Out of the Game
"I heard Black Saber was eliminated."
"Yeah, that's right."
But that was impossible. Whether Saber or anyone else, all fourteen Servants were still alive. She could tell by feel alone that they were all still alive. Ruler knew very clearly that he was still lingering in the present world.
"I'm very sorry, but could you explain in more detail?"
"Sure, I'm bored out of my mind anyway."
Rider spoke about Saber with a smile. It sounded far removed from the tale of a hero, more like the story of a saint. Then, the nameless boy saved by that hero had apparently set off on his own journey in search of freedom.
"Anyway, that's why I ended up locked in a cell all alone. Well, Red Berserker is in the next cell, but that guy can't communicate at all... Are you doing okay?"
At Black Rider's call, a voice answered from the neighboring cell.
"I have no intention of bowing my head to the lackeys of authority. Even so, I will answer your question. I am perfectly well, though it would be even better if you could remove these restraining devices..."
"Maybe next time."
Though it was a shocking development, Ruler understood at the same time.
"Saber truly disappeared. But he gave his 'heart' to that Homunculus, is that correct?"
It was not a sword or armor woven from magical energy, nor something like hair. It was a heart, as vital to a human being as the brain. Even for a Servant, both the heart and brain contained Spirit Cores. There had never been a precedent for someone digging out their own heart and giving it to another.
What was more, the one who had given his heart to another was Black Saber—Siegfried, the immortal hero who