Robin Hood

The raging gale vanished, and the previous battle felt like a dream.

No, if it were a dream, it wouldn't have felt so real.

Tsukahara Meiji's back was damp, his clothes clinging to him like mud, cold and disgusting. Although his mind had remained calm during the crisis, his body clearly wasn't entirely under his control. Cold sweat streamed down him, slowly but surely soaking through his undershirt and spreading outwards.

The body's reactions never lied.

His strengthless body slumped to the ground, his backside meeting the distinct cold dampness of the early morning. The sudden release of tension brought an almost overwhelming sense of fatigue to his entire being.

However…

Beside Tsukahara Meiji, Karl lay on the ground, letting out faint groans.

Around them, the grass and trees were in disarray, as if swept by a storm. Branches were broken, the earth churned up. The traces of destruction were so vivid, so undeniably real, that Tsukahara Meiji couldn't ignore them.

These were the marks of battle, evident at a glance.

(Holy Grail… War…)

"Ah… haha… A war… I… I survived?"

Only now did Tsukahara Meiji truly grasp what he had done.

It was like someone repeatedly emphasizing the pain of a burn, but until you were personally seared by flames, you couldn't truly understand…

With the crisis over, fear, like a primordial beast, swallowed Tsukahara Meiji whole amidst the darkness of the night. A chill colder than the night wind caused his body to ache all over.

Terror…

Frightening…

He couldn't stop trembling…

Tsukahara Meiji, pathetically, curled into a ball.

"So—are you my Master?"

The girl's voice once again reached Tsukahara Meiji's ears…

A girl?

Ah! A Servant!

Archer!

His dark eyes finally locked onto the person before him.

It was a slender girl.

Judging by her appearance, she was no older than sixteen or seventeen, even younger than Tsukahara Meiji. The soft lines of her cheeks outlined a face shrouded in shadow, making it slightly difficult to see clearly. The reason was simple: the girl was enveloped in a dark green hooded cloak, blending almost seamlessly with the forest. Beneath the cloak, only her moist lips and brown hair were visible.

She held an exquisite oak bow in her hand. Thanks to it, Tsukahara Meiji was fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of the girl's sturdy wrist. While it might be rude to say this about a girl… but, the Archer's hands, no matter how you looked at them, had nothing to do with "softness." No matter how you tried to beautify it, you couldn't call them "delicate hands." These were the hands of a warrior, especially the knuckles used for drawing a bow, calloused and thick.

Rather than a "Servant," she looked like an "elf."

Tsukahara Meiji took a long time to force himself to accept that the person before him was the Servant who had just saved his life, Archer [Robin Hood].

"You… I, am… Yes… I am your Master. Um… please take care of me…"

"…"

The Archer stared at him sternly—though, due to the hood, Tsukahara Meiji couldn't be sure where her eyes were, he had that feeling nonetheless.

"...Please take care of me... Alright. I understand, you must have many questions. But before that..."

The Archer's tone seemed somewhat resigned, perhaps sensing Tsukahara Meiji's immaturity? Just as Masters always hoped to summon the strongest Servants, Servants also wished to be contracted by Masters with good compatibility, preferably with excellent magical energy.

However, Tsukahara Meiji probably didn't meet either of those criteria.

While lamenting her own ill fate, the Archer drew her bow, an icy diamond-shaped arrow pointing towards Karl's head.

In the midst of the ruined scene, Karl's fair skin was smeared with the upturned soil. His soft golden hair was also filthy. He gasped for air like a fish out of water, unable to draw even a breath into his lungs.

His state was truly pathetic.

Especially since Tsukahara Meiji knew what kind of person Karl usually was, he felt the unfairness of fate even more keenly.

"There's another Master here, what should we do? Master—for humanitarian reasons, I suggest we give him a quick end."

"Whoa, whoa! Karl isn't an enemy! He's an ally, an ally! Ah! You, you're a Servant, right? Can you do healing or detoxification or anything like that?"

Tsukahara Meiji's question made the Archer couldn't help but chuckle, a slight curve forming on her lips. Her voice gained a sharper edge: "Isn't that the job of a Magus? Can't you do it yourself? —Alright, I do have some knowledge of herbalism, but don't get your hopes up too high…"

This accusatory tone made Tsukahara Meiji lower his head in embarrassment: I'm sorry for being such a useless Magus!! Seeing his distress, the Archer realized her rudeness and didn't say anything more to embarrass him. Her figure suddenly vanished.

Though he couldn't see her, Tsukahara Meiji knew she was nearby. This was a special connection granted by the Holy Grail.

This was the Servant's inherent ability, [Spirit Form]. In this state, the Servant's consumption of magical energy would decrease, and it would be easier to act. The Archer had keenly sensed her Master's poor magical energy and decided it would be better to use her physical form to search for herbs.

The Archer's slightly dismissive words suddenly spurred Tsukahara Meiji. He suddenly remembered: he actually had healing magic among his poker cards!

Without hesitation, Tsukahara Meiji took out another card from his dwindling hand. On the pale blue crystal poker card, faint grey patterns could be seen.

"Don't… Tsukahara."

Suddenly, Karl's weak voice reached him.

His blood was already coagulated from the poison, unable to transport oxygen, yet Karl still used the precious oxygen for communication.

Whether it was an illusion or not, Tsukahara Meiji felt Karl's complexion had changed from pale to a deathly green...

"Karl?! I'm sorry, I, I used it without permission..."

"No... listen to me carefully... Tsukahara. I don't think I'm going to make it..."

Karl's words sent a pang of pain through Tsukahara Meiji—it was precisely because he knew Karl was speaking the truth that he felt such immense grief. He had come to participate in the war for Karl, but Karl himself was...

"Our secret plan... you must remember it well. I will... summon a Servant. Then I will order it to commit suicide... This way, you will have one less enemy... Whether you give up the fight or win the Holy Grail... I'm sorry, I can't offer you any advice this time..."

Karl wore a rare smile, but paired with his ashen face and his unfocused eyes, Tsukahara Meiji felt no joy at all.

"No, that won't happen! I, I will definitely win the war! I'll use the Holy Grail's power to revive you!"

"Forget it... such immense power... to revive someone... it's too wasteful... Make a wish for yourself."

Karl calmly refused Tsukahara Meiji.

When a person is about to die, their words are often kind.

Karl's words made Tsukahara Meiji's nose sting. Everyone talked about dying for a friend, but who could truly, in such a moment, urge their friend not to revive them and instead to make a wish for their friend?

His eyes, against his will, welled up with tears. Tsukahara Meiji rambled on, but Karl no longer paid him any mind, only continuing to chant the incantation intermittently.

The magic circle used for the summoning had already been destroyed by the recent storm, and Karl's physical functions had plummeted to their lowest due to his injuries. He didn't even have a Catalyst...

This was... the harshest Servant summoning imaginable.

Yet, even as Karl's life neared its end, the Holy Grail had not yet revoked his Command Spells before his official death. This was undoubtedly the most ironic situation.

Originally, it should have been Tsukahara Meiji who offered his Command Spells...

Karl's chanting was much smoother. Even though the intermittent pain from his wounds made it difficult for him to concentrate, it was still much faster than Tsukahara Meiji's.

In the air, the yet-to-dissipate magic particles reassembled.

This time, there was no radiance, no storm, not even any widespread fluctuation of magic.

It was as if, naturally, magic particles simply piled together. It was like a fireball spell or something similar; these magic particles casually formed a human shape.

This was the Servant Karl had just summoned.

This... is a Servant?!

As a Master, Tsukahara Meiji received a feedback of basic data in his mind upon seeing this aged figure.

All his stats hovered around E rank, and the fluctuation of his magic could be described as "almost nonexistent."

To put it simply, if it were a magic battle, Tsukahara Meiji could easily crush this Servant.

If it were a physical combat, judging by his decrepit appearance, Tsukahara Meiji would likely have an overwhelming advantage.

This Servant... could no longer even be considered a Servant...

"Caster? Holy Grail War? What fresh terms... Very good, to encounter something so worthy of research in my lifetime... very good, very good."