Archer was exhausted.
Not the kind of exhaustion that came from just fighting, no—this was the kind of soul-draining fatigue that came from dealing with absolute nonsense while carrying a deadweight of 49 kilos.
Normally, lifting a boulder wouldn't have been an issue. But this wasn't a boulder.
This was Shirō.
And he was annoyed.
"Of all the things I could be doing right now," Archer muttered, shifting her weight in his arms, "I'm stuck carrying this reckless idiot while you stroll along without a care in the world."
Rin, walking beside him, smirked. "Oh? Complaining already? I thought you were a big, strong hero from the cup—"
"I am," he said flatly. "That doesn't mean I want to carry her."
Rin raised an eyebrow. "What, is she too heavy for you?"
"Don't start."
"You sure? Because if you're struggling, I can always—"
"No."
Rin grinned. "Aww, c'mon, Archer~ If you're gonna carry a girl, at least be romantic about it. Maybe whisper something sweet in her ear? Maybe brush her hair back and say something like, 'You're safe now, my princess—'"
Archer visibly cringed.
"You disgust me," he said.
"Oh? But why? I mean, she's cute, beautiful and blonde. What man doesn't like a blonde girl?"
Archer's eye twitched.
Shut up.
Rin wasn't done.
"And besides," she teased, "you've been carrying her this whole time, all gentle and protective. Maybe deep down, you're actually—"
Archer abruptly threw Shirō at her.
Rin barely caught the unconscious girl, staggering under her weight. "Wha—HEY!"
"I'm not listening to this nonsense," Archer said, dusting off his hands as if they'd been tainted. "You carry her if you think it's so romantic."
Rin scowled, shifting Shirō's weight. "Ugh, okay—how the hell were you carrying her so easily? She's heavier than she looks!"
"Like I said," Archer smirked. "Deadweight."
"You're the worst."
"And yet, you're still talking to me."
Rin muttered something under her breath but kept walking, still cradling Shirō awkwardly. The night was eerily quiet, the cool breeze brushing through the city streets. Despite their exhaustion, they needed to keep moving. Berserker and Illya were already a pain—if they stuck around too long, something else was bound to—
Then—
A mist appeared.
Thick. Unnatural. It rolled in like an ocean of fog, swallowing the street whole. The air felt heavier, the temperature dropping slightly.
Both Archer and Rin tensed.
Magic.
Rin barely had time to react before—
A fist smashed into her gut.
"Gah—!"
She crumpled, the breath completely ripped from her lungs as she collapsed to her knees.
Archer's eyes snapped to the attacker—
And froze.
"...Kuzuki-sensei?!"
Rin wheezed, gripping her stomach, her mind barely processing what just happened. Their teacher—their damn homeroom teacher—had just decked her like it was nothing.
And standing beside him—
Caster.
Archer immediately moved—
CLANG!
A dagger barely missed his throat, slashing through the air with deadly precision. He jumped back, still holding Shirō, his mind racing.
Rule Breaker.
Archer narrowed his eyes. "So, this is how it is."
Caster smirked, lowering her dagger. "Oh, don't give me that look. You're the one who called me a witch the last time we met."
"And you think this is going to change my opinion?"
"Hmm. No. But maybe this will."
With a flick of her wrist, binds of glowing chains erupted from thin air, lashing toward him.
Archer twisted his body, dodging most of them—
But he was still holding Shirō.
And that was exactly what Caster wanted.
A chain wrapped around his wrist.
"Tch—!"
He tried to shake it off, but before he could—
Caster grabbed Shirō.
"Saber!" Archer shouted—
The next second, the binds tightened—
A paralyzing jolt of magic shot through his body.
"Ah ah, no struggling," Caster cooed, pulling Shirō's unconscious form away.
Archer gritted his teeth. He struggled against the spell, but his body wouldn't respond. Damn it! If he weren't already exhausted, he could have broken free—
"Master," Caster said sweetly, "shall I take care of them properly before we leave?"
The homeroom teacher, completely unfazed by the chaos, shook his head.
"That won't be necessary," he said plainly.
Caster frowned. "Master—"
"You only told me we'd be here for Saber," Kuzuki said, his tone calm, as if discussing a mere errand. "We have her. There's no need to waste time."
Caster bit her lip in obvious frustration, but didn't argue.
And then—
They vanished.
Rin, still winded, struggled to sit up.
Shirō was gone.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then—
Archer sighed.
"Fantastic."
He turned toward Rin, holding out a hand.
She slapped it away.
"I'm fine," she muttered, staggering to her feet. "But if Caster turns Saber into her Servant, we're screwed."
Archer folded his arms, his expression unreadable. "Pathetic as she may be, with Caster as her Master, she'll be unstoppable."
Rin scowled.
"Then we get Saber-chan back."
Archer smirked. "Saber-chan, huh? So, you do care."
Rin glared. "Shut up."
Archer chuckled, stretching his arms. "Well, good luck with that. You just got floored by a teacher."
"You got trapped by a spell, dumbass."
"Tch. Only because I was carrying your favorite idiot."
"Our favorite idiot."
Archer sighed dramatically. "Fine. Our idiot."
Rin cracked her knuckles. "Then let's go get her back."
Archer's smirk widened.
"Lead the way, Master."