No Trash Talk Unless You're a Transmigrator

"Sir Lancelot, what do you mean by this?"

In the courtyard of Einzbern Castle, Saber had only been angered, never truly rattled, even when mocked by the other two Kings. But when she saw Berserker materialize, her voice trembled for the first time.

"Your Majesty..."

"Mad dog! Who gave you permission to appear before me?"

Before Berserker could finish, Archer, who had been standing by as a spectator, suddenly lashed out. It was not hard to understand why. Berserker had only recently stirred up the fire in his heart, leaving him with no outlet for it. The fact that Archer had not immediately drawn a weapon out of respect for the banquet was already an enormous concession.

"King Gilgamesh, the oldest of Kings..."

"Hmph. So this mad dog has some knowledge after all."

Being recognized seemed to improve Archer's mood somewhat. After all, he was the sort of person who would say, "I granted you the honor of coming before me, and yet you cannot recognize me. Honestly."

However, everyone else reacted differently when Berserker instantly exposed Archer's identity. Aside from Rider and the Queen Consort, who had already been spoiled by Jizi, Saber, Irisviel, and the remotely monitoring Tokiomi and Kirei Kotomine all suffered varying degrees of mental shock.

So it's this Heroic Spirit. How should we deal with him? ← Saber and Irisviel.

How could he have been recognized? Where did things go wrong? Is Heaven determined to bring down the Tohsaka Family? Why has nothing gone smoothly since the war began? ← Tokiomi.

Could it be Caster? Then how exactly did he do it? Master's plan has almost completely failed. What developments will come next? ← Kirei Kotomine.

Ignoring the shock he had caused, Berserker continued, "My earlier appearance in that crazed state was not by my own will. Nor did I wish for the Kings to see me in such a form, one that disgraced the name of a hero. Therefore..."

"Tonight only, mongrel," Archer suddenly interrupted Berserker.

"Hm?" Everyone was confused at first, but they quickly understood that Archer had no intention of starting a battle tonight either. After all, he was the one providing the wine for this banquet.

"Then, Saber—no, King Arthur, please allow me to offer you my counsel."

"Sir Lancelot, do you intend to mock my wish as well?"

Having recovered from her initial loss of composure, Saber fixed Berserker with a piercing gaze and asked in return.

"My King, face the truth..."

---------This wasn't a movie, so what was with this parallel montage?-----------

"Face the truth!"

Like the Caster who had first appeared before him, the person before him was completely concealed beneath a black robe, his face impossible to see. The aura he gave off was that of an ordinary person. Naturally, Kiritsugu would not take someone claiming to be Caster's Master lightly. On the contrary, he had raised his guard to the utmost, even more cautiously than when dealing with Kayneth.

One only had to look at Caster's record thus far. At a time when the identities of most Heroic Spirits had already been exposed, Caster alone remained highly mysterious. Kiritsugu had not believed the names Jizi had made up while testing Saber. After that day, he had used every available method to investigate names such as "Hermione Emma Watson Granger," "Annie," and "Lina," but found no valuable leads whatsoever. There was a high chance they had been fabricated. Even if they had not been, they were meaningless—there was no information to be found.

Aside from identity, Caster's abilities were equally bizarre. First was that seemingly impossible intelligence-gathering ability. Setting aside how Caster had seen through Assassin's fake-death plan, how could the demolition plan known only to Kiritsugu and Maiya have been exposed? The only conclusion was that it was the ability of Caster's Noble Phantasm.

Finally, there was Caster's strength. Though Caster was a Servant of the magus class, no one had yet seen what sort of magecraft Caster used. Fire did not count; magi capable of tossing fireballs were everywhere, so there was no basis for comparison. Yet without using the ability Caster excelled at most—Jizi: Kiritsugu, you're overthinking it. Magecraft is exactly what I'm not good at. If I had to name something, would "My finger fell off" count as magecraft?—Caster had still fought Lancer to a standstill. Jizi: Kiritsugu, you're overthinking it again. It wasn't that I was strong; Lucky E over there was just unlucky enough to be countered. Besides, if Miss Maiya hadn't arrived at the end and teamed up with you to take down Kayneth, I would only have been able to activate Bullet Time and run. By that measure, the Caster team's threat assessment had to be raised, at least to Archer's level. Jizi: Kiritsugu, don't be like this.

Of course, all of Kiritsugu's lengthy inner turmoil was something to consider later. The biggest issue now was the document that had just—by "just," this meant after Lancer rushed back to rescue Kayneth, who had been struck straight in the soul by an Origin Bullet, then fled, and later after Jizi transformed into human form and posed as Caster's Master to meet Kiritsugu and Maiya—been tossed before him by Caster's Master.

"Research and Investigation Report on the Eighth Heroic Spirit Summoned During the Third Holy Grail War and the Corrupted Grail of Fuyuki City." That long title was like a series of sharp needles, pricking at Kiritsugu Emiya's heart until it itched and ached. After forcing himself to finish reading it, that discomfort transformed directly into a frenzied emotion. Though he suppressed it with reason, he could not keep it contained for long.

Naturally, he had doubts. Perhaps this was merely a scheme to shake his resolve. Yet as though the other party had seen through Kiritsugu Emiya's thoughts, he had not demanded that Kiritsugu accept it immediately. Instead, he had said, "I only came to give you a warning. You will learn of it eventually anyway. If you want proof, ask the Einzberns for it yourself." That attitude made the information seem all the more likely to be true.

No, impossible! This is a conspiracy.

But what if it's true? What he said isn't impossible. The Caster team's intelligence has always been accurate, and the matter of the eighth Servant can be confirmed as soon as I return. Is there any point in lying about something like this? What would they gain from such a lie?

But... but if it is true, what should I do?

His dream of several decades, his fixation on justice, the blood staining his hands, Shirley and Natalia... no, his mother's life, and finally Airi's resolve to sacrifice herself. If everything they had paid, all that they had exchanged, did not bring peace but something entirely opposite, then what meaning had the life of Kiritsugu Emiya, the Magus Killer, held?

No, I can't keep thinking about this. Otherwise, I won't be able to maintain this forced, hardline attitude. If I'm attacked in this state...

Wait. That's right. This must be a scheme meant to make me lose composure. They want to kill me the instant I reveal even the slightest sign of wavering. Then whether I investigate it afterward would no longer matter. Rather, since they could get rid of me anyway, they could tell any lie they wanted.

So I must be absolutely cautious now. There can't be any... Huh?

Perhaps noticing his confusion, Maiya thoughtfully explained, "Caster's Master left quite a while ago. Before he left, he said he was not giving us this information to gain anything, only so that we could be prepared for the future. Kiritsugu, what did that report say?"

"Maiya... leave it for now. Put it away. We're leaving this place too."

---------I suppose I should put that debuff on Kayneth after all------------

"Camelot's destruction was not because you were an unqualified King!"

"If it was not the leader's fault, then whose fault was it?"

"Don't you already know the answer? The guilty one is me!"

"But..."

"The reason I fell into madness as Berserker and answered the summons to appear in this world once more was to see you again—to be judged by your own hand! As for the Holy Grail, I have long known that I am unworthy of obtaining it."

He had answered the summons in order to meet her. Saber seemed to have heard that reason once before not long ago. But what virtue did she possess, for two heroes to cling to her so stubbornly? And that mysterious Caster—could Lancelot's present sanity be because of... Archer was still here. That question could wait, as could the question of why Rider had invited Lancelot in.

After hearing Berserker's confession, countless thoughts rose within Saber's heart, but they did not affect the words she spoke. "But Lancelot, in truth, you are no sinner—"

"What meaning do those words have for me? The one most troubled by this so-called sin is not anyone else, but me! If you had personally punished me back then, if you had demanded something of me as recompense, as atonement, then I would surely have believed in it. I would have returned and found a way to forgive myself. I imagine the Queen Consort felt the same..."

"Then isn't that perfect, Sir Lancelot? If my wish comes true through the Holy Grail, and I never become King, then neither you nor Guinevere would have any sin to begin with. There would be no talk of atonement or forgiveness!"

"Ah..." Berserker could not help sighing. He felt a sense of helplessness, but then he was relieved. His King's stubbornness was not something he had only learned about today. "Your Majesty—my friend Arthur—from beginning to end, neither the Queen Consort nor I ever denied your existence! You believe that without you, there would be no obstacle between us. But without you, not only for us, but for the Round Table of that time, Camelot of that time, and Britain of that time, it would mean only one thing: there would be nothing at all!"

"Did you not hear Rider's argument just now? What end awaits a King who only knows how to save, but not how to guide?"

"Arthur! Rider's era needed a lord like him, one capable of leading his people into glory. But in the Britain where we lived, in those chaotic years, a kingly path that sang of prosperity would not even finish its opening act before being forced from the stage, let alone reach its conclusion!"

"..."

"Leaving aside whether that kind of kingly path was right or wrong, a kingly path is not something that can be persuaded or shaken in the first place! Otherwise, could it still be called a kingly path? A kingly path should be something chosen and acknowledged by its era! In that era, you created a legend praised for generations through your own kingly path. Therefore, your kingly path was correct!"

"..."

"King Arthur's existence should not be erased. What is wrong, instead, is the wish of the Servant—Saber!"

"..."

"..."

Just as Berserker believed his barrage of words had struck Saber's weakness, the eyes that had been struggling with confusion and uncertainty suddenly became firm. "Sir Lancelot, your words are as wise as ever. But no matter what you say, it will not change the Battle of Camlann. Nor will it change the end of the hill at sunset, stained with blood. Therefore, my wish—"

"Will not change!"

-------------Yangtze: Fuck!----------------

P.S. Why was Yangtze's verbal barrage so damn powerful? His eloquence was already not weak to begin with, and with guidance from Jizi, that good young proletarian, of course it became amazing.

P.S. 2. Sure enough, after posting a leave notice, the bookmarks went dropping away... I had mentally prepared myself for it, but I'm still so depressed...

P.S. 3. Suddenly, I have the urge to fast-forward to June. Fuck, I don't want to live like this anymore! Worst case, if I can't get into college, I'll go apply screen protectors or sell roasted sweet potatoes!

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