Words Count: 4494

A/N: I started a second series btw. It's only readable on my P.[A][T]R[E]ON for the moment but once I've stocked up around twenty Eps, I'll release it next. Still no idea when I'll continue my other fics, sorry.

Anyway, here's my usual spiel:

You can start reading up to Episode 62 of Fate: False Sovereignty and my new fic in advanced. The Tier starts from as low as 1USD! You can support me and read as soon as I release an Episode, check it out:

P(a)(treon).com(/) LiamThePoor

The instance we stepped out of that portal, I immediately gave a mental order to Zolgen's selves to scour the nearby mountains for trace of Judas and… *Shudder– Shinji.

By Gil's bountiful chest, even thinking of his name made me want to barf. I really should've tried to look for him all those years ago. Him living up to this point was never my intention, in spite of my initial lack of interest in Sakura- him and the loathsome fucking thing that for literal centuries had masqueraded as the respectableand foreign Nobility, bringing with him many benefits- both economical and technological- to the then backwater Town of Fuyuki.

A grunt suddenly sounded next to me- a concerned grunt, if that's a thing. Turning to the Giant walking besides me, I blinked to show my confusion. Did he seriously just do that? Or was I imagining things! For the longest time I thought the only method of communication for Berserker were the various stages of anger he was in and… 'That grunt didn't sound angry. It sounded calm- much too calm for his Class.'

People didn't understand what it meant to possess a [Class Skill]- or [Traits] as my Game put it. As someone with several, I could tell you: It's not fun, especially when the Traits in question had a detrimental side to it. I would never ever upgrade that Trait- regardless of how useful of an addition it was to my arsenal. The cons outweigh the pros. Mine was at the F-Rank- the lowest possible Rank- and already I could feel myself… Slipping at times. Imagine how horrifying the effects must be for him.

"I'm alright, Big Guy. I was just thinking of… Stuffs." Standing like a whole head or two over me, the sight of Herakles tilting his head down slightly to give me 'the look' was quite the intimidating image, yet there was no hostility nor tension in his movements- just genuine curiosity. "It's about the Tohsaka… That guy- Assassin's Master- was responsible for some pretty fucked-up shits in Sakura's childhood. We all thought he was dead and I'm wondering if I should tell them about his involvement in this mess, might dig up old wounds."

I might end up never telling them about his survival at all. That Chapter of Sakura's life was over and it should remain so.

Still, was it really my place to keep such a huge matter to myself- to deny them the closure they should have received seven years ago?

A second grunt- rougher than the last, yet sounding suspiciously similar to, 'Do whatever you feel is correct.'- reverberated next to me. It's an utterly ridiculous sentiment, why on Earth would I ever do something I thought or knew was the wrong course of actions? That's the whole point of weighing pros and cons, to find the solution which'd cause me the least amount of head-inducing problems. Then he added, which I translated to, "Just do right by them."

'Hmmm… Do right by them?' Well, I supposed I did owe the Tohsaka siblings that. Rin and I had already fought once regarding a similar matter- if you recalled, she thought I was not… Including them enough in my plans. Imagine how pissed she would be if she discovered I met and killed Matou-freaking-Shinji and just so happened to conveniently forget to give her or Sakura the head-up? Blowing a puff from my lips, I sighed. "Appreciate the Tedtalk, Big Guy. I know what to do now."

See? And some people dared say I wasn't capable of changes.

Just be truthful this once- see how it's turn out. If the results were positive, I might forgo all the lies together. "C'mon, let's hurry. The Excalibur Blast shouldn't have collapsed the bunker, but it is still an A-Rank Noble Phantasm with an EX Rank output–" Without even waiting for me to finish, the Servant roughly grabbed me by the waist and jumped- covering like half the Castle ground in a mere instance. Everything became a blur to my eyes as we rapidly approached the North Wing–

"Wait, wait! You are going in the wrong direction! The bunker's that way!" I screamed- my voice eclipsed by the howling winds yet Berserker seemed to hear it fine, coming to an abrupt stop. The sheer whiplash made me want to hurl, fortunately I was able to bite down on my lips in time, keeping the contents of my stomach tightly sealed. "Holy Shit, I said hurry up, not give me a bloody concussion!"

My prefrontal cortex felt like it just collided with a truck-

Rattling in my skull while I spread my arms in an effort to regain the tinniest semblance of balance and stability.

Herakles snorted, as if looking down on me and I had to bite back a spiteful, 'Not everyone is a walking Tank like you', giving him the stink-eye, which he ignored. "You do realize I could have opened a portal directly there, right?" The bunker might prove challenging since when it's being built, I had layered over dozens Bounded Fields into the infrastructures with the specific purpose to prevent all outside interferences so mental Spells, teleportation were forbidden, but teleporting somewhere nearby was fair-play.

Huffing, I conjured a portal while Berserker sent me the stare. "There… Just go through. Next time, give me a warning or something at least."

There was never going to be a 'next time', not if I could help it. I had no clue how Illya could withstand the whiplash- with how fragile she's, it must be a miracle her neck didn't snap every time Berserker gave her a ride, 'cause that little trip he just brought me on- without my consent, might I add- was quite a bit too violent for my taste. We both walked through the portal to find my ruin of a courtyard, buried in rubbles though a quick sweep with Spatial-Awareness told me the bunker hadn't been breached…

Meaning, "Worry not, the girls are safe."

Sensing [Madness Enhancement] was starting to get the better of Herakles, I comforted- lifting up the tons of debris to reveal a well and intact bunker.

Made completely out of tungsten steels and lunar-rocks I… Uhmmm… Borrowed from the American stash, both of which had been processed again and again- several times via mystical means, shall we say- in fact, the real cost of to have this place built was around three millions US Dollars in materials alone. The middle section of the walls were built from leads to prevent radiations of all kinds- even the cosmic ones from the Stars...

You know, just in case that ever became a cause for concern. "Hey! It's Berserker and I, open the vault!"

I shouted, hoping my voice would be able to reach them since the coms were useless- both the magical and technological ones were due to how well-made the place was. "What's the password?!" Although distorted, the tsundere's voice was unmistakable to my ears. 'She has grown more cautious... Good for her.'

"3310923994-Code Delta 5." Those numbers might be nonsenses to others, but to us- or me specifically, they represented so much more. I won't go into the details, though the date of my arrival into this body and- subsequently- this Universe was amongst the first sequence. The 'Delta 5' was merely an add-on to improve the security. "… You forgot to caw like a bird, Leo-nii-chan!"

Need I explain who that was? Illya, obviously. "I think you meant cluck like a chicken? And that was a joke… I'm not gonna make animal noises for no reason." And here I thought Rin was the cautious one, setting up a trap like so in her words was quite brilliant of the Einzbern. I highly approved. After making sure we were really who I said we were, only then did sounds of cogs being turned began as the vault door slowly opened.

What came into view was the sight of Shiro and Taiga- each holding their respective sword or in Shiro's case, falchions. Their faces- marred with worry- grew lax the instance their brains started to register our presences. "Leo-senpai…"

Shiro trailed, raising her blades and– "WOW!"

I hurriedly jumped to the side to dodge the falchions flung my way, teleporting behind the auburn-haired Heroine- knowing full-well those blades were going to return to her hands and probably impale me. "Hey, what was that for?!" I yelped, tapping Shiro on the forehead as the girl advanced forth, pushing me on the chest. "That's for knocking me out and throwing me in there! You promised I- we'd get to contribute this time then you–"

Her punches landed on my chest, so intense I could almost feel the frustration she must have put into them. "– Left us again! Inside asealed freaking bunker!" Damn… She's actually using cuss words?

Turning around in search for support, Rin looked pissed with a capital 'P', Taiga seemed disappointed while Sakura and Illya were conveniently looking at the dark forest ahead- the latter's even whistling innocently. Last, but certainly not least was Berserker, who all of a sudden seemed to find the decorative boulder of courtyard extremely entertaining. 'I thought bros were supposed to help each other?'

'Sorry, you're on your own man.' Angra said jokingly, and I gasped. 'You too?! Betrayal on all sides!'

"Okay… I'll admit, that was a bit low of me–"

"A bit?" Taiga repeated, snorting loudly as though she felt offended by the term. "– But…"

"""But what?!""" Rin, Shiro and Taiga roared in unison, their eyes narrowing dangerously. I shrugged, knowing I should cut my losses now before the situation escalated. "Eh-I got nothin'. On other news, I met an… Old acquaintance of ours today. A boy in his mid-to-late teens, about a head shorter than me, bluish purple- seaweed hair. Eyes of the same color, ring any bells?"

"You met Shinji?!" Rin's response was instantaneous- hair standing on the back of her neck, anger creeping on her otherwise gentle features. Sakura's was slower- a shocked gasp muffled by her hands. "Nii-san is–"

She paused, correcting. "Matou-san's alive?"

The younger Tohsaka didn't appear angry, just… Traumatized. Oh-She hid it well, really well in fact, but if you paid close attention, the way she automatically relaxed her muscles- almost like an instinctual reaction- to hide the tenseness was very telling. It's even easier for someone who had read Sakura's psychological profile- me.

"Matou… Matou." Confusion filling her face, Taiga abruptly clapped as she finally dug up the memories of eight years ago. As one of the three Noble Families of Fuyuki- consisting of the Tohsaka, the Matou and the now mostly forgotten Einzbern- the destruction of their Ancestral House, plus the disappearance of the apparent Heir at the times were all over the news. "Shinji Matou, the kid presumed dead when his house caught on fire?! They said it's another gas-leak but–"

"Taiga-nee." I interrupted. "Gas-leaks are basically the keywords for Supernatural shenanigans in this backwards City, you really ought to know that… And before you say anything, I can assure you both Shinji and his grandfather deserve everything that happened to them. He's Assassin's Master.

I disemboweled him and chopped one of his arm off… He'll be dead in an hour- two at most if no help arrives."

Ever the intelligent little demoness, Illya asked. "You think he has accomplices, Leo-nii?"

"Him or Archer is affiliated with Swan, but not both. Enkidu contacted me regarding this matter already, Archer seemed surprised that a second Servant was attacking." All traces of amusement were wiped off my face as I added. "There's also the possibility both are Rogues, but–"

[32.7%]

"– I highly doubt it."

History's littered with examples of people not knowing how to quit while they were ahead. Generals, Kings, Emperors,…etc. Many had fallen for the same trap- pursuing a fleeing enemy without proper intel- and were all led to into an ambush they couldn't escape. The only reason why a Faction- any Faction would ever send one of their most valuable resources into a hostile territory was to provoke a response from their enemy,

Doubly so when said 'resource' decided the best course of actions was to attack when they were outnumbered, out-geared and behind the enemy line. Of course, they might have wanted to spy on us or scout the layout, but that didn't require a Servant, literally any other disposable Familiar would do just fine. They wanted to lure us- lure me somewhere else, somewhere they had the home-field advantage.

The real question was, 'Where?' Angra croaked.

'Zolgen, when will the next batch be ready?' While each batch of his selves had around six to seven hundreds eggs, in order to cultivate said batch, the Arch-Demon needed Mana and time, that was all… Unfortunately, time was of the essence at the moment and those selves of his- except the main body- degraded the longer they existed. When the War first started, I had around two batches of Zolgen working in Japan while the rest was scattered over many parts of the World.

After a few fights, coupled with the natural degradation, there were only two-hundreds insects left.

I was in desperate need for more, the other demons were too eye-catching to go on scouting missions, while Angra's one person- an Ancient Daemon perhaps, but he's just one person. 'A another week, Creator.' Good, that's good. Then I could afford to work through my current stockpile without having to worry about the degradation. "I will have to check on the Servants' front, but Assassin shouldn't be a threat to us anymore.

Even if he still is, it will take Shinji quite some time to recover- long enough that we will be prepared for their return- should it even happen and if did, I want you two to deal with him." And by 'you two', I meant Sakura and Rin. "Leo, I don't–"

Cutting her off, I glanced towards Lancer's direction. "The right of vengeance is yours and Sakura's, Rin."

Emerald enveloped my form as I continued.

"Once his Servant is eliminated from the War, kill him… Spare his pathetic life, the decision is in your hands. Now, if you'll excuse me–"

"Wait!" A voice called out to me. "You may have changed the subject, but this isn't over, Leonis. I hope you realize that."

Blowing a puff of air from my lips, I shrugged, seemingly unconcerned at the threat.

"Later, Shiro."

— [Fate: FS] —

By the time I arrived, Archer had long managed to escape. I didn't waste a second to send the Zolgens to scour the forest he- according to the Servants' testimonies- fed into, though it's not looking good.

A human might have limits, but not when it concerned their life.

Regardless of how injured he was, if the guy received the Finnish White Death- Simo Häyhä as a Class-Card, I very much doubted he'd be the type to sit still awaiting death. Of the three Servants responsible, only Emiya was sent on his trails. Though I did not mean to insult them, Lancer was never a hunter, nor known for his expert tracking Skill, while Artoria- tiny as she might be- essentially radiated Mana with each breath.

She would cause more problems than she might solve, hence… "Have you ever fished?"

The blonde shook. "No, I lived in a pretty isolated area. There were lakes and such, but no fish- none that'd be big enough to fill three people's stomachs anyway."

"You wanna try? We kind of ran out of foods." I explained, glancing to where the kitchen once stood- now a pile of rubbles and debris.

"Forgive me, but shouldn't we utilize this time to counterattack? The enemy Faction must be in shambles by now- one of theirs is even severely hurt, and even if we fail to locate her Faction, it's still best we clean up the chaotic elements of the War." Spoken like a true Ruler. "Servants are fast, Artoria. They won't wait around for us, and if they did, it's likely a trap. I've already lost seven of my men- good men in the attack. We rest tonight, let my men mourn the losses- let them transform the sadness into anger–"

Despite my nonchalant appearance, I was enraged. The Elites were hard to train, but beyond that, they were my friends- my biggest supporters. Those seven men had been through Hells and back for me, the least I could do for them were give their family a few grand each and avenge their deaths. "– Then we strike." But tonight… Tonight was the time for mourning.

Artoria tilted her head, looking confused by my decision and it struck me.

I got it now- I understood why the Knights of the Round Table and half the country rose in rebellion against her. She might take care of their livelihoods and materialistic needs, but she didn't understand their feelings. "Artoria, in your campaigns- during your Reign, did you also force your men to march ahead while the corpses of your men hadn't even been properly buried?"

If it's true, then no wonder.

"If I thought marching straight ahead would accomplish our goals and cost less lives, yes." That one nonchalant word told me all I needed to know. I had always found it somewhat odd, if she was infringing on the Nobility's benefits, it made sense they rose up against her, but what of the common men?

Humanity could be a dumb bunch- we could be incredibly self-destructive and propagandas were a thing, but why did the Knights of the Round abandon her too? It couldn't possibly have been due to Guinevere's love affair with Lancelot. It might've been the match which ignited it all, yet it shouldn't have provoked such intense reaction, 'Welp, I guess we have our answer.'

"Oh… Artoria, how can you expect your soldiers to fight with their all when their minds are focused on their fallen comrades?"

Contrary to my own expectations, I didn't feel anger nor resentment at her though process, merely pity. While taught to uphold Justice and Honor by Merlin, the half-Incubus clearly had not taught her the meaning of compassion and how much the smallest of acts could affect the mentality of others. Still visibly confused, the 'Once and Future King of Britain' furrowed her brows slightly. "My Knights and I could pick up the slack."

Damn, what were you? A King? Or a General? It's the sort of things I'd expect someone like AoT Commander Erwin to do- no regard to his people's emotions, just unfeeling, calculated plans. At least Erwin knew when and how to inspire the Scouts. After everything I had seen of her performances, I doubted Artoria's able to achieve the same results. "C'mon, walk with me. It seems while you are my senior in the art of Ruling, you are quite lacking in the Art of Humanity."

Again, night had fallen over us.

Fuyuki's looked like an abandoned ghost-town, yet the scenery around my Castle- situated in heart of the Kagami Forest and behind Mount Akihiko- was stunning as ever, in spite of its ruined state. "There's a lake 2 miles West from where we're standing. Shall we have a small race, your Grace?" I bowed, and though Artoria looked hesitant at first, she agreed still. "But no teleportation, it's foul play."

"Alright." I extended my hand to her, pinky raised. "Scout's honor?"

She snorted. "Knight's honor."

"Ready?" Our feet grinded against the soft earth.

"Set." We both tilted forwards slightly to gather momentum.

"GO!" Had I ever mentioned how much I hated losing? [Reinforcement], [Petal Burst] and a tiny-teeny bit of [Acceleration] put in the mix and I was gone, yet- as expected of Artoria- she was able to keep up with ease. 'Freaking B-Rank Agility.' I pushed myself further, getting slightly ahead until she decided to use [Mana Burst], imbuing the soles of her feet as we shattered the sound barrier.

The journey's only going to take a few seconds at best- a few inconsequential seconds before the lake came into view. "Fine, two can play that game."

I did the same, yet still lost as Artoria came to an abrupt halt in front of me, flashing a cocky smile. Unfortunately, as I was going at max-speed, I couldn't stop in time and crashed into her violently. Though I knew rationally she'd not- could not be hurt by the impact, almost like an instinctual reaction, I pulled her in my arms protectively, taking the brunt of the force as we slid to leave feet deep trails into the ground and– "Oh-Shii–!"

* SPLASH

"You know– *Cough*– When you said fishing, this wasn't what I had in mind, Lord Magnum." Artoria drawled, her face schooled in this sort of skeptical expressionlessness. Unable to resist the urge, I laughed, pale skin covered in dirt, dripping from the cool water. "It was not my intention either… It seems to me I'll have to educate you on traffic laws as well, your Grace."

Looking at my arms- wrapped tightly against her and her soppy-wet shirt, revealing her white bra- the Servant blushed. It's slight, nigh unnoticeable and had it not been for the small increase of her heartbeats- pounding so hard I could feel it through our chests, I might have dismissed it as my imagination entirely. "Leo, if you don't mind…"

She gestured at the embrace we were in, coughing to hide her shyness.

"What if I do?" I responded cheekily. "Will you let me keep hugging you?"

"Lady Fujimura was right…" She muttered. "You are a filthy pervert."

I blinked us out of the lake, leaning forth until our lips were mere inches away from one another, whispering. "Only to women I like, your Grace."

"… Your tongue's as sweet as Merlin's, Lord Magnum." Unfortunately, loath as I was to admit it, we were at the lake for a reason. We had run out of food, and tonight's celebration / mourning were going to need dishes. Of the thirty-something people who accompanied me to Fuyuki, seven were dead, six were injured- most of whom were non-combatants, maids so to say. It left Illaoi to pick things up from there, but she's just one person.

She couldn't possibly do everything, even though she claimed she could, hence why she was assigned clean-up duty while I gathered the materials for our consumption. Shiro, Rin and Sakura would run the kitchen meanwhile. Reluctantly, I released Artoria from my grip, gently putting her on the ground as though she was a cheaply-made, China doll. In all fairness, she did have the looks of one. "We're gonna have to pick a different spot. This place's no good, not anymore."

"Why?"

"The splash. If any fish was nearby, they certainly aren't now." I chuckled. "Will you be okay wet?"

'That sounded dirty, Leo-tan.'

"I'll be fine, I'm a Servant, remember?"

How could I? How could I possibly allow such a chance to pass? "Heh, and here I was thinking I'd have to project you new clothes. Oh-Well–" My eyes zoomed in on her chest. "– I suppose I do appreciate the view."

"You–!" Artoria scowled, though if there was any heat in her glare, I most definitely did not notice, nor care.

We spent a few minutes getting rid of the water in our eyes and hair, then moved to a calmer spot where- hopefully- there would be fishes. "About what you said, what did you mean by that, Leo-san?"

Cracking my neck, I called for one of Zolgen's insect- designed specifically to spread a type of pheromones that drew in the fish- and threw the bait in. "Well, as I said, humans are… How do I put it? Complicated? We each have our own thoughts, feelings, ideals and desires. Those men we lost, they're not just comrades-in-arms to my subordinates, they are brothers- friends- family. They have shared meals and cigarettes, have saved others' lives and in turn have their lives saved, Artoria.

If I leave their corpses unattended to, it'll cause discontent to grow in my Ranks until it reaches a breaking-point. My people will think, 'Oh! If he can abandon them, why couldn't he do the exact same to us?'"

"You also said this is War. They will understand, they have to." She replied, as if that explained everything.

"No, no they don't. They'll see it as a breach of their trust. You have to understand, these are people they have slept, eaten and lived with. There isn't a connection of blood between them, but they're as much as siblings as you and Morgan were- in spite of your… Less than cordial relationship. I respect you, I respect your rule, but it is a fact Camelot's Fall has a lot to do with you abandoning your Humanity."

Forlornness washed over her expression. "Perhaps you'd have made a better Ruler than I did…"

"Perhaps–" I repeated. "– But there's no point regretting things that have long passed. Instead, we should all look ahead. You can be my advisor, or Queen." Winking teasingly at the small blonde hugging her knees, seeming crestfallen- my own little attempt to lift her mood, which I must say, "You're such a pervert, Lord Magnum. And doesn't that Title belong to Gilgamesh?"

Lifting my chin up, I put on a proud smile. "A Lion needs his Pride, and a Pride always has multiple lionesses, don't you know?"

She rolled her eyes, though didn't look like she hated the idea. "A tempting offer Lord Magnum but I'm afraid I won't be here after the War."

"Why?" I questioned, genuinely confused.

"Because I'm a Servant?"

"Is there a law that states Servants can't be around after the Grail War has ended?"

"Well, no… But, the Mana required for the Wish–"

I interrupted. "I'll handle it, trust me." [Energy Storage] had sat uselessly there for quite a while now. I reckoned I had enough to replace all the Servants we'd be sparing in the Fifth War. The hardest part was convincing the Grail I was the victor, though I had plans for that also. Not sure if it'd work, but it's the only thing I had thought of. "Plus, I've studied the Grail, the device assigns winner through a process of elimination. Anyone left with a Servant by the end will gain the Wish so…"

"We'll have to sever the bonds to our Masters first…"

"Then I'll have to move you guys to somewhere even the Grail can't locate you." For example, another World. "So… About my offer?"

"If you can really do it, I'm more than happy to be your–" … My what?! Don't just stop the sentence there, woman! "– Advisor." Artoria finished, a touch of mischievousness glinting in her eyes.

"I hate you, I hope you realize that."