"Enough, you two, stop joking."
"If Caster exits the stage, wouldn't my sacrifice be for nothing?", Although Shirou's tone was calm, the three present could clearly feel that trace of resentment.
Medea was very weak at this moment, weak to the extreme. Yet she still wanted to laugh. And she did laugh.
Stare～ ×2
The two maids of the Einzbern household looked over.
After a few seconds of standoff, Sella put down the broom and gave Shirou a fierce glare. Then reluctantly stepped aside.
"Thank you," Being understood, Shirou let out a sigh of relief.
What came next was the most troublesome, he needed to act quickly.
"How much longer can you hold on?"
"A few minutes, probably," Medea stroked her lips, "Of course, if we officially replenish mana, that's another matter entirely."
Shirou: "..."
"Bold words. Berserker would never replenish mana with a vixen like you!"
Illya was sitting in the front hall receiving guests, her angry expression very cute (in Shirou's eyes).
Of course, she hadn't forgotten the Einzbern etiquette. She stood, lightly lifted her skirt hem, "You there, I am Illyasviel von Einzbern."
"And now, let's form a contract, vixen!", Illya smiled and extended her hand.
Shirou: "?"
"Don't be so surprised, Berserker," Illya puffed angrily, "I am indeed very mad, but since Berserker said this matter is important, then I definitely can't be willful."
"Illya…", Shirou's heart was moved.
Even though he had said it before, Shirou felt that he should repeat it three times daily to be worthy of this trust.
'Illya is the best!'
"Tch, brat…", Medea was full of deeper meaning, "Such etiquette, I'm an adult, you know."
Illya's smile was adorable, 'Damn stinky fox, dead vixen, once the contract is done the first command spell is gonna forbid you from going near Berserker!'
'I feel like this little brat has ill intent... whatever, if she dares threaten me with command spells, I'll just replenish mana with Berserker. Hmph! Hmph~'
Just like that, the two foxes, one big and one small, each harboring evil thoughts but smiling brightly, completed the contract.
Things went so smoothly that Shirou suspected he hadn't woken up yet.
But then, the next second, "In the name of the command spell..."
Halfway through speaking, Illya widened her eyes.
"You!"
If Shirou hadn't dodged quickly, Medea would've already taken out the three-piece set, Noble Phantasm, contract cancelation, and mana replenishment, ready to go.
"Vixen, what are you trying to do?"
"You're the one, my Master?", Medea put away her Noble Phantasm and covered her mouth, lightly laughing.
"It's nothing," Illya instantly turned innocent, "Just wanted to test if Caster's command spell works or not."
"Is that so?", Medea smiled like a fox, "Command spells are very important things. Master should use them carefully."
"True, thanks for the reminder, Caster."
The atmosphere seemed harmonious.
Shirou had black lines all over his head.
"You two, calm down," Saying that, he looked at Illya, "Please, Illya."
"You really want to re-sign the contract?", Illya was reluctant, even more reluctant than when contracting with Medea, "Well, I guess it's fine..."
"No," Shirou refused gently, "Now you have to supply mana to two Servants. I'll feel more at ease if the burden's lighter."
"...Fine then," Illya reluctantly agreed, "Caster, lend your Noble Phantasm to Berserker."
At this moment, Medea also figured out what they intended, or rather, with her level of skill, she already realized during the contract what kind of tool Illya was.
"Truly surprising," Medea took out her Noble Phantasm: Rule Breaker: All Spells Must Break.
'Though she acts as a pseudo-Grail, to sustain a Servant's physical body, the backlash and pain are not things ordinary people can endure.'
Generally, during a contract, a normal person would be drained dry halfway through.
Not to mention keeping a straight face while contracting with a second Servant.
The so-called Servants are miracles surpassing magic, that would be putting it too simply.
It's not just a miracle. To be precise, Heroic Spirits are the embodiment of people's ideals.
They don't necessarily exist in reality, just people's hopes that someone might've... like that, passed down orally, forming epics.
Myths, history, fables, legends, true or not, so long as they're active in stories and achieve "transcendence," they become heroes.
And they are eternal heroes (existences entrenched in people's thoughts and impressions), elevated to another form after death.
They performed unbelievable feats, saved humanity, achieved great deeds, and were worshipped by people.
Such beings, after death, are elevated to spirits called Heroic Spirits, guardians of mankind. And what shapes them is people's longing.
Naturally, they surpass humanity, and absolutely cannot be controlled by humans.
Even magi can only borrow a tiny fraction of their vast power. To command Servants is fundamentally impossible. Yet the concept of the "Holy Grail" achieved this.
It fixed the concept of Servant–Master, even providing three forced command options.
Because of this, the Holy Grail appears as a wish-granting omnipotent machine.
Likewise, for Servants to be summoned, for Heroic Spirits to need physical forms, it's also due to the Holy Grail's setup allowing them to exist in this world.
To put it metaphorically, it's like ancient people needing a passport to enter the modern world.
So, to maintain the existence of a Servant without the aid of the Holy Grail, and even let them move freely, it goes without saying how absurd such a thing sounds.
Simply put, even after the Holy Grail War ends, without the Grail, she could, with her own mana, allow a Servant to remain in this world, letting such a miracle stay in a time that doesn't belong to them.
"No need," Shirou declined the Noble Phantasm Medea offered.
"Changed your mind already?", Medea lightly laughed.
"Of course not," Shirou reached out, "Projection, begin."
Clack!
A pistol clocking and pulling the trigger sound came.
Countless images flashed through Shirou's mind.
They were the legends of Medea creating the Noble Phantasm. Repeated betrayals she suffered, until she herself betrayed others, as if to rebel against fate, yet everything ended in tragedy.
His thoughts were instantly drawn in. When he returned to his senses, a Rule Breaker indistinguishable from the original appeared in his hand.
"Alright, I'll begin now. Prepare the contract, Illya," Shirou got ready.
"Mmm~ mm! Berserker," After a moment's daze, Illya nodded.
"Wait!", Medea stopped Shirou, stared at the Noble Phantasm identical to hers in his hand, examining it closely with shock, "What you just used, was Projection Magic? That totally impractical Projection Magic?"
"If there's no other type of Projection Magic, I suppose so," Shirou answered calmly, and also pricked himself a bit.
Crimson mana surged.
"Ah!", Illya hugged her arms.
Shirou was startled, "Illya!"
"..."
"No need to worry."
After confirming that the projected Noble Phantasm worked properly, Medea's gaze toward Shirou completely changed.
What kind of gaze was that? Unbelieving, burning, scorching.
Like a scientist encountering a world-class treasure worth researching, or discovering a one-of-a-kind artifact.
In short… the kind of gaze that says "I want to dissect this person."
Suppressing the turmoil inside, she said, "During the process of canceling the contract, command spells will cause a little backlash, like boiling water burns. No need to worry too much."
Just as Medea said, Illya quickly recovered and signed a new contract with Shirou.
During the contract, they tightly held hands and completed their mutual oath.
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