A Dimensional Journey Begins with the Dragon Clan

Chapter 1247. Cleaner

"——Don't treat me like a fool. I am a magician after all. If the opponent wants to fight, I will fight to the end."

Trying hard not to be overwhelmed by his aura, Emiya Shirou confronted the red knight with all his might.

The guy snorted as if he was insulting someone, and shrugged his shoulders at him exaggeratedly.

"This is a joke. A magus who doesn't even smell like blood is nothing more than a half-witted one. Didn't your master teach you this, Emiya Shirou?"

"Varied----"

The momentum disappeared in an instant.

...Yes, Kiritsugu did say that.

The magician lives with blood.

It doesn't matter if you hurt others or not. Even if you didn't do it, the road ahead will be stained with blood.

That’s why Kiritsugu told him not to become a magus.

"...Are you saying that I don't smell of blood?"

"That's right. From this point of view, Emiya Shirou is not suitable to be a Master at all. He is too different from Rin."

"——What is this? Does Tousaka smell like blood?"

"Of course. She is a little naive, but she will never show mercy when it comes to taking action. If she wasn't like that, she wouldn't have wandered the streets for days in a row searching for the Master."

"——————"

  Searching for the Master for several days in a row...?

That means a battle with the Master.

It's impossible to say that once you find it, that's the end of it.

So----

"…So, Tousaka does things like this every day?"

That incident at school.

  The same thing that happens every day, with people killing each other in the woods in an instant...?

"How is that possible? I don't want to be in such an awkward situation like today again. A magus with such awareness and talent would be regressing to her actual age if she were to take you as her opponent."

"Besides, with her abilities, there is no need for her to cooperate with Shirou Emiya. But she still did unnecessary things. As for me, I am against this cooperation - never mind, there is nothing I can do. Servants must obey their Masters."

"Isn't that right, Shirou Emiya? Even if the Master is an immature and useless being, the Servant must still obey the Master's wishes."

…This sentence——

You're talking about him and Saber.

"——I see. Toosaka is really pitiful. She has to be paired with a teasing person like you."

"...I can't stand it. You never stop saying shocking things. You keep saying such things. Let me give you a piece of advice. Don't consider the personalities of the Servants. We are just 'things' summoned purely for the purpose of fighting. Servants are just tools connected by Command Seals anyway. Since you have the power to control them, you can completely ignore the jokes said by the tools."

“————————“

"There's no such thing," Shirou Emiya couldn't say this.

These words spoken by Archer himself while bound by the Command Seal were unquestionably true.

…Although he never thought that Saber was a tool, the fact was that Saber was indeed bound by the Command Seal.

"So, what's the reason for calling me here? It can't be some stupid reason like deepening our friendship."

“————Hmm.”

…Pfft.

There is no reason.

It's just because I can't swallow the anger in my heart, and I feel uncomfortable if I don't complain a few words.

"Um—By the way. Archer, do you want the Holy Grail too?"

I had no choice but to ask a question I already knew the answer to.

----but.

"The Holy Grail——? Oh, an evil treasure chest that can grant people's wishes. I don't want that. My wishes cannot be granted by that kind of thing."

The scarlet knight made the statement with a clear tone and full of contempt.

“————What… is going on…?”

Isn't this a contradiction?

All Servants want to obtain the Holy Grail.

  Isn't it because you want to obtain the Holy Grail that you respond to the magician's call and become a Servant...?

"Wait, this is ridiculous. Why did you become a Servant?"

"I have no choice. I have no free will at all. Do you think that servants respond to summons according to their own will?"

"What?"

  No free will…?

So, this guy was summoned even though he had no interest in the Holy Grail...?

"What a happy man. Have you really never thought about this? Listen carefully, a Servant is a 'person who is summoned'. No, a Heroic Spirit is not summoned by his own will, but by the will of others. He becomes a Heroic Spirit because of his past achievements, and then is passed down by people and becomes their pillar of support."

"——But, does that Heroic Spirit really want to help humanity?"

“————No, that’s…”

…Since he is called a heroic spirit, he should be a noble person.

So they have to protect people, but most of the Servants that Shirou Emiya has seen are not of this image.

"That's right. In the final analysis, 'Heroic Spirits' don't have any will at all. Once they become Heroic Spirits, they are just used as a force to protect humanity."

"It is just an existence that is called out when things go badly for you, does the cleaning, and then disappears. Something that exists but doesn't exist. Something that saves the world from danger, but no one knows it. This is a Heroic Spirit - a convenient existence called a Guardian. At the end of becoming a Heroic Spirit, their will is taken away, and they are nothing more than cleaners who continue to work for humans forever."

"Varied----"

Something that is called out and then just disappears.

  It's just a tool without will, could this be a Heroic Spirit...?

“That’s not the case. Don’t Saber and you both have your own consciousness? …Although it has nothing to do with your own will when you are summoned, you can make your own choices after you are summoned. Saber is the same. She will refuse to do something she doesn’t want to do.”

"Of course, we are Servants. Although I don't know who created the ritual (System), this war is very ingeniously designed. The Heroic Spirits, who originally only had the sense of touch from their bodies, were given a body and used as their bodies. When the Heroic Spirits obtained the shell of the Servant, they regained their past humanity, past obsessions, and past regrets."

"That's why Servants pursue the Holy Grail. If they obtain the Holy Grail, they can make up for their past regrets and stay in this world as humans for a while longer."

"Stay as a human being—"

This means that one can gain freedom not as a Servant, but as a human being.

…Plus, the Holy Grail has the power to grant wishes.

If even the wishes that they were unable to fulfill during their lifetime could be fulfilled, Servants would indeed cooperate with their Masters.

Even for them, who are heroic spirits, the Holy Grail is like a miracle sent by God.

"…Why? You would say you don't need something like this? It can grant unattainable wishes. Even if you want to get rid of your status as a Servant, it can be done."

"——The reason is very simple. I don't have any unfulfilled wishes."

“Eh————?” “Unlike other Heroic Spirits, I died and became a Heroic Spirit after my wish came true. So I don’t have any wishes to fulfill, and I have no interest in staying here as a human. Your Servant should be the same in this regard.”

“Don’t, don’t say such nonsense. Saber said that the Holy Grail is necessary for her. She is not like you, who serves as a Servant without any purpose.”

"————My...purpose?"

Archer whispered blankly.

“————————Hmm.”

why.

There was nothing special about those words, but they made Emiya Shirou feel a chill all over his body.

"...Humph. It's the same whether she has a purpose or not. If you care, just ask her. Although Saber's goal is the Holy Grail, she definitely does not use it for herself. From this point of view, she is a typical guardian, a true 'slave' - this is something you must never forget if you are still her Master."

The breath gradually disappeared.

The knight in the scarlet coat said something annoying until the very end and then left.

  ···········

"I am back."

Although Emiya Shirou's brain is not very capable of thinking now, he can still say that idiom. Anyway, let's talk about it after entering the entrance.

There was a lively atmosphere coming from the living room.

Sister Fuji was lying down watching TV, and Sakura was probably preparing dinner.

  Saber————Is he in the living room?

"————————"

Remembering Archer's words, Emiya Shirou quickly shook his head to shoo it away.

He didn't know what the guy wanted to say and didn't want to know.

Even so, those words still echoed in my mind and I couldn't ignore them.

A familiar called a Servant.

The true intention of the guy who demoted the Heroic Spirit to a cleaner.

"Ah. Welcome back, Senpai."

Ying was still cooking, but she ran out to greet him.

"I'm back. I'm sorry for being so late. How's the dinner going?"

"Well, I just started it. But I don't think I need your help. Tonight's menu is a stew made according to Mr. Fujimura's request."

"I see. Then you really don't need my help."

After a quick look, I saw a lot of pre-cut food ingredients lined up in the kitchen.

Ying’s craftsmanship has always been excellent, so all that’s left to do now is cook it.

"—Where's Saber? She doesn't seem to be in the living room."

"If you want to find Miss Saber, she is sleeping in her room. She said she would wait for the senior to come back and wake her up..."

"Hmm... Is Saber... angry?"

"Well... I don't think there is such a thing? Miss Saber is always very serious."

…Sakura was hesitant in her speech, which meant that Saber was obviously angry.

This was as he should have been, since he had failed to keep his promise to return before sunset.

"Hey, you're back, Shirou. Is Saber angry? She said she'd go to the dojo to talk to you when you get back."

While eating mikan in big mouthfuls, Fuji-nee leisurely told the terrifying story.

“————Tong-sister. Um, you didn’t instill any weird ideas into Saber, did you? …For example, those who violate the agreement will be punished with bamboo swords in the dojo?”

"I told you. I told you that my Shirou is a sports guy, so don't show mercy when we fight."

"————————"

Yeah.

The enemy isn't just the Master, there are also lurking enemies in places like this.

"I'm asking you something irrelevant. Fuji-nee, did you take Saber to the dojo? And then you said that if you want to compete, you should use bamboo swords."

"Yeah, I just wanted to have some fun, but who knew that girl was so amazing. She obviously doesn't know kendo, but she seems to be a better kendo master than me. Did that girl practice fencing abroad?"

“No, I don’t think she practiced fencing. But anyway, she’s completely different from Fuji-nee… like, she’s swinging a huge sword that’s totally out of proportion to her body size, and she’s attacking the enemy like a wild animal.”

"Forget it, it's your own fault. Speaking of which, Fuji-nee, regarding the matter of Mizue... has that guy returned home?"

"Huh? Why does Shirou know this? Mizue's matter hasn't been made public yet."

"Ah, that's what I overheard in the Student Union office. And then what happened? Did you find Meizhui?"

Shirou Emiya stared at Sister Fuji motionlessly.

...Don't be fooled by Sister Fuji's appearance. She is still a teacher after all.

Teachers will not say things that they should not say, and they will also use some expedient measures to make students feel at ease.

Therefore, I could not miss even the slightest change on her face and I had to find out what happened to Meizhui.

"What's going on, Fuji-nee? Still no progress?"

"...I really can't do anything about you. If I don't tell you, you will definitely run out to find it right away. Anyway, it's not an absolutely secret topic...But Shirou, this is a special case. I only told you because Shirou is a friend of Mizutsu-san, okay?"

"I understand. I will remember this favor. Tell me now."

"Then I'll tell you the result directly. Mizutsu-san has been protected just now. She should have finished her examination and returned home. Although she seems to be a little unconscious, she has no external injuries and is not in danger of life. I can't say anything else. If Shirou is her friend, then go ask Mizutsu-san herself."

"——Is that so? Anyway, it's alright now, that guy..."

……Very good.

Although he didn't know what happened to Meizhui, he at least understood that this was part of a series of events.

There was a high possibility that the culprit was a Master lurking in the school.

If Meizhui got into trouble because of this, he really wouldn't know who to apologize to.

"…Oh right. Sakura, excuse me."

"…Hmm? What's up, Senior?"

"No, it's nothing serious. It's just that... do you know how Shinji is doing?"

"Ah... Um, I'm sorry, senior. I stayed here and went directly to school yesterday, so I didn't go home. Although I heard from the teacher that my brother was absent without reason, but..."

"You don't understand the situation either... That's right, how could Sakura know such a thing? Sorry, I asked something I shouldn't have asked."

"No, there's no such thing...! I should have known my brother's affairs best, but it's my fault that I don't even know the reason why he didn't go to school!"