I had to admit, it was daring of Rin to perform the ritual without a catalyst and then expect to summon a strong servant just because it was her doing the ritual. The confidence reminded me of someone. I really wondered who. She even summoned a servant of the Archer-class, a sassy guy who just about looked done with life entirely.
How envious.
Nobunaga was many things, but, good at snark, she was not. In fact, her response to most insults was pulling out the nine and blasting the other person right in the face. Yes, she'd done that to me too at one point.
My own grievances aside, however, I also had to wonder just where that confidence of my current broke teacher's came from. After all, she DID botch the summoning ritual. Her formation was good enough, with little to no flaw, but somehow she'd messed up reproducing the exact conditions left in her family instructions.
"You know, I'm pretty sure being precise and re-checking over and over is kind of a huge part of being a magus." I murmured with a faint smile, amused by Rin's embarrassment. "Could just be me though."
Even I re-checked my own code multiple times, even if it was for different reasons entirely and was usually done dozens of times in the span of less than a single second.
"I was a little excited." She retorted weakly, "And I did check. It's just that every clock in the house was… wrong."
"Phone?"
She tilted her head in genuine confusion. "What's that got to do with anything?"
Archer snorted, back against the wall, arms crossed.
With pursed lips, I fished my new phone out of my coat and held it by the top.
She grew even more confused.
This time, I was horrified. With a trembling finger, I pointed at the time.
…Her confusion remained unperturbed.
"Oh! That… I've seen some boys sneak these into school. I didn't bother to ask whatever they were doing with it since I'm sure they were just wasting their time." She tossed her hair over her shoulder, huffing confidently, "Boys are like that, after all!"
I looked over at Archer in genuine concern. He just shrugged his shoulders and glanced out the window beside him, at the Sun shimmering behind distant mountains.
I'd heard magi avoided technology like the plague, since personal belief and perception also held great influence over one's magecraft but still… Perhaps my own perception was a tad flawed because most of my peers were also new magi, or those who'd already adapted modern science and tech.
Luvia was a proper weeb, even Flat and Svin. Gray too dabbled in cartoons occasionally, though most of her experience came from our Professor's obsessive gaming.
"I wouldn't expect a new magus to understand."
"Yeah, I'm totally the stupid one here, miss. Stubbornly refusing to adapt to the times is such a boss move."
"Wha?" Rin tilted her head to the other side, her dark hair falling over her shoulder.
"Senile old crone."
"You're older than me!"
"Spiritually! You're a fossil at heart, woman. How do you not know what a phone is?!" I waved around a fist. Surprisingly enough, she winced and backed down under the scolding. But that just made me feel bad instead. With a sigh, I scratched the back of my head. "Alright, well, you did botch the summoning and… there's nothing to be done. Except…"
Rin's eyes shimmered, "Except…?"
"You tell that guy to kill himself and summon another one. A refund, basically."
She earnestly considered her options.
"Wait, wait, hey now. Don't I get a say in this?"
"Can it, fossil. You're living on borrowed time anyway."
"I thought the twenty-first century was supposed to be all about equal rights."
I gave him a look. "Slave."
"Wow."
"What are you gonna do? Unionise? Protest?"
"I see why no one put you in charge of anything." He narrowed his eyes.
"Yeah, and you're definitely a King, yeah? Mister Amnesiac."
He shrugged again, "Fair enough, I suppose."
When he opened his mouth to speak again, Rin cut in before he could. It seemed she had made up her mind. A little too quickly, in my opinion, but I listened attentively.
"That seems a little excessive…"
"You think?"
"Besides, infuriating as he is," She jabbed a thumb his way, "I don't think he's too bad when it comes to fighting."
I stroked my chin like a sage, "I'd fold him like a towel."
For once, the allegedly amnesiac Archer kept his mouth shut. He did shrug again, but made no effort to actually defend himself. Likely, he was just unconcerned with that sort of contest.
"Even amnesiac…" Rin ended up defending him, "He is still a heroic spirit. I don't think even the best magus stands much of a chance against a servant. Especially not… well, a new one."
I only smiled. "It's true though. I'm the strongest. That aside though, I guess you're stuck with this guy then. There's no cure for Alzheimer's, am afraid."
She sighed exasperatedly, "Where does this confidence come from? Do you even know any spells past the basic ones?"
I snapped my fingers and a fragmentation grenade fell on the table between us.
"Gradation Air?" She leaned on the table, both hands, visibly intrigued as she studied the foreign object, "That casting speed is actually impressive… and when did you even activate your circuits?"
"I didn't."
"Ambient mana, then? That quickly?" She gave me a long and hard stare, face all scrunched up, "Well, you'll have to do with short lessons for now because of the Holy Grail War, alright? I'll teach you rudimentary Jewel Magecraft. Be proud that I'm recognizing you though! The Tohsaka family doesn't take apprentices easily!"
It was funny because I probably already knew more, if not the same as her, from when I connected to the Edelfelt Magic Crest. It wasn't even voluntary. I needed to scour it in order to improve the code contained within. I'd done my best then, I could do even more now. It had also been a nice show of trust from Luvia to let me since a lineage's Magic Crest held significance greater than one's own life. The drove of Jewel-related spells contained within were just a nice little side-bonus.
I shook my head, "…You just want my money."
Rin froze, like an arrow had shot through her heart there and then.
"T-That's not true-"
"Then you just want my beautiful body. You lecher~"
"You… You're not that good-looking!"
"But that means I am good-looking And since beauty is in the eye of the beholder… My My I had my suspicions after you forced me in that alleyway but-"
Rin burnt crimson, "W-Wording! Please!"
"I didn't think a young lady from such a prestigious house would be a pervert."
I was not the one who said that. It was her servant. Archer held his palm against his mouth and turned aside just the slightest bit, trying to push down a teasing grin. That seemed to push my new teacher over the limit. She let out a cry before pushing me out the door.
"Come back tomorrow afternoon! A-And don't show up at my school! People are already getting weird ideas!"
Chuckling, I shook my head and left her abode to go straight home… which was three houses down so it wasn't even that much of a walk. Caren sat by the front door, dressed in her habit, complete with a round hat, like she was going outside.
"Headed somewhere?"
She shook her head blandly, "Praying."
Huh.
"For the poor souls that had the misfortune of crossing your path today. May the Lord ease the pain they suffered from your deviancy."
"MY deviancy." I snorted.
She nodded easily as I sat down beside her, fixing me with those cat-like golden eyes of hers. After several moments of silence, the priestess spoke again.
"We don't go out anymore."
"We just went shopping yesterday."
"But… no adventures. None of your deviancy."
That word again.
She went quiet again, for longer this time. Then,
"Do you… tire of me? Or… am I a bother?"
Abandonment issues were a strange thing.
Chuckling, I put a hand atop her head. "No and no, of course not. I was just… Hm, well, there's servants out and about. I got shanked last night. The night before that, someone tore my arm off."
"Mm, I know. Nobunaga told me. So… worried?"
"A bit."
At that, a faint smile crossed her lips. "The Lord watches over me. Let me help you, if needed. You gave me a home… a place to belong… I don't know how I should feel. You don't even need me."
"You don't need to get worried over it."
"That's…"
That was unfair, I knew that all too well. She was like me, in a lot of ways. Really really like me. That was why I was so resolute on looking after her where none did the same for me. Yet, even that was unfair of me.
"And I do need you. After all, how else would I get to see vile pranks and hear absolutely diabolical words? That's like half the fun in my life."
She sighed bitterly.
"How… cruel."
-
Come night, we were once again out on the prowl, Nobunaga and I. However, this time, the same was true for Rin and her servant. I made sure to wait until they were gone before unleashing my warlord upon the city of Fuyuki once again.
Yet, that particular night was completely uneventful. We explored the city once more, but this time, even Bazett didn't try to throw hands with me. We'd run into her and Lancer again, yes, under the grand steel bridge over the Mion River but she simply shook her head and left for some odd reason, deciding that tonight was not the night she got herself killed.
Nobunaga was left biting her thumb in annoyance.
"It displeases me that I must let that Divinity linger. But, the satisfaction will be all the greater for it."
Stood near the edge, I stared at the moonlight shimmering off the river's surface, hands in my pockets.
"That's three servants now. Archer…"
"Lancer, and Caster." Nobunaga finished. "Four remain."
Saber. Berserker. Rider. Assassin.
Oh how I longed to meet the venerated heroes summoned by the other masters.
"Hopefully, they won't keep us waiting too long. I might just decide to bomb the city to draw them out."
-
Hope you enjoyed.
Please, do comment so I can know how I did.