Time returned to yesterday morning.
That was when Haru was about to go to Sighisoara and went straight to the headquarters of the Red Faction.
"Ahhh! He left me and ran away!"
Astolfo looked at Haru who was running away from him and stomped his feet angrily in the corridor of Fortress of Millennia, but then he had to admit that Haru's expression was quite cute when he told him that he was also attracted to the same gender.
Even if Astolfo seemed to be angry, if someone saw him how he was right now, they would think that he was a big baby who was acting like a spoiled brat.
The legendary knight of Twelve Paladins of Charlemagne wore a cute costume, pouted, bulged his cheeks, and flailed his arms into the air very cutely.
If there was a group of men who saw Alstofo's action, they might feel that this girl was very cute, but in truth, Astolfo was a guy and he had a penis on his lower body.
"Ugh..."
After a short moment, Astolfo dropped his shoulders, making a weak voice.
"Let's go back..."
Even though Astolfo said those words, he didn't want to return to his master.
Celenike Icecolle Yggdmillennia.
Astolfo didn't really like his master, but it was a matter of course since the moment he was summoned, his master started to do a lot of weird things, but that wasn't all since the name which came out from his master's mouth wasn't his name, but Kasugano Haruka which made him even more helpless, thinking he was the only substitute.
"I have just been summoned, but she has done a lot of strange things to me."
His master was a psychopathic sadist.
Even if Astolfo lacked common sense, he could tell that his master was a sadist from the way she acted.
Anyway, after Astolfo was summoned to his master's room yesterday, he was immediately ordered...
"Lie down there."
Saying this, Celenike pointed at the wooden frame used to torture someone and she looked at Astolfo with a cruel expression.
This psychopathic master seemed to like Astolfo before until she was Kasugano Haruka by chance when he met Darnic, but she knew that she couldn't do anything to Haru, and in the end, she tortured Astolfo in exchange.
Astolfo wasn't sure why he was tortured, but it might be Celenike's hobby who loved to torture, someone.
As a result, Astolfo was handcuffed, whipped, scraped by a knife, and licked all over by his master.
Unfortunately, Celenike's torture was useless on Astolfo.
Although Astolfo is the weakest among the Twelve Paladins of Charlemagne, and among fourteen servants in this Holy Grail War except for both Caster on both Red Faction and Black Faction, his power was among the lower rank, compared to the rest of the servants.
Celenike's torture didn't even hurt Astolfo and because of that, it had made Celenike become even more sadist to him.
"If I return now, then she will do more weird things to me, right?"
Astolfo didn't want to be tortured again since it didn't feel good and because of that, it was impossible for him to return.
Although as a servant, there would be trouble if Astolfo didn't stay with his master, but for him who lacked common sense, he didn't care much.
"Yosh! Let's explore the castle!"
Astolfo made up his mind and immediately ran happily.
As for Haru, Astolfo might remember him once Haru returned.
---
If there was one sentence that could describe Astolfo then anyone would say that he was a "lump of curiosity."
In the legend, Astolfo loved to go on an adventure, facing a lot of danger, and obtained various treasures.
From the witch, he received a book that could shatter any Magecraft.
From a friend who was also a knight, he received a powerful lance that was capable of making any servant return to their spiritual form.
From another witch, he also received a hunting horn that was capable of driving away large flocks of harpies.
He also secured Hippogriff, the legendary beast, from the evil magus and made it into his mount.
These treasures were almost all obtained from others or given voluntarily by others. Each piece of his treasures was equivalent to the story and adventure within his life.
In Astolfo's case, the whole story and adventure of his life were caused by his extremely strong curiosity.
Without that strong curiosity, Astolfo wasn't much, and at this moment, he developed a strong curiosity towards this fortress.
"Excuse me!"
Every time a room was opened, Astolfo would greet with a vigorous voice, but never thought of knocking on the door.
"Hey! Let me help you!"
Whenever he encountered a homunculus, Astolfo would come and talk with them full of excitement and shining stars in his eyes.
"Wow! It is so hard!"
Whenever he encountered a golem, Astolfo would knock it with his hands, even if he said it was hurt every time, but he still enjoyed it.
Astolfo wandered around the fortress-like this, causing a commotion in the heavily guarded fortress, and such, he broke into the place where he shouldn't come.
"Here is..."
Standing in a dim basement, Astolfo looked at the scenery in front of him and couldn't help but feel stunned and shocked.
The scene that was presented in front of him wasn't something that could appear in public, showing how cruel the sight was.
Air bubbles rose from the liquid.
Light after light slowly dissipated.
In this basement, there were neatly arranged tanks and inside those tanks, there was an individual inside.
"They're... homunculus, right?"
All the tanks within this basement were filled with the homunculus.
Those homunculi closed their eyes and floated in the liquid in the tanks like a rare specimen.
They didn't show emotion, had a similar appearance, no expression on their faces, and their breath was very weak.
It was what Astolfo could see from all the homunculus which resided inside the tank.
"It seems our magic power is provided by them?"
These homunculi are the lives created by Yggdmillennia as a supply of Magic Power.
Battery that is discarded once it is emptied.
They're such an exitance.
"It's so boring..."
Astolfo didn't find what he had found interesting and remembered about Haru once again. He hoped that Haru would return and bring him with him to have fun, however, he didn't have an idea to leave this place, but with a bored expression on his face, he walked around the basement, looking at the tank, one by one.
"Hmm?"
At a certain tank, Astolfo suddenly stopped.
"He...?"
Astolfo looked at the tank in front of him with some surprise.
Inside, a homunculus watched him.
That's right!
This homunculus was looking at him!
Just like a baby who just opened his eyes, the homunculus tried to open his eyes with all of his might, looking at Astolfo.
There was an emotion in the pair of dead eyes.
This kind of emotion was called hope.
Hope for life.
Astolfo looked at the homunculus in surprise.
The homunculus also looked at Astolfo in surprise.
Neither of them spoke.
It wasn't until no one knew how long the homunculus's lips moved a few times, and then the homunculus closed his eyes.
However, Astolfo understood. He understood what the homunculus wanted to tell him.
"Help me..."
It was just a simple sentence.
Astolfo's boring expression also changed into a dazzling smile.
"Yes!"
*BOOOM!*
It didn't take a long time before the tank was destroyed and a loud sound sounded through the basement.
Astolfo grabbed the homunculus and took him to elope!