Once Cu Chulainn walked away, Lancer finally let out a breath.
Cu wasn't wrong—he had been thinking of something else. But he couldn't be blamed for it. He wasn't a lore expert; he didn't know much about Type-Moon magecraft, and the Rune materials Scáthach had given him didn't mention anything like this. His entire concept of "Mana Transfer" came from fan-service parodies and the knowledge that the original game was an R18 title. Of course his mind went there.
It wasn't until Cu explained it that Lancer learned that "Mana Transfer" just referred to the exchange of bodily fluids. While that included saliva and... other things, blood was a perfectly viable option.
Looking at the small cup nearly full of deep red liquid and smelling the sharp tang of iron, Lancer expression became incredibly complicated. He wasn't sure if he was lamenting his own dirty mind or just feeling the weight of the moment. Finally, glancing at Ritsuka—whose face was pale from the blood loss—he shoved his feelings aside and downed the liquid in one go.
[Special Mission: Illegal Servant Summoning (2) — Complete]
[Requirement: Perform Mana Transfer with Master]
[Reward: Heroic Spirit Summoning Circle x1]
Lancer was no stranger to the smell of blood, or even the taste. For a man like him, "staying alive" was always more important than "staying elegant" in a fight. He'd rarely hesitated back in the day; when fighting foreign tribes, he was often stained red from head to toe. But that was in the heat of battle. Being stared at intensely by the owner of the blood made him feel a bit twitchy—especially when Ritsuka asked a question he had no idea how to answer.
"Um... how did it... taste?"
Maybe it was just a teenage girl's curiosity, but Lancer was stumped.
"Was it full of the sweet scent of a young maiden?"
Out of combat, Cu Chulainn was always a bit of a rogue. He leaned in with a teasing smirk, causing Ritsuka to turn a shade of red that rivaled her lost blood.
"Cough... Senpai, stop joking around. Blood tastes like blood. There's no 'scent.' I'm not a Dead Apostle or a vampire..."
It reminded Lancer of when he'd lost his first kiss. He remembered reading somewhere that a girl's saliva tasted like fruit; reality proved it only tasted like whatever they'd eaten before the kiss.
However, while Ritsuka was embarrassed and the two men were bantering, Olga Marie was focused on something else.
"I know this might be inappropriate to ask, but is that enough blood?"
It wasn't that she didn't care about Ritsuka, but if they were going to do this, she wanted it done right. In her mind, a Servant's Mana Transfer usually required much more fluid than a single cup, right?
"For a normal person, maybe not. But I have an ability that reinforces 'Mana Transfer,' so this is plenty for me. Besides, Ritsuka still needs to supply Mash. For me... just enough is fine. Magic isn't my only trick, after all."
Lancer realized he hadn't actually shown his full combat capabilities to the Chaldea trio yet. Well, minor details. No big deal.
Once the "resupply" was over, they headed toward Ryuudou Temple. Along the way, endless waves of skeletons rose to block their path.
They were just fodder that crumbled on contact, but the problem was their purpose. They weren't meant to kill or injure; they were there to stall and waste time.
Looking up at the skeletons massing in the distance, everyone knew that every second wasted was a second gained by Saber.
Because they were phantoms, Lancer Night Parade couldn't stay active indefinitely. The longer they were out, the more Mana they drained, eventually reaching a point where the cost would double. But there was no time to worry about that now.
"Oboroguruma, I'm counting on you."
As the sake from his dish splashed onto the ground, a figure stepped out from the shadows.
It was a handsome, middle-aged man in kariginu robes, holding a folding fan and sporting a well-groomed beard. He gave the group a polite smile, then snapped his fan open with a flick. With a burst of flame, a burning, spectral carriage from ancient Japan appeared before them.
Lancer was the first to hop in, then he reached out a hand to the others.
"Let's move!"
Clack-clack, clack-clack!
Rumble!
The eerie sounds echoing through the burning, deserted city were enough to give anyone chills. But with a heavy thud, the skeleton army blocking the road was instantly crushed into splinters.
Sitting outside the burning "Fire Car" was the ever-elegant Oboroguruma, while Cu Chulainn stood by the door, bracing himself with one hand on the frame and holding his staff with the other. Lancer leaned against the carriage wall to rest, and the Chaldea group did the same—though they couldn't help but peer out the windows with curious eyes.
Bump!
With a sudden jolt, the carriage transitioned from an uphill climb to a descent. But they weren't on a road anymore; they were on a rugged mountain slope. Seeing the extensive man-made structures around them, Ritsuka couldn't help but gasp.
"Wow, this is amazing..."
"This is one of Fuyuki City's Leyline convergence points. Normally, the Lesser Grail is kept here. You could say the Three Families have been developing this place since they first prepared the Holy Grail War ritual."
Lancer didn't know everything, but thanks to his "God's-eye view," he knew plenty of secrets. For instance, that the Old Worm was actually a handsome guy before he got twisted, that the Einzberns specialized in homunculi modeled after the "Saint of Winter," and that the Tohsaka family—overseers of this land—seemed to have a hereditary curse of dropping the ball at critical moments...
These bits of gossip made Mash and Olga Marie look at him strangely. How exactly does Lancer know all this?
But Ritsuka was genuinely fascinated. Before joining Chaldea, she'd had zero training and only a vague concept of "Magecraft." Mash had helped her understand the basics, but hearing these "secret histories" sent her curiosity into overdrive.
Just as she was about to ask more, the carriage wheels began to slow.
"What's wrong? Is the path blocked?"
"No..."
"We've reached our destination, Senpai."
At Mash words, Lancer pulled back the curtain. Ritsuka saw a strange "glow" in the distance.
There was no doubt about it. They had entered the heart of the Leyline—and the fated destination of Fuyuki City...