Previously: After the battle at the docks, Jizi had planned to make an exit, only to be caught by Irisviel and subjected to all kinds of play. Then, because of her silver hair and crimson eyes, she was mistaken for Illya by the lady. So how would Jizi respond? Stay tuned for today's Holy Grail Online program, where we enter magic and explore the unknown together.
-------For some reason, I just felt like writing a recap----------
"No matter how you look at it, that's impossible! The abilities I displayed were archery, fire magic, and changing my appearance. Those have absolutely nothing to do with your Einzbern family, okay?! And in this modern age, where science keeps devouring the mysterious side, becoming a 'noble phantasm' is practically impossible to begin with, isn't it?! What exactly did you imagine?! It's just that my face looks a little similar, okay?! There are plenty of people in the world who look alike, okay?!"
After being put through the wringer by those Heroic Spirits and then getting caught and teased by Irisviel, Jizi was already listless. This utterly wild deduction finally snapped the last taut string in her mind, and all the emotions she had bottled up for so long burst forth as a ranting roar into Fuyuki City's cold night sky.
"Ha ha ha ha ha! You made such a mysterious entrance, but it turns out you're just a child, Caster!"
"Who are you calling a child?! I'm getting mad! When I get angry, even I'm scared of myself, you know!"
"You really do ignite at the slightest provocation. You're definitely a child."
"Saber, even you..."
"All right, all right, I won't say it anymore." Smiling with an expression of complete satisfaction, Irisviel spoke to the person before her.
"Hmph!" The response was a slightly distorted, sulky snort—Jizi had put her mask back on.
"Caster, your real age isn't very high either, right? Becoming a Heroic Spirit at such a young age, you must have had quite a winding and difficult past. If you don't mind, you can tell me about it..."
"Urusai!" This time, her voice carried genuine annoyance.
"All right, all right, we won't talk about that. Then can you tell me why I can't sense any hostility from you? Instead, I feel that you have a certain fondness for both Saber and me."
Damn it, we're back to this question! What should I say? If I just brush it off, she'll definitely see through it and become even more curious. But what reason could I give that they'd accept? And Saber has that 'I want to know too' look on her face... Wait. Saber... I've got it.
"Since you have asked so sincerely," under Irisviel and Saber's gazes, Caster removed the mask she had put on during her earlier "embarrassed rage," revealing a face of breathtaking beauty, like an elf from a fairy tale. But something seemed off. Why had two blushes appeared on her cheeks? Her expression was unnatural, her movements fidgety, and her eyes darted everywhere, too afraid to meet either woman's gaze. Yet whenever they swept past one particular point, they paused noticeably. She looked just like... a girl before a confession.
What was this about?
Before they could think any further, her crisp voice rang out again and interrupted their thoughts. "Saber's Servant, you introduced yourself earlier and said that you are King Arthur, correct?"
"That's right." Saber did not know why Caster was asking, but it was nothing she dared not admit.
"Many versions of my legend have been passed down. The one people remember most is the Fire Maiden, a name I earned because I can control flames." After asking Saber, Caster's topic jumped back to herself. "And when I was still a little loli... ahem, a little girl, people called me the Daughter of Darkness—Annie."
Saber and Irisviel exchanged a look—they had never heard of her.
"After I grew up, I gained another name as well. Please understand: as a witch, I had to change identities often to protect myself. It was experience gained from spending years dealing with the Church's hunts for witches." As though she had noticed the faint dissatisfaction that had flashed across Saber's face, Caster specifically explained herself to the knight.
"Lina Inverse was the name I used for the longest time. But my true name, one almost no outsider ever knew, is Hermione Emma Watson Granger."
Saber and Irisviel continued staring at each other—neither name rang any bells! But why had Caster stopped there? And why was she looking at them so expectantly... Huh? It seemed like she was mainly staring at Saber?
"Um..." Unable to bear Caster's burning gaze any longer, Saber said, "Though you are not a knight, since you have openly declared your name, I should respond with the courtesy of a knight. However, you still haven't answered our question, Caster."
"As expected, you've never heard of me at all." The other woman instantly switched to a dejected expression, leaving Saber somewhat at a loss. Did I say something wrong?
"Have you not noticed that my name is a thoroughly English one?"
"Huh?" Saber was stunned again. She really had not noticed that. But even if she knew now, what did it... "Could you be one of my subjects?" she asked tentatively.
"No, Your Majesty. I lived several centuries after your time. By my era, your stories had already become legends."
"Then you..." Saber abruptly stopped her next question, because she noticed the dangerous gleam in Caster's eyes, one that could only be called fanatical.
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"When I was little, I could only fall asleep after listening to your stories every night! Every one of your stories, every battle you fought, every legend about you—I would pester my parents to read them to me dozens, even hundreds of times! After I learned to read, I crazily collected every scrap of information related to you, never overlooking even the tiniest detail. Then I copied it all onto finely made parchment, sorted and edited it into volumes, bound them with golden thread, wrapped them in silk imported from Eastern lands, and placed them in boxes scented with ambergris. I hugged them to sleep every night, and during the day I hid them somewhere even more secret than where I hid my grimoires."
"I made pilgrimages to every ruin where you were said to have left your footprints. The reason I studied magic so diligently was because I heard that you had deep ties with the peerless magus Merlin and the fairies of the lake. I wanted to use this method to draw closer to you in spirit—though sadly, I was not born a man and could not become a knight like you. Countless times, I wished I had been born in your era, so that my meager talents might have served you in even the slightest way. Countless times, I met you in the realm of dreams. You galloped across the battlefield, while I stood behind you, using magic to shield you from incoming arrows."
"Caster, you..." Saber was beginning to feel that something was very wrong.
"I have also treasured many portraits of you. I hung them in my dining room, bedroom, and workshop. Being able to gaze upon your face during my daily life was one of the great motivations of my existence. Now that I have seen your true face with my own eyes, I want to burn every one of those painters to death—they failed to capture even one ten-thousandth of your splendor!"
"Caster, calm down." Saber had a premonition that Caster was about to make some huge announcement.
"No! Let me speak! My Majesty, my King, my love! Let me speak! Let me tell you, to your face, of the feelings I poured into sonnets through countless nights! Let me speak of the emotions that fill my soul—I love you! The reason I answered the Holy Grail's summons was so that I might have the chance to confess these words to you!"
"..."
Irisviel was the first to recover. After all, she was merely interested in Caster's identity. As for the nearly pathological love Caster had suddenly revealed for Saber, the lady was shocked, but at the same time felt a trace of mischief stirring within her. If Caster learned that King Arthur, who had always been portrayed as male, was actually a girl... Heh heh heh. Thus, she picked up the conversation. "So, Caster, is the reason you have shown us goodwill and helped us because of your love for Saber?"
"That's right! These feelings are absolutely sincere!" The answer came without the slightest hesitation.
"Then, Saber, how will you answer?" With a meaningful curve at the corner of her lips, Irisviel asked the still somewhat dazed Saber.
"Caster, I..."
"I know you were once married, but that woman betrayed you! I also know that you are a noble knight, so I will not force you to make a difficult choice. No matter what your answer is, I will not develop any negative feelings toward you because of it. However, my Majesty, if you can agree—if you can give me a promise that represents a declaration of love between a man and a woman—then I will abandon the Holy Grail, join your faction, and offer all my abilities to your cherished wish! Because that is the wish I seek from that omnipotent vessel. You do not even need to give me a definite answer, since you know nothing about me. Even if you merely give me a chance, a chance to stand behind you as a member of the opposite sex, I am confident that once you understand me, you will certainly choose me as the opposite sex who will accompany you for life!"
After rattling off another long string of words in one breath, Jizi continued acting on the surface like a lovestruck woman willing to throw everything away for love, while inwardly cackling. Ha ha ha ha ha! Let's see how you handle this now, King of the Bedhead! Especially after I deliberately emphasized those three instances of "opposite sex"! Your knightly spirit won't let you hurt someone who approaches you with goodwill—or even love—but your true gender makes it hard for you to respond to my "confession of love." This answers Irisviel's question, shifts their attention, and lets me tease King of the Bedhead. Killing three birds with one stone! Ha ha ha!
What, integrity? Sorry, but as a Servant equipped with mental pollution skills, normal people's values could no longer restrain me—this goofball!
What, deceiving someone's feelings? Come on, I wasn't lying. As a boy, Jizi really did have feelings for Artoria as a girl—what she had just said was only a tiny bit of artistic exaggeration! As for Miss Hermione Emma Watson Granger's feelings for Mr. Arthur Pendragon—heh. →_→
After ignoring some insignificant details...
So then, my adorable little lion, how would you answer?
1: A popular hero from the famous game LoL. She likes setting fires and keeps a black bear. Jizi: She's also a cute little loli!
2: Originally the protagonist of the famous light novel Slayers and its anime adaptation, also translated as The Sorcerer's Stabber Orphan, but now better known as the Intelligence Tavern resident of the Sentinel in Dota, Sand King's sweetheart, a hot-bodied blood elf girl who can float in midair and flash her panties. She is a popular hero skilled in follow-up team control and instant kills: the Slayer. In fact, IceFrog took inspiration from that work, because all her skills appeared in it. IceFrog, you really are a veteran otaku. The same goes for the Invisible Assassin's name—Rikimaru. Though why wasn't there an Ayame?
Also: Both 1 and 2 are commonly shortened to Fire Maiden.
3: Hermione Granger, the female lead of the fantasy masterpiece "Lightning-Scarred Boy and His Little Friends Fight Snake-Faced Man," the genius and beautiful witch of Hogwarts. In the end, Ron actually got her. Completely unacceptable.
Emma Watson, the actress who played Hermione in the film adaptation of the same name. She's really pretty.
Also: Lancer's original plan to use his red spear to break Saber's armor and his yellow spear to apply a debuff never happened because of Jizi's interference. Therefore, Saber had remained in full armor the entire time. Her thick medieval knight's armor, plus her regrettable armor cup size... I mean A-cup, meant that aside from in front of Lancer, who possessed an "anti-woman Noble Phantasm," her gender had not yet been exposed. I specifically did not copy the original scene where Rider mocked her as a little girl!
That explanation should pass muster, right? Staring into the distance...
P.S. Reasons for today's update
1. Vacation.
2. Homework finished.
3. Celebrating the resurrection of "Battle Armor."
Before you continue