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Ad perpetuam plaga

(The eternal plague)

Part I

One must be crazy to attack a priestess of Shallya, old Morr is very protective towards his little sister.
Old World saying.

The teen girl dressed in brown looked at the battlefield with an expressionless face. In fact, she rarely showed emotion. During the Moon Cell Grail War, her Servant (was it Caster?) told her that she did not seem able to get angry or hate. For her, extreme feelings and emotions remained difficult to understand. Unlike all those she had faced in the Seraph, Hakuno Kishinami had not waited years for the opportunity to participate in the Grail War. She had fought only to survive. Her fight was motivated only by the most primary desire, the desire to defend her own life.

For two days she had been on the Old World, the Last Master had not acted for other reasons. Once again, she was rushed into a conflict that did not really concern her. Hakuno had no great plans, did not wish to remake this world in her image, and did not have a firm opinion on good and evil. But she was there and her only presence changed things for the locals.

Her... or rather the Regalia on her finger.

Hakuno raised the ring before her eyes. The ring resembled a simple band of gold decorated with three precious stones. However, it was a complete control panel to give orders to the Moon Cell, to transform reality and to make real miracles.

If Leo, Rin, or even Shinji had received the Regalia, they could have achieved great things. Whether they are selfish or altruistic, every participant in the Grail War had a purpose... except for her.

"Lady Kishinami, there is no point in thinking too much about what has been done."

Hakuno turned to face her Servant. Truly royal in her blue dress adorned with gold, covered with a breastplate, gauntlets, and a strange metallic skirt, she looked straight ahead, her iron-gloved hands crossed over the pommel of her invisible sword. Although Artoria Pendragon's attitude was detached, she had a brief smile that illuminated her emerald eyes:

"A sovereign is a human being. Like any other human being, he makes mistakes. But there is no point in overstating his faults. You have to think of your errors as teaching so you don't have to do them again."
Hakuno answered with a head tilt which troubled her Servant:

"Knight Dan Blackmoor told me the same thing".

Coughing in her fist, Artoria considered her Master:

"A friend of yours, Lady Hakuno?"

A sad expression passed on the face of the Sovereign of the Moon Cell as she remembered the arena of the ancient city submerged under the Second Chimeric Lunar Sea. And that man with a white beard and hair. Straight and strong as a century-old oak tree, he smiled at her even as the Moon Cell began to erase her presence: 'Would you listen to an old man's last request? '

Hakuno nodded slowly:

"Rather a kind of grandfather."

She had fought Dan Blackmoor and his Servant Robin Hood, but the knight died happily because for the first time he could help someone instead of just being an obeying soldier. The memory of the old man drove away from the doubts that beset her. The knight had explained to her that she had a duty to grow up on the soil of those she had defeated and that this was the best way to pay her debt to them. Hakuno Kishinami turned again to the battlefield. The Bretonnians and the Imperials were busy gathering the bodies of the Skavens and throwing them into a pyre that would reduce the monsters to ashes. These man-rats, like the sewer rats they looked like, could be the vector of many epidemics, and precautions had to be taken against them. Dead or alive, these mutants posed a risk of infection.

This thought was disturbed by a gurgling sound as a thunderbolt. Mechanically, Hakuno turned to the source of the sound... to discover her Servant, always behind her, in the same attitude as before... except that a slight redness now tinted her cheeks:

"Hunger is the enemy."

The Inheritor of the Moon bit the inside of her cheek to stop laughing:

"This is obviously a powerful enemy."

The army of Bretonnia was made up of noble knights and great lords. For centuries these nobles had been accustomed to carrying in the field all the utensils necessary for material life: cookware, furniture, dishes, etc. This luggage thus occupied, in a supposed mobile army, a considerable number of valets, cooks, and carters who slowed down the troop and became an opportunity for embarrassment and even disaster.

As the war progressed towards an incessant conflict and countless enemies manifested themselves, the armies of Bretonnia were forced to hold the fields, finding everywhere abandoned villages and closed castles, enemy parties plundering the land.

The time was no longer to camps similar to cities, tents divided like permanent dwellings where the luxury of the table rivaled the feasts in the castles.

Meals were now prepared every morning for the day. Each army carried behind it carts filled with spherical canteens of beaten and tinned iron (1). The upper handle was a cork that was unscrewed, closing a hole that served to introduce the boiling water that kept warm the dishes prepared in the morning.

Each knight had his own, keeping on him the key that allowed to open the lock. Sitting in a circle, they chatted peacefully while eating soups and vegetables warmed by a wood fire, cutting the meat and wiping their lips with cutlery and a towel stored with a piece of bread in a locker in the canteen.

If, during the battle, Artoria had impressed by her tactical skill, her bravery, and her power... her appetite was now at the center of everyone's attention. The expression "eat for four" was generally not to be taken in a literal sense... except that Saber actually ate as much as four knights.

However, her table manners were perfect. She cut small bites, swallowed them with a precise and elegant gesture... until she was faster than any other. Remaining silent during the meal, she fed with seriousness and application...

Hakuno blinked, surprised by the behavior of her Servant:

"Artoria, you have quite the appetite!"

The King of Knights stopped for a moment to answer:

"It's normal to feed as much as you can when the opportunity is given. The energy I draw from food complements the energy you give me, Master."

"And you love everything?"

"Is it important, Master?"

"Well, if you need so much food, I might want to know what you like, Artoria".

Wiping her lips at his towel, the Servant took a serious and determined expression, as if Hakuno had just asked a vital question... which was perhaps the case:

"The quality of the food is satisfactory, Lady Kishinami. Thank you for asking. Although I am not a vegetarian, I enjoy vegetables as a complement to meat. Although fish are difficult to find far from the sea and may be difficult to prepare in the field, I also appreciate it. I have no problem with what is sweet; on the contrary I enjoy pastries. I don't have a problem with the spicy stuff either, as long as it's just to enhance the flavor of the dish."

Saber turned to the other knights:

"I'll have to compliment the army cook. His dishes are tasty. The Wild Boar Roast has enjoyed excellent cooking, and having cooked in the pot with strips of bacon gives it a unique taste that blends beautifully with the leeks and chestnuts that accompany it."

If one day, Artoria gave up being king and knight, she could still make a legendary restaurant critic.

The afternoon had just begun, Hakuno was returning from the Imperial camp. The mercenaries, decimated by the fighting, had literally begged her to escort them to Couronne. They feared being the victim of a new attack and Kishinami (at the insistence of Artoria) had finally yielded. The small troop under the command of her Servant would join them to ensure their tranquility.

Except that the merchants were not yet ready to hit the road and the Bretonnians were reduced to waiting for them... what the knights took very badly! They were not really used to waiting for the good pleasure of commoners!

Walking behind the Inheritor of the Moon, King Arthur took advantage of their return to the camp to reflect. She nodded and straightened her chin:

"Master, it is time for you to summon a new Servant."

Hakuno stopped, surprised, before turning towards Artoria:

"Another Servant? Can I have another Servant?"

The woman-knight did not hesitate on her answer:

"The Moon Cell takes care of most of the Servants' Prana needs. You should not have any problem to supply several Heroics Spirits. "

Hakuno tilts her head to the side, without realizing that the movement was very cute and that the King of Britain turned away to avoid blushing once again:

"Oh?... I see, you think I'd be in danger with one Servant in an open battle where there's no rule against attacking the Master. You're right, Artoria. With two Servants, I could send one to attack the enemy while keeping another to defend myself."

Artoria approved:

"Certainly, Master. I recognize the tactical sense of the winner of the Grail War. You have correctly summarized the problem and the conclusion."

Hakuno hesitated:

"Nevertheless, I don't know how to use the Regalia."

Saber's reaction was not long in coming. With her fists on her hips she confronted her Master with a tone that left doubts about who was the "Servant" here:

"Lady Kishinami, you are the ruler of the Moon Cell. You have only given an order. The Seraph is the country you lead; the Servants and the NPC are your subjects. If you ask for their service they will obey."
Being for the first time the "target" of the charisma of Artoria Pendragon, Hakuno remained for a few moments speechless:

"I... I see... but I don't understand how the Regalia works and I don't know how to use it."
Saber sighed, raising her eyes briefly to heaven:

"Yes, you explained this before, milady. Only, what you are trying to do is to understand the structure of the Regalia to use it. I was invoked at the end of the 20th century and at the beginning of the 21st. And I can affirm you don't need to know the nuances of the electronic or computer programming to make an order on the internet. Just give clears instructions to the Moon Cell, it's a computer, and it will obey."

The invocation of Artoria Pendragon took place at night, inside a building.

This one took place just after the meal, outside, while the sun was at the zenith.

Except for the presence of the Knights and Bretonnians' men-at-arms, it was however the repetition of the first invocation.

"Invocation of Servant in progress."

"Please wait a minute."

"Search for a Servant adapted to the situation."

On the holographic screen that continued to float above the Regalia, various organizational charts and tables showed the complex work done by the Moon Cell Automaton to prepare the invocation.
"Two matches found."

Hakuno startled but did not have time to say anything. The order she had given did not emphasize the number of Servants to call. Also the Moon Cell Automaton had concluded that two Servants were better than one. In response, a duo of magic circles appeared on the ground, lighting up immediately with orange light.

Blue Prana butterflies appeared above the pentacles, quickly taking the form of human silhouettes:

"Gawain" murmured Hakuno, acknowledging the last opponent of the Moon Cell Grail War.

The Knight of the Sun always wore his silver armor adorned with roses that made him look like the paragon of the chivalry. However, his artistically flabbergasted blond hair revealed an arrogant face, and a superior look. Hearing his name, the knight turned to Kishinami, also recognized her, but stopped as his gaze drifted behind her:

"This noble face, can I be the toy of my imagination? No... I do not dream... fate puts me once again in the presence of my king! "

Sir Gawain let himself fall on one knee:

"Your Majesty! I thank Heaven for allowing me to meet you once again. Ever since I gave my last breath, struck down by Lancelot's sword, remorse has not left me at peace. I don't have words strong enough to denounce my conduct. In my blindness to avenge my brother and sister, I forced you to follow me against Lancelot, and divide the Bretons into a fratricidal war. I have destroyed your kingdom, my king! It is my entire fault (2)."

Artoria Pendragon did not seem particularly pleased by her faithful knight mortifying himself before her:

"Sir Gawain, rise up. We are not here to talk about the past, but to put our swords at the service of our Master! Whatever your faults - and mine- our loyalty should lie to Lady Hakuno Kishinami, Sovereign of the Moon Cell. I think you know her, don't you?"

The Knight of the Sun straightened slightly and turned his head towards Hakuno:

"Indeed, Lady Hakuno, it is a pleasure to meet with you again. I do not forget that you allowed the young king whom I then served to know the only royal quality that was foreign to him: the desire to overcome failure. Leonardo Bistario Harwey, having been accustomed since birth to being better than all those who were opposed to him, had never experienced difficulties in imposing himself, nor enthusiasm in overcoming the trials. Thank you again for teaching him that. I hope that in a future life it will be possible for him to implement this lesson and that it will bring him the enthusiasm he has always lacked".

Sir Gawain loved to hear himself speak, and would probably have continued for a while if a crass burst of laughter had not interrupted him. Occupied with their reunion, Artoria, Hakuno, and Gawain had not had time to speak to the second summoned Servant.

He was a tall, skinny man wearing plate armor with thick shoulder pads and a long blue coat touching his heels. As Gawain his hair was artistically flabbergasted, and his lean face displayed an annoying expression of superiority. However, his resemblance to Gawain stopped there. His hair was chestnut and he was slightly taller than the Knight of the Sun. Moreover, his voice was much less pleasant, especially since he barked more than he spoke:

"This is so beautiful! You lost to that little mouse?"

As the knight pointed at her, without any politeness, Hakuno understood that for him she looked like a "little mouse".

"No, but if we were still in Camelot, I would spend a fortune paying all the troubadours in the kingdom to sing it to the court of every vassal of Arthur."

As the chestnut-haired knight laughed again mockingly, Sir Gawain stiffened himself:

"Of course, Sir Kay, as you can't beat me without cheating in a tournament you take revenge as you can. However, I am pleased to see that you feel that my misfortune may be worth your hard work in making it known. After all, your avarice no longer needs such publicity for everyone to talk about."

Kay? The "best brother" Artoria was talking about two days ago?

King Arthur intervened to put end to the quarrel:

"Sir Gawain, this was just one of Sir Kay's bad jokes. You should be used to his behavior and not get carried away for such a short."

The Knight of the Sun bowed slightly, with one hand on his heart:

"As you say, my king, I let myself be carried away; I would say that it does not happen again."

Mechanically, Hakuno shook her head. Kay was obviously wrong, having started the argument. Yet Artoria immediately identifies with Kay. Seeing King Arthur's foster-brother crush Gawain under a despicable superior smile, the Master suspected that this was not the first time things had ended this way.
Artoria then pointed to her adopted brother with an elegant gesture:

"Master Kishinami, let me introduce you to Sir Kay, Knight of the Round Table, Seneschal (3) of Camelot".
The knight answered only with a contemptuous sniff, considering Hakuno from bottom to top as if she was some sort of strange beast.

So it was the Knights of the Round Table?

Sir Kay was scornful, contemptuous, disloyal, and stingy.

Sir Gawain was a yes-man who was hanging all over his king like a lovesick puppy.

Both were arrogant, aware of their own superiority, and patronizing the others.

As for Artoria Pendragon, she supported her adopted brother, even when he was wrong.

Hakuno Kishinami no longer had trouble understanding how the Round Table had been broken. This promised for the future.

Slowed down by the merchant caravan, the small army of Bretonians did not arrive in sight of Couronne until nightfall. The city doors were already closed. Fortunately, the knights had the right to demand its opening and did not hesitate to do so, allowing everyone to enter the walls of the powerful city.

The caravan continued towards the caravanserai, in the merchant quarter, while knights and men-at-arms returned to the king's castle. Again, the doors were opened to them without hesitation.
The paladin of Dammartin awaited them, having reached the capital much earlier in the day. Slaanesh cultists had been handed over to the damsels of the Grail who had begun their interrogation. The captured rat-men would join them in the prisons.

Hakuno was both relieved and disappointed to learn that King Louen Leoncoeur was absent. The monarch somewhat intimidated the teenager... Dammartin explained that the king had left the city at the head of an army to suppress an ork insurrection. These green skins lived in the isolated forests of the Kingdom of Bretonnia, sometimes attacking villages. They weren't a big threat... normally. But an ork chief had killed his rivals, amalgamating the tribes and, taking the title of "Big Boss", had assembled a "Whaaaagh!", that is, a horde that would ravage everything in its path until someone stopped it.

Seeing Hakuno's worried expression, Marcel de Dammartin smiled:

"These are not wilds Orks from Araby or the Chaos Desolations, nor are they from the great tribes settled in the ruins of the Dwarfs' cities of the Grey Mountains. This is just a gathering of some lousy gangs that should never dare challenged King Louen. His Majesty has led an army at least twice as large as the enemy. This will be quickly resolved."

After bowing to the young Sovereign of the Moon Cell and Lady Artoria, the paladin asked to take his leave. He had only briefly glanced at Sir Kay and Sir Gawain, asking no questions about their presence.

When she turned to her Servants, Hakuno saw the astonished look of the Knight of the Sun:

"My King, why did paladin de Dammartin call you 'Lady Artoria'?"

Kay burst out laughing and surrounded his comrade's shoulders with an arm while poking Gawain cheek:
"I can't believe you're never understood, while you were following my sister like a puppy since childhood!"
Hakuno thought she heard a broken glass drizzle as Gawain's universe was shattering.

The night had been short and not very relaxing. Hakuno and Artoria had slept in the same bed in the seigniorial apartments of the Hugo Tower. Kay and Gawain had moved to the lower floor and had woken them up several times because of their incessant arguments.

In the morning, Kishinami had used the Regalia to consult the information stored in the Moon Cell about her two new Servants. She learned nothing new about Sir Gawain. Her meeting with the knight in the Seraph had already given her the opportunity to learn everything she needed to know.

As for Sir Kay...

She grimaced looking at the characteristics of King Arthur's foster brother.

Class: Berserker.

Skills:
Mad Enhancement: E+. Normally don't receive the effect of Mad Enhancement. In exchange, Kay keeps all is ability to think. However, when he loses money any control would be lost.
Golden Rule: B. In his lifetime, Sir Kay took every opportunity to receive titles and annuities from King Arthur.
Military Tactic: D+. As seneschal of the armies of Camelot, Sir Kay frequently commanded in battles.
Speechcraft: A+. The oratory skills of Sir Kay are legendary. What he cannot overcome by the sword he wins by his verve and by his false reasoning.

As she meditated on the information displayed on a translucent screen, the door was knocked on. A young page responded to her invitation to enter:

"Lady Kishmani?"

"My name is Hakuno Kishinami... not Kishmani".

"Oh I'm very sorry, my lady, the holiest matriarch Lisegund desires a world with you. Would you follow me?"

Shallya is the goddess of healing, childbirth, and compassion worshipped by the humans of the Old World. She is also the younger sister of Morr, the god of the dead, and the half-sister of Khaine the lord of murder, the elf god of death.

Her cult was present in all human nations, but his great temple was at Couronne. Strangely, her cult had little importance in Bretonnia where the Lady of the Lake was worshipped.

Escorted by Artoria Pendragon, Hakuno Kishinami followed the page to a living room decorated with tapestries and paintings. The floor was covered with a parquet floor whose slats formed a complex pattern that disappeared partly under a thick carpet. A few pedestals, a table, and armchairs formed the furnishings, while the fireplace supported a variety of weapons.

When they entered, a woman stood up.

She wore a long white garment reminiscent of that of the nuns of Earth. Her headdress of fabric left free only her wrinkled face. She played with a rosary bearing the emblem of Shallya's cult, a dove holding a key in its beak.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet me, damsel Kishinami".

Hakuno bowed deeply:

"I am the one who thanks you for coming to see me very holy matriarch Lisegund. What can I do for you?"
The matriarch of the Shallya cult nodded several times:

"I have learned that you came to the aid of a merchant caravan on the way to Couronne and that you escorted it safely through the walls of this city."

The Inheritor of the Moon tilted her head:

"Yes?"
Surprised the matriarch Lisegund smiles softly:

"Damsel, there was a priestess of my order who traveled with the merchants and the mercenaries who protected them. The chief of the reiters said you talked to her. Is that correct?"

"Yes... why is this important?"

"Priestess Fieseler left the merchants after their arrival at the caravanserai to head for the seat of our order... except that she never got there. Fraulein Fieseler was murdered. She was found stabbed in an alley halfway to the great temple. The murderers took only the Distorting Stone!"

(1) Although the author of this text is recognized as a person with a lively imagination, he did not invent these canteens. They were used by the army of the king of France between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries. One copy is in the museum of Cluny.

(2) In French, the same name "Bretagne" means Britain and Brittany, because in the early Middle Ages the same people lived on both sides of the Channel. King Arthur is known in French as "Roi de Bretagne" (King of Bretagne) or "Roi des Deux Bretagnes" (King of the Two Bretagnes). Legend says it was the quarrel between Lancelot who was Armoricain (a Breton from Brittany) and Gawain (a Breton from the British Isles) that separated the two branches of the Breton people. Disunited, Brittany and Britain ended up conquered by Germanic "barbarians", Saxons or Franks.

(3) The Seneschal is the leader of a medieval kingdom army.

Author's Note: Kay's appearance is based on Fate Knigth Rhapsody (an otome game) and Lord El-Meloi II Case Files (but since the manga is in black and white, I preferred the game). The personalities of Gawain, Kay, and Artoria are 100% canonic. And as other knights just as difficult to live will continue to appear in the next chapters, I invite you all to pray for this poor Hakuno (especially for her mental health).