Chapter 18 : Blackmail

"Hey, what do you think about the phrase 'one for all'?"

The man with the dead eyes called himself Hikigaya. Saber was taken aback by the question he suddenly asked.

That's not surprising. There's just no context.

"Emiya, how about you?"

Perhaps seeing Saber freeze, Hikigaya pointed the water at me.

"...I think that's a good saying. One for all. I quite like it."

"Well, I guess so."

Hikigaya shrugged and readily agreed to my response, but I wondered why. There was a hint of exasperation in his voice.

"...What exactly are you trying to say?"

Saber must have sensed it as well, as she urged him on in an irritated manner.

"No, I think it's a good word, don't you think? Me too. Being able to take the initiative for someone else's sake. That's admirable."

Hikigaya paused, then spoke again in a cold voice.

"...But isn't it wrong to force that onto other people?"

...No, what is he talking about?

"What do you mean, push? When have we ever done that?"

When I asked him again, Hikigaya gave me a cold look and spoke.

"You guys came to 'get rid' of us. Isn't that right?"

"……ah"

"Why?"

"That's because you were stealing magical power from unrelated people..."

"As I said before, Caster was gathering magical power to protect himself. He went overboard yesterday and the day before, but usually he only takes so much that he feels tired. To be honest, he's much more peaceful than humans who kill and eat animals."

What?

"Wait a second. There have been a series of incidents of people falling unconscious in Shinto for a while now. Aren't those the work of your guys?"

The reason I decided to participate in the Holy Grail War was because I believed that the incident was the work of a Servant. The reason I came here tonight was because I thought I had caught the culprit behind it, but...

Hikigaya looked puzzled by my question, thought for a moment, and then spoke.

"...It seems there has been a misunderstanding between us. Let's discuss it again later."

Apparently it was a different story. Well, I don't know if that's true or not.

"Anyway, you all came here to defeat the 'villains who cause trouble to others', right? So basically, you want us to sacrifice ourselves, right? For the sake of 'everyone'."

"That's because I can't stand by and watch innocent people become victims..."

"But it was a misunderstanding, wasn't it?"

"it is……"

That's certainly true. It's possible that Hikigaya may have died by mistake.

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that. I would think the same if I was in the opposite position. It would be strange not to suspect it."

Hikigaya said as I was at a loss for words.

"But still, why just arbitrarily decide that it's evil and unilaterally push the responsibility onto someone else? Well, I guess that's just how it is."

"..."

All I could do was keep quiet.

I have no intention of accepting what Hikigaya says. But I can't deny it either.

I was aiming to be a champion of justice. No, I still aim to be one. I wanted to be a champion of justice and save everyone.

That was all I needed as a kid, but as I grew up I realized my dream was full of contradictions.

Evil is necessary for justice to exist. For the champions of justice to save someone, the sacrifice of the evil that is defeated is necessary.

Being on the side of justice can't save everyone.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with pushing others down for your own purposes. Everyone does that. Well, of course I don't want to get killed."

Hikigaya continued in a light-hearted tone.

"But if you get killed unilaterally and then it's justified with some pretty nice thing called justice, you can't keep quiet, can you? Well, if you really get killed, you have no choice but to keep quiet."

Considering Hikigaya's position, it would not have been surprising if he had been furious. However, Hikigaya continued in a calm, admonishing tone.

"Well, I've been rambling on, but don't think too hard about it. I simply don't want to die. I'll hand over the Holy Grail to you guys, so please protect it."

The fault lies entirely with us...or so I feel.

Even though he is in a superior position, he is willing to give up his profits. He may not really have any intention of harming others.

Perhaps he didn't willingly take part in the Holy Grail War, but was simply dragged into it by chance. --Just like me.

In that case, maybe people in the same situation should help each other.

I responded to Hikigaya's invitation - it wasn't a threat, it was a request.

"... I'm sorry. I can't team up with you guys."

"--N-no, what are you talking about?"

After a brief moment of silence, Hikigaya spoke in a panicked voice.

"As I said, we cannot ally with you."

"So what are you talking about? Do you understand the situation?"

It was probably an unexpected reply. Though he tried to remain calm, Hikigaya was clearly shaken.

"...Hey, think about it properly, okay? I mean, there's no room for thought here. If I die, you die too, you know?"

"...I know."

Protecting Hikigaya is the same as protecting yourself. Conversely, leaving Hikigaya alone is the same as exposing your weak spot. I know that. But,

"I have already turned down the invitations of other masters. Therefore, I cannot team up with you."

That's right, I have already turned down my friend Shinji's invitation to form an alliance, because I am already teaming up with Tohsaka.

He couldn't leave that behind and team up with someone else. That would be betrayal.

"No, so think about the situation! Your life isn't the only thing at stake!"

Hikigaya's face finally changes color and he raises his voice.

I feel bad for Tohsaka. But...

"...He may have a lot of problems, but he's still my friend. I can't betray him."

"You bastard...!"

Hikigaya was speechless. At that moment, Saber called out to him. Unlike before, he had already regained his composure.

"Looks like my guess was wrong."

"Ahh!?"

"I guess you thought Shirou would be the easiest to deal with? Too bad."

Hikigaya gritted his teeth and glared at Saber.

"...You bastard, did you realize that this is the kind of guy he is?"

"No. I knew he was a thoughtless person, but I didn't think it would go this far."

Hikigaya clicked his tongue and turned to face me again. ...Huh? Saber just called me an idiot?

"Hey, think about it again. This isn't a betrayal. If you don't want to be allied, you can call me your minion or your protector, whatever you like..."

"Leave it there."

Saber cut off Hikigaya's rapid-fire words.

"Shut up, I'm not talking to you right now."

"Your technique is impressive, though unpleasant, as you accurately pinpoint your opponent's weak point and take away their composure. I apologize for the rudeness of framing you. Lift the curse and free Shirou and the others."

"...Huh? What are you talking about? Such a thing."

"I've seen your true potential."

Saber's words caused Hikigaya to stop moving.

After a moment of silence, Hikigaya finally managed to squeeze out the words.

"...What do you mean?"

"That kind of bluffing won't work anymore."

The one who answered was Tohsaka, who had remained silent up until now.

"This time, it may seem like you overpowered us at first glance. But in reality, it was a close call, wasn't it? That's why you need to get us on your side no matter what. Otherwise there's no way we'll be able to continue. Am I wrong?"

Huh, is that so?

Hikigaya... doesn't answer.

"Remove the curse and surrender, and I will guarantee your safety."

"...Why are you the one calling for surrender? Do you know who has the upper hand?"

"It's you who doesn't understand."

Tohsaka snapped.

"I looked into the curse that was placed on you. It is real, and the contents are as you explained. The curse only takes effect if you die. So, all you have to do is not kill me."

"...Are you planning on running away? Don't you think the other Masters might target me?"

"Don't underestimate magicians. There are plenty of ways to 'store' humans so they don't die."

Hikigaya's mood changed upon hearing Tohsaka's words.

"You said you just didn't want to die. Isn't this perfect? You can now safely withdraw from the Holy Grail War."

"...So that means I have to hand over Caster?"

What's going on...? Did being threatened actually make you regain your composure?

"Yes, that's right. I have a good idea of Caster's true identity. I have no intention of recruiting her as an ally."

Tohsaka continued without paying any attention to it. However, I felt a strange sense of unease.

"No one would be so curious as to go out of their way to track down and kill a Master who has lost both his Command Spells and his Servant. If you feel uneasy, we can hide you until the end of the Holy Grail War."

"...I guess it's impossible after all. You shouldn't do things you're not used to."

Hikigaya scratched his head and let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Well done. I tried my best not to show any weakness, but I didn't think you'd see through it so easily."

He said with a laugh and in a light-hearted tone.

It was like a magician who had been exposed. It also looked like he had given up.

but,

"Well, no more longwinded talk. Follow my lead or I'll kill you."

"...Did you hear me properly? I'm telling you, what I said wasn't just a bluff."

"What a coincidence, me too."

"You think that a mere mortal's strength can rival a magician?"

"Just try it and you'll understand."

"Hey...hey, calm down, Hikigaya."

Hikigaya glared at Tohsaka without even looking at me.

"... Stop it already. We're the ones compromising."

"Tohsaka, you can't!"

I couldn't help but stop it.

"Emiya-kun...?"

Tohsaka doesn't notice the change in Hikigaya. Well, she probably does, but she underestimates him.

Hikigaya shot me a quick glance, then turned to Tohsaka again and opened his mouth.

"You're the one who doesn't understand, after all. You may have forgotten, but we haven't sent out Caster yet. It won't be difficult to just get rid of them."

His attitude was completely different from before; it was hardline and could hardly be called negotiation. Seeing the sudden change in Hikigaya's behavior, I finally realized the true nature of the strange feeling I had felt earlier.

I guess he's essentially a loser.

The kind of exchanges he had been having up until now where he had superiority over his opponents were probably something he was not very good at. However, when Saber and Tohsaka cornered him, he found himself in the ring where he was originally good at it.

Threats don't work on this guy.

He must be the type who shows his strength when he's at a disadvantage. Self-sacrifice is Hikigaya's style.

If I continued like this, I would probably be killed. I might not lose, but there would definitely be casualties.

"Calm down, Hikigaya. Tohsaka isn't the type to break promises over something like this. If you surrender you will be saved."

"Sacrifice Caster."

With that one word, I stiffen.

"About that one for all thing you said earlier, it was certainly a bluff for the sake of negotiations, but it's not like it was completely arbitrary."

"...Maybe you don't know the true identity of your Servant?"

If Tohsaka's prediction is correct, Caster's true identity is the "Traitorous Witch."

If that's the case, Caster would want to hide his true identity even from his own master. It's entirely possible that Hikigaya doesn't know.

"There's no way that's true. Who's stupid enough to fight without even understanding the specs of their allies?"

However, Hikigaya simply denied it: "I haven't been told Saber's true name.

"...So, you say you trust me even after knowing my true identity?"

"I don't trust you or anything. I'm sick of you messing around with me like that. I just want to live in peace and safety."

He says this in a truly disgusted tone.

"But you know what... you guys are annoying."

The most awesome voice ever.

In short, this guy is trying to protect not only himself but also his Servants.

Servants are just pawns for their Master. Tools. A magician should recognize this.

Although it is a precious and irreplaceable item, it is strange to put a Master in danger in order to protect a Servant. It is even wrong.

But I'm sure there are people who can't do that. I understand that very well. I'm one of them.

"...I understand what you mean."

Tohsaka spoke without changing her expression.

"Still no alliance. I'm not going to risk being stabbed in the back."

"...You said you'd kill me, right?"

"It's impossible. There's no way I could bring someone into my family who even Master doesn't trust. Trust is built up through the accumulation of one's own actions. If it disappears here, it's my own fault."

"I see, so that means..."

Hikigaya muttered and swung his left arm.

"So if you die here it's your fault, right?"

He coldly declared, taking hold of the thing that had shot out from his sleeve.

"You, even something like that...!"

In his left hand, Hikigaya holds a black mass, the most vicious weapon ever created by mankind.

Pistol.

I don't know much about guns, but it looked like a Tokarev I'd seen on the news before. He pointed it straight at Tohsaka's forehead.

However, Tohsaka doesn't change her attitude.

"I said no. You can't kill me."

Tohsaka's gaze was directed at Hikigaya and then at my feet.

"In short, time's up."

Before anyone knew it, the red knight, Archer, was standing there without making a sound.