Chapter 12: Fate/Zero: Feast of Kaiserin
Summary:
While the 4th Grail war (in this alternate reality) was something completely out of the norms, certain things truly never change no matter how much you try. A Feast in Truce, for where Kings lay clear what their wishes are.
Chapter
"Are you sure Master? As far anyone can see, NO ONE likes you."
"Do you?"
"You're my Master for this scam of a War! Feelings matter between a Master and their Servant!"
Ugh, even as a Servant he can cause Headaches to come as naturally as breathing to me. Walking towards the Einzbern Castle in Fuyuki, where the Brazen Idiot called Iskandar wants a one Night Truce to feast and talk amongst the Heroes who're Kings, unfortunately, my Status as the Holy Kaiserin made him invite me, and my Master decided it wouldn't do harm to go even if about every servant going didn't even remotely like him much, honestly i didn't also like him, but it's in my own self admission that i don't like other people in general, very few ever managed to get to a level where i got no choice but admit such, him? A Coworker i am fine getting along with and that's it.
"That's fine. Let's go."
The Castle Doors were Open, enhancing my sight, Iskandar and Artoria engaged in a heated Discussion, guess the musclehead decided the Servant whose base would Host this event was only now told about such. If anything,i would make sure no one ever took this guy seriously as Alexander the Great on OZEV is possible, with luck Elyna from the BND would accept the task, her Mother did manage quite some time consuming feats, no doubt the child she raised to succeed her position was able of just as much. Anyways, if this is to happen, the Albionese Legend has to be convinced to let it happen here.
"Good night, Saber, Iskandar."
"Ohhhh! You came! Now, if you-"
"Saber, while i will concede this Musclehead has no capacity to plan even the humblest meetings, why not let tonight be and talk in good faith?"
Her glare goes straight to my Master, oh well, his insuferable behaviour lends to anyone with even some modicum of Pride, honour or Chilvary to distrust him.
"Nice words from a Caster whose Master makes little of Honour."
"Please spare us both that Saber. Times change, and with it, Values and Meanings of things such as Honor, given he's not a Magi, whose practices you should know well, he has actually the less tarnished Honor in my honest Opinion."
"Hoh?"
"Tonight shall be merely a Talk, right? Just a momentary truce, has he ever hit anyone in this war in the back? Attacked during the day?"
At that she grumbles, damn that's way too easy! Chilvaric honor is such a restricting thing!
"At very least the Meeting would be between four Servants, if a Master in this war is crazy to put himself and their own servant in the Line of Fire for an Impossible attempt at Killing one of you two or the third servant, you believe an attack of such would even work? You believe a Caster in your Stronghold can win? Or manage to kill Rider before he escapes of take flight?"
The reasoning is as Obvious it gets, she has Homefield Advantage being in her base, Rider can easily ditch the talks and run away. And that's not speaking of Archer, he may as well just Brute force his way out or abuse the fact he's the only Servant of this entire mess with High Divinity stat, meaning only some Servants have something capable of punching through said Abaolute shield, unfortunately, i am not armed for such, supposedly so. So for my Master to put me outside one of my Territories and try kill even one of them? Even Saber has to admit this is suicide no matter is Berserker has been tasked with invading the Party later or not.
"Saber... Let's accept, Caster seems to be trustworthy enough for this."
Irisviel Einzbern, the Homunculus, who acts as the Catalyst to birth the Lesser Grail that connects to the Greater Grail, from the Looks, their Mercenary who is the Acting Master of them is away, guess the Brit's network can't get a full 98% accuracy intel yet.
"Alright, i will guide you all."
A bit resigned that the Beauty she has to obey as if she was her Master accepted this entire thing so eagerly. Soon we got to the Castle's Center, a Courtyard, typical Europan Aesthethics for a Castle indeed, albeit taking a more later style than the ever traditional or even Medieval, guess the Einzberns while a very old Magus house, still had to relent to building trends even if just a bit.
"And you? This talk is for Kings!"
Iskandar Looked at my Master who even now was close to me even as we were more than halfway to the center where the meeting will be.
"Me? Well... What kind of Achievments net you a King title?"
His innocent looking Question while his ever present Smile makes the question looks like a challenge rather than what i truly understood it was.
So long it's impressive or great enough! Land conquered, Treasures, whatever is Larger than anyone, even other Kings, could ever achieve."
"Sex."
...
...
...
No one can say a thing.
"Boy, you sure?"
"Absolutely."
"HA! Tell us! How many?"
"Statistically, how many i would need to Inpregnate so that about 8-10.4% of the current Population carries my Genes?"
"... You serious?"
"Of course!"
This time, His Master, Waver, is the one breaking the Pregnant Silence (ha ha).
"W-w-wait! Give a timeframe!"
"Ehhmmm, since 1917?"
"Iskandar..."
"Yes Master?"
"That's more than enough for him to be King of Sex..."
Iskandar's face is one of those Men who got thoroughly beaten in something that puts his Manliness to shame, Waver is just murmuring Albionese Cuss words about how those Bearing Assassin's Fsmily Blood have it good, Saber is about as red it can go before one bursts in shame. Rider unfortunately has to let him in.
Shortly after, Archer arrives and the "Party" starts, Gilgsmesh may be a Prick in his summoned version, but i have to give him praise for having such a Delicious Wine in store. It's merely a Formality from what i garner, have a Drink among peers to discuss something, even if either a Negotiation between Enemy Leaders or just a small Moment of Peaceful iddle talk before all Involved in said talk return to wage war against one another. And tonight's topic is as simple and Straightfoward as it goes, What's your Wish to the Grail?
"OHHH! Since i was the one to call for this Talk, i will start! My wish is to Reincarnate!"
As straightfoward as it can go for someone like Alexander the Great, once a King of Conquerors, always one. Itching to control the world, to manage to conquer the lands past the seas.
"Reincarnation huh? Unsurprising coming from you, Iskandar, you want to try challenge OZEV? Germania?"
"Indeed! You want to tell us yours?"
"I rather allow my Fellow Senior Servants do the Honors."
My Gaze went to Saber, if there's one thing my vast Experience that was the sublimation of my life as a HR manager Salaryman, Commander of the 203rd and then my Entire Political career managed to gift me, was at very least the Understanding of Human Psyche, the Heart and how to pick clues from the Outside hinting about Inner turmoils, sadly, either all that did nothing to helpe find my sweet retirement or i never caught wind of one detail that always derailed my decision making, but the latter is absolutely impossible. Whatever it is, that uneases her, i at least am sure is deeply tied to her being in this War.
"My wish is... For someone else to do the Sword Trial."
A silence, for one, Iskandar's opinion of it is obvious, Archer? Likely similar, but from the Looks, he wishes to find amusement more than win this war, after all, under his Absolute Narcisistic Logic the Grail IS HIS by right. Both will push a Wedge in the already assured wedge amongst us due to the war rules. But her Wish... I am personally in disapproval of it also.
"So you believe your Rule was faulty? That if someone else became King Arthur, all the Issues you failed to prevent wouldn't happen?"
"You're right... It's my ineptude as King that led to Camelot's end, the Break among the Round Table members... Someone else-"
"-would be Just as Flawed, your Wish is Naive and Stupid, Artoria."
The one to remark was my Master, his smile still there, always, but his eyes, it was of Disappointment.
"He's right! A king should stand Prideful! Great or not, you should stand tall! A King doesn't serve its people, rather it's the contrary! THE PEOPLE serve their King! To deny one's own achievments equal denying his subjects their entire existence!"
"That's just being a Tyrant! That's not what Albion needed back then!"
"What they needed was a Hero... Someone to lead and show the path... Right?"
She's surprised at me entering the discussion.
"Indeed, but i failed, i couldn't do it! So, some-"
"No Artoria, as My Master said, anyone else would do mistakes just as you did, the Burden of a Hero who carries a Nation is Heavy, there's no helping it, asking for your existence to be written off by a Replacement is just like many great people i met did a long time ago, the cowards choice."
I remember well, late in life, just before Visha got bedridden due to age, Elyna gave me a Letter, it was a copy of a memo from Zettour before he died, reminiscing about how after the war ended in the Empire's disastrous Defeat, he and so many former Imperial Military staff, like the Population, had ended in a Defeatist deppression, how they resigned themselves and avoided the Reality, the painful shame their inability back then led the Empire to those terrible 8 Years of war that ended in a Ruinous Peace for them, Germania and the world itself. And how it took me raising the GWP to their first major breakthrough in seats won to get him and so many out of that. To refuse to Aknowledge one's past, including their errors and failures, is akin to reject all that had to be used, sacrificed, lost. You can regret your Past, but never you should desire or attempt to Deny or erase it.
"Saber, Like you, my Raise to a Position of Power came at the bleakest Moment for my Country and worse than you, i did my VERY BEST even before to stop that from becoming reality, alas defeat came and my fatherland was ruined, and they needed a Beacon, the people, the Government, i worked hard, and despite my aim never being exactly that, i took the position of power and took my Duty with all the attention it commands. I did Mistakes just like anyone else, but never will i want to erase them."
"Then tell me... What you want of the Grail?"
"Hm. I am curious as well... Caster... Let me see if it's something to amuse me just Like Saber's wish does."
"My wish? Unfortunately even if i had one i wanted badly, my Deal with Master is... Unorthodox. And what i wish can very well be done by someone with the resources he commands... After all... All that Sex isn't merely Hedonistic. Right?"
For once he breaks from the shit eating smile and to a more honest one, barely different from the former mind you.
"She's right... And what she would even want of that Grail has been achieved already honestly, so currently? Some Cushy retirement outside being stuffed inside that Pristine as shit Throne you all have to call home."
"So you want to Reincarnate?"
"As if, no soon a certain group gets wind of that and my Cushy retirement is over! You can go try to fucking wage war against the most elite War Maniacs if you win, you will regret it however."
"You just made me want the Grail even more!"
Damn War Maniacs.
"Forget about it Mongrel, the Grail is Mine."
...
"Hm well, anyone else called more Guests? Assassin maybe? Iskandar?"
As my Master Points to the roof, several shadowy figures appear.
"Me? No? Maybe they want to take part!"
"Your Optmism when not beating the crap of others is quite a sight, Rider."
I roll my eyes, of course those Kotomine Puppets are here for some Obvious reason, and with such Numbers, they aim is obvious, force our hand to reveal our Trump Card.
For all he talks, his Noble Phantasm Eianon Heitaroi was indeed a powerful card, dangerous even, if i was to be careless, that would spell my defeat.
"So... I am too late, huh?"
"YOU! I may have opened exception to them, but not you!"
"Relax, Artoria, like Caster and her Master, tonight is a truce even from me! Also if i wanted to pull something, i would have just pulled an Assassin move and go for your Master or even the Tohsaka boring plain mc boring guy."
"So? Why you came then?"
"Hm? Oh yes, Master asked me to tell that Someone attacked the Parish, The Church's Observer and his son were Killed, the question however is... Who sent a fucking Summoned Dullahan to attack them?"
"Impossible! That Parish should been more than deffendes for a measly creature Someone summoned!"
"I killed that shit and surprise! The body used was of a Church's Executioner, guess someone has humour, Risei was stuck to the wall with a Javelin and Kirei was beheaded with a Gladius... No Observer means trouble i guess..."
"May i guess?"
I decided to throw some hints, if not, odds are either the War Maniac or even the Desperate Lancer Master may throw caution out of the window.
"Sure."
"The attack has been already Reported via an Intel broker, but the Church is unable to redirect an Observer in such short Notice. So they will ask... For a Special Mage Observer from OZEV, right?"
"Yeah. A Mage squad escorting a Waldsttate Magi sourced by yours truly, The Brit, the Magi will be an Autonomous self taught one, hence the Mage security."
The news grimace everyone, i am truly not in contact with Germania, so i Hope the Escort team is from Ildoa or even Dacia, otherwise the servants and Masters may think i have used my status to pull the strings. Still, this talk is finished, Iskandar reminded Saber he no Longer considers her a King, Archer was himself and annoyingly told her she should continue this ridiculous path to a bad Wish. I was also ready to leave and wait for next Night's, until Artoria herself stopped me.
"May i ask you something?"
"Sure, but i may not answer."
"Fair. If you were on my position, would you... Wish the same?"
"No. For the very reason i told you. Refusing to accept or outright rejecting one's own Past because of some tragedy is tantamount to denying the value of all who Died, Sacrificed or were lost as your lived. Mistakes, Tragedies and losses happen Artoria, don't think changing or even erasing your past as you wish will fix anything, for us Servants who're already dead, accepting what is our Past is for the Best, Hypotheticals about the Past serve no purpose but to cause agony and pain."
"But still... There-"
"There's no what, but or ifs, Artoria!"
For the first time, i raised my voice, startling her.
"Accept it, your Rule was the Rule Camelot and Old Albion got. Or are you saying that their Lives, your friends, allies, the People whose Lives became filled with Hope... Is all that worth NOTHING? Changing the past is an Act of Futile wastefulness, our History fuels Humanity Growth, progress. Our History inspire, motivate them... Whay you want that Grail to grant isn't just Denying the past of everyone that got entangled with your own past, but to deny the Present and future as well."
With that, i leave. Angry, for reasons i may know why, but would never admit, ever.
"Good night, see ya!"
My master bids his farewell to the Einzberns and closes on me.
"She reminds of you? Of a Possible faucet your Past self could have taken, right?"
"She's too Naive... Many times i think some of my Actions could have been done differently, more so when things i wanted just never came due to myself and myself alone... Then i remember, that i just would have caused the Absolute waste of an Entire timeline due to a whimsical petty wish of mine..."
"Hmm hmm... It's fine... So... Could you beat Archer?"
"Of course. After all... No one knows about THAT."
A sly grin comes to my Face, after all, no one realized just what an Unknown factor that Built my Legend caused my Saint Graph to turn into a Mess, one filled with stuff i should never have had access to.