บท 399: Chapter 399: Borrowing a Sword
This Holy Grail War has seen numerous unexpected events, the most significant being the activation of the emergency system, which transformed the free-for-all battle of seven Servants into a team battle of seven versus seven.
Additionally, there have been many minor surprises. For instance, the Ruler, Jeanne d'Arc, descended using a Saint's vessel; Darnic intended to summon a Lancer but ended up summoning a Berserker; and the Assassin meant for Sagara Hyouma was instead summoned by Fiore, without the additional two-line incantation—
As previously mentioned, the Assassin class typically summons a Hassan-i-Sabbah due to the class itself acting as a catalyst. Given the proliferation of variant Holy Grail Wars in this world, the information on all but the first Hassan has been exposed, making them prime targets for joint attacks by other Masters upon their appearance.
In their pursuit of the Holy Grail, magi deeply researched the Assassin class and eventually discovered a method to summon non-Hassan heroic spirits by preparing a specific catalyst and appending a two-line incantation. Sagara Hyouma planned to use this method to summon Jack the Ripper.
The ideal location to summon Jack the Ripper would be London, the reputed origin of the legend. However, since London is home to the Clock Tower, the headquarters of the Mage's Association, summoning there would be suicidal for a rebellious member of Yggdmillennia. Sagara had to settle for Japan, a place with a relatively well-known reputation and guaranteed safety.
Unexpectedly, before the summoning ritual could be performed in Japan, Fiore had already summoned Assassin. By the time Darnic realized what had happened and was collecting the catalyst for Lancer while attempting to contact Sagara, Sagara had disappeared. More troubling was that the "Spirit Board" treasure collected by the clan indicated Lancer had already been summoned, an anomaly that caught Darnic's attention and caution.
To date, the clan members stationed in Japan have reported no news on Sagara. With each passing day, the likelihood of his demise increases. The worst-case scenario would be that members of the Mage's Association killed Sagara and replaced him as Master, meaning the Red faction could potentially have two Lancers.
Motivated by this thought, Darnic devised a plan to capture the Red Berserker—if they took one of his Servants, he would take one of theirs, ensuring neither side would lose out and might even gain an advantage. Without a catalyst, the strength of a Lancer is purely a matter of luck.
Of course, there is also another possibility: the summoned Lancer might be so violent that he killed his Master and found a puppet to act as a third party, independent of both the Red and Black factions.
In any case, Lancer is more likely to be an enemy than an ally.
The moment Gordes identified the newcomer, his body tensed, and the anger from being betrayed by his creation dissipated.
"Black Lancer!!!"
"Indeed." The female knight clad in silver armor looked up slightly, her gaze sweeping over Siegfried and the crouching Astolfo nearby. "Black Saber and Black—?"
This was a lapse on Shinji's part; although he had informed Artoria of the true names of the Black faction Servants, he did not describe their appearances. Other than the Ruler, there is no direct way for Servants to confirm each other's classes, only external features can be used to make judgments.
Siegfried carried a large sword, and the aura of battle energy around him was as imposing as a mountain, making it clear he was a Saber.
As for Astolfo... though he had a sword at his waist, it was not a Noble Phantasm and couldn't be used to determine his class. He could be an Archer, Caster, or Rider. Although her knowledge included that Chiron, Avicebron, and Astolfo were male, Artoria didn't want to make any assumptions due to her own experience.
Fortunately, Astolfo quickly introduced himself.
"—I'm Rider, Astolfo, one of Charlemagne's Twelve Paladins. Thank you for saving him, Lancer."
"Th-thank you..." Sieg, held by Astolfo, struggled to stand and forced out the words.
"No need to thank me. Protecting the weak is what a knight should do."
Even after fifteen hundred years, Artoria still adhered to the knightly code. To her, Gordes' behavior was undoubtedly bullying the weak, especially this young boy—
"You don't seem to be Rider's Master?"
"Just a mere puppet, how could he possibly be a Master? Don't make me laugh."
Before Sieg or Astolfo could speak, Gordes interjected.
"What is going on here?"
Artoria cast a glance at Gordes, whose body shivered instinctively from the coldness in her eyes.
"He... he is a homunculus I created to serve me. Not only did he disobey my orders and escape from the castle, but he also tried to kill me, his creator! And Rider, I don't know what madness possessed him to assist this homunculus in such a rebellious act."
"No, no, that's not it."
Still very weak and barely able to stand, Sieg desperately waved his hands, trying to explain.
"I... I just didn't want to die. If I stayed there, I would die. I... I want to live."
"Live?" Gordes reacted as if hearing something outrageous. "What nonsense. I don't recall giving you such a desire. With only three years of life, unable to contribute to the world or leave any mark, what is the point of such a defective product living?"
"I... I..." Sieg's face turned red as he tried to say something but didn't know what to say.
Am I... not even allowed to live?
"That's not true!" Astolfo grabbed Sieg's hand and loudly retorted, "Contributing to the world or dedicating yourself to someone is something you do because you want to. Wanting to live is a righteous roar of humanity! As long as your heart is still beating, you should want to live! You must—live on!"
The final words were a roar. It was hard to imagine that Astolfo, dressed in women's clothing and looking more feminine than a woman, could have such a commanding presence.
This roar, like the first thunderclap of early spring, awakened the beast that had been dormant all winter.
Sieg's eyes widened, and his breathing became heavy. "I want to live."
"For the Rider who saved me, for the Archer who treated me, for the Assassin who sheltered me, and most importantly, for myself."
"I—, want to live."
His determined expression, burning eyes, and unyielding will moved both Siegfried and Artoria.
"I don't remember instilling such a personality in you." Gordes was at a loss for words.
By this point, he couldn't even muster any anger. It's not unusual for mass-produced items to have one or two defects; this must be a defective product. If Caster likes it, he can have it.
"Honestly, every time, I encounter people like this."
Artoria felt a slight sense of déjà vu. She thought of Irisviel, who, like this boy, was also a homunculus, yet lived more genuinely than most humans.
"Every time, I can't help but want to lend a hand. Is this what Merlin meant by fate? If that's the case—Rider, may I borrow your sword?"
"Sure, you can have it if you like." Without a second's hesitation, Astolfo handed his sword to Artoria, as if it wasn't his possession.
"Thank you." Artoria solemnly strapped the sword to her waist. "You are an excellent knight. Although we come from different eras, I am glad to have met you in this Holy Grail War."
"Ahahaha, I'm glad too," Astolfo chuckled foolishly.
"Knight Astolfo."
"Yes!" Astolfo snapped to attention reflexively. He didn't know why he did it, but he didn't mind the feeling. Perhaps this female knight reminded him of his lord, the greatest emperor of Europe.
"Hold onto your beliefs and take him away."
"Yes! But, Saber—"
"I will hold them off for you, with the chivalry we both uphold as my oath."
Artoria placed her hand on the hilt of her sword, and visible magical energy surged around the entire longsword.
P.S.: This is Astolfo's personality—completely indifferent to the value of treasures. He would give away an item, even if it were a Noble Phantasm.
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