Lancer-Diarmuid

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

At that moment, the faint touch through his clothes and the subtle fragrance drifting over made Wang Xiaoming's mind wander. He hadn't heard a word Medea had said.

"Are you listening?"

"Mm... What?"

"I said, don't you think you're overthinking things a little?"

"Overthinking?"

Medea's question surprised Wang Xiaoming, and he no longer had any time to dwell on what she was doing.

"The 'plot' you keep talking about had already gone off course from the moment Shirou summoned me. You just didn't pay attention."

"..."

"Everything you've planned since then—whether it was allying with Lancer and the others or coming here to kill that worm—has already shattered the course of the Holy Grail War you had in mind."

"..."

[The biggest flaw of a transmigrator is that while enjoying the benefits of changing the plot, they stubbornly believe that everything that comes next will remain unchanged.]

For some reason, those words suddenly came to Wang Xiaoming's mind.

"But..."

Medea's sudden pause made Wang Xiaoming lift his head. From where he was looking up at her, he could see her delicate features.

Medea's tone had softened considerably:

"If we hadn't come here, that child Sakura would probably have continued suffering at the hands of that worm until the next Holy Grail War."

"Hmm?"

Wang Xiaoming made a questioning sound, unsure what to make of it. He seemed surprised that Medea had guessed.

"Because Matou Kariya doesn't have many days left, even as things stand now. The worms have already wrecked his body. The only reason he's still going is that he's clinging to life." Medea said crossly, "I don't think Matou Kariya could save Sakura from the Old Worm in his condition."

Spending time with Sakura that day had made Medea grow somewhat fond of the girl, and now she felt an extra pang of sympathy for what she'd been through.

May the goddess Hecate watch over this child and let her grow up in peace.

At that very moment, in Sakura's room—

After finally getting Sakura to sleep, Kariya sat beside her bed, planning to keep watch a little longer. Having only just escaped the hellhole, Sakura still often woke from nightmares.

Then something changed—

Moonlight pouring through the window suddenly enveloped Sakura in her sleep, and Kariya, sitting by the bed, was also touched by the light that spilled over.

His body was nearly at its limit, but the faint signs of improvement it sent him kept Kariya from making a sound. Then, to his delight, he saw Sakura's face relax. Even in her sleep, she'd always had a frown creasing her brow before.

Kariya quietly left the bedside, brought a chair over from another room, and sat somewhere the moonlight couldn't reach. He watched Sakura's expression gradually soften.

"Without you, that child Sakura would have had a truly tragic fate, wouldn't she?"

It was the first time Wang Xiaoming had heard Medea say something like that. He was flattered, but also felt a great deal of pressure. He couldn't help shaking his head with a wry smile.

"I never wanted to be some kind of savior."

Indeed, Wang Xiaoming's original goal had only been to survive. Helping Sakura had mostly been something he'd done on the side while securing a base.

Though he had no plans to become a champion of justice, he was still quite relieved to see signs that Sakura was doing a little better than before.

At least he'd done what he could.

"Even so... don't underestimate yourself."

Medea understood how Wang Xiaoming felt.

"After all, you've achieved most of your goals so far, and your efforts have paid off."

In Medea's eyes, Wang Xiaoming's personality was honestly rather foolish.

"But don't think too highly of yourself, either. The Holy Grail War has never been something one person can bring to an end."

The more familiar one became with the ugliness of human nature, the more one understood the preciousness of its goodness.

"Besides... if you solved everything yourself, I'd lose face as your Servant."

Medea's tone was teasing, but her expression was earnest.

"Uh... yeah... Okay..."

From Wang Xiaoming's perspective—

Medea's soft hair fell around her, revealing the pale, delicate face hidden beneath it. The cool moonlight seemed to drape her in a white wedding gown, and for a moment, Wang Xiaoming felt as though this moonlit fairy had stolen his senses.

Medea looked at Wang Xiaoming in confusion as he stumbled over his reply. Her crystal-clear blue eyes were fixed on him, puzzled.

When he met Medea's gaze, Wang Xiaoming stiffly turned his eyes toward the bright full moon in the night sky.

Seeing him so flustered, Medea suddenly felt a mischievous urge. She bent down, leaned close to his ear, and asked softly:

"What are you looking at?"

"Nothing, just the moonlight tonight..."

"The moonlight?"

Hearing Wang Xiaoming's answer, Medea curiously lifted her head to look at the full moon in the sky.

On such a rare clear night, not a cloud obscured the full moon. Reflecting the sun's radiance, it gave off a gentle glow and a sense of peace.

"Nothing. I just thought—the moon is beautiful tonight."

Wang Xiaoming's words suddenly sounded in Medea's ear.

Recommending the anime The Moon Is Beautiful~

That's the title of this chapter~

It's finished. I recommend giving it a watch~

That's all!

Good night!

Lancer—Diarmuid

"The moon is beautiful tonight—"

Thinking back to the words he'd blurted out to Medea in the room, Wang Xiaoming couldn't help smiling wryly.

Why had he gone and said something like that? But when he remembered how Medea had seemed to agree with him, he felt relieved, yet also a little disappointed.

Never mind. There was no point thinking about it now.

Wang Xiaoming shook his head. Earlier, he'd made some excuse to leave the room, thinking he was getting out of an awkward situation. He'd also wanted to cool off his overheated head in the night air.

He walked down the corridor to the rooftop terrace and leaned on the railing, gazing at the moon without much thought.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette pack that had been crushed and crumpled. They weren't anything expensive; he'd bought them before leaving Tokyo for Fuyuki.

Wang Xiaoming wasn't especially fond of cigarettes, but the pressure of work and his tight budget had left him unable to find a cheaper way to relieve stress than tobacco.

It was just that he'd had so much going on lately that he'd forgotten about it.

But now—

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

Thank goodness... three were still intact.

He took one out, lit it, and inhaled.

The distinctive aroma of tobacco entered his lungs through his mouth, slowly dulling his nerves and bringing a hazy, intoxicating feeling. He exhaled softly. White rings of smoke curled through the air like magic, then faded away.

Amid the drifting smoke, Wang Xiaoming gazed at the moon, not even sure what he was thinking.

A soft patter of footsteps interrupted his thoughts. Hearing them draw closer, Wang Xiaoming stubbed out his cigarette and instinctively looked toward the sound.

"—Lancer?"

"Caster's Master?"

The knight with the spear had just rounded the corner, and he seemed just as surprised to see Wang Xiaoming. Lancer looked troubled, unlike his usual spirited self.

Seeing that, Wang Xiaoming moved aside.

Lancer, weighed down by his thoughts, didn't refuse the offer. He stepped up beside Wang Xiaoming and gazed at the moon in silence.

"Still troubled by what happened earlier?"

Wang Xiaoming broke the silence.

"...Yeah."

After a long pause, Lancer nodded.

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

Wang Xiaoming was only stating the facts.

"I..."

Lancer seemed to have something to say, but Wang Xiaoming cut him off as soon as he started.

"Geis, huh? You can't refuse a woman who's in trouble. I know that much."

Lancer nodded gratefully at Wang Xiaoming's understanding.

"But do you think Kayneth cares about that?"

"..."

That was exactly what had been bothering Lancer. His lord didn't seem to value his efforts.

"Want one?"

As if he were with an ordinary friend, Wang Xiaoming held out his crumpled pack.

Lancer glanced at Wang Xiaoming in surprise and saw that his expression hadn't changed.

I guess I shouldn't refuse.

Thinking that, Lancer took a cigarette from the battered pack.

Wang Xiaoming also took the last cigarette from the pack and put it between his lips, then lit it.

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

"Cough, cough!"

Even a Heroic Spirit's body, formed from magical energy, couldn't withstand the onslaught of tobacco.

"This stuff is bad for your health."

The cautious Lancer had never been keen on things like this.

"Want another? There aren't any left."

Wang Xiaoming glanced at the empty pack in his hand and answered.

"..."

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

And so—

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

"Honestly, I think you're pretty hypocritical."

Halfway through his cigarette, Wang Xiaoming suddenly spoke as he gazed into the distance.

Lancer turned to him, his eyes full of confusion and doubt.