Is There Anything More Fun Than Fooling People?

"So—just as a point of view—could it be that chivalry was wrong?"

Saying that chivalry was wrong in front of two stubborn people who regarded classical knightly ideals as sacred doctrine was like suddenly asking ancient scholars of the Celestial Dynasty, "Could there be something wrong with the Analects?" Such a deeply offensive statement might make the hot-tempered and fiercely spirited turn hostile on the spot, while even the well-mannered would inevitably harbor some resentment.

Yet at this moment, the two people Jizi faced—neither of whom would have been undeserving of being called models of knighthood—showed no displeasure at all. Instead, they wore thoughtful expressions.

Something quite unbelievable had truly happened, and this outcome could be said to have resulted from the combination of many factors.

First, when these Servants had been summoned into the modern world, the Holy Grail had already imparted modern knowledge to them. During the many days the Holy Grail War had gone on, while they could not all be said to have been as fascinated by this era as the King of Heroes and the King of Conquerors, and to have actively studied it, they had nevertheless absorbed much through what they saw and heard. Thus, they were not overly rigid or old-fashioned in their conduct.

Of course, that alone would not have been enough to shake their faith. The truly decisive factor was what had happened to them over these past days:

Not being trusted or understood by their Masters—this was the shared predicament the two knights had fallen into. Saber had it somewhat better, since Irisviel acted as a buffer between her and Kiritsugu. On Lancer's side—well, Miss Sola-Ui's actions had done nothing but add fuel to the fire.

Nothing had gone right—they had lost ground in their disputes with other kings over the kingly path, and the sight of the King's Army had left their hearts greatly shaken; their Master had suffered severe wounds and fallen into conflict with Sola-Ui, their Command Spells had been taken away, and the odds of recovering them seemed exceedingly slim. It could almost be said that defeat in the Holy Grail War had already been decided.

Under all these blows, tremendous doubts naturally arose within them—doubts about the situation, doubts about why things had turned out this way, doubts about themselves.

But no matter how many doubts they had, they would not question the firmest faith in their hearts—unless...

Unless there was someone else who came armed with sufficient evidence, understood them thoroughly, knew how to use rhetoric to guide them step by step, appeared at the most appropriate moment, and had not left them with a bad impression...

For example, Jizi, a transmigrator.

"I did not come here to argue or provoke anyone. I merely wish to offer my opinion from the perspective of an observer."

She gave the two knights, who wore contemplative expressions, some time to digest her point of view. At the same time, she was confirming the effect of her words. Jizi was now like a little horse testing the depth of a river, probing forward one step at a time. She did not know which sentence might hit the sore spot of these two stubborn people, so she had prepared herself a way out in advance.

Now, it seemed the results were quite good. So Jizi continued, "You two should have seen how different this era is from the one we lived in. Though it has lost a little of its romantic color, the lives of ordinary people are clearly far better than they were in our time."

Saber and Lancer did not understand why Jizi had suddenly shifted the subject in this direction, so they said nothing and continued listening.

Jizi, meanwhile, seemed to have fully immersed herself in her role-playing setting. Her words carried the air of a witch struggling to survive beneath the oppression of a medieval church.

"With a simple twist, one can obtain clean water. Even without money, one can enjoy the welfare systems provided by society—at the very least, one can eat. Plagues that once made people pale at the mention of them now mostly have effective treatments. Of course, there are still many shortcomings, but human civilization has still advanced enormously, has it not?"

After pausing briefly, Jizi continued, "And as civilization develops, some ideas must also change, must they not?"

"Are you saying that knights have already become relics of the past?"

After circling around the matter for so long, Lancer and Saber finally understood Jizi's meaning and replied indignantly.

"Please do not be so sensitive. Hear me out." She had stepped on a landmine, but that was fine. She only needed to take another detour. "I once studied some ancient texts from the Celestial Dynasty. One sage said: 'In ancient times, people were few while beasts were many, and people could not prevail against birds, beasts, insects, and snakes. A sage arose, building nests in trees to escape the many dangers. The people rejoiced in this, made him king over the realm, and called him Youchao. The people ate fruits, melons, clams, and shellfish; their raw, rank smell harmed their stomachs, and many fell ill. A sage arose, drilled wood to make fire, and transformed the raw and rank food. The people rejoiced in this, made him king over the realm, and called him Suiren. In the middle ages, the realm suffered great floods, and Gun and Yu dredged the waterways. In more recent times, Jie and Zhou were violent and chaotic, and Tang and King Wu campaigned against them. If someone built wooden nests or drilled wood for fire in the age of the Xia rulers, Gun and Yu would surely laugh at him. If someone dredged waterways in the ages of Yin and Zhou, Tang and King Wu would surely laugh at him. Thus, if someone praised the ways of Yao, Shun, Tang, King Wu, and Yu in the present age, the new sages would surely laugh at him. Therefore, sages do not merely await the restoration of antiquity, nor do they imitate fixed precedents. They discuss the affairs of their age and prepare accordingly.' (①)"

Thanks to the language aptitude granted to Servants, although Jizi had spoken that entire passage in classical Chinese, the other two understood its meaning without much trouble. Saber, who had once been a ruler herself, even remarked with deep feeling, "Those are truly words of great wisdom."

"Chivalry is not wrong. I believe that humility, courtesy, strict self-discipline, and the pursuit of noble values are truths that can withstand the test of time." Jizi struck while the iron was hot. "But even if the overall direction is correct, small problems in its practical implementation will inevitably reveal themselves over time, will they not?"

"..." ×2

"For example, loyalty." Jizi looked at Lancer. "In the past, transportation was underdeveloped and information was difficult to spread. There were no means to quickly and directly understand a person; one could only draw conclusions through long-term daily interactions. Chivalry also emphasized single-minded devotion, so knights truly had few choices when pledging loyalty to a lord."

"Caster, you—"

"Hear me out!" Having seized the momentum, Jizi gave Lancer no chance to refute her. When trash talk reached such a crucial point, she needed to unleash a relentless barrage and directly shatter the opponent's defenses.

"But things are different now, are they not? Whether by telephone or the internet, there are many ways for us to obtain all kinds of information. As the saying goes, a fine bird chooses the tree it roosts in. Regarding a knight's loyalty, can we not adopt a new perspective as well?"

"The Holy Grail's summons are not decided by us, Caster."

"Ah, hearing you say that tells me you are not without thoughts of your own. Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, the greatest warrior of the Knights of Fianna—whether Fionn or Kayneth, did either of them truly deserve to be your lord?"

"..."

"Do not say again that being summoned by someone was not your choice—this GEIS binding you now is not in Kayneth's hands." (②)

The whispers of a witch tempted people into corruption—even when one knew this, one could not escape the web they wove with words. At that moment, Lancer and Saber truly understood why this unreliable person before them had manifested as a Caster.

"What do you think, King Arthur?"

The expression on Lancer's face at that moment was enough to draw screams from countless lovesick women—the melancholy temperament revealed amid his pain and conflict utterly outclassed every oppa from Korea. But Jizi, a latecomer to the realm of maidenhood, had no interest in that. Leaving Lancer to continue agonizing there, she turned the barrel of her verbal cannon toward Miss Artoria.

"Ah, you are asking me?... This..."

With no mental preparation, Saber was naturally caught off guard. However, that previous question had merely been a warm-up. What followed was the real main firepower.

"Speaking purely and objectively, do you believe Lancer may have exercised poor judgment in choosing whom to serve?"

"As the King of Knights, what is your opinion of Fionn? Was his character sufficient to make him the leader of the Knights of Fianna?"

"Fionn's final actions did not merely violate chivalry. They lacked even the most basic moral conscience of a human being. So why did Diarmuid die such a miserable death while Fionn gained Ailbe and Grainne?" (③)

"Those who followed chivalry did not meet a good end, while the petty man who violated it had the last laugh. Does this not prove that chivalry is imperfect in some respects and needs improvement?"

"If it is to be evaluated or improved, then as the King of Knights, you are the most suitable person for it, are you not?"

Questions were hurled out one after another, giving Saber no time at all to answer or think. Rather, answering had never been important in the first place. Jizi could already achieve the effect she wanted merely by posing these questions—

"This... um..."

"Do not worry about me, Saber. Speak freely—rather, I earnestly ask you to give me some advice."

----------------Behind the Scenes----------------

Jizi: Her faith has wavered, so she has no choice but to seek affirmation from others—Lancer, I can already see your ending! (Glasses flash—do not ask where the glasses came from.)

Jizi, after realizing it some time later: Wait a minute, I am not trying to conquer Lucky E. Why am I using one of God's famous lines?

Author: Hehe.

----------------Notes----------------

① Excerpted from Han Feizi: The Five Vermin. I originally did not want to copy so much, but if I had only excerpted part of it, the meaning would not have been clear. If you feel it disrupts your reading, feel free to skip it.

② GEIS, the singular form of GEASS, is a concept found in Celtic mythology and many heroic myths. It can be translated as a strange taboo, prohibition, or oath. Whether voluntarily sworn or imposed by another through magic or an oath, it is generally impossible to violate. It is usually a mythological hero's little-known taboo or fatal weakness. The higher the status of the person imposing the restriction, the stronger its binding power and the higher its priority.

Diarmuid's restrictions were:

He would be killed by a cursed demonic boar, but the boar that killed him would not outlive him by much. (This restriction was imposed by Roc, the steward of Angus; Diarmuid was an indirect target.)

He could not hunt wild boars. (Corresponding to the previous restriction, it was said that his foster father Angus imposed this upon him to protect him from harm.)

No matter where he was, if a woman was present, he could never eat or drink before her. (There is no specific source; this was likely a rule of etiquette he set for himself.)

He could not refuse the request of a woman in distress. (Like the previous one, this was self-defined etiquette rule number two. Princess Grainne also used this to force Diarmuid to elope with her.)

He could not enter or leave a ruler's residence through a side gate. (Self-defined etiquette rule number three.)

Upon hearing hunting hounds bark, he had to join the hunt, or he had to keep running until he caught up with the hounds. (The source is unclear. He himself seemingly did not know this, but Fionn did.)

When watching a competition, he had to aid the losing side.

He could not refuse a request from a companion. (Fionn used this to cause his death.)

When a companion from the warrior band shouted a battle cry, he had to respond.

③ Ailbe refers to "Ailbe of the Freckled Cheeks," Princess Grainne's younger sister. After the series of events in which Grainne and Diarmuid eloped and Fionn pretended to reconcile with Diarmuid, King Conmac married another of his daughters to Fionn so that the two heroic figures would not clash again in the future. Though she was not explicitly named, the legends all consider her to have been Princess Ailbe.

There are many versions of Grainne's fate after Diarmuid's death, such as her dying for love or entering a convent. My favorite version is that Grainne left with the children she had with Diarmuid—four sons and one daughter—and trained them into peerless warriors. They later defeated Fionn's army. After avenging their great grievance, those children eventually joined the Knights of Fianna.

However, in order to intensify Diarmuid's resentment here, this uses what I consider the most depressing and tragic version—Grainne was ultimately deceived by Fionn's honeyed words and taken by him. That bastard was about the same age as Diarmuid's grandson, yet he still went after both sisters! And they were princess sisters at that!

In fact, Fionn was not as terrible as Jizi made him out to be. Jizi deliberately smeared this figure, who could also be called a hero, in order to stir up Saber and Lancer's emotions.