29: A bad aftertaste.
A bit later, we make our way to the cafeteria. I'm looking forward to finally being able to choose my own food portions - every sandwich brought to my hospital bed has been so short on mayonnaise that I could barely taste it, you know?
The lunch line is pretty empty - we're arriving about an hour late, after all - but there's still enough food for me to get a decent looking plate together.
"Ooh, steamed potatoes." I mutter. "I've got incredibly high standards, so these better be good!"
"Why high standards about the potatoes in particular…?" Mordred deadpans. Incidentally, since we don't have any ways to get supplies from outside, she's not actually allowed to eat anything unless we can solve that problem. "Oi, Master, what's that stuff you're piling onto your plate there? Some kind of yogurt?"
"Hm? Oh, it's mayonnaise." I say as I fill the third of my plate that I'd reserved for it.
"...Eh? Isn't that just supposed to be a condiment, though?" She asks, bewildered.
"Hah! Didn't you know, mayonnaise is one of the main food groups for the Natsuki family!" I answer while we make our way to a table. "Carbs, Fats, Proteins, and Mayonnaise!"
"Of course I didn't know! How the hell would I?" She shoots back, exasperated. "Also, doesn't mayonnaise fall firmly into the fats category!?"
I chuckle as I approach the seat I scoped out - only to pause at an unexpected sight. Slumped over the table, unmoving… is a corpse.
"Ugh…" It moans, shifting slightly.
"Ah! Zombie!" I yell, and Mordred slaps the back of my head.
"Oh… Senpai. And… Mordred." Groans Mash Kyrielight. "Good… afternoon." I stay calm for the few seconds it takes for me to put my food down, and then I quickly move around the table to make sure she's actually okay.
"Mash! Oh god, who did this to you! I'll avenge you, don't worry!" I shout, knowing full well that-
"She's just tired from training." Mordred points out.
"I know, I know." I chuckle. "I'm just re-using an old joke." Well, poor Emilia-tan did actually think I had been attacked after my first day of parkour training. But after that, Ram and I picked it up and ran with it for a few days.
'Barusu has been attacked again - Garf, it's your job to avenge him.' 'I've been defeated… we'll need to sacrifice someone else to appease the parkour course, so you're up, Otto.'
"Fou!" A high pitched cry interrupts my trip down memory lane at the same moment that a white blur latches onto my face.
"O-oi! I'm happy to see you too, but get off!" I yell at the small critter, who scurries onto my shoulder. Mash gives a tired chuckle in response, and I sit down to start my meal.
"...Bluh. These potatoes are terrible! The rest of the food is good, but these are unforgivable!" I complain. "I'm gonna need to find the cook and give them remedial lessons!"
"Um… Senpai… are the potatoes… that important?" Mash interjects.
"Of course! They're incredibly important - back in the kitchen that I learned to cook in, you weren't even allowed to start learning other dishes before you learned to make steamed potatoes!" I explain, and then I lean forward conspiratorially. "Of course, that was because the only dish Nee-sama could make was steamed potatoes, but if she somehow shows up here, you didn't learn that from me."
"Ah… so you too, are a victim of the Camelot diet." Mordred says with a sigh, patting my shoulder.
"Camelot… diet?" I ask.
"Ah… I just felt a deep-seated terror, for some reason?" Mash says with some visible confusion.
"Potatoes. Carrots. Bread. Vinegar. Ale." Mordred says with dead eyes. "Didn't you know? Those were the five main food groups of the Round Table. In fact, those were the only five foods available in Camelot."
"...Weren't potatoes only brought over from America in the 1500s, though?" Mash points out.
"Ah, you might be right." Mordred mutters, and then pauses, a slightly horrified look on her face. "Then… what the hell was Gawain feeding us, all those years!?"
Eventually, Mordred wanders off to the training room in order to test her new weapon, leaving me alone with Mash.
"...So, how are you holding up?" I finally ask.
"I'm… fine, mostly. Actually, I've gotten a lot stronger after becoming a Demi-Servant, so I can't complain." She says with a small smile. "Well, the training is a bit harsh, but it's probably necessary. If the Servant lending me their power really is a Knight of the Round Table, then I should be capable of a lot more than this, right?"
"Eh…" I wave my hand in the air a bit as I add another spoonful of under-seasoned potatoes to my mouth. "I feel like for every monster like Mordred or Lancelot, there's a good chance they also had someone useless like me. It's not like martial skill is the only reason to promote someone-"
"No! You're not useless, Senpai! In fact, I'm sure that without you, we never would have-!" She shouts.
"Ah, no, no. You're misunderstanding a bit. I just meant that I'm useless in combat, you know?" I say with a smile. "I'm not a Servant, and my ability with magic is pretty limited, so all I can really do is scheme like crazy and try to gain an edge with cheap tricks. I'm well aware of my niche."
"O-oh. Um, sorry, I jumped to conclusions." She says, blushing.
"Don't worry about it! I know it's painful to hear me trash-talk myself - it's sort of a bad habit of mine that I've been trying to kick." I sigh. "But on the other hand, I'm also the type of guy who gets a big head way too easily… Well, for now, how's this?"
I hold my pinky out to her, and she tilts her head a bit.
"This whole mess is gonna be a big enough problem without the two of us crippled by self-doubt the entire way. So let's make a deal, Mash-tan! Between Master and Servant. Between this surprisingly reliable Senpai and surprisingly reliable Kouhai." I give her a serious look. "From here on out… if I think you're screwing up, I'll tell you. And if you think I'm screwing up, you tell me. And so, unless you tell me I'm failing, I'll believe that I'm meeting your expectations. And unless I tell you that you're failing, you should believe that you're meeting my expectations."
Mash stares at me for a few seconds, wide-eyed. Eventually, I start to withdraw my hand, scratching the back of my head. "Sorry. Was that a bit too much?"
Suddenly, her hand shoots forwards, and her pinky intertwines with mine. Her face is red, and she's not looking at me, but she nods, just a little. "That, um… sounds good. Th-thank you, Senpai-!"
"Right, it's a promise, then. Total honesty, going forwards." I grin. "But, we've gotta prove it to each other, first."
She turns back towards me, confused. "Um, prove it…?"
"That's what I said. A promise like this is no good if we don't follow through with it. So, let's each offer the other some criticism. Because, I'm certain, on some level, we each had complaints about the other in Fuyuki, right?" I explain, nodding.
"R-right." She glances away for a moment. "Um, do you want to go first…?"
"Sure." I breathe in. "Please get a different set of armor!"
"E-eh!? But, um, it came like that! Can I just change it, like that-?" Mash says, red-faced.
"Please do! Seeing you run around with your stomach exposed the whole time, puts way too much stress on my heart, in more ways than one!" I yell. My own status as a hot-blooded male aside, exposed stomachs on the battlefield seem like a recipe that would make that damn intestine-loving pervert from back home a bit too happy!
"R-right! I'll, um, talk to Da Vinci-chan about it!" She says with a polite bow, and then gets up to start walking away.
"Oi. You forgot your part." I say deadpan. "Criticism for me, please. Oh, but please don't make it about my scary-looking eyes or something. I can't do anything about those."
"O-of course not! Senpai's eyes, aren't that scary!" She protests. "Um… well, there is one big thing. That… [Cor Leonis] thing of yours."
"Hm? Right, I only explained it to Roman. Do you want me to tell you-?" I start.
"Please, don't use that power anymore." She says, and I freeze.
I laugh nervously. She's not serious, right? [Cor Leonis] doesn't have the same penalty as [Invisible Providence], and it doesn't even cost mana, so- "You know, that's one of my only useful abilities…"
"Senpai… that ability is..." She looks away from me, not meeting my eyes. "It's scary. It's way too scary. Because… even though I was doing my best to keep you safe, you kept getting hurt! Even though Saber wasn't attacking you, you were still injured! If it wasn't for Avalon, you would have been killed!"
"That… it's not like I enjoy getting hurt, you know? But it's still a useful option - in fact, it's a lot more usable than my other options, so-"
"Senpai... what good is my shield, if I can't even defend you?" Mash says, tears pooling in her eyes.
Ah. That's right. It's not that [Cor Leonis] has no penalty. It was only my own disregard for my safety that made me think like that. It still hurts me to use it. I just wasn't thinking of it in that way, since it feels less arbitrary than the random pain from using [Invisible Providence]. But, there's no way that injuring myself for my allies' sake is something viable long term.
But, even so...
"...I'm sorry. I'm sorry I worried you with it. But, even so…" I say.
She starts to cry. "Senpai, you…!"
Damn it all. I don't want to make a promise I won't keep. I'm supposed to keep my promises. Promises are important, promises are important, promises are important. Emilia-tan already drilled that into my head.
But despite that…
"...Fine. I'll do my very best not to use it going forwards. Not unless it proves absolutely necessary." I say. Even though I know I'll just end up making up my own justification, deciding it's necessary all on my own.
"...Do you promise?" She asks, sniffling.
"...I promise."
The words taste like ashes in my mouth.
A/N:
Pre-Orleans intermission lasting longer than expected.
Subaru's a lying liar who lies.
Next chapter should be the last part in Chaldea, probably Monday or earlier.
THE BIG EDIT:
As of right now (4:27 AM, 30 July 2020), I have just finished a massive edit to all of the chapters up to Ex1.
As a TL;DR, major changes include:
1: Subaru's long loop on earth was only three months, instead of a year and a half. This reduces his maximum time spent on earth prior to chaldea from approximately thirty years to about five (though in actuality, it's probably closer to four, since he died much quicker in a number of mage-related loops).
2: Zelretch's conversation with Subaru in chapter 4 was tweaked.
3: A lot more stuff added to chapter 12, since Mash lost the spotlight too quickly in the initial draft.
4: The Grail was apparently a golden crystal in canon, not a cup, so that's been fixed.
Someone asked about omakes. So here, have one.
Omake: A different loudmouthed blond.
The leyline site is pretty nondescript. Just down the street from an intersection, a few meters away from the center of one of the many craters pockmarking the ground in this city. There were a few more skeletons wandering around the place, but they're no match for Mash.
"Can't say I've got any experience with summoning rituals like this, so you're going to have to walk me through it," I say.
"Right. Luckily, I was trained to memorize the summoning procedures, so that shouldn't be a problem." Mash replies, and slowly we construct the summoning circle.
"Alright. That should do it. We'll need a catalyst, though… my shield will have to do." Mash mutters to herself, moving to lay down her shield in the center of the circle.
...I've got a bad feeling about this. "Is that a good idea? Your shield is our only weapon after all. We'll be sitting ducks during the summoning ritual."
"You're not wrong, Senpai. But the only enemies we've met so far are skeletons, and I should be able to fend them off with my fists for the five minutes the ritual takes." She replies.
I'm still uneasy, but I nod silently. She puts her shield down, positioning it along several expertly drawn lines in the circle.
"Right. Repeat after me. Let silver and steel be the- what!?" She starts, but she's cut off as the circle flares to life of its own accord.
A high-pitched noise rings out, and I feel a small impact against my throat - a dagger, halted by a field of golden light. I barely see a skeletal figure scurry away into a building. And at the exact same time-
"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅-!"
A roar splits the night air. The cry of an apex predator, turned loose within the concrete jungle of Fuyuki. It resounds, through the burned-out wastes There couldn't be a single soul, in all of Fuyuki, who had not heard his roar. A soul-shaking roar, that ought to have me shaking in my boots. And yet, somehow, in my heart, I'm certain… that everything will be alright. The [Triumphant Roar of the Gorgeous Tiger]-
"[Strongest Shield]."
-echoes through the night.
The light dies down, and he becomes visible. A man, almost seven feet tall, with sharp canines and messy blond hair is standing there. "Heh. Sorry 'bout my amazin' self goin' n' poppn' out 'fore ya finished, but this feels like a [never tell Reid he's early] kinda situation, yeh? Hero like my amazin' self, can't afford ta be late."
"No, considering Reid's personality, that saying's probably supposed to tell you not to call out powerful people for being unreasonable..." I point out reflexively, before my eyes widen. "Wait- Garfiel!?"
"Yep. 'S me, th' one n' only Garfiel Tinsel!" The fully grown man boasts, pointing at himself with a grin. "Herd ya were in trouble, Captain, so I decided ta turn up."
"Wait, wait, aren't you supposed to be just a fifteen-year-old chuuni!? When the hell did you get so big!?"
"Huh? Ain't it cuz my amazin' self is bein' summoned at m' peak? What, yer didn' think my amazin' self wasn' gonna get stronger, did ya?"
"No, it's just, since I've known you since you were a middle schooler, it's weird seeing you as some kind of legendary hero…" I mutter.
"Hey, don' wanna hear that from th' guy who became known as th' 'impossible invincible hero'!" He shoots back.
"I did!? What the hell, that's so cool!" I can't help but yelling.
"Right!?"
Class: Foreigner
Alternate Classes: Shielder, Berserker
True Name: Garfiel Tinsel
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Armament: Shields.
Manifestation Cost: High (Low)
Bio:
The "Strongest Shield", Garfiel Tinsel. One of several legendary heroes from the time of Lugnica's Royal Selection - the Gorgeous Tiger who somehow stole the spotlight in later tellings of the Battle of Priestella. A shield-wielding young man, who protects his mom and siblings while spouting cool phrases and drawing upon the power of friendship - in short, he wound up being super popular in stories for kids, so he's got a disproportionate amount of fame.
Parameters
Strength: C (A)
Endurance: B (A)
Agility: B (A)
Mana: C (A)
Luck: C
NP: C
Class Skills:
Existence Outside the Domain: E-
Magic Resistance: D
Personal Skills:
Battle Continuation: D (A)
Noble Phantasms:
Earth's Blessing: Divine Protection of Earth Spirits
Rank: A
Type: Anti-Unit (Self)
Range: -
Maximum Targets: 1 person
While Garfiel's feet remain upon the ground, he receives blessings from the Earth Spirits. All Physical Parameters, Mana, and Battle Continuation are ranked up to 'A', and his other Noble Phantasm's effectiveness increases.
Furthermore, this blessing also increases his Magic Resistance to A-rank if the magic in question is Earth-aligned.
Strongest Shield: Triumphant Roar of the Gorgeous Tiger
Rank: C
Type: Anti-Army (Self) Noble Phantasm
Range: 1~50
Maximum number of targets: 1~? people
The crystallized legend of Garfiel Tinsel, the Strongest Shield. While he remains conscious, at the cost of continuous mana drain and increased fatigue, all of his allies within range gain resistance to damage from anything weaker than an E-rank Noble Phantasm. In addition, any 'innocent bystanders' within the field of effect also receive protection from Noble Phantasms below C-rank.
Furthermore, while [Earth's Blessing] is active, the resistance for fellow combatants is increased to C-rank, and 'innocent bystanders' are rendered immune to anything short of an A-rank Noble Phantasm.
Incidentally, were Garfiel to be summoned in Priestella or within the Mathers Territory, this Noble Phantasm's range would expand to encompass that entire location.
REVIEW RESPONSES:
Angels-Vanguard said:
Hey I dont knoe If you'll be doing any omakes. But I thought it be funny to have one where Kadoc summons Anastasia and she says "... Caster class, definitely not a half elf by the name of Emila-Tan" confusing the hell of Kadoc. Besides that love the story continue the good work.
Omakes, you say? Sure I'll drop one at the end of this chapter :P
Boyzilla said:
Meanwhile in Grand Foreigner, Ainz sneezes
*Weird Isekai Quartet Omake ideas intensify*
MythMaker258 said:
Have you considered using Charlemagne Saber and Karl de GroBe Ruler for the Orleans arc?
I wasn't before, but now I am...!
Bakuto Masaki said:
Was... Was that a reference to the crossover isekai chibi Anime I saw there...? Will there be a big red button appearing in Chaldea?!
It was. But that crossover won't be happening outside of omake space.
l said:
so what about reinhardt what would the servants think of him and his ability . ( oh and on reinhardts divine protection to wish for any divine protection he wants if summoned to fate verse would this ability apply to heroic spirit skills/abilitys , mystic eyes or the status of planet terminal which allows the person with the status like Merem Solomon ability to speak with animals and materialize people's wishes
Reinhard would probably end up on pretty good terms with most other Servants, since he's just genuinely a good guy. On the other hand, Mordred would probably find him a bit sketchy.
In terms of his power level, it's not that surprising for a high tier heroic spirit, so there wouldn't be that many raised eyebrows. In terms of how his divine protection, it'd probably be similar to Da Vinci's [Natural Born Genius], which lets her grab any non-innate personal or class skill for her own use.
Slackboy101 said:
Will the Events happen? like KnK (Need to watch that) and Dead Heat Summer?
Some of them. I've addressed this a couple times before; it's mostly gonna be limited to the more (relatively) serious events, like KnK or Vengeful Demon's Wail.
Guest said:
Can you clarify on sub's age?
Since he died dozen times before the first chapter and save point was in time longer then the year i'm just curious.
Also if he aquired any relevant skills in that time (since he probably didn't just sit around doing nothing).
Thanks
That's been retconned as of this chapter; his save point was now around three months prior to the incineration instead of a year and a half.
This puts his physical age at close to 18, and his mental age somewhere in the early to mid twenties.
In terms of acquired skills... he's got more knowledge of magecraft than one might expect, and knows more than a few big secrets of certain organisations that he really has no business knowing.
Also he has an unreasonable amount of knowledge related to theoretical physics, but that probably won't be very relevant.
Guest said:
How would rem, and others fair as servant.
Rem is pretty low-tier, as far as servants go. She'd beat most Assassins and Casters in a straight fight, but she'd have a serious fight on her hands against most other Servants.
As far as other go... well, for comparison, Garfiel is somewhere on the level of Kintoki if summoned under the right circumstances.
Daemon of Wrath said:
I have just found this fic today and I absolutely love it!
Thanks for the support!
It's a shame that the A Team hasn't met Subaru yet, given Wodime's interest in meeting him from this flashback, but at least a lot of things turned out better than before. Olga's alive, Lev(well, his body and mind), are intact. And that episode in Void Space makes me think something from the Re:Zero side of things is taking place.
You're certainly on the right track...!
But it seems like you're already building things for the Remnants and Lostbelts with the allusions to the Gentleman and Wodime's appearance.
Well, we'll see about how that stuff pans out. *Villainous laughter*
But please correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the brain house the soul in Fate lore? Or is that just a fanon concept from Third Fang's From Fake Dreams? If it's not, then would Lev's soul issue be attributed to brain damage in biological explanations? Or is that a different concept as well?
Pretty sure it's fanon. According to the wiki the soul exists on a higher plane, with the body acting as its terminal... but that info is dubious since I haven't checked the citation properly. In any case, in the chaldean model, the Mind/Brain and the Soul are two seperate things.
Also, since the first Flauros called Subaru Beast from another world, would that make him an unofficial Beast VIII : Beast of Sins?
Nah, he was calling Satella a Beast from another world. She wouldn't be numbered by an Earth designation... though for Lugnica, she's probably either Beast VII or Beast IV.
Guest said:
When will re zero character appear again
Next Chapter. And the chapter after that. Subaru's in almost every chapter, you know?
...But if you mean the rest of the cast, I'm probably gonna keep that a secret for now.
Lord Metallex said:
Hey Xorn! How exactly will you handle Angra Mainyu? He has the potential to be a Beast. In fact, you can have him invade Re:Zero and build up a dark legion in secret! It could by having an alternate ending of Fate/Zero where Emiya wishes for it to be sent to an another world. The corrupted grail end up in Lugunica and AM is freed. Using the witch cult as pawns and capturing demon beasts to make him more powerful. He would later summon four avengers for his cause.
Here what his stats could be!
*Snip because length*
Angra probably won't be showing up much in this story.
Of course, that's this story. You have my full permission and encouragement to write something of your own! Be the change you want to see in the world! I believe in you!