The air of autumn was far thinner than in summer. Humidity had little to no effect on the replica world. Contrary to what you might think, Saber had spent her nights in houses now.
Although she did not seem too interested in all the riches of this world. Penthouses, mansions, and estates all had no meaning to her. If anything, she liked to live in a middle-class house.
Not big, yet not small, just the perfect size for her to reside in. Much of her power had returned from consuming Nabû-Zēr. This new energy was preserved; she had sensed another entity the minute she killed him.
She had been avoiding this entity up until now, but not out of cowardice. To be honest, she did not want to deal with them. She just wanted to live the rest of her days out like this.
There wasn't anything else she desired, no story she wanted to observe. She had no interest in these entities, as, to her, they were nothing but fakes.
Additionally, she did not understand the grudge they held against her. She had slain many entities, but from her memory, she did not directly influence their fates.
Then, she came to a realization. What was their grudge against her? In that instant, she made it her temporary goal to discover this. But the question was, how would she meet this entity?
The bed she lay in was rather packed with junk food. Saber had thoroughly enjoyed these, although most of them had gone stale. She jumped up from the bed, landing with a grunt and elegant pose.
She did not feel like searching for long, so she directly broke the window to her right. She leapt out the window, landing on the nearby house.
The tile roof was rather slippery with the blood rain spraying down on it. This eventually made her lose her footing, falling onto the ground below.
It didn't hurt, but she was visibly embarrassed. After a while of staring off to her side, making sure no one was watching.
Even though, to her knowledge, no one else was there.
Saber began to search the replica world for this new entity. It is possible that they decided to stay here, even if dangerous, considering the warrior's title.
Still, if it were another entity that wished to kill her, she would like to know why. Saber might even grant them another week to live if they did so. But what were the chances of that?
Depending on whether she recognized her or not, it could be close to none or unbelievably high. After what felt like hours of searching, she came up with nothing.
Her desire to find the reasoning behind these actions diminished.
"Does it really matter all that much? He's dead anyway." Saber sighed.
Saber shifted her weight, focusing east, coming to a realization. The mortals who had placed those markers around this world gave her offerings.
If she could communicate with them directly, she could ask them for snacks from the current era. This meant what she ate would be of high quality and not stale.
"Snacks!"
She practically dashed east until she saw the eagle's skull. This wasn't what confused her; she had seen multiple of these birds they killed. What confused her was the message "Hello" on a nearby building.
Saber tilted her head at this sight, her head turning a full 90 degrees. With her head still turned, she approached the carving, gliding her fingers across the words.
It was strange; the group she had come across did not communicate with her like this. They communicated with offerings, things they might think she saw as useful.
Although most of the things she asked for seemed to be ignored. Whether they didn't get her messages or couldn't comply with her demands, she did not know.
Not knowing what to think of this strange carving, she walked away from it. Just as she stepped back, she bumped into something.
As she turned her head, there was no fear in her eyes.
In front of her stood what seemed to be an elderly woman, though she could not be described as such.
She had long, flowing white hair, her ears oddly sharp and long. However, there were no wrinkles on her face whatsoever.
The elderly woman wore a simple white gown that dripped to her ankles and had a large nose.
She looked down at Saber, almost curiously.
"You are a strange creature, aren't you, young one?"
"My age far surpasses yours. Respect your elders, young lady."
It was clear to Saber that this was an entity, or at least a fraction of one. No matter how she looked at it, she was not in the slightest human.
Her body was hidden, but Saber could tell it was not proportional. Saber lifted her head, fully shifting her body towards this strange woman.
"Why do you seek me?"
"Judgement of your actions against your own kind."
"Fitting answer. I will spare you for now."
A temptation arose within every cell of Saber's body. She wanted to kill this woman, but found herself not doing so. There was a shred of what a human would call respect deep down in her heart.
The elderly woman looked terrified at this, and instantly, the temptation for murder dissipated for but a moment. Saber narrowed her eyes; this only made her murderous intent rise higher.
"What did you do?"
Even if this was a question, the way the words left her lips made it sound like a statement. The elderly woman chuckled, clasping her hands.
"I'm terribly sorry," the elderly woman said.
Saber continued to glance into her eyes for a while before muttering:
"Faker. Return to where you came from, to whoever is controlling you. If not, I won't hesitate to kill you for daring to use such a pathetic ability on me."
The woman bowed down to Saber; there was a clear difference in their power. A drip of sweat glided down her forehead, as she didn't dare to look Saber in the eye any longer.
"Once again, I'm sorry. I did not think—"
"You don't think. You don't get to think; just like your Master, you are a sham. You are not independent; without whoever controls you, you cease to exist."
Saber was barely holding herself back; she had already promised this woman her life. The warrior held a firm grasp over the battlefield's morality, honor over herself. Even still, the next second, the sword of the eight-pointed star was in her grasp.
Only after this did she deliver a warning cut to her arm. If not for Saber suddenly pulling the sword motion, the elderly woman's entire hand would've been cut off.
"You are not my kind, and neither is your Master. I've killed hundreds of my own — but who does that affect? Humanity is the same, worse even. They rape, murder, and enact monstrosities against their own kind."
Saber took a single step back before continuing.
"We're all just shallow concepts of what one would dare to call a 'being'. Tell your Master, I said that. I've been alive long enough to know the difference between reality and illusion."
"...I'll ensure Jeanne hears your words."
With that, the elderly woman disappeared into the air.