Chapter 41: Zod and the 5th Holy Grail War (8)

While exploring the various corners of Fuyuki City's downtown area with Altria Alter and Mata Hari, Zod encountered a coincidence that felt far from accidental.

"Artoria?"

"You are..."

Her face was a mirror image of Altria Alter’s, but unlike the pale platinum hair of the Lancer beside him, this woman possessed locks that shone with a brilliant golden radiance. Her eyes were not golden, but emeralds that shimmered with clarity. Dressed in a white blouse and a long blue skirt, the woman—holding her groceries—was the Heroic Spirit summoned as Saber in the current Holy Grail War: Artoria Pendragon. Wary of the man who knew her True Name, she instinctively widened the distance between them.

Had they not been in a crowded public square where arming herself was impossible, she would have likely manifested her holy sword then and there.

"Who are you? Why do you know my True Name?"

"Calm down and listen to what I have to say, will you?"

"Are you trying to play word games with me..."

"Calm yourself."

"Ah... I... It seems I was far too guarded. My apologies."

Altria Alter was dumbfounded as she watched Saber immediately settle into a calm, docile state at a single word from Zod.

"That power of his... it's terrifying no matter how many times I see it," Altria Alter muttered.

Ignoring Altria Alter's appalled remark, Zod spoke to Saber.

"Now then, why don't you guide us to your hideout first? We can discuss the details there."

"Yes, I understand. Please, follow me."

Saber naturally led Zod and his party toward the house where her Master resided. The option to refuse simply did not exist for her.

In her mind, the concept of rejecting Zod's request—or rather, his command—was an impossible choice that had never been there to begin with.

.

.

.

The Emiya Residence.

"This is not my own home, but please, enter."

"Hmm... This is quite a nice estate. Is this where Artoria’s Master lives?"

Zod correctly deduced that Artoria (Saber) had been summoned as a Servant for this Holy Grail War.

"Yes. I was summoned as the Saber of this war."

"I see... So you are the 'original' that my Artoria spoke of?"

"Pardon me... I have been struggling to understand your meaning for some time now..."

"The inverted version of your existence is my Servant."

"What? I don't quite..."

As Saber struggled to process the explanation, Zod gave her a brief summary. Even after hearing it, Saber's expression remained one of pure disbelief.

"Finding it hard to believe?"

"Imagine meeting another version of yourself... an inverted one, at that," Altria Alter chimed in.

"That sounds incredibly revolting. A version of me that's a goody-two-shoes Boy Scout... it gives me the creeps," Zod replied.

Zod frowned at Altria Alter's words. His very essence was rooted in malice; to even entertain the possibility of a 'virtuous' self was a denial of his existence. Such an imagination was physically nauseating to him.

"At any rate, this Lancer here is also you. Specifically, an inversion of the you who wielded Rhongomyniad instead of the sword..."

"Pardon?"

Saber looked at Altria Alter and doubted her own ears. To think that if she had picked up a spear instead of the holy sword, she would have grown into the curvaceous, emotionless woman staring down at her was incomprehensible. However...

"It's hard to swallow, I know. I am you... specifically, an inverted form of the possibility where you took up Rhongomyniad instead of Excalibur."

"Do you have any proof that you are me?"

"When you first learned how to grip a sword under Ector as a child, didn't you run away because you were scared?"

"Kuh—! H-How do you know that?!"

"And when you were ordered to swing the sword a thousand times and started crying because your hands were covered in blisters, your brother Kay tried to comfort you and told you not to cry."

"T-That's...!"

"And furthermore..."

"W-Wait! Fine, I get it! Just stop right there!"

Saber’s face turned bright red as Altria Alter began leaking secrets and 'dark histories' that only she and her foster brother, Sir Kay, could possibly know. She rushed to shut the other woman's mouth.

"I wanted to hide those embarrassing memories as well... but I doubted you would believe me otherwise."

"Even so, don't just go digging up my shameful past! Didn't you say you were me?!"

"This is the first time I have ever regretted speaking..."

"Truly!"

Saber ended up in a heated squabble with the other Altria.

"It looks like an older sister fighting with her younger sister. Like a pair of siblings," Mata Hari observed with curiosity.

"I see what you mean," Zod watched them with a look of utter boredom.

.

.

.

"Sigh... in the end, I couldn't make up with Tohsaka..."

As the sun began to set, Shirou Emiya let out a long sigh on his way home from school. Rin had been acting like a completely different person since that morning. As a childhood friend—and as a man who had known her for a long time—he had tried to point out her uncharacteristically disheveled appearance and behavior, but he had been ignored the entire day. No matter how much he apologized or tried to coax her, she remained cold. His peers teased him, asking if they were having a 'marital spat.' Even Shinji Matou, who usually looked down on Shirou, had tried to hit on Rin during the tension, only to be ruthlessly rejected. Seeing Shirou looking despondent, Sakura Matou—his junior and Rin’s childhood friend—had tried to console him.

While Rin was a childhood friend who took care of Shirou through a tsundere facade, Sakura was a girl whose devotion bordered on obsessive. Knowing that her sister—and romantic rival—Rin was treating Shirou coldly, Sakura took it as an opportunity to be even more affectionate and attentive to him.

Nevertheless, Shirou felt uncomfortable seeing Rin ignore him while seemingly captivating every university student she passed, only to crush them after they confessed to her.

"Sigh..."

Dragging his tired body, Shirou returned to the Emiya Residence and opened the door.

"I'm home, Saber..."

"Ah! Shi-Shirou, you've returned?"

"Yeah, Saber... but why are you out of breath? Why is your face so red?"

"Pardon? Ah... that... it is because I was briefly sparring with a guest."

"A guest?"

"Yes. I received some help in the market district by chance, so for a moment..."

With her face flushed and her clothes appearing rushedly put together, Saber looked remarkably disorganized. Sweat clung to her, making her white blouse translucent and form-fitting. Though the sight was suggestive, Shirou tried his best to ignore it. Behind Saber, Zod emerged with a healthy glow on his face.

"Oya~ So Saber’s Master was you? We meet again."

"Huh? Mr. Zod? You were Saber’s guest?"

"Yes. We met by chance when I was helping her out, and things just led here."

Zod flashed a charming, bishounen-like smile. Yet, hidden from Shirou's view behind Saber’s back, he reached out and firmly gripped her buttocks.

"Nnh~♡"

"Saber?"

"I-It's nothing, Shirou... I... I think I need to take a shower."

With those words, Saber hurried into the bathroom. Shirou remained bewildered, but internally, Zod was laughing at him.

'According to Rin, Sakura Matou and even Fujimura Taiga are involved with him. Quite the harem king, aren't you, Shirou Emiya? I'm going to take all your connections... I'll strip you of every woman you have.'

Zod wore a faint, predatory smirk as he stared intently at the bathroom door where Saber—who now effectively belonged to him—had disappeared.

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