What was she supposed to do, watching and waiting like this? There was no feedback from Saber, nothing. No-one was talking. She didn't think starting a conversation would make it any better, though.
Ai trembled. All that anyone in this group could rely on was their Servants. It wasn't that their Servants were unreliable, but there were so many variables to this situation… There was nothing that she could do. Nothing that any single one of the Masters here could do. Slowly, Ai's golden eyes drifted across the other Masters. There was Tsubaki, of course. Theomanius… he seemed like a decent person, which was surprising given the tactics he had instructed Archer to use… Marion was standing next to him, and occasionally the magus patted the tiny girl on the head.
Genjiro, on the other hand… something about him made her nervous. He was such an imposing-looking man, saying and doing little… Simply standing and watching.
Finally, there was Assassin's Master. Shimada Yukiko. While it was hardly anything Ai was experienced with, the one thing that the kimono-wearing girl's appearance practically screamed to her was that she was somehow related to the yakuza. But… she doubted organized crime was somehow involved in the Grail War normally. So… was she a magus and a part of the yakuza, or were her looks deceiving?
… All of this wasn't really helping keep her mind off of her concerns. Ai had no idea what was happening in the forest. But as long as those command seals remained on the back of her right hand, at least she knew that Saber was still alive. The grim atmosphere was weighing on her so heavily, now… And nothing she could try and think of, not the other Masters nor anything else, was helping to keep her calm.
"… It's hard to tell from here, but I can tell the fighting has begun," said Tsubaki, finally, "Even if we can't see it, I can hear it."
After a moment's pause, Ai leaned forward. And indeed… she could hear the distant sounds of blades clashing, the louder echo of gunfire… there was no question of it, the fight had begun.
"I'm certain that Assassin shall make it there first," commented Yukiko, with a calm flourish, "And take care of Caster before the others even make it to that black spot."
"This isn't any sort of competition," responded Theomanius, "Our purpose here is to stop any sort of incident that threatens the secrecy of the war. It does not matter which Servant is the one who kills Caster."
That was what it was meant to be like, right? At this point, she just hoped things would end well. That Caster would be defeated, and that Saber and Lancer would be able to safely rescue Yumimura Saori. After that… they would have to get Saori somewhere safe, even if she was a Dead Apostle…
There was so much she had to worry about… and she had no idea how well Saber was doing in the fight. From here, all that they could do was listen to the sounds of the battle.
"So this is where you all went?"
That sweet little voice… it was hard not to forget. Not so long ago, when they had chased Caster to the top of a skyscraper, and Berserker had interrupted their pursuit… Alysvial von Einzbern. Berserker's Master. She had appeared here unannounced, by surprise, even though… didn't Berserker attempt to attack Archer when he went to discuss a ceasefire?
"… Alysvial… von Einzbern," Theomanius began, eyes widening with surprise as he spoke to the incredibly pale, red-eyed little girl. "I… thought you had expressed your lack of interest in a ceasefire."
"I did," replied Alysvial, with a bright smile, "But I just sent Berserker to kill all of your Servants. Since you're separated, this means he won't have to go destroying anyone else!"
For a few moments, the other Masters stared in wide-eyed silence. Ai could hardly believe it. Not only had the little girl behaved as if she was completely clueless about the situation that she had been placed into, but she also came here as if she thought nothing could possibly go wrong. The small brunette felt as if Alysvial had placed her life in immediate danger just coming here.
"You… what are you thinking?!" demanded Tsubaki, immediately, stepping towards the incredibly pale little girl as she did. Rather then giving any kind of response for a moment, Alysvial simply cocked her head in confusion.
"We're here to kill each other's Servants, aren't we? You just happened to all go after Caster!" she declared, "Killing other Masters isn't necessary, so I wanted to go and see what was going on."
Every time Alysvial spoke, Ai could tell that this was something the little girl genuinely believed. She didn't want to kill any other Masters either, but she had no idea what the other Masters would have to say about that. She knew Tsubaki had no intention of killing any other Masters, at least, but…
"… How… quaint," commented Yukiko, placing her fan to her lips as she spoke, "Well, if she wants to step into a lion's den, is there any need to stop her?"
"I… you…" Tsubaki clenched her fists, glancing from the kimono-wearing girl and then to Alysvial, who seemed totally oblivious to the potential threat to her life.
"… The latest child of the Einzbern, I see," intoned Genjiro, eyes traveling over the white-haired girl's tiny frame, "How… unexpected in this situation."
There was nothing that Genjiro had done that Ai had liked, and this was no exception. But his voice and expression displayed no ill intent. If anything, he was simply surprised that the only Master who had not agreed to the ceasefire had shown up here alone, having sent her Servant away from her, and plainly stating her intent to have Berserker slay all the other Servants.
But really, Ai didn't like anything about this at all.
Alysvial was an enemy, but that didn't change the fact that she was a child. Unlike… whatever had presumably happened to Natsuki Yukihiro, Ai didn't want someone like the Einzbern girl to be killed in the course of the war. No matter how dangerous Berserker was. But… maybe, given the fact that all the Masters were assembled in the same place, it would be unlikely that even the most cold of them would attempt to kill the white-haired little girl. Maybe, just maybe, she could rely on that. Nervously, the small brunette kept glancing towards Alysvial, who was looking towards the forest with everyone else.
And then…
There was a hole in the sky. It looked like an enormous hole had opened in the sky. And from it…
"That… that's a Phantasmal Beast!" cried Theomanius, wide-eyed. There was a gigantic boar descending from the hole, its body covered in spines.
"No… no way, was that… Caster could summon something like that?" Tsubaki spoke, wide-eyed. Even from here, they could see the enormous creature as it towered over the forest, massive and terrible, fire in its eyes. Even from this distance they could feel its massive footfalls.
"… It's scary, but… Berserker will kill it for sure!" declared Alysvial, confidently. She was so certain… Ai wished she could be as well. The fear building in her chest was making it difficult to even speak, but the beast was failing to even advance. Were their Servants holding the enormous beast back?
Ai shook her head.
"C-Caster… Caster is a necromancer, and she summoned a g-giant Quilled Boar…" she half-mumbled to herself, her mind racing even through her terror. She remembered, during her research, one of the Norse myths she had read. The tale of Hrolfr Hraki. His half-sister, Skuld, had been of mixed blood, and was a powerful magus with the capability of raising the dead and commanding a gigantic Quilled Boar. "… I-If that's the case… she m-must… she must be Princess Skuld!"
"… I… I think you're right, Ai-san," replied Tsubaki, taking a deep breath as she did, "If one of us has realized that, there's no way our Servants haven't."
After all, with the assistance of the throne, Servants could know of myths totally foreign to them in life. On one hand, the Quilled Boar was terrifying. Ai could hear its footfalls, its enormous bellows… but if it was a figure from Skuld's myth that they could recognize, then…
"… We cannot allow this to cause us to lose faith in our Servants," began Theomanius, "If Caster has revealed her identity, they may be able to find a way to combat her. There is little we can do from here, though…"
"Berserker will kill that, then he'll kill Caster, then he'll kill all the others!" stated Alysvial, proudly, "There's nobody in the war stronger then him, not even a monster like that!"
"That sort of confidence is absolutely foolish," commented Yukiko, which earned her a look from the tiny Einzbern girl. "… Regardless, our Servants are heroes and other renowned figures from the past, are they not? Slaying monsters is something of a specialty for them."
This was true… but Okita Souji hadn't exactly been a monster hunter in life. And it was impossible to know exactly what the Quilled Board was capable of without any further information on it. She thought she could see it firing quills off of its body, though… Ah, the fact that they were going to face a Phantasmal Beast had never even crossed Ai's mind before this point. How did you handle something like this?
The only Master who wasn't visibly reacting was Genjiro, who still seemed quite calm. Had he figured out something like this could happen? To be honest, it wasn't exactly impossible, was it? There were all kinds of legends about heroes with mastery over beasts, so being able to summon one… it was something Ai should have thought of.
Not that she would have been able to do much of anything if she had. That beast was enormous… It looked like Medb had been attacking it without even leaving a scratch. Was there anything their Servants could do to harm it?
No-one was saying anything, and there was hardly any way that Ai could blame them for it. There was no sense in trying to say something to indicate their Servant's abilities in trying to plan for what could happen. More than that, their Servants were already engaged in battle, some distance away. There wasn't any way to communicate and plan with them. Even telepathically, there was only so much they could do to try and coordinate a plan.
All they could do was wait and hope.
As every Servant waited with baited breath, Ai thought she could see Saber riding on top of Medb's chariot, now, fending off a series of undead… wyverns? That was what they looked like. Each footfall from the enormous boar was like an earthquake… But then, suddenly, it stopped moving? Had it fallen?
Caster joined the fight, but it was too little, too late. Moments later, even from this distance, Ai could tell…
"They… they killed it!" she cried.
"… So that's the power of heroic spirits, then?" mused Tsubaki, letting out a sigh of relief as she spoke.
Theomanius patted Marion on the head again, the little familiar having been shaking with fear at the sight of the gigantic boar.
"Excellent…" he said, relieved, "Now it's a matter of defeating Caster."
It was true. There was still one final enemy remaining. Caster had yet to be defeated. Adjusting her glasses, Ai thought she could see the distant shape of the enemy Servant fleeing into the enormous black dome. From this point onward, the battle was once again impossible to see. Moreso, in fact, due to the fact that it was going to be taking place inside of Caster's black spot. All Ai could do now was hope for the best. There was no way of knowing what was inside of it, after all. By this point, she could guess it was some sort of bounded field, but whatever function it had was a complete mystery.
And then she could feel it. There was almost a pressure in the air, as something suddenly exuded an enormous amount of power. It was like the very mana in the environment was weighing down on all of them in that single moment. Glancing around in shock, Ai looked towards Tsubaki, who seemed to be just as stunned at the sudden pressure as she did.
"This is… could this be-"
Even if they hadn't seen the brilliant flash of rainbow light from here, the sound of it, the massive explosion of noise, would have indicated what had just happened. One of the servants had just used an anti-army Noble Phantasm in order to completely shatter the side of the black dome and open it up. Even from here, Ai could see the enormous hole cracked into the side of the obsidian-like black spot.
"That was… that was an anti-army Noble Phantasm," exclaimed Theomanius, breathlessly, is his eyes wide. Even Alysvial seemed speechless at the sight of such an incredibly powerful display of magical energy. "There's no question of it… in all my life, I've never seen something so powerful…"
The only one who didn't seem to have much of a reaction was Genjiro, once again. It seemed remarkably difficult to phase the imposing man, but in this case his eyes simply narrowed. It was almost as if he was irritated with something… had that Noble Phantasm been Medb's? Was he angry that Rider had revealed her Noble Phantasm just like that? If that was the case, he didn't say anything. If anything, it was almost as if he was now looking at something that wasn't there. Ai didn't understand. Her heart was still hammering from seeing such an enormously destructive display, what could he possibly have been looking at instead?
Something caught the corner of the small brunette's eye, and she glanced towards it. Had something moved behind Alysvial…?
There was no questioning it, it was like the air itself was warping… and that was… mana? Wait…!
Ai acted before thinking, magical energy flowing up her arms. It was a simple spell she had practiced so many times, something even someone like her felt somewhat confident in performing even under pressure. Condensing moisture in the air was a baseline spell for someone with an affinity like hers. It was just a matter of shaping it… she didn't even need to speak the words of the spell in order to do this.
Condensing the water and freezing it, as the air warped in front of her. Some small part of Ai realized she had no idea what she was doing, but the rest of her… If she didn't do anything, Alysvial would probably die, wouldn't she? Even though the Einzbern girl was an enemy, even if she wasn't sure she could do this…
She didn't want to see a little girl die.
"Ai?!" she heard Tsubaki's voice, as a barrier of ice formed between herself and the warping air.
There was a sound like one of Archer's gunshots. It was hard to see through the ice barrier, but Ai could see the cracks instantly form in her shield. Moments later it shattered, and a sudden eruption of course sent her flying backwards, bowling Alysvial over as she turned to try and push the little girl down.
They both hit the earth, hard, the red-eyed child letting out a yelp of surprise beneath her. Ai was trembling with fear, but given she was alive she felt certain that her barrier had worked well enough to absorb the blast. Just what was that?!
"… What?!" cried Theomanius, "Who… that was absolutely a spell meant to kill!"
"… So? This is a Holy Grail War," commented Yukiko, fluttering her fan in front of her face, looking remarkably calm for the moment, "You're a Magus from the Clock Tower, aren't you? You should know that just as well as anyone else. She's the Master of Berserker. She risked her life even coming here."
"… I am a magus of the Clock Tower, indeed," replied Theomanius, adjusting his tie, "But even in this situation, murdering another of the Masters, even one who is a direct enemy, without a fight…"
"… Hm? So the cutthroat magus from London is the one who speaks out against it first?" commented Genjiro, "Perhaps trying to cover his tracks? Not that I'd blame anyone for attempting to remove a Master from the Einzbern family covertly…"
"… I may conduct myself with caution and subtlety, but I would not partake in such an action," responded Theomanius, firmly. Marion was giving Genjiro a rather intense glare, for such a small girl.
"… Ai-san, are you alright?" asked Tsubaki, kneeling beside the small brunette. Before responding, Ai quickly got off of Alysvial, gently trying to pull the stunned little girl into a sitting position. "Is… she okay? I knew something was going on, but…"
"I-I… think so… Um… Einzbern-san…?" Ai half-mumbled, her heartbeat hammering in her chest. When she'd jumped in, she hadn't been entirely sure if her spell would work like it had. But even if Alysvial was her enemy, letting a child die was just completely wrong. When it came to the Einzbern girl, the only true solution in the small brunette's mind was killing Berserker without harming her.
"… A-ah… I… I…"
The white-haired little girl was trembling, her red eyes wide. Was this the first time she had ever been placed in that sort of danger? Even if Alysvial had participated in the Grail War so far, she hadn't been attacked directly before, and the way in which she had behaved previously… it was obvious that she'd never felt like her life had been threatened previously. In a matter of moments, that had changed.
"B-BERSERKER!" cried the tiny girl. Eyes widening, Ai tried to scoot back and away from Alysvial. All of the other Masters immediately went on guard as well, raising their arms, command seals visible. If Berserker came back and attacked…!
The huge, dark-skinned man erupted from the foliage, almost immediately scooping Alysvial into one arm and raising one of his golden axes with the other! Desperately, Ai raised her hand, to summon Saber to her side, but then…!
"N-no… not her… we… w-we need to leave…"
It was Alysvial.
There were a few moments of silence, as the collected Masters stared at the hulking Servant. Berserker looked at the little girl in his arms, before quietly transferring her to his shoulder…
And then he was leaving, just like that.
For a few moments, all Ai could do was stare after the massive figure as he walked away, the tiny girl riding on his shoulder. He hadn't attacked… all it had taken was for Alysvial to tell him no. The Einzbern girl and the massive, dark-skinned man were her enemies, but… somehow, even thought the small brunette's heart was pounding, her hands shaking, she found herself glad that it had gone peacefully and that the both of them had been able to leave here.
"… Hmph," huffed Yukiko, turning away, raising her fan to her face. Shakily, Ai got to her feet, assisted by Tsubaki.
"Whoever attempted that attack should have finished it," commented Genjiro, "Now the Einzbern homunculus is going to be much more dangerous, after surviving an attempt on her life."
He glanced around at the other present Masters.
"And any one of you could have been responsible."
Ai knew she wasn't. And she knew Tsubaki couldn't have been, either. That left Theomanius, Yukiko, and Genjiro. She didn't think Theomanius, no matter how underhanded he had been in battles between Servants, would use such a tactic. But at the same time, Alysvial hadn't been a part of the ceasefire, had she? Yukiko seemed to think that Alysvial was throwing herself into danger just by coming here, but did that mean that she had done it? Genjiro was acting as if he hadn't done it, but Ai didn't know what to think of him…
Suddenly, Marion pointed. Both Ai and Tsubaki's gaze travelled to the place the tiny familiar was pointing towards.
"The black spot, it's falling apart!" declared Tsubaki. Indeed, it was collapsing, disintegrating into nothingness. Given that it had been created by Caster, this could mean only one thing. And that was that Caster was now dead. In spite of what had just occurred, Ai felt herself relaxing a little. Saber had survived the battle, and now an incredibly dangerous enemy Servant had been defeated. Now she could only hope that Yumimura Saori was still safe…
"And so our ceasefire as at an end," Yukiko said, flicking her fan closed as she spoke. "Good. I much prefer it this way. Playing at being allies in a game where only one can be left standing is rather foolish, is it not?"
"No matter what your personal feelings may be, I don't think it can be denied that this temporary alliance is why we were able to defeat Caster before she became an even greater threat," responded Theomanius, raising an eyebrow as he spoke.
"I think the one who thinks that even temporary allegiances are foolish is the one who's a fool," said Tsubaki, folding her arms as she did. Ai could tell that the tanned girl was rather irritated with the way in which Yukiko was behaving, "Unless you want to ignore what our Servants accomplished here."
"I'm not about to ignore such things, but I'm not so foolish as to become invested in a temporary partnership," responded Yukiko, cocking her head slightly to one side as she spoke, "We're brought together by circumstance. Only an idiot would forget that we're meant to be killing one another."
"Th… that… w-we might be destined to be enemies, but… th-there's no need to kill other Masters, is there?" asked Ai, her voice trembling. Deep down, she knew why one Master may choose to kill another. It was possible that a contract between a Masterless Servant and a Servantless Master could be forged, creating a new threat that could reenter the Holy Grail War. But… She didn't want to do that. From the small brunette's perspective, the battle between Servants was enough. They were more prepared to die, having done it once themselves to become heroic spirits anyway.
"… Hmph, what a naïve little girl," responded Yukiko, waving her fan, "It's distasteful, but killing your enemies is the only way to advance in this war. You may think me heartless, but that is what a magus must be."
As she spoke, the now-familiar visage of Assassin clad in her fox mask materialized from the darkness behind her.
Ai hesitated. She knew that a magus was supposed to cut their emotions away from their work. But… murdering another human, it wasn't something she could even imagine herself doing. Only in the most extreme scenario could she ever even begin to contemplate doing such a thing.
Before she could manage to speak up, however, Tsubaki did.
"I know that, and I'm sure Ai-san does as well," the tanned girl began, "But… if we only need to kill the other Servants… why should we recklessly end more lives then we have to? The church is set up as a refuge for Masters who have left the war for a reason. There's no need to kill anyone else!"
"… You act as if I said I enjoy the killing," replied the long-haired girl in the elegant kimono, Assassin standing silently behind her, "I don't. But it's a necessary evil to ensure victory. Nothing more, and nothing less."
"… Anyone who is not prepared to kill another has no business being a Master in the Holy Grail War," said Genjiro, suddenly, stepping forward as he did, "Death is simply a part of this battle. I wouldn't hesitate to end any one of your lives, and neither should you."
Ai's hands clenched into fists. It wasn't that she didn't truly understand that, if she had no other choice, she may have to kill someone… but she didn't see any reason to kill another Master if that wasn't the case. Even when it came to a monster like Berserker, killing his Master in order to stop her Servant would never have been something she could accept. Even if a bastard like Natsuki Yukihiro was defenseless in front of her, she wouldn't have been able to kill him in cold blood. No matter what a disgusting person he was.
"It's not as if I wouldn't defend myself," snapped Tsubaki, "But killing someone in cold blood is out of the question!"
"There's no such thing as murder in cold blood when it comes to a war," responded Yukiko, with a shrug. Ai was angry. Not simply at the people who were advocating slaughtering a Master even if their Servant was already dead, but at herself for being unable to speak up. All she had done was clench her hands into fists and tremble slightly, but any time she attempted to speak her words died in her throat. She'd been leaving Tsubaki to try and argue for her, and there was nothing she could bring herself to do in order to help.
At this moment, Ai hated herself for her inability to speak up.
"However, I'm not a fool. Challenging you to a fight here would likely lose me my dear Assassin," Yukiko continued, glancing back at the mask-wearing Servant as she did, "And I'm not about to place her in a situation where failure is the only option. When we meet again-"
The red-eyed girl flicked her fan shut.
"-It will be as enemies. For your sake, I hope you have abandoned your naivete by then."
Assassin seemed to disappear into her shadow as she turned to leave, departing at a sedate pace away from the meeting area. She didn't even seem concerned.
Theomanius sighed heavily, but said nothing else. Deflated even more then she had already been, Ai's shoulders sagged.
"… Hmph," huffed Tsubaki, "That's how she acts, but there's no way she won't be glad to be alive when she's beaten, is there?"
Genjiro cocked his head to the side.
"Overconfidence and naivete… It would be so easy for another Master to take advantage of your foolishness," said the tall, dark-haired man, narrowing his eyes as he spoke, "Anyone could be deceiving either of you, and you wouldn't know it. Perhaps you should keep that in mind. Or should I consider your participation in this war an act of suicide?"
Anger rose in Ai's chest once more, but she yet again found herself unable to speak.
"… Your all-powerful Rider isn't here to protect you, Hirata-san," Tsubaki nearly spat, glaring at Genjiro as she spoke, "I certainly won't kill you, but that doesn't mean I won't knock you flat."
"And impatient as well… I can't help but agree with Shimada-san," he replied, with a wave of his hand, "You're absolutely mentally unfit for this war. It's a wonder you made it this far. This is a battle in which the weak are devoured by the strong, and the strings are pulled by the wise. You would do best to recognize these facts before we meet again."
Ai could see Tsubaki raising her fist, her entire body trembling with anger. She was about to attack Genjiro with barely any hesitation!
But then, the rumbling noise of Rider's chariot approached, and moments later the bulls erupted from the forest, coming to a halt. Naturally, Medb was astride it.
Reluctantly, Tsubaki lowered her fist.
"Your Queen is back~" declared the pink-haired Rider-class Servant, smiling cheerfully as she spread her arms wide, "And Caster is most certainly dead. She never stood a chance, really~"
Of course, it was easy enough for a Servant to pick up on the tense atmosphere, and Medb cocked her head to one side.
"What were you doing? It was probably boring, knowing you," she said with a dismissive sigh, waving her hand towards Genjiro. "You never do anything fun."
Ai was shaking, with anger at Genjiro and towards herself. His entire attitude, everything about him, from the moment she had seen him, made her angry. But at the same time, she couldn't make herself speak. She was choking on her own words. No matter how angry she became… she wasn't able to force herself to speak. It was like the pressure behind a dam was building and building, but never breaking.
"I was simply instructing these children on what their prospects were," Genjiro said to his Servant, simply, "If they continue to try and avoid killing Masters, their fate is essentially sealed. Soft hearts will get them no-where, so-"
"SHUT UP!"
The dam broke.
"You keep talking like you know everything, that you understand everything!" snapped Ai, spreading her arms, "But do you have any idea?! What makes you so certain, so absolutely certain, that the only way the war can be won is slaughtering all the other Masters in cold blood, no matter how defenseless they are after their Servant has been defeated?! How do you know?! How do you know that's what we have to do!?"
She stepped towards the tall man, shaking with rage.
"The last time I checked, the only requirements for winning the war was to kill all the other Servants!" she cried, her hands clutched into fists, "It's not like I'm happy about that, either, but that's as far as it needs to go! Becoming a murderer and slaughtering all the other Masters as well!? And don't you… don't you DARE claim Inoue-san doesn't have the right to be in this war!"
Her heart was hammering in her chest. Everly last ounce of her frustration was pouring out all at once.
"I know I'm not someone who should be here. But Inoue-san… Inoue-san works hard, Inoue-san's been doing her best since the start of this war… So don't you dare keep saying she's unworthy!"
For a few moments, Genjiro was silent. Then, Ai thought she saw him smile just slightly, as if he was somehow satisfied by the small brunette's reaction.
"… So that's what you think, then," he said, simply. "… We're leaving, Rider. There's nothing more we need to accomplish here, for now."
He waved his hand towards his Servant as he began to leave. He didn't even seem phased at all.
Medb, however, paused as she passed by Ai and Tsubaki, glancing down at the small brunette, who was still quivering with a mixture of anger and nerves.
"… I suppose I can see why Saber came to you, now," she commented, with a small, somewhat amused smile, before turning and continuing to calmly leave, her entire chariot, along with herself, fading into motes of golden light.
Slowly, Ai's shoulders sagged, and she took a deep breath, as Genjiro steadily vanished from sight.
"… So that's that, I suppose," Theomanius said, sighing once more, "I had hoped that, perhaps, we could part on better terms. Even as enemies, we are all linked by our competition for the Holy Grail, are we not?"
He noticed that Marion seemed somewhat distressed by the recent flurry of activity, the explosion and the argument that had ensued, and patted her head in a comforting fashion. The small familiar fidgeted silently.
"… There's no way I could ever be on good terms with someone like him," Ai said, finally. To her, Genjiro was simply someone she couldn't tolerate being around.
Not even her nerves could have stopped her from speaking up to him any longer.
"… I can tell," commented the magus of the Clock Tower, finally.
"… Hmph, that bastard's probably going off to act like he won some kind of victory here," complained Tsubaki, folding her arms. Ai didn't exactly need to go asking how the tanned girl felt about Genjiro, really. "… I'm surprised you spoke up like that so quickly, Ai-san."
Suddenly, Ai found herself feeling self-conscious. She'd had an outburst like that so suddenly…
"I… ah… er…"
"… But right now, there's more important things to worry about then him," Tsubaki continued, turning towards the forest. She was right, after all. Their Servants still hadn't returned, and they needed to safely retrieve Yumimura Saori… There had been no communication from Saber or Lancer(presumably) for some time now. Ai's anger at Genjiro was giving way to concern. Had something happened…? Could something have happened? Caster was dead, after all, but…
The small brunette fidgeted. She couldn't help but start to worry, it was just in her nature, especially when something serious like this was going on.
And then…
One of the Dead stepped from the forest, groaning. For a moment, Ai was stunned. Wasn't Caster dead?! Then why were her summoned undead still walking around!? But even as it stepped from the forest, Tsubaki and Theomanius readied themselves. A single walking corpse wasn't enough to be a threat to three magi.
"Caster's dead, why is that still walking around?!" Tsubaki slid her feet into a ready stance, as Theomanius reached into his jacket.
But, as it turned out, that wasn't necessary.
Almost as soon as the animated body emerged from the foliage, a pitch blade blade erupted from its chest, slicing its way upwards to split the corpse in two from its waste to its head. The body fell to the ground with a thud.
"… My my," said the voice of Estrizia. Moments later, the blonde nun stepped out of the forest, a series of long black blades clutched between her fingers, "It seems Caster's meddling in the dead has disturbed the spirits lingering in this forest."
She sighed.
"This will take some time to clean up… oh, dear…" her eyes travelled over the remaining Masters, "… Ah, I see that some of you have already departed. Congratulations for your defeat of Caster."
"… Caster disturbed the spirits in the forest?" Tsubaki asked. Ai's eyes were still on the black blades between Estrizia's fingers. There was no mistaking them for anything else. Those were certainly, absolutely, Black Keys. The signature tool of an executor of the Church. If the way that the blonde nun had happily charged into the forest to take on the undead hadn't already strongly indicated just what she truly was, then the fact that she was clutching conceptual weapons made for the purpose of destroying the enemies of the Church most definitely did.
Estrizia was an Executor, in addition to being a nun. Perhaps this explained her unusual behavior for a nun. Well… unusual was one word for it, at least. Ai still felt a little embarrassed at the memory of the red-eyed nun's behavior when she had brought Saber to the chapel.
"Indeed," replied Estrizia, with a friendly smile in spite of the subject matter, "Her control of the spirits dwelling in this stretch of land has caused them to become far more active then they were previously. They have begun possessing the bodies of the dead that she summoned. How… bothersome. How ever can I relieve the frustrations this is causing me…"
She hardly seemed particularly frustrated, but she did cast a sidelong glance towards both Ai and Tsubaki. Given what her behavior had been like in the chapel, it wasn't particularly difficult to guess exactly what she was(teasingly?) implying. It looked like Tsubaki had easily figured it out too, judging by her expression.
But there were far more important matters on Ai's mind. If Estrizia was an executor, there was no way she would ignore the presence of a Dead Apostle like Saori. That meant that the girl's life was being placed in even further danger then it was already.
"Is there any way we can assist in quelling them, overseer?" asked Theomanius. Marion didn't appear to like the appearance of the Executor very much, clinging to her Master's sleeve as she attempted to hide most of her body behind the man, peering at Estrizia from behind him.
"Aside from lending the service of your Servants once more, there's little else that can be done," responded the nun, still smiling, "And I'm hardly about to lean on that courtesy so soon. Hmm… where are your Servants, by the way?"
"They haven't returned yet," answered Tsubaki, quickly. Perhaps somewhat too quickly, but was there any reason for Estrizia to expect anything? Ai hoped that she didn't, but she could never be entirely certain.
"Ah, I see," replied the executor. At the very least, she didn't seem to suspect that anything was out of the ordinary. "Perhaps they have taken it upon themselves to help clearing out the unruly spirits?"
Estrizia let out what Ai would normally consider to be a beautiful laugh, but at the moment it only served to make her more nervous.
"I can only hope, at least."
After a moment's pause, the executor looked rather thoughtful.
"Perhaps I should remain behind to ensure your safety, until the return of your Servants?" she mused, "It would be a shame if any one of you were somehow killed in the act of quelling this threat to the town, and the secrecy of the war."
Ah… how to respond to that? On one hand, it would look strange if they immediately rejected her offer out of hand. But on the other hand, if she remained behind, it was possible that she'd learn about Yumimura Saori. For that matter, Theomanius had to leave too, didn't he? There was no telling what he'd do, seeing a Dead Apostle.
As a magus of the Clock Tower, it was likely he would proceed to try and kill Saori due to the danger she potentially posed to the secrecy of the war, and of magecraft in general. No matter how friendly he might seem now, Ai couldn't help but shake this belief.
Thankfully, the Clock Tower Magus was the first to respond.
"That won't be necessary, Overseer," he said, with a nod of his head, "You have a duty to attend to, do you not?"
"I suppose that is the case, isn't it?" replied Estrizia, still smiling as she brandished her black keys, cocking her head to one side. She seemed rather eager to get back to the slaughter of the undead, really…
With that, she turned on her heel and vanished into the forest, disappearing from view in an instant. Ai found herself relaxing again. She could only hope that the Executor didn't happen across their Servants and Saori… There was no way such a meeting would end well.
It was only moments later that Archer suddenly materialized beside Theomanius. Marion's eyes seemed to light up at the sight of the cowboy Servant, though she said nothing.
"All wrapped up, Master. Caster's not gonna be a problem any longer," he commented, resting his revolver on his shoulder as he spoke.
"So I noticed," responded Theomanius, as Marion quietly tugged on Archer's sleeve and offered him a piece of candy. After a moment of silence, Archer accepted it and patted the tiny girl on the head.
"In any case, as many of the other Masters have pointed out, when we next meet it shall be as enemies," continued the Clock Tower magus, addressing both Ai and Tsubaki, "Until then, I bid you farewell."
With that, he turned and began to leave, without even waiting for a response. Ai had to guess that it was because of the situation. After all, they were going to be enemies soon enough, so a long goodbye seemed rather unlikely. As Theomanius left, Marion followed him. Archer simply glanced at the both of them, tipped his hat, and then vanished entirely into spirit form, golden lights drifting away.
Now, Ai and Tsubaki were alone. Ai shifted nervously. They hadn't been contacted by Saber or Lancer in any way… had something happened? But their command seals remained, and neither Servant had given them any sort of communication…
When Ai was certain Theomanius was long gone, she finally spoke.
"… I… I hope they were able to save Yumimura-san…" the small brunette said, finally. She'd never actually met Yumimura Saori before, but that didn't mean she wasn't frightened for her safety. All of this was scary… just why hadn't Saber and Lancer said anything? Why…
"If it had gone wrong, I'm certain that Lancer would have contacted me," Tsubaki asserted, "There's no way she wouldn't let me know just what was happening, no matter how badly it had gone. They're probably trying to be careful for Yumimura-san's sake."
No matter what Tsubaki said, it was hard not to notice that she was worried too. Saori had been her friend, after all.
It was around that moment when the brush suddenly rustled. And from the forest emerged Saber, followed by a dark-haired girl, pale girl. Her eyes were downcast and she didn't appear to want to look anywhere other than her feet, but the moment Ai saw how Tsubaki reacted to the sight of her she knew exactly who it was.
Yumimura Saori.
The tanned girl's eyes widened, and she took a step forward, weakly reaching out. Behind the girl emerged Lancer, glancing back towards the forest as she stepped out of the foliage, for a moment, before looking forward.
"… We… we were waiting until we were certain no-one else remained, before making our way back," explained Saber. Ai couldn't help but notice how dour her tone sounded… this wasn't the usual enthusiasm that her Servant displayed.
"… Yumimura-san?" asked Tsubaki, hesitatingly, as she glanced towards the silent girl between the two Servants. There was no response.
"… Master, what she needs at the moment… she needs rest, Master," Lancer responded. Her voice was hesitating, uncertain. Ai couldn't help but become more concerned. Saori was a Dead Apostle now, after all, so there was any number of things that could have gone wrong.
"… What happened, Lancer?" asked Tsubaki, taking her eyes off of Saori for only a moment to look towards her Servant.
The blonde knight was silent for several moments before managing to make a response.
"… I think, for her sake, it is best not to discuss it here."
Best not to discuss it here… Just what had Caster been doing to the girl? She had barely done anything since she was brought out of the forest, aside from simply staring down at her feet in silence. Or… was it possible it wasn't Caster's actions that had caused it?
"Best not to discuss it? What did Caster do to her?!" cried Tsubaki, taking another step forward. For a moment, Ai thought she heard Saori mumble something, but it was too quiet to be audible.
"Inoue-san, you should listen to Lancer," Saber said, "It's… best not to talk about it here. Master, that goes for you, too…"
The normally-enthusiastic Servant trailed off after a few moments.
"… Then… let's go," Ai said, taking a deep breath. If Saori needed to rest, well… they needed time to figure out how they could help her anyway. Ai had no idea how to assist with a Dead Apostle, and she had never heard of any way in which to 'cure' them. She didn't think there was one. But maybe there was some way to keep their urges under control.
"… You're right," Tsubaki said, finally, her eyes still fixed on the pale girl. Lancer placed a hand on Saori's shoulder, and, slowly, they began to head away from the forest, following Tsubaki's lead. Every once in a while, Tsubaki glanced back at Saori, as if to make sure she was still there. When Tsubaki started to take a less direct route through back allies, Ai understood exactly why. She didn't want any of the other combatants to know what they were doing.
After a long period of walking, Saori suddenly stopped, clutching at her forehead.
"I… my throat… it feels so hot…" Ai heard the girl mumble, immediately turning to face her. Those were the first words that she'd heard Saori say. Before she could approach her, however, Tsubaki had turned around and stepped towards the pale, red-eyed girl.
Almost immediately, Saori let out a scream and pulled away.
"N-no! Without her… w-without her to help, I'll… I want to… D-don't come near me!"
It was clear even Saber and Lancer were surprised by the sudden force and speed Yumimura Saori pulled away with. While she wasn't as fast as Saber, she was quickly turning the corner as she ran.
"Saori!" cried Tsubaki, breaking into a sprint. Ai didn't need to know everything about Dead Apostles to know what Saori was feeling. She'd wanted to feed… They had to help her! The small brunette, too, picked upper her pace and ran after the vampire, though naturally their Servants outpaced both of the Masters quite quickly.
But when they reached the alleyway, Yumimura Saori was no longer there. In spite of it being a dead end, it almost seemed as if the Dead Apostle had completely vanished into thin air.
Except…
There was someone in her place.
She was a small girl, not much larger than Ai herself, with a dark skintone, purple eyes, and long lavender hair. She was wearing a black and purple coat of sorts with a beret, and purple and gold thigh-high socks, with white shoes.
For a few moments, Ai felt a sense of déjà vu. Hadn't she seen a girl like this somewhere? Even if this was hardly the time to be thinking about it, the small brunette knew she would remember having seen a girl who looked like this…
"Who are you, and what did you do with the girl?" Lancer immediately demanded, raising her weapon immediately, pointing the razor sharp tip towards the girl. She didn't even blink.
"She is safe," the mysterious figure said simply. Almost immediately, Tsubaki started towards her.
"Like hell!" she snapped, "What did you do to her?!"
"… She is safe. I am not lying," responded the dark-skinned girl. After a moment's pause, as her purple eyes flicked to Tsubaki's hands, curled into fists, she continued.
"… My name is Rani IV," the hat-wearing figure introduced herself, with a slight bob of her head. "No hostilities were intended."
"… Master, it doesn't seem as if she's lying, but…" Saber seemed uncertain, her katana raised and ready to strike, in spite of her hesitation.
"… If… if she's safe, then what did you do with her?" asked Ai, hesitatingly, as Tsubaki silently fumed, seeming to barely restrain herself from attacking Rani. Ai could hardly blame her, and felt no small amount of anger herself at the sudden disappearance of the girl they had worked hard to rescue, but at the same time, Saber at least didn't seem to think she was lying…
"… She was removed from this area and transplanted to a safe location," responded Rani, expressionlessly, "It is for her safety as well as the safety of those dwelling in this city."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" snapped Tsubaki, though her voice was wavering slightly, as if she knew exactly how the smaller girl meant it.
"She is a Dead Apostle. A vampire," stated Rani, her tone without inflection or emotion, "Without careful preparations, it would be difficult for even the most skilled mage to aid in her adjustment to her new appetites. It was a decision we made for her safety."
"We? What do you mean, 'we'?" questioned Lancer, refusing to lower her cavalry lance, still pointing it directly towards the dark-skinned girl's head. After a moment, Ai realized she had definitely seen a similar uniform once before. Representatives from another organization had met with her own, for some sort of trade of artifacts. She hadn't been heavily involved, but she recalled quite clearly that one of the representatives from the other organization had been a pale, purple-haired girl with a long braided ponytail and a very similar uniform to Rani herself.
Did that mean…
"… Atlas," responded Rani, "Our presence in this city is connected to the process of the Holy Grail War. I am not your enemy."
"Then why did you kidnap Saori like that?!" cried Tsubaki, looking moments away from attempting to tackle the small girl.
"As stated, it was for her safety," responded Rani, without even a twitch at the sight of two Servants and two magi in the position to attack her at a moment's notice. "… I wish I was able to explain more clearly, but I cannot."
"Do you expect me to just accept that?!" Tsubaki almost snarled, fire burning in her eyes.
"No," began Rani, "But it is for the purpose of your safety as well. We have no intention of interfering in the Holy Grail War, nor harming its participants. The transfer of Yumimura Saori was a direct order from the director of Atlas."
Tsubaki's fists tightened.
"You say all these completely unbelievable things and it's not even a joke," she responded, her body shaking with anger, "You genuinely think we'll actually believe something like that…!"
"… I do not know what else there is that I can say," responded Rani, with a tilt of her head to the side. "I have conveyed all information I am able to. I have been truthful."
She paused for a moment.
"… I apologize for any shortcomings in my explanation."
Ai didn't know what to do. Rani seemed truthful, but at the same time, the way that Saori had been snatched away like that… It didn't seem right. Atlas as an organization was based around alchemy, that much she knew. So for what reason had they decided to take Saori with them? Had there been some plan for her, or was it really just for her own sake?
"… So why are you here in the first place, then?!" Tsubaki almost seemed to growl, glaring at the small, dark-skinned girl. "If you're from Atlas, there has to be a reason!"
"… Yes. Atlas is here for the purposes of an experiment," responded Rani, simply, "No threat is intended towards the Holy Grail War or its participants."
"What kind of experiment is that?!" snapped Tsubaki, taking another step towards Rani. Lancer swiftly moved beside her, but even the blonde knight seemed uncertain. This was no easy situation. "What kind of experiment could need Saori!?"
"Yumimura Saori was not acquired for the sake of our experiment. That was an order I received for the sake of her own safety, as stated," insisted the brown-skinned girl, her expression unchanging.
"Inoue-san…" Ai weakly reached towards the taller girl. What was she supposed to do? On one hand, she thought that everything about this was strange, but on the other hand Rani seemed to be truthful and attacking her didn't seem like it would lead to anything good. Certainly, not to the release of Yumimura Saori.
Helplessly, she looked to Saber, who seemed to be at just as much of a loss as she did.
"Then what is it!? What are you doing here?!" cried Tsubaki, hands clenched into fists so hard that Ai could see her knuckles turning white.
"… It is best to show you, in order to dispel a conflict."
Rani raised one slender arm, showing both the Masters and their Servants the back of her right hand.
There, on the dark skin, was the strange, curving pattern unmistakable as anything else but a command seal.
She was a Master?! But there were already seven Servants! How was that possible?!
"I am not your enemy. But this is crucial to Atlas's conduct," she said, simply.
"That's… a command seal… how…" Tsubaki stared, in absolute shock, at the symbol on the back of Rani's hand.
"… I cannot offer further information. But we bear no ill intent towards the participants of the war," the lavender-haired girl replied, "I hope this open display of my nature as a 'Master' for the purposes of this experiment assists in your understanding."
"How… how is that possible?!" asked Saber, "We've already seen all seven Servants, so… there's no way…"
"… It is not conventional," responded Rani, though she didn't elaborate further on what that meant. "I must depart. I apologize, once more, for the shortcomings of my explanation."
"W-wait!" Ai cried, and Tsubaki tried to run towards the small girl. But it was too late.
Rani was gone in a flickering light.
Just like that, not only had Yumimura Saori been taken from them, but a whole new element had been introduced to the Holy Grail War without warning. Rani seemed insistent that they weren't enemies, but… she had a command seal, in spite of the fact that all seven Servants had been summoned… That went against everything Ai had learned about the Holy Grail War. Even Saber and Lancer seemed baffled at what they had seen… just how was something like this possible? Something that violated the fundamental rules of the Holy Grail War?
Tsubaki said nothing, her shoulders sagging as she looked down at her feet. Glancing towards her, Ai hesitated. What could she say…?
Lancer spoke before she did.
"… Master… If nothing else, I am certain Saori is still alive," the blonde knight began, placing a hand on Tsubaki's shoulder. The black-haired girl didn't respond, nor did she try to pull away or reject Lancer's attempt at consoling her. She simply remained silent.
Nothing had turned out like they had wanted here. While Caster had been defeated, Yumimura Saori was gone, vanished due to the sudden intervention of someone from Atlas. And an eighth Master… it was almost too much to take in, let alone understand.
"… Let's go, Lancer," came Tsubaki's voice. Her tone was morose, none of her usual vigor in her speech.
"Master?" asked the armored girl.
"… We have a war to win, after all… we can't just stay here…"
"… Master, I understand the duty I must fulfill, however… I… I believe you must rest, Master," insisted Lancer, a frown visible on her face. Ai didn't know what to do with herself at this point, but at the very least she could tell that Tsubaki trying to do anything else tonight wasn't the best idea.
"… If I rest… who knows what else could happen, right…?" continued Tsubaki, her voice flat. "If I rest… another one of my friends could end up suffering, couldn't they?"
"I…" Lancer hesitated. It wasn't something she could say with certainty wouldn't occur. There was no way to make that kind of guarantee. So Lancer couldn't honestly say there was no way other people wouldn't get caught up in the Holy Grail War again.
"… That… may be so, but if you do not rest you are in no condition to prevent such things from occurring," Lancer responded.
Ai took a deep breath, before speaking as well.
"I… I think Lancer is right… i-if you want to make sure everyone is okay… it won't help pushing yourself…"
"It won't?!" cried Tsubaki, turning to face the others fully, "Then what will!? What I was doing before, that certainly didn't help Saori-san, did it?!"
It was the first time Ai had ever seen Tsubaki upset like this. Desperately, she wished she knew how to fix it, how to comfort her. But there were no easy answers. Someone that Tsubaki had considered to be her friend had just disappeared, possibly forever, after suffering who knows how many painful experiences, dragged into a war she had no knowledge of… There was no way to know what to do, now. But Ai knew one thing, and that was that Tsubaki wouldn't be helping anything if she fell over from exhaustion.
"I… I don't want anything like this to happen to anyone else…" Ai said, averting her eyes, "And… and I want Yumimura-san to be okay… but if you strain yourself too much…"
She could see the way in which Tsubaki was shaking. She almost seemed unsteady. Was it because of how much mana had been used by Lancer during the fight with Caster and her forces? No, she couldn't be sure of that. Ai didn't feel any additional strain, even though Saber had been fighting in the very same battle. Then again, there was no way of knowing for sure what Lancer's mana consumption was like… but still, that hardly seemed to be all.
"Clearly I… I haven't been straining myself enough!" Tsubaki turned to take a step out of the alleyway, but she seemed unsteady.
"Inoue-san, it'll be more help if you rest, this was-"
"I-I don't need to rest! I… I need to stop something like this from happening ever again!" cried the black-haired girl. Ai trembled. She hadn't seen Tsubaki so distraught before… Normally, the taller girl seemed to be much more confident and collected…
"… I… Inoue-san…"
"I need to… I need to…"
Tsubaki stopped where she stood.
"… I'm so… tired…" she said, placing her hand to her forehead, "I… I just… I wanted to make sure she'd be okay… Saori-san…"
The tanned girl swayed slightly, and then began to fall. Before Ai could react, Lancer was at Tsubaki's side, carefully catching her.
"Inoue-san!?" cried Ai, taking a step towards them. Why… she'd fainted?! Was she hurt somehow?! Had something happened?!
"She fainted?!" exclaimed Saber, stepping closer.
"… I had been worried, but she assured me that she would be fine," Lancer responded, cradling the tanned girl in her arms as she turned to face Ai and Saber. Her armor vanished, dissipating into light.
"My Master refused to sleep the previous night. She said that she couldn't, as long as she knew Yumimura Saori was in danger," she said, "Perhaps a single sleepless night would have been fine, but I was forced to use a great deal of mana during battle… she… she needs rest."
Ai lowered her hands. She hadn't even realized that Tsubaki was that tired… To Ai, she had seemed just fine up until now.
"… Will… she be okay?" Ai asked hesitatingly, eyes on the girl, who was slumped over limply in Lancer's arms.
"… I will return her to her home and allow her to rest and recover, using spirit form to lessen the burden I exert on her," responded Lancer, holding Tsubaki closer to herself, "Do not worry. I will not allow my Master to be harmed."
One of the blonde knight's hands gently ran itself through the unconscious girl's hair, as she gave a small smile.
"I cannot deny my fault in this… I should have insisted she rest before the upcoming battle," Lancer continued, with a sigh.
"… You shouldn't blame yourself for something like that, Lancer," said Saber, smiling weakly, "It was your Master's decision. You're doing the right thing by taking her to rest after she exhausted herself. If she was determined to keep herself up, she probably wouldn't have listened."
The silvery-haired girl gave a somewhat awkward laugh.
"After all, if someone tried to persuade me to stop training after I'd spent all day working hard, I'd just keep going, so I think it might be something like that," she added, doing her best to reassure her ally. "Only… that's not as serious as what happened here, is it…?"
"… I know you're going to do your best for your Master, Lancer, so… um…" Ai hesitated a little. "… So there's no reason to blame yourself like that."
It felt a little hypocritical, for a moment, telling someone else not to blame themselves when the small brunette frequently did just that. But in this case, well… Ai didn't think that Lancer was to blame, unlike the cases in which she felt she herself was at fault. More then that, however, she did feel that Tsubaki just needed to rest, to recover… if there was any chance of helping Saori left, it wouldn't be right now.
She wished she knew what to do. She wished she'd been able to somehow stop Saori from running off, that she knew what she could to try and cure Saori of her vampirism. But there was no possibility of reverting a Dead Apostle to a human, as far as she was aware, and now… now Atlas had taken her in. It was all too overwhelming.
"Whatever the case may be," Lancer began, after several moments of uncertain hesitation at the attempted reassurances from Ai and Saber, "I have to return my Master home, so that she may rest. Goodbye."
With that, Lancer quickly began to depart from the alleyway, carrying Tsubaki with her. Soon enough, the only ones remaining were Saber and Ai herself.
"… So much happened so quickly…" Ai said, taking a deep breath. She couldn't help but feel guilty over what had occurred, even if she was trying to be hopeful about Yumimura Saori's fate. After all, Rani had been insistent that it was for the vampire's safety, rather then any intention to kill her. But at the same time, everything felt wrong.
"I didn't even know there could be an eighth Master… how could the Grail choose another person when there was already seven?" she continued, her shoulders sagging. And what had happened to Saori… it all felt so heavy, weighing down on her. Ai couldn't imagine how it must have felt for Tsubaki, who had known Saori and been close to her. No wonder she had been so upset…
"I don't know… when I was summoned for the Holy Grail War, the knowledge I was given only indicated that there would be seven Servants," responded Saber, her silver-gold eyes glancing down the alleyway in the direction Lancer had gone with Tsubaki. "I never expected anything like this could happen… I can only hope that Yumimura-san hasn't been harmed, and that girl was telling the truth…"
Saber's shoulders sagged. It almost seemed like there was something more that she wanted to say, but she was hesitating.
"… Is something wrong, Saber? … A-aside from the obvious, I guess… eh-heh…" Ai's awkward laugh was rather hollow. There was no real hope of any levity, at the moment.
"I… it's…" the girl samurai was clearly not entirely willing to speak, though Ai had no idea why that would be the case. Had something else happened…?
"… Caster… Caster was… caring for Yumimura-san," Saber finally said, after a few moments of uneasy silence. "It… she wasn't a prisoner, forced to serve as Skuld's Master, or anything like that… Caster was protecting her, Master."
For a few moments, Ai wasn't certain what to say. Caster was protecting Saori? But she had turned her into a vampire, hadn't she? Why would she have done that? Nothing that Saber had just said made any sense to the small brunette.
"But… if she was protecting her… why would she have turned Yumimura-san into a Dead Apostle?" she asked, finally.
"Yumimura-san said that it was to save her life," replied Saber, morosely, "If I had to guess… Maybe Caster's original Master tried to kill Yumimura-san?"
Given how Natsuki Yukihiro had behaved, and when Yumimura Saori disappeared, that would have made sense. Did he try and use Yumimura to summon his Servant, just as other Masters used chicken's blood or another such medium to do so? Whatever the case was, it was an awful thing to contemplate.
"… If that's the case… did…"
Ai hesitated.
"Did… Caster kill her original Master?" she asked, finally. Deep down, it was what she'd suspected ever since she had heard that Caster had a new Master. Especially given that no-one else had reported killing Natsuki Yukihiro. She didn't feel bad about the death of someone who was willing to slaughter the entire population of Minami, but at the same time…
"I think that's most likely what happened," replied Saber, "Then she somehow managed to transfer the command seals to Yumimura-san. I don't know how something like that would work, I guess… I don't know much about magecraft. But I don't think there's any other explanation."
It was strange. Certainly, Caster had been their enemy. And no matter what, they would have had to kill her to claim victory in the Holy Grail War. But… knowing now that she had been trying to help Saori, to protect her, that she had transformed the girl into a Dead Apostle in order to save her life… it didn't feel like a proper victory. She didn't know what it felt like. She'd never exactly felt anything like this before.
"… Are you sure…?" asked the short girl, dully.
"… I guess I can't be certain, when I didn't see what happened, but… it's how it seems to be, as far as I know, Master," responded her Servant, "… I might be a manslayer, but seeing Caster die after learning about that… if we'd been fighting, it would have been different, but…"
They hadn't been fighting when Caster died?
"Then… who killed Caster?" asked Ai.
"Assassin," replied Saber, quickly, eyes narrowing, "She tried to kill Yumimura-san as well. Killing Caster in battle would have been different, but seeing her slain like that was… it didn't feel like a victory, Master."
It was the same way Ai felt. Nothing about this felt triumphant.
"… The only thing I can feel good about after this is slaying the Quilled Boar, eh-heh," said her Servant, suddenly. Her tone was a little lighter, as if she was trying her best to lighten the mood, uncertain of what else she could do to try and help. "I'd never killed a monster before, after all."
"So… you were the one who killed it?" Ai asked. She remembered seeing the huge beast go down, but it had been too distant to tell just what had happened. At this point, talking about anything else was the only thing that Ai could think of doing, as they began to leave the alleyway.
"Not alone, but I managed to deliver the final blow," responded the girl samurai, "Though… Master, I used one of my Noble Phantasms slay the beast."
Ai knew what that meant almost immediately, her heart sinking. Any Servants in earshot would now have, at the very least, a strong clue to her Servant's identity.
"But… don't worry!" continued the silvery-haired girl her voice suddenly more upbeat, once more, "We might be up against some tough opponents, and things might not have gone great today, but I've got no doubt that we can win, no matter what!"
Once again, Ai found herself wishing she could share in her Servant's optimism. Knowing that Saber had killed the Quilled Boar was something, but at the same time… aah… today… everything had been overwhelming. She wanted to help Yumimura Saori, but didn't know where she was. She wanted to help Tsubaki, but didn't know how. And she wanted to make sure Saber would be okay, that she could claim victory… but she couldn't be sure of anything, especially given the appearance of an eighth Master.
"… I… I hope so, Saber…"
Ai lead the way home… before she could even think about doing anything else, maybe it was best to rest.
But there was one more question she wanted to ask.
"… Saber… you're… still alright with fighting in this war… and everything like that… after what happened today?" Ai questioned, glancing towards her Servant.
"Ah…"
For a few moments, Saber was silent, as if thinking it over.
"… Even if things went this way, today… It's not as if I have any regrets," the platinum blonde girl responded, finally, doing her best to give Ai a confident smile, "I want to try and help Yumimura-san, and I wish, at least, Caster could have died in battle, knowing now what her true intentions were. But a manslayer like me… I'm glad I can do my duty and serve you, Master. Especially when something like this happens."
Hearing that, if nothing else, let Ai know how her Servant really felt.
"… I'm glad to hear it, Saber."
~
Rani regarded the girl in silence.
From what she had been told, Yumimura Saori had been distraught and confused. She had been rendered unconscious temporarily until there was a chance to allow her to adjust to her new situation and truly explain to her what was going on and where she had been taken. There was a pane of thick glass between herself and the vampire, and she was currently lying on a cushioned platform, alone. Blood would be provided to her upon her awakening, both for her own wellbeing and to reduce the chance of an attack.
The dark-skinned girl glanced from the unconscious Dead Apostle to the back of her right hand. There was the command seal. It had only manifested a day ago, as a result of Atlas's interference with the local leylines. It was… strange, to know what she was being deployed here for, but she fully understood her mission and would not dream of questioning it. This was for the purpose of furthering the knowledge she had been created to discover and catalogue, after all. For Atlas, gathering new information on every possible scenario was of the utmost importance, and this situation was no exception.
Rani's purple eyes drifted back to the girl. The order to secure her and keep her safe had come directly from the director of Atlas herself. The lavender-haired girl didn't understand what was intended for the Dead Apostle, at least, not beyond what she had been told. Naturally, analysis indicated that attempting to keep her away from the unaware people of the town was the best for her own safety as well as the safety of the townsfolk. But beyond that, Rani was unable to discern if the director had any further motivation. But it was not her place to question such things. She didn't exist to do so.
As of now, the operational period, the time in which she had spent alive, was reaching one of its most critical phases. It was not necessarily the explicit purpose Rani had been created for. Rather, it was a role that Atlas had concluded she would serve well in.
Once the organization as a whole began to dedicate resources towards the experiment itself, an analysis of various Atlas homunculi had been conducted. Eventually, her nature as the one most suited to serving in the experiment had been determined. As a result, she was transported to Minami immediately. Her duty was an important one, after all.
However, Rani had received orders to collect the vampire quite suddenly, not long before the experiment was intended to begin.
Quietly, she raised her hand, and placed it against the glass, her expression unchanging. Prior to this, her deployments had been for the purposes of Atlas, exclusively for obtaining knowledge, or for removing potential hazards. It was a cause ingrained into her very existence. The rescue of the Dead Apostle Yumimura Saori, rescue being one of the ways the director had referred to it, was something entirely different from her previous missions, and indeed her current assignment.
It wasn't any sort of rebellion given it was ordered from the top. Beyond one specific matter, Rani was dedicated to any and all orders she received, no matter how minor they could be. But it was an almost foreign experience to her, even when ordered by another, to do something that had little to nothing to do with her actual mission. Rani was hardly one to express any sort of feelings. She hadn't been created with such a thing in mind. And yet, there was an odd sensation in the core of her being as she looked upon the unconscious Dead Apostle.
Was it pride, that she had managed to successfully extract a vampire from a situation that was dangerous both to herself and to the people of the town? Or was it something else? It wasn't a feeling the small girl was entirely familiar with, and as a result it left her feeling somewhat uncertain. Slowly, Rani began to turn away from the window into the room that Yumimura Saori was being held in, facing away from her. It would be some time before she awakened, and there were other duties for her to attend to.
Ignoring her duties would be an unacceptable rebellion, and there was only one form of rebellion that the small dark-skinned girl could accept from herself. However, as she began to make her way down the hall, she was stopped by a tall man with fair skin and blonde hair. He was another one of many faces that had been dispatched to this location in order to carry out the experiment.
"Ah, Rani IV," he began, turning to face her, "As I'm certain you are aware, we're about to begin the first experiment."
… Ah? Had she lost track of the time? For a few moments, Rani was silent.
"… Understood," she responded, finally. It wasn't like her to lose track of what was going on. Just how long had it been since she had been dispatched to retrieve the Dead Apostle? The first experiment wasn't scheduled to occur for quite some time, as she recalled.
"You are required in the summoning chamber."
Rani nodded, turning and heading further down the hallway. It was only natural that a homunculus would be the individual requested to fulfill this role in the experiment. It was a perfectly logical thought process, and a conclusion Rani found to be the correct one. However, she was uncertain about the outcome. Would it be successful?
There was, in the end, only one way to be certain.
The door opened before her. As she entered, she noted that the preparations for the summoning had already been fully completed. Rani nodded to herself, silently. This was what she had been told to expect. While she had participated in the connection they had made to the Minami Holy Grail, the preparation of the ritual had been completed before she arrived.
In the center of the summoning circle, there sat a simple object.
A fragment of Grecian pottery. At least, this is what it seemed to be. It was positively ancient, retrieved from a digsite in Southern Greece several years prior. It had taken some time to affirm its nature and guarantee that it was exactly what they had been looking for.
Rani raised her right hand.
It was time.