When my consciousness surfaced again, I was in the sky.
What? Was that deliberate? Did I do something?
"You were originally summoned on the ground, but the barrier repelled you. So you ended up being summoned in the sky."
After hearing Mari's explanation, I adjusted my posture and landed. The ground beneath my feet felt soft. Looking down, I saw the corpse of what had once been a lion.
Apparently, I had landed on a lion-shaped demonic beast.
Looking around, I found a red-haired woman and a purple-haired woman surrounded by a pride of lions. They were warily preparing for battle against me.
Well, anyone would be wary of someone covered head to toe in blood.
Still, this situation felt strangely familiar.
And had my Mystery risen? Maybe it was just my imagination. Not enough to use Eochaid's Dancing Blade, though.
"What a rare stroke of luck for you. They're from Chaldea, the Security Organization for the Preservation of Humanity. What they do is..."
Keep it short.
My ears were still ringing from the history lesson you just gave me.
"...Their job is to protect the world. If you help them, we should be able to achieve our goal as well."
The moment I heard that, I checked my condition. My mana path had been cut off, and the body the Counter Force had originally made for me was weaker than before.
This bastard...
"When you face the cause of humanity's destruction, it will recreate things like it did back then. The amount of mana it gives you will be on an entirely different level. Humanity is stronger now than it was then. Before that, though, that girl is a Master. Make a contract with her and connect a mana path. It'll stabilize you."
You cut off my mana path, didn't you?
"...As expected, I can't fool you?"
You probably weakened me on purpose, saying it would harden me through another trial.
I should assume I can barely use lightning spears in this world.
"You adapt faster when you keep experiencing the worst possible conditions. Against the Dragonlord, you learned lightning spears right away. But against that beast, all you gained was Runes."
I nodded, then drew my Bastard Sword to conserve mana and began cutting down the lion beasts surrounding the girls.
Still bewildered, the two girls joined me and helped kill the beasts.
Slice.
After severing the last beast's neck, I flicked the blood from my blade onto the ground.
With the battle over, the girls approached. The purple-haired one remained wary, while the redhead strode straight toward me and stared.
"..."
"What are you doing? Say something."
?
Ignoring Mari's yapping, I remained silent. After a brief pause, the redhead moved first.
"I'm Fujimaru Ritsuka! I belong to Chaldea, I'm Mash's senior, and I'm humanity's last Master!"
"Senior?"
Bold.
But she was afraid.
Even while frightened, she had approached, introduced herself, and offered a handshake. A simple choice, yet a difficult one.
"What are you waiting for? Take her hand. Let's help them and get this over with quickly."
I'll handle it myself.
Annoyed by Mari's noisy urging, I reached out and shook hands with the girl named Ritsuka. Her expression brightened, and she vigorously shook my hand as she continued.
"You're really strong! Are you a Servant? Then are you a Saber? But I've never heard of a Heroic Spirit like you. So, what's your name?"
...It had been a long time since I'd shaken someone's hand.
No, it had been a long time since I'd had contact with another person at all.
I had only fought enemies. I had not even seen anyone else make contact with another person.
But I can't speak.
And what was my name again?
It had been so long that I'd forgotten.
Lost in thought over this unfamiliar contact, I stayed silent after the handshake. The purple-haired girl, Mash, grew even more guarded.
"Please step away from him. He hasn't said a word. I think we need to remain on guard first."
"Huh? But he helped us, so we should thank him! And while we're at it, ask for his cooperation!"
"He did help us in that battle, but since he won't speak, we don't know what his objective is. His reaction confirms that he's a Servant, but..."
This woman called Ritsuka was remarkable.
Was that why she had saved the world six times?
Or was she simply that desperate?
"I can barely sense any mana from that Ritsuka girl. By this world's standards, she's practically an ordinary person. Her talent for magecraft is probably on your level. Wow, someone else is as bad as you. That's unbelievable."
Rather than react to Mari's teasing, I found it incredible that someone with no physical ability and magecraft talent like mine had made it this far while escorting Mash.
What would I have done in that situation?
Impressive...
"If you were in her position, you'd already be dead. Your mouth is so crude that you probably couldn't have stayed with Mash, either."
No, the way you brought me here was what was strange.
And because of you, I can't even speak, which only makes people misunderstand me more.
"Um... so, will you cooperate with us? I need all the help I can get to save the world. With your sword, let's save the world together!"
Watching Ritsuka spread both arms and make her invitation like a speech, I remembered the contract Mari had offered me long ago. I almost laughed.
Then I removed my gauntlet and placed my hand atop Ritsuka's head.
"Huh? Then... you'll cooperate with us?"
I nodded. The instant I did, I hurled a hand axe toward the gaze watching us from one side. My weapon was knocked away, but I called it back into my hand and rested the other on my Bastard Sword.
"Sorry about that. It looked like you were spying on us. I'd like to introduce myself too, if this is introduction time... but... I suppose you've already seen through me?"
"That is Enkidu, King Gilgamesh's closest friend! They should be of help in this Singularity... huh?"
Mash began explaining happily, then froze at the sudden hostility. Enkidu sounded disappointed that the plan to lure us elsewhere and dispose of us had failed.
Without a word, I held Mash back with one arm, drew my sword, and charged Enkidu with a slash.
But the blade did not cut through. Enkidu's transformed hand blocked it. I stepped back and measured the distance between us.
"That sword has great Mystery. But how about this?"
Golden ripples spread through the empty air around Enkidu, and chains—were those chains?—shot out to bind me. For some reason, I felt that getting caught by them would be disastrous, so I knocked every one aside. But their numbers continued to grow.
Am I going to die here?
I don't have enough mana to get close.
Did I throw that axe too soon?
I should have waited until after making the contract.
I thought he was just one of the lion beasts' remaining stragglers. What the hell...
It became harder and harder to knock the chains away, and my wounds multiplied. Just as one was about to pierce my shoulder, a shadow appeared before me. A shield deflected the chains and stood between us.
Then, behind me, Ritsuka began chanting. Mana started gathering around me.
"I declare: your body shall be under me, and my fate shall be under your sword. Follow me. Then I shall entrust this fate to your sword!"
I silently nodded, accepting the contract—the oath.
The Elden Ring rang out, and mana returned to my body in a surging flood.
Mash heard the crackle of sparks behind her. Ritsuka saw golden lightning pour from the knight's body, and the glare made her instinctively raise a hand to shield her eyes.
"What? At a time like this, him?!"
The area was swallowed by sand and dust, while the sound of bursting sparks continued from within. Every trait the Mage King had warned Enkidu about matched this knight, and cold sweat ran down Enkidu's back.
Then the dust was swept away in an instant by the sword. A knight carrying a Bastard Sword, golden lightning flickering in his eyes, slowly walked forward.
In the next moment, he vanished from Enkidu's sight. The knight appeared directly before Enkidu and swung.
The slash came diagonally, severing Enkidu's right arm. As I grabbed Enkidu's left arm and drove my sword toward their chest, chains flew in from all directions to bind my entire body. I released my grip and knocked them all aside.
Taking advantage of that opening, Enkidu unleashed mana and blasted me away.
Startled, Enkidu fled, leaving only Mash, Ritsuka, and the knight they had sent flying.
"Ah, mana again? What are we supposed to do now?"
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