Chapter 7: Day 3 ③

"Eh?"

Unconsciously, a sound escaped my lips.

More than anything else, I couldn't believe that I was currently standing here, having escaped that desperate situation without a single scratch.

"---Could it really have been the seventh person!?"

A figure leapt out of the light and appeared before me. As soon as it appeared, it struck down the spear that was bearing down on me, and then, in turn, swung something down toward the blue-clothed man.

The man somehow managed to parry it with the spear clenched in both his hands, even as he cried out in desperation. However, unable to fully negate the extraordinary impact, he was knocked back outside the earthen storehouse.

Although this was visible, it didn't register in my mind. I kept staring, as if captivated, at the person who had suddenly appeared before me.

A small figure from the back, almost delicate. The hair was tied up—glossy, golden threads. They wore a spotless blue outfit, over which they were clad in shining silver armor.

As I looked up, still seated and frozen in surprise, the person turned toward me.

It was a very beautiful girl. Was she younger than me? Yet, her dignified presence had the aura of a king.

Clad in armor and holding something unseen, she was filled with fighting spirit. The word 'Knight' was perfectly suited to her.

"---"

Was my mind blank from the sudden situation, or was I simply mesmerized by the girl in front of me?

I didn't know, but words wouldn't come out, as if I had forgotten how to speak.

"---I ask. Are you my Master?"

"Mas...ter?"

I foolishly echoed her question, which was spoken like a ritual. I was gazing at her, my mind stopped, without the composure to even form a question.

"Servant Saber, I have arrived in answer to the summons. Master, your orders."

The moment I heard those words, my left hand shot out with intense pain. A heat like a brand ran across the back of my hand. I suppressed the cry that was about to escape my lips and pressed the back of my left hand with my right.

"From this point, my sword is with you, and your destiny is with me. ---The contract is hereby complete."

"Contract... what kind of---?"

She didn't even react to my voice, instead looking outside, turning quickly, and sprinting out of the storehouse.

...No way! Is she planning to fight that man!?

I had been sitting down, unable to keep up with the rapid turn of events, but the thought made me stumble to my feet and chase after the girl.

I couldn't imagine such a small girl could possibly stand a chance against that man. I thought I had understood the extent of that threat from our brief exchange.

"St-stop...?"

The word I began to say faded in my mouth, incomplete.

And for good reason. Because what was unfolding was the exact opposite of what I had feared. Before my eyes, the girl was somehow overwhelming the blue-clothed man.

The sound of clashing swords echoed in the dark sky.

The girl was simply deflecting the countless red thrusts that floated in the darkness.

The crimson spear and 'something' sent sparks flying, brightly illuminating the midnight garden.

The man was forced to retreat momentarily due to the sudden attack, and the girl pressed on, her sword raised.

"Why are you here!? You... weren't you that other girl's Servant!?"

"What nonsense are you speaking!"

The man misjudged or failed to parry an attack delivered with the girl's raised voice.

His spear was violently knocked up, but he used the recoil to check her with the butt of the spear aimed at the girl, closing the gap and narrowly avoiding disaster.

"Tch! I thought this earlier, but don't you think an invisible weapon is cowardly!!"

"---"

The girl seemed to have stopped talking. I couldn't understand the content of their conversation, but it was obvious that they weren't making any sense to each other.

A blow from the girl tore up the ground, and a particularly loud noise resonated in the garden.

The man narrowly escaped into the air and landed on the opposite side of the garden. He stood still there, his spear lowered, showing no signs of attacking.

"---What's wrong, Lancer? Standing still will dishonor a spearman's name. If you won't come, I will."

"Oh, you're quite proactive this time. Speaking of which, what's with that? I thought the red one from earlier was pretty good too."

The man smiled wryly as he spoke. Although his words were probably a joke, the intensity in his eyes did not lessen.

"What are you talking about, you fiend?"

"What do you mean? You and I have already fought, haven't we? I know your skill now, so just let me fight that guy's Servant."

The man pointed... at me? Attention briefly focused on me, but I was still unable to grasp the situation and could only look confused.

Why is that? And what the hell is a Servant?

I tried desperately to think, but it was impossible without even the minimum required information.

"What are you saying? That person is my Master."

"Hey now, then whose Master do you intend to say that girl from earlier was? I saw the Command Spell on her arm. She's definitely a Master, at least."

"I don't understand what you are talking about, as I've been saying just now."

The man's tone suggested he knew the girl, but her words also seemed honest. Perhaps because she sensed the opponent was serious, the girl, who called herself Saber, also couldn't hide her confusion.

The man froze, maintaining his stance. He seemed to be pondering something that was bothering him. After a moment, he seemed to have settled on a conclusion, or found a compromise.

"......Well, whatever. Since your weapon is a sword, it's probably true that you're a Saber."

"How did you see through this invisible sword?"

"I figured it out during the last fight. Didn't I tell you?"

"---Tch! Well done, Spearman."

The girl was unable to hide her astonishment, and the man tilted his head slightly at her reaction.

The two people in front of me continued to talk past each other. I could tell there was some kind of misunderstanding, but since I didn't know the circumstances, I couldn't correct it. They were both talking in deadly earnest, but the atmosphere felt strangely relaxed.

"So, are you planning to withdraw now?"

The man called Lancer slightly lowered the tip of his spear. Suddenly, the air grew taut.

---That stance! What he's about to unleash must be the ultimate blow, the one that should have settled the fight I saw on the school grounds.

"I refuse. You will fall here, Lancer."

"Too bad. I don't have a Master, and your Master isn't doing anything. I would've liked to fight at full strength if possible."

Mana swirled around Lancer. He was drawing in the surrounding magical energy to replenish his own.

The girl showed clear caution at his stance, but her expression completely changed when the man began to concentrate the mana.

"A Noble Phantasm---!"

"...I'll be taking that heart---!"

Lancer charged from his low stance, even further towards the ground. The mana overflowing from his spear stretched out red, like a tail.

Of course, the girl called Saber met the attack. Against the low stance, she attacked from the highest position.

She tried to leap over Lancer and strike, but---

"『Thrusting Death Thorn---"

The moment the words were spoken, the spear rapidly became imbued with mana, and---

"---Gae Bolg!』"

It approached the girl's chest on an impossible trajectory.

---It was certainly worthy of the name 'Certain Kill'.

Just before that anomaly, the girl called Saber seemed to sense something and shifted her body in mid-air. The approaching spear should have been avoided by forcibly shifting her body.

But as if even that was within his expectation, the spear curved its trajectory to follow the girl's evasive move. The inexplicable movement of the spear chased her chest and pierced it.

The impact caused the girl to lose control of her body and be thrown into the air. ...But she somehow recovered and seemed to land.

"The reversal of causality---!!"

It happened in an instant. Yet, the action bent the very laws of this world.

It strikes as it must strike. Suffering the mystery that had occurred in her body, the girl cried out in pain.

"---You avoided it, Saber. My ultimate strike, Gae Bolg."

"Tch...! Gae Bolg... Are you the Child of Light from Ireland!"

"...Being famous is a real problem. I have to make sure it's a one-hit kill when I use it."

Finally, Lancer clicked his tongue and retracted his spear. Then, he leaped towards the back—to the corner of the garden.

Ignoring the fact that he had wounded her, Lancer stood on the wall and turned his back.

"My Master told me to return. Sorry, but that's all for now."

"Are you running away, Lancer!"

"Naw. You can chase me if you like. But---"

At that, Lancer turned his head slightly to look at the girl over his shoulder.

Following his gaze, I saw the girl called Saber clutching her chest, looking pained.

"Come at me with a resolve to die."

He grinned and turned back toward Ryuudou Temple, then leaped over the wall and vanished into the darkness. I could only stare after him.

"Ugh!"

The girl collapsed to her knees after Lancer was completely out of sight.

I rushed over... Seeing her up close, she was truly beautiful. Wait, no. That's not the point.

Is there anything I can do for her, wounded as she is? What should I do? What kind of treatment is needed for a chest that has been pierced by a spear?

It's definitely not a minor injury that can be treated with a first-aid kit. In that case, it's beyond my ability to handle.

My thoughts were racing in circles, and as a result, I stood there in a daze, just watching, when the girl stood up and raised her face.

"---Huh?"

Is the wound healing...? No, that's right. I was relieved because she protected me, but this girl is still an unknown entity.

"Um, you're Saber, right?"

I asked cautiously. No matter what I asked, I needed to confirm her name first.

While speaking to her, I checked her entire body, and she didn't seem to have any injuries.

"Yes. Master. I am the Servant Saber."

"Ah, I'm Emiya, Shirou. I live here. Wait, no, that's not what I wanted to ask..."

"---You are not a regular Master."

The rest of the conversation was utterly confusing. The only thing I ended up understanding was that Saber was calling me Master.

"Hold on, my name isn't Master."

"Yes, then Shirou. I prefer that pronunciation anyway."

"Ugh..."

Saber's manner of speaking made my face flush.

Later in the conversation, the mark on my left hand suddenly turned red and looked like a strange pattern, which only added to my confusion.

What is this Command Spell Saber mentioned anyway? And the reason she called me Master remained unclear.

"Shirou, you need to heal your injury."

"Huh?"

Saber suddenly said this. Of course, a half-baked magus who can only use Reinforcement can't do healing.

"I apologize, but there are two enemies outside. The pressure they exert is tremendous. Judging by their presence, I would be evenly matched only if I were at my full strength."

"W-wait a minute, I can't heal injuries! And I don't see any injuries, didn't they heal already?"

As soon as she heard my question, Saber frowned as if she had chewed on a bitter bug and deliberated for a few seconds.

And as she finished, the invisible sword she had wielded against the man called Lancer presumably appeared in her hand.

"---Shirou, please hide. And try to escape when you see an opportunity."

With just those words, Saber glared at the enemies beyond the wall and sprinted out through the gate.

No, wait. Enemies outside? Is she planning to sacrifice herself when she said "try to escape when you see an opportunity"---!

I immediately followed Saber, running out the gate at full speed.

◇◇◇

I had contacted Rin via telepathy after Lancer escaped and told her what happened after we regrouped.

Rin then said she'd take care of things until the end, and we were currently heading toward the Emiya residence.

"Listen, don't tell Emiya-kun that you helped him when you meet him. Unlike us, he's just a regular person, and we're the ones who dragged him into this, you know."

Actually, Shirou is a half-baked magus, too.

As a magus, Emiya Shirou, who was perceived as a civilian, could have been discarded. No, perhaps discarding him would have been the correct choice.

Yet, Rin, who helped him, is undoubtedly a good-natured person. Human kindness is unnecessary for a magus. But I liked Rin like that.

It was vague last time, but it was Tohsaka who saved me from the brink of death back then. I gripped the object in my skirt pocket—a red jewel pendant.

I noticed it among my armor when I changed clothes yesterday. I had always kept it close, literally the possession of my life saver, but I didn't realize it had come along. I stayed silent, thinking it would cause an uproar if I showed the gem to Rin, who uses them for magecraft... but the person to whom I should return it isn't in this world.

"!"

My heart beat particularly hard. Faster than thought, I instinctively completed my battle armament.

"What's wrong, Archer?"

I sensed the presence of a Servant. One was moving away at an incredible speed toward Ryuudou Temple—at that speed, it must be Lancer. And the other—a large, strong presence was emanating from the Emiya residence's garden.

"Rin, there are two Servants nearby! One is probably Lancer, moving away at a high speed, but the other one is---coming!"

"Eh!?"

Excalibur was in my hand. I stepped forward in front of Rin and took a stance. I don't know if this opponent is the Saber I know, but I must protect Rin.

A figure leaped out from the Emiya residence's gate. A distinct approaching presence. It was definitely a Servant. There was little light, but the opponent didn't seem to be holding anything.

---Saber, is it? I gripped Excalibur, encased in the sheath of wind, more tightly.

Is it intuition, or experience? I don't know. But I could read the trajectory they would swing from their movement. Accordingly, I took the same stance and swung my sword on the same trajectory, using the midpoint between us as the pivot.

A loud, dull clang echoed from the mid-air space equally distant from both of us. Since neither my weapon nor the opponent's was visible, it looked as if sparks had suddenly erupted in empty space.

Clashing, the swords recoiled. But both of us pressed forward regardless, and a struggle of strength through the blades began again. Perhaps not at full strength, the opponent's power was slightly weaker than mine, putting me at a relative advantage.

Then, a strong wind blew. Our clothes fluttered, and our hair whipped around.

A gap opened in the clouds, and moonlight shone down, centering on us.

"Wait... what in the world is the meaning of this...!"

"---!"

Illuminated by the moonlight were me and---Saber.

Though the colors were different, it was like looking at my own reflection in a mirror.

---Ah, it was Saber after all.

My chest tightened. Emotions flooded me, making me feel like crying or laughing.

I wanted to embrace the girl in front of me tightly. I wanted to tell her so many things—I'm sorry, and thank you.

...However, she isn't the one to do that to. I cannot make such a mistake.

Because she is not the Saber who was my Servant. She is a different person from the Saber I know.

The place remained frozen, perhaps for only a few seconds.

Snapping out of it at the sound of footsteps, Saber quickly retreated and restood with her invisible sword raised.

"Saber, stop!"

The owner of the footsteps, Shirou, dashed out a moment later. Without hesitation, he leaped in front of Saber, standing in the way to shield her.

From behind, I heard Rin's small gasp, wondering what was happening.

"No. Girls shouldn't be fighting! And it looks like the opponent is a girl, too... huh? Wait, two Sabers!?"

Shirou, who had been glaring at me, widened his eyes in astonishment upon seeing my appearance and began comparing me with the Saber behind him. The Saber being compared to him also looked confused, though not as much as Shirou.

The one who recovered fastest in the chaotic scene was Rin. She walked up and stood beside me, looking at Shirou who was glancing around. Judging from her side profile, she was expressionless.

"Good evening, Emiya-kun."

"To-Tohsaka!? Why are you here, Tohsaka?"

"It doesn't matter. More importantly, yes. I had no idea Emiya-kun was a magus."

"H-how do you know that?"

Although I couldn't see clearly from this side, I could tell Rin was trying to act normal despite likely being inwardly shaken. Furthermore, she was advancing the conversation to gain an advantage based on the opponent's reaction. ...How typical of a magus.

The Saber in front of us was staring intently with wide eyes. But she maintained her sword stance so she could react instantly. Thus, I also kept Excalibur raised, never taking my attention off Saber.

"...Rin, what should we do?"

I questioned her only with my voice. My gaze didn't leave Saber. The Saber who heard a voice identical to her own flinched.

"Let's see.... It seems Emiya-kun doesn't know anything."

Rin sighed involuntarily. She brushed her tied-up hair and turned back to Shirou.

"Emiya-kun, may I come into your house?"

"Eh? Ah, yes. But I don't understand any of this."

"I'll explain it to you. Well, there are things I don't understand either."

Saying that, she glanced between Saber and me. Then, she cut her gaze and walked past the Saber still holding her sword, heading toward the gate. Saber's body reacted as they passed, but she ultimately did not strike the walking Rin.

For some reason, Shirou, who should be the homeowner, followed, led by Rin.

"Well, it seems the Masters have come to an agreement. So, what will you do, Saber?"

"---!"

I lowered my stance and retracted my sword. Simultaneously, the armor enveloping me dissolved into mana, and I returned to my blouse and skirt.

And then I started walking. I walked past the Saber who was still glaring at me, and followed Shirou, who was walking ahead.

Since I didn't think Saber would put her sword away, this stalemate would have continued indefinitely if I hadn't disarmed first. I briefly glanced over my shoulder, and Saber had also returned her sword and was silently following me, looking puzzled.

I suppressed the urge to smile and walked through the gate of the Emiya residence.