Fate/Zero:Act 5 Part 1

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Placed more western than the remote mountains of Fuyuki, the winding state highway stretched westwards with its back towards the city's lights. Meanwhile, an undeveloped piece of forest waited for visitors further up the road. Along the road and over the county's border, the state highway silently meandered on.

Although it is a two-way road, there were almost no signs of approaching traffic on the sparsely lit state highway. The midnight state highway was as if it was forgotten and left behind in this stretch of silence.

In such a silent night, a sliver beast flew by.

Mercedes Benz 300SL. 'Her' streamlined body, full of elegant charm, was as sedate as a noble lady, while the parallel six-barrelled engine's roars was as majestic as a wild beast's. And the one who sped this classic sedan to over 100 kilometres per hour - what? The wrists that held the steering wheel were as slender as a royal princess's.

"Oi, oi? Really fast, right? This thing."

Irisviel, who held the steering wheel and whose face was full of pleased smiles, said. Sitting in the passenger's seat, Saber's face was full of nervousness, and she barely managed to squeeze out a smile and nodded.

"In... Indeed unexpectedly... skilful... dri... driving."

"Really? I was trained specially to get so proficient."

That been said, based on the unfamiliar way she dealt with the gears, she's far from being a proficient driver.

"Among all the toys Kiritsugu brought to the Einsbern castle, I favour this one the most. I was always just running circles in the castle grounds, and today is the first time for me to drive in such a wide space. It's wonderful!"

"A toy, huh..."

There won't be any objections to call something like a skateboard or bicycle as a toy. But for a machine with a speed of over 100 kilometres per hour on a serpentine road, such a name is rather inappropriate. People would never call things that can put their lives in danger with the smallest mistakes as toys in ordinary situations.

Although it is a classic sedan made more than forty years ago, it possesses a 2996cc MI98 engine and its maximum speed is 260 kilometres per hour. Irisviel's reckless roam, compared to the car's potential ability, is merely a beginning prelude.

Apparently Kiritsugu specially prepared this car in the Einzbern castle earlier on, so Irisviel and Saber can have transportation apart from walking once they enter Fuyuki.

For half a month, this car had been parked in hotel's underground car park. Now they are driving their precious ride towards the Einzbern's castle residence.

"Um, wait a minute Irisviel. You haven't been driving on the left, right?"

"Ah, yes."

Irisviel nodded casually as if it was a very small mistake, then gave the steering wheel a savage turn and changed the path of the car back.

Irisviel had never been outside of the Einzbern castle ever since she was born; for her, it is obviously her first time to drive on a highway. Saber has been paying attention to her line of sight since they took off. Obviously Irisviel does not know anything about street signs. Although driving on the left is written in the law, it appears Irisviel doesn't even know about this.

At least she could understand a little of what traffic lights mean, but that went as far as slowing by a tiny amount when she saw the red light. Although right now it is the rather sparse midnight, it is still a miracle for them to be able to safely arrive at their destination.

"...Have we still not arrived at the Einsbern castle around here?"

"Apparently it will only take one hour to reach by car. If we arrive we should be able to see it."

Saber just wanted to finish a dangerous journey like this as soon as possible. It is already very fortunate that no cars are coming towards them on the midnight highway, but the very curvy road still posed great danger for the extremely fast car. Saber's blood was full of the tension before a battle. As a Servant, she possesses extraordinary reflexes and strength, and can immediately carry Irisviel outside the car to escape if danger occurs. However, then this legendary sedan worth ten million yen would have been reduced to a pile of unrecognisable scrap iron. That doesn't fit with Saber's frugal economics.

"...It would have been better to hire a chauffeur."

"That won't do. It's not that hiring a chauffeur is pointless, but it's too dangerous. After all, once we enter Fuyuki city, we might be attacked by other Masters at any time. Dragging innocents into the array wouldn't be something Saber wants to see, too."

"That is true..."

Just which one is more dangerous on this mountainous road: being attacked by other Masters or Irisviel's driving skills? - Saber was half seriously considering this question when she suddenly felt a surge of killing aura came assaulting down.

"Stop the car!"

"Aye?"

Suddenly befuddled by Saber's warning, Irisviel asked dumbly.

Saber didn't have time to explain to her. She stretched her torso across the driver's seat, took hold of the steering wheel with one hand, and slammed her left foot on the brakes.

The reason Saber could immediately make decisions enabling her to control this rampaging machine is her skill of riding as a Servant. She can completely understand the control of all riding tools both known and unknown to her.

Fortunately the car maintained a straight path during the sharp brake, and did not spin furiously.

The tyres of the Mercedes skidded on the tarmac, emitting clouds of white smoke. In the car that was sliding due to its momentum, Saber once again confirmed the source of the scent she had just detected.

Without a doubt, it was definitely the scent of a Servant. Speak of the devil, indeed.

"Saber, that's - "

A figure of strange appearance emerged on the far stretch of the road lit by the Mercedes's headlights. Irisviel cried out voluntarily when she saw this scene.

The tall figure before them, as if ignorant of the danger of the speeding car, stood unperturbed in the middle of the road.

A luxurious robe of ancient design; sanguineous scarlet patterns adorned the pitch-black fabric. Those abnormally big eyes easily remind one of nocturnal animals. Even if you are to ignore these bizarre points, no ordinary passerby would appear in such a place at this time.

The car's momentum was overcome by the wheels' friction and the Mercedes finally stopped. There was barely ten metres between the car and the figure in front of it.

"... Saber?"

Saber quickly analysed the current situation, then said to Irisviel.

"Get off the car as soon as I do. Just don't get too far away from me."

If the opponent is a Servant, a car with its iron hull is merely as fragile as a cardboard box in his eyes. If they were to remain in the car they would have been defenceless. After all, it's better to shift to a position where you can defend the opponent's attack.

Saber opened the car door and stepped into the frigid night. The evening wind caressed the trees, making rustling sounds. The air was mixed with the odour of rubber tyres burnt by friction.

The figure in front of her eyes was different to all the others she's seen before. If it's a Servant she hasn't met yet, it would be Caster or Assassin... Saber thought.

Although Saber and Irisviel, who didn't know about the events that occurred in the Tōsaka residence the other night, could not eliminate the possibility of Assassin, this Servant who was neither running away nor in hiding but standing proudly in front of them doesn't seem to be Assassin. Using the process of elimination, there's only one conclusion - the figure in front of them is Caster.

However.

Is the expression on his face really the expression of a warrior about to do battle?

The confused King of Knight surveyed the opponent's countenance once again.

He was smiling, smiling for an unknown reason, and it was not the smile of a soldier going forward generously to meet his death. Why would this Caster in front of her smile in that way? It was an expression of long-lost brothers reuniting after many years. The exuberant face sparkled with innocent smiles.

And while Saber remained in her confusion Caster, in front of her, did something even more incomprehensible.

Caster bowed his head deferentially, knelt down on the tarmac road like a courtier being presented before a king, and said:

"I've been waiting, your majesty the holy maiden."

"Huh...?"

Saber was getting more and more lost with the situation. Although she was once a king and accepted the genuflection of countless lords and heroes, she had no memories for this man in front of her eyes. This man was not one of her former subjects.

Firstly, the title 'holy maiden' is very strange. When she governed Britain as King Arthur, she never exposed the fact that she is in truth a woman even at the end.

Irisviel, who got off the Mercedes after a while, hid behind Saber, who was full of nervous guard, and silently observed Caster.

"Saber, do you know this person?"

"No, I don't have any impression of him -"

As if he heard Saber and Irisviel's murmurs, Caster lifted up his head and said:

"... Oh, oh, how can you say that? Don't you remember me?"

In reply to his ever more senseless words, Saber said, irritated:

"Whatever you may say, this is the first time I've met you - maybe you got it wrong somewhere. You've got the wrong person."

"Oh oh, wuwuwu..."

Caster began to sob as if he was very sad, and his hands were clawing his hair. The extremely happy expression just then had dramatically changed into an expression of very awkward loss. Just based on this, it can be seen that he is a dangerous man whose emotions change at a whim.

"It's me! I am your forever most royal servant Gilles de Rais! I've always looked forward for your resurrection, always waited for the day when I can meet you again. I came here for that purpose, Jeanne d'Arc!"

When Irisviel heard the man's words, she unconsciously gaped in surprise.

"Gilles de Rais...?"

This is already the second Servant to declare his real name in front of them. Although his purpose is unknown, the name is indeed the renowned title given to Caster in the current world.

But for Saber, she only wanted to clear up this current misunderstanding.

"I don't know your name, nor do I know anyone called Jeanne d'Arc."

When he heard such a response from Saber, Caster said even more confusedly:

"What... could it be, that you've forgotten everything? Did you forget everything that happened when you were alive?"

Saber was getting annoyed with this situation in which she couldn't get her point clear, so she regarded Caster solemnly and said:

"Since you've already declared your name, then according to the knights' decorum I'll tell you my true name too. I am Arturia, the child of Uther Pendragon, the king of Britain."

Caster still stared dumbly at this girl in front of him, who puffed her chest and proudly declared her name. After a moment of puzzlement he proclaimed voluntarily.

"Oh! Oh! Oh waaaaaa!!"

Caster lamented extremely loudly, and hammered his fists on the ground ungraciously at the same time.

"How painful, how tragic is this! Not only did she lose her memories, even her mind is fuddled... you... you! God, why are you so cruel to that elegant and beautiful woman of mine?"

"What are you talking about? To start with, I'm not -"

"Jeanne, I understand why you won't admit it. You, who originally was more devoted to God and believed in Him deeper than anyone else, was instead discarded by God. When you were sentenced as a witch and executed God did not give you any help or salvation. It is not without a reason that you're now acting in this way."

Saber suddenly felt a repulsive feeling completely different from fear. It was as if every single hair in her body was standing on their ends.

The man in front of her didn't hear Saber's words at all, or should we say he never wanted to hear them in the first place. He had come to a conclusion callously based on his own imaginations regarding Saber, and he has no doubts toward this conclusion. Under the control of this train of thoughts, none of Saber's words can go into Caster's head.

"Wake up! Jeanne! Don't be bewildered anymore! You are the holy maiden of Orleans, the saviour of France, Jeanne d'Arc!"

"All right! All right! Stop while you can!"

Saber couldn't bear this anymore. She wore an expression of repulsion and detest towards Caster, who was kneeling on the ground, and shouted.

"I am Saber, and you are Caster. We are both Servants who fight for the Grail. The reason we met here is no more than that."

"... Saber, there's no point in saying anything to this man."

Irisveil spoke to the King of Knights behind her.

As Saber, Arturia traversed time and space to arrive at the current world as a Heroic Spirit. She obviously wouldn't know about events that occurred after her time. Therefore, she would naturally be ignorant to the rather insane legend of Count Gilles de Rais, known as 'Bluebeard'.

Gilles de Rais rose to the position of general as France's hero and saviour, but on the other side of his glory he indulged in black magic and erotic desires. He even slaughtered hundreds of youths, and was called 'the sacred monster' -

Gilles's final tragic destiny had great connections with the death of the valiant lady warrior Joan of Arc, who fought with him. Therefore, his devotion to Joan brought him into the current war of the Holy Grail. It's impossible to know just how much similarity exists between Saber Arturia and Joan of Arc, but the two of them must be very similar indeed. No matter what, Gilles - Caster already firmly believes Saber to be that person he's always thought of, and did not allow any doubt to be present.

"Jeanne, please stop referring to yourself as Saber, or call me Caster. We will soon be free from the bound of this shackle called Servant. The Holy Grail war is about to be over!"

"That's just your own wishful thinking."

This time it was Irisviel who rebuked Caster on behalf of Saber, who was already too angry to speak.

“Hey, general de Rais, since you said the war is already over, what about the Grail?”

“It’s so obvious; the Grail that can grant any wishes is already in my hands.”

Caster, full of satisfied smiles, said proudly.

“My only wish was that the holy maiden Jeanne d’Arc would be resurrected, and now this wish had already been fulfilled! Without even the need to compete with anyone, my wish had already become reality! The Grail has already chosen me – Gilles – without even fighting at all.”

“Ding!” A shrill sound reverberated. A gust of cold air suddenly appeared before Caster’s eyes.

It was Saber’s Invisible Air. Although Caster couldn’t see it, he could feel the aura of the sword right in front of his face.

“If you dare to keep disrespecting the treasure of us Heroic Spirits – I won’t be so courteous anymore, Caster!”

Although Saber tried to control her choice of words as best as she could, her voice was still infused with the edged killing aura.

“Come, stand up. Knights can’t attack someone who’s kneeling on the ground. If you’re also a Servant then you can keep your cunning arguments to yourself, and obtain the Grail with straightforward warfare. Let me, Saber, be your first opponent.”

The mad flame in Caster’s eyes disappeared at once.

His face, which was twisted with excitement, also gradually returned to its calm. Caster lifted his head up to look at Saber; the formidable will harboured within his gaze did not show any sigh of declining.

It was a look of silent resolution. He had merely changed his determination into an even firmer belief.

“It seems just talking with my mouth won’t be enough… Is your heart still sealed, Jeanne?”

Caster’s gloomy voice no longer contained the lament just then.

“Then I am very sorry. It seems there’s a need to use enforced therapy on you. Whatever it may be – I will definitely complete all the preparations for you next time.”

The long black robe floated backwards abruptly, creating a very big distance between him and Saber. The Caster stood up again was almost a different person from the figure kneeling on the ground sobbing just then.

A great air of majestic command that seemed to be able to stain the entire earth red with blood emitted from his person… Not only Heroic Spirits, even tyrants will feel the oppressing tension of fear.

The man in front of her is undoubtedly not an easy enemy – Saber, who stood in front of Caster, knew this from her instincts without a doubt.

“I promise you, Jeanne. The next time we meet, I will definitely… save you from the curse of God!”

“Didn’t you hear what I said? Pick up your sword and fight properly!”

To Saber’s cold reply, Caster silently removed his material form and disappeared into the night.

Letting out a long sigh, Saber also removed her battle tension. Irisviel, as if she was dehydrated, collapsed exhaustedly on her back on the Mercedes-Benz.

“Confronting such a senseless opponent… was rather tiresome.”

“Right. However, I’m going to chop him up before he opens his mouth next time – I’m going to throw up if someone like that stayed a minute longer.”

Although Caster has already left, Saber still said that indignantly.

“You regret how he escaped so easily?”

“Uh huh. I was just about to make him pay for his behaviour of speaking absolute nonsense here, then he ran off.”

A sliver of a strange expression flashed across the face of the angry Saber, then she furrowed her brows nonchalantly and said.

“But in all honesty, it might be that Caster’s retreat is a good piece of luck for tonight’s me.” 　　 “Aye? Really?”

Hearing Saber say such depressing words, Irisviel was very surprised.

For an opponent so skilled in magecraft battle such as Caster, his toughest enemy would be Saber, who has the strongest magic resistance. If the duo actually started fighting, Saber should achieve victory with an overwhelming advantage.

But Saber, with an expression that even she doesn’t completely understand, shook her head with a bitter smile.

“That Caster… was a bit different. Or he’s not quite the same compared with other mages. Although I can’t be sure either… but it felt too dangerous for me to fight him in this condition of having my left hand sealed.”

Saber’s sixth sense was also strengthened to a degree due to her class’s speciality. Since even she thought the enemy was a bit dangerous, Irisviel also had to re-evaluate Caster.

“After all, Lancer is the first one…”

“Yes. But it’s extremely fortunate that Lancer is also a noble warrior, not escaping or hiding himself away. He’s also looking forward to our duel.”

Although they are each other’s enemies, Saber was sympathetic to Lancer’s spirit. But even so, Irisviel still felt a bit uneasy. After all, no matter how the Servant is full of a knight’s spirit, you can’t bet that his Master is the same.

And the King of Knights, who was put on the shackle of being a Servant, is she still fighting with the reputation of the sword?... When she thought of this, Irisviel couldn’t help herself but feel sad.

Be it Irisviel, Saber, or even Caster who’s just left, the entire process of everything that just happened between them were under the surveillance of pursuers.

In the dense forest connected to the state highway, the pursuers wearing the horrifying skull masks concealed themselves on the tree tops covered by the darkness, and surveyed all that just happened with a vigilant eye.

Not just melting into the shadows; the pursuers who cut all of their scents to evade Saber’s senses seemed to be shadows themselves. No one else can achieve this apart from Assassin. Looks like Assassin, according to Kotomine Kirie’s command, followed Saber and Irisviel from the warehouses to here.

Assassin, who was originally just given the job of watching over Irisviel, obtained an unexpected gain. The last Servant who didn’t even show himself in the melee of the warehouse district, Caster, was finally discovered by Assassin.

Although the scent of Caster, who departed in spiritual form, soon faded away, Assassin’s sharp sense can still detect it. Right now it is the best time for pursuit.

“That isn’t your job.”

A voice suddenly sounded behind Assassin. A vague outline emerged from the dim forest – it is, unexpectedly, another skull mask.

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