well beyond the actual blade's reach. For all intents and purposes, Sanson was now wielding a guillotine.

With a determined glare, Sanson raised his weapon high above, then murmured, "When I raise this sword, so I wish that this poor sinner will receive eternal life… La Mort Espoir!"

The headsman slashed down once over Kiritsugu. He gasped in surprise as he saw the red guillotine descend upon him faster than he could react. Suddenly, he felt some tiny strings wrap around his arms, and they pulled him away moments before the Noble Phantasm struck the ground harmlessly. Kiritsugu noticed that the strings were colored white, and he looked back to see that Irisviel was using them like marionette wires to temporarily control him.

All this while, Waver shivered with fear. Reading about Charles-Henri Sanson was one thing, but to actually see how gruesome his abilities were as a Servant easily frightened him. Watching a guillotine fall upon Kiritsugu was almost too much to bear, and his knees began knocking uncontrollably. He almost fell to the ground in a panic, but then he felt his terror dissipate in an instant, and he regained his balance.

"Hmph. I suppose a good pep talk is in order here," Zhuge Liang seemed to sigh in disappointment. "Listen to me, lad. Though you may hate how powerless, incompetent, and mediocre you are, you still had the strength to carry your legs one step forward at a time. Yet, you refuse to wake up from your dream of being so weak that you have nothing to boast about to the world. It is as if you want to be strong, yet have embraced your weakness so much that you cannot fathom achieving greater heights. Well, no more. Your self-reproach comes to an end here, Waver Velvet. It is time for you to open your eyes to the true, terrifying potential you carry within you."

"My potential?"

"Without restraint, respect, and humility, power is nothing more than pointless destruction. A strategist does not just see others' strengths – they also account for their weaknesses and boldly declare how they must improve. If you're able to acknowledge your own shortcomings so easily, I almost tremble at how readily you will lambast others for their ignorance, demanding that they improve themselves in order to fit your vision for a better world. That has been your end goal, hasn't it? You noticed that something was wrong with this world's order, and wished to decry everyone for their folly. That's precisely why you left the Clock Tower behind."

"Well yeah, but… Me being able to command others?"

"Not to command, but to guide."

"To be a guide…"

Zhuge murmured, "Take a good look at Sanson. Are those the eyes of a man who wants to do his job?"

Waver stared at Sanson's pained expression as he fended off several swords created out of Irisviel's magic. This clearly wasn't a battle he wanted to fight, but his role as a Caretaker forced him to uphold his duty. Zhuge continued prodding Waver with questions like, "Isn't that something you want to change for the better? Don't you want to set Sanson free from a duty he doesn't want to uphold?"

"Of course I do. But how am I supposed to do that?"

"You already have the answer. Remember – the guillotine is not just a tool of death. It is also a symbol of justice… The very justice you've been searching for, right?"

"Justice…"

"I've given you the tools you need. Use them appropriately."

"All right. It's just that I can't fight Ruler as I am right now. Does this mean you're going to take over?"

"Heh heh. Why throw myself into the battlefield when I already have someone else who can do that for me?"

"Still as cold-hearted a bastard as ever, I see."

"Thank you for the compliment. Now, just repeat these words, and I will bestow you so much power and responsibility that even the mightiest of men would be crushed beneath its weight."

Waver swallowed, then mumbled, "Okay. I'm ready."

"The art of certain victory, the mode of harmonizing with charges, is a matter of opportunity."

"Um… T-The art of certain victory… the mode of… harmonizing with charges… is a matter of… opportunity."

The Runes on Waver's body shone, surrounding him in an ethereal glow. When the light disappeared, he was wearing a different outfit comprised of a red coat and black pants, with a yellow scarf hanging over his shoulders. He didn't know it, but this was what he would wear in the future after gaining the title of Lord El-Melloi II, though this destiny obviously wasn't going to happen in this world. Regardless of his outfit change, what really mattered was that he felt way more confident and sure of himself than ever before. His Magic Circuits brimmed with great magical energy, and a plethora of incantations swirled in his mind.

As Sanson attempted to get in close to fight Irisviel, Waver summoned a bagua mirror in his hand and concentrated golden light into it before firing it at Sanson as a thin laser. It pounded his shoulder, throwing him off course and giving Irisviel a chance to retreat. The Ruler turned his attention to Waver and tried to close the distance between them. The Pseudo-Servant wouldn't allow that to happen though. Thanks to his newfound mastery over the elements, he could throw wind blades, conjure lighting strikes, detonate fire, rain blocks of ice, and catapult giant boulders against his enemy without expending much effort. Unlike Kiritsugu and Irisviel who needed to get in close to fight, Waver could keep a safe distance while maintaining a strong offense.

Although the spells were not quite as accurate as Waver would have liked, they certainly distracted Sanson long enough for Kiritsugu to run in and throw a flash grenade at the headsman's face. It exploded, barraging his eyes with an intense burst of light. He let out a pained cry and covered his face with his arm, struggling to regain his sight as quickly as he could.

Waver didn't need to be told what to do next. He held his glowing hand before him and announced, "This is the ultimate formation of the Great Tactician!"

He raised his arm, and a series of eight red pillars plummeted around the incapacitated Sanson in a circular formation.

"Kaerazu no Jin!"

The columns created a Bounded Field around Sanson, mimicking the Stone Sentinel Maze that Zhuge Liang was credited for creating. It was a formation that infamously ensnared the enemy general Lu Xun into a trap, which then assailed his army with stormy winds and raging currents. Lu Xun could not escape the maze until he had been led out by an old man, revealed to be Zhuge Liang's father-in-law Huang Chengyan. Now, Sanson was caught in a similar predicament as the bagua formation placed a great curse on him that would not be cured unless he figured out the way to escape the labyrinth. His blood practically boiled inside him, and he could barely feel his extremities.

"Ngh… I can't… fall here…" the Ruler snarled with determination as he struggled to stand back on his feet.

"That's enough, Mr. Sanson," Waver declared. "There's no need to continue forcing yourself to be a Caretaker."

"No… I-I have to protect Lancer. I'm the only one… who can…"

"It's not just you. I want to protect her too."

"A Mage… wanting to save the Grail Terminal's core… when he has the Gates… to provide him with endless prosperity? Preposterous."

"It's not. There's a reason I went against the Clock Tower's teachings and left to find out what happened to Lancer. It's the very same reason you wield that sword."

Sanson narrowed his eyes. Waver did the same as he said, "You're not just a harbinger of death for the guilty. You also deliver justice for their sins, freeing them from their penance so they can have a fresh start in a new life. In other words, you're a Servant representing absolution for sinners. If Lancer of Akakor really is seen as this world's worst sinner, then you're doing yourself a disservice by not granting her the death she actually deserves. You need to stop lying to yourself and do what is right for both of you."

"But the Mages commanded me to-"

Waver quickly grew enraged as he shouted, "Screw the Mages! They've been having their way for long enough! I'm sick of them walking over everyone they consider weaker just so they can boost their egos! They constantly look the other way and try to ignore reality, even when there's plenty of evidence that their precious little technology is being destroyed from the inside! How much dumber can they get!? Are you telling me you don't mind being bossed around by such complacent idiots!? Because I sure as hell DO!"

Sanson was startled by that last question. He really couldn't think of anything to retort with. Kiritsugu and Irisviel remained in their combat stances, observing the exchange while remaining alert to make sure the Ruler didn't pull any tricks on Waver. The frustrated teenager would have continued shouting, but he suddenly felt a large hand grip his shoulder. He looked back to see Iskandar flashing a broad grin.

"Now that was a lecture for the ages, lad," he said, "though I think you were starting to spiral into a rant right at the end there."

"Can you blame me? I got sick of everyone making fun of me for having to sell all of my possessions just so I could afford to enter the academy. It's not my fault I was born into a regular family…"

"Yeah, I suppose such needless harassment can get on the nerves after a while."

"Anyway!" Waver snapped, then faced Sanson. "How about it, Ruler? Will you surrender and show us the way to the Preservatorium? Believe me, I don't want to have to hurt you, or even kill you. It would just cause Lancer even further pain, wouldn't it?"

"I…"

The white-haired young man stared at the ground despondently. The effects of the Stone Sentinel Maze began to wear off, but luckily he had lost his will to continue this battle any further. As he contemplated on what to do, Lexy silently rejoined her partners. She approached him and said, "If you're still not convinced, I need to have a serious discussion with you about Mother's mental state. Since you're the Caretaker responsible for her psychological health, I figured you would be the most appropriate person to speak with."

Sanson inspected her, then said, "I don't believe I've made your acquaintance before. What is your designation code?"

"I am Enforcer 22-S, though Lord Iskandar has christened me with the name Lexy. Feel free to address me however you wish."

"Very well. So what did you want to tell me about Lancer's condition?"

"You must be aware of her sanity deteriorating with each year that passes, correct?"

"Yes, I am. At the moment, she only has 10% of her original mental state intact."

Irisviel grew concerned, and she asked, "What is that supposed to mean? That she's becoming insane? Or that she's transforming into a different person?"

"It's hard to describe it," Sanson admitted. "Imagine that a soul and a body are inexorably linked with each other. If the soul is removed from the original body and forcefully placed into a different vessel, the soul will begin to 'rot', followed by the body. It's said that the brain is the primary container for the soul, while the rest of the body is a vehicle meant for the brain/soul to provide ambulatory functions. Prolonging such an improper existence will cause the soul to rot so much that they are no longer the same person.

"What I have been keeping track of is the rate that Lancer's soul has been decaying while inside the Grail Terminal. The more she decays, the harder it is to keep her mental state stable, which then affects the Gates. That's why the Mages regularly use Gates for converting dying parallel worlds into raw mana that is then transferred to this one. They believe that feeding the Terminal an immeasurable amount of mana will help to stave the rot. It may have worked for the first 25 years or so, but as her soul continues to deteriorate, more and more mana is required just to keep her stable, never mind sane."

"So it's like Maxwell's Demon," Kiritsugu said. "While the demon can sort hot and cold molecules between two boxes, it takes so much more energy for the demon's brain to process this information that the energy he's actually sorting winds up being worthless."

"Precisely. It's come to a point that more and more worlds need to be destroyed in order to preserve the integrity of Lancer's soul. The amount of mana needed to keep the Terminal functional has been increasing at such an exponential rate that it will soon be impossible to maintain it. The Terminal has become the embodiment of entropy at this point."

"That would explain why there was enough mana in the atmosphere to rival the Age of Gods. It's actually energy for the Terminal."

"And yet that still isn't enough?" Irisviel wondered worriedly.

Sanson shook his head. "No. Even if another Holy Grail War was to produce a Grail containing the purest of souls, the decay cannot be reversed. My estimate is that about 50% of her original sanity would be restored, and even then the increased rate of decay would consume that mana two to five times faster than before. It's simply not a sustainable technology, yet the Mages refuse to part ways with the Parallel World Gates. I've submitted numerous papers explaining these findings over the years, but none of the Mages want to believe it."

Iskandar frowned and murmured, "They're sticking their heads in the sand, unable to accept reality for what it is. What an unfortunate state this world is in."

To Sanson's surprise, Lexy said, "That's only part of the problem."

"What do you mean?"

"Mother's soul isn't just rotting away – it's actually been split."

The Caretaker was obviously confused by this. The Enforcer continued, "I'm not exactly sure when it happened. It could have been when Mother triggered the Extinction, or when she was executed, or when her head was transferred to the Terminal."

Waver winced when he heard that last bit. Lexy never told him anything about this during their trip into the alternate Belgium. As much as he wanted to assail her with a bunch of questions, he knew he needed to keep quiet and listen to what she had to say. He would interrogate her later, demanding that she not skimp on the details any further.

"Regardless," Lexy continued, "Mother was severely traumatized by the Akakor Grail War. So much so that a part of her no longer wanted anything to do with this world, while another part wished that she could do something to change things. Both of these halves were unable to coexist with each other, so they became fractured and manifested as two personalities inside her already-rotting soul."

"T-That can't be right!" Sanson cried out incredulously. "I would have noticed something like that a long time ago!"

"Her 'left' side anticipated that. While her 'right' side was placed into a deep coma, her 'left' side remained awake inside the Terminal and mimicked Mother's original personality so you wouldn't catch on to her mental split. Some of the 'left's side's actions were determined by the 'right' side as far as protecting the few friends she had, but otherwise, the 'left' side was left to her own devices. Except for myself, all of the Enforcers are Alter Ego Servants of the 'left' side, and they share her extreme hatred for Mages. They've been planning their retaliation against the Mages ever since the Terminal was first created."

Zhuge Liang hummed to himself in curiosity, then asked, "Does this imply that these halves represent the good and evil aspects of Lancer?"

"Hmm… I wouldn't say it's that cut and dry. The 'right' side is Mother's original personality left intact. The 'left' side is her darkest emotions materialized into something like a Servant that only exists in her psyche. When you say that Lancer's personality is only 10% viable, it actually means that the 'right' side is getting weaker, while the 'left' side is becoming much stronger. It won't be long before the 'right' side is fully assimilated into the 'left' side, and she awakens as an entity of pure hatred."

Sanson grit his teeth, unable to comprehend what Lexy was telling him. If she was speaking the truth, then all of his previous theories were radically changing in his mind, transforming into an outcome that was much, much worse than he expected. Forget entropy or rotting souls or prophecies of world destruction – if Lancer of Akakor woke up in this anomalous state, with a Holy Grail containing entire worlds' worth of energy for her to use as a weapon, the world would be crushed beneath her foot, just like that.

On Kiritsugu's transceiver, Roman and Da Vinci were listening to Sanson and Lexy's explanations. The orange-haired doctor suddenly blurted out, "That's it!"

"Hm? What's it?" Lexy asked.

"That must be the strange version of Cliste that Connla met before! She had a dream where she met an unusual, darkened version of Cliste, and that she was swallowed whole by some monster before waking up! Could that possibly be this 'left' side of Cliste that you're talking about!?"

The Enforcer raised an eyebrow, then said, "It probably could be."

"I was hypothesizing that Cliste was slowly being Blackened into an Alter Servant. That didn't explain why Connla felt like she was meeting a stranger, or why Cliste was confused about Connla talking about this 'other' version of her. If Cliste actually split from her Alter without knowing it, that could explain everything!"

"Probably. The 'left' side would have wanted to put the 'right' side - that is, the entity you call Cliste – into a comatose state. Maybe the 'left' side sees the 'right' side as a potential obstacle to her plans and is keeping her ignorant of what's going on."

"Holy shit… Connla's not going to like hearing this…"

Da Vinci suddenly interrupted by saying, "Sorry to butt in, but do you think you could refer to this 'right' and 'left' side business using our terms instead? We know Lancer of Akakor as Connla Cliste, according to the interactions our Connla had with her before."

"Oh, of course. I didn't mean to cause any confusion," Lexy said. "I suppose our terminologies will wind up clashing if we don't consolidate them. So what I know as Mother's 'right' side is dubbed Cliste, the original form of Lancer's personality. What do you address the 'left' side as?"

"Nothing other than some hypothetical Alter for now. We barely know anything about her at this point."

"Very well. Cliste and Alter it is."

"Good. Now that we've established that Lancer of Akakor exists as Cliste and Alter inside the Terminal, the questions are now what Alter is trying to do, how destructive it will be, and what we have to do to stop her. Is there anything else you know that you could share with us? We've practically been fumbling in the dark looking for clues as we go along."

"Well… If I had been programmed by Alter, I probably would have more of Mother's memories for reference. But since Cliste was the one who created me, her memories are rather faint and hazy."

"If she was the half put into a coma for so many decades, it would make sense that she'd forget a lot of things."

Roman said, "We know about the mental split actually happening, but we don't know enough as to why it occurred. All we understand is that Lancer was a Conservative Servant, yet did something that benefitted the Extremists in the end. We need crucial information pertaining to the Akakor Grail War that none of the Akakor Servants possess, particularly the link between Lancer and the Extremist faction."

"Actually, there's something I wish to show you," Sanson said, then pressed some buttons on the console so that a slit opened up. Something slid through, and he handed it to Lexy.

"What is this supposed to be?" Waver wondered.

"A case containing footage from the Akakor Grail War."

"No way!" both Waver and Roman exclaimed, and their hearts leapt. To be able to witness history that had been lost for 50 years greatly excited them.

"I managed to confiscate this evidence before the Mages could destroy it, but they placed an advanced encryption on the case as a precaution. I've tried many times to break it, ultimately to no avail. I couldn't ask any of the Mages for help, and with how strangely the other Enforcers have been behaving, I was afraid of trusting them."

Lexy inspected the case, then nodded and said, "Yes, your assumption was most correct. All of my sisters possess Alter's malignant intentions toward the Mages. If they believe anyone is suspicious of them, they won't hesitate to kill that person. I, however, am different than them. If you want this encryption removed, I will take care of it. I also want to see what's contained in this tape."

"Thank you so much," Sanson sighed with relief. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

"I can certainly imagine. I'm going to need a few minutes, so please wait until I'm ready."

The others gave her some distance so she could work at the computer in silence. She immediately realized that this particular encryption had a solution that changed at set intervals, so she needed to work quickly to crack it.

"Sorry, but I need to make a quick call," Kiritsugu told everyone, then stepped off to the side and dialed the number for Connla's transmitter.

After a minute, the Lancer picked up and asked, "Is everything okay, Assassin?"

"Salazere has been liberated. I am remaining on standby until the other two shrines are under our control."

"Manoa is secured as well. While I was resting, Master informed Father that Tiahuanaco was also captured, and that she recruited some of the Akakor Servants to her side."

"Excellent. Actually, there's a question I want to ask of you and Cuchulainn."

"Of Father and I? Whatever could it be?"

"You mentioned something about how you have that geas which forbids you from speaking your True Name. If you were in a hypothetical situation where you had absolutely no knowledge of possessing such a curse, would you still react to the geas in some form or fashion?"

Connla pondered Kiritsugu's question for a bit. "It's hard to say, since I never experienced such a scenario myself. I'm no expert on geasa, but I do know that they have an incredibly powerful hold on the person's very soul. I have three geasa myself, and Father has two. Both of our geasa have become prominent facets of our legends, so to suddenly be expected not to have them is like taking away one's most vital organs in the blink of an eye. They're an intrinsic part of who we are, whether we like it or not. Even if you've manifested as a Servant and have no memory of making such a vow, you still can't escape it. At least, that's my best guess."

"Hm…"

"Did something happen? I never expected you to ask such an unusual question. Pardon me if I sound a bit rude, but you don't strike me as someone to be interested in Celtic folklore."

"You're not being rude – it's an understandable opinion to have. Besides, it's not relevant anymore. Your explanation will suffice."

"Huh. If you say so."

"In any case, we should stay alert and wait for Master's order."

"Understood."

He hung up and leaned his back against the wall. He kept his distance from the group as he silently pondered what Connla told him. Although she wasn't as concrete with her theory as he would have liked, he was still satisfied with her answer. Perhaps when he returned to Chaldea, he would look into this matter further. He was lucky this time, but he didn't want to take it for granted in case he ever encountered this scenario again.

Meanwhile, Irisviel was telling Waver, Iskandar and Sanson everything about Chaldea's involvement. Once Irisviel finished, Iskandar replied, "I see. I suppose I should extend my gratitude to you folks."

"Gratitude?" she wondered.

"If you folks had not come along, we would have been in quite the pickle concerning how to dispel the Tradition Protection. I do have my men for backup, but summoning them takes up quite a bit of the lad's magical energy, and he's already exhausted from everything that happened in the parallel world. You folks have taken care of the tricky part though, so I should repay you all by leading the charge into Akakor's underbelly."

Da Vinci murmured, "I don't know how you call that a 'repayment'… Still, I would imagine that all three of our groups are tired from this lengthy excursion. The trouble is that the moment the Caretakers dispel the barrier, the Family Tree's Mages are going to be on to us like moths to a flame. We need to act quickly to reach the Grail Terminal, or else we'll be overwhelmed by their Servants."

Iskandar actually looked thrilled by the challenge presented to him, and he bellowed, "Gyah hah hah hah! That certainly sounds like a problem! Well, you have nothing to fear any longer! All I need to know is the tactical might of Chaldea's forces, along with what the Preservatorium is like! Zhuge and I will handle the strategy from there!"

"All right. We have quite a number of Servants spread out through the shrines, along with our only Master. I'll describe who each Servant is, along with their combat capabilities."

Sanson added, "I'll elaborate on the Preservatorium's layout and the route to get there."

The group sat on the floor and started going over numerous details with Iskandar. Waver couldn't really contribute to the discussion, but Zhuge Liang was incredibly interested in what he was hearing. When Da Vinci started talking about Connla's capabilities, Waver suddenly blurted, "You have your own Lancer of Akakor!?"

"Y-Yes, we do," Irisviel said. "It's because of her that we're even here in the first place."

"I don't believe it! Investigating Lancer's past is the reason I left the Clock Tower! You're saying I can meet her!?"

"Whoa now, lad," Zhuge exclaimed. "You need to remember that Chaldea's Connla is from a parallel world. While she'll look exactly the same as Akakor's Connla, her memories and experiences are going to be completely different. To say that she's the same person as Lancer of Akakor is a huge mistake."

"Ah, right… Dealing with parallel worlds can be so confusing. There are so many variants of the same person that I keep forgetting their lives aren't the same."

"If you're that eager to meet Chaldea's Connla, remember that she's not your primary target. You're both trying to look for Akakor's Connla, who is your objective."

"Yes, I'll keep that in mind," Waver murmured and took some deep breaths to compose himself.

As the others continued talking for the next half hour, he kept thinking about what he was going to say to Connla. Yes, he knew she wasn't going to be the same person as Lancer of Akakor. Regardless, there was something that fascinated him about her – that someone as small and pitiful as her could stand up to a powerful foe like Cuchulainn for 24 hours. Her ultimate defeat and death meant nothing to Waver. All that mattered to him was that if she had the potential to accomplish something so great, maybe a weakling like him could as well. Perhaps that was why he was so excited to meet Chaldea Connla; to be able to see what the real Heroic Spirit looked like.

As the others were concluding their discussion, Lexy announced, "I got it!"

"Did you!?" Sanson yelped and scrambled to his feet, rushing up next to her in anticipation. He watched the Enforcer crack open the sturdy case like a book, revealing a reel of 16mm film meant to play on a Bolex video camera.

"Wow, this looks really old," Irisviel remarked. "Is there any way to play this back?"

"Not to worry," the Caretaker assured and headed into the back of the shrine. "I kept a camera in my private collection in the off chance I opened the case myself."

"Despite its age, the case actually kept the film in good condition," Lexy said as she inspected the reel.

She and Sanson set up the camera so it faced a blank section of the wall. Lexy asked everyone, "Are we ready? I'm going to play it now."

"Go ahead. We're recording here as well," Da Vinci told her.

The Enforcer pushed the button. The light from the camera beamed onto the wall, producing a grainy yet clear enough greyscale video for everyone to watch.


May, 1926

Connla and Berserker of Akakor were patrolling the rainforest directly above Akakor. For the first few minutes of the footage, Connla was the one holding the camera as she recorded Berserker fighting some slimy-looking tentacled monsters that had emerged from the Rio de Madeira. The feline Servant finished off the last creature, then approached Connla and happily exclaimed, "That's the last one!"

"Good work," the Lancer replied. "I can't believe that monsters managed to pass through the experimental Gate. Master Luise and the other Mages must be excited though, considering this is technically the very first instance of foreign life traveling here from a parallel universe."

"It'd be bad news if the Clock Tower found out though. That's why they wanted us to take care of the problem and record it, right?"

"Yes. Master Luise will be anxious to see this."

"The other Extremists will be as well!"

Connla became silent for a moment. Berserker noticed her change in attitude and exclaimed, "Hee~eey, everything's gonna be fine! Think about it! You're one of those types of heroes who'd gladly sacrifice their life to save the world! Considering that Atlas predicted the world will end in 50 years, don't you want to do something about it?"

"Of course I do. But to think Master Luise believes I'm the key to unlocking Magecraft that mimics the Second Magic… It's almost hard to fathom. Thule refused Master's request to duplicate the Runes in my brain with their own Runecraft, so they were basically a dead end. She told me that she has a backup plan though, and that I need to stay alive until she's ready."

"What do you think she has in mind?"

"I really don't know."

"Well whatever it is, I wanna find out!"

Connla sighed despondently and pointed the camera down at her feet. Berserker immediately made her look back up and assured, "Enough with the long faces! You're going to go down as this world's savior! You should look a lot prouder than that!"

"… Berserker?"

"Hm? What's up?"

"Why do you follow me wherever I go?"

"My Master told me to. Plus we're super-tight friends, are we not?"

"I don't think that's the reason."

"Oh? Then what do you think?" the feline Servant asked with jovial curiosity.

Connla narrowed her eyes and became serious. "I think our Masters are working together to make sure I don't do anything that will upset the Extremists' plans. You've been ordered to keep strict tabs on me so that I don't commit suicide or attempt to confide in my Conservative allies. Am I wrong?"

Berserker put their hands behind their head and whistled a fake innocuous tune, then murmured, "Maaa~aaaybeee~eee…"

"Why be coy with me at this point? We already know that our Masters belong to the Extremist faction, even though they pretend to be Conservatives to deceive the opposition. Your Master's allegiances ping-pong back and forth not because he wants to survive this Grail War, but to confuse the Conservatives and make it easier for you to watch over me. In reality, he's a staunch Extremist, is he not?"

"Hm… Pretty scary how smart you are for someone so small. All right, just for my bestest buddy in the whole wide world, I'll fess up!" Berserker grinned. "The truth is, our Masters are good friends and lovers."

Connla widened her eyes. "Lovers?"

"Yup! Not only that, they have strong ties with Rider."

"With Rider? How come?"

"Very early in the war, he had some long conversation with Luise and my Master, Alfred Rojas. Super top-secret stuff! Not even I know what they were up to! They totally wanted to keep it under wraps from Giselle, so that's why Luise murdered your first Master and took her Command Spells!"

"Didn't Rider include his own Master in that talk?"

"Apparently not. He must have some seriously juicy intel to keep it secret even from his own Master!"

Connla glanced away in worry. While she knew that Rider of Akakor's True Name was Marquis de Sade, she actually didn't know a whole lot about him. During this entire conflict, she only saw him in passing here and there, especially since Wyatt Earp was most keen on fighting Sade whenever they crossed paths. According to Earp, Sade was someone that Connla absolutely needed to stay away from. She obeyed her ally without question, but she was always curious about Sade and why he was so dangerous. If Earp really was emphatic about Sade's bad character, it made her question what the Rider said to her and Berserker's Masters to make them behave so erratically.

"Say, Berserker," Connla said, "what do you know about Rider?"

"Only that he's got the same taste as me for tormenting humans," Berserker said with a playful smile. "Oh, but you're an exception! You're just so darn cute that I could eat you up!"

"Quit trying to change the subject! What exactly do you mean when you say that Rider torments others!?"

"What else could it mean? He's the namesake for the term 'sadism', after all."

"He is!? And someone like that is in cahoots with our Masters!?"

"Sure. Whatever it is that Rider told them, it must've really gotten their blood pumping!"

"I don't believe this… What if he's making them do something dangerous?"

Berserker shrugged nonchalantly. "I dunno. All I can say is that he's got total sway over our Masters, along with all the other Extremist Mages. I've heard rumors that some Conservative Mages are beginning to switch over to our side. It's like he's got them all wrapped around his finger."

Connla's eyes widened in horror. "To think it's actually gotten this bad… This is no longer a Holy Grail War in the truest sense."

"Don't be such a silly goose! It never was a Holy Grail War!"

"W-What do you mean!?"

"Think of it like sticking a 'Hello, my name is…' sticker over a Nazi lapel to hide your real beliefs from society. Oh, but the Nazis haven't happened yet in this world's history, have they? Oh well, that's what happens when the Grail summons us with knowledge of future events. Anyway, my point is that this is all an elaborate act to fool the Mage's Association. Akakor is a grand stage where the actors play their roles of Masters and Servants to decide who gets to win the Holy Grail. Nice narrative, don't you think? But the real magic is happening backstage! You get my drift?"

"…"

"Well, I suppose it's an act for the Conservatives' benefit as well. Most of those Mages are so wishy-washy with their musty old traditions that they'll never notice what the Extremists are actually planning."

"But the Extremists are being swayed by Rider…"

"Then I guess this whole thing is Rider's grandiose plot, isn't it?"

Connla was so stunned that she couldn't speak properly for a moment. Her grip on the camera was so shaky that Berserker had to take it off her hands. They pointed the video at the child Lancer, zooming in on her dismayed expression as she realized the horrifying nature of the Akakor Grail War.

"Aww, don't make such a sad face!" Berserker crooned and immediately pounced on her. "Let's stop talking about such depressing nonsense and play for a bit!"

"Hyah!? G-Get off me! I need to warn my Master!"

"No can do! C'mere, you little rascal! Let me lick your face!"

"Stop it! Your tongue's like sandpaper! Ow, ow, ow! That's enough already!"

As Berserker continued harassing and chasing Connla around, the camera fell to the ground on its side and recorded nothing but tall grass swaying in the wind, and playful shouting in the background. This lasted for about a minute before the feed cut off.


AUTHOR'S NOTE:

† - "Unreturning Formation".