Chapter 27: At the End of Despair: Part Two

『At this rate, Saber will disappear.』

Tōsaka’s words froze me in place.

『W–Why…?』

That was all I could manage to force out.

The cause was clear — there had never been a proper magical pass between us. When Excalibur was unleashed, Sato lost the majority of the magical energy she possessed.

And once that happened, not even the body of King Arthur, with all its immense potential, had any means to escape the death awaiting her.

『Honestly, if Saber hadn’t used her Noble Phantasm, we would’ve been in serious danger too. So for now, I’ll grant her that request she made earlier.』

By some twist of fate — fortunate or not — Tōsaka accepted Sato’s earlier plea and decided to stay at the Emiya residence. But after that, Sato ended up bedridden.

…To calm my restless emotions, I swung my bamboo sword alone. No matter how much sweat I shed, I couldn’t wipe away the fear that Sato might vanish.

By then, more than a week had already passed since the Servant summoning. In that time, we’d spent almost every moment together. Being with her had become the norm.

So when they suddenly told me she might disappear, there was no way I could accept it.

Two more days passed like that. At last, Sato’s condition worsened. With her magical energy almost gone, she let out sounds of pain.

There was a way. If I wanted to keep Sato alive, all I had to do was replenish her magical energy. But that meant—

『Sato…』

I didn’t want her to disappear. With that thought clinging to me, I wandered outside alone.

It was the road Sato and I had walked together countless times. And along it, there was always the same girl.

Sitting on a park bench, face buried in her hands, trembling.

To keep Sato alive, I’d have to make her attack people. But there was no way I could do that…

If I tried, Sato would reject it outright.

『But…』

My gaze dropped to the back of my hand. There was the Command Spell, down to its final stroke.

『If I use this…』

Even if Sato refused, I could force the order on her.

So what if I did? If it meant we wouldn’t have to part, what happened to some stranger didn’t matter…

I shook off that devil’s whisper with all my might.

Biting my lip, I kept my head bowed under the cold winter sky.

『Huh? Shirou, why the long face?』

As always, she appeared. The one asking the question with a faintly dark smile was the Master of Berserker — Illyasviel von Einzbern.

The girl I ran into every time I went shopping was her.

Before I knew it, I found myself speaking to her in fragments about the source of my unease.

『Hmm… I see. So you’re sad because Saber’s going to disappear.』
『…Yeah.』
『Poor Shirou.』

Illya looked at me with genuine pity. She pondered for a moment, then nodded as if making up her mind.

『…Alright. I’ve decided.』
『Illya…?』

Suddenly, she cupped my cheeks in both hands, and my eyes went wide.

And then—

『——!?』

My limbs stopped moving. The more I tried to put strength into them, the more my body locked up.

Staring into Illya’s crimson eyes, I felt my body go numb.

『Don’t worry, Shirou. Even if Saber disappears, I’ll give you plenty of love instead.』

And with that, like a breaker being switched off, my consciousness went dark.

When I next awoke, I was inside a castle deep in the forest on the outskirts — Einzbern’s property.

I still couldn’t move a muscle. Illya had laid me on a bed and chattered about all sorts of things — stories from the past that had nothing to do with the Holy Grail War, her favorite stuffed animals… her topics wandered endlessly.

At first, she spoke cheerfully with a smile, but when I kept my gloomy expression, she seemed displeased and left the room.

I don’t know how many hours passed before the door suddenly opened. Thinking it was Illya, I strained to listen — but what I heard was Sato’s voice.

『…Shi…rou…』

She stood there, worn out, barely able to stand.

Behind her was Tōsaka, who came in and dispelled the bindings and suggestion placed on me.

Once I could move again, I spoke before even thinking to thank them.

『Why the hell did you come all the way here!? You should be in bed!』

Overcome by anger, I shouted without thinking. Sato’s face hardened, and she shot back:

『With you in danger… there’s no way I could just sit around!!』

Hearing her, gasping painfully for breath, my anger faded into sorrow.

She could vanish at any moment — that’s how frail she was now.

『…Please, don’t push yourself.』
『Alright, break it up, you two.』

Tōsaka cut between us.

『You look better than I expected.』

She smiled faintly.

『—Honestly. I told you, Rin, you should’ve left this man. Men like him cause trouble for everyone around them, and in the end, they’re the only ones who survive. This was a perfect chance — if we’d abandoned him, he would’ve died on his own…』
『A–Archer, that’s going too far…』

Sato reproached Archer for his cutting words.

In response, Archer’s face twisted with open contempt as he glared at her.

『Hah. What’s this? You begged on your knees, and now you can’t even stomach this much banter? So it was all for show, huh? Master and Servant both — the height of ingratitude.』
『Stop. That’s enough, Archer. We don’t have time to bicker.』

Though Tōsaka’s voice was firm, Archer’s gaze toward Sato brimmed with loathing.

After that, the four of us attempted to escape the castle.

『W–Wait… this way!?』

In what could only be called audacious, Tōsaka chose the front entrance as our escape route.

We marched straight toward it. But the mistress of this castle wasn’t so kind as to let such a reckless act go unanswered.

『Really now, what a troublesome boy. I was going to protect you, and you try to run away…』

That voice, laced with a chill-inducing bloodlust, brought my feet to a halt.
When I turned, there stood Illya and Berserker.

I flinched back, my face stiffening in dread—only for her to smile faintly.

『Looks like you need a little punishment. Don’t worry. I’ll spare Shirou. I’ll make him my Servant… and keep him for life.』

Her voice carried a blend of murderous intent and delight. At the same time, a glint lit up in Berserker’s eyes.

Faced with the mad warrior taking up a battle stance, Tohsaka grit her teeth hard.

『――――Archer… hold that thing off for a while.』

Without a word, Archer raised the familiar pair of twin blades in both hands.

『Wh-What are you saying, Tohsaka!? There’s no way Archer alone can take that thing on――――』

『Be quiet. We need to get out of here as quickly as possible. Archer will buy us that time…』

The only one to agree with Tohsaka’s judgment was Archer himself.

『A wise decision. If it were just you, Rin, that would be one thing—but with two dead weights, it’s another matter entirely.』

『…Sorry.』

『It’s fine. It’s exactly because you’re that kind of person that I find it worth following you. Go, Rin. Don’t worry. Operating alone is an Archer’s specialty.』

Turning her back to him, Tohsaka broke into a run.
Archer, without so much as glancing back, fixed his glare on Berserker.

『…Well then, finishing you off is going to be a bit of a hassle, Berserker.』

Even with defeat all but certain before him, he wore a fearless grin.
Illya’s expression twisted in irritation.

And then—the battle between the two Heroic Spirits began.

The moment we plunged into the forest, Sato’s legs tangled beneath her and she fell.

『――――Are you alright!?』

Her magical energy shortage had already reached a critical point.

Ignoring her plea to leave her behind, I scooped her up in both arms and kept running.

Over an hour later—Tohsaka suddenly came to a stop.

『…Tohsaka?』

She rolled up the sleeve of her outfit. There was nothing there now, but not long ago, there had been. Most likely, a Command Spell.

『Archer is…』
『You two—can I have a moment?』

When I called out, Tohsaka turned to me, her voice restrained and measured.

『At this rate, Saber will vanish. It’s only a matter of time. Most likely… before we can get out of this forest.』

『N-No way…』

The truth slammed into me, leaving me stunned.

As I stared, eyes wide in shock, Saber spoke to me calmly.

『…That’s how it is, Shirou. Forget about me. You two should run.』

Saying that, she staggered to her feet. Even in her new female body, the weight of her former self’s resolve was in her voice.

『Use the Command Spell. That way, I can at least slow them down a bit. Archer sacrificed himself for us… I have to wager my life too, or it wouldn’t be fair.』

Resolved, Sato reached for her holy sword—only to stumble again, leaning on it like a cane and gasping for breath.

『…Don’t be ridiculous, Saber. In your condition, even using a Command Spell would be like throwing a cup of water on a fire.』

『But we don’t have any other way. If it comes to this… I’ll even target Illyasviel to buy us some time――――』

『That would be pointless. You’d only get a few minutes at most.』

Tohsaka’s voice was sharp, her expression grim.

『Since Archer already sacrificed himself, I’m not letting you die for nothing. If you’re going to die, you’re going to make it count.』

Her gaze shifted toward me.

『We’re going to have you use the last Command Spell. But before that, there’s something we need to do.』

『Something we need to do…?』

『You don’t want to just let Saber die, do you?』

『O-Of course not! If it means letting Saber disappear… I’d rather――――』

Even if it means resorting to the worst methods――――,

『Okay. Then you’ll have to steel yourself. Saber must recover at all costs, and the three of us will face Berserker together.』

『Recover Saber…? Is that even possible!?』

『…N-No way.』

Sato turned pale as if sensing something from Tohsaka’s words.

『I won’t allow refusal. When you begged us to spare Shirou’s life, you said, "I’ll do anything, please save Shirou," right?』

『Ah… Y-Yeah.』

Confused, not knowing what they were talking about, I just stood there.
Eventually, looking uncomfortable, Sato lowered her face and stood beside Tohsaka.

『…Alright. But I don’t know the procedure.』

『Don’t worry. I’ll help you.』

Tohsaka led us to a small ruin. Apparently, Archer had discovered it on the way to the castle.
On the second floor, bathed in moonlight, was a single bed. Rin stepped carefully over rubble and instructed Sato to lie down on it.

『So… how do we help? You said before that to save Saber, someone would have to be attacked…』

『That’s impossible now. This is Illyasviel’s garden. There are no human souls here.』

『Then how…?』

『I explained before, right? The only ways to share magical energy with a Servant are shared magecraft and a few other rare methods.』

『…Come to think of it, the path is open, so you said there was a way besides magecraft?』

Recalling this, Tohsaka oddly blushed.

『Tohsaka, what method?』

『…Within the limits of what I can support, there are two ways. One is rough and might leave Shirou unable to move. Since we can’t afford to lose a single fighter, we’ll choose the other way.』

『What’s that?』

Pressing her, Tohsaka muttered reluctantly:

『Long term, the rough way might be better — transplanting magical circuits into Saber. But now, we must avoid any risk. Shirou needs to use his Command Spell, so we’ll take a method that’s simple, safe, and quick.』

『Is there really such a method? How?』

I raised my voice demanding an answer. Tohsaka’s blush deepened as she spoke:

『…You have to hold her.』

『…Huh?』

I didn’t catch that well.

『I said, hold Saber. Have sex with her.』

『What the hell are you saying?』

『Listen… You and Saber aren’t only spiritually connected. Physically, the path is open too. So there’s no need for complicated magecraft to supply magical energy. In short, you just have to give her vitality.』

『B-But you――――』

『Don’t argue! Sexual synchronization is basic magecraft. And you know that a mage’s semen is a concentrated mass of magical energy, right? Did you know some poor mages sell it to the Association?』

『I don’t care!! The Tachikawa-ryu is a heresy and the Black Goat is just superstition!!』

『Well, the Tachikawa-ryu is an actual secret ritual, and the Black Goat is a legitimate contractor. Seriously, why are you the man refusing? Or do you not want to hold her?』

『I… I――――』

I looked at Sato lying there, breathing hard, and swallowed nervously.

『B-But Sato… Saber is――――』

『…Shirou.』

Sato called my name painfully.

『…Well, we have to accept it as a necessary means to survive. Fortunately, her appearance isn’t bad, right? There’s no time for acting, but her mouth’s closed, so just bear with it.』

The words made me bite my lip sharply. It’s not about bearing it. Sato tries to treat it as just a means, but I――――,

『…But isn’t Saber against it?』

『――――Well, given the situation… I never thought it would be this side though…』

『Huh?』

『No… Actually, I don’t mind. If it were anyone else, I’d rather bite my tongue off than accept it, but since it’s Shirou…』

Those words sounded like Saber might not mind being held by me.

『…Just so you know, it’s not just about ejaculating and being done, okay?』

I’d forgotten someone else was here. That fact hit me suddenly.

Tohsaka, clearly exasperated by our blushing, said:

『Just pouring in semen isn’t enough. You have to raise your consciousness to the same peak together to share sensations.』

『In other words…?』

『You have to climax at the same time.』

We both went completely white at that.

『B-But… I’m a virgin…』

『Me too. Though I never expected to lose my virginity after a virgin, and that we’d be told to climax together — talk about unreasonable demands…』

『Well, I’ll help you with that part too.』

Saying so, Tohsaka sat down on the bed beside Sato――――.

Though there were ups and downs, we managed to replenish Sato’s magical energy.
She stood alone in the clearing, preparing to face Berserker’s approach.
I and Tohsaka hid in the shadows of the trees.

『Sato…』

I watched anxiously as she readied her sword in the clearing.

『Don’t mess up the timing. It’s best to activate the Command Spell right before the fight to maximize its effect. But if it’s delayed and Saber dies before fighting… that’s absolutely unacceptable.』

『I-I get it.』

Several hours passed as the three of us waited solely for Illya and Berserker’s arrival.
But no matter how long we waited, they did not come.

『…Maybe they noticed the ambush and are waiting for the right moment?』

Hours passed more. Even after dawn, Illya didn’t appear.

『…W-What’s going on?』