Shadow Servant

Remilia's words made Koizumi nod. That was indeed true. She had only just been summoned, so how could she possibly know these things? He himself had wandered around here aimlessly for so long without learning anything; how could she have found out so quickly?

"Then what does milady plan to do next?"

In truth, Koizumi had no objective either. Other than recovering his memories, he had no other thoughts.

Besides, Koizumi felt an unusual sense of familiarity toward Remilia, so staying by her side should not be a problem.

And besides, did he have any other choice besides following her? From the look of things, she clearly would not let him leave on his own. Judging by her tone, it seemed he had summoned her.

Though he had no memory of that, since he had already collapsed at the time.

Sensing Koizumi's respectful attitude, Remilia nodded in satisfaction, a trace of pride on her face.

"Not bad. From now on, speak to Lady Remi with that sort of attitude. I like it."

After saying that, Remilia's scarlet eyes turned toward a certain direction, and a cruel smile appeared on her face.

"And you there—watching the show. You'd better come out now!" As she spoke, a long spear wrapped in pink light appeared in her hand, its tip aimed directly in that direction.

"Easy, easy... I'm not your enemy. At least, I don't want to have a legendary divine spear pointed at me..."

A blue-haired young man suddenly appeared before Remilia, helplessness on his face.

That was Gungnir from Norse mythology. Though he did not know why a mere vampire possessed such a thing, the blue-haired young man had once wielded the Gáe Bolg, modeled after Gungnir. Naturally, he recognized the spear in her hand as the legendary Gungnir.

Of course, it could also be a counterfeit. He could sense that the spear in her hand was far too low-ranked, so it was likely a "Gungnir" that possessed its abilities but not its true power.

Even so, it was still troublesome enough. At the very least, the blue-haired young man had no desire to clash with this vampire.

"State your name, then I'll consider whether I should stab you to death with this spear!"

The blue-haired young man could not help but smile bitterly. Her attitude was arrogant, but there were plenty of Servants like that.

"I'm the Caster in this Holy Grail War. My true name is Cú Chulainn. Nice to meet you. You're Lancer, right?"

The blue-haired young man—no, Cú Chulainn—said with a faint smile.

"That's right. Lancer, Queen of the Night, Remilia Scarlet!"

After introducing herself, Remilia narrowed her eyes, and her sharp aura pierced toward him like a blade.

"Then... can you explain exactly where this place is, and what exactly happened here? My servant seems to have lost his memories regarding these matters, so you will explain it to me and my servant."

"Of course, if you dare deceive us, I'll make sure you thoroughly understand the strength of the Queen of the Night!"

Remilia did not immediately attack him. Clearly, the Servant from earlier was vastly different from the one before her. The previous one carried a strong evil aura, and under Remilia's senses, the surrounding area was filled with that same presence. The Caster before her, meanwhile, was like a clear stream, entirely unlike those other creatures.

Since someone who could help her understand the situation had appeared, she would spare his life for now.

"I'll pass. I've already thoroughly recognized your strength from that battle just now."

It was best to avoid unnecessary fights whenever possible. That was what Cú Chulainn thought. Otherwise, if he simply wanted to challenge powerful enemies, he would have already gone to Berserker or Saber for a showdown.

"This is a place called Fuyuki, and a Holy Grail War is currently being held here..."

Before he could finish, an explosion sounded in the distance, drawing both Cú Chulainn's and Remilia's gazes.

"Looks like there are more intruders... Shall we go take a look together, Lancer?"

Cú Chulainn invited Remilia, making her frown slightly.

"Tch... How annoying. Can't anyone let me have a moment of peace? If Sakuya were here, she could save me some effort." Remilia's face was filled with dissatisfaction. She clearly hated having every little matter require her personal attention. If possible, she had no desire to go, but staying here would not get her any concrete information either.

"Then let's go together. But—" Remilia's gaze shifted toward Koizumi.

"Servant, carry me there! I don't want to walk all that way... And if I fly, my servant won't be able to keep up..."

As she spoke, Remilia ignored Koizumi's thoughts entirely and flew onto his back.

Koizumi said nothing. He simply carried Remilia silently. She was not heavy at all—rather, she was quite light. She looked young, with a petite frame. How heavy could she possibly be?

Cú Chulainn looked at Koizumi teasingly. "You've really got it rough, kid, ending up with a Servant like that..."

Remilia put her hands on her hips as though it were only natural, her face full of pride.

"A servant should naturally be prepared to work like an ox and horse for their master. Otherwise, what is the point of a servant's existence!?"

"That really suits your personality... Hm?"

Halfway through speaking, Koizumi realized something was wrong. What was that? Those words had seemed to slip out instinctively, but he had only just met her. Why did he feel as though he understood her true personality so well?

After thinking for a moment, Koizumi shook his head. Forget it. If he could not figure it out, there was no point thinking about it.

"What is it, servant?" Remilia frowned slightly. Was this guy badmouthing her in his head?

"It's nothing. Just a small matter..." Koizumi smiled faintly, then followed Cú Chulainn toward the source of the explosion.

Shadow Servants

Bang!

Forced back by Rider and Assassin one after another, Mash clenched her teeth... They were strong...

For Mash, a Demi-Servant who still lacked combat experience, even blackened, inferior Servants like Rider and Assassin were extremely difficult to handle. Probably only enemies like Dragon Tooth Warriors could be defeated by Mash without much effort...

"Mash... Are you okay..." Fujimaru Ritsuka looked worriedly at Mash, who was facing two opponents alone. Her hands clenched unconsciously. She knew very well that Mash was only a novice Servant. Fighting proper Servants like these was incredibly difficult for her. Even if they were only inferior Servants, taking on two at once was still too much for Mash.

Olga Marie grabbed Fujimaru Ritsuka, her face utterly serious. "Going up there now would only get in Mash's way. The only thing you can do is stand here and believe that Mash will win!"

"...Damn it..." Fujimaru Ritsuka punched the ground, her face full of unwillingness.

Mash was fighting Servants up ahead, yet she could not do anything at all. It was infuriating.

Mash glanced at Ritsuka and Olga Marie behind her, and anxiety appeared on her face as well.

"Senpai, Director, please leave quickly! I can't hold them off for much longer!"

"Interesting... interesting... interesting... interesting!" Shadow Assassin said with an eerie laugh.

"This is good. Struggle in pain. Miserable wretches are so entertaining!" Shadow Rider said the same.

"I'm not leaving. No matter what, I can't abandon Mash and run away on my own!" Ritsuka spoke with unusual determination in her voice, causing a certain person hiding nearby to show a trace of approval in his eyes.

"I thought you were just some little girl of a Master. Didn't expect you to have some backbone."

Gradually, a blue figure appeared before them, startling Ritsuka and the others slightly. The two Shadow Servants also froze for a moment. "Well then, I can't just stand by and do nothing."

"Ugh...! Who are you...!?" Shadow Rider demanded.

"Who am I? Isn't it obvious? One of your kind. What, after getting swallowed by black mud, did your eyes rot too?"

Cú Chulainn mocked.

"You're Caster! Why are you helping the drifters...?"

The two Shadow Servants clearly could not understand Cú Chulainn's actions.

"Huh? Naturally, because they're far more interesting than the lot of you. Besides, I don't dislike promising kids." Cú Chulainn smiled as he spoke, looking at Mash nearby. "All right, little miss over there, get ready to fight. In terms of strength, you're no weaker than them. Give it a shot, and maybe you'll pull off an upset."

"O-Okay... I'll do my best!" Mash seemed somewhat nervous.

Cú Chulainn nodded, then glanced around, a trace of helplessness flashing in his eyes.

Sure enough, given that Servant's personality, she would not step in to help so easily. She was more likely here just to watch the show.

Then Cú Chulainn turned his gaze toward Fujimaru Ritsuka.

"Girl! Are you the Master? Then give the orders."

"I'm a Servant, Caster-class. Due to certain circumstances, I'm currently opposed to them. I can't say that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, but trust me for now. For the sake of that little girl fighting alone, and for what you said just now, I'll form a temporary contract with you and become your Servant!"

"I understand!" A trace of determination appeared on Fujimaru Ritsuka's face.

At the same time Cú Chulainn was helping Mash and the others fight, Koizumi and Lady Remilia were watching the show.

When Koizumi had carried Remilia halfway there, she suddenly told him to take a detour. They came to a spot with an excellent view and silently watched Cú Chulainn and Mash fight the two Shadow Servants. She seemed to be enjoying it quite a bit.

"Won't you intervene, milady?" Koizumi was puzzled and could not help asking.

"There's no need. Besides, it might make them wary. Rather than that, it's better to watch quietly and act according to the situation. I don't know where this place is, but judging from the surroundings, there are clearly no other living humans nearby. Yet you alone are alive and well, and you even summoned me as a Servant. That would only make them suspicious."

Remilia spoke calmly, every gesture displaying her authority.

But then—Clang!

"Ow~~~~~"

The area where Koizumi and the others stood was surrounded by piles of scrap metal. Suddenly, a small piece of scrap fell from above and struck Remilia right on the head. Her eyes instantly welled up with tears, and she squatted down while holding her head in both hands.

That sight was simply—too adorable!

Koizumi's mouth twitched violently. Yet seeing her like that, he did not know why, but he really wanted to laugh.

This was what they called squatting down and holding one's head, right? It actually looked pretty good when milady did it.

Thinking that, Koizumi could not help crouching down too, staring straight at her.

Only then did Remilia realize her situation. Her cheeks instantly flushed red, and she kicked straight at Koizumi's head, sending him sprawling to the ground. Her face was filled with fury.

"A servant dares laugh at me? Go die ten thousand times over!!!!!!"

But Koizumi was not about to stand there and let her hit him. He quickly rolled away from Remilia's attack.

"Sorry, sorry... By the way, milady, it looks like the battle over there is finished!"

Koizumi hurriedly pointed toward the battle, trying to draw Remilia's attention away, but—

Bang!

Remilia still punched Koizumi in one eye, instantly giving him a black eye.

"Hmph! There won't be a next time. If you dare laugh at me, your master, again, I'll kill you without hesitation!"

Remilia made that declaration, but her tone was not as harsh as it sounded. She was probably only saying it.

Then Remilia turned her gaze toward the battlefield. Just as Koizumi had said, the battle was over.

Rider and Assassin were not weak, but after becoming Shadow Servants, their strength had been severely reduced. They still fell short compared to Cú Chulainn, who had not yet been blackened. Moreover, Cú Chulainn himself was no weak mage.

After giving the battlefield a brief glance, Remilia did not pay it much attention. Instead, she called for Koizumi and prepared to leave.

"We're not going to approach them?" A trace of confusion flashed through Koizumi's eyes.

"There's no need. We don't know who they are. Approaching them so casually would make it easy for them to take advantage of us."

Remilia spoke calmly, her tone making her sound extremely experienced in dealing with such matters.

This made Koizumi feel puzzled. What had milady experienced in the past?

But that made sense too. Vampires were naturally long-lived, so having such experience was perfectly normal.

"Let's go. Let me see whether there are any powerful enemies left in this place. I need to vent properly!" As she spoke, Remilia flew back onto Koizumi's back and gave her order.

"You really are too self-centered. You completely ignore what I think."

Koizumi could not help complaining, but his feet did not stop as he slowly walked away.

"So what? I'm your master. Everything you have belongs to me. Whatever I tell you to do, you must do. There is no such thing as your own will. As my servant, you should remember that at all times. Not everyone can be like Sakuya. If you want to raise your status to Sakuya's level, then work yourself to death!"

Remilia spoke with great willfulness, giving Koizumi a headache.

Even though he knew she was like this, Koizumi still felt slightly helpless.

"Come to think of it, who is this Sakuya you keep mentioning?" Koizumi could not help asking.

"Sakuya is my maid, a maid who belongs exclusively to me, Remilia. Remember this, Koizumi: even if you summon Sakuya, you still have no right to give her orders. That is the difference in status. Remember it well!"

"Yeah, yeah..." Koizumi replied perfunctorily.

"I'm serious!" Sensing his dismissiveness, Remilia immediately became dissatisfied.

As Remilia left, Cú Chulainn had already begun explaining the situation to Mash and the others.

"Th-Thank you... for saving us at the critical moment..." Mash said gratefully.

"Heh, good work. Something this minor doesn't even count as doing someone a favor, so don't worry about it." As he spoke, Cú Chulainn wore a teasing expression. "More importantly, you should worry about your body. That Assassin was aiming at your butt the whole time, wasn't he?"

"Ah...!" Mash instantly blushed in embarrassment.

"Hey, you looked so frail, but you've got quite a figure! Lucky me, lucky me."

Ritsuka's mouth twitched violently as she stared at Cú Chulainn with an unfriendly look in her eyes.

She had already put this Cú Chulainn on her blacklist. Saying something so frivolous made him little different from a pervert.

"I don't know what class you are, but judging by how much punishment you can take, you're probably Saber? No, that can't be right. You're not carrying a sword."

As he spoke, Cú Chulainn analyzed the situation with a hand on his chin.