"Da Vinci, do a scan."
[Hmm. Magical energy reactions have decreased, but... it’s hard to say. I can barely detect any Spirit Origin reaction, though I don’t know whether that’s because it’s disappearing or because of the impact.]
"...Then let’s move quickly. We don’t have time for a confirmation kill."
[Understood. I’ll guide you again.]
"Got it. Mash! Take care of Ritsuka!"
"Yes!"
"...I’d rather you just carry me..."
"Ahaha... Senpai, sorry, but with the shield..."
"Ugh, my pride..."
Let’s ignore that and get moving.
"Ren? Let’s go together!"
"Wah?!"
++++
[We’re about 500 meters out~. Huh? There’s a Spirit Origin reaction inside the church! It’s a Caster-class!]
"Doesn’t matter. They’re probably an ally."
[Hm?]
"Set up a base."
[That makes sense!]
Having a smart person around really is convenient. If you just give the reason, they understand it right away.
The church rapidly grows larger. I stop about five meters in front of it and knock on the door.
"I’m here for confession! Since this is a church, you won’t turn away a lamb, right?"
[What is this...?]
For the record, I refuse to be refused! Without waiting for an answer, I open the door and go in.
"Huh? It’s not locked?"
I’d thought at least the door would be locked.
"Heh. Didn’t you just say it yourself? It’s a church. You can’t turn away a lamb that comes looking for shelter."
"...And yet you’re dressed in something that doesn’t look priestly at all. A druid... if anything, that’s closer to faith than magecraft, Caster."
By that logic, you’re a heretic. So what? It’s not like there are any living people left in this city anyway. The Caster answers.
[Wait, what did you just say...?]
"Hm? What is it? I didn’t sense any magecraft being used... Hm? What’s this? A flashy lady? Hah, she looks like a Servant, but she isn’t one."
"Well, there are reasons for that."
"Hmm, that’s a pretty bold outfit. Let’s see..."
"That’s far enough~."
Hey now, what are you doing, eyeing our Mash like that? I naturally draw my sword and press it to the Caster’s throat.
"Whoa, now this is pretty intense. Even so, I didn’t expect you to point a sword at a potential ally."
"Hmph. More important than that kind of thing is our Mash."
I grin. Ah, what a charming killer smile.
"Ha! You look frail on the outside, but you’re a real man on the inside! Yeah, that’s right! Something like that matters way more than this! Absolutely!"
"If you know that, then I’d appreciate it if you didn’t do it again. Of course, that’s under the condition that you become an ally."
"Ah, of course!"
The Caster snorts with a laugh.
"So, Caster. What exactly is your objective? Well, in a Holy Grail War, what a Masterless Servant wants is pretty obvious."
"That’s true enough. I don’t really want the Grail itself or anything. You might not understand, but... being summoned and fighting is enough."
"No, I understand."
"Hah? Hah, that look in your eyes is serious. What kind of guy is this in the modern age?"
"What can I say? Fighting strong opponents gets the blood pumping."
"I like you! You know what you’re talking about!"
The Caster laughs and thumps me on the back.
"Hm? My apologies. I guess being summoned as a Caster dulled my judgment. Mistaking a guy like you for a frail weakling... I’m getting old."
Are you some kind of materialized Heroic Spirit or something? He asks that.
"No, I just work hard and it happens."
"Ha! And you’re even more agile than I am! What are you saying?"
It’s true, though.
"Anyway, I was trying to keep up with those two monstrous sisters ahead of me, so I kept working at it. I’m a dullard, so I was too busy chasing their backs to notice, and before I knew it, I’d ended up like this."
"Dullard, my ass. What nonsense are you spouting when you’re at a level where you’d lose sight of a sword’s trajectory for a moment?"
It’s true, I’m telling you.
"Well, whatever. So what’s your objective? Looks like you’ve got the same enemy as me, more or less."
"Ah, that? Romani? Da Vinci? Anyway, anyone will do."
[Ahem, ahem. Pleased to meet you. I am Romani Archaman of the Chaldea Security Organization. We offer our respect and...]
"Cut the introduction. Why don’t you get to the point, Chicken."
[Chicken?! Did you just call me Chicken, a Servant you’ve never even met before?!]
"It’s fine, Romani. It’s the truth anyway, isn’t it? Chicken is Romani."
[It changed! It changed completely!]
"Ah, you’re so chatty, Chicken. Enough already, just explain the point."
[Ugh... yes.]
++++
[...That’s how it is.]
"So, in short, you want to end the Holy Grail War that’s turned Fuyuki City into a mess, right? Good. That happens to be what I want too. We can work together."
[Ahaha...]
"Then I’d like you to explain your side too. As far as I know, Fuyuki City wasn’t this red. I know the place well, since my family is one of the city’s second owners, after all."
"Hm? You mean that Tohsaka family? You don’t look much like that girl..."
"If you mean Rin, I’ve heard that a lot. Anyway, explain."
"Well, sure. I don’t know much either. The Holy Grail War suddenly changed into something else overnight, the city that had been fine turned into this overnight, everyone disappeared, and only the Servants were left. I was trying to get a handle on the situation when that Saber bastard went wild like a fish in water and knocked down every Servant except me. On top of that, the Servants who lost to him got corrupted by black mud and started rampaging."
"So that’s why Rider came at us with a Noble Phantasm right off the bat. Tch. My leg still feels stiff. I’m not even sure I finished her off..."
"Hm? You took out Rider?"
"Ahaha... to be exact, it was more like Ren just beat her down one-sidedly..."
"Big brother took her apart in less than a minute without getting hit even once..."
"Hah, you’re more impressive than I thought."
"I’m not stupid enough to lose to someone who just charges in with raw power and leaves their openings hanging out in the open."
"Fair enough. That Rider was using hit-and-run tactics, striking once and then pulling back... Looks like she got caught before she could even retreat and got beaten down."
"I thought she seemed flustered."
"Hm, if she’d been carrying a spear, I would’ve liked to spar with her. What a shame. Anyway, after that, all sorts of other things showed up alongside those blackened Servants. Looked like they were searching for something. Well, I’d probably count as one of the things they were searching for too. I was running low on magical energy, so I set up a workshop here on the ley line and held out, but I was just about ready to slip out when their assault suddenly slowed down. Right when I was trying to refill my magical energy and leave, you lot came in."
So that’s why the door wasn’t locked.
"That’s the gist. Any more questions?"
"Not really... no, I do have one. But before that, how about we make a provisional contract? You must be running low too."
"Well, that’s true enough. Ah, but I have a condition. Don’t use Command Spells to give me weird orders."
"Weird orders, like what?"
"Stuff like ‘don’t fight at full power’ or ‘go fight all the Servants, but don’t kill them.’"
"Hmm. What about ‘injure yourself, Lancer!’?"
"I’m a Caster! No, more importantly, how do you know about that?!"
"It just came to me somehow. Anyway, I’m kidding."
It’s probably a fragment of memories from a previous life, but it’s too vague to be sure.
"And besides, Chaldea’s Command Spells are basically zero in terms of binding force. If you have high Magic Resistance, you can just ignore them, and even if you don’t, at worst it’s like tripping over a pebble on the road. They’re purely for support."
"Hm! I like that. Which one of you is making the contract?"
[Ritsuka should be the one to do it. Ren, you’ll be fighting.]
"Fair enough. Ritsuka?"
"Yes, I’ll do it."
We made the contract in due course.
"Oh, and by the way, could you send some of Chaldea’s magical energy my way too?"
[Hm? I don’t mind, but... why?]
"It’s hard to fight while trying to conserve magical energy. Even if that weren’t the case, having magical energy supplied to me can’t hurt, right?"
[You sound like a Servant.]
"Hm? Olga Marie? Well, whatever."
[Very well, I’ll do it. Wait a moment...]
Soon, I can feel magical energy being supplied to my magic circuits. My magical energy rapidly fills up. While I check my circuits, I hear a voice.
"Hm. Hey, kid. I guess I should call you Master for now..."
"Ah, no. Call me whatever you like."
"Fine. Anyway, can I take a good chunk of your magical energy? I’m pretty short on it right now. Even if I’ve been keeping my magical energy use to a minimum, a Servant manifesting without a Master is no small matter."
"Ah, yes."
"Hm. Then I’ll take it."
So he’s taking my magical energy. Ah! Come to think of it, I’d forgotten.
"Hey, Caster? If you’re taking magical energy, you should pay for the meal... no, the energy, right? Could you help me with something?"
"What is it?"
"Setting up a summoning circle. If we’re lucky, a Servant might come out."
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I say that while showing him a container filled with Saint Quartz.
"Oh! Hm? But you just said ‘if we’re lucky,’ right? What do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what it sounds like. The system’s unstable, so there’s no telling whether anything will come out. Think of it as a trash-tier gacha."
"That’s a pretty cheap way to put it. Well, fine. How do I set it up?"
"Da Vinci?"
[Understood~.]
Through the communication line, the shape of the summoning circle appears in my mind.
"I’ll draw the outer edge, so Caster, could you draw the inner part?"
"Hm. Very well."
"By the way, calling you Caster is a pain too. Can you tell me your True Name?"
"Ah, that’s a bit difficult."
"What, are you under some kind of geas or something?"
My True Name is kind of on the tip of my tongue... or not.
"Something like that."
"Well, not my problem. What’s your Noble Phantasm?"
"[Wicker Man], the cage of burning flames."
"Hmm, so you really are a druid. Celtic, spear user, and skilled in magecraft too... I can roughly guess who you are."
"Tch, quick on the uptake."
Yeah, that’s right. Piecing together the faint memories and everything else... I arrive at one conclusion: Cú Chulainn.
"But wouldn’t your image usually be more that of a spear user? No, if you were summoned as a Caster, I don’t think it’d be you, though?"
"I don’t know either. Why I’m a Caster, I mean."
"Hmm. Well, whatever."
A brief, awkward silence falls.
"Ah, by the way, do you know the True Names of the other Servants? Or at least their abilities?"
"If that’s what you want... oh, it’s done."
"Hm, tell me later."
[The Fate system startup is complete. Connection initiated... success. We’re linked to the ley line as well.]
"Hmm. So it’s gacha time..."
Servant, come out, Servant! Stella would be fine too!
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