At Irisviel's trembling question, the air in the room seemed to freeze.
Saber's vigilance reached its peak, the unseen pressure of her blade chilling the room further.
Standing behind Steve, Archer was immediately on edge, instinctively half hiding in the man's shadow—gray eyes whirling with emotions an outsider could never decipher.
Facing this explosive tension, Steve only smiled and shook his head.
"It's just an illusion," his voice soothing and gentle, as if to calm a frightened kitten.
"At least for now, this boy has little to do with you."
He emphasized "for now" only slight, but Irisviel's sharp mind caught the hint, increasing her confusion.
Saber, however, could tell he wasn't lying.
Steve didn't let them dwell.
"But there's one thing to say clearly—his wish is the same as mine. We both, just like your husband and your distant daughter, wish for your family's happiness."
His words struck Irisviel like a red-hot brand tossed into a frozen lake, kindling a fierce emotion instantly.
She looked up, her ruby eyes locked on Steve's—realizing that he knew not only about Kiritsugu, but also Illya.
He turned to Saber, speaking respectfully.
"And that noble knight is no exception.
We too wish for you to break free from fate and find your own true happiness."
Hearing this, Saber frowned; his words resonated with the deepest wishes within her, making her uneasy.
"Words alone are insufficient and easily misunderstood.
Even if we talked all day, I might never clear away all your doubts.
"So—I propose a more direct, more efficient means."
He turned his gaze to Saber.
"Saber, Artoria Pendragon—highest-tier Servant with A-rank Magic Resistance. Surely, you trust in your own soul?"
"Why not shake hands with the youth before you?"
This suggestion surprised everyone.
Steve smiled further.
"Relax. I cast only a simple image spell on him—allowing those who touch him to instantly glimpse his memory."
"If you see his memories, you'll know at once that we're friends, not enemies.
Every question you have will be answered in that instant."
Irisviel immediately moved in front of Saber in protection, staring at Steve with suspicion.
"That's too dangerous! What if it's a mental attack?"
"Iris..."
Saber gently placed her hand on Irisviel's shoulder, looking deep into her eyes.
She considered: her Magic Resistance would surely fend off normal mental spells, and her knightly intuition whispered that this boy hid secrets deeply tied to her own fate.
Saber and Irisviel exchanged a glance—one full of worry, the other of royal determination and, perhaps, curiosity.
At last, Saber breathed deeply and nodded.
"...Very well. I accept your proposal."
She stepped forward, facing the young Archer.
But the petite figure seemed rooted in place, soul trembling.
Saber removed the gauntlet from her right hand, revealing pale, calloused skin from decades of swordsmanship, and reached out.
"Let's begin," she intoned with no room for refusal.
The youth tried to speak but finally accepted fate, eyes closing, a small, trembling hand reaching out.
All eyes watched as large hand and small hand slowly neared, and then—touched.
—Time froze.
A flood of unimaginable information crashed over Saber's soul.
This was no magecraft, but pure resonance between souls—a record engraved eternally upon the Throne of Heroes.
The snowy battlefield vanished.
There was fire—seas of fire, turning the earth red with despair.
Within the inferno, the ragged breathing of a young boy; empty, tear-streaked eyes; and, as if hugging the boy in salvation and agony, her own Master: Emiya Kiritsugu.
Scenes shifted.
Moonlight, a Japanese garden, a slightly older boy solemnly swearing an oath—
"Leave your dream to me... I'll make it come true."
The inherited but twisted ideal, "Ally of Justice."
Scenes spun again.
The familiar summoning chamber and incantations—she landed in answer to the boy's call, beginning the Fifth Holy Grail War.
They fought side by side, shared magic, debated, and grew to deeply understand one another—a bond far beyond a mere master-servant contract.
And then, the final moment.
She, before the fractured Grail, facing the boy, smiling in relief; her hands dissolved into golden points of light, leaving to the boy's anguished screams, feeling his inexpressible love and her own regret for never being saved.
At last, the vision froze.
…In the real world, less than a second had passed.
A transparent drop slid down Saber's cheek, shattering on her silver armor.
She suddenly withdrew her hand, stumbling back. Her emerald eyes widened in shock and sorrow as she looked between the boy before her and the woman behind.
Speechless.
Saber had seen another life—a possible future, her own, and that of the youth: a life filled with idealistic conflict and unending regret...
"Saber!? What's wrong?"
Irisviel rushed to her side.
Never had she seen the always-steady, ever-loyal knight look so vulnerable and mournful.
Saber did not answer, just gazed blankly at the boy.
His eyes, too, were faintly red—perhaps because his current borrowed body, more young and sensitive than the adult's original, could show grief so easily.
He tried his utmost not to shed a single tear before the king he once revered.
Time passed before Saber finally found her voice—her emerald eyes now purged of all suspicion and hostility, replaced by understanding sadness and something like awe.
"I see...
You truly do bear good will towards us."
…
Bonus chapter at 500 PS
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