Before Saber and Ludwig could find Irisviel and Maiya Hisau—who were attempting to retreat from the forest—the news of Kiritsugu Emiya's death reached them first.
After Maiya became Kiritsugu's assistant, a single strand of her hair had been treated with sorcery and buried beneath the subcutaneous tissue of Kiritsugu's pinky finger. A strand of Kiritsugu's hair had been similarly buried in Maiya's hand.
The purpose of this mechanism was simple: if one person's Magic Circuits came to an extreme standstill—meaning their life force had ebbed to the point of near-death—the hair held by the other would burn, signaling that the partner was in grave danger.
When a sharp, sudden pain scorched her pinky, Maiya froze.
This signal had been designed for the worst-case scenario, one where there wasn't even time to send word via radio or familiar. It represented the "too late."
The reason for Maiya's paralysis was simple: since she had begun acting as Kiritsugu's assistant, she had never seen the man fail. During last night's retreat from the warehouse, it had been the first time she'd seen Kiritsugu in such a pathetic state, but even then, he had only suffered flesh wounds.
Thus, when Kiritsugu ordered Maiya to take Irisviel and evacuate, Maiya had not questioned his judgment.
When Irisviel noticed that Maiya had stopped, losing the decisiveness she had possessed only a moment before, she looked at the assistant with an uneasy, confused gaze. "What is it, Miss Maiya?"
"...Kiritsugu..." Maiya's face was wooden; she couldn't find the words.
She could not accept Kiritsugu Emiya's death, nor did she know how to report this desperate reality to his wife.
"What happened to Kiritsugu?" Irisviel's heart began to throb. Even without words, she could tell something was wrong from the subtle shifts in Maiya's expression and speech.
But no matter how much Irisviel pressed her, Maiya would not speak again. She was like a machine that had lost a critical gear, unable to continue functioning.
The sense of panic in Irisviel's heart expanded. Her legs felt weak, and she found it increasingly difficult to remain standing.
Just then, the sound of footsteps running through the forest approached from a distance. She turned back alertly and saw Saber racing toward them alone out of the shadows.
"Saber?" Irisviel was shocked. "Where is Caster?"
"He has been repelled," Saber answered simply.
Irisviel breathed a sigh of relief and quickly grabbed Saber's shoulders. "Kiritsugu is in danger! Please, go and rescue him immediately!"
"..." Saber remained silent, her expression somber.
"Saber?" Irisviel began to realize. She let go of Saber's shoulders and stumbled backward, eventually collapsing onto the cold earth.
Saber maintained her composure and informed her of the fact in a low, pained voice. "Just now, Kiritsugu fell in battle. I saw it with my own eyes."
There was no reason for her to lie, nor could she possibly lie about such a thing. Irisviel was so stunned she couldn't make a sound; her mind went completely blank. After a few short, ragged breaths, she collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.
Saber caught Irisviel just in time. After calling her name a few times and realizing she had fainted, Saber decided the best course of action was to bring her back to a room in the castle to settle her. The castle was vast, making it easy to find a room far away from where Kiritsugu's body lay.
"Maiya, please help me escort Irisviel back to the castle," Saber decided, choosing the most logical path.
However, Maiya remained slumped against a tree, staring blankly with no reaction. Saber recognized this immediately: it was the reaction of someone who had lost the pillar that gave them orders and the very meaning of their existence.
It was heart-wrenching.
Though Saber did not know Maiya's history, she steeled herself and used a harsh, commanding tone to wake Kiritsugu's assistant.
"Maiya! Now that Kiritsugu is gone, only you can protect his widow!"
Saber's voice pulled Maiya's spirit back to reality. She walked over woodenly and followed Saber, who had picked up Irisviel, as they turned back toward the castle.
Deep within the nearby woods, standing in the shadows of the treetops, Ludwig watched the scene in silence and let out a helpless sigh. He had been as indecisive as possible, giving Kiritsugu Emiya every chance to live, but the man's obsession had been deeper than he had anticipated.
Ultimately, what kind of creatures are magi?
Having only had brief contact with Kariya Matou—aside from Merlin—the youth couldn't help but feel a flicker of curiosity. He decided he would ask more about magi later. As for now...
He rose from the treetops, floating above the forest, and surveyed the sprawling suburban woods and the castle nestled within them. Merlin had not returned after Caster was driven off. There were no signs of other people in the forest for the moment; it seemed the night would end like this.
Even if someone tried to approach the castle, he would be able to detect them even if he wasn't in the sky. Ludwig descended to the ground, leaned against a thick tree, and closed his eyes to doze while waiting for Saber's return.
An ordinary person spending a winter night outdoors without a heat source would be miserable, if not dead, but for him, it was no issue at all.
When the eastern sky began to turn the color of a fish's belly, Ludwig heard slow footsteps approaching. Saber was walking toward him, stepping over dry leaves and branches.
"Everything settled? You certainly took your time," he said with a frown.
"Even if one is prepared for death, they are only prepared for their own death, not the death of others," Saber said, shaking her head. "They may have thought they would die, but they never imagined Kiritsugu would precede them."
As she spoke, she glanced at the Command Spells appearing on the back of Ludwig's left hand. Two wings of an angel were clearly visible, but the central pattern, which resembled a sword, remained only as a faint, jagged trace.
When the Command Spells reclaimed by the Holy Grail were redistributed to him, only two were usable. Before meeting up with Irisviel and the others, Saber—sensing that the aftermath would take a long time—had chosen to re-establish her contract with Ludwig first.
"What do they think about this?" Ludwig asked, referring to Saber changing Masters.
"They have no thoughts on it," Saber replied.
Or rather, the two women, neither of whom could act as a Master, had no way to force Saber to withdraw from the war. They had heard the sequence of events from Saber's mouth and had no further reason to object. Even if they did, it would only be out of a forced, hollow resentment.
To step onto the battlefield of the Holy Grail War was to be prepared for death. As for revenge, it was a concept that existed only in their thoughts.
"I see," Ludwig smiled. "Then let me ask once more: do you have any objections to becoming my Servant and winning the Holy Grail together?"
"The vows of our contract have already been exchanged. Henceforth, my sword..."
Saber wanted to say, "My sword is with your fate," but she found the words difficult to voice. Whether it was her duty to protect her Master or the necessity of protecting this new one...
In the end, he didn't seem like someone who needed protection at all. Having just lost a Master, Saber suddenly felt a pang of worry about her own adequacy in this Holy Grail War.
"Alright, alright, no need for the formalities," Ludwig waved his hand. "You must have a reason for needing to win the Grail, right? Can you tell me about it later?"
"Of course," Saber replied.
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Type-Moon: The A-Ray Knight's Holy Grail Journey
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