Chapter 23: Day 7 ①

The brown, powerful arm is swung. The axe-sword approaches me with horrifying speed.

I meet it head-on, using my magical energy as an explosive catalyst.

Even though I'm drawing out an immense amount of magical energy to intercept—more than enough—not only can I not gain the upper hand, but the hand gripping my sword is starting to go numb.

Even now, fighting against heroes of the past, I've rarely been defeated in a simple skirmish. Yet here I am, being pushed back by the opponent's overwhelming power.

And yet, if you were to ask if their movements are slow, the answer is no. That power is ill-suited to such a massive frame, and the footwork doesn't match the giant size. The Berserker before me... I would struggle against them even if I were fighting at my absolute peak.

If possible, I wish to fight as a fully prepared knight.

However, I cannot retreat here.

I am my Master's sword. As a Servant, I must lead my Master to the Holy Grail, no matter what.

The axe-sword is swung again. There is no technique, no martial training. Yet, it is undeniably a fatal blow.

With that power, if received squarely, even a Servant, let alone a human, would be utterly shattered in a single strike.

I channel and compress magical energy into my arm, counter-striking the sword. I manage to deflect its trajectory, but I am defeated in the clash. My body is thrown backward. Both my hands are tingling.

I return my sword, trying to overcome the axe-sword in my vision. The enemy's momentum does not fade.

Naturally, my own sword, delivered from a compromised position, cannot possibly surpass the opponent’s.

The shock of the exchange reopens the wound on my chest. A curse that delays even a Servant's regenerative abilities. That is what accelerates this desperate struggle.

With every sword clash, the battle situation worsens. Continuously taking overwhelming blows, my feet sink into the earth.

"No... Run! Saber!!"

I hear my Master's voice. Immediately after, a flash of light cuts across me horizontally.

Unable to absorb the impact, I fall to the ground. A scorching heat emanates from my abdomen.

Blackout. My consciousness drifts away from my hands.

(Ngh!!)

Saber rises unconsciously.

The aftershock of standing causes pain in my abdomen and chest, making me groan internally.

I was sharing Saber's senses.

I try to struggle, to protect Saber, the owner of the viewpoint, but my body won't move an inch.

The scene flows like a video being shown to me, and my body moves on its own.

Saber's thoughts flow into me, until I can no longer distinguish whether they are mine or Saber's.

Furthermore, the magical energy flowing through my body, the burden I bear, the tension, the pain sensation—even though I can't move myself, everything feels as if it is happening to me. To call this 'realistic' is an understatement.

...Yes, right now, I was experiencing Saber's past within a dream.

This sensory dream started yesterday.

The dream began with the battle against Lancer.

Parrying the spear that approached with a magical energy-enhanced strike, and deftly avoiding the attacks with excellent body movement.

And then, "Gáe Bolg: Barbed Spear That Pierces with Death."

A chill assaults my chest. Saber instantly substitutes her body in mid-air. Lancer leaves, astonished that Saber missed.

Contrary to my expectations, the events proceed exactly as in the memory.

Saber abruptly ends her conversation with 'me', walks out the gate, and then, after cutting down Archer, who was wielding dual swords, I woke up.

...Unlike my experience, that Archer was indeed defenseless.

I only recalled this immediately after the current dream began.

This is clearly not my memory.

I have no way of knowing the details of the situation when Archer was cut down, as I wasn't there.

I have no way of knowing Saber's thoughts, and it's impossible for those thoughts to appear in my dream.

"Fine, Berserker. She'll regenerate, so be sure to cut off her head before you violate her."

Berserker closes in. Shame on me, I seem to have lost consciousness for a moment.

I somehow grip my sword again. However, my magical energy is occupied with body repair and cannot be drawn upon.

The sword, too crude to be called a blade, swings horizontally. Its target is my neck.

"Y-You...!!"

"Someone" stands between the mad warrior and me.

A spray of crimson blood splashes onto my face with a sickening sound. "Someone" slowly collapses.

...Why are you here, and why is your abdomen "gone"?

"Gah—ha! —huh?"

Shirou... why is my Master protecting me, a Servant?

—I don't understand.

"I see. How foolish."

After saying that, Shirou vomited blood. Seeing this, the pale-faced girl said something, and returned with the massive figure.

Is Shirou, is my Master alright?!

Stumbling, I move towards Shirou's side. Rin was also running towards us.

When I reach him, Shirou's lying eyelids slowly close. The eyes I saw before they closed were gradually beginning to cloud over. The ground around Shirou was splashed with a dark red, like an opening flower.

This is too cruel...

His abdomen is completely missing, and his insides are scattered around. With this much organ destruction, wouldn't it be impossible for even a famous Magus to repair it?

(Can he really recover from a wound like this...?)

The 'me' in front of me has lost a significant portion of his abdomen; his upper and lower body are nearly separated.

As long as I'm like this, his life shouldn't be extinguished here. However, looking at this situation, it's clear.

No matter how much Sorcery is used, 'it would be strange if he survived.'

"Rin! Can you heal Shirou!?"

"—Impossible. Not with this severity... I'll try a healing spell just in case, but don't get your hopes up..."

"Please do."

Rin begins her incantation, and her left arm glows faintly. Magical energy is given direction and pours into Shirou.

"—Anfang. Wiederherstellung des..."

The faint light of magical energy gathers at the wound.

(What is that? Does what I see from the wound... look like steel?)

Something is gleaming dully, hidden within the wound.

It certainly gives off the luster of metal.

The wound heals with an indescribable movement. If this continues, Shirou might be saved!

(Can't Saber see it...?)

I should be sharing her sight, yet her thoughts contain no mention of metal whatsoever.

After a while, Rin's chanting stops. Feeling puzzled, I ask her.

"Rin, what's wrong? You must heal him quickly..."

"What is this?"

"What, are you..."

I look at the destination of Rin's gaze—Shirou's wound. Her chanting has already stopped. Yet, the wound is moving on its own, connecting to the other parts.

Did he, by any chance, cast a resurrection spell on himself? However, he said he couldn't perform wound treatments. What exactly is happening to Shirou...?

(Ah!)

My connection to Saber's senses is being severed.

The dream must be ending.

“Rin... was that a... healing spell...?”

“No, I... couldn’t...”

—I wake up. I glance at the clock; it's just past four in the morning.

Huh? I thought I was having a dream, but...

I desperately try to excavate the fragments of memory remaining in my head, but they blur just as I'm about to grasp them. It's like trying to hold sand scooped up in both hands, only for it to slip between my fingers. As time passes, it fades and is gradually lost.

...It's no use. Something is nagging at me, but I can't figure out what.

Shaking my still unclear head, I head to the washroom to wash my face.

When I open the washroom door, someone is already there.

"Rin?"

"...Ah, Alto?"

Rin must have been washing her face. A few strands of her hair are wet and sticking to her face, perhaps from splashing water during the wash. Of course, her hair isn't tied up.

"What are you doing up? It's unusual for you to be awake at this hour, Rin."

Among the four of us, Rin is the one who wakes up the latest. Well, it's still plenty of time to head to school, though.

"Hmm, I think I had a dream, but I can't remember it. I was going to try to go back to sleep, but I don't feel refreshed."

"Is that so? Actually, I think I also had a dream, but I can't recall it..."

Rin muses, her eyes half-closed.

"—Hmm, Servants aren't supposed to dream, they say. Ah, but since the Master-Servant line is connected, it's possible for us to share dreams. Maybe we were seeing the same one."

I see. Did I share Rin's dream? ...Hmm, but somehow I feel like it was different. I'm not confident since I'm not someone who usually dreams.

"That might be true. It's possible."

"Well, if we can't remember it, there's no way to confirm. Oh, are you going to wash your face too, Alto?"

"Yes, that was my intention."

"In that case, I feel refreshed after washing my face, so I'm going back to bed."

"I understand. Good night, Rin."

"Yes, good night. Oh, I'm going to school today to dispel the Barrier. Please be ready to move at any time."

"Yes. Understood."

With only that, Rin turned her steps towards the annex. Despite saying she felt refreshed, she glided away like a specter, leaving no trace of her presence.

It seems odd to go back to sleep now, and since it's not my turn for breakfast, I can't spend time cooking. I really wish I could do it, but since the rotation is set, I can't ignore it.

Perhaps I should follow Lia's example and focus my mind in the dojo.

Thinking such thoughts, I wash my face with cold water.

The cold water of the February morning, still too early to be called spring, cleared my head more completely than anything else could. By the time I finished washing, the nagging feeling of the dream had been completely forgotten.