Beta read by Shigiya and Paragon of Awesomeness.
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-The Capital-
(Two years before)
It was a strange sensation for the former Counter Guardian. Experiencing a moment of peace for what felt like the first time in literal ages. The soft sound of the metal chimes ringing near the windows as the gentle wind blew past them, coupled with the slightly cloudy sky of mid-spring which made the temperature neither too hot nor too cold. The manor was located far enough from the center of the Capital that even if he hung out on the balcony, there would be little to no noise unless he Reinforced his ear drums to pick up the sound of birds chirping from across the courtyard. All in all, it was an ideal environment for him to just get lost in his own thoughts and activities. One of which involved gaining knowledge of the world he was living in his adopted family's massive library.
"It is strange how despite this being a medieval era, several of its military and cultural aspects resemble those of modern civilization, such as the presence of advanced firearms and manga." A young Emiya muttered to no one in particular, holding a book that recounted one of the many wars fought by the Empire against the surrounding nations that it had long since annexed. It was from these writings that he discovered an interesting fact.
"Other than Teigus and Shingus, modern firearms have existed in some way for a while now, in all manners of shape or form. Some of them bear a great resemblance to those of my world but with certain characteristics influenced by this world's culture and history, while others look like something one would see in a museum or a scifi book." he mused, scratching his chin at this mix of technologie. He read a paragraph that described a Teigu capable of firing a highly concentrated beam of energy infused with the life force of the wielder.
Another chapter mentioned old-fashioned flintlock pistols used by the Empire's elite soldiers hundreds of years ago. As to why this didn't stick around and evolve into the entire army using mass-produced firearms, that took quite a bit of head-scratching to figure out.
"Not like they ever stopped producing them; Nagumo has one on his night stand, not that he never bothers to use it even for target practice."
The writings also mentioned artillery, flying contraptions that resembled something Da Vince would have come up with during one of her benders. There were even, funnily enough, some obscure tomes that alluded to giant machines made in the image of a human, reminding him of those shows featuring giant robots piloted by humans. Apparently, the First Emperor had attempted to have such a thing commissioned as the Empire's last line of defense, but it was only ever based on baseless rumors, and no one ever actually saw it.
"Great… so the Imperial family is descended from some mecha enthusiasts. Boys and their toys as they say. Hopefully, that project died with him…" But as he was about to turn the page again, his peace was disturbed.
"—!"
The door behind him rattled violently with a heavy impact, its hinges straining against the force but holding firm thanks to his earlier handiwork. Wood chips fell from the door frame and small cracks appeared in the surrounding walls and ceiling, sending dust flying, but he paid it no mind. To him, it was just background noise, something he deliberately ignored for as long as he could before his tranquility was destroyed.
He had found that it is better to take full advantage of the peace and quiet whenever the opportunity arrives.
"Maybe the reason that bladed weaponry has continued to remain prominent despite the presence of firearms is due to the presence of Danger Beasts? Hmm, many of the higher-quality blades I have seen appear to utilize some parts of these creatures. Albeit the weaker ones so they can be used for mass production… But then why not just use their bones to make ammunition?"
He was fully engrossed in the text before him, its worn pages threatening to tear with the slightest pull should he grow careless. The dim light of the room cast long shadows over the text, and the faint scent of old paper filled the air.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
If only she would go away, then it would have been easier to figure out these little conundrums.
"In certain respects, this world can be considered to be in what one might describe as the final stage of the Age of Gods from the point of view of a Magus, given the rather abundant amount of Mana in the air. Though it is not truly the same, with various different factors from a visible lack of divine spirits and gods in their culture as a whole, this is mostly only present with the northernmost tribes," he recounted, with most of his knowledge from the northern region coming from a certain blue-haired girl.
He took everything he read from this library with an enormous grain of salt, knowing full well that in an empire like this one, literature could be easily altered and history completely erased on a mere whim from the Emperor and his family. He couldn't say for certain if Divine Spirits, gods, or even something similar to Alaya or Gaia existed in this world or another version of it governed the planet and its inhabitants, but since he could still use his Magecraft and his Circuits were able to absorb Mana from the atmosphere, there was undoubtedly a supernatural element.
The mere existence of Orichalcum and the Teigus raised many questions to which he had yet to find answers.
"If I can get my hands on one of them, maybe I can try to figure out some useful information. At least I know they aren't Divine Constructs or of alien origin," he mused, ignoring how some of the books were falling to the ground or how the walls were shaking as the pounding at the door only became more intense.
Honestly, can't she take a hint that he wants some privacy?
There was very little he could do to gain access to Orichalcum. Even asking Nagumo had proved fruitless, as the general himself did not have access to such a resource that, according to him, was highly guarded by the Prime Minister and only allowed to be accessed by a select few. Emiya himself had many theories on the metal's origin from everything he had researched, but at the end of the day, they were only theories, having to borrow elements of information from all the books he had read from Nagumo's private library.
A loud crash came from behind, followed by the sound of wood splintering and the door finally being knocked off its hinges. A long, pale leg in a pristine white high-heeled boot barged into the room, leaving destruction in its wake.
Wood splinters and dust flew all across the room, dirtying the previously clean library — much to his dismay. Which was further increased when he realized that he needs to replace the door as well.
He huffed in annoyance, "I've said it before and I'll say it again. I value my privacy, especially during my scarce free time. I fail to see why that concept is so difficult for you to understand." He didn't even have to glance over to know who it was. The sound of heels clicking on the floor gave away their identity before they stepped into his line of sight, standing directly in front of him with their blue hair swaying with each step.
She had grown into a tall and a slender beauty, with long light blue hair cascading down her back in loose waves. Her sharp features were softened by her piercing blue eyes, which glared at him impatiently. She wore a crisp white suit jacket and skirt, paired with high-heeled white boots. As she walked, the sound of her heels clicking on the floor echoed through the library. She carried an air of confidence and authority, evident in the way she carried herself and the stern expression on her face. Despite her graceful appearance, there was a hint of impatience and annoyance in her movements and tone, but it was hidden behind a listless appearance.
Esdeath had grown quite a bit over the last few years, both in height and in filling out certain parts due to her age. Unfortunately, the same kind of growth was entirely absent when it came to her personality. Visually, she had become somewhat the object of desire for many of the academy's male students and some of the females, who reportedly were nearly beaten to near death when a few of the braver ones tried to court the woman on one memorable occasion.
It had only been thanks to Najenda's intervention that they were all able to keep their lives, though the trauma had left its marks, physical and psychological.
Suffice to say, they had collectively abandoned any thoughts of pursuing the prodigious northerner, yet some foolhardy ones continued to persist in their fruitless endeavors. Though they at least had the good sense to do so at a distance.
Emiya could do nothing but shake his head at the hormonal idiots. It was like they were deliberately poking at an ice dragon with a sharp stick. But he chose to stay out of it, knowing full well that there was nothing that could change the minds of such stubborn, suicidal fools. It was best for them to learn their lesson from someone like Esdeath, with Najenda standing by to make sure that they wouldn't be killed.
"I told you not to lock the doors anymore; it is pointless to keep me away when I want something," the girl said lazily, her finger sliding across the rows of books in the library, searching for something she could enjoy. "Also, how long are you going to keep this up? We agreed to meet near the southern gates for practice."
"Which was planned for yesterday only, I never said anything about doing that every day. Also, I will not stop reinforcing the doors until you stop breaking and entering my house, and learn to arrange something in advance like a normal person. I told you that if you want another sparring session, you better wait until I have time to allocate to you. Believe it or not, my entire day doesn't revolve around trying to prove myself superior to someone who doesn't even care."
His words sounded harsh, stinging enough that if it were anyone else they would have felt genuinely hurt. But unfortunately for him, the one he was talking to felt quite the opposite. Her lips twitched upwards for a brief moment, finding his rebuttal more funny and cute than anything else.
Then again, he really should have known not to expect anything different.
"You definitely do sound like Najenda."
Like Najenda? Really? He wanted to argue against that statement. The gray haired girl had taken after many of his mannerisms years ago as a joke at first to get a rise out of him, but she now genuinely started to act like that. So, if anything, Najenda acted more like him than the other way around.
"At this rate, I am certain that you have most likely nearly read the entire archive of this place. You must be running out of material to read; not even the academy's library has this much."
Without a care in the world, her general uniform was discarded and tossed directly at his face — earning his ire for a brief moment at his vision being obscured. Then the sound of other pieces of clothing being discarded haphazardly across the already messy room reached his ears.
"Hah… would it kill you to dress appropriately like a normal woman for once?"
Pulling the piece of clothing away from his face, Emiya turned to see Esdeath stripped to nothing but a too-large shirt and some very short spats that barely covered the bare minimum. He was pretty sure that the shirt was one of his that had gone missing a while back. Her shoes and cap were all resting on the ground next to the pile of broken wooden splinters.
"It's far too warm in this room for me to keep those on. This isn't the first time you've seen me like this, so stop complaining."
This woman truly had no sense of shame. No, rather, she just didn't care that she was being so nonchalant around him. She had been treating his house like it was her own for a while now, and had picked up on some of Najenda's own bad habits of casually being half naked around him.
…To say nothing of the times when she and Najenda tried to join him in the bath after training.
Honestly, no shame with these women.
Noticing his gaze, she stared back with a blank expression without much of a reaction. "What?"
"…" He didn't say anything in response, and went back to reading his book. Esdeath just ended up scoffing at his dismissal. She rummaged through her bag for a moment until she pulled out a large black book with a cover visibly printed on high-quality leather. On the front, the insignia of a shield and sword was carefully burned onto the leather, along with a title that had managed to rouse her interest back when she first saw it.
The Art of War
"Well, isn't that something? Have you finally taken an interest in matters of literature despite you once deeming it worthless?" He remarked, observing as the woman with light blue hair settled herself onto the couch next to him and cracked open the pages.
Despite his comment, he narrowed his eyes suspiciously, clearly not buying that she destroyed his door and barged in here simply to read.
Esdeath shrugged, "If it works for you, then it has value. Personally, I've never found it useful in improving my existing skills. Real combat is where true skill is honed. But I'm not so stubborn as to not give it a chance if I see someone else gaining from it."
She gave him a cheeky smile, and once again, he just scoffed at her little, not believing her words for a second. The woman was just trying to get under his skin just to get him to accept her challenges and start another fight.
"Do as you wish," he responded. In the end, he didn't want to play into her scheme, so he returned to his reading, but decided to switch to a different book this time.
As he was about to reach for another book, a mysterious package landed on his lap. Wrapped in brown paper, he couldn't tell what it was. It was rectangular, neatly tied with a ribbon and in pristine condition. The fresh scent wafting from it indicated that it had been purchased recently. He raised an eyebrow and turned to Esdeath, now curious instead of annoyed.
"What's this?"
"Just got back from another minor skirmish," she said nonchalantly, not bothering to mention the bloody details of the aftermath, not even bothering to give him the details of the aftermath knowing full well how those usually ended. "I took out a few rebel forces who were controlling a group of weak Danger Beasts, and I also captured some rebels who were trying to escape. One of them happened to be the owner of a bookstore and a scribe. It's a shame he cared more about his own mission than protecting his family. But I didn't want to kill him right away; it wouldn't have made things any less boring for me. So I gave him a simple task, one that would determine whether he lives or joins his companions in an unmarked grave with his family by his side."
Oddly enough, Emiya was unfazed by Esdeath's words. Her moral code did not align with societal norms; her perspective on life was one of the most distorted and ruthless he had encountered in this world. Both he and Najenda were well aware of the type of person she was.
He couldn't even call her broken, for she was fully aware of her actions and committed to them due to her own upbringing and not some incident that had warped her mind in the past. A true weapon made to kill and stand on top of the food chain — if she were to have access to Magecraft, he would truly be worried about the well-being of the kingdom itself, for there would be little they could do to keep her contained.
"…How nice of you not to kill him. Normally, you just torture them simply to get your kicks." Even while he was busy reading his book, a sliver of distaste managed to escape from his tone. This was picked up by Esdeath, who, rather than showing any kind of negative reaction, simply widened her smile even further.
"You care too much for those insignificant weaklings. What's the point in sparing such weak creatures when they've already bared their teeth to their betters? If you don't make an example of them to teach others to fear those who hold more power, they'll only keep trying and failing to challenge you in the future. It would just be a waste of time dealing with them." Her foot pressed against his cheek while the other rested on his thighs.
He pushed her foot aside with a frustrated grunt. "I have no opinion on the execution methods of this establishment, whether they choose to kill or imprison criminals makes no difference to me. However, your methods are excessive and unnecessary — merely serving to fulfill your own twisted desires. If you have to kill them, do so quickly; there is no need to prolong their suffering for a fleeting moment of gratification."
Especially when her torture methods were slowly starting to become rather infamous among the soldiers and the populace. Even though she had just been granted the title of general, many of those of higher positions in the Empire were wary of Esdeath.
"You and Najenda share the same simplistic and ineffective approach to punishment and managing these people. Fear and blood is what maintains discipline and order. Without it, people become rebellious and disobedient. Prey will cower before a predator, but when the predator shows vulnerability, the prey will take its chance to strike even if it ends up being futile. Believe me, you will soon learn this lesson. Because eventually, they will sense your weaknesses — any weakness in your defenses — and exploit it."
"Thankfully, I'm not planning nor am I willing to become a general. I don't even have an official post within the military, at best you'll see me try to become a hunter." His words, along with a slight click of her tongue, made the woman shift and shuffle in her spot, deliberately muttering something under her breath about 'stubborn little brats' with a look of displeasure. It was clear she still hadn't truly given up on trying to make him assume a role similar to hers as a general.
"…What task did you give the scribe?" He returned to their earlier conversation. She was most likely trying to elicit a specific response by bringing up that story, hoping for a heated argument where he would let his emotions take over for a moment.
Humming with a strange expression, the girl didn't instantly reply to him. Instead, she turned the pages.
"My old tribe, the Partas Tribe, was famous for its ability to hunt various kinds of Danger Beasts across the frozen tundra. Whether it be a pack of low-level creatures or an S-Class Danger Beast capable of changing an entire ecosystem by its presence alone, we succeeded in taking each one of them down one by one."
"Your tribe sounds like they were quite skilled," he remarked, shifting through the pages of the book. "I must say, it's quite impressive that you were able to keep up with those creatures in such a hostile environment without any Teigus or Shingus. I highly doubt there are many tribes in the northern region who could accomplish such a feat."
He truly meant that, without a hint of sarcasm or any subtle emotions. The Partas Tribe had truly been a tribe of experts; their contributions to the Empire was documented by many individuals, along with their achievements, which were very impressive to say the least. Even though he had never faced an S-class Danger Beast, Emiya had long since figured that it wasn't an entity he could approach without proper preparation and caution.
"Yet we were weak. The entirety of my tribe died because we weren't strong enough to protect ourselves. Just like I said, a single moment of weakness and those beneath you will take advantage of it and pull you down so they can climb on top of your corpse. But that is not why I'm telling you the story. I have many memories from that time — from my father teaching me how to hunt, setting traps, and understanding all manner of monsters throughout my younger years. Whenever we would kill our prey, we kept the remains for ourselves instead of selling them to merchants. The hides were used for our clothing, the bones for more durable and sharp weapons, and the blood and meat for our consumption."
"Drinking the blood of a Danger Beast… isn't that supposed to be poisonous for most of them?"
"You would think that, but there are ways to prepare the blood for safe consumption. I never had the opportunity to do it, and I didn't want to forget about this part of my life, even though it's not that important. Think of it more as a fleeting moment and something I know would interest you. I had my little prisoner prove himself useful and create something for me to earn a more peaceful and painless death while allowing his family to continue on with their pathetic little lives." She tapped her foot against his shoulder a couple of times, egging him on while pointing at the package. "So, what are you waiting for? I don't have all day."
Esdeath wasn't one to lie; she could mislead him, twist her words, or even just spew insulting comments, but she never lied. In her own words, she considered lying the action of a coward and something she had no need to do. That's why he didn't doubt her when she confirmed that her latest prisoner hadn't been subjected to her torturous methods. Instead, he was killed swiftly and painlessly.
'For her to actually do that in the first place, what the hell is inside this package?' He wouldn't put it past her to add some kind of bomb to this package, or perhaps he was just being paranoid for nothing.
But is it paranoia if it happened to him before?
While feeling a bit wary, he didn't wait any longer. Opening the package — which he knew contained a book — by untying the ribbon and tearing off the brown paper, he was met with the title written in gold, which made him go wide-eyed.
"'How to Cook Danger Beasts?'" He read it out loud, completely taken by surprise by what he was holding in his hand and unsure how to even react to it. Reading it once more and making sure he wasn't imagining it. "What is this?"
"It's a fucking book, you stupid brat."
His eyes twitched. "I know what I'm holding, but why…"
"It's very annoying to me seeing you waste your time with activities that only make you weaker, spending time in the kitchen when you could have been honing your skills to reach a realm beyond anyone in the entire Empire if you wanted to. Despite all of my attempts to make you see reason, you continue to remain stubborn. Though, Najenda did teach me something interesting a while ago."
Oh no. If it was that blockhead who got involved and told Esdeath something she shouldn't have, then Emiya swore he would teach her a lesson she wouldn't forget for the rest of her life.
"What did she say?"
"That's something between her and me."
…He should have known the girl wouldn't have given him a straight answer from the beginning. But rather than rebuke her with his own comeback, the man instead returned his attention to the book.
Turning the cover, he saw a blank page with the symbol of the Partas tribe drawn perfectly in the middle with red ink. He noticed there to be little to no mention of the author of this work anywhere, the entire cover being made with high-quality Danger Beast leather. Turning the page once again, he found another drawing, this one of a turtle-like creature nearly four times the size of a human. Possessing a head that resembled an amalgamation of rocks glued together, with two small eye holes and a snake tail.
"A hermit dragon, huh… I thought this thing had very little flesh to begin with. Even the few pieces one could harvest are tougher than leather and almost inedible. Best used to craft shields but not exactly ideal due to how brittle it becomes after the beast's death."
"That's where different types of Danger Beast blood come into play," Esdeath explained. "Marinate it with an Earth Dragon's blood, and those that soften the flesh for a few days, and it will be no different from normal meat. Though it will taste extremely bitter, enough to make one want to throw up your guts. But it will keep you alive and avoid dying from starvation."
As she said, these were the exact instructions written on the page itself, showing parts that could be harvested and other parts that could be sold or kept for crafting. He noticed the same approach with other monsters inside the book after scouring through multiple pages, all of them having largely similar instructions on how to make the meat edible or safe for consumption, though this process did little to improve the actual taste.
"Something tells me your Partas Tribe was not a big fan of spices."
"I didn't care about those kinds of things enough to remember much," Esdeath replied. "As long as it can be eaten and gives you energy, that's all that matters. Not to mention, it's hard to grow such things in a frozen landscape." She teased him further with her foot, showing off the tight black spats that she was wearing, whether doing so to earn a reaction or because she didn't care remained unknown. "Unlike a certain someone who spends his free time at the back of the manor gardening, I was out there hunting and surviving."
Inside, he released a sigh of relief that she wasn't completely naked down there.
"Hn," His nostrils flared as he made a sound of surprise. It was highly unexpected, but for the first time in a while, something had piqued his curiosity. It wasn't related to the history of this world, its weaponry, or the mystery of orichalcum. No, it was a simple aspect that he had never thought about before. And it had been brought to his attention by the most unlikely person to be interested in such things.
Seconds turned into minutes as he got lost in the contents of the book, his curiosity about such creatures aflame since very few people in the capital — and even fewer places in the Empire — were known to cook them in the first place. There were only a few types of Danger Beasts that were widely consumed, with the rest used solely to create weapons and clothing.
His fingers traced diagrams showing the proper butchering techniques for a six-legged dire wolf, noting how its unusual anatomy required special care to avoid tainting the meat. Another page detailed the process of aging the flesh of an iron-scaled wyvern to tenderize it, warning that improper storage could lead to spontaneous combustion due to latent flammable compounds remaining in the beast's tissues.
Archer was so engrossed that he barely registered Esdeath's movement at first. It was only when he felt a sudden weight settle across his thighs that he glanced down, eyebrows rising in surprise. The blue-haired woman had stretched out on the couch, using his lap as a pillow. Her eyes were closed, face relaxed in an uncharacteristically peaceful expression.
He opened his mouth, a sharp rebuke on the tip of his tongue. But something made him pause. Perhaps it was the rare moment of vulnerability from someone who usually exuded nothing but ruthless strength. Or maybe he simply found it too troublesome to bother getting into an argument.
Whatever the reason, Archer found himself holding back the words of annoyance. Instead, he shifted slightly to accommodate her position, careful not to jostle her too much. His free hand hovered, hesitating, for a moment before coming to rest lightly on her shoulder.
Esdeath didn't react, her breathing slow and even. The rise and fall of her toned stomach progressed in a steady rhythm, visible from his shirt riding up her midriff. Up close, he could see the faint scars that criss crossed her pale skin — testaments to the countless battles she'd fought through. Her long blue hair spilled across his lap like a frozen waterfall.
Shaking his head slightly, Archer returned his attention to the book. But now he found himself reading passages aloud in a low murmur, as if sharing the knowledge with his unexpected companion
"Ha…y…th…y." The silent voice reached his ears. Turning his head down, he looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Did you say something?"
"You heard me."
That he did, but hearing those words come out of her mouth wasn't something he thought he'd ever experience.
"Why the hell is the door destroyed?"
From the room's entrance, the voice sounded. Emiya's eyes twitched as he looked over his shoulder to see the new arrival, unable to stop himself from releasing a deep sigh of defeat upon seeing her own state of dress.
"Do you even need to ask? Also, that is not the way an Imperial general should be dressed, you've even corrupted Esdeath with your terrible habits."
"Oi."
Standing in the door frame, clad in nothing but a loose black shirt that barely reached low enough to cover up her bottom, all too similar to how Esdeath was dressed, was Najenda. He silently prayed that she was at least wearing panties underneath, knowing that a bra was apparently too much to ask for from her.
"You should speak to your big sister with more respect than that," she said dryly while taking a sip of her coffee. Yawning with clear signs of drowsiness from having woken up recently. She waltzed into the room and looked at them, taking note of the person resting on his lap.
"Enjoying yourself? I know a lot of soldiers and even a few nobles and ministers who would love to be in your position right now."
"Don't you start on that. She's just annoying me as usual." Truthfully, he had half a mind to just take his gift and leave to find a quieter place to continue his little session in private. Each page gave rise to new ideas for dishes he had never tried before, and given he had remodeled the kitchen in this manner with all manner of modern appliances, he wanted to make full use of them at some point.
While he was in the middle of thinking this, Najenda noticed the book in his grasp. Without uttering a word, she looked at Esdeath with a squinted glare.
"Huh, didn't think you'd actually get him something."
"Care to join us? Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any space left for you." Esdeath asked with a visible smirk on her face, making it clear that she knew Najenda was taunting her, and had responded in kind.
"No, don't let me ruin both of your precious time," she replied calmly, kicking broken pieces of wood into the hallway outside. Emiya raised his eyebrow, wondering just what was going on between these two. But in order to avoid getting himself involved in needless, mind-numbing issues in the first place, he chose to stay silent.
"We got an invitation, Honest's son is organizing a party to celebrate both our promotions to the rank of general."
An invitation from the Prime Minister's son? He never met that boy face to face, though he frequently tried to invite Najenda to hang around after the academy's daily lessons according to Esdeath — though he always stayed clear of her on the other hand.
Emiya couldn't form a strong impression of him, but it was obvious that he carried a sense of entitlement and arrogance. Not that was at all surprised given who his father was. Emiya wouldn't be surprised if the whole of the Imperial Court was terrified to criticize or rebuke him in any way, that the same went for the academy's instructors despite his reported lackadaisical approach to their lessons.
"Enjoy the wine then, they better have enough in stock. A gathering for parasites is none of my concern, I have no interest in getting to know any one of them."
"Esdeath, you are coming with me whether you like it or not." She then pointed at him. "And so are you, barely anyone knows you, and I want you to meet some of my colleagues and old instructors. They won't stop bugging me about who taught me how to use the sword everyday. It's getting annoying."
Of course, he just had to get dragged along for this occasion as well.
"Why bother? I'm entirely self-taught, so they won't believe me even if we tell them the truth."
"If that's the case, then it's their fault for being close-minded fools. I will tell them the truth, and whatever happens after that is not my concern." She began to walk towards the door, but paused briefly, "Oh, wait, one more thing…"
A pair of hands suddenly covered his eyes, causing him to freeze in confusion. The next thing he knew, Najenda had gently placed a pair of glasses on his face.
They fit perfectly and didn't seem to change his vision at all.
"Happy birthday, little stubborn brother of mine." She whispered close to his ear, before planting a kiss on his cheek and leaving the two other occupants alone in the room.
"…"
Silence spread around the room, and he felt Esdeath's gaze on him, specifically at his new appearance.
"I don't think glasses suit you…"
"…"
"Let me guess, you completely forgot it was your birthday today," she stated, making a statement that rang true as he realized he had indeed forgotten what day it was. His birthday, so to speak — a date chosen by Najenda herself and marked as the day when her father found him. The calendar in this world differed from his old one, though it still had many similarities that he didn't have much trouble getting used to. Regardless, he had indeed forgotten about it as it's been a long time since he celebrated his birthday.
"So this is why you're behaving so weirdly today? I thought you didn't see the point in celebrating such things."
"I do not. It just so happens that I gave you that small gift on this particular day. Just a simple coincidence." For the first time in a while, he wasn't sure whether she was truly telling the truth or not, and if this counted as a lie.
"But I knew you'd be happy. Not like I lose anything from doing this."
"Still, I do appreciate this. It's hard to imagine you getting a gift for me at all, much less one I'd appreciate. I can understand Najenda since she enjoys such occasions. But from you? This is certainly a first."
"I did something for your last birthday as well."
"Dragging me against my will into a private hot spring doesn't count. I barely remember what happened that day." His mind held foggy memories of both Najenda and Esdeath laughing about something, his still-young body struggling to hang onto consciousness due to the heat, while constantly being tugged by the two growing girls and he distinctly recalled getting hit on the head by something at the end.
"Hopefully, one of these days you will give me a gift in return. That is the tradition, from what I understand. Fulfilling a wish of mine would be a great gift."
He went still. Was that her goal? No, such methods did not suit her in the least, she was probably just messing with him. "And what would that wish be, exactly?"
Her eyes peeked from the edge of the book. "One day, for you to take me seriously without holding back."
"I am never holding back against you."
"Liar. Sometimes I wonder what I should do to finally push you over the edge."
He sent a glance down on the young woman still resting on his lap, this time more cautious than anything else. "When you go beyond a point of no return, then I'll be ready to put you down for good."
She hummed, looking pleased to the point of showing a smirk.
"That sounds like a wonderful present. Glad to see you think I'll change my ways at any point."
"Also, Esdeath."
"What?"
"Thank you."
"…"
{Break}
-Imperial Palace-
(Present)
Inside a lavish dining room, a certain rotund old man was enjoying his meal, the sounds of his indulgence loud enough for even those standing guard outside the room to hear through the door. There was an evident lack of joy as he bit into a large piece of juicy meat, the low growl of satisfaction resonating from him for just a brief moment before he went silent, pausing on his meal.
"It can't be him," he said with a hint of trepidation in his voice. "It's probably just those Night Raid assassins trying to stir up trouble and make it seem like it's him." He sighed, frustrated that these rumors had caught her attention, distracting her from the important task of securing their borders and preventing Numa Seika's escape.
It was rare to see him feel such stress at any point of the day. From enjoying his obscenely lavish life while ruling the Empire with an iron fist, with those who so much as speak against him now mostly dead and largely reduced to just a few thugs scurrying around, what should have been an easygoing life where he could just enjoy his remaining years was now being ruined just because of people spreading rumors about that boy's return.
"You look like you could keel over at any moment, old man."
He didn't need to look up from his plate to see who it was; only a select few were allowed to barge directly into his private dining room without permission, and only two of them would ever be so brazen as to speak to him in such a tone. Raising his gaze, he squinted his eyes to stare at the tanned young man with light blue hair, garbed in white clothing to cover his upper chest while leaving his stomach bare, and a combination of a kilt and pants on his lower half. The most prominent feature about him though, was a large scar across his entire face, shaped like an X. Though they looked quite different physically, there were still some similarities between them, from their hairstyle to the cruel look in both their eyes.
"This is not how you should speak to your father, my boy," the fat old man said, his voice coming out as an annoyed grunt, not in the mood to play around or speak with any veneer of joviality as he usually did.
"What's got you in such a shitty mood? Did someone try to spike your food again?"
"If only it was just that. Then my worries would have been relieved by enjoying a show to accompany my dinner courtesy of the Torture Department…" he sighed, looking out the window. The entire Capital was visible from his tower, yet despite the stunning view, he frankly cared little for it. The true purpose was so that he could look down upon the masses he ruled all at once with minimal effort, yet as of late he'd been looking out with far more nervousness in his expression. His gaze flickered outside yet again, as if half-expecting to see someone, trying to clear his mind from whatever seemed to be haunting it.
"You've never been the brightest of boys, but you of all people should know full well what I am worried about these days."
Syura shrugged his shoulders, grabbing one of the pieces of meat on the table and consuming it in a manner similar to his father. "Let me guess, that Night Raid group's attacked again and foiled one of your plans or killed one of your little toys that you call allies. I heard what happened to Ogre. It's a shame; I really liked that guy, and he still owed me a few favors he never got around to paying back."
Honest sneered, "Don't be ridiculous, as if I'd ever truly be concerned about that. You're even more foolish than I thought if that's what you think. It's expected to indulge oneself in the vices of the Capital, but don't let yourself become so consumed by pleasure that you're oblivious to your surroundings."
"I don't want to hear that from a tub of lard that spends most of his days eating as much as he weighs. I heard the palace's tailor has to keep resizing your entire wardrobe at least twice a week. I swear, you'd never think we were father and son from looking at us? I mean, even if we were to disregard the tan since I got that from my travels south, the simple fact is that I have abs while you probably have tumors."
Clearly his son wasn't taking him seriously in the slightest.
But rather than continue this argument and waste more time, Honest decided to just get straight to the point. "There have been rumors that Nagumo's son has returned."
"Pft!" Honest's words caused his son's eyes to nearly bulge out of their sockets as he sputtered and coughed, spewing food all over the table. The older man's jaw clenched at that, and he had the urge to punch the brat for ruining his meal, now tainted with his saliva.
"That freak is back!? I thought he died a couple years ago!?"
"Of course he didn't die, you fool! If he was dead, then what do you think Esdeath has been searching for these last two years!? How can you be so ignorant!?" Out of everyone around him, Honest hoped that at least his son would be more interested or up-to-date about Emiya's whereabouts, or at least whether he was alive or dead after that disaster years ago.
His musings were cut short as the young man struck the expensive table, breaking off a section. His face was now crimson red, a hand touching the scar on his face with pure hatred coursing through his veins, far different from the nonchalance he had been showing seconds before.
"Good… Good! I will find him this time, and I will have my revenge! I'll fucking disembowel him and make sure he remembers what he did to me! Just tell me where he is, and I'll bring you back his head if that's what you want."
Despite his seething rage, his father just scoffed in dismissal. "You want to go after him by yourself? I agree that you have a rather impressive Teigu at your disposal, but even I am not so dumb as to believe it will be enough against Nagumo's son."
Syura's face contorted with anger in response to his father's words. "Are you saying that I am not strong enough to handle some fucking nobody that just got lucky being adopted by some has-been general!? He may have gotten lucky before, but it won't fucking happen again now that I have a Teigu!"
Honest's eyes grew bloodshot, the anger building inside of him as his son continued to speak like a spoiled fool. He gritted his teeth and finally spoke up, "That 'fucking nobody' nearly decimated half of our capital in his battle against Esdeath! And he did it all without any Teigu of his own to speak of as far as I know!" he seethes, spit flying from his mouth in pure fury. "And now he's returned… with gods know what kind of power at his disposal." The thought alone sends shivers down Honest's spine, filling him with a primal fear and hatred towards this unknown force that threatened everything he'd worked for.
"And so what!?" The young man wasn't willing to back down. "On that day, most of the damages occurred because that psychopath of a woman got too carried away, not that stupid fuck! He just got lucky in the end, and ended up running away with his tail between his legs from that blue haired bitch! Me and my group are more than enough to handle that fucker. We'll have him hanged and burned at the town square by the end of the day if you just let me find him! It doesn't matter what weapons he has; they will all be useless against me and my team!"
Honest leveled his gaze at Syura. "I hope your confidence is not misplaced, son. If you fail, don't come running to me with excuses… that is, if you survive," the Prime Minister stated coldly. His assassins were scouring the surrounding areas for any trace of Night Raid, and especially Emiya. "It's crucial that you and your team work together to ensure Emiya's death this time. Even work with Grand General Budo if you must. Just keep this conversation between us and do not breathe a word of it to anyone, especially not General Esdeath."
Syura's expression shifted to one of confusion, though the anger remained. "Why not her? She's half the fucking reason for this after all," he snarled, pointing at his face. "Besides, the idea of presenting her with the head of the one guy she failed to defeat in the past sounds pretty funny if you ask me."
He could picture it now — her angry, humiliated, and disbelieving reaction. She had never acknowledged him after that day, and he still felt a phantom pain from the mark she left on his face, which always seemed to thrum in tandem with the one from Emiya."I can't let her get away with this without at least giving her some payback."
"Foolish boy! Take a moment to think for once! Even if you succeed in killing that brat, if she discovers that you were responsible for Nagumo's son's death, then I'll be forced to make a new son. Because my idiot, stupid boy wanted to gloat to the Empire's Strongest and got killed for it. You were lucky just to survive the first time; don't repeat the same mistake again."
"Najenda would have bee—"
"—Enough!" His voice boomed throughout the room, bits of food spraying from his mouth and landing on his clothes and the floor. "I supported you and provided everything you needed to make your little scheme succeed last time. But you failed and paid the price. I warned you to stay away from that woman—Eh?" He stopped mid-rant when he and Syura both felt a sudden chill in the air. Clouds of white mist escaped their mouths with every breath, and frost began to form on the windows.
The thought that emerged from his mind was one he had long feared, and a distant memory that resurfaced. "Don't tell me…"
"Over there!" His son exclaimed, pointing toward the lower region of the Capital. Though he couldn't see anything from his position, the Prime Minister instantly went pale as another realization dawned on him. At the sight of a white carpet of frost in the distance, he understood what was happening.
"This can't be, he is actually here!" Now, anything concerning Night Raid, his plans for the Empire, and even the Emperor himself left his mind. A single thought took up all his mental capacity, becoming his single priority. He looked at his son, knowing full well what he had to do.
"If you don't want at least half of the Capital turned into a freezing wasteland and be left with that much less of a city to rule, you better listen to me carefully right now…"
{Break}
In a way, he felt he should have seen this coming.
"An ice substitute? I want to say I am surprised, but I saw it coming a mile away." With Kanshou and Bakuya stuck deep within the facsimile of Esdeath, he watched as the cracks spread across her skin, the substitute's construct turning crystal blue. He jumped back, abandoning his swords and creating another pair instantly. "Just great, you have a talent for being a pain to deal with even after years of not seeing you."
He glanced around, carefully observing his surroundings for any sign of her presence. His shallow breathing released small clouds of white air due to the dropping temperature, yet he remained calm and composed.
In an instant, he reacted as a loud clang reverberated through the air. A rapier appeared almost out of thin air, aimed straight for his throat, but it was met with the flat side of Bakuya. Sparks flew from the contact, failing to leave a scratch on the Noble Phantasm. The rapier's wielder wasn't surprised; her eyes focused on his other hand the entire time, a wall of ice emerged from the ground around her as he swung Kanshou. Despite her efforts, the blade swiftly cut through the ice as if it were butter, but the edge never reached her. The woman had disappeared, using the distraction to her advantage and ending up a distance away from him.
"Do you like it? I couldn't resist developing a little something to counter your sneaky, long-range attacks. Without it, I would have ended up like Nyau."
"…"
He didn't reply, only narrowing his gaze as he contemplated his next move.
'I can't just make a run for it. She won't let me leave so easily, and may even track me back to the hideout. Even if she has developed a new technique, her fighting style remains mostly the same, and I can easily break through most of her constructs, which she undoubtedly knows. Despite all of this, she appears surprisingly calm… She must have another trick up her sleeve. It's unlikely she has called for any reinforcements, but Honest will eventually realize I'm here and send more of his henchmen.'
With unwavering zeal, she was the type of person who would never accept defeat and would do whatever it takes to achieve her goals without any outside interference. That was the one thing that he could always count on with her.
"Let's have some fun like we used to, Emiya!" This time, she made the first move, holding her rapier in an offensive stance and dashing forward. A flurry of attacks filled his vision, the rapier moving at incredible speeds that were definitely not achievable for regular humans. He wondered if she'd managed to develop Demon's Extract to have it give her superhuman strength and enhanced physical traits as well somehow. Truthfully that thing didn't even count as a Teigu in his eyes, given it wasn't a creation made with an extremely rare ore to begin with… and he doubted it could even be passed down to another person.
Thankfully, he managed to defend himself against most of it, though a few strikes grazed his shirt and left tiny cuts.
"You haven't changed, the way you fight would have worked against me in the past but not anymore!"
That much was obvious to the former Counter Guardian. All of her moves were observed and compared to how she fared in the past. Her speed had increased, each strike carrying more force, and her fighting style now bore a striking resemblance to what he had taught to Najenda, something the Counter Guardian could not help but notice.
"Do you want me to praise you or something? I never knew you were so desperate for such a trivial thing."
"I know you're just trying to buy time for those Night Raid assassins to escape. But don't worry, I'm not the least bit interested in them anymore. So stop holding back and fight me for real!" she exclaimed, using various techniques to maintain her offensive, even using ice projectiles that hovered around her along with her swift rapier thrust attacks, forcing him to evade before kicking his feet against the ground with a quick application of Reinforcement. He closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye, his knee digging into her stomach.
"Gah!" Spit flew out of her mouth, followed by the heel of his shoes pushing against the same spot with enough force to push her back. Rather than give her any time to recover, he commenced his own assault. An upward slash cleanly cut through her, his action causing her body to crumble into chunks of ice.
"Not this time," With a simple mental command, he summoned several sharp blades and launched them in rapid succession. Most of the blades struck nearby houses, while a few were deflected at the last second by what he believed to be the real Esdeath. "You seem to struggle with creating these as easily as your usual ice sculptures. It's unusual for you to use such a defensive method in battle."
She smiled, almost looking pleased by his words rather than offended. "I simply adapted, I hope you didn't think I'd remain stagnant this entire time."
Of course he didn't.
'Humph, those three should be long gone from the Capital by now, if they have any survival instincts to speak of. Best I rejoin them as soon as possible before Najenda does anything stupid, like come and fight Esdeath,' he thought, his mind scanning the weapons-filled wasteland within his Reality Marble. He found an appropriate blade for the situation, shown by the appearance of black keys above her, descending like a rainstorm.
"Again? You're underestimating me Emiya." Rather than dodge them, Esdeath conjured dozens of icicles that all fired upward to counter them.
"Tch, this is ridiculous," he muttered, noticing a dome of ice forming around her that prevented any of the blades from getting lucky and hitting her shadow. "Are you really that desperate…"
"This feels familiar, doesn't it?" She remarked, stepping out of the dome with shallow cuts on her shoulders, most of which didn't even break the skin. "I know you're not giving your all. Don't patronize me like that. Fight me like you used to, don't just hand me a hollow victory and shame me like this! Do you know how much I've longed for this moment? To finally prove to you that I could have emerged victorious before, if you didn't hold back on me! Yet you… on that day you had the nerve to pity me of all things!"
"You're still upset about that? I didn't pity you; I just knew it was the best choice to retreat at that moment. If I had stayed any longer, more enemies would have arrived." At the time, he thought he could handle defending himself against the Capital's forces, but dealing with Esdeath and protecting Najenda and her allies at the same time was a different story. He had to make a choice.
"Then why did you hesitate at that critical moment?" Their swords clashed once more, and he stood his ground despite her pushing with all her might. His feet dug into the earth but didn't show any strain from the attack. "Don't take me for a fool, you had your chance, and you didn't take it. Why!?"
"I don't have anything to prove, you idiot."
"That doesn't answer my question!" They continued to exchange blows, the woman choosing not to use her Teigu and instead relying on pure strength and skill. He matched her with his own.
For a moment, he imagined a different setting — one filled with shattered training puppets and walls covered in slashes, the manor he used to call home, in which she'd so often been welcomed to point it could be considered hers as well. In the background of his mind, he could almost hear birds chirping and the occasional snore from his blockhead of a sister.
Their battles were just as intense and unyielding in the past as they were in the present.
Every clash of their weapons reverberated throughout the arena, though Esdeath's weapon had been destroyed long ago. She didn't seem bothered by this, as she easily created a new one out of ice over and over. "It is quite convenient to make weapons on command. Unfortunately, I could never manage to bring it anywhere close to yours."
He would have been surprised if they even managed to scratch Kanshou or Bakuya. Though her style had evolved, she still relied on some of the same moves, as proven when he managed to push her back. Her rapier had been shattered apart numerous times, yet she continuously created a new one from ice, time and again.
"We would have made a perfect team," she spoke, her voice sounding amongst their clash, calmer and even saddened. "We were the alphas, pushing one another to greater heights until no one could hope to stand before us. This Empire was supposed to be our playground, and yet you threw it all away for such a silly reason I still can't understand to this day. Numa, Budo, and the very elites of the Revolutionary Army have barely forced me to get serious, I know you must have felt the same in your journey. Even Najenda long since trailed behind us. Skilled as she is, her drive could only bring her so far compared to talents like us."
Magical Energy surged within his arm, pushing back against her blade and breaking the stalemate swiftly. His move became more aggressive, the scene becoming an identical one to the many spars they had before. Even as more cuts continued to graze her uniform with several drawing thin lines of blood, Esdeath stayed calm and showed no hint of frustration in the least.
That worried him far more than anything else.
He took a deep breath, stopping his attacks for a bit, and lowered his guard. "What do you want exactly?"
"Come back," she answered without missing a beat. "Stop running around wasting your potential as a watchdog for these people! Honest would never refuse my demand for granting you a pardon; after all, his life would be at stake if he refused. If the Empire itself isn't to your liking, we can simply destroy this place and build a new one if that's what you desire. Trust me, Honest and the child Emperor are more afraid of us than you think. And they're right to do so."
To be willing to destroy the entire Capital with no hesitation… How morbidly familiar.
"…I know you're not capable of living the kind of life I would want, and you are wrong about my reasons for leaving the Empire."
His words served as an answer, leading his opponent to show an expression of pure frustration. Her grip tightened around her weapon, forcing it to crack under pressure.
"Why do you have to be so stubborn… so be it."
"—!"
His senses went crazy in the next second, the entire field now plummeting in temperature to the point where even breathing stung his lungs and nose. The cuts on her body froze with a thin layer of ice covering them, her entire demeanor changed where a single emotion filled her heart: the intent to end this once and for all.
"What?" The ground beneath him shook, a miniature earthquake spreading across his surroundings. Every single house in the surroundings crumbled apart, shattering into pieces with a thick white fog taking its place. His ears picked up the distant sounds of people screaming, trying to escape whatever Esdeath was doing.
Right before his eyes, the man turned speechless when in a matter of seconds the whole area was filled with fully armored centaurian soldiers made of ice. Their numbers grew by the second until he guessed there looked to be thousands of them swarming the area around him.
"Ice Cavalry… One of my many gifts prepared specifically for you. It took a whole year to create them all, but I only managed to make half of the number I wanted. However, four thousand should be enough." She stood tall, her sharp gaze fixed on him with deadly intent. As if that weren't enough, the sky grew dark and a massive iceberg appeared above his head, adding to the surprise.
"You have no way to escape, I won't let you."
"You… Do you plan on killing everyone in the Capital just for this battle?" The army aside, if that thing were to fall then half of the Capital was bound to get crushed.
"So what? A couple hundred thousand lives lost is just the bare minimum one can expect from any battle between the two of us. After this is over, all this will no longer be of any use to me, so I'd rather clean up this mess once and for all. Unless… you're going to go out of your way to save them." Her head tilted expectantly at that. Though she phrased it like a question, her tone made it sound more like a statement where she already knew what his response would be.
Her fists were tightly clenched, and she seemed completely serious. She didn't care about this place or the people in it; she was willing to destroy everything without hesitation if it served her purpose.
"You would have been a perfect cleaner for Alaya," he whispered to himself, unsure of what would happen next. "You find genuine pleasure in it."
He knew that his only chance of survival was to summon his Reality Marble, but it required time and energy, both of which were in short supply with so many soldiers surrounding him and that veritable glacier hanging over them all. He also couldn't discount the fact that Esdeath, his opponent, would not stand idly by and allow him to gather his strength. It was a precarious situation, and he knew he had to act fast.
The longer he pondered his situation, the bleaker his chances of making it out alive seemed. His most feasible bet would be to eliminate the caster responsible for this mess, but she must have anticipated that as his course of action, especially with her large army of well-equipped soldiers surrounding her, each armed with a formidable shield.
'Why did I hesitate back then…? Right. because I got too comfortable in this world.'
A suicide attack was possible, potentially killing both of them at the same time. Even without his parameters as a Servant, he still had a few tricks he was willing to use as a last resort option. Still, not all of his options were used up and his death wasn't guaranteed.
"I am the bone of my sword."
If she wanted so desperately for him to get serious, then she was going to get exactly that.
"Finally…" an excited grin emerged on Esdeath's face bordering on euphoria.
In the event of a worst-case scenario, Najenda and the rest of Night Raid were more than capable of handling Honest and his other cronies; he taught her enough to survive against such foes in case he didn't make it. Then again, there was a chance he could survive at the end, his reserves just needed to keep the Marble active for long enough to exhaust Esdeath, so best to keep his mind steady for the time being.
'Can't do anything about the iceberg, it's too far away for me to get it within range. Yet I feel like she still has something else under her sleeves.'
Unfortunately, both of the combatant's attention was broken by the sight of the ground beneath them starting to glow.
"Hm?"
"What!?"
Above the surface, leaning against the floating iceberg on a Yin and Yang platform a familiar face grinned down at both of them. A face that brought an unpleasant memory from his past.
"Syura?"
What the hell was he doing here… wait, that pattern… wasn't this…
"Damn it, Shambhala!"
"This is between me and him!" Esdeath also realized what was going on and screamed her fury. Now focusing a new wave of icicles straight at the newcomer — but it was already too late.
Syura smirked, taking a sadistic pleasure at the sight of their expression. "I'll be sending Najenda your regards, Emiya. As for you, Esdeath, consider this as long overdue payback, bitch."
Uncertain whether Rule Breaker would even work in the first place but deciding it was better than nothing, he brought it out and aimed straight for the center of the array, only for the twisted dagger to pierce nothing but air.
"—!?"
His surroundings turned from a frigid prison to now a warm, windy sky without the presence of the ground beneath his feet. "Where the hell…"
Free falling from thousands of meters in the sky, Emiya cursed under his breath, struggling at first to keep his body under control, but he was soon able to right himself as he fell while getting a better look at his new surroundings. His eyes locked onto a small island underneath him, swarming with all manners of monsters. Including at least a dozen first-class Danger Beasts.
A few had already spotted them.
"Great, just great."
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The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Hound having 3 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.