Cu Chulainn glared at me. Director Olga Marie looked flustered, while Guardian aimed his revolver at Cu Chulainn and spoke.
"It’s a long story, but to put it simply, my Master comes from the future. He's a time traveler."
"That’s why he knows not just your True Name, but probably Saber’s as well. He seems to know Archer’s too."
"He said Archer’s name is Emiya. Is that right?"
"I don't know Archer's name. But Emiya? That’s the name of Saber’s Master. Archer never revealed his name to the very end."
"Cu Chulainn, that Master of Saber eventually becomes a Guardian of Humanity. The Archer in this Holy Grail War is the result of that possibility. If my knowledge is correct, just saying the name 'Emiya' in front of him will rattle him more than you’d expect. He never revealed it because he despises his own past."
"Whether you believe me or not is up to you, Cu Chulainn, but I’ll add one more thing. Saber’s True Name is King Arthur—Artoria Pendragon."
I recited everything I could remember, feeling like my life depended on it.
Honestly, Cu Chulainn is scarier than I thought. Emiya actually went toe-to-toe with a guy like this using a rolled-up newspaper?
"Keep glaring if you want. If you’ve got a problem, we can settle it right here and now," Guardian said.
"How about a wager? Loser becomes the winner's dog. I don't mind. I don't think a bastard who bares his teeth just because his name was leaked is going to be much help as an ally anyway."
Guardian insulted Cu Chulainn viciously.
"Guardian, stop. It’s fine. Right now, we need to defeat Saber. No, before that, if we don't take down Archer, we can't even get near the leyline. We’ll just keep getting sniped until we're dead. We need a plan. Wait... do we even need to fight Archer head-on?"
"What do you mean by that?"
Director Olga Marie tilted her head at my question.
"Director, our primary goal is to find a leyline, right? But Archer is the one blocking us. Do we really need to defeat him? If he’s too hard to kill, can't we just draw his aggro?"
"Damascus... the way you talk is as vulgar as Guardian... No, never mind that. More importantly, how do you plan to draw his... 'aggro'?"
I answered her.
"We use Guardian. If that Archer is who I think he is, he won't be able to ignore his own name or mentions of King Arthur. His mental state is more brittle than a Couque d'Asse cracker."
"Couque d'Asse?"
Cu Chulainn tilted his head at the unfamiliar word.
"It’s a very fragile cookie. That guy’s heart is weaker than it looks; he breaks easily if you poke the right spots. Guardian is fast, so we can just write something like 'Emiya! King Arthur was delicious' on a large cloth and have Guardian show him the sword. That should do it."
I took a breath and turned to Guardian.
"Since Guardian’s sword is a modified Excalibur, it’ll serve as proof. He's the best fit for drawing aggro. It’s not that I don't trust Guardian, but honestly, I don't trust that 'Witch' he mentioned since I’ve never met her. If Guardian believed her and called it Excalibur, but it turns out she lied, we’re dead. Here’s the plan: Guardian draws the aggro, and Cu Chulainn provides support. Meanwhile, the Director and I will quietly set up a base camp at the leyline and call Chaldea for backup."
I paused there and addressed Director Olga Marie directly.
"Director, you have to come with me. Like you said, I’m just a civilian. These Chaldea clothes I’m wearing have no offensive capabilities. I can't use Guardian’s Excalibur or his revolver, and the bombs are one-time use. I need you. More importantly, I can feel my condition dropping just from supplying mana to Guardian. Cu Chulainn probably wants to join us mainly for a mana supply too. If a third Servant appears and I have to supply all three at once, we might lose a winning game because I run dry in the middle of the fight. That’s why I absolutely need you, Director."
Cu Chulainn narrowed his eyes at me.
"I’m right, aren't I? You’re looking for a Master because you need a mana supply. Isn't that it? I don't care what kind of partnership it is. Let’s make a temporary contract and take down Emiya first. I promise you, if things go as planned, we’ll set up the base camp and get a Chaldea Mystic Code with offensive capabilities. If we can just get the one with 'Gandr' and 'Order Change,' we can take Archer’s head. Depending on which Servant we get, we’ll draw a circle, summon the necessary supplies, place a Catalyst, and summon a Heroic Spirit."
Cu Chulainn nodded.
"You’re right. I came to ask for an alliance because I need a mana supply."
"The important thing is that the one summoning won't be me, but the Director. We’re going to manifest the Director’s Servant. I’ll hold the contract, but the mana path will use the Director’s energy. The reason the contract goes to me is that once this battle is over, you won't be able to Rayshift, Director. Your position is one that shouldn't be Rayshifting in the first place, but you're here now because we had no choice, right? I intend to return alive, and I’m sure you do too. That is a fixed requirement. No matter what happens, I will see you return safely and I will go home. So Director, please follow my lead just for this Singularity. I’m asking you."
Director Olga Marie looked stunned. She probably never expected me to talk like this. She must have thought I was just some idiot playing tourist at Chaldea.
"U-uh, right. You’re right, Damascus. Your plan seems sound. Let’s do that."
Cu Chulainn listened and spoke up.
"But kid, there’s one problem. Do you really think a Master without a Servant can survive being surrounded by monsters like before? Besides, there are other Servants here. There’s an Assassin. You know what they’re like, right? In a Holy Grail War, they specialize in killing Masters. If you run into them alone, you're finished."
Cu Chulainn’s point was accurate. The flaw in this plan was leaving the Master isolated in the field. Even with two mages, the only magecraft I could use was the Emergency Evasion, Recovery, and Reinforcement attached to the Mystic Code.
"I know. That’s why I’m going to use your abilities and Guardian’s. I have three Command Spells. I’ll definitely have to use at least one to summon Guardian to my side. We’ll use Guardian’s Excalibur to summon a Hero. If we’re lucky, we might pull King Arthur. Or maybe Merlin, who gave him the sword. My worst-case scenario is the Witch who made the sword appearing. Once the plan is in motion, I’ll switch to a Chaldea Mystic Code with 'Order Change.' While the Director is performing the summoning ritual, I’ll call Guardian to the circle and have him throw Excalibur into it. Then we fight again with the new Servant. No matter how skilled Archer is at both melee and range, he won't be able to handle Cu Chulainn, Guardian, and the newcomer all at once. A 3-on-1 is hard for anyone. If we get Saber like I hope, I’ll use Order Change with Cu Chulainn and take Archer’s head. How is Archer going to beat King Arthur in close quarters? ...Phew... this is exhausting. Anyway, Cu Chulainn, I know you’re skilled with Rune Magecraft, right? You wouldn't have been summoned as a Caster otherwise. You probably use it better than most mages, don't you?"
Cu Chulainn replied.
"Yeah. Not as well as Scathach, but I can hold my own. So, what do you want from me?"
I answered.
"Defensive Runes and Runes to draw a circle. If you can make some pebbles move around to draw a circle instantly, that’ll be enough. And I’ll take a bomb from Guardian. I don't want to use it if I can help it, but I need it for emergencies. That should be plenty. I don't think we can get any more support than that anyway."
Guardian spoke after hearing me.
"Actually, I can give you one more weapon. I can make them. With the big guy's help, we can make short sticks. You know my revolver? It’s not actually a revolver. It’s made of marble and iron with small gems inside to discharge mana. When you see me reloading, I’m not using bullets; I’m drawing energy from my hand to load and fire. I fire eight shots because my original revolver was an eight-shooter. If we imbue some rods with Rune Magecraft and dump my mana into them to fire, they’ll be quite useful."
Cu Chulainn spoke.
"Then it’s settled. Let’s stop talking and get started. Just chatting doesn't suit my temperament. Let's fight. The plan seems decent enough. The Master's defense is a bit exposed, but other than that, it’s solid."
Cu Chulainn gave a positive evaluation.
"Okay, then let’s grab three or four sticks. We’ll put different types of mana in each. Since the Director has Gandr, we’ll give her Explosion and Rapid-fire types. For my Master, we’ll give him Piercing and Homing rounds. And Master, I’ll give you a collapsible baton. You’ll be able to easily handle non-Servant enemies like those from earlier with a single hit. How’s that?"
Director Olga Marie spoke immediately after Guardian finished.
"It seems decided. Let’s begin. Guardian, Cu Chulainn, start immediately. And Damascus, this is a special situation so I’m giving you command authority for now, but once we return to normal, that’s over. Understood?"
The Director, who had been quiet, suddenly snapped. She clearly didn't like having to take orders from a 'scrub.'
"Understood, Director."
I spoke briefly and even bowed my head slightly. I’m the lowest rank here anyway, so bowing is nothing. However, I was telling one lie. The ones I really wanted to summon weren't King Arthur, but Okita Souji or Ushiwakamaru.
The reason for picking them was simple: they are incredibly fast. In the upcoming fight, since we're up against an Archer, closing the distance quickly would be an advantage. Also, those two seemed like they would consume less mana. I have to manage the supply later, and it won't be easy.
Guardian is quite fast too, but his style is more about shooting from the back. It might not look like it because his sword is Excalibur, but I think he’s better suited as an Archer than an Avenger. How did he end up as an Avenger anyway?
No, thinking about that now won't help. I shook my head and steeled my resolve. Then I spoke slowly.
"Then let’s prepare immediately."
The operation to take Archer’s head was beginning.
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