Chapter 13: From now on, I’ll be putting you to good use.

I had a dream. The path of a man who had been elevated to the status of a hero.

There was something off about him. He had a fair amount of power and ambition, yet he used them all the wrong way, and just like that, died without much fanfare.

There’s a short story by Oscar Wilde for children called The Happy Prince. That guy was exactly like the Happy Prince.

He wrung out every last drop of his strength for the sake of others. The only difference was that the Prince had a swallow who understood him. That man had no one.

He used his power only for others, and in the end, after seeing betrayal after betrayal, he was caught in a trap by one of the very people he had saved—and that was how his life ended.

It infuriates me. He tried so hard. He was no genius—just a regular man—but he kept pushing forward, kept grinding, kept bleeding, until he achieved a miracle. And the reward for all that was betrayal and death? That’s just absurd.

That’s usually where the dream ends. But today, for some reason, it kept going.

Apparently, everything I’d seen before was only the surface. I’d been granted a glimpse of the depths.

There were two longswords. They were supposed to be the same sword, yet they were completely different.

If one was light, the other was darkness. In front of those swords, he wore an expression I’d never seen on him before.

Jealousy. Hatred. Selfish desire. Obsession. Emotions that looked completely out of place on his face were written all over it.

What he was doing there was utterly meaningless. He had picked up the sword of light and was training with it endlessly.

But he never once wielded a sword outside of that place. No matter how much he trained until his fingers bled, it meant nothing if he never used it.

I couldn’t understand why he would do something like that.

He spent every moment that wasn’t used saving others on this pointless task.

“Let me say this up front—I can’t use Projection magic. I can’t teach you something I don’t understand myself.”

Before beginning their magecraft training, Rin said that.

“So all I can do is help push along your understanding.”

“Push along my understanding…?”

Rin nodded and handed Shirou a sheet of paper.

“What’s this?”

It was a list—everyday items, machines, clothing, weapons, armor, all written out in a long column.

Seeing Shirou tilt his head, Rin spoke.

“I want you to project everything written on that list.”

“…Huh?”

Shirou hurriedly scanned the characters dancing across the page.

A rough count put it at several hundred entries.

“A-All of this?”

“That’s right. I want you to try projecting even the things you’ve done before, and even the ones you think are impossible. It’s cramped in here, so we’ll move to the dojo.”

Without waiting for a reply, Rin picked up her huge bag and briskly left the room.

Shirou chased after her in a hurry, dizzy from the sheer number of items he had to project.

Once they arrived at the dojo, Rin kicked out Saber and Archer, who were in the middle of training, then started drawing strange symbols all over the place and sprinkling weird powders around.

When Shirou complained about her messing with the place, Rin replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world—

“A disciple must obey their master. A little remodeling of the house is nothing to get worked up about.”

…She actually said that.

Saber and Archer, who had been kicked out, looked baffled.

“Uh, Archer. What exactly is Rin doing…?”

“…From the looks of it, she’s trying to turn the dojo into a temporary workshop. But in a place this drafty, I doubt it’ll be of much use…”

“A workshop? In the dojo? Why…?”

Saber turned her gaze to Shirou.

“She handed me this and told me to project everything on it…”

Shirou showed them the list Rin had given him. Both of their eyes widened in disbelief.

“A-All of that…?”

“…Looks like tonight’s training session is canceled.”

“Y-Yeah, guess so…”

Archer seemed to be heading off to resume his watch and vanished from sight.

Saber was left behind, offering only a wry smile and a quiet, “Good luck.”

“Come on, Shirou! Everything’s ready, so let’s get started!”

“R-Right! Uh, well, Saber… wish me luck…”

“Y-Yeah. Good luck.”

With Saber seeing him off, Shirou took a deep breath.

“A-All right. Let’s do this!”

“Hang in there~”

“W-Wait. Tohsaka-san? Where are you going?”

As Shirou braced himself, Rin walked past him and headed out of the dojo.

“Where else? To bed. Staying up late is terrible for your skin, and I can’t help with anything while you’re projecting all that. Come get me when you’re done.”

“…Right.”

A demon. A demon had spoken. Tears of effort streamed from Shirou’s eyes as he watched Rin walk away.

“…All right. Let’s do this. Starting projection…”

Anyway, he just had to go through them one by one.

Placing a clothespin he had projected on the floor, Shirou began working on the next item.

The list was long…

To avoid interrupting Shirou’s concentration, Saber left the dojo.

“This’ll take a while… Might as well make some rice balls.”

She headed to the kitchen and opened the rice cooker. Inside was freshly steamed, piping hot rice.

The smell alone was enough to make her stomach growl.

“If I remember right, the pickled plums are here…”

She had grown used to the Emiya household kitchen. During her lifetime, she had never cooked for others, so her repertoire was limited—but she was confident she could at least manage a proper rice ball.

No matter how hot it got, she was a Servant. She could handle it barehanded.

“Maybe I’ll bring some to Archer too… Rin’s probably already asleep…”

Commanding Shirou to work through the night while she herself got proper sleep.

What a splendid Spartan instructor.

“Yup, just like that.”

Shaping the rice into triangles, she wrapped them in seaweed.

Placing tea on a tray, she headed back to the dojo.

Inside were already a bunch of projected items—kettles, globes, canteens, clocks, telephones, books.

Why Rin would have him project things like this, Saber couldn’t understand. But Rin was more well-versed in magecraft than anyone. There had to be a reason.

“…Shirou-kun.”

“Hm? Oh, Saber. What’s up?”

“Well, I thought you might be tired, so I brought you some rice balls.”

“Thanks.”

After a moment’s pause, she handed him a towel chilled in the refrigerator. As Shirou wiped the sweat from his brow and let out a refreshed sigh, Saber passed him a cup of tea.

After a brief break, Shirou renewed his focus and returned to his projection work. This time, the item was a kitchen knife.

“All right then, do your best, Shirou-kun.”

“Yeah!”

Quietly leaving the dojo, Saber stopped by the kitchen once more before heading up to the roof.

“Archer.”

At her call, Archer promptly appeared.

“What is it?”

“I made some rice balls for Shirou-kun. Thought I’d bring you some too while I was at it.”

“…Hmph. I don’t like being treated as an afterthought to the kid, but I won’t turn my nose up at food someone made for me.”

Saying that, Archer took one of the rice balls from the tray Saber held.

He popped it into his mouth, then let out a sniff.

“Fifty points… that’s about where I’d place it.”

“T-That’s a bit harsh… I thought they turned out pretty well.”

“You’re too soft, Saber. They’re a little too firm. Rather than forcing them into triangles, you’d get a fluffier result shaping them into rounds.”

For some reason, this turned into a lecture on how to properly form rice balls. Though grumbling all the while, Archer ate every last one, washed it down with tea, and said:

“The trick is to keep your back straight when shaping them. Don’t just use your hands—put your whole body into it.”

“R-Right…”

Saber was slightly taken aback. She felt like she’d just glimpsed a surprising side of his deep passion for cooking.

“…By the way, Saber. Mind if I ask you something?”

“A question? I don’t mind.”

Tilting her head, Saber looked puzzled as Archer hesitantly asked:

“Are you… afraid of dying?”

“…Huh?”

The unexpected question made Saber widen her eyes.

“Ah, no… that’s not quite it. I mean—if you were no longer yourself… how would you feel? If your consciousness were completely overwritten by something else… what then?”

“M-My consciousness replaced entirely…?”

She thought about it—and felt a chill run down her spine. She had no idea why he would suddenly ask something like that, but Archer’s eyes were dead serious.

He clearly wasn’t joking.

“If my consciousness were completely replaced…? Of course I’d be scared. Isn’t that obvious? I mean, that’s basically…”

The same as being dead.

As soon as those words left Saber’s lips, Archer’s expression twisted ever so slightly.

He looked like he was on the verge of tears.

“…So it is scary. You’re afraid of vanishing—of dying—just like anyone else.”

“O-Of course I am. Even if I know I’ll disappear once the Holy Grail War is over… deep down, the truth is, I’m scared out of my mind.”

“……”

Archer’s intent was still unclear, but Saber pressed on.

“Oh, and don’t tell Shirou-kun I said this, okay? If he finds out, he’ll definitely do something reckless again…”

“…Yeah.”

His voice trembled.

“H-Hey, Archer? What’s going on with you? You’re not acting like yourself…”

But as she said that, Saber’s eyes widened.

This wasn’t just unlike him. She suddenly realized—something was deeply wrong with Archer.

And the moment that realization hit, all the strange things about his recent behavior flooded her with clarity.

When they’d encountered Rider at the school, he had let her escape—even though he had a surefire opportunity to defeat her—because he’d prioritized protecting Saber.

When Shirou had been abducted, he said he’d go after him himself—and he actually brought him back.

That wasn’t how Archer acted in the original timeline. In the game, he would never behave like that.

After all, his goal was—to kill Emiya Shirou.

Even this exchange just now had been strange. That almost tearful expression on his face…

“Archer… don’t tell me—you’re—”

Just as Saber tried to voice the question forming in her mind, the mansion’s electricity suddenly cut out. At the same time, a bell rang out through the building.

The bounded field set up around the house had detected an intruder.

“Rin!!”

I follow Archer’s gaze—and there, I see Caster, holding Rin in her arms.

Caster smiles faintly from beneath her robe… then takes off toward Mt. Enzou at terrifying speed.

“You bastard―――!”

Archer immediately bursts into motion.

And in that moment, a wave of dread washes over Saber.

This feeling—I’ve felt it before―――!

“Shirou!!”

With a burst of magical energy, she leaps into the dojo in a single bound.

Inside, she finds Shirou unconscious—and Caster, driving a dagger into him.

“No… then the one before―――”

“Just a decoy. I was torn on which of you to go for, but Archer’s a bit troublesome, so I chose you.”

“Let go of Shirou-kun!!”

Saber raises her invisible sword, fury burning in her eyes. Opposite her, the witch smiles in perfect composure.

“Do you really think you’re in any position to give orders? All it takes is a little twitch of my finger…”

A thin line of red appears across Shirou’s neck.

Saber’s eyes go wide at the sight of the blood.

“S-Stop it!!”

“If you want me to stop, then drop your sword. Now.”

“F-Fine! So just stop hurting Shirou-kun―――!”

“I hate slow people. Hurry up.”

Another cut opens on Shirou’s neck, deeper than the first.

Panicking, Saber drops Excalibur to the floor.

“T-There! Satisfied!?”

“Yes, that’ll do for now. Now then―――”

Caster speaks.

“Become mine, Saber.”

“…What did you say?”

Grinding her teeth in rage, Saber glares at Caster.

“I need power right now. Ideally, I’d keep this boy too… but if you promise to cooperate with me willingly, I’ll spare his life.”

“……You swear you won’t touch Shirou-kun again?”

“I do. I’ve taken quite a liking to him myself. If you agree to become my Servant, I’ll overlook him. But of course, as my Servant, you’ll serve me with your life―――”

“Fine. If it means saving Shirou-kun, I’ll do it.”

“My, how cooperative. I thought you were afraid of dying?”

“……There’s something I fear more. Let go of Shirou-kun.”

“―――I see. He really means that much to you, doesn’t he?”

Saber doesn’t answer. She releases her armor and returns to the worn clothes Shirou had given her.

“Do whatever you want with me. But leave Shirou-kun alone. If you touch him again, I swear―――”

“Yes, I understand. Your Magic Resistance is far too dangerous for a Caster to deal with. If you’re going to obey me willingly, then I won’t do anything unnecessary.”

As soon as Caster murmurs that, Shirou lets out a pained gasp.

“…S-Stop… Sa…ber…”

“Oh my. He’s stronger than I thought. Healing himself already―――”

Caster sounds impressed.

“…Don’t… go… Sa…ber…”

Shirou forces the words out through labored breaths.

Saber shakes her head.

“I’m sorry, Shirou-kun. That promise to survive together… I don’t think I can keep it.”

She speaks with quiet resignation.

“Rin and Archer will protect you. Don’t come after me.”

“Wai…wait… don’t… Sa…ber…”

Saber turns her face away and walks toward the witch.

“Do it, Caster. Keep your word.”

“Of course. Now, accept this, Saber. My Noble Phantasm. A ceremonial key with no killing power. But this key doesn’t open doors or treasure chests—it severs contracts. That is its true nature.”

A warped dagger is thrust into her, and crimson light erupts.

A flood of malignant magical energy engulfs Saber’s body, breaking apart every command spell and binding that once controlled her―――

“…Ah, I see. So that’s what this was.”

Caster murmurs to herself and lets out a faint, amused laugh.

“Sato Hino. It seems you’ve made a very big mistake. But don’t worry—I’ll fix that for you. I’ll reshape you into the proper Saber you were meant to be.”

“How do you… know that name―――?”

“I told you, didn’t I? I’ve been watching this whole time.”

She’d been peering in, all along, into the time Shirou and Saber spent together.

Saber trembles with fury, but swallows it—for Shirou’s sake.

“Our deal. Shirou-kun’s safety―――”

“Yes. I’ll keep my word, Saber.”

With that, Caster pulls her hand away from Shirou.

“Now, come with me, Saber.”

“Wai…wait… don’t… go…”

To the groaning Shirou, Caster offers a thin, mocking smile.

“Give it up. Your precious Saber is mine now. And I’ll make very good use of her from here on.”