Sola left contentedly, carrying the Command Spell she desired.
Kenneth once again lost consciousness. Compared to a few minutes ago, the back of his right hand was devoid of the red emblem, and his five fingers were wrapped in several layers of bandages.
This time, his fainting was not due to physical weakness but anger and fear.
Kenneth didn't willingly surrender the Command Spell; he was threatened by his fiancée.
The woman with short red hair broke Kenneth's fingers one by one without expression after he refused her request to relinquish the Command Spell.
"For a medium-level healing magecraft like this, it's impossible to forcibly remove the Command Spell unless with the person's consent. If you insist on refusing, then I'll have to cut off your right hand."
Sola's tone was as gentle as before, but her words plunged Kenneth into an abyss of anger and despair, eventually causing him to lose consciousness.
After Sola left, Shinji dispelled the invisibility of his cloak, wearing a deep expression on his face that didn't match his age.
"Kenneth, your greatest tragedy is that the person you love doesn't love you back and has fallen for another man. Political alliances easily lead to such problems."
Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri, daughter of the Sophia family who had served as the Minister of Spirit Evocation in the Clock Tower, was not the heir and did not inherit the qualification for magic crest engraving. Her destiny was predetermined from birth – to be a tool for political alliances.
Fortunately, Sola's betrothed was Kenneth, whom she fell in love with at first sight and deeply cared for. Both the Archibald and Sophia families approved of their relationship, considering them a highly compatible couple.
If Kenneth hadn't been marked with the holy stigmata, hadn't come to Fuyuki City, and hadn't participated in the Holy Grail War, perhaps their fate would have unfolded as many had predicted – getting married amidst countless blessings, having children, the two great families uniting, and embarking on a new era of glory. Kenneth would have astonished the world of magecraft with his achievements, leaving people amazed and numb. Sola would have peacefully played the role of a wife and mother, admired and envied by numerous ladies.
Unfortunately, there are no "ifs."
Kenneth summoned Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, known as the "Radiant Face," and since the first day Sola saw Diarmuid, she fell in love with this handsome knight, not due to the charm of the mole but simply the mutual attraction between man and woman, just like when Kenneth first saw Sola.
The wheel of fate took a turn on the wide avenue, leading them onto a rugged and treacherous path with deep abysses on both sides.
"Fionn, Gráinne; Kenneth, Sora. Whether in life or death, Diarmuid cannot escape such a fate. Truly ironic," sighed Scáthach, feeling sorrow for the noble knight.
Fionn mac Cumhaill, the leader of the Fianna Knights to which Diarmuid belonged, a great hero possessing supreme wisdom and the power to control healing water, was engaged to Gráinne, the daughter of King Conmaicne Mara of Ireland.
Both sides celebrated a grand engagement feast in Tara's palace, and everyone offered their blessings for this union.
The atmosphere of the banquet was lively, except for the young and beautiful Princess Gráinne, who was gloomy. Fionn, her fiancé, was old enough to be her grandfather, and she didn't want to marry such a person.
At the climax of the banquet, she saw a young knight – the one bestowed with the highest honor, known as the "Beloved of Women," with the "Radiant Face" Diarmuid Ua Duibhne – and she fell in love with him.
At the end of the banquet, when everyone was intoxicated, she found him.
"Exchange my love and your sacred vows, my dear, and please stop this absurd marriage. Take me with you... to the end of the sky, to the other side of the world!"
With tear-filled eyes, the girl spoke to him, igniting the flame of love in the hero's heart with her gaze.
It was the purgatory fire that would consume his body... The hero had already realized it at that moment.
But he couldn't resist.
The hero took the princess's hand, and together they abandoned the bright future.
And so, a tragic love story from Celtic mythology unfolded.
The hero and the princess fled for sixteen years.
At the end of the story, Diarmuid reconciled with Fionn under the mediation of his foster father, Angus.
But Fionn did not truly forgive Diarmuid. He knew about the geis that bound Diarmuid to die at the hands of his half-brother, who had transformed into a wild boar and deliberately orchestrated the encounter between Diarmuid and the boar.
After Diarmuid was gravely injured by the boar, Fionn, knowing that his healing water could save Diarmuid, intentionally let the water slip through his fingers twice. By the time he brought the water for the third time, Diarmuid had already ceased to breathe.
Could it be that even in the present day, over a thousand years later, in this world where he was summoned as a Heroic Spirit, the same story would unfold?
Scáthach walked up to the broken window, her gaze piercing through the fence of the factory.
In the cold wind, Sola, tears streaming down her face, looked at Diarmuid with an intense gaze.
"Lancer, fight with me, protect me, support me, and let us obtain the Holy Grail together."
Wasn't Sola at this moment so similar to Gráinne from years ago?
But this time, Diarmuid refused. He would not make the same choice as he did back then, betraying his lord.
"Before becoming a Servant, I was just a knight, and I have sworn loyalty to Lord Kenneth. If Lord Kenneth abandons the Holy Grail, then the Holy Grail holds no meaning for me. Lady Sola, I cannot accept your request. Please forgive me."
"Is he serious?" Justeaze couldn't believe or understand Lancer's words. Her understanding of humans was not deep enough to grasp the complexities of the human heart.
Heroic Spirits summoned as Servants to participate in the Holy Grail War, were not summoned without reason. Like the Masters, they also had wishes they wanted to fulfill, which is why they responded to the summons and fought alongside their Masters.
"Indeed, without a wish, there would be no response to the summoning. However, fulfilling a wish doesn't necessarily have to involve the Holy Grail. Diarmuid is such an exception," Shinji said as he looked through his memories.
"His wish is to follow his lord, whom he has sworn loyalty to, until death and achieve the glory he couldn't attain in life as a knight. Whether it's victory to the end or falling in battle, as long as he is by his lord's side, his wish will be fulfilled. Truly, he is a pure and idealistic person."
Because of his purity, he was lamentable, whether it was his legend in life or his fate in the original timeline.
"Shinji," Scáthach turned around and looked at her Master. She saw his dreams and knew so much, including the world called "Type-Moon" created by a certain Artist.
"I won't let that happen." Shinji raised his head, revealing a childish smile.
"You have graduated from this world, but I haven't.
You don't want to interfere, so I will."
I will give Diarmuid a relatively fulfilling conclusion in your place."
PS: Shinji changing the story of FATE: Zero
PS: Geis, also spelled as geas/geiss/ges, with the plural form geasa, can be translated as "taboo," "prohibition," or "oath." It holds significant importance in Celtic mythology but remains one of its most secretive aspects. Geis can enhance the strength of heroes but can also become their weakness.
PS2: The elopement of Diarmuid and Gráinne also had to do with Gráinne placing a geis on Diarmuid.
PS3: Scáthach is a bit tsundere. She says she has graduated from this world and won't interfere, but when it comes to battles or matters related to warriors, she can't help but get involved. This aspect is well portrayed in "Fate/Grand Order," especially in the swimsuit event. Those who have played it will fall in love with her, Sensei.
PS4: Don't underestimate the terror of Sensei's original rune. The Rune of the Killing Order is a rune that Sensei modified in his spiritual core. In the final stages of the swimsuit event, Sensei directly deployed the rune on the ground, causing the boars, who had already acquired technology and civilization no less than humans, to forget all their knowledge and return to the primitive era.
PS5: Stop mocking Diarmuid for saying one thing and doing another. That's how chivalry is. In China, it is natural to use strategy to overcome stronger opponents, but in the West, especially during the heyday of chivalry, it was considered dishonorable and went against the spirit of knighthood. In that era, chivalry was like a religion, a belief, somewhat similar to the struggle between divine authority and royal authority. It is not surprising to choose either side when the two conflict. Diarmuid's loyalty doesn't need to be questioned, and his actions align with the spirit of chivalry. If we have to blame something, it would be that era and chivalry itself.
PS6: It is a misconception that Westerners do not use strategy in warfare. Figures like Alexander the Great and Hannibal have classic examples of strategic warfare. However, they were not rigid knights. It is important to emphasize once again that while there may be fewer classical examples of strategic warfare in the West compared to the East, it doesn't mean that Westerners are foolish or unaware of tactics. They were simply constrained by their systems and society.
//Woman...