Buoyed by triumph, I returned to Fujimaru and the others, only to be met by a Master radiating concern.
"Are you okay, Gil?! Not dead? Alive?!"
"Of course. Who do you take me for?"
"AUO!"
"Indeed."
"Your tone's mocking me, isn't it? Whatever, doesn't matter."
"King of Heroes, how's your companion?" Olga Marie asked, her demeanor somehow sharper, as if she'd transformed into a different person.
"Master, what happened?" I inquired.
"Well, Mash said the candy you gave her calmed her nerves. She realized relying on the absent Lev was pointless—she's choosing to prioritize supporting all of you instead."
"Hm. A piece of candy soothed the child, did it? So, the girl's finally stepping into her own."
"Ritsuka, this concerns you too. Listen carefully," Olga Marie said.
"Yes, ma'am," Fujimaru replied.
"What's with the formality?" I muttered.
Olga Marie continued, "King of Heroes, and the unknown Caster Servant. If the King permits their company, I take it as a sign of alliance." She paused. "This is about Mash's Noble Phantasm."
From what I gathered, Mash still couldn't wield her Noble Phantasm. She'd been fighting all this time without knowing the True Name of the Heroic Spirit fused with her or even what kind of spirit it was.
To think Mash had been battling in a state as precarious as—or worse than—my own, without a single complaint. Her grit was truly remarkable.
"You'll have a hard time finding a worthy suitor, Mash," I teased.
"W-what?!" she stammered.
"Damn right," the Caster chimed in. "This girl's got some serious backbone."
Mash's face flushed. At her age, talk of betrothal must feel like a distant dream.
In my past life, such matters were never my fate. I can only hope these girls find someone worthy.
"This is serious," Olga Marie pressed. "If Mash is to fight as a Heroic Spirit, not wielding her Noble Phantasm is like being half-crippled."
"I'm sorry… I know I'm a failure compared to the King of Heroes…" Mash murmured.
"Oh, poor Mash! Come here, I'll give you a hug!" Fujimaru exclaimed.
"No, Senpai! Not in public!" Mash protested.
"Listen seriously…" Olga Marie sighed.
In the short time I'd looked away, their bond had deepened, almost sisterly. I didn't show it, but I found it endearing.
"Maybe Noble Phantasms aren't so easy to master," the Caster mused. "If they were, what'd be the point of being a hero?"
"Point taken, Goldie," Fujimaru shot back.
"My treasures need no such labels, fool," I retorted.
The Caster smirked, teasingly. So, a Noble Phantasm requires its True Name to be unleashed. My Gate of Babylon, then, is always at its full potential. Kings are remarkably convenient creatures.
"What do you two Servants think of this?" Olga Marie asked.
I glanced at the Caster. My vessel knows little of this world—offering aid here might be impossible.
"Huh? If she's fighting, she's already using it," the Caster said. "Heroes and their Noble Phantasms are one and the same. If it's not working, her mana's probably clogged. She just needs to practice shouting it out."
"Shouting?! Leave it to me, Mash! I'll make you yell!" Fujimaru declared.
"W-wait, Senpai! Not here! Not officially!" Mash squeaked.
The two started roughhousing, their closeness heartwarming but their lack of focus… questionable.
"If that's the case…" the Caster grinned, "get ready."
"Huh?" Mash blinked.
"Don't just stand there. Want to use your Noble Phantasm? Then fight for it."
The air shifted. The Caster's demeanor turned battle-ready.
"I'll come at your Master with everything I've got. So, Mash, you'd better bring your all. It's rough, but I'll make you unclog that mana."
"No way…!" Mash gasped.
"That's how you're playing it, Hooded Caster? Fine, I'm betting my life on Mash!" Fujimaru shouted.
"Senpai?! Um, King of Heroes, please… say something!" Mash pleaded.
Mash is indispensable to Fujimaru Ritsuka.
Ritsuka's main contracted Servant is Mash Kyrielight alone. I'm merely a "sub-Servant," summoned through Chaldea's system—a guest lending my strength.
They'll face countless battles together, overcoming hardships side by side.
With my power, I could crush their obstacles effortlessly. I have the confidence and certainty to do so.
But that would obliterate not only their challenges but also Mash and Ritsuka's growth.
Such is the consequence of an absolute being's interference.
And so, for now, my role is to watch.
To observe and judge.
My vision flickered, as if I'd touched something vital.
"King of Heroes?" Mash's voice broke through.
"Do what must be done, Mash," I said.
"Huh?"
"This is your wall to overcome."
I placed a hand on her head.
"Have confidence."
"You are not worthless."
A spark of resolve ignited in her wavering eyes.
"Senpai," she said firmly.
"Yeah!" Fujimaru nodded.
"King of Heroes… I'll do it."
"I'll make my Noble Phantasm mine!"
Mash and another have raised their awakening flags.