Tohsaka Rin let out a deep sigh. The reinforced summoning was finally complete, but the gap between her and her future self was glaringly obvious.
At least for now, Tohsaka Rin couldn't enable Lancelot to break through his limits and possess a second class, nor could she push his sole class skill to EX.
However, it was fortunate that the anomalous manifestation of the Madness Enhancement skill was the ability to speak. This originally pertained to the release of a noble phantasm, but Lancelot didn't need to rely on language to use his noble phantasm, so it didn't affect his strength at all.
Tohsaka Rin, at just 1.64 meters tall, appeared particularly petite in front of the nearly two-meter-tall Lancelot, having to crane her neck to meet his eyes beneath his helmet.
Tohsaka Rin smiled as she looked up, gazing directly at Lancelot. She extended her right hand to him and said, "Welcome, Berserker. I am your Master, Tohsaka Rin. In the upcoming Holy Grail War, we are each other's only reliance."
"Ugh..." Due to the limitations of Madness Enhancement, Lancelot could only utter such meaningless sounds. He could only communicate with Tohsaka Rin through their consciousness link.
A sense of shame emanated from Lancelot's mental link, regretting that he couldn't manifest as the strongest Saber class.
I deliberately used the Madness Enhancement incantation. If you were summoned as Saber again, I'd be speechless.
"There's no need to be ashamed for not taking the Saber position. The'strongest Heroic Spirit' is a joke to me. Since when did the strength of one's power become determined by the class one takes? Go and vindicate the Berserker class, Lancelot."
The notion of the "strongest Heroic Spirit" being Saber was, in Tohsaka Rin's view, utterly ridiculous. Setting aside other points, at least in the original story's Fourth and Fifth Holy Grail Wars, Saber was not the strongest, and was even among the weaker positions.
It's unknown when even Heroic Spirits themselves started believing the theory that Saber is the strongest, and Berserker and Assassin are inferior classes.
Therefore, Tohsaka Rin not only didn't mind Lancelot's shame but actively sought to reassure him. The theory of the Three Knight Classes being superior, with Saber as the strongest, was unacceptable.
The Berserker, unable to express emotions through words, looked at Tohsaka Rin's outstretched, sincere hand. He hesitantly raised his iron-clad right hand. Feeling Tohsaka Rin's sincerity, Lancelot gently grasped Tohsaka Rin's hand (don't say anything about Lancelot turning Tohsaka Rin into a noble phantasm! Such a ridiculous thing. Lancelot isn't so incompetent that he can't even control his own noble phantasm).
The compatibility, trust, and communication between a Servant and a Master — looking at various examples throughout all Holy Grail Wars, one realizes the importance of this point, often more crucial than the strength of the Heroic Spirit or the Master. The Holy Grail War is a war of Servant and Master; any disconnect is a one-way ticket to hell.
Her peerless beauty, her face that shamed the moon and flowers, her sincere smile, and her confident, heroic spirit were deeply reflected in Lancelot's reawakened, rational eyes. Although their hair color, appearance, height, and temperament were all different, the Tohsaka Rin before him made Lancelot uncontrollably think of one person, that beautiful figure he had yearned for in his dreams for countless years—
Guinevere... Two completely different people, yet they evoked the same feeling in Lancelot... I must protect her, staking this mad, broken body and the sword in my hand!
"Do you... still believe in me, a man who once betrayed his lord...?"
Lancelot's mental link conveyed this. Tohsaka Rin, who understood all the causes and effects, smiled and replied, "If not for the torment of inner guilt and conscience driving him to madness, how could the knight of the lake, Lancelot, possibly respond to the Berserker class? Your wish for the Holy Grail must be related to King Arthur."
"Ugh..."
"Tell me honestly, Berserker. I have no interest in possessing the Holy Grail. I don't mind letting you use it to make a wish. My main reason for participating in this Holy Grail War is to protect my father, who is also participating. Forcing him to withdraw might not be a bad idea, and the chance to fight heroes from all ages is an opportunity I cherish. So, what is your wish? Feel free to tell me frankly."
Originally, Tohsaka Rin thought Lancelot's wish would be what he said at the very end of the original story: "I wish to receive King Arthur's personal punishment." But... "Ugh..."
"Huh? Is that your wish?!" Tohsaka Rin looked at the pitch-black Berserker before her in surprise. The wish he conveyed to Tohsaka Rin, what he hoped to achieve, was completely beyond Tohsaka Rin's expectations.
"Well, although it's a bit much, it doesn't conflict with my goals at all. So be it, Berserker. In the battles to come, we will face life and death together. I won't stand by and watch, but will fight alongside you. My destiny, I entrust to your sword!"
"Ugh!"
A pointed battle standard extended from behind Tohsaka Rin, tapping Lancelot's armor with a "clang, clang, clang" sound.
"Big guy, I'm here too, don't ignore me," Jeanne complained, having been ignored for a while. Although Jeanne disdained others, she wouldn't allow Tohsaka Rin to ignore her, as they had, after all, promised to be tied to a single stake and burned together.
What kind of relationship is that... Jeanne scrutinized Lancelot, who was clad in black armor with no gaps. Jeanne was even more petite than Tohsaka Rin, only 1.59 meters tall, making her look like a child in front of the tall Black Knight.
"I, Jeanne, the Dragon Witch, was a non-existent being in the past, quite similar to you. My class is a triple summon of Ruler/Avenger/Saber. Master requires me to be hidden as a dark horse in this battle. Frontal combat will be left to you, Berserker. She is not allowed to die before we are burned together."
"Ugh"
Unfortunately, Jeanne and Berserker have no mental link and couldn't understand... "What did he say?" Jeanne turned to ask Tohsaka Rin, who was standing beside her.
"He said it's fine if only you get burned, just don't drag Master into it."
"Ugh—!"
Rin translated to Jeanne, but Berserker's slightly panicked reaction showed that this was definitely not what she originally meant.
"Master!"
"Hmm, he also said you're really short and decided to give you the nickname 'Little Beanpole'."
"I don't believe a legendary knight with a history 1000 years older than me would play such a nasty joke!"
"Ugh..."
"Ah, Berserker also said that you throwing a tantrum and complaining like a child is really childish."
"Master!!!"
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