Chapter 14: ――――With this, my victory is assured

"――――Wait, Saber!!"

Stretching out his arm, Emiya Shirou jolted awake. His outstretched hand cut through empty air, and he relaxed as he confirmed his surroundings.

He was under a warm blanket. In other words, it had been a dream. There had been no attack last night. Saber was still by his side, just as always.

I need to get up… Let’s go with miso soup and grilled fish for breakfast… I’ve come to realize lately that Saber tends to like strong flavors.

He wobbled to his feet, left his room, and walked down the hallway.

"Saber. I’ll be the one cooking today."

She might be in the dojo, training with Archer, but he said it anyway, just in case.

When he entered the living room, he found Rin there.

"Oh, Tohsaka. I’m about to make breakfast. Can you go get Saber?"

"…Shirou."

For some reason, Rin had a grim expression on her face.

As he moved toward the kitchen in confusion, she stopped him.

"Saber’s not here."

He couldn’t grasp the meaning of her words.

"…Did she go shopping or something? But we restocked the fridge yesterday… A walk, maybe? That’d be good. Saber should really get a chance to enjoy this world—"

"That’s not it. Saber was taken. Don’t you remember? What happened last night…"

"…W-what are you saying, Tohsaka? That was just a dream, right?"

"Pull yourself together. What happened last night wasn’t a dream. Are you still that out of it?"

Rin’s face was filled with fury. Shirou shook his head.

"Cut it out. That’s not funny… Saber, she’s—"

"Face reality. Saber surrendered to Caster’s forces to protect you. You’re the one who said so, remember? After all that rampaging, after making things so difficult for us, are you really trying to give me even more trouble?"

"…That’s not true."

Images from the night before flashed through Shirou’s mind.

Caster appearing. Himself being taken hostage. Saber offering herself in exchange.

"It’s not true…"

He’d sworn to protect her. He’d promised himself he’d grow strong enough to never let her suffer or cry again…

"Saber… No… because I—"

"…Just so you know, it’s not because you were weak that you couldn’t protect her. A mere human has no reason to think they can stand up to Heroic Spirits. So there’s no need to blame yourself more than necessary."

"But it was my job to protect her!! I summoned her, and that’s what got her dragged into this whole battle!!"

Saber originally had no connection to this conflict. But he’d summoned her—and that had forced her to fight.

"If I’d just stayed quiet and let Lancer kill me, Saber wouldn’t have had to come into this world at all!!"

"…What did you just say?"

Rin frowned in irritation at Shirou’s desperate outburst.

"Saber gave herself up to protect you. And now you—of all people—say that?"

"But if I hadn’t been here—"

"…Be quiet."

A low, restrained voice. Shirou was taken aback by the deep anger in Rin’s eyes.

"――――That life someone saved for you…"

Rin stood and turned on her heel.

"T-Tohsaka…?"

"Because of my contract with Saber, I won’t abandon you. But from now on, I’ll be limiting your movements. I won’t allow you to act on your own, so get used to the idea."

With an icy glare, Rin told him:

"…We’re leaving in an hour. Be ready."

"Leaving…? Where are we going?"

"The barrier here is already broken. So we’ll be using the Tohsaka estate as our base from now on. I’ll inform Fuji-Nee and Sakura. Just pack a few days’ worth of clothes and necessities, and be at the front door in an hour."

With that, Rin walked off.

Left behind, Shirou glanced toward the spot where Saber always sat.

Suddenly, a wave of loneliness washed over him, and it made him angry at himself.

"…I’m going to save Saber. No matter what—"

"Don’t."

It had been meant as a monologue, but someone answered, making Shirou jump.

"A-Archer!?"

"…Stop thinking foolish things and follow Rin’s instructions."

Archer was standing on the veranda.

"You’re not even a Master anymore. If you make a wrong move, you’ll just become a greater burden to Rin."

"…I know that. But still, I—"

"You don’t know anything. To Rin, you’re just dead weight. The only reason that contract worked was because Saber could be counted as a Servant, usable twice with a Command Spell."

Archer spoke with a mocking tone.

"Honestly, Rin is far too soft. Now that Saber’s in enemy hands, there’s no benefit in staying involved with Emiya Shirou. She should’ve abandoned you the moment she had the chance…"

Shirou had no words to refute him.

The only reason Rin had ever helped Shirou was because Saber offered her power to aid Rin. That promise of support was what formed the foundation of their alliance.

With Saber gone, there was no reason for Rin to continue that alliance.

He had no right to complain even if she left him behind.

"Whatever you do, don’t act on your own."

With that, Archer vanished.

"――――Damn it."

Shirou slammed his fist onto the table, twisting his face in frustration.

"…Damn it all…"

Tears streamed down his cheeks and fell to the floor.

Later, clutching a change of clothes and a few personal belongings, he waited at the front door. Rin arrived.

"…Let’s go."

"Yeah…"

As he followed behind her, memories of walking through town with Saber over the past few days came to mind.

Strolling through the shopping district, meeting Illya, the three of them spending time together. It had become a daily routine.

He had planned to take Saber to a proper restaurant to make up for the awful meal at Taizan.

There were so many places he’d wanted to take her, to help her fall in love with this world.

"…Saber."

They passed near the park where they always met Illya. She wasn’t there today.

The days when the three of them ate dinner together at the Emiya residence already felt like distant memories.

They climbed the slope, and the Tohsaka estate came into view. Even among the fancy homes in the neighborhood, it stood out as particularly grand.

At the entrance, Rin had Shirou wait. She verbally explained the procedure to open the door and entered. Shirou followed behind.

A girl from his class. The most beautiful girl in school. Someone Shirou had always admired. And yet, even after stepping into her home, his mind was elsewhere.

All he could think about was Saber…

"For now, you’ll be using this room, Shirou. It’s one of the rooms with fewer strange enchantments, but don’t touch the wall or the wardrobe, alright?"

"A-All right."

Leaving behind her ominous words, Rin went to her room to drop off her things.

The room assigned to Shirou was a Western-style room fitting the house’s appearance. A large bed, a wardrobe, and a vanity stood inside.

It somehow felt like a room meant for a woman.

He set down his belongings and collapsed onto the bed.

"Saber…"

What was she being made to do under Caster? Could she be forced to kill people…?

No, it wasn’t just a possibility. Maybe not right away, but eventually, Saber would definitely be made to kill. Whether it was other Servants or humans, he didn’t know. But Caster wanted Saber as a combat asset. That meant Saber would be deployed as a weapon—and she’d end up taking lives.

Saber had once trembled in fear, tears in her eyes, at the thought of killing.

When she dropped her sword and was about to be killed by Rider, the look of relief on her face had been unmistakable.

"Damn it…"

Saber feared killing more than she feared dying herself.

And yet she was being forced to do exactly that.

"All because I ended up as a hostage…"

What a pathetic story.

He tried to protect her, was protected by her, and still failed to protect her in the end.

All his training in magecraft, all his sword practice—it had meant nothing.

"Saber…"

Time passed slowly after that.

As the sun began to set, Rin’s voice called out from the hallway.

"――――Shirou. Can you come here for a moment?"

He got off the bed, stepped into the hallway, and after walking a short distance, found a single door left open.

"Tohsaka?"

Peeking into the room, he saw Rin sitting on a sofa.

"Sit down. We need to talk about what’s next."

"A-All right."

As he moved to sit down, something familiar caught his eye.

"Ah…"

It was a red jewel.

"This is…"

"What is it?"

Shirou had one just like it. As he wondered why it was here, memories from a few days ago surged back to him.

A dark school hallway. Himself, covered in blood. A red jewel lying nearby.

He remembered someone saving him—but hadn’t known who it was. If he’d just thought about it a bit more, he would’ve figured it out. He was just shocked at his own cluelessness.

"…I see. You were the one who saved me, weren’t you, Tohsaka?"

"Huh?"

Rin widened her eyes as Shirou took the jewel he’d kept like a charm from his pocket and held it out to her.

"I’m returning this. It’s yours too, right? I should’ve thanked you sooner—thank you."

"…Huh?"

Rin’s eyes grew even wider as she looked at the jewel Shirou handed her.

"T-This is…"

She looked between the two identical jewels, stunned.

Her expression turned strange, as if she’d seen a ghost, and then a moment later, a tinge of sadness crossed her face. She looked down and muttered, "I see… So that’s how it is, after all."

"Tohsaka…?"

"No, sorry. I just got a little sentimental. Honestly, you guys are just so…"

With a deep sigh, Rin continued.

"Anyway, about what happens now――――"

She said,

"From here on, it’s a race against time. We’ll prioritize defeating Caster and taking Saber back."

"…………Huh?"

Shirou blinked at the unexpected statement.

"What’s with that dumb look? Isn’t it obvious? Even now, Caster is draining life energy from people across the city. As the guardian of Fuyuki, I can’t just ignore that. And if you think about it, if Saber fully becomes Caster’s pawn, we won’t be able to stop her."

"You mean if Saber becomes Caster’s pawn… isn’t that already—"

"Idiot. Saber’s useless in her current state. With the way she is inside, there’s no way she can be used as an effective servant right away."

"Oh…"

That was true. As things stood, unless Command Spells were used, Saber wasn’t much stronger than Shirou himself and couldn’t even unleash her Noble Phantasm.

That was exactly why the two of them had been working so hard to grow stronger together…

"Since we’re dealing with Caster, I’m sure she’ll figure something out eventually, but it’s not like it can happen overnight. That’s why we’re going to attack her base before she can make Saber fully functional."

"…If we do that, can we save Saber?"

"I can’t make any promises, but there’s a chance we can take her back. If we just defeat Caster, Saber will be freed. After that, we can form a new contract with her――――"

"We can take Saber back…"

Rin grinned.

"Saber’s incompetence is the real deal. And if Caster tries to fix that with magic, her anti-magic resistance will just get in the way. Before she solves all those issues, we’ll strike."

"Tohsaka! Is there anything I can do!? Just say it—if there’s anything I can do, I’ll do it!!"

Shirou stepped forward desperately. Rin replied,

"There’s nothing."

"…What?"

Her cold response left Shirou speechless.

"You, as you are now, would only be a burden. So stay put right here. The only thing you can do is not get in my way."

"...B-But..."

"If you do something unnecessary, we won’t be able to save Saber. If you really want to get her back, then stay quiet and don’t move."

Shirou was at a loss for words in response to Rin’s declaration.

"Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to bring back your precious Saber. And once I do, I’ll work her like a horse as my arms and legs, so you better look forward to it."

"...Y-Yeah..."

Saber was going to come back. That should’ve been a joyful thought, and yet the fact that there was nothing he could do to help shook Shirou deeply. He didn’t even understand why. All he knew was that an unpleasant feeling was twisting in his chest.

"Once the sun has fully set, Archer and I will go on the offensive. In the meantime, I want you to lock yourself in the old man’s archive. That place is practically like another dimension—no matter how skilled a Caster-class Servant may be, it won’t be easy to touch you in there."

"Got it..."

Seeing how deflated Shirou looked, Rin let out a sigh.

"When Saber comes back and sees you making a pathetic face like that, it’s going to ruin her mood, you know? Get it together."

"Yeah... Thanks, Tohsaka. Really..."

"Save your thanks for after we get Saber back. Just relax—we’ve got this—"

It was then that Rin’s eyes widened, and Archer appeared.

"It seems Caster has no intention of staying holed up."

"...So it seems."

Rin broke into a run, and Shirou rushed after her in a panic.

They reached the entrance. The moment Rin opened the door, what leapt into view was Caster—who had apparently come alone.

"...I didn’t expect you to come alone."

Rin spoke with a provocative glare.

"My, my, you’ve got quite the spirit, little lady. But you really should choose your opponents more carefully before acting so cocky."

"Too bad for you. I do choose them."

Their eyes locked and clashed mid-air.

"I may have been caught off guard yesterday, but today won’t go the same way. You’ll regret showing up here on your own."

"...How amusing. I don’t dislike reckless brats like you. But aren’t you getting a bit too full of yourself?"

"If you need a hostage just to deal with a pair of rookies, then you’re no enemy of mine."

The air froze. The killing intent radiating from the two warped the atmosphere itself.

"...The one I came for is Archer, though."

Caster raised one arm. In that instant, a blast of light shot out, and Archer instantly pulled out his twin swords to deflect it.

"Looks like someone needs to be punished, little girl."

"Too bad for you. You’re the one who’s going to be punished."

Rin’s eyes slid from Caster to Archer’s back.

"Take her down, Archer!! Don’t even think about saying you can’t!!"

"Of course not. I’ll take some mana, Rin!!"

"Sure—take as much as you want!!"

With intense bloodlust, Archer stepped forward.

"Resistance is meaningless."

With a casual wave of her hand, Caster made the ground writhe. Countless headless skeletons emerged.

"This is... I see. Humanoid constructs using dragon teeth as vessels."

"To see through it at a glance—impressive, Archer."

Caster’s voice was cold, in stark contrast to the fiery hostility she projected.

"...This is the magic of the King of Colchis, isn’t it? That would make you—"

"Yes, just as you guessed. But even if you know my true name, it won’t help you. Unlike last time, I’ve come prepared with countermeasures to neutralize you. You seem to be a bit too clever for your own good, so I’ll thoroughly break you in and make you my obedient little slave, Archer."

Caster gave a chilling smile. Archer answered with a scornful laugh.

"Unfortunately for you, I’m not into that sort of thing. I let you go last time thinking you might be useful against that, but if you’re going to bare your fangs again, then I have no reason to hold back. Fall here, Caster."

Archer stepped forward.

"I am the bone of my sword."

A voice, like a ringing in the ears, echoed. Above Archer, countless swords floated.

Who was it that gasped in awe? Each and every one of those swords was a Noble Phantasm.

Clad in immense magical energy, they bared their fangs at the headless skeletons.

"Unknown to death. Nor known to life."

Caster was the first to recognize the anomaly.

"...No way, this is—"

Was this a chant—or more like a poem, proclaiming the nature of one’s existence?

It was a great incantation, reaching out to the world itself.

"If that’s how it is—"

Caster clicked her tongue and raised one hand.

"So as I pray—"

Just as Archer’s chant reached its end, it appeared.

Archer’s arm flew off. It wasn’t due to carelessness. It was simply because the one who did it was—far too significant to him.

"...Saber?"

Shirou was visibly shaken by the scene before his eyes.

"I told you, didn’t I? Resistance is meaningless... After all, we hold the strongest card—"

As Caster spoke, Saber emerged from the void and pointed her blade at the retreating Archer. Her presence was clearly different from usual—far more imposing.

"You... What have you done to Saber?"

Archer gripped Kanshou with his remaining arm, stepping in front of Rin to shield her.

In response to Archer’s question, brimming with killing intent, Caster replied as if reciting poetry:

"I’ve let her dream. A sweet dream, one so meltingly pleasant. No matter how cute the exterior, a man with a pitifully soft core is a total turn-off. When she wakes up, Saber will be completely molded to my liking."

"Y-You bastard!!"

Shirou tried to leap forward, but Rin held him back.

"Idiot! If you jump in now, Saber will kill you!"

"B-But still—!"

"Just stay still!"

Rin glared at Caster.

"You certainly like to talk big, little girl. But the game's already over. Do you seriously think Archer stands a chance against Saber, now that he’s lost an arm and she’s operating at her full potential?"

Rin bit her lip. Saber’s face was expressionless. Her eyes were vacant, devoid of will.

No matter what Shirou shouted, she didn’t even twitch an eyebrow.

"This is the end, Archer. Surrender yourself to me."

Caster’s declaration of victory made Archer clench his teeth as he stared at Saber.

Eventually, he lowered his gaze, as though resigned to his fate.

"...Spare these two. That’s my condition. Otherwise, even if this body is shattered, I will end your life, without fail."

"You’re both so brave, master and servant. But fine. Without a Servant, a Master can’t do much anyway. I accept your condition. Now, accept my Noble Phantasm, Archer."

Caster raised a twisted, grotesque dagger, and Archer closed his eyes. Speaking over his shoulder to Rin, he said:

"...Forgive me, Rin. You two must leave this city."

"A-Archer..."

Rin stared blankly at Archer, stunned by his surrender.

"Y-You..."

They could do nothing. Saber had been completely turned into the enemy’s pawn. And now Archer too was about to fall under Caster’s control.

A total defeat. That reality left both Rin and Shirou utterly crushed.

"――――All the Command Spells that must be broken."

Caster’s Noble Phantasm burst into a crimson flash. A deep red sigil etched itself onto her hand.

"...With this, my pawns are complete. The irregulars are eliminated, and I’m ready to claim the Holy Grail."

Caster laughed triumphantly.

"――――With this, my victory is assured."