Chapter 265 - Saber and Iri meet Caster (2)

Saber was losing track of the situation even more and more. Though she was once a king and accepted the genuflection of countless lords and heroes, she had no memory of this man in front of her eyes. This man was not one of her former subjects in Camelot.

First of all, the title of 'holy maiden' is bizarre. When she ruled Britannia as King Arthur, she never exposed the fact that she was actually a woman even at the end.

Irisviel, who came out of the Mercedes, hid behind Saber, who was full of a nervous guard, and silently observed Caster.

"Saber, do you know this person?"

"No, I have no impression of him -"

As if he had heard Saber and Irisviel's murmurs, Caster raised his head and said:

"...Oh, oh, how can you say that, don't you remember me?"

In consequence of his even more exaggerated words, Saber was stunned.

"Whatever you say, this is the first time I've seen you - I don't know where you might have gone wrong, but... Perhaps you came to the wrong person?"

"Oh oh, wuwuwu..."

Caster started sobbing as if he was very sad, and his hands were clawing at his hair. His completely happy expression until now completely changed; his strange, oily complexion was shivering from dismay and dejection like a caricature. Based on this alone, one can see that this is a dangerous man whose emotions change on a whim.

"It is I! I am your ever most loyal servant Gilles de Rais! I have always begged for your resurrection, always waited for the miraculous day when I would meet you again. I came here at the end of time for that purpose, Jeanne! "

When Irisviel heard the man's words, she held her breath.

"Gilles de Rais...?"

This is already the second Servant to declare his true name in front of them. Though its purpose is unknown, the name is certainly the renowned title given to the Caster in the present world.

But for Saber, once her origin became clear, doubt simply hardened into rejection.

"I do not know your name, nor do I know this Jeanne."

Sighing partly in shock after Saber's statement, Caster let out many other noises.

"What... could it be that, you've forgotten who you were in your mortal life!?"

Saber was getting angry at this situation where she couldn't make her point clear, so she glared relentlessly at Caster and said:

"Since you have already declared your true name, then following the decorum of a knight, I will tell you my true name as well. I am Artoria, the legitimate daughter of Uther Pendragon and the king of Britannia."

At a loss for words, Caster looked in white astonishment at this girl in front of him, who puffed out her chest and proudly declared her name. And then -

"Oh! Oh! Oh waaaaa!!!"

Caster began to wail almost shrilly as he unvirtuously hammered his fists against the earth.

"How painful, how tragic this is! Not only did she lose her memories, but even her mind has also become confused altogether... you... you! God, why are you so cruel to this beloved maiden of mine?"

"What are you talking about? To begin with, I don't -"

"Jeanne, I understand why you won't admit it. You, who were originally the most devoted to God and believed in him even more deeply than anyone else, were instead discarded by God. When you were condemned as a witch and executed, God gave you no help or salvation. For you to act in this way is not without any reason."

Saber suddenly had a repulsive feeling completely different from fear. It was as if every single hair on her body was standing on end.

The man in front of her didn't hear Saber's words at all, nor did he want to hear them in the first place. He had come to a conclusion based on his own delusions regarding Saber, and he held no doubt in the face of this conclusion. Under the control of his own train of thought, none of Saber's words could enter Caster's head.

"Wake up, Jeanne! You don't need to be stunned by those like God! You are the holy maiden of Orleans, the savior of France, Jeanne D'Arc!"

"That's enough! This is disgusting!"

Saber shouted, no longer showing confusion or restraint, and openly displayed her indignation towards the kneeling Caster.

"I am Saber, and you are Caster, a Heroic Spirit. We are both Servants fighting for the Grail. The reason we meet here is nothing more or less than that."

"...Saber, there is no point in telling this man anything."

Behind the agitated King of Knights, Irisviel reprimanded him.

As Saber - Artoria - is an incomplete Heroic Spirit, she should not possess the knowledge that surpasses time and space that one obtains upon reaching the throne of Heroes. Therefore, she is unaware of the tale corrupted by madness, the legend of "Bluebeard", Baron Gilles de Rais.

Gilles de Rais rose to the position of general as a savior and hero of France. Still, he turned his back on glory when he indulged in immortality and the l.u.s.t of dark magic. The 'monstre sacré' who eventually slaughtered hundreds of young men... Gilles' descent into madness occurred at about the same time as the brave Jeanne d'Arc's final fate, with whom he fought alongside. Thus, many legends have connected the two. The rooted delusion that the Heroic Spirit called by the Grail, Gilles de Rais, is now seeing, can be nothing but madness. It is impossible to know just how many similarities there would be between Saber Artoria and Jeanne d'Arc, but the two of them must certainly be very similar. No matter what, Gilles - Caster already firmly believes that Saber is the person he always thought of and would not allow any doubt about it.

"Jeanne, please stop referring to yourself as Saber or to me as Caster. Soon we will be free from the bond of these Servant shackles. The Holy Grail War is about to end!"

"Those are just your own illusions."

This time it was Irisviel who replied instead of Saber, who was already too furious to speak.

"Hey, General de Rais, since you said the war is already over, what about the Grail?"

"It's so obvious; the omnipotent Grail, the wish-granting machine, is already in my hands!"

Caster, full of satisfied smiles, said proudly.

"My only wish was for the holy maiden Jeanne d'Arc to be resurrected, and now that wish has come true! Without even the need to compete with anyone, my wish has already come true! The Grail has already chosen me - Gilles - without even fighting at all!"

Ding! A shrill sound reverberated. The asphalt in front of Caster's eyes split perfectly in two. It was Saber's invisible sword. Although Caster couldn't see it, he could feel the aura of the sharp blade right at the tip of his nose.

"If you continue to ridicule the wishes of us Heroic Spirits - I will split you without mercy, Caster." Her words were free of emotion, but Saber's voice itself was as cold as the blade of a sword.

"Come on, stand up. Knights cannot attack someone who is kneeling. If you are a soldier, you can keep your witty arguments and obtain the Grail with your frontal fight. Allow me, Saber, to be your first opponent!"

The furious flame in Caster's eyes disappeared.

His face, which was twisted with emotion, also gradually returned to its calm. Caster raised his head to look at Saber; the formidable will harbored within his gaze did not change in the slightest.

It was a face of silent resolve. He had merely changed his determination into an even firmer belief.

"It seems words will not suffice... Is your heart still sealed, Jeanne?"

Caster's somber voice no longer held the lamentation of just before.

"Then I am very sorry. It seems it's necessary to force therapy on you. Whatever it is - I will definitely have all preparations ready for next time."

The long black cloak abruptly floated backward, creating a great distance between him and Saber. Caster, standing up again, was almost a different person from the one kneeling on the ground sobbing just a moment ago. A great air of majestic command that seemed capable of staining the entire earth red with blood emanated from his person... not only Heroic Spirits, but even tyrants would feel the oppressive tension of that fear.

The man in front of her is certainly not an easy enemy - Saber, who stood in front of Caster, undoubtedly understood this from her instincts.

"I swear to you, Jeanne. The next time we meet, I will definitely... save your soul from God's curse."

"Save your words. Leave if you don't possess the will to face a sword."

At Saber's cold reply, Caster silently removed his material form and disappeared into the night.

Letting out a long sigh, Saber also suppressed her fighting tension. Irisviel collapsed on the bumper of the Mercedes, exhausted.

"Confronting such an absurd opponent... it was rather exhausting."

"Right. Anyway, I'm going to slice him up before he opens his mouth next time - I'm going to puke if someone like him stays another minute."

Although Caster had already disappeared, Saber still said that indignantly.

Unknown to Irisviel, Saber, or even Caster, who first retreated, the entire process of this timely encounter between them had been under the surveillance of pursuers.

In the dense forest connected to the state highway, the pursuers wearing the ghostly skull masks cloaked themselves in the tops of the trees swallowed by the darkness and assessed everything that had just occurred with a watchful eye.

Not only did they melt into shadows; the pursuers who cut off all their traces to evade Saber's senses seemed to be shadows themselves. No one else can accomplish this apart from Assassin. It seems that Assassin, according to the command of the Kotomine Kirei, followed Saber and Irisviel from the warehouses to here.

Assassin, who was initially only ordered to mark Irisviel, the Master of Einzbern, obtained an unexpected prize. The last Servant, who did not show himself in the combat in the warehouse districts, Caster, was finally discovered by Assassin.

Although the scent of Caster, who departed in spiritual form, disappeared quickly, Assassin's keen spiritual senses could still detect it. Right now is the best opportunity to pursue him.

"Of course, that's not a task for you."

Suddenly a voice sounded behind Assassin. A vague outline emerged diffusely from the shadowy forest - it was, unexpectedly, another skull mask.

The second Assassin differed from the previous one only in the shape of the body, while the mask and the black cloak they wore were identical. At the same time, both differed from the Assassin doing the reconnaissance in the warehouse district in build and body shape. Although they are Servants of the same class, they are clearly and unmistakably different individuals.

"How about I put you in charge?"

"Yes. You just follow behind Saber and her Master... By the way, did Master Kirei see the situation here?"

"No, Master Kirei did not share his perception with me."

The Assassin who was initially following Irisviel shook his head. It seems it was another Assassin doing reconnaissance in the warehouse district at that moment.

The second Assassin smacked his lips when he heard her reply.

"Just to be on the safe side, we should still report to Master Kirei about the things that happened here..."

"Entrust that to me."

A third voice followed. No longer anything to be surprised about, another white skull mask appeared in the darkness.

This time, it was a boyish-looking Assassin with a high-pitched voice and short stature. Perhaps no one knows just how many Assassins are gathered here.

The monstrous sound of the Mercedes' engine resounded once again in the night sky and roared off on the state highway. Perhaps Irisviel and Saber will quickly be on their way again.

At the same time the three shadows nodded to each other and also disappeared like a whirlwind into the vast night.