I had been forced. If I had any other choice, I would never have agreed to take part in the Holy Grail War.
It was the first Wednesday in February when I met Saber: the Servant with fox ears. She had just destroyed four killer robots and I was grateful for that, but when the battle was over, I realized that now I had to deal with a new problem: the accommodation of that girl. I certainly couldn't take her home and tell my parents that a stranger with fox ears and a fox tail would live with us indefinitely… but at the same time I certainly couldn't keep her out of the house, after all she was my Servant and she had to stay by my side. The remains of those machines were still lying on the mud but they were becoming transparent, they were disappearing little by little. This meant that they were not real robots, but artifacts created with the use of magic. Perhaps it was the work of some magus or a Servant. I didn't know and wasn't too tempted to find out. My only concern at the time was to find a way to live with this new reality without inconveniencing my family and without putting them in danger.
"Are you all right, Master? I mean, 'cuz you seem a little thoughtful to me."
"Do you have… uh… a house?"
She looked at me with two wide eyes.
"I have to take that as a 'no', right?"
"Do you have a place to live?"
"Yes, but the problem is you… you understand? I have two parents, a younger sister… they could never understand. They know nothing of the Heroic Spirits and the Holy Grail War. You understand what I'm saying, right?"
"You don't have to worry about that, 'cuz you see I can use my spirit form to keep me from being seen. But I warn you that I'm not gonna spend all my time in that form, I would like to have a little fun! I'm a girl who has needs, do y'know what I mean?"
"Huh? I thought Servants were… er… weapons."
"Well, technically yes, but I don't wanna be just 'a weapon'. I wanna have fun and stuff. I wanna go out with friends, I wanna fall in love and I also wanna get married. I mean, 'cuz that's super-cool!"
I had no idea if she was serious or if she was just playing the part of the most stereotypical high school girl I had ever seen. It didn't bother me, in fact there was a part of me that found it slightly adorable and even funny. But it was clear as day that I was dealing with a Servant who wanted to do her own thing and it could be a problem for me. I didn't want to force her to do something she didn't want to, but I did want to keep the people I care about as far away from Saber and the reality of the Holy Grail War as possible. A red symbol—the Contract—had appeared on my left hand, and I knew how it worked. The Contract was basically divided into three Command Seals, which allowed me to give orders that the Heroic Spirit was forced to obey. Personally I didn't feel good having that kind of authority over such a powerful creature, but I knew that, in case of dire need, I would be forced to use at least one. However I had to be careful as using all three Command Seals would canceled the Contract. Which made me think…
I didn't want to fight the Holy Grail War. I hated fighting, I hated conflict, and I hated the very idea of not being able to escape. On my left hand was the way out, there was the key to run away and to leave the war behind me… But there was something that prevented me from doing it, a kind of sense of guilt without any reason. I needed to think about it.
Saber switched to spirit form and I went home quietly. My mother had worried about me because of the late hour, but I explained that I had been at school and that I had simply forgotten to call her. I locked myself in the room. I was dirty and sweaty and, as soon as the idea of taking a shower touched my head, I said to Saber:
"You stay here. You don't need to follow me."
"Yeah, yeah… shy, huh?"
"Nobody likes to be seen naked."
I closed the bedroom door and went to the bathroom. Under the water of the shower I left a sigh of relief. I touched my arms, legs, neck, head and finally my chest… I was alive. I had managed to survive. The very idea of being able to avoid a mortal situation was charging me, made me feel like a kind of superman who couldn't be killed. But that feeling didn't last long and my head was hammered again by the thought of canceling the Contract. As I sponged my arms and legs, I constantly thought about how much my life would change with a Heroic Spirit around. The more I thought about the different difficulties that presented themselves in front of me, the more I got scared and I got closer to the idea of canceling the Contract right there, in the shower. And then the guilt resurfaced.
'Why?' I thought.
Once out of the shower, I took the hairdryer and left the bathroom to leave it to my dad.
"Everything okay at school?" he asked gently.
"Yes, fine. I can't wait to graduate."
"Come on, champ! After high school you can finally do what you like!" He patted me on the shoulder and let me go.
Back in the room I realized that Saber was no longer in spirit form and I immediately closed the door.
"What are you thinking?!" I yelled in a low voice.
She was lying on my bed reading my school notes. My room wasn't very large, but her presence had managed to make it narrower than usual: she had placed her shoes near the bed, she had left her sword near the desk, while her hat and red jacket had been abandoned on the only chair. Saber, lying in the prone position, was constantly wagging her tail and keeping her legs crossed. She had her gaze glued to the pages and seemed genuinely interested in what I had written.
"You don't have to worry about that. I'm, like, very careful, 'cuz this is what's expected of a Servant of my caliber, am I right? I mean, it would be really stupid if someone as fabulous as Servant like me couldn't hide from mere humans, yeah?" She paused briefly and then decided to change the subject: "You have nice handwriting, y'know that?"
"Thank you—ow!" I was about to trip over her shoes. "Next time you decide to take off your shoes, remember to leave them away from the bed!" I took them and placed them at the foot of the wardrobe. "Got it?"
"Yeah, yeah…"
"Besides, you shouldn't leave your clothes lying around. Do you mind if I put the hat and jacket in the closet?"
"Mm…? Did you say 'hat' and 'jacket'? The 'hat' is a tate-eboshi and the 'jacket' is called suikan. I remind you that you're talking to a super-fabulous Servant who belongs to a very versatile class, I advise you against disrespecting my culture, 'cuz otherwise—"
"For being so cultured, you express yourself in a way that isn't 'traditional'," I commented as I put her clothes in the closet.
"Well…um…Oh, c'mon! I mean, you know, you should express yourself in the right way. I don't want to say that you have to be traditionalist, I'm super-cool and not ultra-boring, but, like, it's also a matter of respect, y'know?"
"Okay…?" Her way of speaking made some statements quite confusing. "I should dry my hair, could you move?"
"If you want I can give you a hand, Master!" she exclaimed with a sunny smile.
"I… uh… are you sure?"
"Sure, sit down!"
I sat on the bed and she got behind me. I gave her the hairdryer.
"Can you turn it on?" I asked her puzzled.
"Um… Ah-ah!" She turned it on.
It was a weird feeling to feel a stranger's hand in my hair. Her manner was gentle and she knew how to distribute the heat all over my head. It was at that moment that I understood the reason for that sense of guilt which prevented me from canceling the Contract. I didn't know Saber, I didn't know anything about her and her story, but I knew that she had saved my life. I couldn't send her away as if nothing had happened, it would have been like treating her as an object that could be used and forgotten. But she wasn't a thing, and though she was a Heroic Spirit, she was no mere weapon. Weapons have no personality, and the girl I was sharing a room with had a very strong one.
When she finished drying my hair, I looked in the mirror to make sure I didn't have a clown hairdo and was surprised to see that she had done a fine job. I thanked her and took out my pajamas to go to bed.
"I ask you to be careful, Saber," I told her in a serious tone. "I love my family and I don't want to put them in danger. You understand that, don't you?"
She sighed. "I know, Master, but I want, like, a compromise."
"What do you have in mind?"
"I don't wanna stay in spirit form all the time, 'cuz I don't like not being able to move with this body. I don't know if you understand, but I'm kind of proud of this look of mine and I don't wanna waste it."
"Wha-What do you mean…?"
"I already told you: I wanna fall in love and I wanna get married."
"Oh."
"Is there any problem?"
"No, it's just… I thought you were joking." I took a short break. "So you really believe you can find the love of your life by dressing like that?"
"Well, duh! You don't know? The high school outfit is the most seductive thing there is! Like a garment that everyone loves!"
"I… don't think so."
"Don't you find me seductive?" she asked striking a sexy pose on my bed.
"No," I replied coldly.
Her eyes widened and she probably didn't realize that I wasn't totally honest. Of course, the high school dress wasn't at all seductive in my eyes, but I could not deny that she was a beautiful girl. But it wasn't just her golden eyes that captured me; her attitude, which was somewhere between awkward and adorable, had something attractive about it. Maybe it was her way of expressing herself or I just liked her voice, I didn't know.
Having said that, I felt compelled to trim that gigantic ego of hers. I didn't want to humiliate her, I just wanted her to understand that just because I refused to treat her like a mere weapon that didn't mean she should treat me like a lackey ready to praise her for everything she did. If I wanted to live with her, I had to make her understand that there was a need for respect from both of us.
I put on my pajamas and got ready for bed.
"Okay, now you can move," I said.
"Why?"
"I have to sleep," I replied.
"Sleep then."
"There is not enough space on the bed."
"Mm…?" She moved a little. "Here, now you can lie down."
"You're joking, right?"
"You got a problem?" she said with a provocative smile. "You said you don't find me seductive, that means you have no attraction for me, so you can sleep next to me without any embarrassment, right? I mean, you can't say I'm wrong. So please: the bed is yours."
She was doing it on purpose. I thought she was a bit dumb, but with that single move she had managed to corner me. Her sly look and her victorious grin told me: 'I won'. I couldn't sleep next to her, it would have been too embarrassing so I thought I'd play her game.
"Do you know what? I was wrong. In fact I find you very beautiful, indeed, I think you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen in my entire life. It would be really hard for me to sleep next to you. I guess I'd be forced to go to the sofa, but if I did I would risk putting our cover in jeopardy and you don't want that to happen, right?"
"Well, duh! I don't want to lose this war!" She left the bed. "I'll sit down. Don't worry, Master, I'll watch over you."
"Thank you, thank you…" I said hiding my victorious grin.
I got under the blankets that had been warmed by Saber and fell asleep.
February 3rd, Thursday
A princess in red with a divine blade and a black demon armed with two flaming swords. I dreamed of the battle between these two figures and saw the princess kill the demon and go off into the sunset together with a beautiful prince. The orange sky was obscured by a dark veil dotted with millions of stars. I saw the two lovers on the shores of a lake. The prince, asleep in the arms of the princess, murmured a good-bye and disappeared. She was left alone and wept silently. I went over to console her and was then stopped by the old woman in armor I'd seen before.
"Do not disturb the course of this tale. This is how things must go since some sufferings are inevitable for the heart."
"But that's not fair," I commented. "She is crying because she has lost the love of her life. I can't leave her alone."
"You have to."
"And who are you to say such a thing? Do you know her story? Do you know her suffering?"
"And you?" She paused briefly. "You only see images, nameless faces and events with no personality. You don't know what's going on, but you will find out. Time will bring you closer to the princess and she will make you understand her feelings. Now stay here and listen to my words: She will wake up."
"She? Are you talking…"
"Of the deer. The White Deer, the Ancestral Spirit of the Hunt and Guardian of the Pale Moon. She will wake up."
"You keep saying 'she', but the deer I saw was a male not a female—"
"The deer is just a vessel or, more simply, an idol. It represents a very powerful goddess who is intimately connected with you, with me and with our family."
"Who are you?"
"I am Marzia, she who fought against the unjust crusade."
"Marzia…?"
I didn't know who she was and I couldn't continue that conversation because the sound of the alarm clock ended the dream. I woke up confused and also very uneasy. I felt I was dealing with something important and it annoyed me that I didn't get to know more.
"Mornin'," Saber said, packing a backpack.
"Good morning," I answered half dozing.
I washed myself, ate breakfast and, after getting dressed, left the house with the backpack on my shoulder. Outside there was still that thick fog, but luckily there were no killer robots. I walked to high school as usual and then heard Saber's voice:
"It'll be fun to learn new things and meet lots of new people!"
"You must be crazy if you like going to school—"
I stopped. I turned to her. She was not in spirit form, she had no hat and no red tunic, her sword was gone and she had a dark blue backpack. I looked at her with two wide eyes.
"Wha-What are you… doing, Saber?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to school with you, Master!" she exclaimed enthusiastically.
"Oh… No."
"No?"
"No, no, no, no, no…" I took her by the shoulders and led her away from the road. "No, no, no, no…"
"Is there any problem?"
"A million. To begin with: do you realize you have fox ears and a fox tail? Do you really think nobody will notice them?"
"Well, duh! Of course they will notice them! My future boyfriend must notice them! Because only the man of my destiny will fall in love with my fox appearance, it seems quite obvious to me. Like can you not understand?"
"Wha—? No, wait… Are you really going to go to school, my school, to show the classmates, my classmates, your fox ears and tail? Please don't tell me you're serious."
"I'm like super-serious!"
"Okay…" I sighed. "Reality to Saber, Saber are you there? This is reality speaking to you: nobody, and I mean nobody, will fall in love with you just because you show fox ears. What they will do is tremble with fear and call you a 'monster' because, believe it or not, what you have in your head and behind your back is not normal. Do you understand that?"
"Well, I can always use a super-cool thing. Do you know what it is? My Mystic Eyes! Thanks to them I can seduce any hottie I want! All men will find me attractive, seductive, and treat me as the most beautiful princess in the world!"
"No. I won't let you use witchcraft on my classmates."
"But—!"
"No."
"Oh, c'mon—!"
"No, no."
"Just for a sec—!"
"No, no, no."
I knew it would be difficult, if not impossible, to force her to stay home. Surely she would find a way to outsmart me and come to school and do stupid things. The only thing I could do was try to reach a compromise with her.
"Listen, Saber, if you really care about school, I'll let you come with me—"
"Yes! Thank you—!"
"BUT! You must meet these three conditions: you must be in the same class as me, you must not use any magic or sorcery, and you must not, for any reason, show your fox ears or tail. Done deal?"
"And can I flirt with hotties?"
"Yes, sure—No, wait, what? Do you really want to use the Holy Grail War to flirt with high schoolers?"
"It bothers you?" she asked with a teasing grin. "If it bothers you, I may not, Master. Just tell me you don't wanna share me with others 'cuz you would go super-jelly if you saw me with another guy."
"Do you really want me to say this? Is that the only way to keep you from doing stupid things?"
"Nah, you should say something like, 'Oh, Saber, you're the most beautiful girl I've ever met. I can't resist the passion. When I'm near you I need to fondle your soft breasts, run my hands over your smooth legs and kiss your delicious lips.'" Her theatricality was certainly not lacking.
"No, I don't think I will."
"Oh, c'mon!"
"It almost seems like you have a crush on me, Saber," I said wryly.
"Haha! Nah! I can't have a crush on the first man I meet, 'cuz that would be too easy. You have to work hard to find love. Everyone knows, y'know? True love is what you find after so much effort!"
"Yes, in some cases it is so—"
"But this is not the point! I need to use this time to look for my ideal boyfriend and you have to help me, 'cuz you're my Master and that's your main duty! Maybe you can help me find the love of my life! That would be totes amazing!"
"No, I don't think I will. The only thing that interests me is that you respect our agreement."
"Ugh… fine. Then I'll do it all by myself. You're totes boring."
The fox ears and tail disappeared together. The fact that she could change her appearance caught me slightly off guard, but I could breathe a sigh of relief. However, I had my doubts that Saber's plan could actually work. First of all, there was the problem of her identity and then it's not that in high school she would have been welcomed so easily. I was ready to enjoy some kind of victory and then…
"Meet your new classmate," the literature teacher exclaimed. "She will stay with us for some time. I recommend you make her feel at ease with you. In the meantime, if you want to introduce yourself…"
"Hi there, classmates! I'm Sabrina Spadini! Nice to meet ya!"
'I'm fucked up,' I thought.
"Where do you want to sit, Miss Spadini?"
She looked at my desk. "There. Near the Mas—Mysterious student with a bit of a scruffy look."
'I'm more than fucked up,' I thought.
"Of course, if there is no problem for Rossi. Rossi, you can move close to Corvini."
So Carlo sat next to Diego and Saber sat next to me. She winked at me and I had no idea whether to scold her or compliment her. When the class began, I learned a thing or two about Saber. To begin with, since she didn't have the school supplies, we had to share the books. She used to draw smiley faces on the pages and sometimes left little hearts; she reminded me very much of Silvia and this was as fascinating as it was worthy of reflection. Considering her clothes, Saber must have been older than me, much older than me, yet she behaved exactly like a high school girl. Initially I was thinking of a play, but there was such spontaneity in her drawings that this doubt arose in me: what if she had never had the opportunity to live as a teenager. I didn't know anything about her, but there was the possibility that she was just trying to fill a void in her life.
Another interesting thing is that she followed the lessons with interest, she was much more attentive than me and always asked a lot of questions. This only confirmed my doubts. Maybe she wasn't acting, but she was really trying to be a high schooler. Which, to be honest, was as interesting as it was sad. Adolescence is certainly a time full of problems, but it is also an important phase in one's life and I don't think it was fun for her not to have enjoyed that moment. Obviously mine were only conjectures, nothing more.
But there were also other details that caught my attention…
She was able to rotate the pencil on her hand and that was enough to make her a legend in my eyes. She was always with her legs crossed; sometimes it was the left to stay on the right, sometimes it was the opposite. She trespassed, perhaps unwittingly, towards my desk and I often found her practically on me. I tried not to make her uncomfortable, but I had to point out that she was a little too close to me when I felt her breasts touch the back of my hand. She didn't do these things to flirt with me, or at least she didn't seem to, in fact she seemed to do them without even thinking about it.
During the break she started talking to the other girls and boys, and I used that moment to get away from the class and take a break from her. Frankly I wasn't really worried about what she did with other people. I knew perfectly well that while acting like a high school girl, Saber was still a sexually mature woman. I knew it from the way she teased me. She was aware of her beauty and she knew how to use it—for this reason I thought, for a moment, that I was dealing with a seductress. Saber's attitude was enough to make me realize that her flirting was part of the 'high schooler script', there was nothing serious about it. But this made me think about her desire…
"You've been kissed by luck, huh?" Carlo exclaimed approaching me.
"Luck? Why?"
"The girl. Sabrina. We've all seen how she acts with you."
"I don't know what you're talking about—"
"Oh, come on! Don't joke! She is the bee and you are the honey."
"Stop getting strange ideas."
I didn't have the slightest intention of pursuing that discussion with Carlo and was ready to leave, but then I came up with a better way to drop the subject.
"I have a question for you, know-it-all. It concerns a certain Marzia."
"Who?" he asked confused.
"Do you know such a Marzia who fought an 'unjust crusade'?"
"Marzia? Marzia… Marzia… Wait, are you talking about Cia Ordelaffi?"
"Never heard of her."
"Cia was the nickname of Marzia Ordelaffi, a valiant Italian leader who led the armed forces of Cesena during the crusade against the Forlivesi."
"Was there a crusade against the Forlivesi?"
"Yes, in the 14th century. It was an act of war against Francesco II Ordelaffi. He was the lord of Forlì and made several military campaigns to expand his domains. He conquered several strongholds and strengthened his anti-papal policy. This made him the enemy of the Papal States and of all Christianity. In Germany and Hungary several crusaders were mobilizing ready to kill the tyrant of Forlì. The Papal State defeated all of Francesco's allies, but he did not give up and even asked for help from mercenaries, like the famous Konrad von Landau. However, in the end, he had to surrender to superior forces. Even today he's remembered both as a terrible tyrant and as a courageous leader who refused to bow to the pope. Some remember him as Francesco the Great."
"And what about this Marzia?"
"She fought against the crusaders and courageously defended the fortress of Cesena. Her military skills and courage earned her the appreciation of many historians. And look we're not talking about a woman who simply stood back and watched her men fight, she took up her armor and personally went out into the battlefield to face the crusaders. However she was forced to surrender due to the numerical superiority of her enemies."
"I thought Joan of Arc was the first woman to have fought in a war."
"No, she's simply the most famous. The French love to feel at the center of the world. But, seriously, it's a real shame that a woman like Marzia Ordelaffi isn't celebrated."
"And what do you think is the link between Marzia and the white deer?"
"The white deer…? Do you mean the coat of arms of the Ubaldini family? We're talking about your family, Pietro! For God's sake, how could you be so ignorant—?!"
"Yes, yes! Just tell me what I want to know!"
"Well, the white deer is used in the heraldry of the Ubaldini family. Marzia Ordelaffi was born into that family. In fact, some remember her as Marzia of the Ubaldini and—"
"Sorry for interrupting you," exclaimed Lorenzo. "Pietro, do you know where Marco lives?"
"Huh? Why?"
"I guess you heard about the murder of Mrs. Benedetti," he said in a low voice.
It was Marco's grandmother.
"It was the dwarves," exclaimed Carlo seriously. "You don't know? Since this fog has come, stories of sword-wielding dwarves wandering the streets of Siena have sprung up. Nobody managed to take a picture of them, but they say they are dangerous."
"Don't be silly. It was just an accident. A robbery gone wrong, that's all," muttered Lorenzo. "The police are already investigating."
"Believe me it was the dwarves. Maybe they have escaped from some circus and now want to take revenge on normal people. I'm right… I'm always right, in fact."
Lorenzo sighed and then looked at me. "So, Pietro, do you know where Marco lives?"
"I think he lives in Via Mentana."
"Isn't that where you live?"
"No, I live between Via Enrico Toti and Viale Vittorio Veneto."
"Ah, right! And who lives in Via Mentana?"
"Paolo… uh… I think Ferri Paolo. He was our middle school mate, remember?"
"Ah! I had completely forgotten that! Where do you live, Carlo?"
"Viale Trieste. Sorry."
"I was looking for someone who could verify that Marco was okay. I don't feel like leaving him alone, but nobody in our class lives near him. It's fine, I'll go there personally." Then he added, "Damn fog, it's just giving trouble."
Lorenzo left.
"Only Siena, do you realize that?" Carlo commented raising his eyebrows. "What is this? Some kind of divine curse? Maybe it's the work of the dark forces? Arezzo, Florence, Grosseto, Livorno, Pisa… Virtually all of Tuscany is clean. We are the only ones with this fog here. It can't be a natural phenomenon, I'm telling you."
"It doesn't really matter what caused it, the important thing is that it ends, right?"
"Mm… You don't have a minimum of curiosity, huh?"
I shook my head.
"I really hope Sabrina isn't in love with you, you would ruin her life with your ignorance. Girls like her need to be with geniuses, not donkeys."
Carlo left me alone. I was slightly hurt by those words, but I brooded too much and decided to find a place where I could breathe fresh air. I went out into the school yard, where there were students who smoked and gathered in different groups of five or seven. I stepped aside, waiting for the break to end. I thought back to the words of that four-eyed idiot and, thinking about it a bit, I came to his own conclusion: this fog could not be a natural phenomenon. But it wasn't a divine act or a curse, it was probably something related to a magus or a Heroic Spirit. The problem was that the fog was not only a danger for me, but also for those who had nothing to do with the Holy Grail War and this was enough to put me some doubts. The war was only about the magi, humans were not to be involved in any way. This fog concerned all of Siena, this was a fact and this could only mean two things: either it was a very strange natural phenomenon, or it was the work of people who intended to make innocent people suffer.
I've never been interested in the 'life of a magus'. To live that way is to devote body and soul to the pursuit of the most perfect knowledge, but it's also to look down on ordinary people. Father Egidius was a magus and, while he wasn't a bad person, he tended to phrase himself in a way that expressed a lot of revulsion towards those who didn't practice magecraft. Words such as 'simple humans' or 'common mortals' or 'ignorant humans', and so on, often came out of his mouth… As I said, he was not a bad person but this way of talking about ordinary people was quite annoying. Only once did I try to reproach him for this attitude of his and he, smiling kindly at me, said, 'Being a magus also means understanding the great difference between us and them'.
"Hey, Ubaldini!" Leopoldo shouted. "Did you really think you could escape me?"
I had completely forgotten about Leopoldo and his licker. The two boys approached me and immediately put me against the wall.
"You're a real asshole, Ubaldini, you know? You really are a huge fucking dickhead. You wanted to make me look stupid, didn't you, huh? Did you really think I would never be able to get my hands on you?"
"L-Listen… uh… there's no n-need to fight. C-Can't we settle this peacefully…? With all this fog—"
"With all this fog!" he imitated my voice. "Ahahah! Do you listen to yourself? You really are a bitch! Are you afraid of fighting, Ubaldini? Are you afraid to throw a few punches?"
He pushed me against the wall. I immediately tried to run away, but Matteo intercepted me and pushed me back. I fell to the ground and they both laughed like two hungry hyenas. I got up quickly and again looked for an escape route, but was pushed against the wall again. I was afraid of the punches that would come, I was afraid of being hit. My heart was pounding like crazy, I was sweating and afraid to ask for help.
"Come on!" He pushed me again. "Come on, Ubaldini! Throw me a few punches, you pussy!"
"L-Leave me alone…"
"What, Ubaldini? Would you rather go and cry to your mother? Fucking bitch!"
His fist took my breath away. I was about to fall, but he forced me to stand. I felt Matteo's hand squeeze my shoulder and then Leopoldo's came around my neck.
"Come on, react! Or would you rather cry like a little bitch?"
"F-Fuck you…" I murmured.
"How dare you? Motherfucker!"
At that moment I saw Saber's hand grabbing Leopoldo's wrist. The two boys turned, both shocked, but neither of them had time to say anything. The girl's kick sent Leopoldo fly to the ground and her fist even made Matteo collapse. Other students noticed what had happened, some began to call the professors, however Leopoldo had no intention of giving up.
"Fuck you, Ubaldini! You let women protect you! You're not a real man, you're just a little bitch!"
The boy walked over, sure he could face Saber, and he hadn't even realized that his toady had decided to give up. The girl didn't move an inch, she stayed in front of me and I could feel her strength, her confidence, her lack of doubt; standing behind her made me feel protected by some kind of goddess. Leopoldo was determined to fight, but someone stood between him and Saber: Diego.
"What the fuck is your problem, asshole?" Leopoldo exclaimed.
"Stop being an idiot, Leopoldo, you're not going anywhere with that bully attitude."
"What's your fucking problem? This is a matter that concerns Ubaldini and me, you have nothing to do with it! Get out of the way or I'll send you to your slutty mother in tears!"
Diego hit Leopoldo with a straight punch in the face; the boy spat out a tooth and fell to the ground. At that moment the professors arrived and we were all sent to the principal's office to answer for our actions.
No one was suspended, which pissed me off, but I kept it all inside me. I didn't want to argue, I just wanted to go home and stop thinking about that bastard Leopoldo. Classes came to an end and I waited for all my classmates to leave the classroom so that I could talk to Saber alone:
"I wanted to thank you for what you did today. I don't care what Leopoldo said, I'm happy to have a strong and courageous person by my side. You have done so much for me."
"Well, you're my Master, yeah? My job is to defend you, y'know. I mean, this is what I have to do or am I wrong? I certainly couldn't let that guy hurt ya. He's the actual worst, really!"
"I know, but I wanted to thank you anyway. I don't know if you did it just out of duty or out of kindness, however you have my gratitude."
I saw her blush slightly and lower her gaze.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you," I said in a low voice. "You know… I've never been defended by anyone like you, so… um… thank you. I know, I know, now it's the third time I've said it, sorry. I promise I won't thank you anymore. I don't want to make you uncomfortable."
"No, I'm glad," she exclaimed smiling. "You're really very kind… um… Pi-Pietro, right?"
"Yes. My name is Pietro Ubaldini."
"Are you 'kay if I just call you 'Master'? I don't wanna complicate our relationship."
"Don't worry, call me by any name you prefer."
Leaving school I saw Diego alone. He seemed to be waiting for someone. He too had helped me and I had to thank him too.
"Diego." I managed to catch his attention. "Thank you for helping me against Leopoldo. You have been very kind."
He said nothing and looked first at me and then at Saber. His eyes narrowed.
"Everything is fine?" I asked curiously.
"You are a good person, Pietro."
"Uh?"
"I heard Leopoldo say a lot of things about you. Don't listen to him, he doesn't know what he's saying. He's just a guy who thinks he's the 'alpha male' of the school, people like him are just parasites. Don't be ashamed of who you are. You are a good person and it's the only thing that matters."
"Oh… uh… thanks."
"See you tomorrow."
"Sure, see you tomorrow."
Diego's words caught me off guard, I couldn't deny it. I didn't know the boy very well, I had heard that he had a somewhat complicated family situation but I did not know the details. He was a very introverted person, often very cold, but brutally honest. In fact, in those few times that he opened his mouth he only said what he thought, he seemed to me a type incapable of lying; however, as I said, I did not know him very well. He shared the same class as me from sixth grade, and in eight years I have learned very little about him. I didn't know where he lived, who his parents were, if he had any brothers or sisters, what his hobbies were or what his tastes were in general. I was a little sorry, in fact I was harboring that slight desire to learn more about him, but how could you talk to someone so cold and detached?
Saber and I were walking home. With every step I took I wondered if we were going to be attacked by one of those automatons. But I wasn't scared, Saber's presence made me feel safe. As I walked, I began to think of the tragedy that had struck Marco's family. Losing a loved one to the Holy Grail War was my nightmare and I knew that, personally, I could never handle such pain. Sometimes I happened to see a young man, or a woman, or a mother with her son, a father with his daughter, I saw them pass by me and then disappear under the gray cloak. Every time it happened I thought:
'They know nothing of the conflict and could be the next victims.'
The very idea saddened me, but it also made me angry. Had Father Egidius planned all this? Or was he just taking orders from a higher authority? I was hoping it was the latter. I was hoping to be able to speak to Father Egidius and ask him to help me end the conflict as quickly as possible. He was a magus, yes, and like other magi he hated humans, yes, but he was still a man of God. He could not refuse to perform an act of benevolence. The problem was that I didn't know if he was still in the church of Saint Girolamo or if he had moved elsewhere. I had to check.
"Master, there's a problem."
"A problem?" I stopped immediately. "What are you talking about?"
"There's someone who's following us."
"How can you be sure? There's a fog so thick that you can't see anything—"
"Believe me, I'm totes sure. C'mon, follow me."
"Um… okay."
I immediately called mom to inform her that I would be late, with a good lie I managed not to worry her. Saber took me to the same place where we had first met. No automatons had shown up and I heard no suspicious noises. Maybe Saber had been wrong… or she could sense something I didn't.
"Are you sure, aren't you?" I asked after placing my backpack on the grass.
"Yes, very sure."
"Do you want to give me your backpack?"
"Don't worry about me—" Saber turned immediately. "Caution!"
A girl a little shorter than me emerged from the fog. She had very dark hair, her eyes were blue and she was wearing a red jacket. I had never seen her before and she had the air of being a few years older than me. Her confident and determined way of walking made me think of a professional, one that probably had fought before. She was a magus, I was sure about that.
"So you are Saber's Master?" she asked. "I am sorry that an amateur magus has been forced to fight this war. I know, it's not fair, but I can't let you continue."
She spoke with coolness and exuded a strong authority. Her slight appearance was easily misleading.
"I can give you a way out. I realize that it's difficult to make such an important choice in the face of the Heroic Spirit with which you signed the Contract, but I don't know if we will have a second chance. There are some Masters who are ready to do anything to win and they will have no mercy on you. Believe me when I tell you that I am your only hope of survival."
"Huh…? What do you want from me?" I asked confused.
"Give up your Servant. Renounce the Holy Grail War. Renounce all this. I'm giving you the chance to live. You are not strong enough to wage this conflict, if you continue you will die."
"Are you… threatening me?"
"No. I have nothing against you, but, as I have already told you, do not hope that the other Masters will show any mercy towards you. They will kill you, that's a fact. In the Holy Grail War, the people who fight are willing to do anything to achieve a single wish. Some of them are very dangerous, believe me—"
"Stop talking! You're boring AF!" Saber exclaimed irritably. "I'm, like, here to fight, not to listen to the speeches of one who dresses dreadfully. Now, get outta the way and let me fight your Servant!"
"Tch! Got yourself a Servant who doesn't mince words, huh?" she muttered. "Some people just listen to punches. So be it… Let's see if she can take on my Lancer."
A tall man with brown hair and dark eyes appeared behind the girl. His attire was green and white, he had an armored right arm and he wore a long red cloak. From his eyes he didn't seem like a bad person, but he had the attitude of one who had great experience. The man stood in front of Saber and took up his weapon, he was ready to fight.
"Lancer," the girl said, "Don't attack the Master, he's not to blame."
"As you wish," he said after lighting a cigarette.
I looked at my Servant and she nodded. I wasn't very sure, but I stepped over my hesitation with all the strength I had in my heart and said:
"We are ready to fight."
"You're a brave—or a stupid—Master if you choose to humor Saber. Tch… but then don't say you haven't been warned. I will be happy to engrave in your memory the name of Tohsaka Rin, magus of the Tohsaka family and member of the Mage's Association."