Because Irisviel couldn't get out of bed, Rei Ao conjured up some breakfast.
Irisviel showed great curiosity—along with clumsy hands—toward the chopsticks. Rei Ao patiently taught her how to use them. The atmosphere was warm and easy, as if last night's aggressively charged conversation had never happened.
After breakfast, Rei Ao said to her, "Iri, you and Saber need to sync up as soon as possible.
"The Holy Grail War may have changed because of my involvement, but the basic rules still stand, and the other Masters and Servants won't sit around and wait to die.
"You need the power to defend yourselves—and to fight."
Beyond that, he did not plan to interfere much. With Ishtar and the others later on, facing the rest of the Servants wouldn't be an issue.
Irisviel nodded earnestly.
"I understand, Rei Ao-san. I'll do my best to get along with Saber."
"As for Saber…" Rei Ao's voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to the King of Knights in spirit form.
"I know you have many questions and inner conflicts.
"But the contract is sealed. Irisviel is your Master now; protecting her is your duty.
"As for the truth of the Grail—and your own path—you can ponder that in time.
"Before that, fulfill your knight's oath."
…
After breakfast:
"Rest a little longer, Iri," Rei Ao said gently.
"Mm." Irisviel nodded obediently, nuzzled his chest with lingering fondness, then shut her eyes as told.
Rei Ao tucked the quilt around her and finally stood. After getting dressed, he stepped out of the room.
However, the moment he crossed the threshold—
Clang!
A razor-edged gust of sword wind swept toward him! The tip of an invisible blade halted at his Adam's apple, cold killing intent gathered there. One inch more and it would pierce him with ease.
At least, it would—against an ordinary man.
The sword-bearer, having dispelled spirit form, was Saber—Artoria Pendragon. Yet she looked nothing like her usual composed and dignified King of Knights. Her pretty face was flushed with shame and anger, her eyes burning. The hand gripping the holy sword wrapped in Invisible Air (Wind King's Barrier) trembled slightly with the extremity of her emotions.
"Rei Ao! You… shameless cur!" Saber's voice shook with barely contained fury and a mortifying embarrassment. "What you did to Irisviel—my Master—last night! And… what you did to me! What exactly were you trying to do?!"
It turned out that when Saber sensed something was wrong in the room last night, her first instinct was to leave in spirit form. Yet at the very instant she tried to disperse, a formless, overwhelming power bound her fast. She couldn't move at all—couldn't even close her eyes. As if nailed in place by invisible hands, she was forced to witness an event she couldn't understand and absolutely did not wish to see.
All night long.
For the pure-minded King who strictly upheld chivalry, it was a mental torment worse than any torture. And the only one she could think of who both had the power and the gall to do such a vile thing was the inscrutable man before her—Rei Ao.
With the sword-tip at his throat and Saber's outraged challenge, Rei Ao's expression didn't ripple in the slightest. He acted as if the lethal holy blade weren't there, only raising an eyebrow, meeting Saber's near-flaming glare with calm eyes.
Then, coolly—almost playfully—he asked, "Did you enjoy the view?"
"—!!!"
Those three words were the final spark to the powder keg. The string named reason snapped in Saber's mind. Shame, humiliation, and a fury at being toyed with erupted like a volcano.
"You—!!"
Almost by reflex, her wrist snapped forward—holy sword thrusting, charged with mana and wrath, with no intention of holding back.
At the instant the tip was about to touch Rei Ao's skin—
his figure dissipated before her eyes like smoke on the wind.
No trace of magical residue. No distortion of space. He simply… vanished.
Her anger-fueled stab hit nothing. With nowhere to spend that force, she stumbled, nearly losing her balance. She caught herself, shocked, and swept the corridor with her sword—only to find no sign of Rei Ao at all.
Only his teasing voice seemed to linger in the morning air of the hallway, sounding clearly in her ears:
"…I have to go back. If you've got questions, ask me in the chat group."
"Chat… group?" Saber blinked, not understanding the term. The next instant, a cold, mechanical chime sounded directly in the depths of her mind:
[Ding! You've been invited to join a subchannel of the Trading Chat Group. Please explore the functions on your own!]
"?!!"
Saber was stunned. What was this? A voice directly in her mind? Some kind of high-grade communication magecraft? Or… the "chat group" that man mentioned?
As she hesitated, she felt a link establish between her and a certain interface. Focusing, she "looked," and a virtual screen of light—sleek and futuristic—appeared within her consciousness. On it, an interface labeled Trading Chat Group was rapidly scrolling with messages.
Local World Group:
Rei Ao: "@All Members, introducing two new companions: Irisviel von Einzbern, the new Master; and Artoria Pendragon, Class Saber—your comrades-in-arms. They'll come find you later; feel free to get acquainted in advance."
~~~
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