Servant-Hephaestion / Saber, Reporting for Duty! (3K Chapter)

Shirou walked down the corridor of the Rail Zeppelin, his feet resting on a carpet that looked extremely high-end, so soft that it gave him the illusion that his ankles were being submerged.

Although the carriages are narrow, the corridors are decorated quite luxuriously. Within this limited space, the classic style of the train is showcased to the fullest without giving people a dazzling feeling.

It's clear that the train's owner put a lot of effort into this.

However, this was unnecessary for Shirou, who had already searched two carriages in an attempt to find Hishiri Adashino and Lily without any success.

"Could it be that they've already gone back?"

Shirou rubbed his temples while looking out the car window.

All that could be seen outside the window was thick fog. Occasionally, distant lights would flash by. Although the vehicle looked old, it drove very smoothly, and the deep rumble of the steam engine was quite pleasant.

"Never mind, let's go back first..."

Click--

Shirou was about to turn back, stopped in his tracks at a sound coming from the connection point at the other end of the carriage. It was the sound of a bolt turning, and in the silence of the late night, the sound echoed exceptionally clearly in the carriage.

Who is it?

Instinctively looking in the direction of the sound, Shirou could only see a deep darkness beyond the reach of the train lights.

[We shouldn't have gone over there—it was probably just the train conductor's routine midnight patrol.]

Reason kept urging Shirou to return to his room and spend the night in peace.

But--

Shirou, however, lifted his foot and walked towards the direction from which the sound came.

[Fujino Asagami and Ms. Lily are still on this train; we must rule out any potential problems beforehand.]

Thinking this, Shirou subconsciously quickened his pace.

Following the direction of the sound, Shirou arrived at the very back of the train.

The Rail Zeppelin consists of a locomotive followed by two carriages, then a dining car, a living room, five passenger cars, and finally two freight cars.

Standing at the connection point of the last carriage, Shirou, having found nothing along the way, basically ruled out the [Train Conductor Inspection] option.

"This is all that's left..."

Taking a deep breath, Shirou gently opened the car door.

The carriage was basically empty, containing only a few wooden crates and sacks. Although it was surprisingly rudimentary compared to the other carriages, it wasn't originally intended for guests. It was probably built out of the manager's interest, imitating the old third-class carriages.

But right there in this "third-class carriage," something that shouldn't have been there caught Shirou's attention—

"How could this be...?!"

Shirou constricted instinctively, and the instinctive gasp he was about to utter was caught in his throat due to his overwhelming shock.

In his vision, a crimson [True Magic circle] seemed to have just finished operating and was slowly losing its color.

[--Remove the summoning circle formed by the four arrays of elimination and annihilation in the middle of the image]

There's absolutely no mistake about it, even if it happened when I was still young. But this is supposed to be Summoning Circle used to summon Servant in the Holy Grail War, so why is it here?!

"This is bad, we've been discovered..."

An abrupt sound suddenly rang out behind Shirou. At the same time, Shirou sensed something from the direction the sound came from.

A chilling murderous intent.

Clang--

The sound of hard objects colliding echoed in the empty carriage.

Although Shirou's reaction was quick enough, and the weapon he instinctively Projection successfully blocked the attack, the immense force from the weapon still caused the unsuspecting Shirou to roll forward several times.

"They actually followed us!"

Shirou managed to stand up from the floor of the carriage with great difficulty, and a deep female voice reached his ears.

Following the direction of the sound, Shirou saw a beautiful woman standing in front of him.

She is around twenty years old.

She was tall, not just in terms of height, but also in terms of the composed aura she exuded, which made her appear even taller. Her slightly wavy, medium-length black hair fell naturally down her back.

Her slender body was encased in simple leather and metal armor, with a well-fitting straight sword at her waist. It seemed she hadn't used a weapon during her attack.

However, what Shirou cared about even more than these things were the woman's [Gold-and-Silver Demonic Eyes Hectochromia] eyes, which were different from ordinary people's. The heterochromatic color of her eyes was so deep that it seemed to draw one's soul into them.

Should your actions be condemned as foolishness—knowing it might be a trap yet walking right into it? Or should they be praised as fortitude born of sufficient strength?

The woman in armor stared intently at Shirou and asked seriously.

Her crisp and decisive tone made it difficult for Shirou had just been attacked, to feel any ill will towards the woman in front of him.

But now is not the time to think about these things. After clearing his mind of these chaotic thoughts, Shirou posed his question to the woman in front of him.

"Who are you?"

"That's right, that's how it should be."

Perhaps Shirou's straightforward question touched a nerve, for the woman opposite him laughed heartily.

If writers were asked to describe a beautiful woman's smile, they would often use flowers or jewels as metaphors. In addition, some might use fruits or art as metaphors.

But this woman exuded the fragrance of rust. Rust is often confused with the smell of blood. But it is rare to find a woman surrounded by the fragrance of iron itself. This scent is that of swords, armor, and shields; it is the aroma that only those who have fought on the battlefield can emit.

But Shirou knew that this was definitely not an aura that a modern person could possess. Adding to that the woman's earlier words and the Summoning Circle in the carriage that had just stopped functioning...

"Hmm... you are--"

"Oh? Looks like you're not completely clueless after all."

Seeing Shirou's somewhat bewildered expression, the woman slightly raised her sharp, beautiful eyebrows. At the same time, a dry voice struggled to escape from Shirou's throat.

"You... [Servant], right?"

"That's right--"

The woman's resolute voice was filled with the smoke of battle:

I am Hephaestion, the greatest King of Conquerors in history, Iskandar's most trusted confidant!

ps2:

By the way, I'd like to recommend a novel~

It's an original work, and very interesting.

My Demonic Girlfriend Wants to Kill Me

The following is a brief introduction:

"Zhang Xiu, if you truly love me, then let me devour you!"

"Brother Xiu, are you willing to die with me?"

"Zhang Lang, your heart... tastes wonderful! Would you like to try some?"

This is a world teeming with demons, ghosts, and spirits!

Zhang Xiu felt that he...

It's going to be a flop again!

Chapter 347. Saber, here I come! (3K chapters)

"I am Hephaestion! The greatest King of Conquerors in history, Iskandar's most trusted confidant."

The woman's resolute voice echoed in the empty carriage.

Upon hearing the woman's reply, who identified herself as Hephaestion, Shirou thought of the tall, imposing man who had left a deep impression on him during his childhood.

"Rider..."

"As expected, kid, you do know something about the Holy Grail War, don't you?"

Shirou's mutterings weren't loud, but they still reached the other person's ears clearly. [Hephaestion] looked annoyed and clicked her tongue.

"So, like [that guy], you're also a survivor of the [Fourth Holy Grail War]?"

"Varied--"

Shirou looked somewhat bewildered, probably surprised that the other person would bring up that word. However, a sudden gust of wind swept up in front of him, instantly bringing him back to his senses.

"Let me see just how good his former rivals really are!"

As she said this, the woman suddenly drew her sword from her waist and charged towards Shirou with astonishing speed.

"[ --Projection begins (Traceon)]"

The magical circuits throughout his body opened, and the magical energy flowing through his body, under his master's command, rapidly formed, filled, and shaped in Shirou's hands.

Clang!

The crisp sound of metal colliding rang out again in the carriage.

Unlike before, this time Shirou successfully blocked the woman's sword with his spear.

"Oh?"

The woman's eyes reflected Shirou's image, and her lips uttered a sigh of admiration for him.

"Incredible Magecraft! You caught it head-on. Looks like you're much better than those useless Persians."

"..."

However, Shirou, as the person involved, had no time to pay attention to the woman's somewhat complimentary words.

If we were to categorize weapons by quality, the sword in the woman's hand would undoubtedly be among the finest.

Shirou had honed his [eyesight] to an extremely high level through his training with the old man in his dreams, was able to make this assertion without a doubt.

But that's all there is to it.

Weapons that don't reach the level of [Noble Phantasm] or [Craft Essence] are significantly inferior to her father's [Durandal].

But--

Shirou, however, developed the illusion that this weapon could easily split him in two...

"Remember this. Simply possessing combat skills won't make you a true warrior. To become a warrior, it's not just about combat skills; physical, mental, and spiritual conditions must all be met. And these—"

The chilling killing intent and icy words made Shirou's breath catch in his throat, but he managed to pull himself out of his daze.

"It should at least be tempered on the battlefield before it can be obtained!"

As the woman finished speaking, the heavy pressure emanating from her made Shirou feel even breathing difficult.

Danger alarms blared in my brain. But my body's subconscious actions were even faster than my nervous system's reaction.

The spear in his hand clashed once more with the woman's waving sword.

"Huh?!"

The force, several times heavier than before, almost caused Shirou to drop his weapon.

Completely different from before, each of her blows now carried an almost abnormal weight, and Shirou's fingers, which were gripping his weapon, began to go numb under the impact.

Moreover, the intense will to kill himself that emanated from her sword was enough to make Shirou's soul tremble.

Calm!

"Haha, ha, heh--hoo"

Jump back to avoid the opponent's sweeping attack.