"Lancelot?"
Irisviel turned her head and looked at Saber. Anyone who knew a little bit about King Arthur would know the meaning of this name.
For Saber, who was determined to restore her country, this name was the fuse that caused her kingdom to begin to collapse. But contrary to what she thought, Saber's eyes widened, revealing a strange expression that she had never shown since her advent.
That face that always had a smile as warm as the sun was now filled with confusion and anxiety.
Both because of the name and because of the face of Lancelot.
Beads of sweat oozed from his forehead and slid down his pale face. Even when he faced the century-long battle between Enkidu and Gilgamesh yesterday, he had never shown such an expression.
There was no trace of the calmness and composure that showed him on the battlefield, only confusion and surprise.
"Is it possible for such a thing to exist?"
Saber uttered a hoarse voice, as if denying the cold reality, "So one of me and Sir Lancelot is from another world?"
"My king..." Seeing Saber understand the fact so quickly, Lancelot bowed his head deeply, "My king who came from another world, I, Lancelot, am deeply ashamed. Even in another completely different world, even in front of you as a man, I still did things that I shouldn't have said..."
"Don't worry... Sir Lancelot, I have never blamed anyone," Saber raised the sword again, "The only one who is wrong is me."
"Sir Lancelot, although I am not your king, I still have to give you a suggestion. Since you are fighting for your dream, you don't have to care about the past. So, draw your sword!"
Faced with such a decisive King Arthur, Lancelot was obviously stunned for a moment, then he smiled bitterly and his eyes regained their calmness like the surface of a lake.
I didn't expect the scene to be like this. It was different from what I thought. Compared with Altria, the Saber in front of me, even after experiencing so much, was still like a true king of perfection. She could always judge everything calmly and face difficulties with extreme correctness.
Although his face is completely different, he is still the King of Knights.
Is it possible that the king I serve could also appear in this state? If so, I must ask clearly.
What kind of dream does he have in pursuing the Holy Grail? Is he unwilling to accept his own ending? He must get the answer. Only in this way can he atone for his sins.
"Boring, I want to see rivers of blood."
Roland yawned and said, "Wait until one of you two leaves, then come and call me. Before that, I'm going to go see my dear daughter first."
With Lancelot blocking him, Roland came to Irisviel smoothly and held her hand.
Without even a symbolic struggle, Irisviel seemed to have accepted her fate, closed her eyes, and sank into the darkness with Roland.
"Irisviel!"
Even though Saber knew that Roland had no intention of killing his Master, she could not sit idly by. However, as if it was a replica of history, facing Roland who took Irisviel away, Lancelot sighed, acted as a protector, and stood in front of Saber.
"Don't worry, Saber. If you really want to save your Master, then use all your strength to kill the Berserker. However, I advise you not to be careless. Although he has lost the correction of berserk and is not ranked among the strongest classes, this guy is definitely not an easy character to deal with after he draws his sword."
"call--"
As if testing his hand, Lancelot slowly pulled out the magic sword that shone like the lake water under the moon, with elven characters engraved on both sides of the sword.
In the hands of Matou Kariya, Lancelot would endanger his master's life if he even pulled out the magic sword, but in Roland's hands, Lancelot did not feel any burden, and the magic power supplied by the master was like a bottomless abyss.
"The undamaged lake."
Saber also revealed a nostalgic look, and began to abandon unnecessary distractions, devoting his whole body and soul to the battlefield in front of him. Although things and people had changed, the holy sword in his hand seemed to be inspired and began to emit an excited humming sound.
Lancelot sighed and saluted Saber as a knight.
Now that he has drawn his sword against the Knight King, the only thing he has to do next is to show his respect with all his strength!
"My king, be careful."
Amid the old sword's stunned expression, Lancelot, who had lost his frenzy but had drawn his treasure, rushed towards him at a much faster speed than before. In the blink of an eye, the two were only one step away from each other. The gust of wind as sharp as a blade cut Saber's armor, making a popping sound.
The second half of the other party's words came slowly.
"I may sound boastful, but among the Knights of the Round Table, I am very strong in one-on-one combat."
——
"You even brought Caster with you. Do you trust Berserker so much? Saber is very strong."
Entering the gate of Einzbern City, Irisviel, who was being held by the hand, glanced at Caster who was quietly following behind her, and said as if nothing had happened.
"From the data on paper, Saber is the best in this Holy Grail War. Unless Lancelot also obtains the same correction, the chances of winning are not very high. Moreover, after Berserker gains sanity, these two guys will easily treat each other as meal replacements."
Roland smiled meaningfully. "So, if the guilty berserker fights the Knight King who is still dreaming, he will most likely lose."
"What about you? If this continues, the berserker you worked so hard to obtain might be eliminated, right?"
"Wouldn't that be better?"
Roland's true intentions were fully revealed, and he smiled at Irisviel, just like a beast baring its fangs when it sees its prey.
"Is it possible that from the beginning, I was expecting this scene? Compared to the insane Knight King, the Holy Sword Master who protects the world is much easier to handle."
Irisviel's face turned pale. Even though she had always stayed in the castle and didn't care about worldly affairs, she could understand what Roland meant.
She really couldn't understand Roland's motives and purposes. She didn't even know if Roland had another purpose in coming to see Illya.
But Roland did not look at her again. He just came to the corridor. Before he could make any move, the door slowly opened with a teeth-grinding sound.
A small white head popped out from it, looking at Irisviel in confusion, as if it had just woken up, and greeted her in a soft voice.
"Mom, are you back?"
Roland held her hand. Irisviel, who had a conflicted look on her face just now, instantly changed her expression into her usual gentle smile when she heard the voice, and took Roland's hand.
Although they have never been exposed to the outside world, every mother is a born actor.
"Illya, look, who did mom bring home?"
The little girl, who looked like an elf in the snow, raised her head, was stunned for a moment, and two blushes appeared on her face.
Illya burst out with an energy that was totally inconsistent with her age. She jumped up and threw herself into Roland's arms, making a sound that sounded like a dream talk.
"Father——!"