"Huh..."
Emiya Kiritsugu took a deep breath. He shouldn't have been so nervous, but when he thought about the fact that he was going to summon a Servant that was powerful enough to tear the sky apart and break steel and jade, the instinctive fear rose to his mind along with his reason.
As a person who calls himself a magus, Emiya Kiritsugu naturally would not simply treat his servants as summoned and manipulated at will like other magi. They are all great heroes with unique personalities. If they are incompatible, it will only cause more serious consequences.
The Command Seal in his hand is the best proof. If it weren't for this thing, the difference in status between Servant and Master might not be so obvious.
Honestly speaking, he was more interested in the caster and assassin classes, but what Old Man Acht said was also right, this was not the assassination of the past, but a changeable battlefield, a powerful heroic spirit could maximize his tolerance rate.
"Kiritsugu... the time has come."
"I see."
Under Irisviel's worried gaze, Emiya Kiritsugu raised his right hand.
"Declare——!"
The chill and pain that surrounded the whole body swept over easily. This was a sign that the magic circuit was circulating at full capacity. However, compared to the miracle that was about to be completed, these consumptions were nothing.
Emiya Kiritsugu recited the summoning words in a deep voice. Even though the wind created by the atmosphere hit everything around him, he did not pause at all, as if he was just a part of this ritual.
"You are the Seventh Heaven who is entangled with the Three Great Word Spirits, and you come from the Wheel of Restraint, the Guardian of the Scales—"
As the words came to an end, Emiya Kiritsugu felt that the magic power in his body had accelerated to its limit.
In the swirling gale, Irisviel, who was guarding on one side, narrowed her eyes slightly, trying to keep as much vision as possible in the brilliant light shining from the summoning circle.
But her gaze was not focused on the summoning circle, but on the scabbard of the altar behind it. Since that day, she had never seen anything like it again, as if it was really just an illusion.
But thinking of Illya's recent abnormality, Irisviel still couldn't let go of her worry.
As she was filled with worry, the light of the magic circle gradually went out, and white mist slowly spread along with the figure.
A figure wearing tight silver-white armor and a hood appeared in front of the magic circle.
This made Emiya Kiritsugu let out a gasp that he wasn't sure whether it was relief or relief. He examined the figure in front of him with his sharp eyes.
And as if noticing Emiya Kiritsugu's gaze, the figure took off his hood, revealing his full appearance.
With short blond hair and emerald eyes, though with a softness to them, the figure's features were undeniably handsome, with an enviable, sunny good looks.
Then, he looked at Emiya Kiritsugu, the person with whom he had the deepest connection, and spoke.
"Servant Saber, I have come here in response to your summons. Let me ask you - are you my Master?"
——
In the morning in the Einzbern Forest, at a sunny dining table, Saber, who had taken off her weapons, was dining with Irisviel.
Although he ate very quickly, Saber's every move was natural and elegant, which made him look majestic.
As an artificial human, Irisviel did not have much demand for this. She just drank her tea quietly and placed the curious Illya on her lap.
"Is it okay for the Master to leave alone?"
After finishing their meal, Saber finally asked a question, "In this Holy Grail War, if you are too far away from the Servants, other enemies will take advantage of you, right?"
"Well, from a common sense point of view, maybe that's the case, but that man's talent in this area is far superior to mine, and I believe in him."
Although as a specialized product of the Lesser Holy Grail, Irisviel is also proficient in alchemical magic and will definitely not lag behind in battle, she is still far inferior to Emiya Kiritsugu.
"It seems that I still haven't gained his trust."
Saber showed a stiff expression with a slightly frown, and her sunny smile also faded a little, but even so, that chilling feeling still showed that she was a powerful knight.
Even though the contract between the Heroic Spirit and the Master has no distance restrictions, this attitude of acting alone is the best explanation.
Since being summoned a few nights ago, after confirming the Master-Master relationship, Emiya Kiritsugu left in a hurry, leaving the explanation of the specific situation to Irisviel, as if he was rejecting the Heroic Spirit he summoned.
"You must be dissatisfied, right? But please believe him. I can assure you that he just looks indifferent."
To say that you don't trust Saber is really unfair to Emiya Kiritsugu. His qualities as a Master are not outstanding. But even so, except for luck, Saber's other attributes are top-notch. In terms of durability, it is at the A+ level. This means that as long as the Master has enough magic power supply, this knight can still fight against many enemies even when facing other rare heroes.
No matter from which angle you look at it, Emiya Kiritsugu can't find any fault with it.
The reason why he maintained such an indifferent attitude was just to prevent a noble Heroic Spirit like the Knight King from causing discord between the master and the servant due to such a despicable act as assassinating the Master.
He and Irisviel would continue in this pattern until the number of Masters began to decrease.
"Or is it? Saber, you are not satisfied with me being the temporary Master?"
Seeing Saber's low mood, Irisviel immediately began to smooth things over in a teasing tone.
"Of course not. I'm very happy that you can be my Master, Irisviel." To Irisviel, who was born with nobility in her heart, she is like a princess of Saber's era. Moreover, for some reason, most of the women around him are not reliable, whether they are teachers or sisters.
To him, a well-educated and pure-hearted woman like Irisviel was like an angel. Therefore, even without a contract, Saber performed the master-servant oath to her with the etiquette of a knight.
"Hehe, to be praised like this by the legendary Knight King Arthur Pendragon, does it seem like I'm pretty awesome too?"
Irisviel smiled brightly, and her eyes softened a little. She reached out and gently stroked Illya's head.
The appearance of Saber relieved her of a worry. Everything about this heroic spirit was normal, including her gender, strength, and noble character.
It seems that the afterimage of the scabbard that day was indeed just her illusion. In this way, Kiritsugu, who deliberately concealed the existence of the scabbard from Saber and took it to Fuyuki City first, does not need to worry too much.
"Because you deserve this compliment, but Arthur Pendragon is the most popular name for me. If you are Irisviel, you can call me Artorius, which is my real name. However, please call me Saber in battle."
"Same here, Artorius. We must win the final victory this time!"
"Well," Saber smiled gently, then looked at Illya in Irisviel's arms with a puzzled look.
"Although I may be meddling in other people's business, is it okay for you to do this?"
"Huh?"
After hearing Saber's words, Irisviel belatedly looked at Illya in her arms. After being held in her arms, except for looking at Saber and the dining table curiously at the beginning, but later, just like usual, she stared at the direction of Fuyuki City without moving.
But this time it was different. When Irisviel saw Illya's current actions, she understood why Saber asked the question.
As Illya breathed, scorching flames gushed out of her mouth, expanding and contracting like a toy, but she still stared at the distant sky as if she didn't notice anything, as if she felt something.
"Illya? What are you looking at?"
Irisviel gently shook her daughter to bring her back to her senses.
"Mom?" Illya came back to her senses, showing a sacred and joyful expression, and said words that made Irisviel feel like she was falling into an ice cave.
"Don't you feel it? Dad, it's born."