Chapter XIX
"So you wanna tell me what all that was about?" I asked Atalanta when we got back to our room, closing the door behind me.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Atalanta's gaze was still averted from mine as she sat on the edge of the bed, her attention on the tablet in her hands, but I could tell her focus wasn't completely on it.
"Atalanta," I sighed, walking over and crouched down on one knee before her and gently pried the electronic device away. I noted that she had barely put any resistance to it. Which was odd because if she wanted to, she could wipe the floor with me in a fight despite her low rank in Strength. "Ever since we joined forces with Ruler and Yggdmillennia, you've been… aggressive towards Ruler. Why?" When she remained silent, I lowered my voice. "Please," I implored her, "tell me what's wrong."
Atalanta bit her lip, still keeping her eyes away from mine.
"Atalanta," I said again.
She closed her eyes and released a big sigh. "What do you think about Ruler?"
I blinked, "What do I think?" What was this about? "I don't know," I said honestly, "it's not like I've been around her long enough to actually know her."
"Yes, of course!" Atalanta looked relieved. "Then you do not…"
"I don't what?" I asked.
Atalanta seemed to be debating something within herself given the myriad of expressions on her face. "Like her?" she said quietly.
I raised a brow, "Well I don't not like her. I mean she is an ally."
Here Atalanta gave me an exasperated look, "I mean, like-like her, Faelan."
For once, I was stunned. Completely, truly surprised. Did she…? "Why does that matter?" I asked quietly.
She shifted uncomfortably. "Because I…" She hesitated one more time, this time looking towards the window. Or rather, not towards the window, but through it, at the moon, which was currently in the last stages of the waning crescent lunar phase. "To think this would happen to me… in a Grail War no less." She then released a slow sigh, "I wonder what you would have thought of my situation, Medea, Lady Artemis…"
I stared at her in confusion for a moment as she continued to stare at the moon with melancholy. "Atalanta?" I prompted softly.
Startled out of her reverie, she looked at me for a moment, switched her gaze back to the moon, and then back to me. She surprised me, as she dematerialized her clawed gloves and placed her hands on my cheeks. My surprise grew when she drew in and pressed her lips against mine. It was only a moment later that my brain recognized the fact that she was kissing me. Before I could react, however, Atalanta pulled back with a rather resigned smile on her face, but there was something else there was well.
"I apologize if that was substandard," she spoke, her voice above a whisper. "I am inexperienced with such things."
I could barely form two thoughts together to even formulate a reply as my thoughts just ended up with the same message; ERROR, ERROR, ERROR, over and over again.
"Was it that bad?" Atalanta chuckled nervously.
"Uh…" was my oh so very intelligent response. Closing my eyes, I counted backward from ten and opened my eyes to see that I wasn't dreaming. Nope, not at all. Staring back at her, technically I should be rejoicing that she felt the same as I felt for her. But right now, all I felt was… confusion. But… seeing into Atalanta's eyes, seeing her vulnerability, for me, I realized that I had to pull my head out of my ass.
"So, uh," I cleared my throat. "Sorry, I'm kinda bad at this. Well, then again, I can't be bad at anything I never had any experience with."
"I guess not," Atalanta couldn't help but chuckle, though I detected the nervous lilt to it.
Still…
"Atalanta, what about your vow?" I couldn't help but ask. "You swore a vow of chastity, didn't you?"
"I…" she hesitated, before giving a sigh. "I did… all I can do is pray to Artemis that she will understand and if she doesn't…" Here she averted her gaze for a moment, "That will be my burden to bear, but this…" she placed her hand on my cheek again. "This feels right," she whispered as she placed her forehead against mine.
"Atalanta?" I spoke just as quietly. "Is this what you really want?"
She smiled at me, taking my breath away. But she also took it physically by pressing her lips against mine, pouring every happy emotion she could into it. Or at least, that's what it felt like, but this time I reciprocated. Eventually, oxygen became a need for me and I reluctantly pulled away, but she had simply smiled again and pressed her forehead against mine.
"So… what do we do now?" she asked as I regained my breath.
"I…" Shit, what do we do? "I don't know," I said honestly with a shrug as I searched my still recovering mind for an answer.
"W-Would you like to go on a date with me tomorrow?" Atalanta was struggling to keep eye contact with me. "There are a few museums in Trifas that look interesting."
I blinked, baffled. "Wait, is that what you were up to on the tablet while on the ride to Trifas?" I grinned rather cheekily at her. "And why you had refused to show anyone what you were doing?"
On the way over to Trifas, we had made a pitstop to stretch our legs, grab some snacks, and a restroom break. And Atalanta had been extremely protective of the tablet, letting no one else touch it and had even gone as far to hide it. That had just made my curiosity grow, but lucky for her, I was more concerned with practicing my magical energy control exercises.
"Perhaps this was a bad idea after all," Atalanta mumbled, her cheeks inflamed as she pulled away.
"Wait, wait. I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I couldn't help but laugh as I moved to sit beside her. "I'm just flattered that you would go so far as to do research, but to be honest Atalanta, if we do go on a date, I'd just be happy to spend time with you."
"O-Oh," she stammered, her blush intensifying. "Well, like I said, I am inexperienced with such things." Idly, I noticed that her lion ears were slightly pointed forward and her tail was pointed straight up. I wonder what was the body language meaning behind the movements were.
But something she said caught my attention. "Atalanta," I spoke slowly, "I'm sorry for ruining the mood, but weren't you married and had a son?"
Atalanta's tail began to move back and forth in agitation as her lion ears turned backward. "No, the concept that I had been the mother of Parthenopaeus is complete fiction. I am still a virgin as Lady Artemis took pity on me and transformed me into a lion just before Hippomenes could consume our marriage." Here, she smirked rather darkly, almost savagely. "I still remember the trickster's surprise just before I tore his throat open."
My eyes widened as I chuckled nervously, "Remind me to not get on your bad side."
A little surprised, she looked at me for a moment before she smiled sheepishly. "My apologies for that. But Faelan, after everything we have been through thus far, you would really have to try to get on my bad side." Here, she smirked rather slyly as she leaned in rather close, causing me to lean against the bed's headboard. "Then again, there might be some satisfaction in punishing you. Or perhaps, as the Servant in this relationship, would you rather punish me instead?"
I made some sort of strangled chicken sound as I choked on my spit, my cheeks becoming a burning red as my mind just processed what she had just said. "This… this is payback for me finagling to sneak into the Citadel a few days ago, isn't it?" I managed weakly.
"Hmm, I have no idea what you're talking about," she chuckled lightly as she laid herself on top of me.
Accepting my fate, not that I wanted to deny it, I leaned back against the pillows with a big, resigned sigh. As time passed, Atalanta's tail had slowly wound itself around my leg as she burrowed her face into my chest. Tentatively, I lifted my right hand and ran it down from the back of her head and down her hair. She seemed okay with it given that she had soon begun purring, like honest to god cat-purring.
As more time passed, I managed to yank my boots off and toss them carelessly off the side of the bed. After which, I began to feel my eyelids grow heavy as exhaustion began to set within me. And soon, I fell asleep to the sound of Atalanta's purring.
…
As Atalanta watched Faelan fall asleep, she couldn't help but feel content. She really did become infatuated with him, but what had completely cemented her feelings for him was what he had asked her earlier. If what she felt for him was what she wanted. Only one other person had asked her what she had wanted. Not her father, not Jason, not Hippomenes. And this is what she wanted. Relaxing against Faelan, she closed her eyes and let Morphius take her to the realm of dreams.
…
In England, Aella Ashford was watching from the doorway of her daughter's room as she watched her husband finish telling a sleepy Linnet her bedtime story. In fact, her daughter had been so exhausted, that she fell asleep before Galen got to the last page. The man she loved noticed this, put the book on the nightstand, and leaned down to kiss Linnet on her forehead before turning off the light, allowing the nightlight of stars glued to the ceiling to glow. Haven seen her as he turned around, Galen gave his wife a smile as he walked over to her so that they both could quietly get out of Lin's room and gently closed the door.
"To think, we used to wrack our brains as to how we could get Lin to sleep every night," Galen chuckled quietly. "All we had to do was introduce her to magecraft." The whole day, they had introduced Lin to the finer points of the Moonlit World, magecraft, the Root, Dead Apostles, the Reverse Side of the World. And most importantly, Heroic Spirits and the Grail War that Faelan was participating in.
Aella smiled sadly at the ground, "Part of me still wishes that we hadn't."
"I know," he wrapped his arms around his wife. "But we both agreed, Lin is becoming too powerful. If we hadn't done so any sooner, we would be crippling her. And in our world, every magus would take advantage of that."
Gritting her teeth, Aella glared at the ground at the very thought of someone exploiting her youngest child for their own ends. She had nearly torn down the cave system the Eye of Marduk had used as their base of operations in her rage when she had found out what they had done to her son. Operating on him for four weeks in vain attempts to find his magic circuits, using him as a catalyst like her disgrace of a brother. She still hated herself for how long it took so long to find Faelan, but never would she had thought that he was taken to another continent.
"Aella?" Galen frowned.
"I… just thinking about Faelan," she sighed, pressing her head against his shoulder.
"He'll be fine," he assured her. "Regardless of how this Holy Grail War ended up, he is still alive, and that's all that matters."
"I just thought that the first and last time I saw or heard of Faust would be in New Mexico," she shook her head, taking a deep breath as she took a step back from her husband. "I would've never thought she would survive a mass cave in. To think she had been in Romania at the same time as Faelan."
"Kairi, his Servant, and Archer saved him," Galen insisted gently. "He's safe."
"For now, yes," Aella frowned. "How long until someone finds out about what happened to him and of the Entity inside him? Barthomeloi may be good at covering paper trails and sweeping things under the rug with her authority, but someone will find a way in." Here she looked off to the side, "I almost regret making that deal with her."
"We were at our wits' end," he shook his head, though he still had a troubled expression on his face. "That deal was our only way to save him."
"Yet it isn't we who are bearing the price for it," Aella slumped back against the wall behind her.
Galen frowned. In exchange for the intelligence as to the Cult of Marduk's identity and whereabouts, Barthomeloi named Faelan as her price in exchange for the information. Not to be taken as an heir for the Barthomeloi family, which they had feared, but instead as a weapon. An investment that Barthomeloi continued to make to ensure the sharpened edge of her new weapon. And from the situations she had been throwing Faelan into, Lorelei Barthomeloi enjoyed the newest addition to her list of tools. Because that's all what Faelan was to her, a tool, albeit an expensive one, but a tool nonetheless.
"We've been in worse situations," Galen walked closer to wrap his arms around his wife again. "Remember when we accidentally woken ORT up for a moment?"
"Don't remind me," she grumbled.
"We've always managed to get ourselves out of such circumstances and we'll do the same for Faelan too," he squeezed his wife tighter. "Not only that, but Faelan also now has a Servant watching his back, an extra pair of eyes to keep him safe."
"Fat lot that did him," Aella scoffed. "Remind me to have a conversation with Archer as to how this happened on her watch…"
"Now, now," he chuckled. "We can cut her some slack. After all, it's not as if she knew about Faust."
"Fine," Aella pouted before grinning devilishly. "Doesn't mean I can't keep this over her head. She may have won over my kids, but she has yet to win this war!"
The Ashford patriarch shook his head.
Oh, his wife.
…
Snow.
I was back in the woods again, though this time I didn't have to go blindly searching as this time the wolves had found me again, revealing themselves. Well, the white one, the one I assumed was the Amaroq did. The white-blue one, who I assumed was Lobo, was at the edge of the shadows, his head lying on his forepaws, apparently sleeping.
"Why did you help me?" I turned to the Amaroq, unable to help myself in asking that question. "Not just once when I was a child, but twice with what had happened with the Calydonian Pelt?"
I didn't know how, but it looked like the Amaroq was smirking as amusement glinted off its yellow eyes as it gave a small snort.
"Right," I realized, "you can probably understand me, but you can't talk. Yeah, this is going to go well."
That seemed to amuse the Amaroq even more as it pressed its snout against my forehead. Nothing seemed to have happened this time when it did that and it stepped back after a moment and lied down on its belly.
"Was that supposed to make it possible for me to speak to you?" I frowned.
All I got from the Phantasmal Beast was feelings of amusement as it continued to regard me. Wait, it didn't talk, but I could feel the impressions of it. Of course! Animals can't talk and they were creatures of instinct. The Amaroq wouldn't be able to speak, at least not in the way I understood standard communication. But it could probably send me impressions of its feelings.
"So… is there a specific reason why you brought me here?" I asked it.
The Amaroq stared at me for a moment before it closed its eyes, sending me impressions of going on a hunt. Did it want me to learn how to hunt? No, that wasn't right. The impressions, it felt like it was wanting to teach. What was it going to teach me?
"Do you want to teach me something?" I frowned.
It gave off a feeling of satisfaction.
What could an Amaroq teach me?
Still...
"Eh, why not?" I shrugged to myself as I sat in front of it. "So, what's the first lesson?"
…
It turns out, going on a date with Atalanta the next day was well-timed. After breakfast, Fiore politely told everyone that everyone not immediately associated with Yggdmillennia that the Citadel was off-limits until the evening. Which meant the old man, Sieg, I, and our respective Servants had to occupy our time in Trifas. Ergo, the perfect time to go on a date.
Still, Mom and Dad didn't raise a boor, so instead of my normal outfit, I had instead dressed in a red v-neck, black jeans, shoes, and a jacket. Beside me, Atalanta had chosen to wear an off-white turtleneck dress and a pair of Greek-style sandals. As we walked through the city of Trifas however, I noticed that Atalanta seemed to be wrestling with herself over something ever since we had left the Citadel and had been pointedly looking at my hand every so often. Smiling a bit to myself, I reached over and intertwined my fingers with hers, grasping her hand.
"We are on a date, Atalanta," I turned my smile to her. "I don't mind if you wanted to hold my hand."
"O-Oh, yes," she stammered, her cheeks reddening. "I…" her voice drifted off as she noticed something nearby, her eyes narrowing at it.
Raising a brow, I turned to look in the direction she was glaring in and was surprised to see a pair of women, both of whom were looking at me. Or rather, they were making eyes at me. They were relatively around my age and I guess they were pretty enough if I were a mundane human, but I was with someone better. Barely giving the girls more than a passing glance, I resumed walking towards our destination, pulling Atalanta along.
"Wait, Faelan!" she protested.
"You know," I said softly, "one of the things I find attractive in a woman is whether she can get along with Lin." Feeling her stop, I turned around to see her staring at me in surprise. "What?" I shrugged, "it's the truth."
"Are you trying to distract me?" she accused with a smile.
"Depends," I shrugged again, though it was sheepish this time, "is it working?"
As if unable to help herself, Atalanta smiled. "Luckily for you, it is," she admitted. "Come, we'd better get to the museum soon. There is a restaurant I think we'd both like I think we should go to after."
I didn't mind her making the schedule for our date, being the isolationist that I was, planning for a social gathering wasn't really my strong suit. Plus, she seemed excited to have planned everything.
"Lead the way," I smiled back.
Eventually, we found ourselves at the museum. It was a small collection of relics, artifacts, and paintings. There wasn't anything so grand in that museum compared to the ones back in Bucharest, but most of the pieces were unique to Trifas. It was interesting in that the city of Trifas itself wouldn't have existed if it weren't for the Yggdmillennia clan, or rather the city would've faded to the wayside and may not have developed into a city at all. Trifas functioned as Yggdmillennia's public cover as well as its chief moneymaker in terms of tourism. Trifas was a balanced blend of old-style and modern methods. Which makes me think that despite Darnic losing his mind at the end, he was at least smart enough to have managed his territory.
"Huh," I frowned, stopping at a picture.
"Hmm, what is it Faelan?" Atalanta paused and walked back towards me.
But my gaze was caught by a painting. There, hanging on the wall, was a picture of Vlad Tepes III and the picture was pretty accurate to the likeness of the man.
"Oh," Atalanta frowned at the picture. "A shame what happened to him… at the end."
"Yeah," I nodded, "though I never would've thought that Command Seals were capable of doing what Darnic did."
What Darnic had done to his Servant was beyond cruel, engraving his consciousness into Lancer of Black. Though I still wondered how that was possible as Vlad III really wasn't a vampire, Dead Apostle or otherwise, and The Legend of Dracula Noble Phantasm was simply a result of Bram Stoker's novel.
"You know, the Command Seal Ruler gave me really was wasted on me," I sighed, looking down at the back of my right hand, particularly at the broken chain at the bottom, near my wrist. "From the beginning, I haven't used any of them."
"Is that a bad thing?" she raised a brow at me.
"No, not really," I shook my head. "But it is odd that every time I could've used a Command Seal, for like, say, get you to me, I am unable to. Even Sieg has used a Command Seal, albeit for a different reason." I frowned, "Though now that I think about it, Fiore hasn't used any of her Command Seals either." I turned my head to smirk at her, "Maybe it's an Archer thing."
"Perhaps," she chuckled.
We moved on to the rest of the small museum, admiring other exhibits. But eventually, it did get a little stale as there really wasn't much. Quickly growing bored of the museum, we left to grab a bite to eat for lunch. It was a quaint restaurant, a little homey compared to what I was used to, but that wasn't a bad thing.
"You know, I could live in a city like this," I said wistfully. "Clean air, friendly people, a nice place to live quietly."
"What's stopping you?" Atalanta asked curiously.
"My boss, specifically," I deadpanned. "Given… recent revelations, her taking an interest in my academic career makes sense in hindsight. When she makes investments, she expects a return on it and I'm sure I paid that even before Bran Castle. Though when she finds out about this, she'll be ecstatic. Well, if she is even capable of feeling such emotions."
"Does that trouble you?" she frowned. "That she took an interest in you only because of your potential?"
I pondered on it for a moment before shrugging, "Not as much as it should. I had always wondered why she had always been so nitpicky with me and progress, pushing me on one subject, barely doing anything with one another. But it's only now that I realized that she wanted a perfect weapon."
"Are you content with that?" Atalanta looked at me in concern.
Now that, I really had to think about it. Working for Barthomeloi had its perks; other mages tended to leave me alone and I got to go out in the world, even if it was for work. On the other hand, the only way Barthomeloi would ever let me leave her employ was if I died or if I gave her something of equal or greater value. And now that I had a wolf (wolves?) inside me acting a magical reactor, finding something that would buy my resignation would be difficult.
"For now," I eventually decided.
"Did you enjoy your meals?" the waiter came by.
"We did, thank you," Atalanta smiled politely.
"Could I interest you two in a dessert?" he offered. "Our baker had finished baking some apple pies not too long ago."
Atalanta's smile melted as she fought to remain courteous. "No thank you," she bit out, almost snarling.
"Could we get the chocolate lava cake instead," I said hurriedly, having taken a glance at the dessert menu and simply picked the first thing I saw. Through our connection, I could feel Atalanta become more enraged than I have ever seen her.
"O-Of course," the waiter nodded nervously as he took our plates. "I'll be right back."
"You really hate apples, don't you?" I frowned in concern.
Atalanta took in a deep breath to reign in her anger and sighed, her elbows on the table as she massaged her temples. For a long moment, she said nothing, but I was nothing if not patient. "Originally, no," she eventually spoke. "To me, they had been another fruit. But after Hippomenes…"
"Yeah," my eyes drew down. "No, I get it."
Apples weren't just fruit for her, they were symbols of deceit. Even if the apple was a random, ordinary apple and not the golden ones that had distracted her, she wouldn't be able to let it go. I couldn't blame her for that, if I had seen Bell or Toll again, I don't rightly know if I'd be able to keep my temper.
"I'm sorry if I've brought down the mood," Atalanta apologized, giving me a sad smile. "I really am inexperienced with such things."
"No, we both are," I smiled back.
"Truly?" Atalanta frowned at me in confusion. "A young man such as yourself, I thought you would find no shortage of women seeking your attention." Here, she grimaced, no doubt remembering the women from before.
"Even if they were, it's not like I had the time," I shrugged. "Having Barthomeloi nitpick my academic career and hire me literally minutes after graduation from the Clocktower barely afforded me time to socialize."
"Didn't you say you knew someone from the church?" she tilted her head, which I found unbearably cute.
"Yeah, but we barely know each other," I replied. "We only see each other if we have the same target, which rarely occurs."
"But I thought she gave you Black Keys in exchange for favors," she pointed out.
"Most of those favors were paying for meals," I waved off. "Though I have to say, she really had an addiction for curry…"
"She sounds like a peculiar person," Atalanta commented.
"That's one word to describe her," I chuckled. "But enough about her, we're here for us. There's something I really wanted to know about you."
"By all means," she smiled.
"What was it like being raised by Artemis?"
She seemed to be appreciative of the change in topic as she began to speak quite animatedly about her childhood, speaking of her time being raised by a goddess; training with a bow, her first hunt, etc. In turn, I told her some snippets of my own childhood; times when I failed a spell, the first time I shot a gun, the first time I had completed one of my mother's obstacle courses from hell. Eventually, the cake we ordered arrived and our discussion had changed to Lin and I couldn't help but recount the time when Lin, our parents, and I had gone to a park and Lin had managed to carry a duckling in her arms, happy as a clam as the duckling's siblings followed her around.
A small, dark part of my mind whispered to me that this happiness I had found in Atalanta was only temporary, that when this Grail War was over, she would be gone. But that had only bolstered me to enjoy this moment even more, for if this happiness was indeed temporary, then I wished to make as many fond memories with her as I could.
…
"Well, don't the two of you look cozy," Sisigou grinned as he spotted Atalanta and I coming back from Trifas.
"Old man," I warned with a growl.
"Easy, just making an observation, kid," he raised his hands in surrender as he gave a rather honest smile. "Honestly, I'm happy for you, the both of you."
I glared at him in suspicion before sharing a look with Atalanta.
She only gave me a shrug before she turned to the necromancer again, "I assume whatever Yggdmillennia needed us out of the Citadel is done with?"
"More or less," Sisigou shrugged. "I just got back not too long ago myself."
"Kinda makes you wonder what they were up to," I couldn't help but wonder. "Why would they need the whole day."
We pondered on it for a moment.
"Well, no use on speculating," the old man shook his head. "If it's important, they'll either talk about it or hide it. If it's not, well, no skin off our bones, right?"
"And if they do hide it?" I frowned.
"Then we'll deal with it," he shrugged. "Anyway, I got some work to finish up, so I'll see ya later." He offered a wave over his shoulder as he walked in the direction of the room given to him.
With nothing else to do, Atalanta and I walked back to our room.
"Wanna watch a movie?" I asked as we stepped in, raising my hand to open the Gate of Babylon to pull out my tablet.
However, before I could even open a golden ripple to the ancient treasure house, Atalanta grabbed me by my shoulders, pressed me against the door, and hungrily pressed her lips against mine. My eyes widened for a moment before they closed shut and my arms had slowly wrapped themselves around her waist. Eventually, oxygen became a need for me and I reluctantly pulled away but pressed my forehead against hers.
"I wanted to do that all afternoon," Atalanta admitted shyly, her cheeks red, "but there were too many people around. Plus, I read that impulsiveness between couples would be welcomed."
I stared at her for a moment, blinking once as she stared back at me, seemingly a bit embarrassed, before I chuckled quietly, pulling her tighter against me. "I'll defer to you then, in such things," I said softly. She smiled at me for a moment, before placing her head against my chest, and for a while, we stood like that. "But really though, wanna watch a movie?"
"Hmm," she frowned, thinking about it. "Why not? I am curious to see how your movie preferences differ from Lin's."
I smirked, "Well, lemme introduce you to the long and widely debated franchise known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe."
"That is an odd title for a movie," she blinked.
I grinned, "Oh no, it's not just one movie. Right now, it encompasses sixteen movies."
"Sixteen?!"
"And still going," I nodded. After all, Thor: Ragnarok was supposed to release this winter, which was something I was looking forward to.
"You don't expect us to watch all sixteen in one night, do you?" she grimaced.
"Oh no," I waved off, "we could probably only get through half of them. Maybe." I looked up in thought, trying to calculate the number of hours such a feat would take. The run time for each movie was approximately two hours, give or take a few minutes. "We can watch the first movie and we can go from there, if you find that you like it." Raising my hand again, I opened a golden ripple to the Gate of Babylon, my tablet landing in my awaiting hand.
"What am I getting myself into?" Atalanta sighed, shaking her head as she followed me to the couch.
"Sorry, Atalanta, you should've read the fine print when you became my Servant," I joked as I leaned back against the backrest and pulled up my movie app.
"Perhaps," she laughed as she joined me, surprising me again when she sat directly next to me and leaned against my shoulder. "But to be honest, I can't say that I haven't enjoyed our time together."
Smiling as foreign emotions swirled within me, this moment would count as some of the few times, I felt truly relaxed.
…
In London, one Lorelei Barthomeloi was glaring at the reports before her on her desk. She had yet to identify the one who had dared to forge a fake authorization paper under her name as well as to the identity of the one who intercepted Faelan's call to her office about the Lamyros. Whoever did this was smart, keeping quiet of these feats. Other mage families would be crowing to the heavens and back for such achievements, needlessly spreading information to the peers for having one-upping the great Barthomeloi family.
Still, everyone makes mistakes, whoever they were would trip and fall eventually. It was only a matter of time, and as the current head of the Barthomeloi family and Vice-Director of the Clocktower, she was nothing if not a patient woman. Taking a glance at the file she had of Faelan Ashford, she frowned at his stoic picture staring back at her.
"I think it's finally time we updated your file, Ashford," she murmured before she grabbed another folder of documents. "But never say I never did you any favors…"
…
In the Hanging Gardens, Shirou Amakusa stood in front of the Greater Grail as he stared up at the inner core from outside the Grail's carapace. Soon, after Caster's machinations with the Greater Grail, he would finally bring about the salvation of humanity. Every man, woman, and child would finally be saved and with it, came freedom for all.
"The time grows near, Master," spoke Semiramis's image conjured itself from a magic circle behind him.
"Indeed it does," Shirou smiled, still facing the Greater Grail. "Tell me, did you learn what had occurred in Bran Castle?"
"Indeed, Master," she replied. "The Masters of Saber and Archer of Red were involved with a matter that involved the Master of Archer."
That caught his attention, "Regarding?"
"I do not know fully, my familiars were unable to get close enough," her image frowned.
She had tasked some of her dove familiars when activity surrounding the alleged home of Vlad Tepes III increased substantially. However, a Bounded Field as well the soldiers stationed at the castle's walls prevented her familiars from looking in closer.
"However," she continued, "one of my remaining familiars was able to see the aftermath of what happened. And Master, remember when I mentioned that the Ashford's core reminded me of a Phantasmal Beast?"
"I remember," Shirou frowned.
"It is stronger this time, extremely so," Semiramis replied, her eyes narrowing, which had caused Shirou's eyes to widen.
If that was true, he would need to account for this. Having Saber of Black come back the way he has was unprecedented. He did not need two of the same phenomenon preventing him from achieving his wish.
"Is that so?" smirked Achilles as he materialized.
"Rider, what are you doing here?" Semiramis sneered. "Shouldn't you be preparing for the incoming conflict from the remnants of the Black faction?"
"Don't worry, I am," the green-haired Greek assured. "But tell me Assassin, if Faelan Ashford's core is that of a Phantasmal Beast, does that mean he's almost like Saber of Black when he was alive."
"I do not know what that Saber Servant was like in life," Semiramis sniffed. "So I have nothing to compare it with. However, if given the spike in the output of Ashford's magical energy is any indication, it is possible."
"I see," Achilles grinned. "Then allow me the honor of battling Faelan Ashford and Archer of Red."
"I thought you wished to fight Archer of Black," Shirou pointed out.
"I do," Achilles shrugged, "and I admit the fight against my old teacher will be tough, but I'm sure I can win. And after, I will confront Faelan Ashford."
Shirou considered it for a moment, "Are you confident in your skills?"
"I am," Achilles nodded resolutely.
"Very well then, I will leave it to you," Shirou nodded back.
"My thanks," Achilles offered a two-fingered salute before dematerializing.
…
"He's up to something," Semiramis narrowed her eyes.
"Undoubtedly," Shirou shrugged as he turned back to the Greater Grail, "however, I believe it lines up with his wish, so we don't have anything to fear from him."
She regarded her Master for a moment before bowing her head to acquiesce. "Very well then, I will see to finishing the rest of the defenses of the Gardens."
Shirou sighed. Only a few hours more.
Omake: You've Got to be Kidding Me.
Deep in the sewers of Bucharest, having killed Rottweil Berzinsky, Faelan looked at the summoning circle that was almost finished summoning the Servant Berzinsky had summoned. He vaguely knew about the Grail War conducted by the Yggdmillennia clan, but given their deal with his boss, he figured he'd be safe, thereby making Linnet safe.
"This had better be worth the headache," Faelan muttered as he glanced at the Command Seals on the back of his hand.
With a flash of bright light, a Servant had been summoned. However, when the light died down and Faelan lowered his arm from protecting his eyes, said eyes widened at whom he saw. There, standing in the middle of the summoning circle was an exact copy of himself, albeit wearing different clothes.
"You've got to be kidding me," both Faelans deadpanned in perfect sync.
AN:
The pairing is finally achieved! My plan was for them to become official during the Apocrypha storyline but then I realized at this point that I was running out of time. So I figured this was probably the best place for them to start because them becoming a thing at the end is so cliche. Anyway, we're getting near the end of the story arc and I will be posting chapters maybe every month, give or take a week, after this story arc is done. I need some time to plan out the next story arc since it'll be my original plot going from there.
In FGO news, it's back to the daily grind for me since I've taken up the task of leveling Shakespeare and Spartacus to at least level 90 so that my Red faction team will be of use during the Apocrypha rerun event. And holy crap, I am so glad that I haven't used my surplus of Grails much until now. Anyway, the Indian Lostbelt is almost upon us as it'll probably happen in June and I can't wait to get the Super Karna outfit. I will not be rolling for Arjuna Alter because despite how crazy powerful he is. Unfortunately, I still don't have Merlin... despite having a lot of Buster Servants... ah well, a Grailed Shakespeare is a decent enough placeholder... for now.
I'll post the next chapter not next week but the following as I am due some well-deserved R&R during my job search.
Stay safe and I'll see you all next time!