Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Half serious half filler I guess.
Everything was fine that evening. Charlotte sent Ray off to the Astral plane before accompanying Sakura. But later in the next early morning, she received a distress call from Ray that sounded very exhausted, almost at the verge of passing out.
Charlotte blamed herself for not being there to help Ray when he needed her help. It gets worse with her excessive loyalty which brings her into a yandere rage to find the guy that hurt her master to gut him alive.
If not for Tanya slapping some sense into her and saying that helping Ray to recover is more important, she probably would have gone on a wild goose chase to find Emiya that had returned to the Throne of Heroes.
Tanya and Charlotte went to find Kayneth to seek help. Ray's injury seems to be spiritual rather than physical. Thus normal healing is incapable to do anything but Kayneth's fiance is a spiritual doctor. One of the best, even.
Kayneth basically declared Ray as a close friend and probably even an ally. Chances he will help are high and Sola-Ui is the only one capable of helping their predicament, currently.
Thankfully, Kayneth agreed easily and arranged for his fiance to help check on Ray. Which is the present time.
"How is he?" Tanya asked with a professional look on her face, properly concealed her emotion and feeling on a facade of confidence she usually shows to outsiders.
"Nothing wrong with him. No injury, both physically and spiritually. He simply exhausted too much mental energy. Probably already exhausted before he tried to overdraft it which caused a great recoil on his spiritual body." Sola-Ui announced before returning to Kayneth side.
"Is there something we can do?"
"Unless you can rejuvenate his soul, nothing but letting him rest and recover naturally. Might take a few days or even weeks." Sola-Ui replied dismissively to Tanya before urging Kayneth to leave. Apparently, she is also uncomfortable with the weather here.
"I see." Tanya nodded without taking offense before sending them off.
After sending them off, Tanya returned to the bedroom where Charlotte is glued to and Sakura, since this is her bedroom too.
While Sola-Ui said it might take days or weeks, Tanya knew Ray's strongest ability is on soul and he can recover way faster than the expected time. After all, if Ray is conscious, He can just devour a soul or two to easily rejuvenate his soul.
"Charlotte, use your Piece to share your mental energy to Ray." Tanya instructed.
She could do it herself but Charlotte being a Wraith hybrid simply has more of it than Tanya herself. So, better let Charlotte do it.
The Piece is a two way channel for energy between Ray and those he chose to call an ally. Normally, Ray only uses it to share his mana to others and use it as a means of communication. But the Piece is an item that creates a bridge between their soul and Ray. That's how Ray is able to exercise his authority over them. The Piece acts as a backdoor to interfere with their soul directly.
"Oh, right! Let me do it." Charlotte stops her grief instantaneously and does as Tanya instructed.
After trying for a while, Charlotte becomes visibly exhausted and her body starts to turn transparent.
"As expected, it isn't enough…" Tanya mumbled and made Charlotte stop before she killed herself.
Charlotte wanted to continue but met with the fierce gaze of Tanya, she turned meek and stopped as told. After all, Tanya doesn't take no as an answer unless it's from Ray.
"What use is sacrificing yourself, idiot. Go find more souls to rejuvenate yourself before trying it again. I will stay here and look after him."
———
"..."
Ray woke up feeling worse. It was like that one sleep that made you feel more tired than before you slept. His mind feel sluggish and left him absent-minded when he opened his eyes.
"Uh, hello girls." Ray greeted when he saw Tanya, Charlotte and Sakura around him.
"Master! You finally woke up." Charlotte instantly dived on his chest and hugged him tight while snuggling on him.
Ray put his hand on her head and comforted her. He is just lucky. Very lucky that Counter Guardian is just a servant on tons of drugs. But, a servant regardless and he who partially achieved Third Magic can deny Emiya a manifestation by destroying the vessel for his soul and send him back to the Root.
"Sorry, I was careless." Ray admitted with a sigh.
"Of course you are, don't you know that any attempt to reach the Root can trigger a response from Alaya." Irisviel, who was sitting in the corner of the room with Kiritsugu, suddenly spoke.
"I know, no need to lecture me twice." Ray felt annoyed that he is being chastised like a child.
He previously did place a lot of Bounded Fields and barriers to prevent this exact thing but due to his excitement in the Astral plane, he forgotten about it.
He was careless but he learned his lesson this time. But he must hurry. He is on the final step of completing the hidden quest.
He summon several soul into his hand before devouring them to quickly refill his mind. Then he crawl up his bed.
"You should rest, Ray. You barely just woke up from a coma." Tanya insisted but Ray have to deny her advice this time.
"I can't, Tanya. I already reach the final step of obtaining the Third Magic. If I were to succeed, even death will be a trivial matter to me." Ray hold her arm and pleaded for her to understand that he must keep going.
"Is that true!" Irisviel suddenly interjected.
Kiritsugu at the back feel conflicted. Magician is a menace to both society. Normally he would not hesitate even if he must forfeit his life to kill any potential Magician. The power that have no different than authority of a god. A god in human skin is what Magician truly are. In the hand of a person with unknown goal and motive, it's like giving a random stranger the ability to launch any nuke he wanted and Kiritsugu never want it to happen. Better just eliminate the potential threat before it becomes reality.
But, he is now no different than a common civilian. No magecraft, no guns, nothing but his body. Even his wife is rooting for Ray because of the obsession coded to her very soul to reobtain the Third Magic as a homunculi of Einzbern.
Ray replied with a nod and show them the abilities required to achieve the Third Magic. All except the last one, resurrection.
"Where is Saber? I need her for the final step."
"Saber is out hunting for Berserker." Tanya answered.
"Berserker? Hasn't he be eliminated?" Ray asked confusedly.
Kariya only goal is to save Sakura. Once he eliminated Zouken and the Matou mansion, Kariya should have no more reason to compete unless…
Ray immediately turn his head and locked on Sakura.
'Shit! Did he thought I kidnapped Sakura?' Ray came to a realization that at some point, Kariya must had discovered Sakura is in his hand. It could be he recognised Charlotte or at that time when they went out for dinner at the next town.
But how do Kariya can sustain Berserker if the worms already render useless after Zouken's death? He must have died from incapability to supply the mana hungry servant unless he have outside help.
"Irisviel, how many servants had the lesser grail collected?"
"Two. Why?" Irisviel answered with a confused tone on why Ray asked this question.
Minus Caster's soul that he take for himself, the soul in the lesser grail should belong to Gilgamesh and Hassan of Hundred Persona. Once the lesser grail carried certain amount of soul, Irisviel should start to feel the strain from it.
"Charlotte, bring all this Wraiths with you and scour the entire Fuyuki city to find Berserker and his master. As for Saber, she must return now. Summon her using your Command Seal, Tanya." Ray instantly turn serious and giving order. He just hope it isn't what he had expected because, the only one left that can intervene with the war is only one and the one he definitely not yet prepared to fight against.
———
Saber was roaming the streets of Fuyuki mainly to search for her wayward knight that went mad because of his betrayal and failure which caused the downfall of Camelot and his king's rule. The knight that went mad after sinking into despair.
But, she isn't Artoria, the Ideal King of Britain anymore. She is but a tyrant. She is apathetic to her subject and her subordinates. She is the Tyrant King of Britain and her duty is only to slay the enemies to her rule. Her ideals, her prayers for salvation and her glory had all being buried in the hill of Camlann along with the corpses of her soldiers, her knights and her knights of the Round Table.
She see herself as nothing more than a weapon to preserve the kingdom name Britain and nothing more. What she care is the country instead of her people, that's why she acknowledged herself as tyrant. Now, her kingdom already have it's own ruler and survived the trial of time. Her kingdom no longer need her and thus the need for her to shoulder the title of King. She is now just a knight. A knight that entrusted her sword to her lord, Rayark von Einzbern.
Although she admitted it was through some underhanded tactic. She is satisfied with it. He passed the challenge by defeating her in combat and most importantly, the person that put food on her table.
Previously, she is a king and food are served to her automatically. But now, she no longer a king and don't have a kingdom to serve her food on the table any longer. She can only latch on Ray that can feed her. Not once had she went hungry when serving her new lord. Although, the quality and taste can have some improvement.
Anyway, we're getting side tracked.
Through her Lady, Saber acquired a sizable funding for an important mission. This definitely not embezzlement of her lord's wealth. She might had embraced evil, but her moral code is still upright.
Her next investigation location is the buisness alley for foods in downtown area. The master of Berserker might be hiding there and she must investigate there next. Definitely not for the popular Gyudon she heard from the locals.
"Excuse me. Ten bowls please!"
*Cough* A knight cannot work on empty stomach. It's the common sense among the knights.
"Here ya go, young lady." The shop owner came with trays carrying ten bowls that Saber ordered.
"Hoh, the infamous lady with bottomless appetite finally came to my shop. I thought it was just an urban legend some bored people cooked up. Eat up and bring luck to my shop. Hahaha!" The uncle laughing like a maniac before her daughter hit his head with an empty tray and drag h back to the kitchen for causing a commotion and disturbing the customers.
Saber taste the first bowl and instantly lick it clean instantly. With sparkling eyes, she proceed with to devour the next five bowl before she felt something ominous.
She was summoned by Lady Tanya. She tried to resist it and eat quicker but it was futile as the Command Seal teleported her along with the bowl and chopsticks in her hand.
Saber appeared in Ray's workshop with Ray, Tanya and Irisviel looking at her.
"Hoh, hunting for Berserker. I wonder why hunting for a servant required a bowl and a chopsticks."
Saber quickly look at Tanya to seek support from her Lady but Tanya already turn away and appreciating the empty wall. Irisviel suppressing her giggle of amusement. While Ray is hiding his anger with an unconvincing and twitching smile and popped vein.
"Master. This is a misunderstanding…" Saber tried to make an excuse but Ray isn't buying any.
"You will eat only white rice and pickles until you reflect upon your action."
"No! Anything but that! It's inhumane! Even prisoner have better food than this." Saber cried out in panic to preserve her right for meals.
"This or salted crackers with tea. Which one would you choose." Ray said with determination to carry out the punishment. He wouldn't budge even if she shed tears of blood.
Thus it put an premature end to Saber's adventure to try out all the modern cuisine. Moral of the story, don't get caught by your crime and you are good to go.
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