Dating Caster

Medea's hands were actually resting on his shoulders so naturally?

At that moment, the subtle sensation through his clothes and the faint, lingering fragrance made Wang Xiaoming's consciousness drift, and he didn't hear a word of what Medea was saying.

"Are you even listening?"

"Hm... what?"

"I said, aren't you overthinking things a bit too much?"

"Too much?"

Medea's question caught Wang Xiaoming by surprise, leaving him no time to dwell on her current actions.

"The so-called [plot] you speak of deviated the moment Shirou summoned me, it's just that you haven't been paying attention."

"..."

"The schemes you've carried out since then, whether it was forming an alliance with Lancer and the others or coming here to slay that worm, these decisions have already shattered the trajectory of the Holy Grail War you had in mind."

"..."

[The greatest flaw of a transmigrator is that while enjoying the benefits of changing the plot, they stubbornly believe the subsequent events will remain immutable.]

For some reason, this sentence suddenly surfaced in Wang Xiaoming's mind.

"However..."

Medea's sudden pause made Wang Xiaoming instinctively look up, and from his upward angle, he saw her exquisite features.

Medea's tone was much softer now than it had been before:

"If we hadn't come here, that child Sakura would likely have continued to suffer under that worm's torture until the next Holy Grail War."

"Hm?"

Wang Xiaoming let out an ambiguous sound of inquiry, seemingly surprised that Medea could guess his thoughts.

"Because even looking at him now, that man Matou Kariya doesn't have many days left to live. His body has long since been ravaged by the worms; he's only hanging on by a thread at this point," Medea said, sounding annoyed.

"I don't think Matou Kariya could have rescued Sakura from Old Worm under these circumstances."

Spending the day together had given Medea a sense of fondness for Sakura, and with that came a touch of heartache for the child's plight.

May the goddess Hecate bless this child so she may grow up in peace.

As these thoughts crossed her mind, in Sakura's room at that very moment—

Having finally coaxed Sakura to sleep, Kariya sat by the bedside, intending to keep watch a little longer; having just escaped the den of monsters, Sakura was often startled awake by nightmares.

The anomaly occurred—

The moonlight spilling in through the window suddenly enveloped the sleeping Sakura, and Kariya, sitting by the bed, was indirectly touched by the scattering rays.

The feedback from his body, which had been reaching its limit, suggested a faint improvement, so Kariya didn't make a sound. Then, to his pleasant surprise, he noticed that Sakura's expression, which usually remained furrowed even in sleep, had suddenly calmed.

Quietly leaving the bedside, Kariya moved a chair from across the room to a spot where the moonlight couldn't reach, watching Sakura's features soften in the glow.

"If it weren't for you, that child Sakura's ending would surely have been tragic."

Hearing such an assessment from Medea for the first time, Wang Xiaoming felt both flattered and under immense pressure. He couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile:

"I never had any intention of being a savior."

Indeed, Wang Xiaoming's initial goal was merely to survive; Sakura's situation was handled more as a matter of convenience while seizing the stronghold.

Although he had no desire to be a hero of justice, seeing the faint signs of improvement in Sakura compared to before, Wang Xiaoming still felt quite relieved.

At the very least, he had done what he could.

"Even so... you shouldn't look down on yourself too much."

Medea understood Wang Xiaoming's mindset.

"After all, your goals thus far have basically been achieved, and the efforts you've made have yielded results."

In Medea's eyes, this personality of Wang Xiaoming's was actually incredibly foolish.

"But don't overestimate yourself either, because the Holy Grail War has never been something that can be ended by one person alone."

Yet, the more one is accustomed to the ugliness of human nature, the more one appreciates the value of its beauty.

"Besides... if you solved everything yourself, then as your Servant, I would be quite embarrassed."

Although Medea's tone was teasing, her eyes held a look of genuine sincerity.

"Uh... yeah... right..."

From Wang Xiaoming's perspective—

Medea's silky long hair cascaded down, revealing the fair and delicate face hidden within. The cold moonlight seemed to drape a white wedding gown over her, and for a moment, Wang Xiaoming felt his heart and soul lose focus because of this elf under the moon.

Wang Xiaoming's incoherent reply was met with Medea's puzzled gaze; her crystal-clear, cyan-blue eyes were looking at him in confusion.

Upon meeting Medea's gaze, Wang Xiaoming stiffly shifted his focus to the bright full moon in the night sky.

Seeing Wang Xiaoming's embarrassed state, a sense of mischief suddenly welled up in Medea's heart. She leaned down, crept close to his ear, and whispered:

"What are you looking at?"

"Nothing, it's just that the moon is beautiful tonight..."

"The moon?"

Hearing Wang Xiaoming's reply, Caster curiously raised her head to glance at the full moon in the sky.

In this rare stretch of good weather, the full moon was unusually unobstructed by clouds; reflecting the sun's brilliance, it radiated a soft halo that gave one a sense of peace.

"It's nothing, I just felt—the moon is beautiful tonight."

At that moment, Wang Xiaoming's words suddenly echoed in Caster's ears.

Promoting the work The Moon is Beautiful~

That is the title of this chapter~

It is finished, I recommend giving it a read~

That is all!

Good night!

Chapter 43. Lancer—Diarmuid

"The moon is beautiful tonight—"

Recalling the words he had subconsciously said to Caster in the room just now, Wang Xiaoming couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Wasn't he just looking for trouble? But remembering the look of agreement on Caster's face at the time, Wang Xiaoming felt a sense of relief mixed with a faint trace of disappointment.

Forget it, thinking about this now was useless.

Wang Xiaoming shook his head. To escape the situation he deemed awkward, he had made up a random excuse to leave the room, taking the opportunity to let the cold wind cool his overheated head.

Walking through the corridor to the rooftop, Wang Xiaoming leaned against the railing and gazed at the moon absentmindedly.

He subconsciously reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled cigarette pack. It wasn't anything expensive; he had bought it before coming to Fuyuki from Tokyo.

Wang Xiaoming wasn't particularly fond of cigarettes, but the pressure of work and his tight salary meant he couldn't find a cheaper way to relieve stress than tobacco.

It was just that things had been so busy lately that he had subconsciously forgotten about it.

But now—

He carefully opened the pack, and Wang Xiaoming breathed a sigh of relief after seeing what was inside.

Thank goodness... there were still three left that weren't broken.

He pulled one out, lit it, and inhaled.

The unique aroma of tobacco entered his lungs from his mouth, slowly invading his nerves and providing a numbing intoxication. He exhaled gently, and white smoke rings curled in the air, flowing like magic before dissipating.

Amidst the swirling smoke, Wang Xiaoming watched the moon, not knowing what exactly he was thinking about.

A series of soft footsteps interrupted his train of thought. Hearing the approaching sound, Wang Xiaoming stubbed out his cigarette and instinctively looked toward the direction of the noise:

"—Lancer?"

"Caster's Master?"

The Lancer who rounded the corner seemed just as surprised to see Wang Xiaoming. At this moment, Lancer's expression was heavy, a far cry from his usual high-spirited self.

Seeing this, Wang Xiaoming shifted to the side to make room.

The heavy-hearted Lancer did not refuse Wang Xiaoming's kindness, walking up to stand by him and gazing at the moon in silence.

"Still troubled by what happened earlier?"

Wang Xiaoming spoke up to break the silence between them.

"...Yes."

After a long while, Lancer nodded.

"But it really was your fault this time, letting that woman get away and all."

Wang Xiaoming spoke plainly.

"I..."

Lancer seemed to have something to say, but he was interrupted by Wang Xiaoming before he could start.

"Geis, right? You can't refuse the request of a woman in distress; I'm aware of that much."

Lancer nodded gratefully at Wang Xiaoming's understanding.

"But do you think Kayneth cares about that?"

"..."

This was exactly what Lancer was depressed about; his lord didn't seem to value his efforts at all.

"Want one?"

Wang Xiaoming treated him like an ordinary friend, holding out his crumpled cigarette pack.

Lancer looked at Wang Xiaoming in surprise, only to find his expression remained as calm as ever.

He probably couldn't refuse at a time like this.

Thinking this, Lancer pulled one out from that wretched-looking cigarette pack.

Wang Xiaoming followed suit, pulling the very last cigarette from the pack, placing it between his lips, and lighting it.

Imitating Wang Xiaoming's movements, Lancer put the lit cigarette in his mouth and took a drag...

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Even a body of a Heroic Spirit composed of magical energy could not resist the assault of the tobacco.

"This stuff is bad for the body."

The cautious and prudent Lancer had originally steered clear of such things.

"Even if you want more, there isn't any left."

Glancing at the empty pack in his hand, Wang Xiaoming replied.

"..."

After another bout of coughing, the silent Lancer seemed to be gradually getting used to the taste of the tobacco.

And so—

On the rooftop, one bright moon, two cigarettes, and two men.

"Actually, I think you're quite hypocritical."

With the cigarette in his hand already half-burned, Wang Xiaoming, gazing into the distance, suddenly spoke up.

The look in Lancer's eyes as he turned his head toward him was filled with confusion and bewilderment.